Movie Talk - Avengers: Endgame

Well, we’re right on the eve of a new year. Before the year ends, I want to get back to the superhero genre for a minute. I finally re-watched Avengers: Endgame yesterday. I needed something to be playing while I was doing some work in quarantine, and it was time to revisit it. I’ve been kinda mum on Marvel this year here, so why not end it with the conclusion to Infinity War?

Avengers: Endgame was released during April of 2019. It was the long-awaited sequel to Avengers: Infinity War where Thanos basically wrecked the universe. I saw it solo since I knew Liz wasn’t going to sit through 3 hours at a movie theatre. Thankfully, I wasn’t there alone since pretty much everyone was out to see this movie. The theatre was pack to the teeth, and I almost didn’t find a seat. Since I knew that the movies were loosely following the comics, I didn’t know what to expect, but I did end up seeing a couple of spoilers online.

Movie Talk - Avengers: Infinity War

Well, we’re on the precipice of a big event… the release of Ma starring Olivia Spencer. I don’t know where this movie’s gonna go but—oh yeah, there’s that independent movie featuring the Avengers and Grimace’s evil cousin, Thanos, being released on April 26th. That’s the one I might not be able to see that day because I haven’t gotten my ticket yet. I don’t think Liz would even  be into a possibly 3-hour movie either. Anyway, we’re definitely in the endgame now. Before I get there, I wanted to look at the other Marvel movies I haven’t talked about here. So, it’s Avengers: Infinity War for this post. The other two will get their own post.

 I saw Infinity War last year when it was released at Pulaski’s theatre. I also recently re-watched it on Netflix. I did plan on talking about it last year, but I never got the chance to. It’s pretty much what the MCU has been building up to over the last 6 years. Here, Thanos and his Black Order start to form the Infinity Gauntlet, a device made up of six powerful stones. When put together, the wearer has the ability to rewrite reality. Since this is a major threat to the whole universe, the Avengers aren’t the only heroes on deck for this one. We got Doctor Strange, the Guardians of the Galaxy, the Black Panther, and Spider-Man to thwart this threat. Would it be enough to stop Thanos and his reign of terror? Well, since Avengers: Endgame is about to be released, you can kind of guess that unfortunate answer.

Random Thoughts On... Marvel's Secret Invasion

If you thought I was done with Not-so-Secret Invasion, guess again! It’s time to see if this event was worth taking up 8 months of real time. I guess I’ll start at the usual place: the beginning. Hopefully, this all makes some sense to the layman.

In the Beginning…

Secret Invasion as a concept was created by the event’s writer, Brian Michael Bendis. At this point, he had been the main event person for Marvel. He had stuff like Avengers Disassembled, Secret War, and House of M under his belt. He also revamped the Avengers into the New Avengers. He even had a small hand in Civil War.  This was when I really came into current comics stuff. I didn’t get much but I paid attention online. Marvel’s Message Boards (and DC’s too) were a help in that regard. That was how I kept up with Civil War and quite a few other books.

Talk about a shock for everyone.

Movie Talk - Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, and Doctor Strange

Since Avengers: Infinity War is finally hitting theaters in April (I’m glad they moved it up so I can use that weekend for other things), it’s finally time to look at the other movies in the MCU. Right before Avengers: Age of Ultron was released, I pretty much went through every MCU movie released at that time. While I’ve given a little opinion on these movies in other posts, it’s time to revisit some of them. I was trying to get this out but one, "little" movie kept holding me up.

Since I got seven movies (Infinity War will be its own post), I’m splitting this up. Today, it’s Ant-Man, Captain America: Civil War, and Doctor Strange. I pretty much saw all of these movies in theaters. I was able to re-watch Civil War and Dr. Strange on Netflix somewhat recently. As for Ant Man, I had to look for that elsewhere.

Random Thoughts On... Al Ewing's Mighty Avengers

So how do I start this post out? Hmm…

“Wait, Al Ewing’s not black? I’m kinda shocked to find that out! Still, nice job dude!”

