Page 8

Comics can’t really follow films off the cliff

We like to think comics are a fun, creative bit of entertainment, and sometimes, they are. But just as much of the time, it’s all business, gimmicks, sales and money. Because yes, it’s a business. Of all the strategies comic companies employ though, taking direct advantage of their character’s films can be highly profitable, or possibly disastrous. Sometimes, it can be an interesting and harmless change. Or it can just seem really cheap and pathetic. You be the judge.

After the Batman ’89 film with Michael Keaton, the DC comics version started shifting the caped crusader’s costume more and more to an all black motif, moving away from the grey tights. They eventually came back, as the black and grey work well together, but the light blue is long gone.

After the Sam Raimi Spider-man films in the early aughts, Marvel decided, after 40 years, to shift Peter Parker’s web shooters from being mechanical, to organic, mimicking the conceit of the films. I loved the first two Raimi films, but the organic web shooters notion was a misfire. The fact that the Marvel head honchos felt the need to follow this path for several years in the comics was, frankly, a calculated risk. I’m not sure just how popular or unpopular that was. I’m guessing MORE popular than One More Day (look it up, kids), anyway, but eh, low bar.

Now, the current Marvel Cinematic Universe has changed quite a bit of the comics world where possible. Black Widow and Hawkeye more closely resemble their movie counterparts in the fashion department, although Widow wasn’t that much of a stretch. Funny thing with Iron man is that after 45 years in the comic, once Robert Downey jr. showed up as Tony Stark, suddenly in the comics, we actually got a Tony with an expanded personality, not just a drinking problem.

That’s just one of the great things the MCU has provided us– elevated characters, or at least a more fleshed out, fully realized version of them than we’d seen in the comics up to that point.

Because of the films, Marvel comics has responded across the board with even more varied Avengers titles on the stands than ever before, same with its various members in their own titles, and of course, thanks to the good relationship with Sony, we’ve got more Spidey movies and loads of comics as always.

Speaking of studio and comic company relations or lack there of, there was a good chunk of time where the Fantastic Four comic and any possible merchandise were basically trash canned, because at the time, Marvel big gun and all around heel Ike Perlmutter hated FOX studios so much, that he refused to have the comic’s merchandise even made available to the public. The idea was to not support the FOX FF and X-men films in any way possible, and even spearheaded a campaign to eliminate the word “mutant” from the comics. Partially because the MCU films didn’t have the rights to it (?!).

The BIGGEST reason Perlmutter hated FOX was that because of the inept and crazy-stupid deal MARVEL negotiated back in the ’90’s SELLING the first on rights to them, FOX actually made more money off all the FF and X merchandise than Marvel did. So it was Marvel’s fault, but Ike is also a known “man of frugality” and didn’t want to give FOX the satisfaction or another dime.

The point is moot now, because Disney and Marvel have control over the Fantastic Four and X-men rights, and Perlmutter has been de-clawed and sent to a farm upstate to run freely.

This all just goes to show how the films affect the comics and vice versa.

The comics have been the big story generators for the films, but the end result is the films taking the controlling hand in the character’s destinies. There are a lot of former comic fans I know who’ve just straight switched from comics TO the movies, as they now follow their favorite heroes solely on film. The Infinity Saga has been a hell of a “comic run”.

Here’s where it gets tricky. Like any good story, it has to come to an end. In the comics, the story is, of a necessity, ongoing. The tale of Spider-man, Captain America, you name it, can never die, and they’ll all stay pretty much the same age until the end of time. This makes it a lot easier to repeat yourself, unfortunately. Comics just have to hope that the current crop of readers weren’t around the last three times they did a certain story. Again.

But in the movies, actors do age and they eventually need to move on. Thus, Tony Stark and Steve Roger’s stories have definitely come to an end on film. Sure, some day down the line, in another 15 or 20 years, after Kevin Fiege has given us the breadth and scope of all the other Marvel properties, he will eventually leave. Then, of course, there will be a reboot of another MCU, because Hollywood never lets anything Rest In Peace forever. But since there are plenty of other huge Marvel stories and characters to bring forth, there won’t be a recasting of Tony and Steve until that far off time in the future. But it will happen.

Meanwhile, comics have to come out every month with their continuing stories, not every two or three years. They can’t have their Tony Stark stay dead for 20 years. Oh sure, he’ll undoubtedly die a few times in the comics DURING those 20 years but in comics, the sad, pathetic truth is, the characters die on a regular basis, and pretty much no one even cares anymore because it’s now become meaningless.

The comics actually had Stark dead for a while well before Endgame but had already come back. Meanwhile, comics Steve Rogers is still in his prime, between deaths and going about his business.

Because the comics have to keep grinding ’em out every month, no matter what the films do.

Hangin’ with Dr. Z!

Everyone has a specialty. A certain niche where they not only fit in perfectly, but they reach their pinnacle. That mountaintop where they can plant their flag and rule supreme. The role they were born to play.

Dana Gould has been a respected and successful stand up comic for several decades. He’s also had his hand in more failed pilots than an air force proctologist (his words). He also created “Stan against Evil” for IFC and was a writer on the Simpsons for 8 years.

But that magic niche that seems to fit him so well? Well, of COURSE it’s dressing up like Dr. Zaius from the original The Planet of The Apes.

Gould has been doing it for the better part of a decade or more. I can only seem to track down YouTube videos of him doing this for roughly the past eight years. Dr. Zaius has appeared on stage in a tribute to Mark Twain, sung Sweet Caroline dressed as Elvis and done impromptu guest spots on stages all over.

