Captain America: Civil War - a belated review

Hello and welcome to the 05/22/2016 edition of The Comic Shop!

First...Big news on the page as DC's next big event "Rebirth" kicks off at midnight this Wednesday.  I've seen some of the spoilers and it looks like we are in for one helluva ride.  Let's just say all of the woes of the DC universe over the past few years are because of a certain Doctor we all know.  Not to be outdone Marvel has pushed the release of Steve Rogers: Captain America #1 to midnight the same night.

Second...It's time for a TV roundup y'all.  I'm trying to keep up on "Flash" and although I was not initially a fan of the Zoom redesign I have to say that the story is incredibly compelling.  I've stayed away from "Arrow".  I have to say after catching an occasional "Agents of SHIELD" episode it has piqued my interest so I've started watching that on Netflix.  Season three of AoS just wrapped and it will be on Netflix within the next 2 weeks!

Third...Early screenings of "Suicide Squad" have been very favorable, but so were early screenings of "BvS" so take that for what it's worth.  I've read mixed things about "X-men: Apocalypse", but it looks interesting enough for me to plunk down my $10.

Fourth... "Thor: Ragnarok" has one helluva cast!  Man, joining Chris Hemsworth, Idris Elba, and Anthony Hopkins are Mark Ruffalo, Cate Blanchett, Karl Urban, and Jeff Goldblum among others.  It's going to be uh uh uh-mazing!

Alright enough of this bullcrap....let's review the billion dollar movie that got outdrawn by "Angry Birds" at the box office this weekend.

If you haven't caught up on the MCU films you may be a little lost with what I'm going to talk about today so go no further.  Also just a word of warning spoilers will lurk heavy.  

Good:

There are so many things that I enjoyed about this movie, but I think the strength for me is that they didn't alter the two headliners much to make the fight happen.  The filmmakers stayed true to who these characters were, and most of the conflict came from their views being naturally different.  The "Civil War" comic upon which this story was somewhat based took a lot of liberties with Cap & Iron Man to not only make them fight, but to keep them fighting.

That said in this movie like in all good stories character is key.

-Props to the Russo Bros for that ONE LINE OF DIALOGUE to address why Tony went back to being Iron Man after the conclusion of Iron Man 3.  In doing so they set up this conflict in a roundabout way.  This Tony Stark isn't addicted to alcohol (like in the revolutionary "Demon in a Bottle" storyline) he is addicted to being Iron Man.  Like any addict he didn't realize he had a problem until he hit rock bottom (losing Pepper Potts in this context).  When the opportunity comes along for someone else to regulate his behavior Tony jumps in with both feet, because he knows he is powerless over his own addiction.  Not only that, but he has seen the physical cost of collateral damage of his invention (in this case the Avengers) once again, as he originally became Iron Man to get his weapons out of the hands of terrorists.

-Cap on the other hand has had a problem with authority & a lack of autonomy going all the way back to when he was a skinny weakling.  He even forged government forms because he was so passionate about doing his part.  This is a constant theme with him that carries through and makes him hesitant to sign on for government authority over the Avengers.  For Steve Rogers the idea is very present that structures become shackles if he is not vigilant.  Another thing that really drives him into conflict in this movie is his desperate need to cling to the the last few remnants of his life from before he went into the ice.  Those being his best friend Bucky (also known as the MK-Ultra styled Hydra Killer The Winter Soldier), and his former love Peggy Carter.  Carter's death I think really puts an emphasis on Cap's search for his friend, and his need to protect him well past a point that one would reasonably walk away. 

-There are a lot of great fight scenes in this movie the airport fight between the two teams is one of the better action pieces I've seen in any movie, and the dramatic intimate finale was absolutely pitch perfect.  It would have stolen away a lot of the drama and emotion to have two full teams going at it in that final showdown.

-Typically when something comes down to a third reboot it's time to pack it in, but Tom Holland has given a new lease on life as Spider-man.  His interactions with Tony Stark, and his constant chattiness during the big airport fight had me in stitches both times I saw this film.

-Black Panther!  Chadwick Boseman conveys a strong, quiet, confidence as King T'challa, and honestly he may be the first true badass take this guy serious character in the MCU.  I got chills both times from the "I'll kill him myself".  The juxtaposition of T'challa choosing justice with Stark choosing vengeance off camera was incredibly powerful and poignant.  I seriously can't wait for the Ryan Coogler helmed solo film.

- Ant-Man!  HOLY SHIT!  that's all I have to say about that.