For a while now, I’ve been going through different runs of comics physically or through apps like Marvel Unlimited. One series I was somewhat curious about was Al Ewing’s run on Mighty Avengers. It was a series that was supposed to take lesser known known Marvel superheroes and team them up. The interesting thing was that the team was mostly full of minority characters. I was curious about getting the series, but when I saw Greg Land was doing the art, I said “Nah.” After re-reading it and it’s “sequel,” Captain America and The Mighty Avengers, I’m kind of regretting that.

Volume 2 of Mighty Avengers started to hit shelves in 2014 right as the umpteenth Marvel crossover, Infinity, was coming out. Luke Cage and a few other lesser-known heroes (including Spider-Man at times) decided to create a new team. Unlike the big-leagues, they were more interested in helping the common folk. They even set up a call center at their headquarters in Gem Theater. After 14 issues, the book was then relaunched as Captain America and the Mighty Avengers (CAATMA) just in time for Marvel’s other umpteenth crossover, AXIS. It then came to an end at nine issues as the next crossover event, Secret Wars, was starting up… are you seeing a pattern?

Anyway, I came across the series during my read-through of Johnathan Hickman’s runs on Avengers and New Avengers. I was going to talk about it last month, but I’m lazy when it comes to this stuff, so you’re getting it here. Al Ewing, who’s still at it these days, helmed the book for all its duration. The run did have multiple artists, though. On pencils, we had the aforementioned Greg Land, Valerio Schiti, Salvador Larroca, Luke Ross, and Iban Coello. Most of the pencillers like Ross, Larroca, Schiti, and Coello provided inks for their own work. Other inking was done by Jay Liesten. The colorists were Frank D’Amata, Edgar Delgado, Matt Milla, and Rachelle Rosenburg. The lettering was done by Cory Petit and Travis Lanham.

Okay, I can either pick Captain America, Ryu, Wolverine, or that weird catlady from Deathstalkers to beat this mofo.

Favorites – 12 Favorite Black Characters in Comic Books

You know, I really haven’t done much for Black History Month here. I tend not to do much in February anyway. Heck, I’d rather talk about us any other time. Why regulate blackness to one month anyway? Maybe I shouldn’t complain since a lot of history could and does get swept under the rug. It’s also possible that I’m just filling up space with this paragraph. After all, I’m usually a dude with few words.

Since it’s Black History Month and Black Panther is finally coming to theaters, it’s time to get to this post. I’ve wanted to do this for a while but never knew when to do it. While there aren’t many, there are some cool black characters in comics. While some of them aren’t necessarily my favorites, there are some I really like. I especially like when they’re actually well-written. I’d probably say that Marvel uses them better but DC has good ones too. So, here are some of my favorite Black characters from comic books. It’s also not in any order either. First, I have some honorable mentions:

• Bishop (Marvel) – Lucas Bishop’s up here mostly because he may be the second black superhero I ever ran across. For those who don’t know, he’s another X-Man from the future. I first saw him on the 90’s X-Men cartoon. I thought his power set (he can absorb energy and use that energy) was pretty cool. There’s also the fact that was one of the only X-Men who had sense to carry weapons. That being said, I was not a fan of what the writers did with the character around the late 2000’s. How can you turn one of the only black dudes on the X-Men into a villain? At least he’s not like that now.
• Falcon (Marvel) – Sam Wilson isn’t really one of my favorites. Guys who fly and can communicate with birds aren’t my thing. I also haven’t read much of anything with him in it. Still, I did like his turn as Captain America when he was written by Nick Spencer. Yeah, it’s the guy who made Steve Rogers into a fascist. We can’t all be perfect. Also, Anthony Mackie has been killing it in the MCU. Maybe he gets to wield a shield in a later movie?
• Black Lightning (DC) – Then, there’s DC’s first black superhero. As you can tell by the name, Black Lightning has power over electricity. I really didn’t see any of Jefferson Pierce until Infinite Crisis. He was pretty cool in Brad Meltzer’s run on JLA. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen much from him since then. I haven’t even gotten to watch the CW show yet. I’ve heard that it’s good, so here’s hoping I can get some more Lightning goodness there.
• Bronze Tiger (DC) – Ben Turner, aka Bronze Tiger, is pretty much in the antihero side of things. While he has been a villain (especially on CW’s Arrow), he’s sometimes a good guy. I talked about him last month. While I haven’t read a lot on him, I like what I’ve read so far. He’s just a dude who’s awesome at martial arts. That’s cool to me. If you saw what I was posting last month, you’d see that.