Thank god Planet of the Apes had its 50th anniversary a couple years ago– it really opened things up for this would be simian and suddenly, it was a madhouse! Well, not really a madhouse, but the occasion allowed Gould to once again get into full authentic costume and make up as Dr. Zaius. Several times.

Dr. Zaius appeared on Turner Classics as part of the intro to the celebratory anniversary showing of the film, as well as other stage celebrations and interviews to honor the event.

Here’s the thing… the make up is perfect. His costume is perfect. His mannerisms are perfect. His Maurice Evans is perfect. (Evans originally played Zaius in the original film) and his knowledge is perfect, at least on the subject of the original Planet of the Apes. Does Gould have a life long love affair with the film? With Dr. Zaius? With simians in general? I do not know. But he not only knows his POTA trivia, but his ’60’s and ’70’s Hollywood celebrities, and all the hilariously dated in-jokes of that era.

Obviously recognizing that this might be his first, best destiny, Gould has turned this… hobby? Fetish? Curious choice for a witness protection identity? Into a fun, worthwhile, ongoing comedy gig on YouTube.

It’s called “Hangin’ with Dr. Z”

“Hangin'” has — as of this writing — only amounted to 5 eps so far, and each only about 8 or 9 minutes, but it’s a fun ride. A classic talk show intro, a brief monologue, and a word with his one man band, the ever hapless Rusty Steele. They break for their own crafted commercial (sometimes the funniest bit), then on to the guest for the night for a five minute interview. Dr. Z is very much at home here, and Gould perfectly inhabits this simian showman. Think Johnny Carson, circa 1970, … mixed with an orangutan.

If you do decide to give it a try on YouTube, I’m sure you’ll see some of his other appearances over the last few years. Well worth checking out.

It sure beats the hell out of a trip to the Forbidden Zone.

Digital De-aging- It’s not for everyone

The second film in the Guardians of the Galaxy series, Vol. 2, was every bit as fun as the original. It even added a few extra touching moments to the proceedings. The soundtrack was awesome as usual.

But maybe the most amazing thing about the film, was the open, seeing a spry, energetic, YOUNG Kurt Russell running through the forest with his lady love, Quill’s mother (Laura Haddock). It was a stunning piece of digital de-aging, taking 40 years off Russell’s then 65 year old look.

Technically, there were three elements to this transformation.

1)-the make up artists applied some prosthetics

2)-the crew then digitally de-aged the actor

3)-Russell was also tasked with *moving* in a younger, more energetic manner during the scene, as body language is a huge part of the process.

Side note: interestingly, Russell was only really aware of the make up prosthetics that were applied, and for quite a while, maybe even now, he thought that was it and he wasn’t in need of digital de-aging. He even bragged about it to the crew. But according to the digital crew, he definitely got the CGI de-aging treatment, and they even used a stunt body double for some shots, with mapping dots on the double’s face, so they could put Russell’s mug on there.

Bottom line, it was incredibly well done. The tech crew associated with the Marvel Cinematic Universe is incredibly gifted with their almost human realistic characters, such as Thanos (Josh Brolin). Of course, the first feat of CGI wizardry in the MCU was the pre-formula, skinny Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) in Captain America, The First Avenger. I hadn’t been that impressed with CGI since the first Jurassic Park, some 15 years earlier.

Back to de-aging, there were at least two instances I can think of with Michael Douglas as the MCU’s Hank Pym. First, they took the actor, then about 70, down to middle age for the opening of Ant-man, which took place in ’89. Then back to his mid 20’s in 1970 for an appearance in Endgame. And in each case, wherever possible, they not only applied tech and make up, but also had him move in a more youthful way, when they weren’t using a stunt double.

At the beginning of Civil War, we see a digitally de-aged Robert Downey Jr. who successfully acts like his bratty, 20 year old self. at the end of Endgame, we see Chris Evans aged up as a 100 year old Steve Rogers, and once again, Evans provides all the necessary cues to make us believe the age change, in addition to the make up and the CGI accomplishment. Ditto Samuel L. Jackson as his younger self in Captain Marvel.

Those are the proper, well executed examples. However…

Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman fails miserably in this fashion. When crafting this three and a half hour leviathan, Scorsese wanted to take advantage of de-aging tech, so Robert DeNiro, Al Pacino, and Joe Pesci, all in their late ’70’s, could digitally shave off decades. They mostly got away with it regarding Al and Joe. Not so with Bobby D.

Please make no mistake– I have the utmost respect for all these actors, as well as Scorsese as a director. I recently watched The Irishman for a second time. I often find that the second viewing allows you to look at the broader picture, maybe catch some details you might have missed the first time around. Unfortunately, it’s not DeNiro’s de-aged face that’s a problem. It’s his body and body language.

Scorsese should have relented and recast the under 50 Frank Sheeran. When we first meet him, DeNiro’s Sheeran is about 35. We see him start to make connections and see him commit various crimes during this time. Through it all, he looks, moves and acts like a man in his late 70’s. He also is usually acting rather befuddled throughout. The most blatant example is when he brings his young daughter to the neighborhood store, so he can confront the store owner who had pushed her.

This entire scene A) falls prey to our knowledge of how a young DeNiro would trash this guy, and still— even if you’d never seen one of his movies, or had no knowledge of the de-aging, B) the scene is almost laughable, because even though the owner is laying in the street, allegedly helpless, DeNiro barely even touches the guy, can barely hold his balance, and can be seen just *almost* kicking the guy. This was an unconvincing scene. It was so bad, I’m assuming there was no stunt coordinator attached to handle the finer points to this. The store owner/victim does everything HE can– he flings himself through the window, rolls out onto the street, and screams as much as possible. He held up his end of the bargain.