- Elizabeth Olsen (Scarlett Witch) is still gorgeous, and her weird relationship with Paul Bettany's Vision will surely be a point of interest in the future.

- The Russo's should direct the upcoming "Black Widow" solo.  They have a real respect for the character and I have enjoyed her more in both "Captain America" movies than I have in her other three appearances in the MCU.

- I'm on the fence about this one and you'll see why shortly, but I think Daniel Bruhl's Baron Zemo might be the best Marvel villain to date.  He has a wonderful Dark Knight Joker-esque feel as a guy that just wants to "watch the world burn."

- There are a lot of other things I really enjoyed, but I want to get on to the other parts here.

Bad:

-CONVENIENCE:  seriously this is becoming my least favorite superhero movie troupe.  There is no explanation for a lot of things that people just happen to know in this movie.  Zemo just happens to know that Bucky killed *SPOILERS*?  Zemo knows that the United Nations is going to take unilateral action to censure the Avengers? I realize that it's only a 2 hour movie, but this is something that is present in almost every superhero film.

- Some of the humor was at poor times.  Thankfully they didn't put any quips in the last heart-wrenching scene, and actually played it for the serious part that it was.  The airport fight with all the humor and banter looks more like the Avengers training in the X-men's Danger Room than it does a knockdown drag out fight.

- Nobody said in a Forrest Gump voice "Lt. Rhodes you got you some magic legs"...speaking of poorly timed humor.  Too soon?

Ugly:

- Crossbones.  Now don't get me wrong I loved that Frank Grillo's character made a return, but it was way too brief, and I would've like to see him again down the line.  Not to say it's impossible, but this may have been a quick one-off of the character.

- Stakes.  In this sequel-building and cinematic universe building world we are in there is very little at stake in these movies.  Like I said the last 5-10 minutes of the movie will leave you breathless, but in all truth everyone turns out physically relatively unscathed.  Mentally is a different story, but I digress.  Maybe this is just setting the table for the arrival of Thanos in the Infinity Stone movies, but at some point people are gonna stop believing that Marvel will eventually pull the trigger on the big deaths.


That's it for today...Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time at The Comic Shop!

The pitch & other stuff

Hello and welcome to the 05/04/2016 edition of The Comic Shop Blog!

Your humble blogger is caught up in the anticipation for “Civil War” on Thursday Night!  The Captain America movies have been some of the brightest spots in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and this one does not look like it will disappoint!  I will get a review up as soon as I can instead of generating a belated review like I did for BvS.

Speaking of which (FIRST)… I omitted one of the worst things in my mega-BvS break down.  File Jesse Eisenberg’s Lex Luthor under ugly.  I usually am not a fan of recasting roles midstream, but I’ve spent the better part of the last month in seclusion praying to Kirk Cameron for a recast of this role for the “Justice League” movies.  I honestly don’t know how to describe how he played that role other than to say he was a billionaire atheist with autism.  His motivations weren’t clear and his behavioral tics were just bizarre.  I am not asking for Gene Hackman/Kevin Spacey land grab Luthor, but something tangible would be a start.  As always the best villains are the hero of their own story, and I just don’t see that from EisenLuthor.

Second…I respect Olivia Munn for turning down a “girlfriend” role in “Deadpool” to play Psylocke in “X-men: Apocalypse”.  She looks great in the role, but I still worry about her screen presence.  Only time will truly tell.

Third…TV ROUND-UP…Punisher is having his own series (!) which I said was the best idea on this very blog when Marvel got the rights back (I’m waiting on my royalty check).  Otherwise I’m behind so I will update you guys when I dive back in to superhero TV.

Fourth…My Indiana Comic-Con haul was all Superman related.  I walked away with nearly the entire run of Max Landis’s “American Alien” and I have to say I kind of love it.  It is a story with great heart, and it alters the Superman mythos in new and interesting ways.  I recommend it.  I also checked out the available issues of “Lois & Clark” which features the Pre-52 Superman living in hiding with Lois & his son Jonathan in the New 52 universe.  It’s a really interesting story, and another super story that I would highly recommend.

Speaking of Superman… (warning this content is super dorky)

“The Pitch”

*keep in mind that this story is told without any regard for continuity in the DC universe new or old.  Some elements have been borrowed from other creators, but the overall story is my own creation*

The Trials of Clark Kent of Smallville  (I’m not married to the title BTW)

The Character:  Clark Kent age 19-21

The Setup:  My story is about Clark in his formative years (although I do not like the Christ-like imagery this is a “Jesus in the wilderness” story or in a more simplistic take it’s a Star Trek exploration mission with Clark).

