“Did you know diarrhea is hereditary? It runs in your genes.”
I did not expect some laughs in The Last of Us. The show, while being brilliant so far, has been less than a happy romp. It has been painfully emotional with death and loss and an intense mood with dangers around every corner.
And yet, with one book of puns read through by Ellie, The Last of Us brought laughter and snickering at some of the worst puns around.
The show was never going to be a stand-up routine though and there were some tough problems. This episode the dangers did not come from the monsters or the infected. It came from the humans.
This was an episode that was meant to highlight the relationship between Joel and Ellie. Joel has not, to this point, connected with the little girl. He was with her now because of Tess. We saw the humanizing of Joel and the beginning of a real relationship with Ellie that he had avoided up until this point.
After several very emotional episodes in a row, this one stepped back a bit and gave a more laid back episode (to a point) and I dug it.
Continuing some series and starting a couple of new ones. When I say ‘new ones’ I mean from a few years ago.
Here we go…
Friday #1. Written by Ed Brubaker and art by Marcos Martin. This was a special collector’s issue from Image Comics. I have to say that I found it somewhat fine, but unremarkable. Even know, I am struggling to remember what it was about. So, while I did not actively think that I was bored while reading it, there was little about Friday that made me want to read more.
Superior Four #1. Zac Thompson wrote this limited series and the artist was Davide Tinto. The inclusion of Doc Ock and three multidimensional variant of Otto Octavius was interesting. Of course, the variants were basically Wolverine, Hulk and Ghost Rider, with Doc Ock twists to them. I did like the Ock/Spider-Man design.
Hawkeye: Kate Bishop #1. This is one of the better starts for a short series. I really find Kate Bishop to be a fun character and writer Marieke Nijkamp has found the voice of the young archer. Artist Enid Balám does a great job in the book. We get some family issues for Kate and, of course, Lucky the Pizza Dog.
Stillwater #7. The town of Stillwater started a new arc as we see some major violence from the Protectors and the attempts of Daniel and Laura in escaping the upcoming dangers. Chip Zdarsky is at his best again in developing this magical town and Ramon K. Perez has some fantastic art that creates the perfect tone for the book.
Avengers #54. “Even Thunder Can Burn, Even Deathlok’s Can Die” Jason Aaron and Juan Frigeri bring us the conclusion of the three part arc, The Death Hunters while setting up the storyline for the next several issue of the Avengers. The tension between Echo and Thor is fascinating and gives us a new way to look at the Thunder God. Namor’s joining of the team is another tension creating moment, not only for T’Challa, but also for Cap. I also really liked the cover of this issue. It felt like a throwback to the old days with the book’s title being used in text dialogue. Good work from Javier Garrón & David Curiel.
Winter Guard #2. Written by Ryan Cady and drawn by Jan Bazaldua, The second issue of the Winter Guard continued to focus in on Red Guardian and Yelena Belova, as they are being pursued by the other members of the Winter Guard. Darkstar and Chernobog have some uncomfortable scenes that are fun to read. The Winter Guard series has a nice flow to it so far and I have liked what I have read so far.
I am back from my conference in Des Moines and ready to finsih the Comic Catch-Up write-up. I was able to squeeze my time in this morning to continue the goal of reading. I had selected several comic issues to take with me to the hotel. I actually had plenty of time and could have read more.
Starting off with…
Avengers Assemble Alpha #1. “The Battle a Million Years in the Making“. Avengers Assemble, Part One. As the Avengers, the Prehistoric Avengers, the Multiversal Avengers came together to deal with the Multiversal Masters of Evil, which included multiversal versions of Dr. Doom, Killmonger, Venom, Wolverine, Green Goblin/Ghost Rider, Thanos and Phoenix. The book was written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Bryan Hitch, Andrew Currie & Alex Sinclair. I knew this came after Judgment Day, which I just finished so I read it and I like this quite a bit.
Avengers #52-53. However, I was confused for awhile as I was reading this because the team was different than the one in Avengers Assemble Alpha #. The Death Hunters Part Two and Three in these two books. I finally realized that this pair of books took place before Judgment Day. Hoping to catch up with the past Avengers books soon before moving along with Avengers Forever and the rest of this storyline.
Cover the Dead with Lime #2. The second issue of the Blood Moon Comics series. Written by Jonathan Chance and drawn by Hernán González. Jack Teller is the lone Plague Doktor and he is out to try this horrible epidemic that was spreading the world, a plague whose victims seem to be coming back to life. This book has been visually cool and I want to see where it goes from here.
Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker #2. Planet Hulk: Worldbreaker was written by Greg Pak and the art was done by Manuel Garcia. I realized this issue that this story was an alternate future story, which I am not a huge fan of. Now, true, the Hulk has had one of the best possible future stories of all time (Future Imperfect). So far, this series has been kind of dull. Amadeus Cho was a Hulk that I enjoyed, but this has not been great so far. I will say that She-Hulk’s appearance was interesting and we’ll have to see how thing progress.
A Calculated Man #1. “Kill Them All“. Writer: Paul Tobin. Artist: Alberto Alburquerque. I did not like this one al all. I was bored and could not get into it. I have no good things to say about A Calculated Man.
Stillwater #6. “It’s My Duty” Chip Zdarsky was the writer and Ramon K. Perez was the artist. I had really enjoyed Stillwater, but fell way behind the series. It always felt like a combination of Twin Peaks and LOST, which are two of my favorite shows ever. This wrapped up the first story arc, which is a great spot to start once again.
Winter Guard #1. Written by Ryan Cady and Art by Jan Bazaldua (the main story) and Djibril Morissette-Phan (the Prelude). The Winter Guard, a super hero team from Russia, made several appearances in the Avnergs comic and that led to this limited series. Featuring Yelena Belova and Red Guardian, I liked this group of characters, and the story has some mystery to it.
A.X.E. Starfox #1. Written by Kieron Cullen and drawn by Danielle DiNicuolo, Eros, brother of Thanos, former Avengers known as Starfox, Eternal, comes into the middle of the Judgment Day story. Starfox had always been a favorite of mine, even if he was kind of rapey. I enjoyed this art, which was unique.
It is Sunday morning and I am back for the next installment of Comic Catch-Up, here at EYG. I am heading to a conference in Des Moines this afternoon so I wanted to make sure I get today’s February Catch-Up written, just in case. I do have several selected issues in my Loot Crate box to take along to try and find some time before or after the conference (or during? heh heh) to get my reading done for Monday. No matter what, the write-up will not come until late tomorrow night. But what I am saying is that I am dedicated to the goal of at least an hour a day through February, no matter what.
This morning’s haul….
A.X.E: Judgment Day #4-6. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Valerio Schiti. I had been up and down on this series so far. Issue three did not do a lot for me after a pretty solid start, but issue four was outstanding. In fact, it inspired me to go ahead and finish issues five and six this morning. The conclusion was fine, but I was just really in on issue four. The way it went through people across the planet, judging them was compelling and seeing several of the Marvel heroes facing their own judgment from the Celestial was well done. I do want to mention that one of the drawbacks to me was when the heroes started being killed off, I lost some interest because they were killing off big names and I knew that they would not be dead for good. I also like the fact that the X-men’s resurrection ability, which I have been critical of through the latest run, was part of the story and it made sense that others may not be a fan of the X-Men being, essentially, immortal. Decent event series.
A.X.E. Judgment Day Omega #1. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Guiu Vilanova. This was a book filled with the fall out from the Judgment Day, mostly for the Eternals. This was okay. My favorite part was the story with Ikaris and the woman he went to see, Sophia. The normal people of earth had a role in the Judgment Day series and it is nice to see the wrap up books include them as well.
Captain America and the Winter Soldier Special #1. This book, which was written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, with art from Kev Walker, leads into a storyline that continued in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty #7. I’ll need to pull that out of the pile to see where it goes. This was all set up, basically, involving a group of string-pullers involved in a large scale conspiracy in the world. Somehow, Bucky joined them. Poor Bucky has been through so much in his long life. Just one more problem.
Public Domain #5. More adventures with comic book artists and writers from the mind of Chip Zdarsky. It now has a feeling of the story of Image Comics. It has felt like the story of Stan Lee, the sotry of the MCU and now of Independent Comics. Still finding it an enjoyable read.
Ghost Rider #5. “Hell’s Backbone“. I had really liked the new Ghost Rider book when it first came out. Focusing on Johnny Blaze and his own problems was a good choice after so many other versions of Ghost Rider. Nothing against Robbie or Danny, but it is great to see the original again. This included a wild motorcycle race with Wolverine and other Marvel luminaries.
Black Panther: Unconquered #1. Written by Bryan Hill and drawn by Alberto Foche. The Spear of Bast is involved in an action packed story involving T’Challa. The villain was named Archon who led a group called The Volk, a Germanic cult. As I mentioned, there was a great series of Black Panther fight panels in this issue, making it an easy read.
Strange Academy: Finals #3. Written by Skottie Young with the artistic skills of Humberto Ramos. I have really enjoyed this series so far. I have found all but one issue of the Strange Academy series that I will dive into once I can find that final illusive comic. I have grown to love these characters and the way the story is told. The final splash page was amazing too. Can’t wait for issue four.