Is it possible DeNiro thought they’d also digitally induce a better beating? Seriously, I don’t know. DeNiro stated at the outset regarding the CGI stuff, that he wasn’t going to deal with any mo-cap suits, or dots on his face. It’s entirely possible that he thought the CGI was doing a lot more than it was. After all, why should Bobby D know how digital de-aging works? My mother doesn’t even do emails. Either way, this was a mistake, easily avoided and fixed by casting a younger guy for that stretch.

In the film, Sheeran is supposed to be this imposing, impressive, hitman. He’s neither of the former, and considering just how he’s presented here on film, I find it hard to believe that this Frank got the gig of the latter. Throughout most of the film, I was having a tough time picturing this stooge being anything other than a run of the mill trigger man. Competent enough to know his stuff, but the superstar mob rep status, I felt, was very undeserved, at least as far as he was presented here.

DeNiro almost seemed to be under the impression that his voice and body would be dramatically de-aged as well. I believe they attempted it on the voice, but the results weren’t impressive.

As for the body, to convincingly get the message across, he had to move better, faster, and the tech boys would have had to get rid of the hunch he’d acquired over the years. Unfortunately, that sometimes comes with age. But all that work would have been exceedingly expensive, and Marty was already in budget trouble.

So yes, as brilliant as de-aging tech is, there are limits in both quality and the financial corners.

Marty should have cast a younger Frank for that initial section. This is on him. And I KNOW. He can’t help that he’s in his 70’s. It’s by no means his fault. But if he can’t pull off the scene, cast someone who CAN. Someone who, as a younger Frank IS imposing. IS impressive. Who CAN convincingly beat the crap out of a store owner.

Hey, it worked for Godfather II.

Superman and Lois are/is surprisingly good

I have a love/hate relationship with The CW.

Part of the “house style” for their tv shows is teen angst, melodramatic soap opera nonsense and a LOT of heart to heart pep talks between characters. It can get really tiresome. The Greg Berlanti production group has peppered the network with multiple DC superhero shows. From there, you get different teams putting together different shows, with different heroes, to varying degrees of quality. Each show has certain habits, good and bad, that really stick with the program.

*The Flash: weeping, love, and constant, reassuring pep talks and super speed.

*Supergirl: adorkable dummy who just wants to be a best friend.

*Black Lightning: treats the characters and stories WITH respect, & great action.

*Legends of the DC Universe: buffoonery, with cartoon idiots.

*Arrow: started as a soap opera, then a grim, depressing, repetitive slog.

*Batwoman: was pretty much a non-starter.

*Stargirl: uplifting and faithful superhero presentation, high quality, and fun. It originated in the DC streaming service, so may not have been weighted down by and he CW rules.

But now, the ninth CW/DC superhero has premiered, Superman & Lois. I was kinda dreading it, if I’m honest. Mostly because you never quite know what you’re going to get from a particular showrunner or cast. Or the CW. When I heard that the pre-existing CW Superman that formerly guested on Supergirl was getting his own show, I was intrigued. After all, Tyler Hoechlin played a very good Superman and Clark Kent whenever he appeared. He outshone Supergirl on her own show by a mile.

Then, I heard the show was going to be “Superman and Lois”, and they’d have two teenage sons. This made me nervous because this thing was starting to scream CW teen angst soap opera again.

And if I’m honest, this Lois Lane (Bitsie Tulloch) has this thing with her eye. She’s a good actress and a good Lois in the same vein as Margot Kidder… but the eye is slightly distracting. I’m not a nice man.

Their kids, Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alexander Garfin) DO seem a tad older than the 14 years old they’re supposed to be but they are starting high school, so okay, fair enough. So I went in slightly skeptical. I was imagining a lot of heart to hearts, with very little Super action.

But three eps in, so far, I’m digging this set up.

I don’t know, maybe it’s because of where I am in life, or maybe this creative team knows *just* how to craft the stories for all four members of the Kent family. There is family drama, and heart to hearts, and yeah, some teen angst, but damn, the right *balance* is there.

After Ma Kent passes away, the family makes the decision to move from Metropolis to Smallville. This may seem unlikely, but again, it works. Jordan has anxiety issues and has never been very sociable. Morgan Edge is the new owner of the Daily Planet, he’s evil, corporate, scum, and soon, neither Clark or Lois are employed there. Time for a change of scenery. The one with the most to lose is Jonathan, but he makes the sacrifice for the family.

The one who really makes this work is Hoechlin. As Clark in public, he’s truly a likable guy. Old fashioned and sweet and a bit dorky. As Clark in private, he’s rock solid as a dad who, in addition to his actual work, is concerned about his family, the future and that is oh so relatable. As Superman, they put him in a costume very similar to the Cavill model but he rocks it. Having to carry around the 80 year history of a character like Superman, and actually make it interesting is no mean feat. But Hoechlin does it with grace and style.

Maybe it’s because this is technically the most “seasoned” Superman we’ve ever seen, as he’s very likely in his late 30’s, if not 40. But again, it. Is. Just. Right. We’re seeing the Man of Steel from a different angle here.

Superman has had his relevance questioned over the years. Whether it was from so-so creative teams on the comics who couldn’t seem to get him right, to the dour, moping, dark, Snyder version we’ve seen on film in the last few years.

There’s even an all new, very surprising, fresh take on an old character, but I’ll let you find out that one for yourself.

As of this writing, 3 eps in, the boys are making it interesting at school, Lois is still doing her thing, albeit at the Smallville paper, and Supes is saving the world one crisis at a time.

The character interaction within the family is just about as engaging as when Superman goes into action. THAT is a very good, very important thing. If you can make the civilian ID as interesting as the Super ID, you’re doing it right.

Now, they just have to keep it on the right track for the rest of the season.

Oprah, Meghan, Harry and The Crown

Up until now, I’ve steered clear of the whole Harry and Meghan “thing”. I know they got married. And I remember hearing in passing a couple years ago that they wanted out of the Royal Family. I don’t blame them.

For you see, in addition to the Royal drama and tragedy a few decades ago with Diana, I also watch The Crown on Netflix. As shown in the program, the Royal Family and their institution is a pampered, prestigious tar pit. A well decorated, well mannered and immaculately ruled black hole. An ever so polite version of the Mafia. No one gets out.

Is The Crown accurate? According to articles I’ve read interviewing the showrunner, they adjust the timeline a bit here and there, and didn’t have access to the most intimate bits of relationships. But it is based on real events, and real people. If anything, the producers show the Royals in a somewhat flattering light, as opposed to reality. The show has skipped over some of the bloodiest Sundays.

Bottom line, Queen Elizabeth, Phillip, and their progeny are all human, with a responsibility to the monarchy. It’s that responsibility that is a bit like an all encompassing web. Some caught within might get claustrophobic, some might thrive, some might self destruct. Be it in the show or real life, her majesty’s life is not her own, but her subjects, to a large degree. Cut and paste that onto the rest of the family.

At some point after the kids got married, after an initially good start, the relationship between Meghan and the family, and the U.K. went to hell. Tensions rose within the family, and the U.K. Tabloids went from ugly to monstrous, with racist headlines about Meghan and their children.

So Meghan and Harry wanted out of the “senior positions” role in the family/firm/institution. They wanted to continue the good works for the Crown, doing charity, tours, etc., but separate from the clan, and were now residing in Canada, a commonwealth of the U.K.. The Royal family in turn cut off their money, and any and all security for Harry, Meghan, and their children. And also told them that their children will never have titles. On the face of it, this seems a bit extreme and horrible.

Security’s a big issue, because paparazzi is the disease you’re never rid of if you’re part of the Royals. Suddenly having no protection can be dangerous, especially for the kids, so a friend of theirs in L.A. lent them his home and security until they could sort things out.

As an aside, Harry and Meghan said in their interview with Oprah that Harry’s grandmother, Queen Elizabeth, has been consistently delightful since the beginning. So seemingly, Her Majesty doesn’t seem to be the problem.

Here’s the thing…

Watching the big Oprah interview with Meghan and Harry was at times bewildering. During the interview, there were several instances of shock and disbelief expressed. Shock and disbelief at Harry’s circumstances, the ruthlessness of the U.K. tabloids, and that there was racism in the U.K.

When Harry said he felt trapped while in the “firm” or “institution”, Oprah was skeptical, asking him how that could be? After all, he’s lived his life in a palace! Now… Oprah’s allegedly been around the block. A lot. Oprah said she watched The Crown.

Did she though? How many episodes exactly? I don’t know — maybe Oprah doesn’t feel trapped in *her* palace, but her life is a tiny bit different from that of Harry and the Royal Fam. I mean, they have a footman, she has a Stedman, but I think that’s where the resemblance ends. If one actually watched the show, in short order, the viewer usually gets a good look at the particular social fishbowl in which the family reside. Harry saying he felt trapped sounds spot on.

Make no mistake, I’m not defending the Royals by any means. Ever since 1688, the whole lot has been, more or less, powerless figureheads of the commonwealth. And there’s been some inbreeding, just saying. Some say they just mooch off the public teat. Others say they’ve done some good work. Others simply no longer care.

Maybe Oprah was just asking the skeptical question because she figured her audience has no clue about the situation. Very possible. Maybe she was their voice.

Next, the tabloids. This might just be down to age on Meghan’s part, but she was stunned at the racist bullshit the tabloids were churning out regarding her pregnancy. I mean, tabloids have been the sensationalistic bottom feeders of the journalistic world forever. It’s been decades since I even glanced at one, but it seems they’ve managed to lower the bar a bit more. They seemed to go after Meghan a lot nastier than when they wrote about Kate Middleton.

But the tabloids being inhuman is nothing new. They, and their ambulatory extensions, the paparazzi, have indeed been around since the ’70’s. I’m not entirely sure why Meghan was surprised. Harry either, for that fact. But I guess the upping of the ante with the racist bent in the headlines even took him by surprise.

There was one of the many Royal functions that were held a few years ago at the palace, where the family was trying to curry favor with the press. It was there that Harry was warned by a sympathetic visitor that the tabloids were going to rip he and Meghan apart. Meghan being half black was a huge part of that. In the interview, dear, smart, diplomatic Harry said he was astonished that the U.K. *tabloids* were racist. *Just* the tabloids Harry?

Now, of course these days, we know where we stand with our abundant load of racism in this country. Oh, we’ve got loads. But there’s a reason the tabloids over there sell so well. As bad as they get, as trashy and as inhuman as those headlines get, sales are huge. So I think it fair to say that they’ve got big problems too over there. Racism is alive and well in most countries.

But even within Buckingham palace, H&M were told that there was much concern about the upcoming baby and how dark the skin color might be. Harry wouldn’t say who said it, only stating that it was neither of his grandparents. Hmmm.

Another interesting and possibly very telling tidbit, was that Meghan was told by someone in the institution that perhaps it’d be better if she toned things down a bit. Maybe just be, say “50% of herself”. She and Harry had just come back from a tour of Australia I believe and she was evidently, much, much loved by the commonwealth. A HUGE hit. She made the same horrible mistake as Diana some 30 odd years ago. She showed up the family. That’s a BIG no no. Charles was upset then, and someone was upset now. Hmmm.

