Author Archives: Doc

EYG Comic Cavalcade #59

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September 22, 2023

Several great new books this week. Going to jump right in…

Omega the Unknown #4. “Cats and No Dogs.” Written by Steve Gerber & Mary Skrenes and illustrated by Jim Mooney & Pablo Marcus. Well, actually, this isn’t a ‘new’ book this week. It is from 1976 and I picked up this whole series recently. I have been taking my time reading through the 10 issues, doing #4 today. These have been a really fun read and I love the mystery of what is going on with Omega and James-Michael.

Predator Versus Wolverine #1. Written by Benjamin Percy and with art from Ken Lashley, Greg Land, Jay Leisten and Andrea Di Vito. Cover art was by Marco Checchetto. There was not a book more surprising this week than Predator Versus Wolverine #1. I had zero interest in this and only picked it up because it was a Marvel #1. However, I loved this. They way they followed the battle between Wolverine and the Predator though the years and how they were both damaged as they went, well it was excellent. A lot of the story is told through the images of the art and I love that style. This was really enjoyable and I am looking forward to more.

Hexagon Bridge #1. Written and drawn by Richard Blake. This is a beautifully illustrated book with a new world that is very interesting. This first issue introduces us to several new characters and slowly gives out what is happening in this world. We meet Elena, Jacob and Adley in separate sections of the story. I am curious to see where this goes from here.

Captain America #1. “Beginnings.” Written by J. Michael Straczynski with art by Jesus Saiz. I loved this new take on Captain America. The look at his early life, prior to the Super Soldier Serum, is a fascinating look at this character and the present day gave me vibes like Matt Fraction’s run on Hawkeye. I enjoyed this book tremendously.

Amazing Spider-Man #34. Written by Zeb Wells and art by Patrick Gleason. Cover art was done by John Romita Jr., Scott Hanna & Marcio Menyz. This was the greatest cover of the week. One of the best Spider-Man covers I have seen in a long time. This whole dark Spider-Man run is tense and worrisome. I hope Peter does not do anything that he cannot come back from or that taints who he is. I surely do not want a long term Dark Spider-Man.

Fishflies #2. Written and drawn by Jeff Lemire. This one was a little more difficult to follow that last issue. Todd then let me know that there was a misprint, where a whole page was reproduced in this issue. A full black page was in twice when it was meant to be only once. That was sad that I did not realize what had happened when I read it.

Nocterra #16. Written by Scott Snyder with art by Tony S. Daniel. The story of Nocterra comes to a conclusion with the darkness that has taken over the planet removed. While there are still some of the main antagonists still out there, this is a solid wrap up for the series. The note at the end indicated that there would be more to come from this world, but this could be a solid finish if they do not return to it.

Uncanny Spider-Man #1. “Park Life.” Written by Si Spurrier and art by Lee Garbett. Tony Daniel & Sonia Oback did the cover. I did not understand why this book was happening. I did not know why Nightcrawler would be dressed up like Spider-Man. I wondered why I should care about this. Then I read it. And I loved it. I was intrigued by the set up, I loved the reason why Kurt Wagner was dressed as Spidey, and I loved Spidey’s actual use. I thought this was way better than it had any right to be.

Loki #4. “The Liar: Finale” Written by Dan Watters and drawn by German Peralta. Dustin Nguyen did the cover art. Loki’s mission to reclaim the pieces of Naglfar, the cursed ship Loki created from the fingernails of the dead. The confrontation with Bullseye (plus the inclusion of Spider-Man) was cool. This series came to an end with this, making it appear as if Loki was heading back to his lying past.

Big Game #3. Written by Mark Millar and art by Pepe Larraz. This continues to be a shocking series, as characters are just killed left and right. I wonder if things will be retconned at some point. I have been enjoying what is going on. Come on, Hit Girl!

Tenement #4. Written by Jeff Lemire and art by Andrea Sorrentino. This horror series, a part of the Bone Orchard saga, is doing a great job of creating a tense and anxious story. The use of black and red is artistically wonderful images. There are some seriously creepy moments in the book too.

Something is Killing the Children #33. Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated by Werther Dell’edera. This continues to be an excellent story, though I have to say that it does feel as if they are stretching out the story before the eventual battle between Erica and Cutter.