It is set at a time when the only thing we know about superheroes is old footage of Wonder Woman during WWI.  

Clark only marginally understands that he is an alien, but he has never lost in a fight (although he tries to shy away from them) and has never even bled.  He is not cocky, but is not humble either.  This story at its core is about how the universe humbles Clark Kent, and prepares him to be the protector of Metropolis/Earth.  

After an argument with his father about his responsibility to mankind Clark sets off to explore space to see if he can find others like him, or more information about where he comes from.

The Supporting Cast:  This would be a departure from most of the currently established Superman mythos.  

J:  Artificial intelligence.  This is a Kryptonian Tablet placed in the pod with little Kal-el by his mother.  J is Clark’s only companion for the duration of the journey.  His Kryptonian programming allows Clark to use him to build almost anything.  J comes in very handy as Clark experiences real pain & real fear as he travels through the cosmos through different atmospheres & different solar radiation.

Li’ara:  A slave girl on a distant planet that serves as a love interest to Clark.

K’ashon: The despotic leader of the same planet.

*There will be more but this is just the first arch of the story*

The Universe:  In my mind the universe is a very dark and scary place. It’s like Clark has spent his whole life as big dog in the yuppie neighborhood, and decided to go to biker bar looking for trouble.  The different atmospheres and solar radiation cause new issues for Clark as he becomes exponentially more powerful on some planets, and extremely weak on others.  Not to mention the time away from earth’s yellow sun has slowly eroded his cognitive abilities so he is not as super-smart as he was after drinking in earth’s radiation for most of his years.  

So that is the basic premise of what I would want to pitch if I got the chance to do a Superman story my way.  In my most perfect vision it is a 12 to 15 issue story with 5 issue archs basically serving as each year.  

There is a lot more to it, but that is the basic skeleton.  If you are intrigued by the concept let me know, and if not that is okay too. 

As always thanks for reading!  Be sure to visit your Local Comic Shop on Saturday for “Free Comic Book Day”, and I will see you next time at The Comic Shop!

Tell me do you read? YOU WILL

Hello and welcome to the first Comic Shop Blog in a LOOOONNGG TIME! 

So it’s been awhile I hope the dozens and dozens of you out there have been well.  The humble blogger has been so busy with work, dad time, and other things that I have not found a time to sit down and expel some mental excrement. 

 So let’s get to it!  (I will warn you the BvS review will be super long, boring, and spoilerific so read at your own peril I guess since the movie came out a month ago)

 First… “Deadpool” was probably one of the best comic book adaptations since the first Iron Man, Winter Soldier, Avengers, or Guardians.  Ryan Reynolds as the titular merc with a mouth is the most spot on casting since Marvel hired a former addict with an image problem to play Tony Stark.  I know I’m not the first to say that about Reynolds, but I am just in awe of how much he embodies the character. 

The movie’s soundtrack (much like Guardians’) is very much its own character and serves to set the mood for the entire film.  Director Tim Miller and writers Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick deserve a big ol’ heap of praise for finding the perfect tone to convey the sophomoric yet tragic character.

Sure the plot is the same contrived origin story that we will see many more times until the “extended universe/comic property” craze collapses under its own weight like a neutron star, but the execution is flawless.  I’d like to say a lot more, but it’s definitely something I will be adding to my collection on 05/10/2016.

Second…  Speaking of the shared movie universe trend consider the following:  HASBRO toys (GI Joe, Transformers, Rom Space Knight, JEM and the holograms, JENGA), Universal Monsters (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy), Ghostbusters, and Hanna Barbera cartoons (Yogi Bear, Flinstones, Huckleberry Hound, The Jetsons)  have all expressed an interest in creating their own shared universes.  With that brings the probability of MULTIPLE movies in these franchises with sequels and crossovers.  Words can not express how little I am looking forward to most of this, and it’s just unfortunate that these other companies feel that creating a shared universe will make them more successful.  I would plunk down my ten bucks to see JENGA: THE MOVIE though, but maybe I’m just giving them bad ideas.

Third... How about a TV roundup???  Since I last posted I have finished “Jessica Jones” (excellent, dark, lots of emotion), “Daredevil” season 2 (love it! Bernthal is amazing, Karen Page is a powerful character in her own right, Foggy is the real heart of the show), and some other Netflix offerings that are not even tangentially related to comics.  After about episode 6 or 7 I gave up on the CW’s superhero offerings of “Arrow” season 4, “Flash” season 2, & “Legends of Tomorrow” season 1.  I could give a long list of reasons; however, the crucial piece is that I allowed the crappy, teen angst-ridden, festering sore that is “Felicity & Friends” (formerly known as Arrow) poison the well for the other shows.  Arrow went from a Nolan-ish version of Green Arrow to a tween pandering weekly episode of Power Rangers.

