Tag Archives: fantasy

Daily Countdown: TV Shows #6

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#6

Monk

Adrian Monk, the defective detective, slips into the number six slot in our top 10. Monk ran for eight seasons on the USA Network and helped garner star Tony Shalhoub three Emmy Awards for Best Actor in a Comedy Series.

Adrian Monk was a homicide detective who had a series of OCD and other fears. However, when he met his future wife, Trudy, those traits calmed down. Adrian Monk was brilliant, seeing things at crime scenes that no one else could. Tragedy struck when a car bomb exploded, killing Trudy and sending Adrian into a spiral of neurosis and depression.

Adrioan Monk slowly got back to doing what he did best, though the police force understandably doubted his ability to rejoin the force. So Monk would work as a consultant on the cases that no oen could solve.

Monk was both a comedy and a drama, doubling down on the problems Monk faced. He was afraid of heights, crowds, enclosed spaces, as well as milk, bees, germs, needles, mushrooms, lightning and MANY more The show listed 312 phobias that Monk suffered from during the show.

He was also very compulsive, with everything needing to be just right. Everything had its order and Monk spent time vaccuuming and cleaning to make sure everything was as it had to be. Adrian Monk knew how ridiculous he was, but he just could not get past these compulsions.

The best episodes though were the ones where Adrian Monk, despite his massive list of fears and eccentricities, was able to overcome and still be brillaint. Monk showed his own personal determination, even through some of the most harrowing moments for the defective detective.

Tony Shalhoub led the cast which included Bitty Schram, Ted Levine, Traylor Howard, Jason Gray-Stanford, Stanley Kamel, Emmy Clarke and Héctor Elizondo.

The Kyoto Hunters

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The Kyoto Yokai Hunters

By Naoyuki Sato

It was a normal day when I saw a yokai. I was walking home from a long day at school. It was a new school in Kyoto. My family moved to Japan for my Dads job. I moved a lot because of my dads job. This time he said that this would be the last move, I hoped it would. I had always wanted to live in Japan. I was thinking about my first day at school when something moved in the trees next to me. When I turned to see what it was I saw a humanoid shape but it was moving too fast to see it fully, “Maybe it was a deer.” I said to myself.

When I got home my mom was in the living room. “How was school today, Honey.” she asked me, looking up from her japanese language app. “It was fine.” I told her. My mom knows the moves are hard so she doesn’t pry and goes back to her app.  I go to my room and on the bed is a box. There’s a note on the box from my dad that says “I know the moves are hard and you handle them so well, since this is it, here’s a present for putting up with it.” Filled with curiosity, I opened the box. It’s a katana and there’s another note, not from Dad, from the manufacturer, “大正時代以前に魔を祓うために使われていた希少な日輪刀を手に入れました。この刀を誇りを持って振るい、成功をお祈りします。 – 田中慎介。” I grab my phone and go to my translator app which tells me what it says, “You have acquired a rare Sun Sword, originally used to exorcise demons and yokai in the taisho era and earlier. Wield this sword with pride and I pray for success. – Shinsuke Tanaka.” The note was cool but mostly looked at the user manual to figure out how to not break this thing or ruin it. 

After reading the user manual, I unsheathed the sword. The blade looked liquid, with a mix of blue, white, and green. The hilt was metal squares that made a spiral pattern with circle gems inlaid between them. The sheath itself was black, the handle green and black. It was light in my hand when I swung the sword, almost like it was made for me. “Will, come down here.” I hear my mom yell. “Coming.” I yell back. I put the sword back in the sheath,laid it on my bed, and went to my mom. She was at the door, with a girl from my school, Emi Watanabe. Why was she here? “Hi, what brings you here?” I asked her, and she replied, in perfect English, “Hi, I was walking home from school, and I wondered if you were invited to the festival or knew when it was.” “No, I didn’t know there was a festival. When is it?” I replied. “It’s in three weeks on Thursday.” she said “thanks.” I say, then she left.

After Emi left, I went for a walk around town. I needed to think, and a walk in Kyoto was just what I needed. After 30 minutes of walking I was at the spot where I saw that humanoid shape in the forest when I was walking home from school. I don’t know why but I brought my katana along. When I recalled what happened after school with the humanoid thing, I saw a path to a small temple or shrine. I decided to check it out. When I got there something seemed off about this place, then I saw a hand, a severed hand. There was blood trailing away from the hand to the back of the temple. Grabbing my sword’s hilt, I followed the trail of blood. 

When I got to the back I saw who’s hand it was. I saw Emi Watanabe’s cold body, her blood everywhere. She was the only person in class who helped me with problems in Japanese, she was even nice enough to wonder if I knew when the festival was or if anyone told me about it. Now she was dead, brutally murdered. I almost threw up from the sight of it, but I stopped myself and looked around to find any clues of where the murderer went. Bloody footprints led to the back door to the temple, I followed them. I unsheathed my sword, and went into the temple. Nothing was in here, or at least I couldn’t see them, but they were here. “Show yourself!” I called out into the dark. “Have you come to join her?” Someone replied in the dark. “Well, I am still hungry. You will be very filling.” The voice said. I was disgusted by what they just said, they killed Emi and then ate her. “Why did you do it? Why did you kill her, she did nothing to you.” I called back, my anger filling the room. “Show yourself.” Then something moved in the dark, the killer. He was a little shorter than me, he was lean, but something wasn’t right. There was a flashlight on a shelf next to me, I grabbed it and shined the light at the murderer. I wish I hadn’t. His face was deformed with veins popping out of his forehead that looked like they were covering his skin. His teeth looked like shark’s teeth. “Are you scared?” He said barring his teeth. “No.” I spat out the lie. Finding my last bit of courage I jumped at the murderer. Unsheathing my sword I went for his head, but he blocked it with his arm. The sword went right through it like hot butter. I kept up with the attacks, driving him toward the main door. When I got him to the wall, I went for his head again, this time my sword met its mark. When I did he went up in flames, screaming and cursing. 

After he was just a pile of ash, went back outside where someone seemed to be waiting for me. He was my age, maybe a little older, and he also had a sword. Eyeing  my sword he asked “Do I know you?” Confused, I replied “No, are you from Horikawa High School?” “No, I am not,” He replied “But how did you kill that thing?” He had seen me fight the murderer. Grabbing my sword’s hilt, I asked him, “What do you mean?” “I know you fought the yokai that killed that girl. How did you do it? Killing a yokai is impossible without a Sun sword, so how did you do it?” He replied. I was confused so I told him what had happened.

…….Later…….

I learned the kids name was Kengo Takemoto, and he was a Yokai Hunter, which are people who protect others from yokai. They are a special agency that is unidentified by the government. Kengo invited me to join, I accepted his offer, I wanted to protect others from the same fate as Emi. “There is a selection test to join in a week.” Kengo told me and he gave me a training regiment to get ready for it. 

The training was hard, I had to go up to the top of a mountain, then I had to do 100 push-ups, 200 sit-ups, 200 jumping squats, and 100 pull-ups. The thin air made it harder to do, but pushed through. After the work-out I had to run down the mountain, through the woods ducking trees and rocks. It was tiring, but I was doing this to help people and to avenge Emi’s death. 