Rare Flavours #1. “Chapter 1: Masala Chai.” Written by Ram V and illustrated by Filipe Andrade. One of the most original new books from the week. Creating a documentary that follows Rubin Baksh around eating the most delicious foods. This new Boom! Comics offering is different and curious.

Antarctica #3. Written by Simon Birks and drawn by Willi Roberts. Antarctica has been a very good book so far. I am still learning who is who, but the story is compelling and the twists have been powerful. This has been a real exceptional book so far.

Strange Academy: Moon Knight #1. “Solve for X” Part 2. Written by Carlos Hernandez and drawn by Julian Shaw. Nick Bradshaw and Edgar Delgado did the cover art. I do love the Strange Academy, and their interactions with Moon Knight and Miles Morales is a ton of fun.

Klik Klik Boom #4. Written by Doug Wagner and drawn by Doug Dabbs. I was so happy to see Serena Biggs at the beginning of this issue because I was almost certain that she had been killed at the end of issue #3. Sprout, by the way, is just about as kick ass of a character as you are going to find.

Uncanny Avengers #2. “New Avengers.” Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Javier Garrón. The mutants involved in this issue seems to have a problem with Cap as the leader of this Unity Squad. Who would have thought that the voice of reason would come from Deadpool?

Alpha Flight #2. Written by Ed Brisson and drawn by Scott Godlewski. Leonard Kirk & Edgar Delgado are the cover artists. Alpha Flight is trying to get their way through the current world troubles with Orchis and the Box Sentinels. These are some cool characters that we have not seen a lot of and this series is a welcome change.

Bonus Action- The History of Wild Country

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Interesting.

So, Jay and Adam, who are YouTube reactors/content creators with the show pReview’d are taking a step out to do something new and potentially exciting.

I have enjoyed this duo’s videos on YouTube for much of the last few years. Their reactions to TV shows such as WandaVision, Loki, The Mandalorian, Cobra Kai, Squid Game to name a few are highlights of the week for me.

What truly makes this pair stand out among the crowded YouTube space is the friendship that they share and the passion and emotion they show during their reactions. They are so supportive of each other and they are both extremely funny. Listening to them laugh at their jokes is such a treat. Seeing them support the other if the tears are flowing is beautiful. Whether it be laughter or tears, there may be no more sincere, genuine friends in the space.

Today, I saw a video from Jay and Adam making an announcement for the release of a project that they have been teasing for some time now, a project that they have been working on for awhile. They are doing something with their Dungeons & Dragons group, creating a story with their role play. I’m not 100% certain exactly what it is going to look like, but I am very intrigued by their excitement and their enthusiasm for the project.

They are calling it a show, named Bonus Action. They announced that Bonus Action will be starting early, originally intended to be released in October. The first episode of eleven to debut on Monday night at 7 PM EST. I have no idea what this is going to entail, what the run time will be or how it is going to look like, but I would like to watch.

My personal goal is to watch an post about the episodes. Whether that is possible depends on my own schedule, but I fully intend on giving it a chance.

Adam and Jay did release a lore preview for their show with a computer generated, animated info drop on the world of Era Hest which, according to the comments on the YouTube video, is “A brief history of the origin of the fantastical world of Era Hest, leading to the beginning of the fourth age, where the adventure of Bonus Action begins….”

This was a fun exposition drop that had a lot of details in it. It has been years since I played D & D, but I really hope to see this weekly series. I believe in pReview’d and if it is as much fun as their typical content ( I mean, they have made their reactions to Jeopardy Masters must see), then this could be a great time.

Video above:

Animation- Isaac Sever

VO- David Armstrong

Character art – Breanna Williams

Overlay Art – Cody Badaczewski

Background Art – Isaac Sever

Bonus Action Theme Song – Written by Amanda Nicholas and Alex Flannel.

Mixed by Travalor. @alexflannel    / @mrtravalor  

Trailers with Nic Cage

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Two new trailers starring the ever amazing Nicholas Cage…

First, Butcher’s Crossing:

And following that, A24’s new film, Dream Scenario…

I’m not sure that you can get two more diverse roles/films releasing at the same time. Both of these trailers look great and Nic Cage seems to be at the top of his game.

Dream Scenario looks funny and it has the A24 reputation behind it. Butcher’s Crossing was filmed last year and is just now coming out.

