#11
Scooby Doo… Where Are You?
Written: David Mook & Ben Raleigh
Performed: Larry Marks (Season One); George A. Robinson Jr.
Iconic music to the classic Scooby Doo show, Scooby Doo… Where Are You? has been used in countless other projects over the year featuring Scoob and the gang.
Season Two
Spoilers
“The Singularity”
This episode saw the final dismantling of Hydra… offscreen. Amazing that an organization that had such a huge impact on the MCU and this series was dealt with finally as Coulson watched on screens.
We get the debut of Holden Radcliffe, who would become more of a important character in the next season dealing with LMDs. Radcliffe is quite the snake as he is willing to switch sides without blinking an eye.
Fitz and Simmons have sex at the end of the episode, finally consummating a relationship that has been “cursed” from day one, seemingly.
“Failed Experiments”
The Kree appear in this episode as Hive lured them to earth in order to get their blood. Hive’s plan to turn the human race into Inhumans means he had to recreate the original experiment where he had been turned into an Inhuman.
Mac and Daisy faced off and she beat him silly. Mac kept saying that he wasn’t going to fight her. Mac is able to survive because Daisy does not really want to kill him. Mac ruins the experiment with the Kree too.
Daisy offers her own blood to continue the experiement.
“Emancipation”
The Sovokia Accords show their rotten faces in this episode as Talbot comes to Shield headquarters looking for answers. Talbot wants the Inhumans in Shield to be registered, but Coulson said that this is not what they need, they need to keep them secret.
Lincoln has been contacted by Daisy. It’s so funny how Daisy just pushes a few keys and she is throughout the Shield HQ. Daisy wants to help Lincoln to escape and come join her and Hive. Lincoln agrees, but it is part of the plan. Daisy manually brings in a Quinjet, that she believed had Lincoln inside. Instead, it was Lash.
Lash used his power to cure Daisy of the control of Hive, but ends up getting killed by James. Daisy returned to Shield with the Quinjet and the dead body of Lash.
“Absolution”
Daisy is struggling. Like she is addicted to Hive, she is having trouble dealing with things that she had done.
The team launched an assault on Hive, and they end up capturing him. They brought him aboard the Zephyr One, but it turned out that is exactly what Hive wanted. Hive had a bomb that had a virus connected to it and he needed a way to get high enough in the atmosphere to spread it across the earth, changing humans into Inhumans.
Daisy confronted Hive at the end of the episode and begged him to take her back. I was not a fan of this, because it made Daisy look pretty weak.
“Ascension”
The Hive storyline came to a satisfying conclusion as Coulson came up with a new plan, to load the bomb onto a Quinjet and send it into space. When the explosion went off, the virus would be in space and would not cause any trouble for the earth.
Of course, there are all kinds of trouble with the execution of this. Yo Yo gets shot trying to protect Mac. Lincoln gets injured by James. Hive is still running around causing trouble.
Daisy, who had had visions of the future where a Shield agent died, wanted to sacrifice herself in the Quinjet to make sure the bomb is safe for the planet. However, Lincoln beats her to it and he and Hive are trapped in the Quinjet as it leaves earth’s atmosphere.
I was never a big fan of Lincoln, but I appreciated his sacrifice and his last few moments with Hive in the Quinjet, knowing that their deaths were imminent, was very strong.
I did feel bad for Daisy, who sure went through it this season. Her grief over Lincoln’s death was tough.
The end of the episode restarted things for the next season, with Life Model Decoys, a vigilante Quake and Coulson no longer director being major hints dropped.
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Walter Geovani
Cover art by Jenny Frison
“Assisted Living”
Woah!
I know I mentioned that last issue was a filler issue, a look at someone outside of the main arcs of the book.
Man, did that change.
Issue #16 just went to town. Brutal. Violent. Vicious.
While Chloe and Killian are trapped in the memories inside the Clean Room, Artus Greenhand is calling for Astrid.
Then an assault was underway on the building. The creatures were after Capone, who just showed how much of a bad ass she is. They were after Anika, and Capone made it there in time to put an axe through the creature’s head. The Surgeon came to kill Duncan, but he got surprised by the Haverlin boys and some baseball bats.