 In all honesty I plan on catching up on Flash season 2 when it releases on DVD, and I did catch the most recent episode “Zoom” that explored that characters’ origins.  To avoid spoilers I will just say I was floored by the episode and sorry that I had missed so much of this season. 

Fourth… io9.gizmodo.com is running a few articles about the making of the soon-to-be-released “Captain America: Civil War”.  There are a lot of interesting anecdotes about the process, and how many drafts of the script were written for certain contingencies.  If you have time to check it out I would recommend it.  Hell, you can read it right now I wouldn’t blame you.

Fifth…Let me preface this by saying I wanted to like this movie more than anything.  I really, really wanted to like this movie.  I have spent my whole life as an unapologetic DC fanboy.  Sure there were Marvel things that I liked and some that I loved, but nothing as much as Batman and Superman.  Hell, my son’s name is Jonathan (Kent) James (Gordon) for example. 

I am even a Zach Snyder fan (I guess) I loved “Dawn of the Dead”, “300”, and “Watchmen” I thought he did a terrific job on those films, and maybe this isn’t even his fault.  Maybe it’s because those other three properties I mentioned were all largely written-out before hand, and didn’t require an extensive drafting like the BvS script likely did.  The man makes some beautiful iconic imagery and hell I even liked “Man of Steel” when I disregard the qualms I have with the characterization of the big, blue Boy Scout. 

Needless to say I was emotionally invested in this way more than a 32-year-old man should be, but I digress. 

Come back and read this after you are done because I can’t say it enough I WANTED TO LOVE THIS MOVIE…. 

BvS - Good, Bad, & Ugly

Good –

Ben Affleck’s Batman & Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman were the two things I really enjoyed in this movie.  While I didn’t agree with the characterization of Batfleck (More on that in the ugly section) I absolutely loved the presence that Affleck had in the role.  He knew when to be a smarmy dick, when to be sincere, when to be intimidating, and when to say MARTHA (!!!!). 

Gadot wasn’t in the movie much and that was probably to her benefit, but she absolutely ruled the screen in the few scenes she was in.  Her battle with that genitally deficient teenage mutant ninja turtle character was really fun to watch, and it was really cool to see the unbreakable bracelets, the lasso of truth and sword in live-action.  I’m really looking forward to the Zach Snyder-less “Wonder Woman” solo next year.

Chris Pine had a cameo as Steve Trevor so that was okay.

Jeremy Irons, Lawrence Fishburn, and Holly Hunter reached the zero f’s given territory and literally chewed on the set during their limited screen time. They each actually produced one chuckle from the audience.

The main event fight was short, but filled with some really great visuals and dialogue.  Batman taunting Supes with the “I bet your parents told you that you were special” line made my spider-sense tingle. 

The facials from Henry Cavill’s Superman when he realized that the first dose of Kryptonite had worn off were absolutely incredible, and really marked his high point in the film in my mind.

I also have to mention how freaking incredible THAT Batman fight scene toward the end of the movie is.  I really enjoyed his first horror movie-like appearance in the movie as well.

BAD –

“Mr Batman, bring a dream (bum, bum, bum, bum)

Make it the darkest that you’ve ever seen (bum, bum, bum, bum)

Grip it like Joe Chill on your mother’s pearls (bum, bum, bum, bum)

Now go tell them all that it’s the end of the world (bum, bum, bum, bum)”

My apologies to The Chordettes for ruining a perfectly fine song for my own amusement; however, I use this to segue to the fact that I absolutely hated the dream/clairvoyant scenes with Batman.  The film doesn’t even start in earnest, and Snyder is already jumping from one narrative point to another with no rhyme or reason.  In an aside Thomas Wayne’s last act should never be to ball up his fist to further agitate the aggressor, but to comfort/shield his son from danger.  That said if I never see Thomas and MARTHA Wayne be murdered again I would be completely happy with it.  BvS is the 8^th cinematic version of Batman in the last 30 years we know he’s Batman because his parents are dead…IT IS KNOWN!!

We’ve seen some real advancement with the CGI rendering of large humanoid characters.  The Hulk immediately springs to mind as we have seen that character progress to look more and more lifelike.  Then there is doomsday in this movie (or you may refer to him as the genitally deficient teenage mutant ninja turtle or Bone Hulk if you like) which really makes you wonder if maybe a muscle guy in grey paint would’ve been better.  Maybe while they were shelling out money for a plastic Michael Shannon body they could’ve paid him to do mo-cap & serve as a model for the face rendering of the Super-Slayer.