Wakanda #5. “Without Question“. I was going to finish this analogy series yesterday, but it got pushed to today. This issue’s story surrounded Okoye and one of the hopefuls from the Dora Milaje, Natima, Okoye’s niece. This actually tied back to an earlier issue of the anthology series where Rhino appeared. I liked the connection even though the idea is that they are separate. I liked the anthology series, showing all the nooks and crannies of Wakanda and the other characters that populate that world.
Sabretooth & the Exiles #3. “Out of Body Experience“. The Exiles take a trip into the Astral Plane in an attempt to save Orphan-Maker who had removed his mask and triggered an explosive power from within him. Again, I do like this combination of characters and the last splash page is, once again, extremely gripping. This was written by Victor LaValle and the art was by Leonard Kirk.
Avengers #51. “A Dark Phoenix Rises over Asgard“. The Death Hunters Part One, written by Jason Aaron featuring art from Juan Frigeri. The cover art was by Javier Garrón and David Curiel. The Avengers have been consistently entertaining during this back issue catch-up, and this looks to be one of the earliest moments of this multiversal battle that we see so much of in the Avengers Forever books. We get a lot of Echo, who has become the new Phoenix, and Thor, who has discovered the truth of his birth, is not happy about it. I know the most recent Avengers book deals with the identity of this mysterious Avenger Prime, so I am going to have to keep myself honest and wait impatiently until I get to it. No spoiler for me!
I am a longtime fan of the New England Patriots and, of course, that meant that I have loved Tom Brady for his success and how he has helped bring multiple Super Bowl championships to New England. Because of that, I have been excited to see 80 for Brady, a film based on a true story based around Super Bowl LI from 2017, the Super Bowl that the Patriots came from behind against the Atlanta Falcons.
The Pats trailed 28-3 in the third quarter only to make a wild comeback to push the game into overtime before winning in OT.
The film is based on a true story of a group of women who were huge Tom Brady fans that decided they wanted to to head to Houston for the big game.
In the film, the four lead women were played by Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, Rita Moreno and Jane Fonda. The four women played the characters of Lou, Betty, Maura and Trish respectfully.
The ladies arrived in Houston to attend the NFL Experience and go through several bizarre shenanigans.
This is a silly, lightweight, puffy film that is absolutely dominated by the four lead actors. Tomlin, Field, Moreno, Fonda are easily the best part of the film, their charisma and chemistry absolutely killing it. I believed 100% that they were best friends and had been together forever.
Some of the things that happen during their Super Bowl adventure felt like a bad sitcom. Still, the silly moments work moderately well because of the actors.
Tom Brady appeared as himself several times throughout as a vision to Lou, speaking inspirationally to her about the attempts to make it inside the game. The film used a ton of highlights from the big game, including some of the most intriguing close up dialogue from the players. Once again, as a Patriots fan, it was awesome to relive the amazing comeback in the biggest stage of them all.
Though the film is advertised as being “based on a true story,” but there were things from the film that were clearly ridiculous and did not happen. I am not saying that it needed to be exactly how it happened because it is not a documentary. It is meant for an piece of entertainment and most of the additional scenes worked in the film.
80 for Brady was funny and was an enjoyable film, especially as a Patriots fan. Those Brady haters out there are probably going to be rolling their eyes, but the lightweight film was a lot of fun with four amazing actors that carried the film.
Welcome back to the Comic Catch-Up#12. This is the official fourth day of the special event here in February to try and help catch up my reading from the piles of comics I have around my house. Things have been going swell so far as I have been looking forward to the time allotted for the comics.
I jumped into some back issues of the Avengers this morning along with some other books that I have been working through one at a time.
So… here we go.
Avengers #46-50. When I was looking at these back issues, I saw that this storyline was labeled W.W.S.H. which stood for World War She-Hulk. That did not make me feel enthused. One, it felt derivative, as if the book was just trying to build upon the old World War Hulk storyline that is so beloved. Two, I really hated the way the Avengers comic had been portraying Jennifer Walters. I was not a fan of the brutish She-Hulk form of this character so I considered skipping this arc. However, I knew Jenn had her own series which I have been keeping up to date on and that she was back in her old form, so I had hoped this would be the catalyst for that return and this arc led into the Avengers #50 (Legacy numbered 750) extra sized book so I decided to go ahead and read the arc. And I was very pleased that I did because I truly enjoyed it. By the end of #46, I was into it and read for the next issue. This storyline was written by Jason Aaron and the art was by Javier Garrón (and issue #49 included the one-named wonder Flaviano).
