#14
Golden Girls
Title: “Thank You for Being a Friend”
Written: Andrew Gold
Performed: Cynthia “Cindy” Fee
Originally released as a single by Andrew Gold, the song was re-recorded by Cynthia “Cindy” Fee for the series. This theme was also used for the Golden Girls’ spin off, The Golden Palace.
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Walter Geovani
Cover Art by Jenny Frison
“Time and Tide”
Interestingly enough, we got a new artist for the book. Walter Geovani is the new artist replacing Jon Davis-Hunt. I had not seen an announcement in issue #12 that there was going to be a change. I did not look closely though so it could have been there.
We see a side to Astrid this issue that we had not seen before. She was ready to punish Killian and Duncan in the Clean Room because of their betrayals last issue. However, at the last minute, she reconsidered and rushed back to them. I was surprised by Astrid’s change of heart, but I did like it very much.
Then, Astrid went to Chloe and asked her to join her as one of her rooks. Chloe demanded the truth from Astrid, and… she gave it to her! I couldn’t believe that either.
Then, Astrid brough Chloe to the Clean Room where her niece, the daughter of her brother who had shot her, was at, and the little girl showed off her own evil possessed power, killing a guard. The final shot of the toddler was creepy as heck as she says to Chloe that Philip says hello.
Philip was, of course, Chloe’s fiancé who had shot himself in the head after reading Astrid’s book.
I feel that Astrid and Chloe are forming a bond, at least to work together. I am still not sure if I should trust Astrid, but I have to say I am getting there.
Five more issues to go. This has been awesome.
#15
Avengers: Earth’s Mightiest Heroes
Title: “Fight as One”
Composed: Guy Michelmore
Performed by Bad City
One of the best superhero theme songs around. The tagline “Avengers… Assemble” really worked in the middle of the song.
This show was too short as it was really a great adaptation of the Avengers into animation.
March 5
I had a tough choice this week that I wussed out of. I was down to four covers for the three medals and, once again, I decided to have there be a tie. Oh well…
Last week we did not have any variants in our medalists. This week, there are two of the four covers.
Also-Rans: Narco #1, Avengers #36, Batman #7, Moonstar #1, The Twilight Zone #5, Bloodland #2,
Bronze Medalist
(TIE)
Disney Villains: Gaston #1
Cover art by Milena Ciccarello
Variant Cover C
I loved this cover, helping me decide to pick this Dynamite Comics book up. I love how we get Gaston and LeFou running inside the outline of Gaston’s body. The black background makes this standout all the more.
Hello Darkness #19
Cover art by Jenny Frison
Variant Cover B
Another variant that I saw on the shelf and decided to pick it up. I have been enjoying Jenny Frison’s work on the Clean Room Vertigo series that I have been reading on the Daily Read and I think her touch really helps make these horror comic covers effective.
Silver Medalist
Sleep #8
Cover art by Zander Cannon
I have been waiting for the finale of this series for quite awhile now and I was excited to see the book come out this week. The covers of Sleep have been consistently excellent and this one is no exception. The black and white background with the blood red running down creates an exceptional contrast for the cover and really makes me want to see what the finale has in store for me.
Gold Medalist
Nectar #1
Cover art by Chris Shehan
Another new hot book has a beautiful cover featuring butterflies. How does that fit into the story? I am very curious about this book. The orange color of the butterflies and the title jump off the page, especially with that big white moon behind them.
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Jon Davis-Hunt
Cover art by Jenny Frison
“The Damned Lay Dying”
I love this issue. We get a couple of major face offs and sets our two main protagonists on a course for each other.
Astrid video called into the board meeting, revealing that she was very much alive. The confrontation with Mr. Wenuka was like the worst Zoom call ever. Astrid sure showed that even on a mountain top, she had everything under control. I loved how she dealt with Todd, who was the assassin who attempted to kill her on the mountain. She treated him way better than I expected.
Meanwhile, inside the Clean Room, Chloe embraced her ability to control the Clean Room and to show Spark his past… something Spark did not want to see. There were some horrible scenes with Spark possessing a little girl and the tragedy around it. Chloe seemed to be in control as much as Astrid was during the video conference. Killian was shocked since she only knew of one person, Astrid, who could activate the Clean Room.
Both of the assassins, Todd and Duncan, were shown to have been hypnotized and the people around them forgave them quickly. I like that very much. It also seems as if Spark may have taken a step back from the evil that it had looked to reclaim last issue.
Astrid’s brother’s baby was discovered by Astrid’s people. They told her the baby was normal. Of course, Astrid is able to see things differently as the last shot shows the baby with the monstrous head.
Every issue has a twist that I did not see coming. I love how this series feels like a roller coaster that is just flying without me knowing where it was going.
So I have been under the weather over the last few weeks, and I chose to stay at home this past Saturday. I had intended on going to the new Scream 7 film that came out, but I wanted to take the time to try and get better. Today, I was able to go to the film I missed last weekend.
I am going to say that I had heard a lot of negatives directed toward Scream 7 and so my expectations going into the theater today were rather low. I do think that it helped having such low expectations, because I did not hate watching this. Don’t get me wrong, it is a dumb movie and I would not recommend it. I just didn’t find it to be a horrible watch. It was certainly better than the Psycho Killer film from a few weeks ago. That is not saying much, though.
We are back with Sydney Prescott, now with the last name of Evans, and the film took every opportunity to comment on Scream 6 being the film (or the Ghostface killings) where Sydney did not get involved. The meta aspect of this fits in a Scream franchise, but it feels odd that the implication was that the last movie sucked because Sydney wasn’t there.
A new Ghostface finds his/her way to the town where Sydney was living and began killing off easily replaceable characters who have little to no characterization. For example, Asa Germann, who played Sam on Gen V, was only ever referred to as the “weird one.” There is no reason or explanation. That was his sole character trait. McKenna Grace was here too, but all I know about her character was that she was the blonde friend who was in the school play. There were actually some good actors in this film, but they were not given anything worthy to do.
We knew from casting news that Matthew Lillard was returning to the film as Stu Macher, who had been killed in the first Scream film. There was a lot of speculation about whether he was returning as the same character, but that is one of the most obvious bit in the film. No spoilers, but you’ll get it.
Then speaking of no spoilers, the ending reveal is perhaps the dumbest part of the entire movie. There are some cameos in this movie that are just terrible and make zero sense.
It felt like this movie played only on nostalgia without having any original thoughts of its own.
As I said, I didn’t hate this, but I am only a guy who has liked the Scream franchise. I think that if you are a big fan of Scream and its sequels, you are going to hate this. If you just want a dumb time at the movies, set your expectations low and you may not hate yourself for watching it.
2 stars
#16
The Weird Al Show
Written: Al Yankovic
Performed: Al Yankovic
Appeared: Running With Scissors album
Weird Al wound up with a Saturday morning program on CBS and this was the theme song he wrote for the show. The theme has been used by Al to kick off his concerts since the ending of his TV show.
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Jon Davis-Hunt
Cover art by Jenny Frison
“Red Inventory”
Things are flying along.
There is a meeting of the Honest World Foundation Board, called by Wenuka, to try an take control away from Astrid.
Meanwhile, Astrid is still in the mountains with Capone, trying to gage her loyalty. Astrid believed she could be a traitor, sent to the mountain to try and finish her off.
It was shown clearly that Capone was loyal as she prevented a sniper from killing Astrid, though the sniper that was sent seemed to lack any real skills in the subject.
Chloe was able to get herself into the Clean Room with Killian to try to save Spark. While inside the Clean Room, the real traitor was revealed… Duncan.
The battle between Duncan and Killian was dope. However, in the end, it took Spark controlling the Clean Room to stop Duncan.
The only way Spark could do that was to reclaim the darkness. The final shot of Spark with an evil grin plastered across it was both scary and sad at the same time.
Things are moving quickly with this book. Only 7 more issues to go.
#17
F Troop
Composed: William Lava
Lyrics: Irving Taylor
The opening of F Troop was funny and set the slapstick tone for the series as a whole.
Spoilers
“A Holy Charge”
What a fabulously emotional and powerful episode. The first three episodes were strong, but this episode of Paradise was tremendous. It was surprising, engaging, emotional. I found myself tearing up at a specific spot in the episode.
One of my favorite things was that as Xavier and Annie were on their way to Atlanta, they came across some people in another wagon. If The Walking Dead and The Last of Us have taught us one thing, it is that the real monsters in any sort of post-apocalyptic world are other humans. Annie begged Xavier not to look at these people, just to ignore them, and not speak to them. Xavier greeted them anyhow.
Later, Annie goes into labor, and Xavier ran for help from them. I swear I have seen this scene before on one of the aforementioned dramas. However, Xavier returned with a group of these people who went right into helping with the situation. I loved the fact that this show led with the message that not everyone has become monsters. There are good people still around.
The show did a juxtaposition between two births: Annie’s baby birth, and the first birth of a baby in the Colorado bunker (it was great to see James Marsden, once again). I was so on edge the whole time expecting something to happen to one of the babies, and they both survived. I was so happy.
Then, the show threw a twist that fit right with those other shows. Annie died from the birth. I couldn’t believe it. It was such a major shock. This was where I was nearly crying. The scene where the horse would not leave her graveside was so great.
Excellent episode. Next week looks like the story will be taking off, big time.
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Jon Davis-Hunt
Cover Art by Jenny Frison
“The Last Breath of an Exile”
So, what I wrote about last issue is a touch different now.
It appeared that Spark is not dead. The electricity that was sent through him last issue did not turn him into a pile of ashes. That is what I thought happened, but we see Spark this issue, still alive, still in the Clean Room and being tortured for information. The panel where Spark spoke for Chloe Clim Clam, begging for her to help him, made me worry that Spark is going to resent her for leaving him.