Favorites –16 TV Shows That Ended Too Soon

With everything that’s going on these days, we may have something pretty good to look forward too: another season of Young Justice. This was one show that I felt got cut down too soon. It ended with a crapload of stuff left to talk about. When you have the Lord of Apokalips show up in the last minute of your show, you better do something with it! I hate it when shows get cut off too soon. It definitely sucks when they’re just one season in. Even when it’s lasted for a few years, something happens and it’s gone like a fart in the wind or something.

So, here are a few shows that went away too soon. If you notice some popular underrated shows missing, that’s because I can only do so much. Besides, Pushing Daisies didn’t sound like my thing. There were a couple of shows that went away before I could get invested in them like Almost Human and a couple of others. Whether they were animated or live-action, there have been ones that I was pretty sad to see go. The list isn’t in complete order, but the first few are ones that I still feel jaded on.

Trade Tales! - Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 9: Ultimate Six

Let’s see if I can keep the Ultimate Spider-Man juice up for a while. As for the latest news, we have finally seen what Spidey will look like in Captain America: Civil War. It was only a glimpse but he did look fine. It’s definitely got a classic look to it.  I’ve gotta see what’s up with those eyes though. I still wish other movies didn’t get pushed back for another Spider-Man movie, but I just have to get over that.

Today’s trade is a bit of a mix. Ultimate Six includes Ultimate Spider-Man #53 and a seven-issue mini-series that came out between 2003 and 2004. As you could probably tell by the title, it has to do with this universe’s version of the Sinister Six, a team of Spider-Man’s villains. Not only is it that, it’s also a place where the Ultimates (This universe’s Avengers) basically get to do something after their first series came to an end. Brian Michael Bendis writes it all. The regular team of Bagley and Thibert handle the USM issue. For Ultimate Six, Trevor Hairsine is the penciller and Danny Miki handles the inking. Former EiC Joe Quesada also penciled some pages of the mini.

Ultimate Spider-Man Volume 9: Ultimate Six

Writer: Brian Michael Bendis

Pencils: Mark Bagley, Trevor Hairsine, and Joe Quesada

Inks: Art Thibert and Danny Miki

Colors: Dave Stewart, Ian Hannin, Avalon Studios, Transparency Digital, and Richard Isanove

Letters: Chris Eliopoulos

Movie Talk - The Avengers and Avengers: Age of Ultron

Well, it’s finally time to have to talk about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. I don’t want to get these movies mixed up with that one Avengers movie that had Uma Thurman and Sean Connery in it. I never saw that one. Also, if you’re wondering why this is in Sci-Fi Month, that answer is simple. We got aliens, evil A.I., mutants (sort of), super soldiers, a guy in a mech suit, and the Hulk. I think that answers it.

Anyway, I first saw The Avengers when it was released in theatres. I saw it with the same friend I saw the first Captain America movie with. I have seen it once since then by renting it. As for Avengers: Age of Ultron, I saw it a couple of weeks ago after church. I was getting tired of avoiding spoilers on the Internet, so I did a solo run. I was planning on going to see it again with a friend but she actually got free tickets to Mad Max: Fury Road (a really fun movie). Besides, I got enough from the first viewing to talk about it.