The day of the selection test arrived. There were at least 30 people there, most were around high school age, but a few looked to be in middle school and a few were adults. Everyone was wearing traditional kimonos, which was how the officials knew that you were participating in the test, not running it. The test was held on a mountain with walls surrounding it, so yokai couldn’t escape. “Welcome to the Yokai Hunter Selection Test.” boomed a voice from a microphone. “My name is Shinsuke Tanaka, and I am the president of the Yokai Hunter Corp. Today you will be taking part in the test to join this corp, and protect humanity from the yokai.” 

President Tanaka told us the rules of the test, you had to make it to the other side of the mountain, which is infested with yokai, by sunrise. You could forfeit if you wanted to by shooting a flare up and some hunters would take you to the start. The test would start at sunset, which was in twenty minutes, and I was getting nervous. “You got this.” I said to myself, as some reassurance. I looked at my sword and remembered the first time I held it, I remembered when Emi came to ask me about the festival, I remembered her death, and I remembered Kengo, who took his time to make a training regiment for me. These memories eased my nerves and helped me focus. “Now,” boomed the President’s voice, “let the test begin.” 

I didn’t see a yokai until an hour into the test, which I killed when it pounced at me. After a little while, I heard someone cry out in pain, instinctively I ran to help where I saw a giant yokai lunge at a kid who looked like he was in middle school. I ran to help, and severed the yokai’s outstretched arm, “Run.” I told the kid, who followed my order. The yokai seemed to be calculating his newly severed arm and then, faster than I could see his arm was back. But I didn’t hesitate and decapitated the yokai. It seemed to take an eternity before I saw anyone else. When I did see someone they were running away from me, and then I saw why the finish line was right there so I sprinted toward it. Then out of nowhere a yokai pounced on me, I had no time to react and was thrown into a tree, unsheathing my sword I went on the attack. This yokai had four arms which made it harder to lay a hit on it, but I had a plan. I went for his legs, knocking it over, creating an opening for a decapitating move, which I took. After  the yokai was ashes I ran to the finish line, passing the test.

When the sunrise came and the search party combed the forest on the mountain for any participants who had died taking the test, it was time for the selection ceremony. Only seven of the participants passed out of the thirty.  “Congratulations on passing the test.” The president said, “You seven are the next generation, stand proud, and may your blades serve you well in your new life as a Yokai Hunter.”

The End

Pixels Horror Story

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It was a normal day as I (Sam Brenner) was going to a house to install a Playstation 4 and a new TV. I knocked on the door and was unexpectedly met with a 12-year old kid instead of the parent I expected. I asked the kid where his parents were and he said his mom was upstairs and told me how his parents had a divorce.

His mom then walked downstairs and said, “You don’t need to tell the installation man our whole life story.”

“Alright I’ll hook up this TV and PS4 up,” said Sam Brenner. 

“Yeah you do that,” said his mom. 

“Yeah, she’s struggling with the divorce and all that stuff,” said Matty.

“Yeah, that must’ve been tough,” said Sam Brenner. 

As I finished setting up, I went to get the release form and money for the TV and Playstation. As I knocked on her door, I heard her crying in the closet, and I said I was coming in. As I walked in I asked what the matter was. She said it was the divorce stuff so I was helping her with it and thought we were having a moment. I tried to kiss her and she got mad.

“I thought we were having a moment,” I said.

“Yeah a moment,” she replied.

“I didnt take you for the snobby type,” I said.

She got mad at me. I then got a call from my friend, the president. He told me he needed me over there ASAP! I told him I was coming and rushed to the car. 

As I started driving I stopped at the red light and the snobby girl was following me and she told her to stop trying to apologize and she said she was just going somewhere important. And then the light turned green and she kept following me and as I pulled into the white house she pulled in and they let her in as a lieutenant. As she walked I went in and happened to go into the same entrance as her. She got to the president’s door and they told her to go into the situation room and then told me the president was waiting for me. I then said ohhh somebody’s more important. As the door shut I asked the president what was going on?

 The president then told me that an airbase in Guam was attacked. I asked who attacked it. The president said that’s why I called you. I was then like me? He just told me to come here. I sat down and I saw this:

Wait, is that galaga, like the arcade game? said Sam Brenner.

Yeah they need me in the situation room but I want you to keep looking at this and let me know anything you find. said The President.

Ok can i sit in your chair? Sam Brenner asked.

No! said The President.

Ah gimme a break im sitting in the chair. said Sam Brenner.

Just after looking at it for a while I realized it was not exactly like galaga. It was like if galaga was a horror game and not an arcade game, instead of looking cute and like a fun or chill game to play, they looked

,                                                       deformed!

Just as i realized this i heard what sounded like noises from galaga but louder than a tornado siren, they came flying through the president’s window. I ducked down and grabbed a Darpa light cannon and shot the alien. I then ran into the situation room and said, galaga is here! Right as the general started yelling at me, more galagas started coming into the room and I started shooting them. I then asked if they believed me and they all nodded. I then said everyone follow me. I then started sprinting through the hall while shooting the galagas. 

Where are we going brenner!? said The President.

You’ll see, it will be worth it! said Sam Brenner. 

It better be! Said The President.

Alright everyone grab a light cannon! said Sam Brenner. 

Uhm how do we even use these? said The Army Man.

Just figure it out for god’s sake! said Sam Brenner.

It couldn’t possibly be that difficult if i figured it out! said Sam Brenner.

All the tvs then turned back and a weird man said that round one was over and that they had won, and that there are only 3 rounds in total. Well this is the endgame i was thinking.

Ok we need to figure out a plan to stop whatever round two may be. said Sam Brenner.

Ok well do we know what’s coming next? said The President.

Well the second game we played was centipede so i think we can safely assume that it will be the next game to take over. said Sam Brenner.

Ok well lets get training then! said Mr.President.

Ok first rule of centipede, is to only shoot the centipede’s head otherwise it will split in half and make more centipedes. said Sam Brenner.

 it will make more? Asked the soldier.

Yeah unfortunately you have to be very accurate or else there will be hundreds of centipedes in just seconds. said Sam Brenner.

Ok get gaming! said Sam Brenner.

Ok remember the patterns, memorize them, that’s how you win! said Sam Brenner.

Ok everyone we need to be prepared at all times, you never know when it could happen. said Sam Brenner.

Just as i said this all the tvs turned off and then back on showing the second location being in London and saying sometime tomorrow night. I realized we needed to get on a flight ASAP if we planned on being there in time.

Ok we need to get on a plane or a private jet and get to London so we don’t miss this fight and lose our planet! said Sam Brenner.

Ok well we better there then. Said The Mom.

London (2015)

As the helicopters landed, we all got out and started preparing for the invasion of the centipedes while the president was in the London prime minister office. 

Okay violet how is it out there? Asked The President.

It’s eerily quiet. said Violet.

Wow violet is your real name. said Sam Brenner.

Mr president there coming down now. said Violet.

It is centipede. said Sam Brenner.

Okay everyone DON’T split them in half or they will duplicate! Screamed Sam Brenner.

As they started shooting it looked good at first. But as you thought that, one centipede in half another 2 in half. Then I watched as half our team died so I knew it was up to me. I stole a light cannon and shot through a centipede that was rushing at me. One down just 3 more to go! I started breaking the mushroom things to get a better view. One started rushing me downwards so I shot through that one too. I killed the second to last one by shooting in from the back to the face. Just as I did that I noticed one of them running away. So I chased it onto the road and into a hotel where it trapped itself so now there were zero centipedes left.

Way to go brenner! Screamed The President.

No problem, what’s next? Sam Brenner Asked.

Well what’d you play next in the competition? The President Asked.