It should also be said that I know nothing of Meghan, except, after watching the interview, I learned she was an actor, her father appears to be a douchebag, she fell in love with Harry, and it’s questionable as to how much knowledge she had of history relating to the Royal family, or all the horrific crap that went down with Diana, or what kind of monarchal mess she was walking into. Harry had to give her the heads up at some point though… right? Or DID she know, and couldn’t help falling in love? Or, is she simply a gold digger, lunging for money and fame, who wanted to cash in via Harry and the Royals? If that was the case, it certainly didn’t work out quite like she hoped. But I don’t know what’s going on inside her, or any of the participants. Well, aside from those in the U.K. and the fam who REALLY don’t like the bloodline “polluted” by a mixed race heir to the throne.

Really? NOW you’re getting particular about the bloodline? The inbreeding wasn’t a red flag? Yikes!

And are we getting the whole story? The Oprah interview telling their side of it is really the only major tv press that’s been able to combat the U.K. barrage of info about the situation.

This is probably as much energy as I’ll spend on this fiasco. I didn’t even like the fourth season of The Crown.

WandaVision Wrap-Up (spoilers)

I think we can safely categorize WandaVision as a thumbs up for Marvel, Disney, and Kevin Fiege. Another notch on the MCU gun belt, or bedpost or however one celebrates another quality product added to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And make no mistake, the screen might have been smaller but this was basically a Marvel movie sliced into segments.

First, the kudos. Elizabeth Olsen is a joy. She handled the faux sitcom versions of Wanda quite nicely, as she relived the happier moments of her childhood when her father would bring sitcom DVD collections home. There’s something wrong with her, though. You see, she’s not right in the head. At the very least, *understandably*, Wanda has issues. More on this later.

Yes, Olsen also rocked the Scarlet Witch Halloween costume.

Paul Bettany. He’s had such a prominent role going back to 2008’s Iron man, I’m so glad he got the promotion from AI to synthezoid. You really feel for the character though, being thrust into this very bizarre corner of the Twilight Zone, mixed with I Love Lucy, The Dick Van Dyke show, Bewitched, etc. Bettany is truly marvelous as Vision though. He’s really made the most of his four appearances.

The story as a whole turned out to be a fairly basic superhero/villain confrontation with few surprises, but a very action packed and emotional climax.

WandaVision was gutsy in its experimentation. Having the audience sit through the first *three* episodes (of nine), featuring mostly nothing but cheesy versions of old sitcoms from the ’50’s, ’60’s and ’70’s was BOLD. Episode four brought us back to reality, and it was that middle stretch that really got the Internet tucked in and speculating.

Unfortunately, that was part of the problem. The creators of the show really enjoyed throwing around a bunch of hints and Easter eggs that were dead ends, but were guaranteed to make people wonder. And then they didn’t pay off, which was a bit of a let down. Some were downright cruel and unusual, and frankly, a bit weak. Example:

Evan Peters was specifically cast as Pietro, Wanda’s brother. Peters portrayed Pietro/Quicksilver in the Fox studios version of the X-men movie franchise, which Disney acquired a while back. So, in *casting* Peters, there was the insinuation that there was something big happening there with Wanda’s ever growing powers, that she either actually dragged a Pietro from an alternate reality or at least built some magical construct with his likeness. That was the tease. A reasonable assumption, considering her power set. I mean, in Endgame, she was actually kicking Thanos’ ass.

Nope, THIS Pietro was…..just an actor that Agatha gave powers to, to mess with Wanda. More on Agatha in a minute. That reveal was a dud, and extremely weak sauce. The creators thought they were being clever, I guess. Yeah, they were just screwing with us.

There were also other bits and pieces that were dangled in front of viewers, all of which came to nothing. Monica makes a random mention of an aerospace engineer she knows, which made a lot of comic fans wonder if she was talking about Reed Richards. No, nothing there, so no reason to mention him. The show takes place in Westview, New Jersey, which got theories cooking about the significance of that placement. NJ was where Steve Rogers trained, and where we last saw Arnim Zola’s computer consciousness in Winter Soldier. Did Zola have a part in this? He was all about brainwashing after all and Wanda’s acting weird, but….no.

Don’t even get me started on the Grim Reaper/Wonder man/Vision connection theories. And what about that witness that Jimmy Woo was after? He/she was residing in Westview in the protection program? No significance. Was Heyward really the Mephisto (the devil)? Or Ultron? No, but that was a stretch anyway. He was just a petty, power mad, asshole. But to be fair, if they dangle the stuff out there, it’s hard for comic fans to ignore. Mind you, now that we’ve had a really big dose of them being “cape-teases”, it’ll be easier to ignore that crap next time.

The creators also liked to indulge themselves well past the expiration date on the sitcom gag. In ep 7, well after figuring out that something’s amiss, Vision still sat down for a Modern Family style interview for comedy. It came off as a bit wrong footed, especially considering Vision was almost torn apart the episode before when he tried to leave the bubble.

Side note: what was with the whole nonsense with the “six hour running time”? They made a big to do about the 9 (or maybe 10!– they were unsure?) episodes will feature SIX HOURS of content! They were very proud of this. It was also BS. If this were true, the finale would have been at *least* 90 minutes, not 48. This was silly from the get go, as there were extra long credits at the end of each ep. There were the main credits, then extra credits on black, and THEN, more credits repeated in different languages for different markets. The first episode was just marginally longer than the entirety of the credits! If you had strung all the credits together on all nine eps, you’d get about at least an hour, and I’m being generous there. But *that’s* part of the “six hours of content”. But I digress.