Miles Morales: Spider-Man #3: Written by Cody Ziglar and drawn by Federico Vicentini, we get the introduction of a new villain who is in pursuit of Miles and the people he cares about. The character’s name is The Rabble and this character had an interesting design. I am still unsure how The Rabble will play in the series, and honestly, a good chunk of this issue was nothing much. I did enjoy the Miles team up with Misty Knight. TEAMWORK!!!
Strange Academy: Finals #2. Written by Skottie Young and art by Humberto Ramos. I always enjoyed Humberto Ramos’s work on Amazing Spider-Man so it is nice to see him with this new cast of characters. As I have not yet read the Strange Academy books, most of these characters are unfamiliar to me. I am intrigued to learn more about them as I dive more into these books.
Public Domain #4. Chip Zdarsky continues to tell the story of of copyrights and writing comic books. And he is somehow making it compelling and fascinating. I’m not sure if I am supposed to be supporting Miles Dallas, but I find him to be quite the jerk in this book.
Judgment Day #3. Judgment begins. Truthfully, this story has become a little messy. There are a lot of characters involved and I am not sure exactly who is with whom. Jean Grey has a strong issue and the book does bring back Starfox, who is always a welcome sight. And who would have guessed that you could not trust Mr. Sinister?
Grim #3. Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano, continues to be an engaging book with a lot going on. We get some info on the cool character we saw last issue. He was called The End and he was quite the troublemaker. The book also gave me Dogma vibe. The Kevin Smith movie had God go missing and here, it seems that Death is missing. Of course, what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.
Cover the Dead with Lime #1. Written and created by Jonathan Chance and illustrated by Hernán González. This issue was set in the past, back in the 17th century and looked to deal with fighting against certain plagues. The characters are not too developed yet, but the circumstance was definitely interesting. I think I have issue #2 as well before I can decide if I want to continue to search for more of this.
I had a chance to watch the fifth episode of Peacock’s new series, Poker Face yesterday, starring Natasha Lyonne. I had started to be concerned about the show. The last episode was my least favorite of the series so far and the formula had started to wear a little thin. I was hoping that it would right itself because I have really enjoyed the character of Charlie Cale and Lyonne’s portrayal of her.
I am happy to announce that I found episode five to be highly entertaining (though very unlikely) and that the series took the formula that it had been using and piqued it a bit, making it feel so much fresher than it had become.
Then, when you add a talented actor such as Judith Light to the cast as a guest star, things are destined to improve.
As in past episodes, we start off with the murder. This time, it was the wheelchair-bound Judith Light playing Irene, and S. Epatha Merkerson as Joyce, who were collaborating to murder a man at the old-age complex called Mossy Oaks. The manner in which they pulled off the murder was the part of the show that really required the viewer to suspend disbelief.
Getting past the actual murder itself, the format changed a little bit. The show did go back in time to show that Charlie was still there, but unlike previous episodes, Charlie did not befriend the eventual victim, she became friends with Joyce and Irene, the soon-to-be killers.
Turned out that Irene and Joyce were not just some cool old broads, but were domestic terrorists from the 1960s who used bombs to send their messages and had intended on targeting a group of high school students at a Model UN conference. They were stopped by a man they had been intimate with,named Gabriel and they wound up spending years in jail.
Of course, Gabriel, under his witness protection, was placed at Mossy Oaks, triggering the revenge-minded pair.
Charlie’s lie-detecting skills helped her uncover Gabriel’s “fake nephew” who was his FBI handler, played by Howard Wolowitz himself, Simon Helberg.
Charlie wound up in some dangerous situations as the two women were anything but push overs and the fight scene between them was a real hoot. Judith Light is an outstanding actor and she had several moments of excellence in this episode.
I enjoyed this episode a great deal and I am pleased that episode 4 seemed to be the exception for me.
A late start because of cold temperatures allowed me to get the Comic Catch-Up reading completed early and now I am finishing the post after school got over.
Continued several of the series runs that I started the other day. Some good books here.
Grim #2. “Chapter Two: The End“. Written by Stephanie Phillips with art from the one-named wonder Flaviano, Grim #2 continued the story of Jessica and her challenge after losing her scythe. She believed that her own death, a death that she could not remember, was an important piece of the puzzle so she went to break into where the memories were stored. Things did not work out well for her. Grim has been a good read so far and it has continued to hook me with the story and the art.