Movie Talk - Captain America in the MCU

Since the Avengers are popping up in theatres next month, I think it’s finally time to look at all of the Marvel Cinematic movies. The only ones I won’t touch are The Incredible Hulk and The Avengers. I went into depth with TIH last month and I might as well save The Avengers for the eventual look at the new movie. Today, it’ll be Captain America’s movies.

I’ve got to say that I’ve started to gain a fondness for Captain America over the last few years. He’s pretty much the essential part of the Avengers. Without him, it doesn’t feel right. The movies have definitely helped in that growing fondness. I saw Captain America: The First Avenger with a friend in Smyrna. It was also the first time I went to Panda Express. As for the sequel, I really wanted to see this one in theatres and was able to do so. I also made these movies a part of my re-watch.

Movie Talk - Marvel Animated Features Part 2: Other Heroes

In part 2 of this three-part venture, I’ll be looking at the movies from this series that are solo adventures. I’ll be looking at The Invincible Iron Man, Doctor Strange, and Thor: Tales of Asgard. Iron Man's movie and Doctor Strange were both released in 2007 while the Thor movie was released in 2011. I actually bought IIM back in 2007 at Wal-Mart. I actually don’t have it now and I’ll tell you why when I get to the movie. I rented Doctor Strange from a video store when it was released. As for Tales of Asgard, this is the first time I’ve seen the movie and I’ll get to why later.

The Invincible Iron Man

This is pretty much the origin of Iron Man… sort of. I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be in the continuity of the other Ultimate Avengers movies are not. It might as well be since Marc Worden is voicing Iron Man here as well. In the movie, Tony Stark and James Rhodes get taken hostage by a group of Chinese militants when they accidentally unleash a prophecy involving the Mandarin. During his captivity, Tony falls in love with Li Mei, one of the women there. He and Rhodey are able to escape with the help of a suit Tony created during their captivity. When Tony finds out that the prophecy of the Mandarin is real, he uses his resources to combat his enemies and save the day.

Movie Talk - Marvel Animated Features Part 1: The Avengers

For my first step into the world of the Avengers, I’m actually going to look at some direct-to-DVD movies that Marvel did a few years ago. Before DC got its stuff together with its animated market, Marvel started off with its own in 2006 with its release of Ultimate Avengers.  They teamed up with Lions Gate Films to put out movies at about twice a year.  All of the movies from that line are on Netflix, so you know what I’m gonna do. Instead of talking about them all in one post, I’ll spread them out according to hero. Today, it’s the Avengers.

Ultimate Avengers was released in early 2006 while its sequel, Ultimate Avengers 2: Rise of the Panther, was released in the fall of 2006. The next Avengers-themed movie to come out from this venture was Next Avengers: Heroes of Tomorrow and it was released in 2008. I bought the first movie and still own it to this day. I rented Rise of the Panther from Hollywood Video while I was in college. As for Next Avengers, I waited a long time until I just decided to see it on Netflix some months ago. Since the Ultimate Avengers movies are also on Netflix, I decided to re-watch them again. So, what do I think about them now? Find out below.

Random Thoughts #35 - Ice, Ice, Baby

Well, it’s cold, wet, and everything in between. The weather’s been weird this year, hasn’t it? Since I haven’t done this in a while, it’s time for another installment of Random Thoughts.

The Weather

Man, this weather’s annoying. One day, it’s sleeting. Another day, it’s raining. Then, you get the occasional snow day. I bet some bozo and his kids prayed really hard to get stuff to come here. They might have even done some dancing. Whatever the reason, just know that it’s been a challenge. I did have one mishap during the time with the ice a couple of weeks ago. I was already driving slow one night, but I skidded down a hill where a red light was. Thankfully, there were no other cars around and I found a nicely placed ice mound to stop in. It looks like I’ll have to start praying and dancing to get this weather to leave. I know God would at least be amused at my moves.