Astrid’s crew was stepping things up, big time. Even with that, there was a feeling of hopelessness going on in the book.
Some of it may have come from the unsettling conversation between Astrid and the entity in control of the baby Derica. This was disturbing as it gets, with the baby reaching out and asking Aunt Astrid to hold it. Creepy.
This issue was packed to the gills with action and gore after a slower filler issue #15. This was a powerful issue with so many shout out loud moments. It was such a big time book and there are only two more issues to go.
#12
Animaniacs
Composed: Richard Stone
Lyrics: Tom Ruegger
Performed: Yakko, Wakko and Dot (Rob Paulsen, Jess Harnell, Tress MacNeille)
…Bill Clinton plays the sax
The Animaniacs theme is frantic, chaotic and full of energy, a perfect example of what the show was going to be like.
March 8
It is time for the EYG Comic Cavalcade once again. Each week I get a bunch of books from my two comic shops and it always takes some time to finish reading them. With the movies and TV shows I have to watch (oh, and work at school), I am happy when I get the chance to finish this up.
I am continuing the Daily Read with the Vertigo series Clean Room. I read issue #15 today, giving me just three more to read.
Comic of the Week
Narco #1
This week’s Comic of the Week is a book from Image. There were a couple of books that were in competition but this one is the one I liked reading the most. It was written by Doug Wagner and art by Daniel Hillyard. Marcus is our main character and he has a certain trouble…narcolepsy when he gets too excited. This was a really fun introduction to this character and I am in on what is happening.
Narco #1 is one of those hot chased after books and I do think it is worthy to be chased.
Books this week:
Sleep #8. Written, illustrated and cover art by Zander Cannon (Silver Medalist). Sleep has been one of the most entertaining series of the last year. This is the finale of the series and I have to say, I did not love the final issue. I was a little unsure about the ending of the story. I didn’t hate the end, but it was just not as strong as I had expected.
Nectar #1. Written by Jeremy Robinson and art was done by Francesco Francini and Annapaola Martello. Cover art was done by Chris Shehan (Gold Medalist). This was one of the books that was in competition with Narco #1 for the Comic of the Week. I really loved this book and I was fully engaged with the mystery going on in this book.
Amazing Spider-Man #23. Written by Joe Kelly and penciled Ed McGuinness. Cover art was done by Ed McGuinness & Marcio Menyz. The second part of the Death Spiral story continued with Peter finally learning that Mary Jane was the new host of Venom. MJ then finds out that it was not Peter who blew her off before. Will Marvel ever let Peter and Mary Jane get back together?
DC KO #5. “The King Omega” Written by Scott Snyder and Joshua Williamson and art by Javi Fernandez. Cover art was done by Javi Fernandez & Alejandro Sanchez. Well, I thought Lex Luthor had won the tournament, but it sure feels as if Superman has taken the position. I guess that this is the way they are going to send Superman away for a time.
X-Men #26. “Danger Room, Pt. 1” written by Jed MacKay with pencils by Netho Diaz. Cover art was done by Netho Diaz, Sean Parsons & Fer Sifuentes-Sujo. The X-Men are out on a mission from the town, but Glob Herman was left behind, working in his garden. Things did not look good for Glob. I sure hope that he was able to avoid what it appeared to have happened.
All-New Spider-Gwen: Ghost Spider #8. Written by Stephanie Phillips and art by Paolo Villanelli. Cover art was done by David Marquez & Federico Blee. Mysterio is back and causing all sorts of trouble. The underworld of the Marvel Universe in New York is all over this book too with Hammerhead leading the way.
Avengers #36. “Assemble” Written by Jed MacKay and art by Farid Karami. Cover art was done by Russell Dauterman & Rachelle Rosenberg. The final issue of this run of Avengers as Captain Marvel goes around to all the team members that she had recruited and revealed that she was stepping down as team leader. They also had a big goodbye to Camelot. Not sure where the Avengers goes from here, but this is the final issue of Jed MacKay’s run and this super powered version of the team.
Wolverine #17. “Cold and Alone” Written by Saladin Ahmed and art by Martin Coccolo. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. Wolverine and Silver Sable are out int he Canadian wilderness trying to help the group that has been dubbed the New Morlocks. Meanwhile, Logan and Sable are getting busy.
Exploit #1. Written by Tim Leong & Laura Hudson with art by Emiliana Pinna. A piece of satire directed at the tech oligarchy with journalist Kirby Kuo, who uncovered a secret about tech billionaire Cole Saxon and promptly published it. This leads to all kinds of trouble for her. A new Mad Cave book filled with fun.
The Twilight Zone #5. “Silent Warning” Written by L. Marlow Francavilla & Francesco Francavilla with art by Francesco Francavilla. Cover art was done by Robert Hack. We are back under the sea with weird creatures and dangers galore in the latest Twilight Zone installment.
Batman #7. “Kill Switch” Written by Matt Fraction with art and cover art by Jorge Jimenez. A captured and hooked up Joker calls for Batman, to give him a warning of something to come… and to drop a surprise bomb at the end… Joker called him “Bruce.” There is a cool foldout section at the center of this book too that was awesome.
Hello Darkness #19. Another month of a variety of horror stories and a potpourri of creative folks. Cover art was done by Rebeca Puebla and cover B was done by Jenny Frison (Bronze Medalist). My favorite of the stories was “Imposter Syndrome” written by Tate Brombal.
Whatever Happened to the Crimson Justice #5. Written by Frank Tieri and art by Inaki Miranda. Cover art was done by Dan Panosian. This is the book to complain about this week. This was a five issue series, making this the finale. However, issue #4 came out September 17, 2025. The final issue was good, but how am I supposed to care that much when it has been nearly six months between issues.
X-Men Annual #1. “The Creationist” Written by Ryan Stegman with art by Steve Skroce, Sanford Greene and Ryan Stegman. Cover art was done by Ryan Stegman & Arthur Hesli. Jean Grey aka Phoenix comes back from the cosmos to see the X-Men in Louisiana because there is a mutant using his powers to create monsters.
Daredevil & Punisher #4. “Slaughter in Sutton’s Place” Written by Jimmy Palmiotti and art by Tommaso Bianchi & Mario Santoro. Frank Castle and Daredevil end their latest team up bringing down the villains they were aiming for, in their differing styles. DD & Punisher work together in a book like this because they are so polar opposite and yet only a step or two away from each other.
Moonstar #1. “A Path Unknown” Written by Ashley Allen and art by Edoardo Audino. German Peralta did the cover art. Following up on her guest appearance in the previous Magik series, Danielle Moonstar leads this new book trying to find her proper path.
Nova Centurion #5. “Grand theft Starship Part 2” Written by Jed MacKay with art by Alvaro Lopez. Cover art was done by Alessandro Cappuccio & Rachelle Rosenberg. Richard Rider meets back up with Peter Quill, aka Star-Lord once again and the pair bring all kinds of trouble.
Absolute Superman #17. “All Together Now” Written by Jason Aaron with art by Juan Ferreyra. Cover art was done by Rafa Sandoval & Ulises Arreola. Superman steps up against a parasite that is using the people of Metropolis as a power source and Superman shows how inspiring he could be. Oh, and Hawkman may not be the great hero that we thought as he contacted Talia at the end of the issue.
Absolute Flash #12. “The War of the Flashes Part 2” Written by Jeff Lemire with art by Nick Robles and Al Kaplan. Cover art was done by Nick Robles. The first year of this series comes to an end with Wally’s father sacrificing himself to save Wally’s life. Wally dedicated himself to finding his dad and saving him. And Grodd finds someone else like him… but without the positive attitude.
Other books this week: The Nice House By the Sea #8, Tales of the Shadowman #6, Lost Fantasy #8, Lands Unknown: The Skinless man #1, The Beauty #4, Bloodland #2, and The Autumn Kingdom #2.
Quick Hits: I grabbed another one of those hit Mad Cave series off eBay. I must have missed it when it was out in comic shops. It is called The Florida Hippopotamus Cocaine Massacre #1 and it is wild and weird and lots of fun. One shot Iceman: Omega #1 was not as much fun as I did not find myself interested in the book. I have always liked Iceman so maybe it was just the issue’s approach. I grabbed a copy of D’Orc #1 second printing. I loved D’Orc and it was a huge hit so the new cover by Brett Bean and Frank Williams was cool. After enjoying the Ursula book last week, I grabbed a copy of Gaston #1 (Bronze Medalist). I like Gaston the character way more than Ursula, but I did not like this book at all. That was strange. There is a reprint of Marvel Team Up #14 where Spidey meets Invincible. The book was fun and it is nice to get a copy of a book that I am sure is sky high in original price. Speed Racer #6 is back with more dangerous racing action. Gargoyles/Darkwing Duck #3 came out this week and the two sides to the cartoon world do work well together. Defenders of the Earth: Dark Destiny #3 sees the return of Ming the Merciless. The Nightmare Before Christmas: The Shiver of Christmas Town #3 also arrived this week with some solid action and humor. Batman/Green Arrow/Question: Arcadia #3 is one of those books where I am not sure where it falls in continuity. The interactions between Batman and Green Arrow were tense. Finally Godzilla Kai Sei Era #8 brought us some big titan battle.
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Illustrated by Sanya Anwar
Cover art by Jenny Frison
“Interlude: All the Pretty Edges”
This series took a strange detour.
In what felt like a filler issue, we met Mary, a young woman whose husband Ian, was showing up to her after his death in a bungie jumping accident.
Mary wound up in the organization run by Astrid Mueller, but it really did not have anything to do with the story that we have spent the last 14 issues following.
It did take a side of the organization and looked at it in a different manner, with a different POV than what we have been used to. It was an interesting tale of Mary, but I am not sure the purpose of the issue.
We had a different artist, Sanya Anwar, doing the art, but it looked like this was the only issue that she had done in this first volume.
Three more episodes of Sha Na Na in its final season, and there were some weird things going on.
First of all, the guests were all over the place. Two country music performers, Mickey Gilly and Dottie West, which feels strange since Sha Na Na is not country. But even odder was The Ramones. Their acting in the short sketch was not good at all.
In the Dottie West episode, some of the group dressed up like country music stars including Bowzer as Loretta Lynn, Jocko as Johnny Cash and Santini as Dolly Parton. You could tell that Dottie West was having a good time as she laughed after each one.
Sha Na Na also did that strange thing where they pulled kids out of the audience and brought them up to the stage to sing love songs to them. It was a different world, I guess. Donny sang “Puppy Love” which has a sweet connotation to it. Honestly, the first girl of three they brought up sure did not look like she wanted to be there.
In the Mickey Gilly episode, they had a running joke that they were going to have Robert Redford come to the show to sing and dance for the first time or they were going to do an opera. The Redford joke did run through the show, but they did wind up doing the Bowzer of Seville. The opera was actually not too bad, and it kept the joke bit to a minimum.
Several of these songs were ones that I did not recognize outside of Chantilly Lace (done by Jocko), Come and Go with Me and Puppy Love (by Donny).
Spoilers
“3:00 PM”
I was thinking that it has been a while since we had a patient that seemed okay and then suddenly is in jeopardy. Wouldn’t you know that the next scene was that exact thing happened.
What would the Fourth of July be without having some kid blow off some fingers with a firecracker? We got one of those in this episode, but it is leading to more of a story than just that. The kid is being raised by his sister after their parents had been deported back to Haiti. This one feels more topical in its storytelling.
Howard, the overweight man returned with specifics. He needed surgery immediately, and the phone call he had with his estranged sister was heartbreaking. I have a real bad feeling that Howard is not making it. I sure hope I am wrong about that.
We got a new “old” character. Apparently, Monica was a clerk who got forced into retirement by the tech, but she was quite the storm coming into the ER with all the online stuff down because of potential cyberattack. She only had a few scenes, but she immediately became one of my favorite.
Mel was taken off for her disposition, just minutes after her sister was brought into the ER with stomach pains. Langdon took over that case and seemed to know exactly what was needed.
Roxie, the lung cancer patient, is actively preparing to die, as the morphine continues to be increased. It is another tough storyline currently being run through The Pitt.
And my favorite quote of the week was from Dr. Robby…
“Ogilvie, put your hand down.”
Spoilers
“Resonance”
It has gotten to the point where the little, creepy bug thingy that made its way onto the Monarch ship is chasing after Cate and I am cheering for the little bug creature.
I just can not stand Cate and every time she is on screen, I find her selfish and whiny. Everybody was trying to make her feel better about pushing the button last week, but she was still feeling guilty… she had a huge case of the “Whoa-Is-Mees” wondering around the ship. Every time she made some comment about it, I would yell at the screen, “BECAUSE IT IS YOUR FAULT!”
There is also an issue I have with the flashback section of the show, which is usually the best part of this show. The thing is that when Lee and Keiko is the cliffhanger at the end of the show where you are not sure whether they will survive, you know they are surviving. They exist in the future. Because of that, they should avoid placing them in these situations because there is no tension whether they will live. Of course, they will.
I liked the Kurt Russell parts of the show. He works very well with the weak Monarch group. The titan that escaped last week is on its way to do bad stuff… but it apparently wants the little bug thingy. Weird.
Not sure how much I liked this week’s episode. It was fine, but not as strong as last week’s. Cate is absolutely a black hole in the series for me.
Spoilers
“Derek’s Don’t Die”
If Derek dies, we riot!
I did not appreciate this week’s episode of Shrinking as Derek wound up in the hospital with the widowmaker. Thankfully, it was found before he had any attack from it, but just the idea that this show might kill off the character of Derek was absolutely inconceivable.
I really was afraid during this episode.
Ted McGinley has never been a favorite of mine… that is until Shrinking. I love his portrayal of Derek and the idiosyncrasies of the character. He makes an amazing match with Liz, balancing her own crazy energy with his own brand of wackiness. I don’t know what the show would be like without Derek.
Thankfully, as our other Derrick says, Derek’s don’t die. Admittedly, he was ignoring his own father (Derrick Sr.) whom he says is on a farm.
This potentially crushing episode still had its wonderful dialogue, postering each scene with cleverness and holding back the tears that could flow.
Lots of good things happened this episode too including Meg telling her father Paul that she was separated, Brian finally calling his father and telling him that they had adopted a baby girl, and Sean received a possible interview.
But the heart of this episode was Derek and how much he meant to everyone on the canvas, as well as how much he meant to the viewers. While I was fairly certain that he was surviving the scare, I had that little inkling inside my mind that said that anything was possible.
Thankfully, it looks like Derek has survived the surgery and he has a long life of woodworking ahead of him (thanks to Jimmy’s goggles).
Spoilers
His & Hers
So, I thought I was right for a moment on this episode of His & Hers. I speculated last week that it was Anna’s mother, in a state of confusion, that killed Rachel. I thought the show was hinting at that when Jack had to pick her up again as she wandered down the highway.
Then, there was a second body.
So much for my twist idea.
The show is making this look like it is Jack as he seems to be the last person to consistently see the victims, this time it is Helen Wang at the school. We know that Jack was there earlier, though we did not see the confrontation.
There was one flashback to the time when Anna, Rachel, Helen were in school together and Rachel had some other girl drink a soda with her pee in it. That was mean and gross and I’m not sure why we saw it, unless they were planting some kind of seeds. There were other ways to show that this was the group of mean girls at this school.
I tell you what, if I was that girl, I would’ve thrown that soda/pee combination right back into Rachel’s face. Instead, she just ran off giving everybody a good laugh. Why are kids so cruel?
I think Priya is the one who is going to blow this case open… especially finding the connection with Jack. She is a smart one and she is already suspicious.
Jack knows that Anna was at the graveyard on the night of the murder, thanks to the old coach and his camera system.
Half way through and I wonder where this is going next.
#13
Fame
“You’ve got big dreams? You want fame? Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying… in sweat”.
Composed: Michael Gore
Lyrics: Erica Gimpel
Performed: Erica Gimpel
The song was originally from the movie Fame, that the TV show was based upon and the song from the film was performed by Irene Cara. That version won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for best Song in 1980.
This one is like Bonnie & Clyde was made in the Universal Monsters franchise while being set in Gotham City.