Henry Cavill’s Superman had 43 lines of dialogue.  That is it.  Supermimes most verbose use of verbiage occurred as Clark Kent in the dick measuring library thing you saw in the trailer.  Most of his other screen time was spent sulking, nodding, watching other people speak, taking off for all flights like an asshole, getting his ass kicked, and playing Super-Christ (oh trust me I’m not done with that one yet).

You know what I love about comics?  When the bad guys, the good guys, and the guy at 7/11 know one another’s secret identities.  Oh, but don’t worry about Clark Kent he’s not missing after the Doomsday event he’s open-casket-in-MARTHA’s-house-dead.  So that pesky hide-behind-the-glasses-dual-identity thing that has been iconic for 75+ years that won’t burden us in any future Superman or Justice League movies.

Dammit Batfleck you had one job in the million bagpipes amazing grace funeral scene.  All you had to say was “of all the souls I’ve encountered in my life his was the most…human” <drop mic>.

Did you know Jimmy Olsen was an undercover spy for the CIA that was exposed and then shot in the desert because the director thought it was fun?  Yeah, that guy that who starred as “Superman’s Pal” in his own comic line surely couldn’t serve any purpose in future movies to help humanize Cavill’s Superman.

Speaking of that desert scene…how is that a set-up for Superman?  This is the George Costanza candy line-up of setting up a superhero to look bad.  “Yeah that bullet proof guy came down here from flying, threw old boy through a wall, and then he shot all these guys with a gun and definitely not his laser eyes.” 

One of the things that bothered me the most about BvS was that the characterizations were so off.  Essentially Goyer & Terrio grafted the Lex Luthor anti-Kryptonian rhetoric onto Batfleck to simplify why they needed to fight.  That would’ve been fine if Luthor wasn’t also in the movie, because of this choice it takes a compelling narrative away from Lex and what we are left with is a whiny atheist character.  I’m not a professional screenwriter or storyteller, but I think a much simpler way of looking at things would’ve been to play Superman & Batman off one another by reinforcing who they are as characters.  It plays out naturally with the rule of law (Superman) vs. vigilantism (Batman).  It could’ve easily been set up with Superman being slapped on the wrist by the government and them saying “don’t let anything like the battle of Metropolis happen again or we will have to go after you and the people like you” with Batman coming along to rock the apple cart for everybody.

The YouTube superhero intros in and of themselves were not that bad. That said they probably would’ve been better suited to be Blu-ray fodder, or viral marketing during the production of the “Justice League” movie.

There is more that I would probably like to say, but I’m already nearing 2000 words on this post and I’m losing steam, so…

UGLY-

Characterizations as I stated earlier were really my biggest problem with this film.  The main players just did not feel right to me.

Superman was the biggest transgression for me.  Snyder/Goyer/Terrio or whomever is so set on conveying this Christ-like mythology for big blue that they completely miss the mark on what that would look like.  Geoff Johns (DC’s resident guru & lord of all that he sees) wrote a near perfect characterization of Superman/Clark Kent in his book “Superman: Secret Origins”.  While the Christopher Reeve influence is definitely there Johns tweaks some things to really bring home how any version of the character can inspire hope in regular everyday people.  His Superman only sees himself as a man that uses his special abilities to do good, and through that he implores the people of Metropolis to use their own special abilities in service of others.  It’s that simple.  He is not a savior and would never to pretend to be one.  He doesn’t have a cynical world view; he tries to see the good in everyone, and is hesitant to use violence.  I’m not asking for a Richard Donner spin-the-earth-backwards innocent movie, but is it too much to ask for Superman to be an actual symbol for hope?  The Clark Kent that calls Jimmy Olsen James and listens to his problems because he respects him as a person, or the Clark that lets Steve Lombard try to pull pranks on him only to have them blow up in his face I’d love to see that guy.  Superman, when correctly written, is the guy you want to be, but also the guy you’d love to have as a big brother.  With the way he is portrayed in BvS there is no emotional tether, so I felt nothing when he was killed on screen.

The problems with Batman were more nerd-argument fodder.  I didn’t care for the killing, the branding, or even the fact that he was drinking alcohol, but it’s little stuff like that which is open to interpretation to each director and each viewer.   “Rawr Batman has killed in every cinematic adaptation RAWR,” that doesn’t mean I have to like it.