Avengers #45. I started in on the pile of Avengers comics that I am behind on. That took me back quite a long while with a story of Blade becoming the sheriff of Count Dracula’s new official nation of vampires. Jason Aaron wrote the story with Luca Maresca providing the art. Cory Smith and Jason Keith gave us the cover.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #2. “Old Friends“. Shang-Chi meets up with an old flame and partner in MI6, Leiko Wu. It was all a set up for British Intelligence to get their hands on the ten rings. This series has been written by Gene Luen Yang and the art inside this book was done by Marcus To. Dike Ruan and Matthew Wilson were the cover artists on this issue.
Wakanda #4. “The Other Path.” This was my favorite issue of this anthology series so far. It featured Tosin, a character who I had never heard of before. The opening page called him The Wakandan. I really dug this character, and I also loved the Kime as well. This was an exciting story, featuring the villainous Abomination as well.
Judgment Day #2. Uh oh. Did the Avengers just make a big boo boo? The story of the war between the factions of the Avengers, Eternals and X-Men reach a new height as the Avengers reinvigorate the Avengers HQ, which was an old Celestial. This became the literal judgment day. Kieron Gillen was the writer and Valero Schiti did the art. Mark Brooks was the cover artist. It had a very end of the MCU Eternal’s feel to it and I’m ready to see where it goes.
Strange Academy: Finals #1. Written by Skottie Young and drawn by Humberto Ramos. Strange Academy is one of the books that I wanted to read, but I just never got around to it. I always found the few issues that I did read interesting. That whole series is one that I should look into during this catch-up. I found this start of the story pretty solid. I enjoyed learning a little bit about these characters.
Public Domain #3. Chip Zdarsky continues to create a comic that is totally intriguing and engaging despite there being no super heroes and focusing on the creators of the comic books. Who would have guessed that a meeting with a lawyer over copyright law would be so fun? I am very curious to see where this book is heading.
Avengers Forever #7-9. I grabbed a whole bunch of Avengers Forever back issues and The Pillars story, Part Two, Three and Four. They were all multiversal versions of the main Avengers, #7 was a bunch of Steve Rogers, #8 gave us a special Thor and #9 brought us a different version of Carol Danvers. The creative team included Jason Aaron, Aaron Kuder, Cam Smith and Guru-EFX. The covers were all really great (especially #8) and they were done by Aaron Kuder and Jason Keith.
Welcome back to the Comic Catch-Up. I pulled out a series of books form the piles, but I avoided, this morning, reading any run of any one title. I wanted a flavor of the issues, giving me more to continue as February continues.
Apparently that troublemaker Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow today meaning that there will be six more weeks of winter. That rat. Well, it just means that there may be more late starts at school (like tomorrow) to give me time to continue with my catch-up.
Today’s books:
Grim #1. “Chapter One: Don’t Fear the Reaper“. Written by Stephanie Phillips and drawn by Flaviano (one name, like Cher or Madonna, I guess), Grim #1 finds a grim reaper taking the souls to death, only she loses her scythe to her last soul. When she goes to retrieve it back i the land of the living, she discovers that the living people can now see her, something that did not happen before. This was a interesting book with a good hook to make me look forward to the next issue. I really liked Flaviano’s art too.
Wakanda #3. “Color of Death“. The third issue of the anthology series now has a story featuring Killmonger. Continuing the Marvel Comics characters being made to be more like their MCU counterparts, Wakanda #3 was written by Ho Che Anderson and penciled by Sean Hill. There is yet another really short backup story with teh “History of the Black Panther Chapter Three” written by Evan Narcisse and drawn by Natacha Bustos. Mateus Manhaini gave us an excellent cover with Killmonger in full display.
Judgment Day #1. Written by Kieron Gillen and drawn by Valerio Schiti, this first issue of the limited series featuring the Avengers, the X-Men and the Eternals was very gripping. I do not plan on following the countless crossovers while reading this series as they are always a waste of time. I am looking forward to reading this book as the storyline is rumored to be an inspiration for the upcoming Avengers: The Kang Dynasty MCU movie.
Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings #1. “Absolute Power”. This theme for the Marvel books that I read today seems to be making the comics more like the MCU. Shang-Chi with the ten rings, the versions from the movie, were cool and it certainly makes Shang-Chi even more bad ass. Written by Gene Luen Yang with Marcus To providing the art, Shang-Chi is in good hands. Another awesome cover, this time drawn by Dike Ruan and Matthew Wilson.
Public Domain #2. “The Usual Spot“. This is an interesting book. It is not a super hero book. It is a book about super hero creators and the rights of those creators of their characters. There feels as if there is a lot of commentary directed at the lack of artists in particular receiving appropriate royalties for their work. I had been told that this was the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby story, but this issue feels less like that and more of the MCU (and other major film companies) not providing sufficient compensation for creators of these characters that are making millions (if not billions) of dollars at the box office. Chip Zdarsky is an amazing writer who is able to get me intrigued in a story about the comic book creator and his family.