Teyonah Harris plays Monica Rambeau, who is a delight as she becomes Photon– and I had to jump back in here to remark about her, because the more I think about it, the less I think she was integral to the actual story. she was great, and we see how she gets her powers, so it was all vastly important to her but more or less, her participation was really a set up for the next Captain Marvel movie.

Teyonah Parris as Monica Rambeau in Marvel Studios’ WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2020. All Rights Reserved.

Agnes/Agatha Harkness. A centuries old Witch herself, Agnes insinuated herself into Westview just to examine Wanda, and more importantly, steal her powers, deeming her unworthy of them. There’s an argument to be made that she was the protagonist, as she was ultimately working against Wanda, who mentally enslaved the entire town. After all, it was Wanda who was doing all the damage. As Agatha correctly stated “heroes don’t torture people”. Agatha just coveted that immense power. She was no angel though. She was played by Katherine Hahn, and I liked her better as Agatha. Her standard, over the top, high school review style, mugging to the camera as nosey neighbor Agnes was akin to fingernails on a blackboard for me.

The twins, Tommy and Billy. This is a whole thing. Until it wasn’t. Bear with me.

In the *comics*, Wanda created the twins, using dark magic, so she and Vision could have a family. Unfortunately, the magic was not hers to take, and the twins were essentially borrowed segments of an evil creature’s soul. The boys got ripped away from Wanda, and ceased to exist, around the same time the government stole Vision and disassembled him. The resulting trauma caused Wanda to lose her mind. She snapped, and reality got broken. BAD THINGS HAPPENED.

So of course, one worried what would happen in the show, when Wanda lost her family. Really, separating ANY mother and her cubs causes an extreme reaction. You know what I mean. After all, she actually gave birth in ep 3, and even though the creepy little guys aged themselves to ten years old an ep later, they were her kids. After losing her parents, her brother, then Vision, losing her kids? Ruh roh.

Turns out, nothing much happened. Eh, she was a bit sad but pretty much okay.

No she’s not.

See, either the kids meant almost nothing to her, OR she’s planning to get them back. Either this was some storytelling that didn’t quite ring true, or all part of the plan in the writers room. Because Wanda took ALL of this fairly well. Too well. She’s got decent odds of seeing Vision again but her kids…

Oh, and she’s sorry about all the pain she caused, the torturing of the populace of Westview, the nightmare she caused for all those people. Sorry! Although I imagine the residents might miss the pristine condition of the sitcom version of Westview architecture. The actual place looks like a dump. But hey, about all the terror, tears and torture? Wanda’s sorry! Let it go!

They’d better hurry up and get Netflix’s Daredevil/Matt Murdock into the MCU, because I can see a huge class action suit being brought against super villain Wanda Maximoff, by the good people of Westview. She’s going to need a lawyer.

The larger point I’m trying to make here is that yes, Wanda really does have a screw loose, and yes, she is a villain. Her life has been horrible for pretty much forever, yes, with only brief windows of happiness, snuggling with a British robot. But however sympathetic, she’s still a villain.

No one WANTED her to be a villain. The fanboys wouldn’t hear of it. Oh, she can’t be! It must be some other force behind all this! Nope, just her. The creators even tried to create their own meme, saying it was Agatha all along, but aside from tweaking Wanda by bringing in Pietro and trying to mess with her in general, she wasn’t behind much of anything.

Agatha was only waiting for her moment to step in and steal power. The woman on the outskirts of town perpetually hanging laundry, crying? That was Wanda’s doing. Dottie’s daughter, and god knows how many other people trapped in the Westview nightmare, separated from their lives and loved ones, suffering? Wanda.

Finally, she also unearthed her true identity as The Scarlet Witch.

That’s a pretty ominous note. When we last see her, she’s tucking into the Darkholde, a gripping little page turner also known as The Book of the Damned. The Scarlet Witch’s power is said to exceed that of the Sorcerer Supreme himself, who we know as Dr. Strange. So Cumberbatch is going to have his hands full in his next movie, as I believe the Scarlet Witch features in that one. By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth!

And as we last see Wanda floating, reading and absorbing, we hear the twins. The other shoe drops. Even as she said goodbye to the twins, or nonchalantly sent them to fight the military, even as she dressed up in that Halloween costume, she subconsciously knew who and what she was, and she knew she’d find a way to bring the kids back. Whatever it takes. That’s why she was as calm as she was.

So I have no idea how they’ll bring Wanda back to the side of the angels (if they even can), or if it’ll be believable, because she is officially trouble. It’ll be a bit easier with Vision. Of course, we now have the White Vision with his memories back, and after some soul searching, he’ll probably be back in season two, if not Dr. Strange: The Multiverse of Madness.

The rebooting of Vision wasn’t that surprising. I figured that between whatever essence of the Vision that had resided in Wanda, his access to memory files, etc., and the speculation from the Avengers in Infinity War, about what’s left of him after removing the Mind Stone, we’d get Vision back at some point.

But like I say, he’s not the problem. Good luck with Wanda!

Now, it’s time for Falcon and the Winter Soldier!

Final Covid Update!

Figured I’d utilize the blog for one final update.

For those who wondered, I’m pretty much back to normal—whatever normal is for a 58 year old, overweight me. I’d say lung capacity is probably at 90 -95% and I can do stuff like the 45 lb kettle bell, weights, crunches, push ups, etc. So, I’m mostly back to normal, almost.