MARTHA THINGS

Being ear violated by Hans Zimmer’s “score” was a form of torture I would not even subject ISIS to.

EZRA MILLER there is no real reasoning here I just don’t like him, and I don’t want him to be Barry Allen.

Well I’ve reached my limit today.  If you read through that entire thing I will present you with a medal at a time TBD in my most Leia-est of dresses.  Until next time “TELL THAT TO ZOD’S SNAPPED NECK” oops I mean thanks for reading and I will see you soon at The Comic Shop.

Let's play two...part two My Star Wars review in short

Hello and welcome to the second 12/22/2015 edition of The Comic Shop Blog....


As I said in my "Creed" review I am basking in the afterglow of the wonderful film that was "Star Wars: The Force Awakens."  I want to go full-on good, bad, & ugly but I feel I need to see it at least one more time so I can look at it more critically.  So instead today I'll just get out some brief thoughts in random order.  Please be wary of spoilers that potentially lurk below.


-  The great thing about this movie was that it was all too familiar, but at the same time it was different.  While the original trilogy staples like Luke, Leia, Han, Chewie, C3PO, R2D2, and others were all present and accounted for the crux of the story laid in the more than capable hands of the new cast of Kylo Ren (Adam Driver), Finn (John Boyega), Oscar Issac (Poe Dameron), and Rey (Daisy Ridley). 

- Daisy Ridley is wonderful as the scavenger with a mysterious background.  She is charismatic and you immediately empathize with her struggle.  Her hero worship of Han Solo is also a wonderful character trait that helped this humble blogger relate to her character.

- Adam Driver is delightful as the spoiled brat turned sith Kylo Ren.  While it was a given that he was going to have some kind of connection with the original cast it was quite jarring to see some of the actions that he takes later on in the film.

- "That's not how the Force Works!" & BB-8's thumbs up were two of the more light hearted and funny parts of the movie.

- If I never see a giant-spherical-planet-destroyer-laser-thing ever again in my life that will be too soon.  While the starkiller base concept was really cool it is just something they have done in too many of the "Star Wars" films.

- It's nice to see main characters of note that aren't connected to the Skywalker lineage. (At least that we know of)

- JJ Abrams said the script for Episode VIII is so good he wishes he was directing it (!)

- I loved the lightsaber duels in this one & the Original Trilogy a lot more than the highly choreographed acrobat shows from the Prequel Trilogy.  The intimate setting and the close cut of the film made the duels seem very dangerous and very real.

- The first order stormtroopers are much better at the whole shooting their enemies thing

- Captain Phasma was kind of a waste.

There are a lot of great things about this film so even if you have not enjoyed "Star Wars" in the past there is something for everyone in this one so check it out.

Thanks for reading!  See you next time at The Comic Shop!

Let's play two...a double header of reviews part one: Creed

Hello and welcome to the 12/22/15 edition of The Comic Shop Blog!

The holidays are upon us and winter has not yet descended on us Hoosiers so we must count ourselves lucky that we have such wonderful weather.

I decided to provide a review for "Creed" for a couple of reasons.  The first being that director Ryan Coogler is a top name being thrown around for Marvel's upcoming "Black Panther" movie, Michael B. Jordan is an actor I enjoy (and he was Johnny Storm if you want to get down to it), and also it's my blog so sue me.  Lets hit it in the traditional TCSB Good, Bad, and Ugly review style.  I warn you there may be potential spoilers so be warned.


The Good:

The thing that I enjoyed most about "Creed" was the thing that enjoyed most about "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" it was that it introduced new characters and new life into their prospective franchises without being cookie cutter retread filler.  Adonis Johnson (Michael B. Jordan) is a new perspective for us in the Rocky universe, and it is really refreshing that they don't use the same archetypes as the original movies. 

One of the major revelations in this movie is that Rocky is in the fight of his life with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, and initially it was very jarring to your humble blogger/huge Rocky fan to see one of his heroes drop his gloves and accept defeat.  That's right Rocky Balboa who through sheer heart and will of human spirit defeated Apollo Creed, partial blindness, B.A. Barackus, Ivan Drago, Communism itself, and old age chose not to seek treatment for his cancer.  As I said it was quite jarring, but it was a wonderful way to make Adonis a relatable character as he reacted as a Rocky fan might with disgust at Balboa's lack of fight.  It was a well thought out way to make the audience feel a connection with Adonis's plight. 

There are a lot of little things that are great as every character has understandable motivations.  Obviously Adonis is the main story, but his love interest Bianca (Tessa Thompson) also provides a tragic story as she is a musician that faces the eventuality of complete hearing loss. 

The fight scenes in "Creed" are about the best that I've seen in anything related to the Rocky-verse.  It features an over-the-shoulder look that makes the action quick cut and impactful.  The pacing of the fights themselves are quicker and with less of the slow-mo dramatic effects of the previous Rocky movies. 

Adonis is really the polar opposite Rocky character.  While both had a rough up brining Adonis was adopted by Creed's widow and lived a good life eventually holding down a successful professional career with no real need to fight other than that it legitimized him as heir to the Creed surname.  As I said earlier I found it very refreshing that they took things that had almost become cliche's from previous installments and turned them on their heads.  

Bad/Ugly:  There isn't a lot for this category here.  I initially hated that Rocky wasn't trying to survive, but as I said it was turned into a story positive by the end.  I think maybe the way they unveiled the Creed surname would be my main complaint as it was just the result of sour grapes from a rival boxing manager.

I know I had more to say about this film; however, I am currently basking in the afterglow of my first viewing of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens". 

The review for the the big sequel will be in the very next post here on TCSB.

A long time ago on a much, much, better blog.....

Hello and welcome to a long postponed new blog entry!

First.... Star Wars fever has enveloped your humble blogger!  Less than a month from the return of Chewie, Han, Luke, Leia, R2, 3PO, and all the rest!  Disney has gone full out with pushing the Star Wars franchise with all kinds of products from grilling gear to bed sheets and everything in between. 

While "Jaws" was the first summer blockbuster the "Star Wars" franchise was the prototype for all things merchandising.  This has often times crossed over into the world of comics as the galaxy from far far away has been the subject of countless series' regarding all sorts of subject matter.  Spanning the Star Wars mythos from pre-Empire days to the continuation of Luke's adventures.  While YHB has not had the chance to fully read any of the new series yet they are beautiful to look at with outstanding art, and are by all accounts wonderful reads.  So head on down to your local comic store and pick up an issue of Star Wars, Darth Vader, Lando, Leia, or Chewbacca's comic and be happy because you made a great decision with your life.

Second.... THAT CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR TRAILER!!!! There are no words. There are no words. 


Third..... YHB and the humble blogger's wife are about 4 episodes in to the most recent Netflix offering "Jessica Jones", and it is pretty phenomenal.  It's amazing how far from the Disney/Marvel norm these shows have been.  I had never been a huge fan of Krysten Ritter; however, she is absolutely wonderful as the conflicted and haunted superpowered private eye.  Her performance is very authentic and she brings a lot of emotion to the screen.  There are other great things, but I don't want to spoil too much.  The Purple Man may very well be the best Marvel villain to date, and I don't envision him getting a cult fanbase like Loki.

Fourth.... "The Dark Knight III: The Master Race" hit shelves last Wednesday and I have to say as skeptical as I was it was actually very good.  Instead of focusing on the negative things that have become Miller folklore over the last few years this issue had girl power with a single mother Wonder Woman slaying a beast while carrying her son Jonathan, the super spawn Kara taking matters into her own hands while her father-of-steel was out of commission, and finally with that big reveal at the end.  This is a big departure from what most probably expected when this project was first announced as Miller has a long and dark history of portraying his female characters as "whores".  We will see where it goes from here, but the first issue delivered.  Bonus points for the fact that it contained an Atom mini comic that will serve to further the plot of the series. 

Fifth.... I had a lot of concerns about the second season of "The Flash" on CW with each new off season week adding more and more people to the cast.  It has been a wonderful thing to see how this new season has continued to top what was produced in season one.  I didn't like that Zoom wasn't going to be in the traditional yellow costume, but the new version has been an actually welcomed edition.  I won't get too much more into it, but suffice to say the scarlet speedster continues to be an absolute winner on the small screen. 
 * A small note about "Arrow" *  This season has been a drastic improvement over the aimless wreck that was season 3 so be sure to check that out as well.

Wrapping Up.... I was super happy to see that the National Film Board named "Mad Max: Fury Road" the best movie of the year, but I will say that "The Martian" has overtaken Max as my favorite.  If you have a chance go check it out it is a wonderful way to spend two hours at the movie theater. 

As always thank you for your support and I will see you next time at The Comic Shop!

Catching up with news, Fantastic Four & Ant-man belated reviews, & more

Hello and welcome to The Comic Shop Blog!

It has been awhile, but I had the rare opportunity to sit down and get some thoughts out.  So here we go!

First - Nothing has changed as of right now with me personally.  I will be working 7 days a week for the foreseeable future, and budgeting to the point where buying comics weekly is not an option anymore.  I had started to download select ones from the Pirates Bay; however, I no longer have time for that.