Uber-Gritty Power Rangers? Eh…”Meh”

So, there is this short film out called Power/Rangers and it’s basically a really grim and gritty version of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. If you’re gonna watch it, wait till you get home. It’s got some noticeable actors in it like Katee Sachoff and James Van Der Beek. Some folk like it and others don’t. Even Jason David Frank (the Green/White/Red/Black Ranger) even chimed in on it.  I saw it and I thought it was a little dull. Apparently, it was a parody that was making fun of Hollywood griming up stuff just to do it. I think it succeeded in that.

Is it possible to make a series or movie that is dark and mature? It is possible to make a series that’s darker but there has to be some lightheartedness to it. The show has had seasons where it’s gotten bleak for the Rangers. Look at seasons like Power Rangers in Space, Power Rangers Time Force, and Power Rangers RPM. Heck, even other seasons that weren’t really dark had some pretty dark moments. I know that someone is actually working another Power Rangers movie, so I hope it’s a bit like some of the seasons I’ve mentioned.

Movies

Well, it’s getting to that time and I have some movies that I want to see this year. Now, some of the ones I’ll mention are already in theatres.

• The Kingsmen Service – It looks like this might be one to see. It’s directed by Matthew Vaughn and the reviews look nice. I may wait for it to come out on DVD though.
• Jupiter Ascending - I know, I know. The reviews and most folk think this movie is crap. Still, it might be funny crap, so I'll see it when it comes out on DVD.
• Selma – I know I’ll probably see this when it comes out on DVD.
• Chappie – This looks like it might be a good sci-fi film. The director of District 9 is behind it, so it might be a watch.
• Avengers: Age of Ultron – ‘Nuff Said. I’ll be there.
• Ant-Man – I’m not sure about this one. I’m not a fan of the character but this could be good. I’ll wait for the word of mouth.
• Mad Max: Fury Road – I might see this one. I’m not sure yet.
• Jurassic World – I know I’ll possibly see this in theatres.
• Terminator Genisys – Even though it has that horrible misspelled title, I kind of want to see it. I might wait on the DVD though.
• Fantastic Four – Yes, I’m somewhat interested in the film. While the Fantastic Four isn’t one of my favorite superhero teams, I do like the team. If the word of mouth is good, I’ll probably see it in theatres.
• The Man From U.N.C.L.E – Superman and a guy who almost played Batman are starring in a Guy Ritchie movie… I might see this.
• Straight Outta Compton – You know, I might want to see this and I don’t even listen to N.W.A.
• Spectre – I’ll probably end up seeing the next James Bond movie in theatres.
• Star Wars: The Force Awakens – I’m already there with my cloak and saber.

Women

Hmm… yeah, I got nothing to say about women this time. I will say that they are a perplexing sort.

The Avengers

Since Avengers: Age of Ultron is coming out later this year, I’m going to look at some stuff related to the team. It’s not going to be a themed month since I have one of those coming up in May. Still, I do want to look at some comics and movies/TV shows that involve the team as well as some of the characters in this coming movie like Cap and the Hulk. Stay tuned.

R.I.P., Leonard Nimoy

I had to make this unfortunate last addition to the list. Leonard Nimoy just passed today at the old age of 83 from COPD. As I said on Facebook, the man lived a long and prosperous life. He had a long career in Hollywood, he had many interests, and he helped influence a generation. His contributions to the scifi community won’t be forgotten. He also seemed like a nice guy. He’s definitely going to be missed by a lot of people including me.

Well, that’s all I got for today. I wish I could end it happier, so here’s something that might make you smile. Peace, God Bless, and be safe out there.

This needs music.

Random Thoughts #28 - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Man, I got to finish that book. I stopped reading it when it started to get interesting. I got it at the library in Pulaski and it goes back Sunday. Luckily, it’s kind of a brisk read. Before I get to finishing that book and trying to seek out some movie called Blade Runner, here are a couple of random thoughts. I will say that work’s good and that I have nothing to say about women as of now.

The library is a wonderful place!