There’s juuuuust one thing, and the only reason I’m putting it out there is that no one freaks out later on. Here’s the thing—*Because Covid hit so hard, I lost about 25 pounds in two and a half weeks. History has shown with me (had a deathly virus back in the ’80’s, too), that that type of rapid weight loss, and punishment to my system comes at a cost: my hair’s falling out. More and more every day in the shower.

**Before all you armchair doctors out there start speculating, no, it’s not the cancer come back–had a PET scan a few months ago. All clear on the front, no worries. No, this is because of the beating I took via COVID. SO, at some point in the near future, I might just shave the head again.

In fact, that’s very likely. I say it’s better to go out in a shaving blaze of glory instead of slowly turning into Gollum. It’s not too bad yet but the time is coming. Sure, there are a lot of hairs on the human head but when you’re losing 50 to 80 each day since Christmas, it eventually starts to be a bit noticeable.

Just sayin’. The last thing I want is to do a hot sauce video, people see the bald head and freak out. And hey, it may stop falling out, grow back, etc. We’ll see. Maybe I’ll rub an onion on my bald pate.

But the headline is, pretty much over Covid. Well, I think we’re all pretty much OVER it, but you get my meaning.

Because the Thing IS.

This is The End

This is number 366 of 366.

A Leap Year, because 2020 was just so great, it *just* needed to be longer. Ironically, for ME, all things considered, 2020 was an improvement on 2019.

Yeah.

So….. In the past year:

*I’ve given you my many thoughts, opinions and reviews on many things.

*I’ve related true events from my past.

*I’ve created all new characters, artwork and fictional written pieces.

*I’ve given you the silly, the sad, the serious. The confessions and the truths.

*I’ve ended up smack dab in the midst of the medical drama I had hoped to avoid.

THE THING IS…

If you weave these threads together, you really do get a tapestry that represents my life. Past, present and possible future, at least the stuff that’s remotely interesting.

To those of you that actually read it all, thank you for caring enough to go the distance.

To those who haven’t, well, it’s all still there. You just need to scroll.

This has been… the Book of Rick.

The Purple Throbber- In Memoriam

They filed into the church slowly, quietly, reverently. Most didn’t notice the lovely architecture, the elegantly arching beams, the intricate stained glass, all hundreds of years old. No, the focus was on the far end of the center aisle that cut through the great space.

Straight ahead, was the raised platform containing a podium to the left, a generous arrangement of flowers to the right, and of course, the coffin in between.

For those coming to pay their respects, seeing this made the unthinkable notion begin to gain more weight.

The Purple Throbber was dead.

Soon, the pews were filled to capacity, with thousands more outside holding vigil. Aside from the occasional rustling and shifting in their seats, there was mostly silence, as the visitors stared into the distance, lost in thought.

It was decided that Captain Sanderson would speak, having known the Throbber for most of his career. The Captain respected the hero and his accomplishments, saving the city time and again. He never knew his secret identity, and out of respect, even in death, the mask stayed on, secret intact. The man who’d assisted law enforcement so many times that he was eventually duly deputized, rested peacefully within his enclosed tomb in full costume.

Standing behind the podium, the Captain looked out among the crowd, seeing a wide variety of civilians, heroes and even known villains come to pay their respects to a worthy foe. Razorback Hazel and her blades sat an aisle away from the Freedom Fund. Major Justice sat shoulder to shoulder with King Mole, after years of bloody confrontations. Such was the respect they all had for the guest of honor, that a truce held for as long as the ceremony went on.

With all the civilians in attendance, the Captain wondered if there was anyone out there who actually knew the Purple Throbber’s other life, his civilian identity? In the end, he suppose it didn’t matter. It was time. He stepped up to the microphone

“I knew him.” He began, “I worked with him. He saved my life more times than I’d like to admit. Once or twice, I was even able to return the favor.”

Vvvvvvv.

Some turned their heads, wondering who didn’t silence their vibrating cell phone. The Captain continued.

“I think back, and it never mattered how big the threat was, PT stepped up to confront it. He always had a plan. Usually a pretty solid one. If I ever questioned his judgement, it was with his name!”

This got a laugh, a welcome breath of ease.

Vvvvvvvmmmmmm.

“Ha, listen, if someone needs to get that, if perhaps it’s an emergency, please do. I know we have virtually everyone in here though, so what could it be?”

Another chuckle danced across the room.

Vvvvvvmmmmmmmmmmm-MMMM

Suddenly, the captain’s eyes went wide, as he realized that was no cell phone. The vibration was continuous now and slowly growing. The guests started to murmur….. some thought they recognized that sound, that….. feeling.

All eyes were now on what seemed to be the source of the vibration.

The coffin itself.

Everyone in attendance was frozen in place. They could not, DARE not move.

MMMMMMMVVVVVVVVVVMMMMMMMMMMM

The flowers were now dancing and falling off the stage. The Captain hung onto the shaking podium. The very pews themselves seem to be coming loose, starting to skitter across the floor.

SMASH! CRASH! BASH! Went the stained glass windows, one by one.

And as the vibrations seem to reach their peak, the lid of the coffin shot straight up into the air, exploding through the ceiling like a cannon ball.

The vibration stopped.

Silence. The masses, as if statues, dare not even allowed themselves to breathe….

Yet there was breathing.

Eyes threatened to pop out of skulls, as all attention was on the Purple clad figure sitting up in his not so final resting place, yawning, stretching his arms, as if waking from a deep, wonderful sleep.

Opening his eyes, taking in his surroundings, he sleepily asked

“Hey…”

“Wha hoppen?”