M. Night Shyamalan is no stranger to controversy, In fact, I would go as far as to say that he thrives on it. The director’s latest film, Knock at the Cabin is definitely going to stir up some controversy.
A happy family consisting of Andrew (Ben Aldridge) and Eric (Jonathan Groff) and their daughter Wen (Kristen Cui) went to a secluded cabin for a getaway. As Wen was outside catching grasshoppers, she was approached by Leonard (Dave Bautista), whose manner about him about him(as well as his own skill at grasshopper catching) put the young girl at ease. However, when she saw Leonard’s three associates arriving with what she defined as weapons, she rushed off to find her two dads to warn them.
Locking themselves inside the cabin did not prevent the four strangers from forcing their way inside and taking the family hostage. However, the group had a bizarre request. They claimed that someone in the family had to be sacrificed and one of the others had to kill them. If a sacrifice was not made, the world would face an apocalypse.
Andrew and Eric, facing an implausible decision, did not believe Leonard and his apocalyptic statements, despite everything that they tried to do to convince the couple. Unbelievable events began to occur, bringing a shock to all.
I do not want to spoil this for anyone, but my biggest problem stems from what would be considered a spoiler, so beware. I’ll say it this way, I found the ending of this movie to completely ruin what I had found to be a taut, exciting thriller. The ending left me cold, disappointed and felt cruel and lacking a sense of purpose outside of just torturing these characters.
The ending spoiled what I had been finding to be an exciting and thought-provoking film, but the resolution was completely unnecessary and unsatisfying in any way.
Until the end of the film, I was finding myself involved in the story. The performances were excellent. Dave Bautista continues to show that he is willing to expand his repertoire as an actor with a multilayered performance. Both Ben Aldridge and Jonathan Groff were top notch as the loving couple dealing with their own past, which we touch upon in flashbacks. Those flashbacks take us nowhere and do not have any purpose except to make us agonize over the end even more.
Oh Ron Weasley, how far you have fallen. I kid of course as Rupert Grint played the role of Redmond, a mean-spirited bigot who becomes one of the foursome led by Leonard. Grint is really solid and I did not recognize him until I saw the credits, speaking even more to the level of his performance.
Kristen Cui does a very solid job as the little girl, providing more than just an afraid child. She is very capable and has to emotionally deal with a lot of the strife that is brought to the cabin.
Though the performances were all excellent, the characters, especially the four attackers, were barely developed and lacked much to support the craziness that they were spouting. Outside of Bautista, who was also not the deepest of characters, these remaining three were fairly disposable and unremarkable. Grint’s character presented a possibility, but any sort of potential from that character was tossed aside almost immediately.
The first hour of the film brought the goods, keeping me on the edge of my seat, but the last forty minutes or so wrecked the positives that I had about the film and I left the theater feeling downtrodden and, almost, cheated.
January has come to an end and the Genre-ary DailyView along with it. With that concluding, it is time to officially start the Comic Catch-Up Daily Read. The goal is to dedicate at least an hour a day to reading the piles of back issues that are all over my room and try my best to catch-up. I started to do some reading in January, but I did not dedicate myself to a daily read. I was able to do eight Comic Catch-Up posts last month. This is right now number nine.
Of course, it is also Wednesday, which means it is NEW COMIC BOOK DAY! YEAH!
So there are several of the brand new issues in the pile of comics for the first of February. Truthfully, several of these books that were not in today’s haul, were read last night, but it still will count.
I honestly thought about renumbering the Comic Catch-Up, calling it Volume Two (just like so many comics these days), but I decided the Legacy Numbering was how I would go.
With that out of the way, this starts Comic Catch-Up #9 (February)
Bloodline: Daughter of Blade #1. My friend Todd at Comic World told me this was a one-shot. Imagine my surprise when I got to the last page of this issue and I saw an advertisement for next issue (#2). I really enjoyed this book with a daughter that we (at least, I) never knew Blade had. Her name is Brielle and she is starting to receive some special gifts genetically from her famous father. The book was written by Danny Lore and the art was by Karen S. Darboe. It featured a cool cover too from the art team of Ryan Stegman, Rachelle Rosenberg, Karen S. Darboe and Chris Peter. I wonder if the vocal minority and their misogamy will come for Bloodline since it is a female character. Either way, I really liked this “ONE SHOT” and I look forward to the TWO SHOT. (Heh)
Dark Web Finale #1: I have not been a fan of this Dark Web storyline that has been running through the Spider-Man books recently, but I did think it picked up a bit recently. This finale was decent. There was less of the ridiculous demons and more with Ben Reilly and Hallows Eve. I also enjoyed the character development for Madelyn Pryor. Still, Rek-Rap is in running for the worst new character. I am excited for Spider-Man books to get back to normal soon. Dark Web Finale was written by Zwb Wells and drawn by Adam Kubert, Francesco Mortarino, with Scott Hanna.