The Bride! is the new film directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal that take a new look at the classic story of The Bride of Frankenstein.
This film is one that left me unsure of how I felt. There were certainly good things that I really liked about The Bride! but there were many other things that just did not work for me at all.
According to IMDB, “In 1930s Chicago, Frankenstein asks Dr. Euphronius to help create a companion. They give life to a murdered woman as the Bride, sparking romance, police interest, and radical social change.”
The standout aspect of this film is 100% the acting from our two lead performers. Jessie Buckley, who is up for an Academy Award in just about a week and a half for her role in Hamnet, is absolutely amazing as the Bride. Buckley’s performance jumps off the screen with her facial features and her confusion. Buckley also played Mary Shelley, who was a framing device for the story, and it seemed as if Mary Shelley was possessing the Bride (also called Ida or Penny). Buckley would switch from her normal voice to the British accent of Shelley. It was confusing at times.
Christian Bale was also great as Frankenstein. He would go by the name Frank and he played this character lonely and desperate. Bale and Buckley have an amazing chemistry and they are the reason to see this movie. I loved the performance of Annette Bening as Dr. Euphronius.
However, there are so many weird things going on in this movie that pulled me out. The tone of this film was all over the place. At times, it felt like I should be laughing, but others I felt horrified. It was not a smooth transition between tones. It was truly messy.
For example, there was a dance number in the film. I loved it and hated it at the same time. I loved the homage the dance routine was to, but it felt totally out of place in this film.
The film had several secondary storylines that could have (should have) been edited out completely. All the scenes with Penelope Cruz and Peter Sarsgaard, who played a couple of detectives chasing the Monsters, felt so unnecessary. Had those scenes been completely dropped, there would have been nothing really that would have to be changed.
The Bride! is a messy, wild and crazy film that has some great performances and some big swings. Some of this worked well for me while much of the rest of it did not work. Great performances in a film that is all over the place. There are some cool things in the film, but not enough to dismiss the weak points.
2.8 stars
Pixar is back with their latest animated feature film, Hoppers. Yes, the concept is very much like Avatar, which they make a joke of in the film, but this film is a lot of fun (more than Avatar, for me) and actually had some surprisingly darker moments.
According to IMDB, “A 19-year-old animal lover uses technology that places her consciousness into a robotic beaver to uncover mysteries within the animal world beyond her imagination.”
I did enjoy much of this movie, although I do not consider this in the upper echelon of Pixar movies. It is a solid, entertaining film that gave me some mouth drop moments.
Piper Curda led the voice cast as Mabel, the 19-year old animal lover. There is a lot of great voices in the cast including Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Sam Richardson, Steve Purcell, and Meryl Streep.
As always, the animation is top notch and the finale of the film was absolutely gorgeous on the screen. The animals have great designs and look tremendous.
There is an adult feel to the story that will resonate with the parents, while the film gives the kids something to be entertained by. The best animated movies are those that both parents and kids can find something in it to engage with and Hoppers definitely have that.
A solid Pixar movie that flows nicely and has a really great story and a good message.
4 stars
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Walter Geovani
Cover art by Jenny Frison
“One Step Over the Abyss”
Astrid’s #1 fan has arrived at the Clean Room with supposedly information on the baby Derica, who spent the first several pages of this issue being horrendous. The imagery of the bridge with the human faces was nightmare fuel if I have even seen any.
The new duo of Astrid and Chloe split apart as Chloe went to see her brother Peter. Meanwhile, Chloe and Killian tried to voir dire the #1 fan.
Artus Greenhand is the name of the #1 fan and he is a piece of work. With hair just like Astird, we discover immediately that this guy is dangerous. He is a serial killer and looks on women as “critters.”
He also seemingly can control the Clean Room, which is not a good thing, as he left Chloe and Killian in a memory facing himself.
I have to say that the relationship between Astrid and Chloe seemed to take a sudden switch here and I am not sure that I think it is earned. Chloe, in particular, had real anger toward Chloe and it does not feel as if that was as resolved as it is being shown to be. However, I do think the relationship between Chloe and Killian worked extremely well and feels as if it makes more sense.
Of course, the whole “intercourse” bit was really funny.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 