Nic Cage certainly works a lot. He is a great actor and these both look fabulous.

The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes Trailer

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Wasn’t sure why we needed a prequel to the Hunger Games franchise.

I guess this is from a book by Suzanne Collins, the author of the original three books. I did not know that until I read some comments on this video’s YouTube page. I’m not sure that piece of information changed my opinion of the need for this.

The trailer itself looks good and the characters are intriguing. And you can never go wrong with Viola Davis.

Plus, there just seems to be something about Rachel Zegler. The actress from Spielberg’s West Side Story and the DC film Shazam! Fury of the Gods shines in this trailer, her presence just jumping off the screen.

Having you future villain as the protagonist of your film is not a new idea…ahem Anakin… but Snow could turn out to be compelling. We’ll have to see.

Honestly, I was not anticipating this movie much, and after this trailer, my interest is piqued a touch, but it has not moved up my list much. I will see it on its opening weekend and I did like the Hunger Games films so hopefully this will be worth its existence.

The X-Files S1 E2

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Spoilers

“Deep Throat”

One of the key bases of The X-Files is a conspiracy with the U.S. Government hiding the existence of extra-terrestrial lives and UFOs. This is the first example of that trope that would go throughout the entire series.

I was excited to see ‘Deep Throat’ approach Mulder. This informant, if I recall, does not last long, but opens up the door for those who provide Mulder inside information.

This episode, like many, show the dichotomy between Mulder and Scully while showing their real connection that was forming. Mulder believes everything and Scully doubts anything that can not be proven by science. Yet they have a willingness to aid the other.

There were some creepy scenes in this episode, with Mulder being taken inside the government base and having some of his memories taken from him. While inside, he sees a government UFO, although we are never sure if this is true or if it is some kind of hallucination.

Scully goes to extreme efforts to find and save Mulder from himself. She shows herself as a bad ass in this episode and how, though she does not believe the same beliefs as Mulder, she is the perfect partner for him. She keeps him balanced, as much as he could be balanced.

One Piece S1 E8

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Spoilers

“Who Gets the Last Laugh?”

Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!

I planned on watching the finale of season one of this awesome new series, One Piece, on Netflix to celebrate Talk Like a Pirate Day, but it was tough waiting. I so enjoyed this series that I would have ran through this series had it not been for Talk Like A Pirate Day.

Now, after seeing the finale, this is so satisfying that I am really glad that I waited for this special day.

The Luffy- Arlong showdown was epic. The battle between Zoro/Sanji and the Fishmen was awesome. Usopp finally was able to have a successful battle. Nami was able to get herself free from Arlong. Kobe stood up to Garp. Helmeppo stood beside Kobe. Luffy’s confrontation with Garp.

So much wonder. I loved this so much.

One Piece is one of my favorite shows of 2023. This was so unexpected. The characters were so amazing and their chemistry and charisma carried so much of the show. The show felt like a true live-action anime.

Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Only Murders in the Building S3 E8

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Spoilers

“Sitzprobe”

I’m not sure why I ever doubt this show.

Episode eight of the third season of Only Murders in the Building was sensational and they hit a ton of things that I thought they weren’t going to touch on again.

Specifically, the minor heart attack Oliver had early in the season. I felt as if this show was going to brush that under the rug and never bring it up again. How wrong I was as this episode ended with Loretta being taken away after a confession of murder and Oliver collapsing from the strain, clutching his arm and clearly having another attack.

This ending scene was as dramatic as you are going to get.

I also realized, happily, that Loretta is not our killer. I wondered if they were going to do the girlfriend killer again, but clearly that she confessed because she thought Ben’s brother Dickie was about to be arrested (and she may believe that he actually killed his brother). It was revealed this episode that Loretta was Dickie’s birth mother who had gotten pregnant when she was young and gave up the baby to pursue her career in acting.

Shocking! Did not see that twist coming. It also now made sense why she had a book with clips of ben, the one that Oliver had found. It wasn’t clips of Ben, but of Dickie.

I do think that means that both Loretta and Dickie are clear, even though Dickie certainly spoke to his mother (whom he does not know is his mother) in a way that sounded as if he were guilty.