Scarlet Witch #2. There were two stories inside issue #2. The first one was written by Steve Orlando and drawn by Sara Pichelli, featuring the return of Viv Vision. I loved Viv back in the Champions and the whole introduction of her in the Vision series is some of the best comics written, in my opinion. It was great to see her come to Wanda despite the complicated history between her and Viv’s dad, Vision. The backup story included Storm in a cool little adventure for a good cup of tea. It was written by Stephanie Williams with art by Chris Allen.
Silver Surfer: Ghost Light #1. A new series featuring the Silver Surer, although Norrin does not appear much in the book. The main story details Toni who has disturbed the final resting place of Al Harper, her uncle, bringing him back in a strange form, glowing green. This is another book that is based around the story of a young girl and her younger brother. I liked this quite a bit too. It was written by John Jennings and drawn by Valentine DeLandro. Taurin Clarke did the art on the cover.
Sabretooth & The Exiles #2. Written by Victor LaValle and drawn by Leonard Kirk, this is a back issue that I picjed up today because I could not find it. I had #1 and I know where #3 is, but two was not found. I actually do think that I am enjoying this series so far. I have not been a big X-Men fan recently, but this group of characters is intriguing and Sabretooth is facing some major issues with hs healing factor. The final page of the issue had a beautifully drawn splash page.
…and now the back issues:
Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise #1-3. This series starring Dr. Strange is a beautifully original series with art and colors that are absolutely sensational. I am utterly confused about what is going on, but I am loving the journey in trying to figure it out. The art is just so unique that is grabs your attention in every way imaginable. I admit the story has me confused, but I am happy to keep trying with such a visually stunning piece of art as this. It is written and drawn by Tradd Moore and Heather Moore does the coloring (which is amazing). Issue two does list Jensine Eckwall as a special guest artist along with Moore. This series concludes with next issue.
Public Domain #1. I love Chip Zdarsky I have the run so far of Public Domain and I started with reading issue one last night. However, I realized as I got into the book that I had read this already. That did not stop me because I was enjoying the tale that Zdarsky was weaving. I will be diving into the remainder of the books with this one soon. I am interested to see if I have read any of those too.
Wakanda #2. Evan Narcisse and Adam Serwer wrote this issue and Ibraim Roberson was the artist for the first story featuring M’Baku. There was also a very short Part Two in the “History of the Black Panthers” backup story. I am working my way through this anthology series, having completed it in my collection today with issue #5. I do like the character of M’Baku, even if he is basically following the character form the MCU now.
Captain Marvel #45. Part three of the storyline “Revenge of the Brood” continued along with some cool moments with Carol and Gambit along with other X-Men, Spider-Woman and Hazmat. It started off very confusing, but we dropped the veil of confusion when we learned what was going on with our heroes. Brood everywhere and our heroes may have had them implanted inside them as well. No sign of Binary yet.
Midnight Suns #1. Written by Ethan Sacks and drawn by Luigi Zagaria, the first issue was exceptional with the joining of Wolverine, Magik, Blade, Agatha Harkness, Nico Minoru, Zoe Laveau and Spirit Rider in a group to confront demons attacking Strange Academy. The demons picked a poor day to attack as guest speaker, Blade was in attendance. This was a lot of fun and I am looking forward to finally getting my hands on issue 2.
The Killer: Affairs of the State #1. I have no idea why I bought this book. It was written by Matz and drawn by Luc Jacamon. The credits say that Edward Gauvin did the English translation, which I am not sure what that meant. I was bored out of my mind reading this book. I really did not like it. It was too dense in exposition and dialogue. A lot of times I like some good writing but this felt just too much. It felt like it took forever to get through the issue. I wonder if this was a book stuck in my box… (heh heh).
It is January 31, 2023, and that means today is the final day of the first ever Genre-ary DailyView. Thirty-two science fiction films were watched over thirty days leading to the final film, John Carpenter’s Dark Star.
Dark Star was a science fiction/comedy that was John Carpenter’s directorial debut. The movie began as a USC student film that was developed into a feature film, receiving a limited theatrical release.
The film looked in on a crew of the starship Dark Star which had been out on a twenty year mission to blow up unstable planets that might threaten future plans. Dark Star had begun to break down and malfunction, leading to more troubles.