The Mandalorian, Season Two (spoilers)

Jon Favreau has done a really admirable job bringing to life a corner of the Star Wars universe that’s pretty fresh and interesting. Season two continues Mando’s journey with his infant charge, who we now know is named Grogu. (Excellent name) They navigate through some set up adventures, at least one so-so filler adventure to lead into the second half, where things start to heat up.

We’re treated to a live action version of Ahsoka, a very popular character in the Clone Wars animated series, Anakin’s old sidekick, played here by Rosario Dawson. (Soon to be getting her win Disney+ show?) Possibly Favreau’s greatest achievement to date, because RD is just simply the best. Celebrity cliche guest appearance be damned. It’s one of the few celebrity insertions that actually works to the show’s favor, as opposed to being distracted by the latest guy who just “wants to be in a Star Wars production, because it’s all the rage.”

But in season 2, Favreau does finally represent as a Fetter. A Boba-buddy. He drank the Kool-Aid. In my eyes, people in this camp mystify me, especially with how hey perceive and alter reality. Favreau is obviously one of those who worshipped Boba Fett as a true bad ass in the original trilogy. Mind you, when you’re 8 years old and you see Empire Strikes Back for the first time, I can see where and how you’ve been utterly taken in. The sleight of hand of brilliant director Irving Kerschner probably fooled some adults too. Fett was mostly kept to the shadows, seen only in glimpses. His greatest “victory” as far as vanquishing prey was blowing C3PO to bits.

Make no mistake– that made Fett an asshole, a true bad guy and a stone cold killer, but not a bad ass. Beating up C3PO is not *really* an amazing accomplishment.

And that’s all he does, beyond standing around, showing off the armor. Even the armor seems to make some fans all quivery. As far as armor design goes in the SW universe, even that’s not that impressive. But over all, credit Kerschner with the talent to take virtually nothing, and impress.

The true tragedy for the Fett-lings comes in Return of the Jedi, where Lucas just continues to show bad judgement and that he doesn’t know how to be respectful of his own characters. He chucks Fett into the Sarlac pit and *burp*, Boba’s story is done. A lame end for a lame villain. I do blame Lucas, as, if you’re going to needlessly kill a villain, do it with style, but George has NONE. (See: Darth Maul) But of course, the Fett-ites scurried around with their conspiracy theories for decades about how the clone actually managed to survive the pit. Good riddance says I, George screwed the pooch, let him cuddle with it afterward, but here’s the thing:

If one of the delusional believers actually gets to eventually create his own Star Wars show, realities will bend to the fan who’s now in charge. This was Favreau’s petition.

Boba Fett is back. Now, he’s an amazing fighter, capable of taking down a squadron with only a club. He’s amazing. He’s noble. A healer. He’s now everything 8 year old Jon Favreau ever hoped he’d be.

Just sayin’.

I’d certainly want this unbeatable version on my side!

And really, hey, I shouldn’t bag on Favreau for upgrading a character big time, even if it is wish fulfillment. Better to have a worthy character in the mix than a useless one.

Massive overcompensation aside, yeah, he’s back, FWIW. Had he been half this dangerous 40 years ago, he’d never have been defeated by slapstick and a Sarlak.

Gotta say though, this season has been flooded with Stormtroopers A.K.A. jokes. Yes, the armor design on these guys have always been wonderful but jeez, how do any of them keep showing up for a fight in those pathetic suits? Moving on….

We also see the return of Bill Burr’s Migs Mayfield character. When last we saw him, he was kind of a stone cold, murderous prick, menacing toward the kid, a truly unlikable cold blooded killer. This season, he’s a compassionate guy with a heart of gold. This is either crazy character adjustment on the fly or someone’s not paying attention. Or…. Migs is just…. mercurial? Prison really done him a world of good?

And we get an extended shot of Mando having his helmet off. Point’s fairly moot now, since the mystery was blown last year but thankfully everyone in the crowd who he allowed to see his face died, except the now lovable Mayfield.

On one hand, early in the show, we see Mando fully armored with all his rules about Mandalorians, The Way, allowing non Mando’s to wear armor, never letting anyone see his face, etc. As the series progresses, we see each of these sacred rules wiped away. I’m of two minds on this. Is it just natural character growth for the character, or is everything getting wiped away a little too quickly? By season 4, might we see Mando in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt operating more like Magnum P.I.?

As much as I like how Favreau has crafted the show in general, some eps are clearly mindless filler, and as I say, certain characters seem a bit inconsistent.

Still, The Mandalorian is still better than most Star Wars out there.

Side note: I should point out that when I say that, I’m talking about live action Star Wars. There are several seasons of animated SW content, with Clone Wars and Rebels, that are really good. My friend, author Eric San Juan turned me on to some of these episodes, and I was very impressed. The writing, character development and direction there is also far superior to either the prequels or the sequels.

Back to season 2…

Of course, leading up to the big finale, Grogu has been abducted by Moff Fring’s forces, and it’s up to Mando and his band to save him.

It’s kind of incredible how Giancarlo Esposito seems to be popping up as the big bad everywhere–to me, anyway–as I just happen to watch this, and The Boys, where yep, he’s once again big bad. I hope he sends Vince Gilligan a Christmas card every year. But I digress…

The finale was very good, with a couple surprises and guest stars (unless you were spoiled by the usual idiots on YouTube).

Going forward, it seems like it’s going to be a fairly different show for obvious reasons, but I look forward to it. And this was news to me— I never wait for any kind of after credit sequence but as this was the finale, I decided to wait it out and BOOM, a whole scene! So now I have to wonder if every ep had post credit bits.

But will I go back…..?