Pacman. said Sam Brenner.

Well dont you need ghosts for pacman? Asked the President.

So we need some little ghosts. Said Sam Brenner.

Here follow me to nyc. said Violet.

ok where are we going in nyc? Sam Brenner Asked.

Showing you the ghost. Said violet.

It’s a car? Sam Brenner Asked.

A super charged pacman killing car. Said violet.

Let’s go! Said Sam Brenner.

As i got in the car i saw giant 30 foot tall pacman turn around the corner

Ok well its now or never i thought to myself.

Ok brenner you got this just stay calm. Said the president.

Right as he said I slammed on the pedal and started zooming towards pac-man but he’s always been faster so i made a right turn to hopefully counteract pac-man and get one life down. As I turned the next corner I smashed right into pac-man and now he only has two lives left. Ok I got this  thought. I kept going and pacman spawned on the other side of nyc. I started heading over there going 100 miles per hour and I didn’t notice he was leading me into a power pellet. As he flew into the power pellet I started reversing. As I spun around I started flooring it and turning around every corner possible in order to escape. As the ten seconds were up I slammed on the brakes and pac-man ran straight into me and now there was one more life left. As pacman respawned i floored it for pacman not knowing again he was going straight to a power pellet again. As he rammed into it he started rolling at me as fast as possible. I started reversing into a parking garage and going up floor after floor as he chased me up them. He was getting way too close to me. As I got to the top floor I jumped off the roof heading towards the building, but as pacman was about to eat me the power pellet weared off and we won! After winning I became a world hero, didn’t have to pay taxes and became a billionaire!

Peacemaker S2 E4

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SPOILERS

“Need I Say Door”

This episode started out with a flashback showing how Chris wound up with the Quantum Unfolding Storage Area. Chris, his brother and father were out hunting (for what is not clear) and they find an alien (not a Xenomorph, that is Tuesdays).

We get more info with the rest of the ensemble as well. Economos is desperately trying to balance his friendship with Chris against his job with ARGUS. He was able to stop St Wild from killing Eagly by hitting him from behind as he was lining up his shot. He told St Wild that another eagle attacked him instead. St Wild decided that because of that, Eagly is the leader of all eagles, the Primal Eagle, and thus became his ultimate prize kill.

Listen…. you better not kill that eagle. Do you hear me, show?

Rick Flag Sr. approached Harcourt with the news she had been blackballed by Waller. However, Flag Sr. wants her to help capture Chris, so he offers to bring her back in. Not the happiest thing as Harcourt texted Chris and they set up a meeting. A meeting where Flag Sr. and his crew would be waiting. This is where the episode left off.

This felt like an insubstantial episode after last week. Sure there were some good moments, such as Chris vs. Judomaster, but it felt lesser. It felt like this was Economos’s episode.

I do like that Chris called Adebayo for help to escape from the ARGUS (which Economos tipped him off was coming). He told her everything and she tried to speak sense to him. Chris is really taken with that alternate universe and he is not thinking clearly. He truly is considering taking himself over to the other universe so he could have his dad and brother, as well as a potential relationship with Harcourt.

The whole Michael Rooker dance around a fire bit was as bizarre of a scene as you could expect. I am not sure this arc works well and Rooker feels like a character that has been thrown in to get Rooker a role.

Harcourt’s betrayal of Chris is going to really be a tough one to swallow, if that indeed is where the show goes. Next week’s episode could be an extremely powerful and difficult episode to watch. While this one was okay, it does provide a ton of excitement for the next episode.

Crime/Heist

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My creative writing class had to do a 300 word short story in the genre of crime/heist. Here is my story.

What am I doing?

The day was a blur.  How did Reggie talk me into this? I constantly let him talk me into things that I know are stupid ideas?  There was that time we jumped off the cliff together.  We snitched his father’s car and went for a midnight joy ride.  Oh, and that day we messed with that rattlesnake. However, none of those days compared to this.

“Shut up! Do what I say!  Gimme the money!

All Reggie asked me to do was keep watch.  I didn’t know what he meant, but he’s my best friend, and I always do what he asks.  Fool.  I had no idea he intended to rob Friedrickson’s Deli in the middle of the lunch rush.

Worse yet, Reggie was waving around a handgun.  

I should’ve seen this coming.  Reggie has been more defiant since his father ran off.  I knew it was just a matter of time before he exploded.

WHAM

The resounding pistol-whip blow to the head of Friedrickson sent him spiraling toward the ground.  Reggie stood above him displaying a testosterone-fueled rage I have never seen.  I was never more scared of Reggie.

Distantly, the sound of sirens could be heard; the flash of the red and blue filled my eyes.  Reggie knew the situation before I could even get the words out of my mouth.

“The cops!” he shouted, kicking Friedrickson’s ribs.  “What did you do?’

His tone smacked of a strange blend of desperation and acceptance.  

“They’re not taking us alive!”

 Us? Reggie screamed with a sense of unity that I didn’t share.  Reggie shoved me toward the door, brandishing his handgun like a wildman.  Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion; the explosion of Reggie’s bullets rang through the sky.  Oh….no…the police.

BANG BANG BANG!

Sketch

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I saw one of the biggest surprises of the year today when I went to the family-friendly comedy/adventure/fantasy film, Sketch. When I saw that the movie company Angel Studios was behind it, I had a sinking feeling that this would not be my cup of tea.

Was I wrong about that.

I absolutely loved this movie. It was thrilling, exciting, had tremendously deep characters and strong performances. It had humor as well as wonderful themes and concepts.

It was very creative too, which I love.

We meet young Amber (Bianca Belle) as she was drawing pictures that concerned her teachers. Bringing in her father Taylor (Tony Hale) for meetings, they showed him the bloody, violent art that Amber had been drawing.

Taylor’s wife, Ally (Allie McCulloch), had died recently, and Amber was dealing with her grief and loss through her art. Her father was not dealing with it at all, as he simple never talked about Ally and took all the pictures of her out of their house. This led to Amber being upset and Amber’s brother Jack (Kue Lawrence) over correcting in an attempt to fix things.

When Jack discovered a magical pond that seemed to be able to fix things, he decides to try something rash. Instead, Amber’s drawing wound up falling into the water which brings the monsters that she had drawn to life, terrorizing the town and her family. The chaos surrounding everything forced the different characters to face their grief in order to get together to stop the monsters.

This was so great. I thought both Bianca Belle and Kue Lawrence did an amazing job as brother/sister. I believed everything these two were going through and they did it in, at times, a very subtle way. When you toss in a third child actor playing the obnoxious Bowman Lynch (Kalon Cox), the three kids truly brought out some of the best scenes from each other. Kalon Cox was hilarious with his b-hole kid.

Tony Dale is always great and he brought a lot to this role. He was worried about his kids, but he also had to deal with the grief of losing his wife and the knowledge that his own repressive actions led directly to the chaos that was going on.

The monsters were really cool looking and the way they would be stopped was such a fun way, with colors everywhere.

There are moments of true horror as well, including some jump scares tossed in for the heck of it. The tension would build through the whole film and you were never quite sure if or how Amber was going to deal with her own feelings. I loved Jack and his efforts to help his sister as a way to deal with his own loss.

The writing of this is tremendous as the kids are allowed to deal with their deep seeded emotions while still trying to deal with each other and with the dangers of the world around them. The emotion is not restricted to the adult characters here as Amber and Jack handle some strong feelings.

I did not know what to expect when I went to this as a way to kill time between Nobody 2 and the RiffTrax Live: Time Cop that I was going to. Where I expected just to pass time, I was thoroughly engaged and entertained by this fun, emotional, colorful, well-acted jewel of a film. I think it is one of my favorite movies of the year and that was quite the surprise.

5 stars

The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim

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June 16

The world of Middle Earth can hold many stories, both before and after the well known Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy. The world of animation seems to fit perfectly among the setting. Unfortunately, The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim does not take advantage of the medium to the point that it could’ve.

According to IMDB, “Set 183 years before the events chronicled in the original trilogy of films, it tells the fate of the House of Helm Hammerhand, the legendary King of Rohan. A sudden attack by Wulf, a clever and ruthless lord of Rohan, with dubious ancestry, having many ties to Dunland, he seeks vengeance for the death of his father, forces Helm and his people to make a daring last stand in the ancient stronghold of the Hornburg-a mighty fortress that will later come to be known as Helm’s Deep. Finding herself in an increasingly desperate situation, Héra, the daughter of Helm, must summon the will to lead the resistance against a deadly enemy intent on their total destruction.”

This movie is okay, but it could have been so much more. The story of Héra is one that we have seen dozens of times. Filled with cliches, there are no really good character moments or story bits. The battles are the best part of the film, but they do not hold the same oomph that they could have because these characters are not deep and do not make you invested in their story.

The animation is, at best, average. Some background scenes look good, but much of the actual character animation looked choppy and, at times, cheap. They tried to cover some animation with snow and other imagery, but it did not work.

The relationship between Héra and Wulf was touched upon, but it was not developed to an extent that I believed the eventual response. Perhaps I can see Wulf’s anger toward Helm Hammerhand, but his all-consuming hatred is unexplained. He comes off as just a one-dimensional villain.

The film is way too long too. At two hour and fourteen minutes, it way exceeds what an animated film, even an animated epic as this intended to be, should be. Still, this is not the worst film I’ve seen. It just could have been so much better.

How to Train Your Dragon (2025)

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Masterpiece.

I am typically negative on these live action remakes of classic animation. There have been some good ones, but there have been so many more that just does not hit the mark.

How to Train Your Dragon knocked it out of the park.

I loved this live action adaptation. My one criticism is that it is basically a shot-for-shot remake with little if anything new to add. However, I don’t care about that when the adaptation is this epic.

I knew the story. I knew the beats. I was still getting chills and I still had tears running down my face in the final act. This was so well done and affecting to me.

Mason Thames was perfectly cast as Hiccup. You had to get this casting correct if you wanted this movie to be successful, and Thames was masterful. He connected to the audience, he expressed the emotions of his conflict beautifully, and his hero’s journey was just spot on. Toothless was impeccable with the CGI. This felt like a real dragon on screen and you could sense the chemistry between Hiccup and Toothless.

Gerard Butler reprised the role that he voiced in the animated movie with Hiccup’s father Stoick. Butler played this over-the-top role to perfection. His feelings for Hiccup are so obvious, even when he was disappointed b his son’s choices.

Nico Parker was a standout as Astrid. She had a star quality every moment she was on the screen. I was really impressed with her in the role that I was not as fond of in the animated movie. The film also featured Nick Frost, Julian Dennison, Gabriel Howell, Bronwyn James, Harry Trevaldwyn, and the incomparable Peter Serafinowicz.

The cinematography of this movie was just outstanding, especially the flying sequences. I constantly sat in the theater in awe over some of the shots I saw on the screen. It was a beautifully designed and laid out with such care.

Yes, this is basically an exact remake of the animated movie and I know there are some who will crap on the film because of that. I will not be one of those. This is my favorite movie of the year so far.

5 stars

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #15

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Spoilers

“24/7”

John Dee-centric episode took quite a turn.

With John having the dream ruby, he stops off at a diner for some coffee and truth-telling, bringing along everyone with the misfortune to come inside the diner.

This did not feature much Sandman. Outside of a shot of him still unconscious with Matthew trying to wake him, we do not see Morpheus until the final act of the episode. What we get is a tour de force from David Thewlis as John, just sitting back and observing the scenario he put into place about truth telling. There was something funny about John Dee watching everything unfold as he dug into a big container of ice cream.

The show provides a powerful theme about truth and lies, showing, I believe, the fact that we cannot survive by being honest all the time about everything. It reveals the darker side of human nature and destroys the idea that “honesty is the best policy.” At least in part.

The unfortunate people in the diner have to face their unhappy existences because John Dee has created a situation where they are going to tell the truth about everything. Even for one of the sweetest characters that we have seen so far, waitress Bette Munroe (Emma Duncan), who seemed to be engaging and friendly to everyone.

The show does a strong job of introducing these secondary characters quickly and providing enough details that make us intrigued, if not interested, in their lives and their eventual downfall.

There was a lot of darkness in this episode, and Morpheus is anything but a hero. He is just finally here to retrieve the power of the ruby, which he does in the final showdown. I was unaware that John Dee was the kid of the man who had captured and imprisoned Morpheus in episode one, and that made the story all the more interesting. John Dee seems to have found his own fate at the end of the show.

Is it just me or is Matthew the raven a better person than anyone else on the show?

There are six more weeks of The Sandman in the Sunday Morning Sidewalk.

Disney’s Snow White (2025)

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I have found most of the “live-action” Disney remakes to fall into the “meh/it’s okay” category. There have been a couple of good ones, some bad ones, but mostly average to below average. Snow White had been receiving a lot of bad word of mouth and online hate, so my expectations were extremely low.

I did not think it was as bad of a film from what I had heard. It’s not a great movie, and it might be pushing it to call it good as well, but I did not see the reason for all of the hatred this film has received.

The classic story is retold as Snow White was shown as a youngster with wonderful parents, the king and queen. Tragedy struck leaving the king alone. Gal Gadot arrived and married the king. When he went to war, the king did not return and Gadot became the Queen, aka the Evil Queen.

Snow White tried to help her people, but the Evil Queen sent the Huntsman out with her to kill Snow White. He could not do it and let her escape into the woods where she discovered the Dwarves.

Rachel Zegler was good as Snow White. I would go as far as to say that she was the best part of the film. The film had some heart and it told the story well. I thought most of the music was catchy or nice to listen to, even though I doubt I would remember them tomorrow and none of them are songs that I would buy on Apple Music.

The Dwarves were not one of my favorite parts. I thought they looked terrible, creepy as all get out as they were all CGI. The animals looked better, but the Dwarves just had that weird look on their faces all the time.

I did not think Gal Gadot made a good Evil Queen. This is the type of role that she would not handle well. She looked amazing, though.

The overall look of the film was not great. It felt fake and much of the CGI was disappointing. The background was not as beautiful and elegant as it should have been and I am not sure where they spent the reported 250 million dollar budget.

So while this was nowhere near as bad as the internet wants you to believe, I would still place it firmly in that Disney Live Action “meh” category I talked about earlier. I am not sure that there was a real reason (outside of making money) for this film to have been remade.

2.8 stars

The Fight of Wolf Soccer

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The Fight of Wolf Soccer

By Demon

All the kids came to see the new wolf soccer.

The wolf-mountain team players have been best friends since preschool.

Hey there fella my name is Dragow and I’ll name you tom and Bobby will name his Junior. 

“Hey Bobby, you want to play wolf soccer.”

 “Sure,” Bobby said, “Where is your pet wolf?”

 Boom, boom, boom aah, aah, aah, aah it’s pouring down rain, get in the truck.

“Whimper, whimper, whimper.

howl, howl howl,” the wolf whined.

“Let’s go home Tom.”

ruff, ruff, ruff. Let’s go home and play ball at home. Ruff, ruff, ruff.

 Bobby says to Junior, “Let’s go home. Junior growled at Bobby. 

  I know I don’t want to go home either in the stupid weather.

The  weather is dumb.

Raf, raf, raf Junior barked. yes I’m fine now Bobby said to Junior.  Now let’s go home and play some ball.

 Now the sun is shining, let’s play, let’s go outside!! Let’s go to the park and play wolf soccer!

We could invite some friends to come play with us.

 Bobby said to dragow. 

 I’ll be waiting for you to arrive so we can play wolf soccer and I brought a couple of friends with me so we can have a team.

 “Alright I did it so we can make more friends and let’s get this game started “ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, ruff, and ruff”Junior and Tom barked.

 Let the games begin. Let’s do this, let’s beat the team.

and they are off running and playing wolf soccer.

Wolf soccer is the best game ever. 

The teams rounded up to make a plan to beat the other team. 

ok let’s beat the other team and win this game

We are going to finish this game.

sure  you are “ha!” “ha” “ha” Dragow said. 

Bobby said stop laughing Dragow kept laughing

we are going to beat you fair and square Dragow said no you aren’t Bobby said 

Yes we are.

No you’re not Bobby and Dragow argued back and forth

“You are just jealous that we are going to kick your butt.

”Bobby said 

Is someone jealous of our team?

 “I am not jealous,” Dragow yelled 

“yes you are,”

 “no i’m not.”

“I’m done arguing about this stupid conversation 

“Of course you are but  I’m done arguing because you know I am right,” Bobby said.”

I’m done with you, said dragow.

no!! I quit this game. Bobby said

Fine, I don’t care.

Okay fine, fine.

that person is a dummy anyway 

yes he is a “big” “fat” “dummy!”

We are going to win this game, win, win, win.

Let’s do this game.

Come on, “let’s finish this.

yes sure are you ready to rumble  ah let’s finish this bump, bump, bumm.

 Bobby couldn’t Construct because he felt bad about what he said to Dragow

okay let’s do this okay i’m ready so am I other teammates said 

Let’s beAT them okay let’s PUT OURSELVES IN game mode.

They are so bad that they can be KNOWN AS THE worst team ever. They can never beAT us IN A GAME SO LET’S NOT LOSE ONE NOW. 

“Your team needs to practice more ANYWAY DRAGOW TEAMMATE SAID. 

BOBBY RAN OFF TO SEE IF HE COULD FIND DRAGOW.

eVERYONE GOT MAD BECAUSE THE TWO LEADERS LEFT THE GAME.

bOBBY WAS WORRIED THAT dRAGOW WASN’T HIS FRIENDS ANYMORE

jUNIOR AND TOM WAS AT THE FIELD STILL AND WAITING FOR THEIR OWNERS TO RETURN. 

dRAGOW RAN INTO A FOREST SO NOBODY COULD FIND HIM.

hE GOT LOST HOPING SOMEONE CAN FIND HIM. bOBBY SEARCHED FOR HOURS AND HOURS AND STILL COULDN’T FIND HIS BEST FRIEND. dRAGOW KEPT CALLING OUT FOR HELP TRYING TO SEE IF ANYONE CAN HELP HIM. aNOTHER HOUR PASSED AND bOBBY FOUND dRAGOW oUT OF NOWHERE THEY HEARD ROAR.

dRAGOW AND bOBBY WAS SO SCARED THEY STARTED TO RUN OFF AND HOPEFULLY BE ABLE TO ESCAPE THE FOREST. BUT THEY RAN INTO THE WILD BLACK BEAR.

tHEY BOTH SCREAMED LIKE LITTLE GIRLS EVEN THOUGH THEIR NOT LITTLE GIRls. Tom and Junior heard their owners screaming for help.

The wolf ran as fast as they could. Dragow and Bobby were shaking in a corner because they were trapped in no way to escape the bear.

Then their pet wolf jumps on the bear’s back and attacks the black bear. The wolves got the bear down and scared the bear away.

So after the wolves scared the bear away they all exited the forest.

Dragow and Bobby were happy their pets saved them and after that they promised never to fight again in the end.

Dead Man Called Bob

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A Dead Man Called Bob                                            By: MR. Pineapple

Bob was an American football player for the Baltimore Ravens, he was an offensive lineman. Everyone in the city adored Bob because of his fame. Bob has a family, a wife, two daughters, and a son. He’s had a perfect life but it all came downhill one night after the Ravens were playing against the Packers.

Bob said

” What else could go wrong?”

Bob was driving home from the game when somebody shot his tires and shot Bob in the head. 

“Help me,” 

Bob said. Bob lay lifelessly on the ground while his soul left his body. Over time Bob’s family ended up moving houses just in the morning. Bob’s soul had stayed in his home. Somebody had moved into his home and Bob was not happy about it at all he was gonna do everything to get them out no matter what!

 Danielle

    Danielle had just found a home on White Street. It was a pretty decent home with a balcony, just what she had wanted. Danielle had a bad feeling about it, though. Right when she walked through the door, there was a breeze, as if it was windy, but the wind wasn’t even there. It was as if she had walked through a person, but that couldn’t happen, could it?   She had thought about it.

” No this can’t be happening, I must be dreaming,” she said.  

 That night when she was heading to bed, an awful smell came from the bedroom.

” Ugh what’s that disgusting smell, I’m about to gag,” she said. She also noticed that all her clocks stopped at 3:07 a.m.

Bob 

When Danielle had moved in, Bob had spread a terrible smell throughout the house, but, of course, it didn’t work.” 

She may not be reacting now, but she will later,”

 he said with a grin. Bob had tried scratching noises, but all that did was make her gasp. Later that night, Bob started pulling her legs and blanket, and she SCREAMED.  Then an idea hit Bob so hard that he almost had his pants fall off but ghosts don’t have pants, do they?  Bob’s idea was that when she had family coming over, he would create a scene in front of them and make it where her family doesn’t believe her at all and then possess her, and then her family will believe her but she will always be gone.

 “This is such a good idea.”He said

In reply 

“But this isn’t the Bob I know,” He replied.

Danielle,

“This house is so creepy”, she said “ Maybe I should ask Mama?” She replied. 

Danielle was going to ask her momma if she would come over to see what happened, but she didn’t know that Bob would make it and that nothing would happen while her mom was there. Danielle called her momma and said 

“s

       “ Momma, you need to come. I’m scared. Help me,” she said. “Okay, sweetie, I’ll come, but it better be worth my while.,    ” she said. Trust me, momma, it will.”

When Danielle’s mom got there nothing happened,

“Honey, nothing is bad here, it’s perfect.” She said,

“Mom, I swear I got pulled in the legs, scratched, and my hair pulled,” Danielle said. 

“Sweetheart, I believe you but, nothing’s happening,” Mom said

Bob, 

As soon as Danielle’s mom got there, Bob made it seem like nothing was wrong. It made it seem like nothing was wrong with that house. However, Bob didn’t want to possess her, only because that would take a lot of energy. Of course he wanted to get her out, but he’s running out of ideas. 

“ I really need to get her out without possessing her, hmmmm, maybe just keep trying to scare her out.” Bob said 

Bob had waited till her mother had left to start scaring her only then she couldn’t get her mother to believe her. If Danielle’s mother had seen what was going on and would have stayed.

 “ I need to try harder.” Bob had said

Bob had tried to start rattling her bed and shaking her bed to frighten her but nothing happened.

Danielle

        “ Nothing had happened when momma was here.” Danielle had said. 

Danielle had thought to herself “ Maybe I need to stand my ground?” Danielle said. If Danielle had stood her ground maybe whatever this was would stop. As soon as Danielle had got home from work she had started making signs that she was going to keep her ground. It had seemed like this spirit and knew what she was doing so he stopped kinda as soon as he got the message. 

BOB

Bob had noticed what she was trying to do so Bob got the message and gave up. Bob decided to give up. 

 “ I don’t even know why I had tried, I knew someone was going to end up moving in. I feel bad.” Bob said.

 Bob had decided to make himself shown and say he was sorry to Danielle and say why he did this to her. 

Danielle had gasped when she saw Bob and asked why he had been doing this to her. 

“Why are you doing this to me, what did I do to deserve this.” Danielle had asked 

“ I don’t know, I guess I had gotten mad when I saw someone had moved into my home. I am so sorry. I just didn’t want anyone moving into my home.”

“It’s okay, I understand how you feel, I would probably feel the same way if I saw somebody had moved into my home too.” Danielle had replied 

“But this is over right?.” Danielle had asked 

“Yes this is over, I’ll even tell you what, I will watch over you  and protect you.” Bob said

“What happened to you?” Danielle asked

 “Someone had shot me, leaving me where I was as I died and my soul came here when I had passed.” Bob said

“ Well I guess thank you for apologizing to me and have a good life Bob.” Danielle said

             THE END

The Mystery Kill

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  The Mystery Kill

      By: Lilly Anne Cooper

One day Serena and her mom were preparing for a football game party. They soon realized they would not have enough food for the party. 

Her mom said,”Go and buy some popcorn from the store. Make sure you get enough for everyone at the party.” 

“OK,” replied Serena,”I will be back.”

  Serena then went to the store while her mom stayed home and finished getting ready for the party. While Serena was in the store she met her friend Blair. 

`“Hi!” said Serena, “How are you?”

“Fine.” Blair responded. “How about you?”

“I am fine, just picking up some popcorn for the party. Will I see you there?”

“ I don’t know yet. I am not feeling the greatest.”

“Aww. Well I hope you feel better. Anyways I have to get going. Bye!”

“Yup,bye.”

Serena then finished getting popcorn from the store and headed home. On her way home she ran into Chuck and his friend group. She hates them. As soon as she saw him she ran the other way and hid in a nearby bush and overheard them talking.

` “I heard Serena is having a party this afternoon. I wonder why we didn’t get invited. I wonder why?” said Chuck.

“Maybe we should crash it.”

“Bro,that’d be fire!!”

“I know right. Does anyone know what time it starts?”

“Umm… I think it starts at 7:00?”

“Ya, that sounds right. Let’s go so we can plan.”

After they left, Serena came out of the bushes and ran home.

As soon as she got home she told her mom what she had heard. 

Her mom told her,”Oh dear! We must not let that happen. I’ll call Chuck’s mother. She can then deal with him”

“OK.” said Serena.

They then continued to get ready for the party.

People then started to show up and Serena turned on the football game. She then went to talk to her friend Blair.

“Hey, Serena!” said Blair.

“Hey! What do you think of the party?”replied Serena.

“It’s pretty nice.”

“Thanks! Hey, if you see Chuck or his gang here let me know please.”

“Why?”

“Because when I was on my way home from the store I heard them saying they were gonna crash the party. When I came home and told my mom she said ‘I’ll call Chuck’s mother. She can then deal with him.’ and I’m hoping that no matter what they don’t show up.”

“Ya, that’s fine. I will let you know if I see them.” 

“Thanks Blair!”

“No problem.” replied Blair.

A while later Chuck and his gang arrived uninvited. Serena went up to Chuck.

“Why are you here Chuck? I heard you from the bushes by the supermarket and how you were gonna crash my party.”

“You were the one who tattled on me to my mom. You will regret that.” replied Chuck.

“I hope you know that if you even attempt to do anything bad I will call the cops.”

“Oh crap,” Chuck said sarcastically,”like that ever stopped me.”

“Yes I know. But I also know how scared you are of your mom.”

“Umm? What are you talking about?” Carrot said nervously.

His mom then arrives.

“CHUCK STEVEN ROGERS!! GET YOURSELF IN MY CAR RIGHT NOW YOUNG MAN!!” yelled Chuck’s mom.

“OK, mom!!”

“Good,” said his mom,”I hope you do.”

After Chuck left, the party moved on and everyone enjoyed themselves. All of the sudden there was yelling and screaming. Serena rushed over to see what all the commotion was about and she saw her best friend Blair lying there dead with a cheese spreader stabbed at her side.

“AAAAH!!!!” Serena screamed. “Mom! Somebody! Call 911!! Hurry!!”

“What? What’s going on?” Serena’s mom said as she called 911.

Paramedics then arrive at the same time as Blair’s parents walk in.

“Oh my!” Blair’s mom said faintly. “Oh dear!!” she said as she fainted.

  A Couple Of Weeks Later

It was now the day her funeral and everyone was wearing all black and were sad and droopy. 

“Serena !! Come on, we have to get going. We’re gonna be late!” said Serena’s mom.

“I’m coming Mom!” Serena said as she ran down stairs to the kitchen.

At the funeral Serena went to find Blair’s parents and she said her condolences.

“I’m so sorry for your loss. I really hope they find who did this.” said Serena.

“You’re the one who did this! You ungrateful spoiled little murderer!!” yelled Blair’s parents.

“I would never do that and you should know  that by now. She was my best friend.” replied Serena as she started sobbing.

After the funeral Serena had to go to the police station and get an interview done.

“Did you tell them everything sweetheart? Even what Blair’s mom said?” Serena’s mom said as she saw Serena leaving the interview room.

“Yes mom. I did.”

“OK, good.” replied her mom.

The next day Serena’s mom got a call from Blair’s mom saying that when she was going through Blair’s room she found a suicidal note in her diary it read,

Dear whoever finds this. I’m sorry. I just couldn’t bear the pain anymore. To prove that I am writing this I will give you date time and how I did this to myself. I did this to myself on November 16, 2017 at about 1:30 PM. You found me lying on my bed with a rope around my neck. I’m so sorry Mom and Dad. On the next page there is another note. I want you to give it to Serena, my dearest friend. Again I’m so sorry. If you want to know why I hid another note in my room somewhere. I will not give away where it is because I want Serena to find it. I hope you forgive me.(: 

Yours truly,

Blair

Serena then realized that Blair planned on killing herself after the party. She had to go find that letter in Blair’s room. She then went to Blair’s house and knocked on the front door. Blair’s father opened the door.

“Come quickly. I don’t want her to find out you were here.” 

“Why?” said Blair.

“Because she hates you!” he said, surprised. “Do you not remember what she said to you at Blair’s funeral?” he asked.

“Yes, I do. And I understand why you want me to hurry. So I will hurry.”

“Have fun then. Er, I don’t really know what to say. Good luck?” He said confused.

“It’s fine.”