There are some funny moments in Dark Star. The talking bombs are a real hoot. There are several intriguing situations that happen during the plot. I really enjoyed the last half of the movie more than I did the beginning.
It definitely feels like a student production with the special effects (which were okay for 1974) and the list of unknown actors. They did use technology to create the jump to hyperspace that they would use a few years later in Star Wars.
As I said, the second half of the movie was more entertaining for me, with some of the visuals making me laugh out loud. I was not involved with the characters, but I loved the bomb. A talking, spiritually debating bomb is funnier than hell.
You can see how John Carpenter developed into a director who directed and produced some of the best science fiction films of all time. You can see it begin in Dark Star.
I will say that this has been my least favorite episode of Poker Face so far.
Same format. We see the murder and then we see how Charlie was already there and connected to the victim. I hope that format gets mixed around some because it is starting to get a bit dull.
The whole metal rock thing was not something I could connect with. A band who killed their new drummer in order to steal a song that he wrote was not he best story I have ever heard. I did like how they wound up getting caught. The people who were ready to sign the band presented the fact that the song had stolen the music from the theme of the sitcom Benson. That seemed to be the biggest sin to these record execs. Only after this did they reveal that the group had been revealed as the killers of their drummer.
Chloë Sevigny guest starred as Ruby Ruin, the lead singer of the group Doxxxology, who had one major hit early in their career that had been written by their drummer at the time and they received zero royalties for it. This sets up the story of the episode.
The only hope was that Benjamin Bratt returned this episode and brought the story of the pilot with him.
Natasha Lyonne continues to be excellent as Charlie Cale, the human lie detector. She was the best part of this episode and some of the highlights coming from the future look great. I hope this was just a bump in the season.
The Last of Us has been a fantastic show so far. I never played the video game that the show was based upon so I have been coming at this fresh and it has been so great. Coming into Sunday night, I enjoyed the show’s format and the emotional power.
Sunday night’s episode started off differently. There was no flashback to kick off the show. Instead, we found our way to Joel and Ellie right away. Little did I know that the flashback was still coming and that it would be the major chunk of the show.
Not only was it still coming, but it was involving two characters that we had not met or had any connection to. It was a strange decision to me, but it paid off big time.
We spent most of this episode with the love story/relationship of Bill (Nick Offerman) and Frank (Murray Bartlett). It was weird at first, but it did not take long to be engaged with the drama.
I have heard some people claiming this was one of the greatest hours of TV ever. I may not go quite that far, but it was clearly a brilliant episode that was not afraid to spend most of the episode diving into the relationship of two characters that we did not know. As I said, those early doubts washed away quickly.
The connection between the two actors was amazing. You believed everything that they did and said to each other. As their relationship grew, each obstacle presented a new challenge or conflict, but they faced each one together.
We saw Joel and Tess make an appearance in the flashback, helping Bill and Frank out with some chain fence tips and friendship. That would set up the final scenes with Joel and Ellie arriving at Bill’s house at the end of the show.
Before that happened, we got some of the most touching and painful moments between the two men. The love between these two unlikely lovers was on display here and how much they completed the other. As Frank was suffering through some kind of unspecified problem, he made a decision that he would take control of fate and have one more day before ending his life. He and Bill had a wonderful day together, including a marriage and a perfect dinner. It was ended with a drug laced wine that was intended to end his life. Bill had a surprise for Frank, saying that he was his reason for living, his purpose. Bill would join Frank in death.
Sad, yet remarkably romantic.
This was an outstanding episode that, apparently, was not included in the actual game. They were able to add details to the character of Bill from the game and we learned about the relationship between the two men. It shows that The Last of Us is nto afraid to exceed the content and to improve it.
The third episode of Poker Face on Peacock was another fun episode, with Charlie finding her way into another murder mystery, this time thanks to a MAGA dog.
Picking up a barking, little dog that only stopped barking when the radio was on a far right radio podcast, Charlie got a job with a BBQ joint in Texas. Taffy Boyle (Lil Rel Howery) had his own podcast, which led to his plan to off his brother, George (Larry Brown).
Once again, Poker Face showed Charlie and her lie detecting skill in a very positive light. She is smart and the show absolutely gives examples of this.
I will say that I was not a big fan of the little dog. Its constant yipping was annoying, but the use of it as a plot device was a tad sad.
Benjamin Bratt does not make an appearance in this episode, for the first time in the series.
This is, yet, another episode that used the basic formula of showing the murder and then showing that Charlie had arrived already and had some kind of connection. So far the formula has been fine, but I am hoping that this does not make the show become repetitive. It looks as if things may be changing up soon, and I do hope it will to keep things fresh.
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 