The return of Detective Williams was very welcome as well. She burst into this sitzprobe rehearsal (he first time they rehearse with a full orchestra) with all kinds of venom and curse words. I loved how Charles and Oliver showed their intelligence and planning by playing the fools. Their plan to get recording of the interrogations performed by Williams was complicated, but worked like a charm. I like when they are shown as capable and not just jokes.

Charles made it through his patter song too for the first time without going into the white room. It was a cool thing to hear Steve Martin knock this out.

It was great to see Oliver, Charles and Mabel back on the same page, even if it was short lived with Oliver’s heart attack.

I thought this was a great episode with everything that makes this show stand out.

The Bear S2 E8

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Spoilers

“Bolognese”

The restaurant takes a huge step forward as it overcomes a big hurdle. Ten days from opening.

We find out that the restaurant really could not afford to not hit its opening, but they had failed the fire suppression test and they had one more chance at it, but something just would not be right.

Amazingly enough, Richie, a character that I have not been a fan of even a little bit, has suddenly become a favorite. His Richie-centric episode last week went a long way to rehabilitating this character. Then, with his awesome suit, Richie went on his apology tour, showing the new Richie to everyone. This was so great.

So was Fak finding the clue about why the fire suppression test was consistently failing and having Richie tell him good job. These two characters had been going at it all of the time, but this is the new version of them. And I loved it.

I also loved how Carmy has finally accepted that Claire is his girlfriend. This running story beat worked well as everyone else seemed to understand that she was already his girlfriend, except Carmy.

However, I have that sinking feeling that something horrible is about to happen. I have no reason to believe this. I have not seen any hints dropped by the show, but it just feels like everything is heading to a good result and I am afraid everything is too good.

There are only 2 more episodes to go this season and I am very nervous.

No One Will Save You Trailer

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This is coming to Hulu on September 22.

It looks great.

Hulu has had some excellent original films over the last few years. Something like Prey is just epic. This looks frightening and filled with some tense moments.

The quick look at the monster at the end of the trailer gave me Cloverfield vibes.

This will go on my list to watch thanks to this trailer.

The Bear S2 E7

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Spoilers

“Forks”

Episode seven of the second season focuses in on Richie and his ‘punishment’ from Carmy, who got him to work/observe at one of the best restaurants in Chicago for one week. Richie saw it as a punishment, but as he kept going, things began to shine brighter for him.

Olivia Colman made a cameo appearance here as the owner of the restaurant and I love her so much. She was easily the best part of the Secret Invasion series and she brings a natural energy and charisma to whatever she is working on. This is no exception as Colman just filled up the one scene she had with Richie.

Watching this episode, I felt more connected to Richie than I have in this entire series. He was not just a loud, blowhard like he is portrayed as, but he was shown as someone who was capable of great thing. The whole ‘respect’ speech given to Richie when he was questioning some of the minute details that made the restaurant such a success was fantastic and you could see it get through the stubbornness that Richie has always shown.

The whole deep dish pizza bit was awesome as well. I kept waiting for Richie to screw it up, because he is someone who has shown us before that his attitude or his stubbornness would get in his way, but he did not. He was successful, even going as far as winning over the staff of the restaurant who were in charge of helping him during this mini-internship.

Watching the way the staff carried out their orders and going above board to ‘make someone’s day.’ was astounding. I wonder if this is the way a real three-star restaurant would execute their service. It was an amazing scene.

We still see the sadness of Richie’s world as Tiffany called him to let him know that she had received a marriage proposal. Richie’s pain was real and popped off the screen.

This whole episode was dedicated to Richie, without much else (just a few moments) from any of the other cast mates. It was really solid of an episode and I am excited to see where Richie’s character goes from here.

X-Files S1 E1

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Spoilers

“Pilot”

This past summer, I did the Daily Zone, where I watched the five seasons of the original Twilight Zone. I did watch the EYG Hall of Fame show daily, at least one episode. There were 156 episodes. As I was on Hulu, I came across The X-Files. This was always one of my all-time favorite shows, also a member of the EYG Hall of Fame. It had been a long time since I had watched some X-Files so I thought it would be a good candidate for a rewatch. With One Piece and The Bear coming to conclusions soon, along with a few more weeks of Only Murders in the Building, this feels like the right time for The X-Files.

It will not be a daily watch like I did with The Twilight Zone, at least not at the moment. However, there are eleven seasons of The X-Files so it may take some time and, perhaps, later on when there is more time available, I will do it daily.

The X-Files certainly struck gold with the pairing of David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson as Fox Mulder and Dana Scully. I do not think it is hyperbole to say that no one else could have been as successful as these two actors were. You could see the chemistry between Mulder and Scully immediately in their first scene together in the FBI basement. You could tell that Mulder was distrustful of Scully at first, but he wanted to trust her. He respected her honesty and they became a perfect pairing of partners.

Their first case together did a great job of setting up Mulder’s obsession with UFOs and the reason behind it. While this did a great job setting up Mulder’s missing sister as a driving force behind everything he would do and become. However, I do believe that the sister mystery aspect of the X-Files show was the weakest parts. I just get the feeling that they were never sure what they wanted to say actually happened and they used it as a hook for a bunch of episodes which only served to muddy the waters. This is something I am interested in seeing if I still think during this rewatch.

It was cool to see the Cigarette-Smoking Man here, prior to his smoking, just strolling around like he owned the place. CSM is one of the best villains in TV history, and seeing him start is awesome.

Much like many of the episodes of The X-Files, the pilot episode did not have the clearest resolution. There were plenty of unanswered questions about exactly what had happened or why it happened. I do like that and I think a lot of the mythology of The X-Files help lead us to shows like LOST. This created a mystique for the show and when you add the remarkable duo of Duchovny and Anderson, there is no doubt you have a winner.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #58

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September 17, 2023

I have a plethora of intriguing books to look at this week, some from the NEW COMIC BOOK DAY last Wednesday, some back issues from the series I have been collecting, and some back issues from Quad Com from last week.

Here we go…

Spine Tingling Spider-Man #0. Written by Saladin Ahmed and featuring art by Juan Ferreyra. Two of my favorite things combining into one: Spider-Man and horror comics. This was a great combination of genres that was a lot of fun to read.

Daredevil #1. Written by Saladin Ahmed and drawn by Aaron Kuder. Cover art by John Romita Jr, Scott Hanna and Marco Menyz. Here is yet another volume of Daredevil, kicking off at the end of the run of Chip Zdarsky. Matt Murdock is alive and a priest, with uncertain memories of Daredevil. This is a fascinating start to the new arc of DD. Saladin Ahmed seems to be the hot new writer in Marvel and I am anxious to see where a new voice takes the character of Daredevil.

Werewolf by Night #1. Written by Derek Landy and including art by Fran Galan. Corin Howell and Rachelle Rosenberg did the cover art. A cool one shot involving Jack Russell’s Werewolf by Night and Elsa Bloodstone. The presentation reminded me of the Marvel Studios Special Presentation from last Halloween. The use of color and black-and-white art worked very well for the format of this book and helped to create the desired tone.

The Cull #1. Written by Kelly Thompson and art by Mattia De Iulis. This new Image Comics book featured a group of young people are investigating something that happened the year before, by entering a mysterious cave. Or is it an alternate earth? Or is it luminal space? Not sure, but it is a fascinating start.

Project Crypto #1. Three tales, one about a Yeti, one about a Mongolian Death Worm and one serial written by Grant Morrison. I liked the Yeti part, but the Death Worm was a stretch for me. This was a different sort of book that was a refreshing change.

Alligator Loki #1. Written by Alyssa Wong and drawn by Bob Quinn. This is a series of short bits, much like the It’s Jeff book from earlier this year. I believe these were released originally on Marvel Unlimited online. These were funny and cute. That’s about it.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #10. “Bad Blood: Part One” Written by Cody Ziglar and drawn by Partha Pratim and Federico Sabbatini. Dike Ruani and Alejandro Sanchez did the art for the cover. Miles has a therapy session with Doc Sampson (who is in Sasquatch form), has a confrontation with Hightail and comes face to face with Blade. A lot going down for Miles Morales.

Astonishing Iceman #2. “Out Cold: Part Two.” Bobby heads back to his hometown to confront the Sapien League, specifically Helium the Unfreezable Man. Bobby is sure that Orchis is behind this, despite the denials of Helium.

Avengers Inc. #1. “The Man Who Wasn’t There.” Written by Al Ewing and drawn by Leonard Kirk. Daniel Acuna did the cover art. Janet Van Dyne is approached by NYC Mayor Luke Cage about the murders of a group of low level super criminals. However, Cage does not want costumed help. So Janet has to move forward without costumes. She finds the body of Whirlwind, and the others who were not dead. Whirlwind comes back claiming to be Victor Shade ( a name connected to Vision). This has an X-Files flair to it.

Incredible Hulk #4. “Riddle of the Man-Thing: Part One” In this new arc, we get some background on Charlie, the young girl following Banner around. The Man-Thing arrives to spirit Banner/Hulk off to the Nexus. I have always enjoyed the Man-Thing despite not reading a ton of his books. I like the use of the character in this more horror themed Hulk title.

Red Goblin #8. Written by Alex Paknadel and drawn by Chris Campana. Inhyuk Lee did the cover art. Normie ditches Miles Morales and heads off to save Tim. Normie and Rascal continue their struggle with each other, but that is seemingly over.

House of Slaughter #17. “Alabaster Part Two.” Written by Sam Johns and illustrated by Letizia Cadonici. The cover art was by Javier Rodrigues & Werther Dell’edera. There is something creepy going on with the new boy they called Big Man. I have had some trouble following this arc so far. I hope I get better at it cause it looks cool.

Dark Ride #8. Written by Joshua Williamson and art by Andrei Bressan. Sam is being attacked by weird creatures that resemble the park’s mascot. We see flashbacks to his youth at the time his mother died. It had been a long time since the last issue of Dark Ride but each one is a great book.

Planetary #3. “Dead Gunfighters” Written by Warren Ellis and featuring art by John Cassaday. A cop, murdered by his partner, comes back as a ghost to exact some revenge. Cool issue.

Something Epic #5. Written and illustrated by Szymon Kudranski. Daniel proves himself as an epic and is allowed to head into a meeting with the source of Imagination. This series continues to be beautifully rendered and creative beyond almost anything that I have read.

Captain Marvel: Dark Tempest #3. “The Ferocious Occurrence of the Feral Five.” Written by Ann Nocenti and drawn by Paolo Villanelli. Mike McKone & Jesus Aburtov did the cover art. Carol gets back to the kids, but they have already been changed into the Feral Five.

Ghost Rider #18. “Bad Education.” This issue gives us a back story for Talia Warroad. Who knew that back story would include Doctor Strange? Or the Cult of Mephisto?

Omega the Unknown #3. “Burn While You Learn!” We continue to see the connection between Omega and James-Michael, who is having troubles at his new school with bullies. Omega is taking on Electro in the meantime. I like how they are laying this out slowly in each book. James-Michael is a little robotic (I assume that is what he actually is).

The Enfield Gang Massacre #2. “Chapter Two: Pinned Down.” Written by Chris Condon and drawn by Jacob Phillips. This continues to be one of the more original books out each month. Just the feel of the book, the way it is presented like an old time comic, right down to the paper style is awesome.

Amazing Spider-Man #655-658. These are four books I grabbed at Quad Con. They were all written by Dan Slott. This is right around the time when Marla Jameson was killed and Peter started to adopt the idea of “No One Dies.” The Human Torch is also considered dead and Spidey has taken his place in the FF (not the Fantastic Four, but the Future Foundation). Reading these took me back to a different time for Spidey and it was fun.

One Piece S1 E7

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“The Girl With the Sawfish Tattoo”

The penultimate episode of Netflix’s Anime adaptation takes a look at the tragic history of Nami and we discover the reason why she is working with Arlong.

The scene where a young Nami and her sister Nojiko is protected by their ‘mother’ from Arlong, who was there to collect a fee. The mother did not have enough for both girls and herself, so she told Arlong to accept the money for her daughters. Arlong shot her in front of the girls, which is a horrendous moment.

You would think that this would lead to Nami to get revenge, but instead she went to Arlong and offered to work for him, being a great map-drawer. She asked to join on the condition that she could buy back her village. It was a huge amount of money, but he agreed.

Nami in current day had the money, but Arlong double-crossed her, taking the money for himself and still going to destroy the village. This led to Nami finally asking Luffy for help in one of the best scenes of the series so far.

