This is Halloween 5 - The Blade Trilogy

 

Well, it’s about time I talked about the Daywalker. I think I was going to do this years ago because I had the DVD set of the whole trilogy and the Spike TV series. “Had” is the key word because I think someone took it from my collection. I originally was going to talk about Blade: Trinity in the last post, but after watching Blade 2 as well on Hulu, I knew it was time to talk about these movies.

Now, I’m probably a casual fan of Blade at best. I’ve really only been exposed to his movies, that Spike TV series (yes, he had a TV show and it was weird), his guest appearances in cartoons, and a few comics like Mighty Avengers. I haven’t really read any of his solo work, but that should change soon. For those who don’t know, Blade first appeared in 1974 in Tomb of Dracula as a black vampire hunter who wasn’t a half-human/half-vampire hybrid yet. That came in the 90’s where Marvel started to use him more. The first time I saw him was in the 90’s Spider-Man cartoon where Spidey was going up against Morbius.

New World Pictures got the rights to do Blade in the 90’s when Marvel was selling off film rights for money. David Goyer took on the writing duties for all the films. As for Blade himself, Wesley Snipes took up the challenge. Blade was eventually released in 1998 and was well received. I remember seeing this play a lot on TBS back then. Blade 2 came in 2002, and Blade: Trinity was released in 2004. I vaguely remember that the VHS for Blade 2 was jacked up, so I missed out on part of it. As for Blade: Trinity, I think I saw it  on MTSU’s Movie channel or I rented it from the Hollywood Video down the street. I was sad when they closed up. So, how do these three hold up?

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 - 20 Best Casting Decisions in Comic Book Movies

Now that I’ve gotten through with the disappointments, I can now look at the good casting decisions. Thankfully, there have been more good ones than bad. You’ll have some actors that’ll do a fine job. They’re not bad, just average. Then you get the folk who absolutely rule in the part. They’re lauded for the role and you wonder if anyone could fill the actor' shoes. Unfortunately, there are a lot of them, so choosing ten great casting decisions in comic book movies would be a little hard. In saying that, here are my 20 best casting decisions in comic book movies. Did you really think I could stop at ten?

20. Jackie Earl Haley as Rorschach (Watchmen) – While I’m not the biggest fan of the story nor movie, I thought Haley was well casted as the Question look-alike. Haley definitely brought the crazed vigilante to life in that movie. He brought out the roughness and grit with that voice of his. He was definitely one of the highlights there.

19. Kelsey Grammar as Beast (X-Men: The Last Stand) – Who do you think could really play Dr. Hank McCoy? I can’t really think of too many actors who could pull off that role. Who ever asked him to be in the movie deserves some reward. Kelsey Grammar was a bright spot in a really lackluster movie. He felt like Beast to me with the look and the dialogue. I just wish we got more of him in the movie and in general.

18. Ron Pearlman as Hellboy (The Hellboy movies) – Ron Pearlman was a nice pick for Hellboy. The guy just has a knack for playing masked characters. It’s his portrayal of Hellboy that basically pulled me into that world. I don’t follow the character much but if he is anything like Pearlman portrayed, then I may be checking some of those comics out one day.

17. Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury (Marvel Cinematic) – (imitating SLJ) YEAH, I SAID IT! WHAT’S WRONG WITH A BLACK NICK FURY ANYWAY? NOTHING, THAT’S WHAT, SUCKA! In all seriousness, I liked him in the role. He may not have been the quintessential version of the character, but he was good all the same. Besides, it’s Samuel L. Jackson. Who else would you get to play a cool secret agent who leads SHIELD? Don’t say David Hasselhoff!

16. Gary Oldman as Commissioner James Gordon (Nolan’s Batman trilogy) – Gary Oldman, a guy who could play just about anyone, was perfect for the role of James Gordon in Nolan’s Batman movies. Unlike past Gordons, this one actually did stuff. He and Batman really felt like a team and Oldman played that really well.

15. Elias Koteas as Casey Jones (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) – For those who don’t remember, TMNT was based on the comics. Heck, the first movie’s story was adapted from the comics. I thought and still think the casting of Koteas as Casey was pretty perfect for that movie. He was one of the best parts to the original and I really can’t see anyone else playing that part. He was cool, snarky, and a little crazy. There aren’t many vigilantes who’ll use sports equipment to teach some “JV low-lifes” a lesson. He was even a bright spot in that pit of darkness called Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3.