She then went to Blair’s room and right away went to look under her bed. There she found an envelope named Serena. Serena then opened it and it read.

Dear Serena, I figured that this would be the first place you would look. You may think that this will tell you why I committed suicide but it’s not. I know that you like mysteries so I put some hint cards around. So here is your first clue.

I’m part of something tall and blue, that is why I chose this clue. I can be soft and fuzzy or or just plain muddy but you should know they keep me warm when I’m in a winter storm.

Serena read the riddle again and again. She then decided to try and figure it out by going piece by piece. She then figured that Blair was probably referring to her dresser in the first sentence. She then tried to think of what was soft and fuzzy. She got it! It was her sock drawer. She ran over and opened the drawer to find another clue.

I’m filled with clothes, but I’m not a drawer, waiting for someone to open my door. 

Serena got it right away; it was her closet. When she opened it, sure enough there was a note.

You figured out the other clues, now I’m in the blues.

Serena I figured this was gonna be a little harder so I am giving you a hint. I go there when I’m sad.P.S. This is the last clue.

Serena thought for a moment and ran to the attic. It was where Blair liked to hang out. Serena knew Blair liked to hide behind all of her stuffed animals that were in the attic when she was sad. So she moved the stuffies and found a lock box, but it was not locked. She opened it and found a letter, Blair’s favorite stuffed animal, some candy and a little wrapped box. Serena decided to open the letter first.

You did it Serena!  Now you are probably wanting to know why I killed myself. So here it is. The reason I did it was because of my mom. She always doubted me and made me do things that I didn’t want to do. Like for example, She tried making me sell my favorite stuffed animal and you know how much I love him that is why I included him in this box. Now please open the present.

Serena listened and opened the present. It was a locket necklace with a picture of her and Blair. When Serena saw it she broke down in tears. She then wiped her eyes, picked up the box of things and headed downstairs. On her way down she stopped in the bathroom and quickly washed her face. As she was washing her face she realized that the party was on the 15 and the letter said it was on the 16. She was confused that maybe she just decided to do it earlier. But she didn’t think that was the case. She took all of the letters to the police station and told them everything that she thought of. The police were very confused and decided to investigate further. 

The Adventure of Evony Manorest

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The Adventures of Evony Manorest

By Giverest Enovy

Chapter 1

Once upon a time in the world of sports there lived two twins born from nothing. The Yin twin was very wild and rude to the people in the village. The Yang twin was very smart and kind to the people in the village. Whatever the Yin twin would destroy, the Yang twin would fix it. Since the Yin twin was so destructive he was banished from the village. One day the twins heard a mysterious voice.

”You two are the beginning of a great story.”

After that they never heard that mysterious voice ever again. The Yang twin became king and had a son named Evony Manorest. Fifteen years later, the king was kidnaped and taken to the Darklands and a big prize was given out to rescue the king. Meanwhile in the Darklands the king meets his brother, and they have a family reunion and they have a good time. They saw what each other was up to and get to know how each other’s life was going. Meanwhile in the kingdom of the king, everything was in chaos. With the king gone everyone didn’t know what to do. Ebony tried to calm everyone down, but it only worsened it so Evony decided to go bring the king back to the castle.

Evony asked everyone who would want to help him rescue the king and stop the chaos from worsening. The only people that wanted to save the king were Carl, Josh, Doni, and Megis. Evony and Carl went to the Adventurers Guild to become adventurers to begin to start their journey to rescue the king. When everyone was all ready and packed up, they left the village and started their adventure to find and rescue the king.

Meanwhile with the king and his brother, his brother was introducing his family to him and showing him around. Back to Evony and his party, they encountered a goblin camp and they got attacked by goblins and they swiftly and effortlessly defeated the goblins. A few hours later they found ruins and decided to camp out there while everyone was unpacking Evony went to explore the ruins and found a secret door that led to a treasure room and before he went in he told everyone else.

Evony said,”Guys I found a hidden treasure room!”

 They all went in and they looked through the treasures, and they grabbed some magic weapons and some gold and started a fire back at the camp. After they had dinner they went to sleep. When they woke up they all started to pack up and continue their journey. After some time passed they got attacked by Orcs that saw them while they were hunting and they defeated the Orcs but it took a good amount of time.

 They were getting closer to the king when they came across an inn. The innkeeper welcomed them in kind to stay the night. During the night they heard a weird noise that sounded like a monster. They got ready and started to leave the inn but ran into the monster, the innkeeper.

They were captured and tied up after they freed themself and found each other. They went to save the kids the innkeeper kidnapped. They saved the kids and looked for the innkeeper to defeat him. When they  found the innkeeper and wounded him, he got away and reported it to the king’s brother. The king’s brother ordered his servants to set traps to stop Evony’s party from stealing his brother away from him.

While they were walking down the path they accidentally activated a teleporting trap that separated them all and trapped them in a huge maze with traps and treasures. They all knew that following the right wall was the way to the exit. So after five hours in the maze they finally got out. After they stepped out of the maze it teleported to a treasure room and they took only the valuables, and then they were teleported to where they got teleported to the maze and continued down the path.

They took a little break after they were walking on the path for a few hours for a lunch break. They voted for who would cook the food. They all voted for Doni to cook lunch because he owned the best restaurant in the kingdom. After lunch they continued down the path but they got attacked by bandits and gave them one hundred gold coins and the bandits left them alone.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #108

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July 25, 2024

This day is officially here! I have my tickets and I am just counting the hours until Deadpool & Wolverine, the latest MCU film with Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. I have been dying to see this movie since the minute Hugh Jackman walked behind Ryan Reynolds in the promo. The review (non-spoiler) will be up on EYG later tonight.

This was another massive week of books, mainly because the group of books that I had missed from previous weeks. They all seemed to be here this week… except for Judgment Day #1. I’m still not sure it exists. I have #2 and #3 comes out next week (supposedly), but that #1 is just the white whale.

Some cool books this week:

Hello Darkness #1. Hello Darkness is a new anthology horror book by some of the greatest writers of the current comic world, and this is awesome. Some were better than others, but it was a surprise when there was a short story (which will be continued) by James Tynion IV about Erica Slaughter coming into a bar. I was surprised to see it in the book. Paolo Rivera did the cover art on this book.

Deadpool & Wolverine WWIII #3. Written by Joe Kelly and art by Adam Kubert. Cover art was done by Kubert & Frank Martin. The short series concluded with this issue. Deadpool takes the idea of regeneration to a whole new level as blood from Deadpool that had gotten inside Wolverine and then grew out of Logan’s back. I’m not kidding.

Man Goat & the Bunnyman: Beware the Pigman #1. Written by Joe Brusha and artwork by Jordi Perez. Cover art was by Guillermo Fajardo. They’re back!!!! I was really excited about this when I saw the new issue listed in Previews. I don’t know what it is about Man Goat and Bunnyman that gets to me, but it really is so much fun and filled with humor. I mean… Batsquatch? Love them.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1. “Inmate” Written by Jason Aaron and art by Joelle Jones. Cover art was by Eric Talbot (Bronze Medalist). I saw this book on the shelf. Todd had made a reference to it and I was curious with the restart of this book, especially with Jason Aaron as the writer. So I picked it up just to see and I found myself loving it. I actually think this was my favorite story of the week. Focused in on the life of Raphael stuck in prison. I really loved this book and I am looking forward to seeing what Jason Aaron has in store for the next issue.