There were also some good scenes in this episode with Garp and Zeff, Kobe and Helmeppo and Luffy and Zoro. Luffy definitely took a different tone this episode as he was much more serious despite never giving up on Nami. It would be easy to say that she betrayed them and just sail off, but Luffy refused to do so, dedicating himself to helping her, even if she did not want it. When he places that straw hat on Nami’s head after she finally, tear-filled, asjed for his help was just tremendous.

I want to wait for the finale for Talk Like a Pirate Day on Tuesday, but that is a long way away. I hope I can wait that long. Honestly, I wanted to continue to the final episode right away. This has been one of my favorite series of the year so far.

Theater Camp

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I saw a trailer for this earlier in the year, but it never came around to any theaters in my area. I figured it would arrive some day on streaming. The other day, I found it on Hulu and I was excited to get a chance to watch it.

Filmed as a mockumentary, Theater Camp is a comedy directed by first time directors Molly Gordon and Nick Lieberman.

According to IMDB, “As summer rolls around again, kids are gathering from all over to attend AdirondACTS, a scrappy theater camp in upstate New York that’s a haven for budding performers. After its indomitable founder Joan (Amy Sedaris) falls into a coma, her clueless “crypto-bro” son Troy (Jimmy Tatro) is tasked with keeping the thespian paradise running. With financial ruin looming, Troy must join forces with Amos (Ben Platt), Rebecca-Diane (Molly Gordon), and their band of eccentric teachers to come up with a solution before the curtain rises on opening night.”

This was a lot of fun. It was very funny and had a plethora of characters that fit into the idea of a theater camp. While I am not a theater camp kid, I have a feeling that those who were would really relate to the situations presented here.

There were very top notch comedic performances throughout, led by Ben Platt and Molly Gordon. The kids in the film all do an awesome job, carrying a lot of the musical numbers, especially in the finale.

There is a lot of absurdity in the situations in play during the movie, but they all feel more like truth than parody.

Theater Camp was funny and breezy quick, with an enjoyable first two acts and, dare I say, an inspirational third act. It was definitely worth the wait. I would have liked to have seen this in a theater with a crowd instead of at home, but it does work anyway.

3.8 stars

A Haunting in Venice

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This is the third film in the series featuring director Kenneth Branagh adapting Agatha Christie’s classic detective character Hercule Poirot. We have seen Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile, both of which were fine, if unremarkable. The next film was A Haunting in Venice, based on Christie’s 1969 novel Hallowe’en Party.

A Haunting in Venice, however, is definitely my favorite of the three films by far.

Poirot has retired from detective work, practically removing himself from society in Venice, despite people hanging out outside his home hoping to get him to work cases.

When his old friend, author Ariadne Oliver (Tina Fey), who had made Poirot famous with her novels, came to see him, she asked Poirot to accompany her to attempt to debunk a psychic named Mrs. Reynolds (Michelle Yeoh).

The psychic was brought to a haunted house in Venice where a young girl (Alicia Drake) had committed suicide and her mother (Kelly Reilly) was desperate to contact her again.

The film did a fantastic job creating the mood. There was so much tension and anxiety throughout the story. Some of the shots from Branagh created an amazing feel, a claustrophobic or uneasy sense for the viewer.

Kenneth Branagh’s performance as Hercule Poirot has been the highlight of all three of these movies. Branagh and his mustache are the stars of this story. I love how the story incorporates Poirot’s own troubles and self-doubts from years of challenges and stress. He had lost himself from the years and part of this movie is the attempt to find his mojo.

The ensemble cast of the film is great, including Tina Fey, Michelle Yeoh, Alicia Drake, Kelly Reilly, Jamie Dornan, Jude Hill, Camille Cottin, Riccardo Scamarcio and Amir El-Masry.

The mystery really worked well. I loved how the pieces of the story was revealed slowly through the interrogations of Poirot and his superstar observations. Even when you believe that Poirot was not firing on all cylinders because there was something supernatural going on, he comes through big time.

This movie is creepy, stylistic, and filled with suspense. I have very little to criticize here. I can see some people may think it is a little slow with some of the scenes, but not for me. For me, this was paced beautifully. There were amazing shots of Venice and individual shots that were constructed with purpose and artistic flair. A Haunting in Venice was an excellent film.

4.75 stars