Second - The fall superhero tv shows are all back and running so make sure you are supporting your specific fandoms!  I am making sure to watch "Flash" & "Arrow" as those are the two that enjoy most.  I will be checking out "Jessica Jones" on Netflix in November, and waiting anxiously for the return of the best superhero show "Daredevil" in April or May. 

Third - (Belated reviews in brief)

I have to start off by saying that Summer of '15 was disappointing for me superhero movie-wise.  My favorite movies I saw overall were "Mad Max: Fury Road" & "Straight Outta Compton".  "Black Mass" was quite good as well, and marked a return to some sanity for Johnny Depp's acting career.

"Avengers: Age of Ultron" was good, but I have to say that I expected more from the second go around, and maybe I set the bar too high.  The glaring hole with most of these Marvel movies is that they rely on humor & not much else.  After watching them several times it becomes like sitting next to your uncle on the couch as he elbows you until you half-laugh at the same joke he's told you a thousand times.  "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" is my favorite Marvel movie because it actually has some subtext and gravitas to the events that transpire instead of spending much of the movie setting up elaborate sequences to make with the hardy har har.  I am looking forward to "Civil War" as it seems to be the same type of movie from the outset as there will be serious repercussions from what happens.  My review in the afterglow of watching AoU was probably more favorable; however, time and thinking about the movie have altered my opinion. 

Fantastic Four - I'll start off by saying this I wanted to like this movie.  I loved Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, and Josh Trank in other projects so I wanted this to be a great movie.  I was sanctimonious about the bold casting choices because I wanted it to be a new era in superhero movies.  Truth be told though if it were Jayden Smith and not MBJ I'd be on the side with the pitchforks and torches.  Thankfully a bad superhero movie does not destroy a promising career (just ask Oscar winners George Clooney or Ben Affleck).  Trank is probably done with anything big budget though as reports are that he wrapped filming without and ending and was difficult to work with in general. 

There were things that I really liked about FF, but they were few and far between.  I appreciated that the attempt was made to make this a horrifying experience for the inter-dimensional travelers in stark juxtaposition to other superhero movies where someone is automatically thrilled with a dramatic change in body chemistry.  It was a film that attempted nobly to above all else not insult the audience's intelligence with the same trite good vs. evil story.  This movie was more about the journey into heroism and the physical & mental pains to grow into something more than they were in the first act of the film. 

All that said it was a bad movie with a rushed ending, and it was painfully apparent that the intention was to set up a sequel/universe with little regard to making a quality standalone film. 

What happens now?  I would hope to see a smart business decision between Fox & Disney in which Fox offers the valuable rights to FF, Doctor Doom, the Skrulls, & Galactus (villains that the MCU is in dire need of) for the rights from Marvel to create the X-Men tv show that Fox wants to put together.  I think that would be a win-win scenario if there ever was one. 

Ant-Man - I am of really mixed opinions about this film.  There were things that I absolutely loved & things that I rolled my eyes at.  I think Marvel specifically made this movie to accomplish two side goals.  The first was to establish that the hero is not always the same person (in this film Hank Pym was in fact the first Ant-Man, but the mantle passed on) they did this because many of their more high profile Avengers' contracts are about to be up.  So Tony Stark may be IronMan today, but it doesn't always have to be that way or we could see Sam Wilson or Bucky Barnes may pick up the shield of Captain America.  It was smart and sublte of them to introduce this concept to their audience, and it will make the heroic transitions down the road a lot more easy.  The second underlying goal I think was to bring shrink the size of the action.  We've seen city, dimensional and worldly destruction time and time again in these movies, but this one climaxes in Scott Lang's daughter's bedroom.

Overall, I really enjoyed the performances of Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, & Michael Douglas.  I thought Douglas especially shone as the conflicted & regretful Pym.  Rudd fulfilled the lead Marvel smartass with great efficiency. 

I did not enjoy the villain-of-the-week-evil-businessman-who-is-evil that has become a crutch for Marvel movies.  Corey Stoll was a mustache away from being a mustache twirling bad guy, and it was just 50 shades of terrible.  These two-dimensional villains are bringing down the quality of the Marvel movies and I would hope it will be something that they can fix in the future.  I may have complained about the Raimi Spider-villains, but at least they were interesting! This is just boredom and suck incarnate.  

I liked it overall though so I'd definitely watch it again.  4/5


I think that is all for today so thank you for reading.  I will be back when I have more to talk about or share, but I can't honestly say how long it will be.