NYX #1. Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly and drawn by Francesco Mortarino. Cover art was by Sara Pichelli & Federico Blee. I love Ms. Marvel and I am excited to see her involved in this new X-book with some very intriguing characters. Laura Kinney as Wolverine showed up with a less than friendly encounter with Kamala. The first issue began setting things up for the future and i liked the way it went.

Profane #2. Written by Peter Milligan and illustrated by Raul Fernandez. The cover art was done by Javier Rodriguez. This noir-style book is fantastic as a fictional character comes into the world of non-fiction to try and solve the murder of the fictional character’s creator. It is a exceptional premise and the noir style really works well for it.

Blow Away #4. Written by Zac Thompson and illustrated by Nicola Izzo. Cover art was by Annie Wu. Things are picking up big time in this book as Brynne survived her own fall off Asgard and is recovered by the person she believed was the hunter/killer she recorded. This is the penultimate issue of this series and it sets up the finale well.

The Nice House by the Sea #1. Written by James Tynion IV and doing the art and the cover art was Alvaro Martinez Bueno (Silver medalist). This was another book that I saw on the shelf at Comic World and did not think much about at first. I loved the Nice House on the Lake by Tynion IV, but I thought this might actually be a reprint of that. When I realized that it was a sequel, I grabbed it and read it through. I loved this book and I have to say that James Tynion IV is right near the top of my current list of favorite writers. I am excited about seeing the rest of this Black Label DC book.

Moon Man #3. Script by Scott Mescudi & Kyle Higgins and art and cover art was by Marco Locati. This was another book that was missed a few weeks ago and now I have. I was not sure about this book at start, mainly because of Kid Cudi, honestly, but it has been a good read so far and I am enjoying the development of the characters around Moon Man and how things are going.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #7. “Incarnate”. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Alessandro Cappuccio. David Paratore did the cover art. We get to see the resurrection of Marc Specter here and his reuniting with Tigra. That was all well done, even if the death of Moon Knight only lasted a few months.

Feral #5. “Chapter Five: Fall” Written by Tony Fleecs and art by Trish Forstner. Variant cover art by Forstner and Fleecs (Gold Medalist). This first story arc of Feral ended with this issue in a dramatic and very tragic end. Fleecs and Forstner were able to build a connection to a group of cats as they are facing off with rabid animals and humans out of wipe out all those infected. The book will continue in a few months and I will be here for it.

Rook Exodus #4. Created by Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok. Jason Fabok and Brad Anderson did the cover art. The battle with Ursaw is underway and things are looking bleak for Rook and his allies. Rook is able to save Pumba in one of the best moments of the issue. However, Rook sure looks like he should have learned how to fly…

Flash Gordon #1. Written by Jeremy Adams and art by Will Conrad. Cover art by Will Conrad & Lee Loughridge. This was another book I just picked up off the shelf. I had the Free Comic Book Day issue of this, and I was curious. I have to say that, while this was okay, I do not think that I was interested in it enough to read it every month. Fans of Flash Gordon may like this.

Wolverine: Blood Hunt #4. Written by Tom Waltz and art by Juan Jose Ryp. Cover art was by Guru-eFX. The Wolverine/vampire saga wraps up with the finale against Maverick.

Void Rivals #11. Written by Robert Kirkman and art by Lorenzo De Felici. Mateo Cremona & Mike Spicer did the cover art. Void Rivals has started to become a little repetitive at this point. I would like to see this move along as it feels as the last few issues have been the same thing basically.

Captain America #11. “Trying to Come Home“. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and art by Jesus Saiz. Taurin Clarke did the cover art. Cap is dealing with Gods and Death. They return to the idea of flashbacks into Steve Rogers’ past.

Strange Academy: Blood Hunt #3. Written by Daniel Jose Older and art by Luigi Zagaria & Eric Gapstur. Humberto Ramos & Edgar Delgado did the cover art. I love the characters of the Strange Academy and seeing them stuck inside this vampire story works really well for them. I would love to see more Strange Academy in the future.

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Something is Killing the Children #39. “Road Stories Part Four“. Written by James Tynion IV and illustrated and cover art by Werther Dell’edera. This was a great issue of Something is Killing the Children. Erica Slaughter goes to therapy. I loved this issue with the one-on-one between Erica and this therapist. It really gave us a wonderful look at this character even though there was something going on besides just Erica needing therapy. Excellent issue.

Uncanny Valley #4. Written by Tony Fleecs and art and cover art by Dave Wachter. This has been a fun series so far. We get a backstory of Oliver’s mother and how she became pregnant and how she is the daughter of her animated father. One thing that was left out though was who Oliver’s father may be. Tony Fleecs has been very creative with some of the more original ideas in comics today.

No/One #10. Written by Kyle Wiggins & Brian Buccellato and art and cover art by Geraldo Borges. I have loved this series and I have been looking forward to this finale for awhile and to be honest, I found it a little underwhelming. The mystery of who is No/One is revealed…sort of… the issue implied heavily that the person revealed as No/One was not actually No/One and that was slightly disappointing.

Dracula: Blood Hunt #3. Written by Danny Lore and art by Vincenzo Carratù. Cover art was by Rod Reis. Another issue that I had missed before, I liked the use of Dracula in this Blood Hunt saga. It is also cool to see Blade’s daughter, Bloodline, in the front of the battle considering how important a character Blade is in this story. I can see the end of the road for Blood Hunt coming quickly.

Universal Monsters: Creature from the Black Lagoon #4. Written by Dan Watters & Ram V and art by Matthew Roberts. Roberts & Dave Stewart did the cover art. I found this four-issue series engaging and exciting. The art is beautiful and the story was easy to follow. This was the first of the covers that did not receive a medal.

Local Man #12. Written by Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley. Fleecs and Seeley share sections of the art as well. Big confrontations in this issue as Jack, Inga and Sheriff Bucholz get into their own issues. Local Man was Eisner nominated for Best New Series, so congrats and good luck.

Zatanna: Bring Down the House #2. Written by Mariko Tamaki and drawn and cover art by Javier Rodriguez. Once again, this is a very interesting take on the character of Zatanna. It seems as if Zatanna is in denial about her ability to do magic. I am not sure where in context this series is set, but I am enjoying it so far.

Something Epic #12. Written and illustrated by Szymon Kudranski. This has been an excellent arc for this series as Noa faces off with Set and Sirus in her apartment to the unhappiness of her downstairs neighbors. Honestly, there is a big reveal at the end of the book, but I am not sure exactly whom that is intended to be. It was quite dramatic though.

Self Help #1 and #2. Written by Owen King & Jesse Kellerman with art by Marianna Ignazzi. Jerry Hauser is a down on his luck driver, but he finds himself in a plot to impersonate self-help guru Darren Hart. This new Image series has had some ups and downs early, but I am curious to see where it goes.

X-Men #1. “Fire-Baptized Special” Written by Jed MacKay and illustrated by Ryan Stegman. I have the virgin variant cover by John Tyler Christopher featuring Magik. I have been waiting for this issue for awhile as it was not sent to Comic World properly. This is a great X-Men team featuring Cyclops, Beast, Juggernaut, Magneto as well as several others. The X-Men set in Alaska sounds fun too. Because of the lateness of this issue, I also ordered the Peach Momoko cover off eBay.

Other books this week: The Six Fingers #5, Ultimate Black Panther #6, The Addiction #1, Project: Cryptid #11, Minor Threats #4, Blood Squad Seven #3, and Monsters are My Business #4.