In fact, Chloe knows Spark is alive and I wonder why she left him in the first place. We see her investigating Mueller holdings, and she called Astrid all kinds of nasty names, but why did she leave in the first place?
We return to the scene several days later and Astrid has left the Clean Room and gone to a mountain retreat. Killian sent Capone to retrieve Astrid, but Astrid does not seem to be planning on coming back. Suddenly, there is some feeling for Astrid, a character who I called cold and sent straight t team bad guy last issue. I had some pity for her as she dealt with the idea that her brother shot her through the heart. I am such a manipulated mark.
We also have a new pair of horrendous individuals to fill that villain role. Wenuka and Pete are Jesus-loving corporate businessmen who are looking for a takeover of Astrid Mueller’s followers. We met them earlier, but this issue, we discover that they are darker than we imagined. They had their own “Dark Room,” which made me think it was similar to the Clean Room, and they seem to be ready to torture a poor couple. Weirdos.
I was sure of how I felt about these characters after issue #9 and then #10 flipped it over again. I love that this series is able to play with my emotions. I just hope Spark does not turn angry after his suffering, blaming Chloe.
#18
Friends
Clap
Clap
Clap
Clap
Title: “I’ll Be There For You”
Written: Michael Skloff (music), Allee Willis (lyrics), and show creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
Performed: The Rembrandts
The Friends theme started the show with high energy and a lot of fun. Seeing the cast dance around in a fountain, set the tone for the show.
Spoilers
Written by Gail Simone
Art by Jon Davis-Hunt
Cover art by Jenny Frison
“Hell Above Us and Heaven Below”
Confused again.
So bringing Spark into the Clean Room by Chloe was a strategy to try and save Astrid’s life from the gunshot wound that she received from her brother. It was a highly controversial idea that Killian was not a fan of, but Chloe seemed to have the drop on everyone.
As Astrid is coding, Spark possessed her to try and save her. He is able to remove the bullet and save her. As Astrid was coming around, she ordered Spark to be destroyed with 60,000 volts.
Whoa. I did not see that coming as the electricity shot through Spark and left it ashes on the Clean Room floor. Right in front of Chloe, who had promised Spark, who did not want to save Astrid, that she would protect him. Even Killian was surprised by the move… how cold, seconds after your life is saved, you kill what had saved you.
Astrid’s brother, who was the person who shot her, claimed that Astrid had killed their father, which was why he had shot her. So it looks like the questions I had about Astrid’s motivations are gone now and that she is nothing more than a cold-hearted monster.
Does this mean that I have to look at the people in this book and re-evaluate their motives? How about the Surgeon? Do I owe him another look?
Okay, so Astrid is currently planted herself on team bad guy. Is that where she is going to end up? Or is there something more that we don’t know?
Excellent series so far… love it.
#19
Big Bang Theory
Title: “The History of Everything”
Written: Ed Robertson
Composed: Barenaked Ladies
Performed: Barenaked Ladies
Bazinga!
CBS’s long-running show had this frenetic theme song that followed every cold open of the show (except the finale, which had an accustic version recorded).
Spoilers
“Cause and Effect”
When Monarch: Legacy of Monsters debuted on Apple TV + a few years back, the show was definitely hit and miss. Most of the misses came from the human characters in the present day.
It’s clear that those characters in the present day have not learned anything since season one.
Cate Randa showed off her selfishness and her stubbornness in the last half of this episode and wound up getting Natalia Verdugo, the Deputy Director of Monarch, killed by a new monstrous Titan that also escaped into the world when she opened a rift to retrieve Lee (Kurt Russell), who was stranded in the other world last season.
She would not listen to anyone else. She was going to do things her own way and to hell with any consequences. Well, Cate, you got an innocent woman killed. A woman who was just trying to get you and your foolish group to safety. She may be a bureaucrat, she may have different viewpoints, but she did not deserve to be swept away by some giant tentacle.
Cate really should be held accountable for Verdugo’s death. It was her fault.
The new Titan is going to be called Titan X and it sure looked as if Kong wasn’t happy Titan X was here.
Of course, Kong is supposed to be guarding the island, but he is too busy sleeping away in the middle of the afternoon.
Kong looked great in this episode. He was massive and the effects were movie-like. My memory of the first season was that everything did always look great, but the humans in the present day were just insufferable.
However, any time we spent time back in the 1950s, this show was so much better and it seemed as if that trend is going to continue. Wyatt Russell, Anders Holm and Mari Yamamoto appeared in the flashbacks and they were always smarter, more engaging and less likely to do something deftly stupid. This season looks to be the same way.
I was up and down with the first season. At least this year, the action was top notch. The question will be… can I stand the stupidity of Cate and her friends in the present? Will there be enough positives in the rest of the show to keep me from hating her?
EYG- Embrace Your Geekness 