Yes, I stand by that statement. Looking at text on a screen can get a bit boring especially when you work in that field. So, I try to go to the library whenever I’m in the hometown. They actually have a good selection of Hardcovers and Trade Paperbacks. During my latest look, I decided to pick up “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” and finish it out. I also picked up a couple of other books that I kind of want to quickly talk about:

• Avengers: Endless Wartime – I was wondering how this was, so I picked it up. Recently, Marvel has started to release Graphic Novels in the same way DC releases their Earth One GNs. The key difference is that this is in continuity. The overall plot revolves around the Avengers going up against a threat from Thor and Captain America’s past. Overall, it was okay, but not that good. The dialogue was Whedon-like, but the overall story was full of “meh.” The artwork was also pretty dull and that’s weird because Mike McKone did the artwork. He’s usually better than this, so I don’t know what was going on there. The book pretty much exists because of the Avengers movie. That entire cast of characters is there as well as Wolverine and Captain Marvel. If you don’t read comics much, you might like this. Other fans might not like it as much.
• Batman and Philosophy: The Dark Knight of the Soul – Yes, I picked it up. “Don’t judge me,” I sarcastically say! It was one of those last-second grabs. The book is full of articles from different people and they try to enter philosophy into certain aspects of the character. They talk about why Batman does what he does and throw in names like Kant and Aristotle. I’ve only read a few of the articles and it’s okay. I’m not into philosophy much, so this has little interest with me. Also add the fact that a lot of the things have been talked about everywhere else online. It’s alright for those who want want to mix philosophy and Batman together.

Martial Arts Month

That’s right, folks! It’s a themed month based on the arts of martial… yeah, I’ll never say that again. Anyway, this basically gives me a little time to give a look at the different media that’s based around martial arts. While I really didn’t study martial arts, I’ve always had a love for it and the many styles. It mostly comes from movies and TV shows I’ve seen and my dad. I know that I’m going to look at some things that involve a certain bad mofo by the name of Bruce Lee. I will try to look at some other martial arts actors and their movies. I got a couple of comics I want to talk about and one of them is a Bruce Lee comic from the 90’s... be afraid and prepare to laugh. I also have a couple of surprises in store, so stay tuned. 

.............

Well, I’m out of things to say. If this is my last post for the year, I want to wish you a Merry Christmas, A Happy Kwanza, a happy Hanukkah (a belated one), a Happy Beer Day, Happy Black Thursday, and a Happy New Year. I wanted to get include them all today. Peace, God Bless, and be with your loved ones in this pretty hectic time.

Random Thoughts #14

Well, I'm in the city (for once), I'm burning up, and I'm looking at a pile of cheap comics I got today. I think it's time for some random thoughts.

Graphic Novels - JLA/Avengers

Graphic Novels - JLA/Avengers (aka Avengers/JLA)

Writer: Kurt Busiek
Artist: George Perez

While I am still trying to finish the 6th volume of Teen Titans, I have decided to hold it off for a moment and talk about the greatest crossover ever: JLA/Avengers. I had planned on getting this eventually, but I didn’t want the tpb. I ended up finding all four issues for about…I don’t even remember. All I know is that I got it cheap. The basic story is that some big evil threatens just about every universe, and it’s up to the JLA and the Avengers to stop it. I’ll do this like I did Legends: quick synopsis (A LOT happens in these four issues), opinion, and highlights. Before I do that, here’s the creative team:

Kurt Busiek – a long time writer. He’s most known for his work on Marvel’s Marvels (with Alex Ross), Astro City (which I’ve heard is good), and the revival of the Avengers in the late 90’s. He’s also done work on the Superman books Post-IC, Static Shock, and DC’s Trinity(don't know about that one).

George Perez – a legendary artist. He does both the pencils and inks for the book. COIE, New Teen Titans, Action Comics (as a writer as well), Avengers, Perez has done a lot of stuff for comics in the last few decades.

So here I go: