tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87113646357345090302024-03-13T03:03:42.082-07:00Lido ShuffleAn in-depth geek media blog that covers movies, TV, comic books, and more. From casting news to recounting pop culture history, Lido Shuffle is your obsessive nerd source emitting pure geeky knowledge on all the topical nerd stories. Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.comBlogger728125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-63315868587535630702019-04-12T21:12:00.000-07:002019-04-12T21:12:11.901-07:00Panel Vision - 9 Possible Characters for Shazam 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Judging by its sizable opening I’m assuming by now most folks have seen the infectiously enjoyable <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This movie has turned into a real slam dunk for the haggard DC Entertainment and seems to mark a turning point where their movies go from polarizing dregs like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Suicide Squad</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dawn of Justice</i> to a new era of popular if disconnected hits like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aquaman</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In any event, WB seems to have faith in this as they’ve already re-upped the creative team behind <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> to begin work on a sequel, which means I get to start speculating on who we might see in said sequel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not going to address the very obvious appearances in the sequel set-up by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i>’s post-credits scene but there are still a number of characters from the Shazam mythos and beyond that, I think we can expect to see in whatever adventures are next in store for Shazam and his marvelous family.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b><u>BLACK ADAM</u></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">DC is SO desperate to make a Black Adam movie it’s almost embarrassing at this point, especially given Black Adam hasn’t really been a popular anti-hero in comics since the 2000s ended.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Regardless, the fact WB has locked down The Rock for a solo Black Adam movie AND featured Easter Egg references to him in </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Shazam</i><span style="font-size: large;"> feels like a pretty good indicator that “not your dad’s Shazam” will be appearing in the sequel in some capacity.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">A lot of that has to do with the guy running DC Entertainment and whose work has, for some reason, been the most central to the </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Shazam</i><span style="font-size: large;"> adaptation Geoff Johns.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Johns is a good writer and basically rescued Black Adam from relative obscurity in the early 2000s by making him an anti-hero on DC’s team book Justice Society of America.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m not sure how they’d integrate the character seamlessly into the new set-up of the movies though.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">In the comics, he was a hero in ancient North Africa who used his powers to murder the man who killed his family and then spent eons banished beyond the stars before returning to the Earth.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">I could believe that </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">Shazam 2</i><span style="font-size: large;"> would set-up Adam through the maze of realms and doors in the Rock of Eternity, with his return facilitating that solo movie they keep trying to launch though I doubt he’ll be the prime antagonist.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">IBAC/SABBAC</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These guys are so similar it didn’t really feel necessary to give them discrete entries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re both more B-grade Shazam villains but they’re the kind of disposable over-muscled bad guy you want on hand in an action-adventure flick to fill out the fight scenes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re both basically evil versions of Shazam who aren’t as powerful and draw their abilities from different magic word acrostics, as well as both fairly normal people in real life who only become “evil” in their transformed state.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sabbac seems the more likely of the two to appear given his very cool satanic visual design and the fact his powers are all Satan based, including flight and fire projection similar to Shazam’s lightning powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, Sabbac appeared in the New 52 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> comics that were a key point of inspiration for the new movie so he does seem more likely though I personally prefer Ibac because he’s just so much weirder.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than drawing his powers from biblical and mythic figures or Satans his powers all come from real historical figures: Ivan the Terrible, Cesare Borgia, Atilla the Hun, and Caligula.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s that kind of nonsense that keeps me coming to the Shazam mythos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE MONSTER SOCIETY OF EVIL</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, not technically a single character, but the Monster Society of Evil is such a core part of the Shazam villain mythos I’ll frankly be shocked if this isn’t the subtitle of the next film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their ranks include Dr. Sivana and Mr. Mind, Shazam’s 2 largest looming archenemies, but also include a whole host of attendant Shazam villains who might not be compelling enough to work as a primary antagonist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Folks like Mr. Atom, a killer atomic robot mastermind, or Oom, a bizarre ogre-like monster, these guys aren’t really masterminds or marquis value baddies but they’d make a solid roster of super-foes to throw at the Shazamily, especially given how many of them are kaiju-sized beasts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After already seeing the Shazam team take on a bunch of monsters at the end of the first movie going up against a horde of kaiju like this would be a really solid acceleration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">TAWKY TAWNY</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this is a weird part of the Shazam mythos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, the entire mythos is weird, it’s basically launched by “a wizard did it” and stays at the random energy all throughout, but Tawky Tawny is the kind of weirdness you have to be wheeled into slowly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a Tiger Prince from parts unknown that is a friend and occasional legal guardian to Billy, Freddy, and Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was his ORIGINAL form anyway, he’s been through a NUMBER of re-imaginings but he’s almost always come back to the Shazam mythos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the ‘90s they reworked him into Mary’s imaginary friend only to return to his talking anthropomorphic tiger form in the mid-2000s now with the ability to turn into a giant tiger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The giant tiger form was how he appeared most recently in the comics but given the cameo by the Crocodile-Men in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> and the ending promise of the “7 Realms” (a VERY recent concoction) I wouldn’t be surprised if we returned to the classic Tawky Tawny for the second film, which is probably for the best as a well-spoken and bespoke suited tiger man is his best iteration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">UNCLE MARVEL</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is one I’m a bit unsure of but Uncle Marvel, like Tawky Tawny, is such an ingrained part of the Shazam lore it’s hard to imagine them cutting him out of the movies entirely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, in the original comics, Billy was an orphan save for his uncle Dudley, who would sporadically act as Billy’s guardian, a role he shared with Tawky Tawny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly he shared the role because Uncle Dudley was a cowardly con man, usually looking to swindle or scam someone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He’s a cartoon uncle in the same vein as Wimpy from the Popeye cartoons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s also the only adult to know Billy’s secret and so created his own costumed identity Uncle Marvel (this was back when Shazam was called Captain Marvel) even though he didn’t have any powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an adorable idea and he usually makes for a fun character, caught between his desire for easy money and his genuine love for Billy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure there’s room for Uncle Dudley with the Foster Family stuff we’ve already seen established but I’m not ready to write him off just yet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE SIVANA FAMILY</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is the good weird stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So my biggest complaint about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> was easily their vision of Dr. Thaddeus Bodawg Sivana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were never going to get a comics-accurate Sivana, largely because that character is a pointy-eared little troll of a person with an unplaceable accent, he’s basically a living cartoon character you can’t adapt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, my hope for the sequel is that we do get the mad science version of Sivana that he was in the comics for DECADES before the nowhere near as good version from the recent stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from the mad science angle comic, Sivana has also been defined by his role as a single father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, someone had kids with this weirdo and not only that they had 4 kids: Sivana Jr. and Georgia, who take after their dad, and Beautie and Magnificus, who take after their mother Venus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sivana’s family has always been a humanizing element, much as it was in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> with the way his origin is basically about getting even with his monster of a father.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d love to see him actually sporting a family maybe even with the resolution that he’ll never be the kind of dismissive jerk his own dad was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now we’re getting pretty obscure and unlikely, though I would relish these two getting recycled back into the Shazam continuity already.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cooked up by Shazam mega-fan and mega-scribe Jerry Ordway in the ‘90s, Satanus and Blaze were initially Superman villains who later transitioned into Shazam foes after it was revealed they were the children of the old Wizard that gave Billy his powers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was about the most development the old Wizard got before the more recent New 52 stuff, which is why I'm more dubious to its inclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All the more recent Shazam comic stuff was written by Geoff Johns who, aside from running DC Entertainment, has some serious hang-ups about making his version of things the ONLY version, hence why stuff like the 7 Realms and 7 thrones got integrated into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> (2019) despite being introduced in 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Still, they would probably make a solid set-up for a third film if we saw them banging around the Rock of Eternity or whatever the 7 realms end up being, especially given their family connections are a natural set-up for a through line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4f3FFPPsAE51SKn_0P1YwpKYSFDuGphjN9phHf-FDg1B6nUl-QyT5z3QKoqiWAFO2XNhGUR4O0Pv9wcgLd4MDD5YqC9yjVRQXITMwBsZ6kV9upT-o9tygvwsQYo8LzqL8Ha1X-ohBL34/s1600/shazam2_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQ4f3FFPPsAE51SKn_0P1YwpKYSFDuGphjN9phHf-FDg1B6nUl-QyT5z3QKoqiWAFO2XNhGUR4O0Pv9wcgLd4MDD5YqC9yjVRQXITMwBsZ6kV9upT-o9tygvwsQYo8LzqL8Ha1X-ohBL34/s640/shazam2_9.jpg" width="366" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here’s another Black Adam related character and one I’d expect to see in the form of an Easter Egg or Reference rather than a full-on cameo.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Isis was a fairly obscure character from the 1970s, originally appearing as a new superhero on the live action <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> TV show before she got a very short-lived DC comic series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She never made main continuity appearances until the mid-2000s when she was introduced as Black Adam’s new wife.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In that continuity, her powers were derived from a special necklace and were based around the same magic as the Shazam family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Given the plans for the Black Adam movie and how much <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> used the Rock of Eternity as a treasure room full of Easter Eggs having the Isis necklace pop up in the background would be a really easy way to set up her presence for future films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s actually proved fairly popular in a reworked form on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legends of Tomorrow</i> but that will probably have concluded its run by the time <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam 2</i> hits theaters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpMf5Lby-NE9sFe8iH4pBje811ZxXcsp3L22vOf8JUeSjcH7t8hCLuuZXY9OXDho0EY5jrTRdc67IiCs_j27LZpK9zmRcSrQMloBQoScIxtFieKo41dychDiBpqd_95lNv53sO2N3XAJw/s1600/shazam2_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="1292" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVpMf5Lby-NE9sFe8iH4pBje811ZxXcsp3L22vOf8JUeSjcH7t8hCLuuZXY9OXDho0EY5jrTRdc67IiCs_j27LZpK9zmRcSrQMloBQoScIxtFieKo41dychDiBpqd_95lNv53sO2N3XAJw/s640/shazam2_10.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This one feels the most unlikely given how disconnected the DC movies are at this point but given the shock Superman cameo at the end of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> it seems like anything might happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mainly favor Wonder Woman for a spot in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam 2</i> because of how much they’re both caught up in big mythic magical ideas, Shazam even draws his powers from Zeus and Wonder Woman, in the DCEU, is the daughter of Zeus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, they shouldn’t play up this parallel too much as “continuity” seems to be the bane of the DCEU’s existence and the fact Zeus is dead in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonder Woman</i> and yet powering Shazam in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> absolutely does not need a whole movie to explain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This would be most interesting to just have Diana or even Paradise Island pop up as part of exploring the various mystic realms the Rock of Eternity is tied to, or even just having her show up to meet a fellow hero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-85897702809656505172019-04-09T06:00:00.000-07:002019-04-12T21:02:34.412-07:00Panel Vision - Shazam! Easter Eggs Explained<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFapDW-sh-dUn_w72dM3rg48Ne_4bdWYf_oZiZcux7RfZI9x1DuP8HVIX9PiouGCogLqmxQfrhyrQYCxZRt6sJ7zkUvxPxi1PdN6g-h5Lb4Jogy0XpqhYpsZrmv8Z_zWD1TwdAHpp4b71x/s1600/Panel_Vision_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFapDW-sh-dUn_w72dM3rg48Ne_4bdWYf_oZiZcux7RfZI9x1DuP8HVIX9PiouGCogLqmxQfrhyrQYCxZRt6sJ7zkUvxPxi1PdN6g-h5Lb4Jogy0XpqhYpsZrmv8Z_zWD1TwdAHpp4b71x/s640/Panel_Vision_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.patreon.com/LidoShuffleBlog">joining my Patreon.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> is upon us and, for a change of pace, DC’s new blockbuster seems to be doing really well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not a huge shake-up to be fair as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Aquaman</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonder Woman</i> both found a major audience and received overall positive reviews, it largely just feels like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i>’s place as the third success under DC’s belt has finally marked the company exiting the shadows and making good movies for a change.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big part of that change has been a shift in approach to the idea of continuity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Previously DC films were all about crafting a meticulous extended universe of inter-connected plot points and characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More recently that particular wrinkle has taken a serious backseat to things like good characters and fun action, which is absolutely for the best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it’s not as if the DC films are completely devoid of Easter Eggs, shocking cameos, or post-credit scene teases and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> was no exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, I’ve put together this list of 5 shocking appearances in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQmze2vwqcPy84zCIUKiCtLgyiXmKvUmgGedhkDub-aDaG3MQRLZ4fzfYxf1B1e7W5-5H6ghU_97q83JbCOUMi8qrVW0RvJQjTsJ-ejyqs_fbT0UK1EY7VgkqDq_JMfWNUlBAY1I4woYO/s1600/shazamEE_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQmze2vwqcPy84zCIUKiCtLgyiXmKvUmgGedhkDub-aDaG3MQRLZ4fzfYxf1B1e7W5-5H6ghU_97q83JbCOUMi8qrVW0RvJQjTsJ-ejyqs_fbT0UK1EY7VgkqDq_JMfWNUlBAY1I4woYO/s640/shazamEE_1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0Fjb5hJFR0O-QIfiZQRu7FjC-0gWPdy2El6QUMYHVj7-c2QsTZFyVZ46c8QYLC0e7QXm1M-9V9GQgmDz6Pwhddy1BLW7_SX_1O6pMqxn1qLqCVmmIlfV8m71d1Yf_qJbRsGR1lYAJx6W/s1600/shazamEE_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1036" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv0Fjb5hJFR0O-QIfiZQRu7FjC-0gWPdy2El6QUMYHVj7-c2QsTZFyVZ46c8QYLC0e7QXm1M-9V9GQgmDz6Pwhddy1BLW7_SX_1O6pMqxn1qLqCVmmIlfV8m71d1Yf_qJbRsGR1lYAJx6W/s640/shazamEE_2.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">MR. MIND</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you saw <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i> this little guy should look at least somewhat familiar as he appeared both as a prisoner in the anti-chamber of the Rock of Eternity and in the film’s first post-credits scene visiting Doctor Sivana in his cell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is Mr. Mind, a talking brain worm from the planet Venus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Mind is one of Shazam’s greatest enemies if not his outright arch-foe, having fought the entire Shazam family multiple times and formed and even forming the Monster Society of Evil, a team of supervillains dedicated to destroying Shazam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He’s an alien conqueror with the power to crawl into people’s brains and manipulate their actions, communicating via a radio around his neck, also he needs glasses because these comics were written for children and it absolutely shows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, I’m kind of amazed Mr. Mind made it into the final film let alone getting such a build up for a sequel but I’m incredibly pleased he did as he has a real habit of turning into a giant evil butterfly for final confrontations and that’s something I really want to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfWyDLM4OPD_oAjUOOyE5lWcKW8eMduT8-qa1q9jpSf64YK52RoTpeV_1Kh1453QRGFd35DvVQAg2V3OegLkWg3Gyuc54VZBmDy_YHZdAznTDkuXZ79_OxfgP36GQ0rP6CYDYpg_UbFAr/s1600/shazamEE_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="328" data-original-width="250" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmfWyDLM4OPD_oAjUOOyE5lWcKW8eMduT8-qa1q9jpSf64YK52RoTpeV_1Kh1453QRGFd35DvVQAg2V3OegLkWg3Gyuc54VZBmDy_YHZdAznTDkuXZ79_OxfgP36GQ0rP6CYDYpg_UbFAr/s640/shazamEE_3.png" width="486" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">BLACK ADAM</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from Sivana and Mr. Mind, Black Adam is one of Shazam’s most formidable and well-known enemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, it’s no surprise that he ended up getting a small cameo in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i>, especially given his origin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s basically the dark, anti-hero version of Shazam in that he was a champion for good in ancient North Africa before his family was murdered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He used his powers to exact vengeance on the killer and so became one of those heroes that kills bad guys to make a point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The movie version of Black Adam actually seems a tad more villainous than this as, according to the story of the fallen champion told by the old wizard Shazam, he set free the 7 Deadly Sins on the Earth wiping out whole peoples and civilizations.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">DC/WB has been desperate to make a Black Adam film for a long while now, even getting The Rock under contract to play the role well before the Shazam movie even had a star.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">As such his cameo is no surprise but it is a little bizarre they’ve upped his evil factor given his role as an anti-hero was the crux of his popularity in the mid-2000s.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbt7-EyHeOWKWFZLD0VoY7KWBLtyYcGYtJbkazTpdE43waTHSRl4r8hkCA_qPC3NgWVj_jm2vl7FX4NGoRUSuQ9cFRvy3daMzdYAEFqVUDPGiQ3Xe82jkNie4LzE99wBRTo1MFlHPT43Y/s1600/shazamEE_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="665" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGbt7-EyHeOWKWFZLD0VoY7KWBLtyYcGYtJbkazTpdE43waTHSRl4r8hkCA_qPC3NgWVj_jm2vl7FX4NGoRUSuQ9cFRvy3daMzdYAEFqVUDPGiQ3Xe82jkNie4LzE99wBRTo1MFlHPT43Y/s640/shazamEE_4.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was such an incredibly shocking and deep cut cameo I could barely find a good image for this entry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So if you don’t remember these guys because their appearance was incredibly brief, during <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam</i>’s climax Shazam and his family are rushing through the Rock of Eternity and stumble upon an array of doors.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Opening several doors at random, the biggest of them opens to a room where a trio of suit-wearing men with crocodile heads are playing cards and immediately try to attack our heroes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These are the Crocodile-Men, somewhat obscure Shazam villains from forever ago who tend to pop up sporadically as fun B and C level antagonists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve never really had a concrete leader, usually working as goons for the likes of Mr. Mind, but their presence has made crocodile people one of the core recurring visuals this series likes to blindside fans with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjablA4VVmdxJRVSQuPGHY9kRmc1AQXvR8NjjqZ9BsP4GcVQsMLdL3-JSPW4UdFpycssGzwL24pJXAULuRsh2XLp-xRzESAfO8JQJ7dlB96gjV4Y1shLFVyh6tD1xAIosj7ZRCDIRJO5GR8/s1600/shazamEE_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="590" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjablA4VVmdxJRVSQuPGHY9kRmc1AQXvR8NjjqZ9BsP4GcVQsMLdL3-JSPW4UdFpycssGzwL24pJXAULuRsh2XLp-xRzESAfO8JQJ7dlB96gjV4Y1shLFVyh6tD1xAIosj7ZRCDIRJO5GR8/s640/shazamEE_5.jpg" width="432" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another blink and you’ll miss it deep cut but one I actually don’t think is any kind of set-up or pay-off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During one of the scenes around Billy’s foster home, the youngest child Darla can be seen to have a pink plushy rabbit designed to look exactly like Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hoppy is a somewhat bizarre aspect of the Shazam family, dating back to the time Shazam was called Captain Marvel (hence Hoppy being the Marvel Bunny.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He’s an anthropomorphic pink rabbit who wears a Shazam costume and has all of Shazam’s powers and sapient intelligence.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s sort of like if Bugs Bunny was a superhero and is thoroughly bizarre, kind of a precursor to the various super pets that would eventually populate the DCU like Krypto or Ace, the Bat-Hound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I doubt Hoppy was there for anything more than a cute fan shout out, though if they did bring him to life in a sequel as like a visual gag it’s not as if he’d be any weirder than Rocket Raccoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGzgYbSG97PJ-ti8czZeexUv_mM8_BS1DKB-3JG3Z9E7bznPQCNZlnzpSjYiX6K_AjwXhY9JGxDcVW4htKSO7qhDabqqDWdF2_8uQLg0riq4fImJSdZ-9JuAm4RTO-4KXKi6NVqo2yN-2/s1600/shazamEE_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="413" data-original-width="314" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGzgYbSG97PJ-ti8czZeexUv_mM8_BS1DKB-3JG3Z9E7bznPQCNZlnzpSjYiX6K_AjwXhY9JGxDcVW4htKSO7qhDabqqDWdF2_8uQLg0riq4fImJSdZ-9JuAm4RTO-4KXKi6NVqo2yN-2/s640/shazamEE_6.jpg" width="486" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This isn’t the strangest Easter egg of the list but it is definitely the most surprising given what a D-list character Ibis the Invincible is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a magician with a uniquely Egyptian magic wand who was one of several characters created by Fawcett Comics back in the ‘40s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When Fawcett went bankrupt and was purchased by DC in the ‘70s to acquire the Shazam rights they also got the rights to the likes of Ibis along with folks like Bulleteer and Spysmasher and all manner of other heroes you’ve never heard of because they were more obscure than Shazam and even less integrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As such, when the Ibis stick, his magic wand, made a surprise appearance in the Rock of Eternity’s anti-chamber my jaw hit the floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I highly doubt we’ll be seeing an Ibis movie any time soon and it’s also pretty unlikely they’ll have him as a supporting hero in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shazam 2</i> given the size of the Shazamily in this movie but still, I salute whatever props department guy slipped that in there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-42987485591805306812019-04-05T06:00:00.001-07:002019-04-07T22:48:55.935-07:00Cover Story - Top 12 Shazam Comic Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwcQjZqg5XQ-BN8N8iKtEyTDOYaqowbtgu1iYUksjWERLmUxpi_-3dhZcugRsfoQ594x3F5jTlCGGAppCvpMI9bKu6tc5xZgivHbry9JK4KRFQqfVo-d2Z1C7UEvsPhZ0sxTLIoTjCAqH/s1600/Cover_Story_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjwcQjZqg5XQ-BN8N8iKtEyTDOYaqowbtgu1iYUksjWERLmUxpi_-3dhZcugRsfoQ594x3F5jTlCGGAppCvpMI9bKu6tc5xZgivHbry9JK4KRFQqfVo-d2Z1C7UEvsPhZ0sxTLIoTjCAqH/s640/Cover_Story_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.patreon.com/LidoShuffleBlog">joining my Patreon.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, there’s a new superhero film at the box office and that means a new dive into the annals of comic book history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This week has given us a look at the first ever feature film debut of Shazam! the world’s mightiest mortal and one time biggest thing on the planet. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite his years worth of lawsuits and problems with using his own name Shazam has done fairly well for himself in comics with a number of popular series and appearances to his name but I’ll be focusing specifically on the ‘90s comic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Power of Shazam</i>, by Jerry Ordway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was the last time Shazam enjoyed an actual ongoing title and it features some truly beautiful cover work from Ordway with these lovely painted covers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s one of those really enjoyable ‘90s comics that’s earnest and fun and is constantly forgotten when bitter comic nerds try to rewrite the decade as nothing but grungy anti-heroes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But enough bashing at the try-hard vanguard of faux tastemakers, let’s dig into this series and get the cover story on the top 12 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Power of Shazam</i> covers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK2m82-tXziraJIBLHm_NlMdDgTUqmczgvhKfzBhiD-iay1fIJSfCrfTmQRDXQKrTUH3MmuqHDd2hvguHJBCfRAcqGmVrom38I4jlrpfi4C3NgJyo1Z0Uuc5skHyhSP-y0jEVMRnBE8MA/s1600/shazam_13.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="305" data-original-width="600" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLK2m82-tXziraJIBLHm_NlMdDgTUqmczgvhKfzBhiD-iay1fIJSfCrfTmQRDXQKrTUH3MmuqHDd2hvguHJBCfRAcqGmVrom38I4jlrpfi4C3NgJyo1Z0Uuc5skHyhSP-y0jEVMRnBE8MA/s640/shazam_13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">12.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We’re starting a little soft with this cover but it’s a good indication of things to come with this series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Power of Shazam</i> was intended as a retro throwback of the time, something that could embrace the broad strokes and tone of a Silver Age comic rather than the more current events minded style of the late ‘80s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Covers like this really cement that particular approach in content if not necessarily in style.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The visual of a suit-wearing gentleman fitted with some cement sneakers is about as retro an image of “crime” as you can think of that doesn’t feature black and white horizontal stripes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Everything about the image screams of a vintage era like the ‘20s or ‘30s, which absolutely fits the classical hero boy scout vibe that Shazam often evokes, sometimes even more than Superman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also just a stupendous command of color and detail here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The smattering of air bubbles across the page creates a great light blue accent to the deep blue of the pier and aquamarine of the surface while Shazam’s red and gold costume creates a natural binary to the black suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Creating an image this big to take up a cover can be tricky but this is balanced perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMJ3yx7VbQuYkp5CdPdxLCC_gf8-LgedZHoMAoaAzwhPZcA-W2rEttvZyaz4yggRd9TxrtVoWnmyRsD1o6XnHOZgT9cZc8XhXJmJXONa4Q7Bb0ZhethZs7XdsjQ8_2VgkBY28EbmqOebN/s1600/shazam_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="835" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXMJ3yx7VbQuYkp5CdPdxLCC_gf8-LgedZHoMAoaAzwhPZcA-W2rEttvZyaz4yggRd9TxrtVoWnmyRsD1o6XnHOZgT9cZc8XhXJmJXONa4Q7Bb0ZhethZs7XdsjQ8_2VgkBY28EbmqOebN/s640/shazam_11.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">11.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is the only cover on the list that’s a bit of a cheat as it doesn’t come from the original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Power of Shazam</i> comic run.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was from a DC event in the late 2000s called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blackest Night</i>, in which various dead characters returned to life as hideous space zombies animated by bizarre Black Lantern rings (it’s a Green Lantern thing.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the case of this comic, our focus is one Osiris (as the caption should indicate.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Osiris was a character cooked up for the acclaimed <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">52</i> comic as the sidekick of sometimes anti-hero and sometimes villain Black Adam, one of Shazam’s archenemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was the younger brother of a woman Adam had fallen in love with and chose to give powers to both her and her brother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Osiris died in that series but as you can see he’s back here and I absolutely love the visual imagery of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The visual imagery of the creepy zombie versions of heroes was a big selling point of Blackest Night and it’s definitely on display here, complete with mummy wrappings sliding off of Osiris as he emerges from his tomb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also love the minor details that the carvings on the sarcophagus depict the Black Adam Family and the flag of Khandaq, the fictional North African nation they reside in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a very spooky kind of cover that’s evoking the same retro vibe as the previous one only filtered through the lens of B-movie drive-in monsters rather than gangsters and 1920s super heroics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">10.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here’s another VERY horror-infused cover that feels like it’d be perfectly at home on the poster wall of a drive-in or low budget movie theater in the 1950s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The point of view being from the monster of the cover is a really nice trick for implying how terrifying the creature is without giving away the beast but I do like that we can see the thing’s vein gnarled hands lurching towards Mary Marvel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, if you’re new to the Marvel family this is Mary Marvel, Shazam’s sister whom he shares a fraction of his powers with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s a long time favorite of the Shazam mythos and actually predates Supergirl by about 20 years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from the retro subject, the style of this cover is another great example of what a command of the cover format this series had.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s another full cover image but it’ balance of cover is a little more muddled, however, what really shines is the use of lighting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The shades in the background provide soft backlighting that allows the lighting from below to add to that horror movie look I mentioned while the monster’s hands are afforded an eerie glow that may or may not be a light source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a really great use of shadow and light to enhance this very cheesy image into something more than just an homage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6yybWOVuofbmGEzseaT9qcwdxpGX8dsWy7eSagRj7e2LxakD_rzXPJXm5wp35jr7aTlCeZ6FxiJhshwUI40RbbPKUebSXkSq_pxbVKba3ODNHLqkfjnfWIMluQ7dU9u_2x-j0OVhn1Ro/s1600/shazam_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="607" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs6yybWOVuofbmGEzseaT9qcwdxpGX8dsWy7eSagRj7e2LxakD_rzXPJXm5wp35jr7aTlCeZ6FxiJhshwUI40RbbPKUebSXkSq_pxbVKba3ODNHLqkfjnfWIMluQ7dU9u_2x-j0OVhn1Ro/s640/shazam_9.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">9.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this is actually a pretty unique cover, for a number of reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, for the uninitiated, this particular hero is Captain Marvel Jr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a young man named Freddy Freeman whose grandfather was killed by the villain Captain Nazi during a fight with Shazam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shazam, feeling bad for the now orphaned boy, who had also been left disabled by the attack, decided to share some of his power with Freddy as he had done for Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And so now whenever Freddy says “Captain Marvel” he transforms into Captain Marvel Jr. (Shazam was known as Captain Marvel back in those days but isn’t any more for legal reasons.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You can actually see Captain Nazi on this cover, he’s on the far left side fighting the guy in the red cape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Speaking of whom, the other heroes on this cover are Bullet Man, Spy Smasher, and Minute-Man, a trio of slightly more obscure heroes from the same original publisher as Shazam that were bought up by DC Comics but never given as much focus as Shazam and his Shazam family got.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s part of what made this cover so unique, the way it integrates all these very obscure characters that DC seemed mostly uninterested with because they weren’t the world’s mightiest mortal.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, the actual visual of Captain Marvel Jr. bursting out of the cover is a complete throwback to the classics of cover design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most notably, this bears a striking resemblance to the cover that introduced Robin to the world, though the visual of the hero jumping out of the comic has been used for a number of beloved covers and hero debuts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another spooky cover, this one most reminiscent of a lot of the creepier Disney stuff that tends to get kind of forgotten in their vast catalog of entries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, this is easily the best color balance in one of these covers since the first one, especially the way the crimson of Dr. Morpheus’ costume bleeds into the deep black of his night mare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like cover #12 this is a good example of using the texture of the foreground to create a kind of neutral palette that the bright pops of color of our two subjects can pop against and form a visual binary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In this case, it’s that eerie miasma of fog that gives the cover its unique look and also adds to the classically spooky look.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It reminds me a lot of Disney’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legend of Sleepy Hollow</i> or possibly even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Skeleton Dance</i>, both of which feel decidedly intentional.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This goes beyond the fog and central image of the creepy horseman, even the background elements like that branching gnarled dead tree behind Captain Marvel Jr. has the vibe of a creepy Disney visual, similar to the evil trees from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Snow White</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, minor detail but I really like that the night mare’s glowing red eye has an energy trail, that’s pretty cool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is actually a very different kind of cover for this series, in that it’s the first time a major character has only been partially in frame (I’m not counting the monster from #10.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is always a unique technique to see in comic covers as it’s nowhere near as era-specific as a lot of other cover approaches are but it’s a welcome sight whenever I come upon it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, we have the really cool visual image of Billy Batson reaching out towards Shazam, the two somehow split by that weird rainbow lightning swirl, with Mary Marvel screaming even closer to the point of view.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It creates a very clear and easy line of sight for the viewer, which is nice because all that intermingling rainbow color could easily muddy this image without the direct line of hands to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It also adds a really nice sense of urgency to the situation that everyone on this cover is screaming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole thing actually has much more of a ‘70s Bronze Age vibe to it than the much older feeling other covers, which is a nice change of pace.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">These covers really love their textured foreground design, don’t they?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not that I’m complaining, this is an incredibly visually arresting image and a lot of that comes from the stunning amount of detail put into the background mass of Venusian worms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh yeah, if you didn’t know this character we’re seeing are the hordes of Mr. Mind, a brain worm from the planet Venus and one of Shazam’s archenemies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mr. Mind is usually all on his own so it’s easy to forget he actually comes from an entire race of alien worms so seeing them all consume Shazam like this is an exceptionally striking moment playing on a thing the audience is aware of without realizing they’re aware of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think this is also supposed to be in space or possibly on Venus itself and that’s what the breathing apparatus Shazam is wearing is but I can’t be sure, though it helps give him a greater presence on the cover regardless.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is another example of great color blending as the red of Shazam’s costume and the green of the worms easily could’ve given this a more Christmas-ish look but the darkness of the green and gold trim of the costume avoid this neatly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is easily the most ‘90s cover I’m going to showcase from this ‘90s series, largely because of the way the extreme close-up is being deployed here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s very little action on the cover and it’s selling itself more through the implication and emotion of a single image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is something that was actually somewhat common in the ‘90s, especially with how often cover artists of the time would end up doing close-ups of people’s faces.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, however, we have something more unique and interesting than just a face: a wanted poster board, again giving us that retro feel as I don’t think anyone has actually ever seen a wanted poster out in the real world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a good way to convey a kind of anachronistic quaintness to the series while still showcasing some of its worst villains; I mean Mr. Atom is wanted for Mass Murder and Mr. Mind for “Crimes Against Humanity.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also really love the subtle symbolism of putting Shazam’s clenched angry fist right above the wanted poster for Sinclair Batson, his own relative turned evil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shazam has always been a series with a heavy emphasis on family and seeing someone who should be a source of light and comfort turned so evil would definitely make even a pure hero like Billy Batson mad.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXhlSK01FFs5ApcwAKbLgsel9vkQcs0RTPLZywlIU41ZiapT-OR0-nRf5bcTcCdKESXkdx13Ko6x2QLunID75yIOwtEu6FrRR7AfOXB44lu0tSn_XZWosVKy1bfAR_3ZGljASlPB0Wsc3/s1600/shazam_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXhlSK01FFs5ApcwAKbLgsel9vkQcs0RTPLZywlIU41ZiapT-OR0-nRf5bcTcCdKESXkdx13Ko6x2QLunID75yIOwtEu6FrRR7AfOXB44lu0tSn_XZWosVKy1bfAR_3ZGljASlPB0Wsc3/s640/shazam_4.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m not sure there’s another cover on this list that so perfectly encapsulates the character of Mary Marvel like this one does.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s actually a really unique cover design for this series, emphasizing a three-way color split rather than the usual binary over a softer background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are elements of similar covers but they’re deployed in a unique way, emphasizing Mary as the focal point of the cover, her complete, unrestrained freedom as she takes flight into the clear and open sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The look of the clouds behind her is really beautiful and almost Michelangelo-ESC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lot of that comes from the color balance, that blend of deep creams fading into goldenrod then an almost mauve where the clouds disappear into the deep blue of the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s just an inherent joy to the cover but also a power to it, it’s like an ideal distillation of the wish fulfillment that is the power of flight, which is itself fairly unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the time when people focus on the Shazam family or even the Superman there’s a tendency to focus on their strength of invulnerability and overlook just how much joy and light the power of flight contains within it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From an extremely joyous cover to one of true shock and horror that actually carries an extra special weight to it for the Shazam family.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, this image is of an atomic explosion, which actually does fit the retro themes and tones of previous covers given how often this kind of imagery tended to be the hallmark of B-movies and drive-in cinema of the ‘50s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it’s made a lot more real here, thanks partly to the great color work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole cover being bathed in the fiery orange light of the explosion as it takes up the ENTIRE page, even making our heroes feel small, gives this image a sense of overwhelming finality and reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, it actually harkens back to an obscure Shazam comic wherein Shazam took on the threat of atomic war…and lost.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Published in 1946, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel Adventures</i> #66 featured Shazam trying desperately to stop a massive atomic war, started for essentially no reason, and constantly falling short till all of humanity was consumed by the fires of atomic devastation and Shazam was left the last man alive on Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a devastating and terrifying issue that I’m still amazed was ever produced and while I’m not sure if this cover was an intentional reference to it it’s a hard parallel to ignore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd_e3m68QQ6GlGulGs_mokLtUHMUar0FZNSBpBdaJaYrMxbXZ6RgBT-ckoAISOCrX7i8DUX0HomOzl0DXkw1eU_mp6_EOJCZtXpMROeEpGQE7nRYeuqKsXRkE0Cui3T6uYCbhW9jqMawa/s1600/shazam_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqd_e3m68QQ6GlGulGs_mokLtUHMUar0FZNSBpBdaJaYrMxbXZ6RgBT-ckoAISOCrX7i8DUX0HomOzl0DXkw1eU_mp6_EOJCZtXpMROeEpGQE7nRYeuqKsXRkE0Cui3T6uYCbhW9jqMawa/s640/shazam_2.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is another Event comic tie-in like #11 but unlike <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blackest Night</i> I don’t think anyone really cares about or even remembers <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genesis</i> (largely because it wasn’t very good.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any event, the presence of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Genesis</i> tie-in tag is mostly unimportant to the actual content of the cover, which is very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is doing one of the most interesting things with the background / foreground / subject split, creating a textured neutral background but also layering those faces of the ancients over the neutral background of the burnt orange sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s who those characters are, by the way, the ancient beings of myth and legend who grant Shazam his powers: Solomon, Hercules, Achilles, Zeus, Atlas, and Mercury.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Rendering them in strictly outline form over the very textured cloudy sky is a great way to get them in the background without overpowering the more neutral look, just like darkening Shazam’s costume helps the red pop against the also very reddish sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What I really love though is that core image of Shazam raging at the sky with the caption “If Thy Gods Forsake Thee.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So much of Shazam is based around this weird relationship he has to these mythic beings of legend, it’s rarely interrogated what happens when the Gods turn their back on their champion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__rrPF1nkzKohnlsat2OCbUV1Gf69oaoK-P1DYOqawFxzTVseAIJiOgzISIseSIRZPRlaeV_8BfwqKTKTz15aAJPIPNrdhyphenhyphen_h3cKNCROBy2iQGDNtnG8q3QzovP3M9IVovzMg8tE1U7Q2/s1600/shazam_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="611" data-original-width="401" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh__rrPF1nkzKohnlsat2OCbUV1Gf69oaoK-P1DYOqawFxzTVseAIJiOgzISIseSIRZPRlaeV_8BfwqKTKTz15aAJPIPNrdhyphenhyphen_h3cKNCROBy2iQGDNtnG8q3QzovP3M9IVovzMg8tE1U7Q2/s640/shazam_1.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let’s get this out of the way right at the get-go: Hoppy, the Marvel Bunny, is absolutely a real character that predates this cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was one of those super pets like Krypto or Ace the Bat-Hound that tended to pepper a lot of early superhero books when the hero would have a whole family of similarly themed characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s part of what makes this cover so great, how incredibly charming yet completely surprising a throwback it is, bringing back a character like Hoppy the Marvel Bunny without even an ounce of irony to it and also recasting him in a very Bugs Bunny-ESC manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You also have the inclusion of speech balloons, which automatically makes any cover that much better, it’s one of those things that just absolutely works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But I think what I really love about this image is how completely it flies in the face of the myth of the grim and gritty and extreme ‘90s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘90s is a complicated time in comics history that people have let be defined by a very thin slice of comics when there was so much weirder and wonderful that the era produced and covers like this, completely off the wall and comedic and unselfconscious, showcase that truth incredibly well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-69477207748896381662019-04-05T06:00:00.000-07:002019-04-06T20:54:10.080-07:00Week in Review - The Stand (1994)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0f_WX4SHmPThVk5a7otvQTCmHeKB7DZl9HdXDjccdi3EgWTs_h2DpowbcnGSZ4xWCXYFIolZ_58YNu9Z-upNr7ogDdf6ciC_0HkuA6ndUQBOvA-N77_OGZuOgbC4uA-m0X5w7_dhFOWH/s1600/Week_Review_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE0f_WX4SHmPThVk5a7otvQTCmHeKB7DZl9HdXDjccdi3EgWTs_h2DpowbcnGSZ4xWCXYFIolZ_58YNu9Z-upNr7ogDdf6ciC_0HkuA6ndUQBOvA-N77_OGZuOgbC4uA-m0X5w7_dhFOWH/s640/Week_Review_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.patreon.com/LidoShuffleBlog">joining my Patreon.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And so we come to the end of my dive into the Stephen King films of the ‘90s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some were a delight, some were bizarre and dated, some were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apt Pupil</i>, but I’ve elected to end this look back with another longtime favorite I had before even embarking on this endeavor: 1994’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though not technically a movie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> was part of the other wave of King adaptations at the time that arose from the world of TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a mini-series consisting of 4 episodes released over 5 days in May of 1994.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a mammoth of a mini-series and one of the four released at the time alongside the original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">IT</i>, the comedically bad and often maligned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Langoliers</i>, and the mostly forgotten <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tommyknockers</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As that description probably suggested <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> is easily the best of the four and definitely deserves a spot as one of the better King adaptations of the ‘90s thanks to its well-composed focus and cast of solid TV mainstays turning in great performances.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> is one of the more grandiose King stories, revolving around the end of the world and the twin groups of survivors that emerge out of it while also touching on a lot of religious and metaphysical topics as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The inciting incident of the story is about a deadly plague created in a laboratory by the CDC that somehow ends up managing to get out into the wild.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That “somehow” is actually one of the film’s central conceits and cleverest ideas, that a force of malevolence is causing events to fall into a certain pattern to facilitate humanity’s twilight, a force that’s basically comparable to the devil.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m actually not sure how Randall Flagg, the film’s antagonist and humanized form of said dark power, actually fits into King’s broader mythos of evil powers, that’s mostly laid out in the likes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dark Tower</i> and isn’t really necessary reading to enjoy this story.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our cast is massive in the true style of a disaster movie, especially as we’re seeing the comings and goings of two separate groups of individuals with a natural immunity to the man-made plague.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This ends up making the mini-series both a disaster movie AND a post-apocalypse story but one that manages to avoid some of the latter genre’s more conservative leanings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The initial episode revolves around the social collapse accompanied by the mass spread of the Captain Trips virus while giving us a close look at the various leaders and key players in the impending post-apocalyptic communities and is probably the mini-series best component.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This vision of the world’s slow coughing death is sobering and well shot and the large cast actually affords the story a chance to see this kind of collapse from every angle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">After the world ending is well and truly done our various heroes and villains are drawn to two areas.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The chosen are shepherded by the wise old magic black woman Mother Abigail to what becomes known as the Boulder Free Zone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meanwhile, the forces of evil begin to marshal in Las Vegas under Randall Flagg, a mysterious and powerfully magical figure who has the power to be wherever he wants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the battle lines are drawn between the two things get increasingly more metaphysical as a handful of the Chosen elect to make a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lord of the Rings</i> style march to Las Vegas and, with each step closer they take, the powers of darkness slip away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> is an esoteric movie with a lot of stuff grounded in dreams and magical thinking where the simple act of challenging darkness is enough to slowly rob it of its power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lot of that “Apocalypse from the ground up” stuff hinges on the cast, who are all very, very good.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m loathe to point to any one character as the actual protagonist but there are a handful of standouts, both in terms of performance and writing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stu Redman is one of the characters we spend the most time with, a simple man who happened to be close to the initial point of the outbreak, and he’s played by Gary Sinise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sinise enjoyed some major success in the ‘90s with roles in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Forest Gump</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apollo 13</i>, though more recently he was the star of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">CSI: New York</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a very solid actor, he gives a firm and grounded performance and anchors a good deal of the movie in a realism that could’ve been lost amid all the mysticism in the latter half of the story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also have Robe Lowe playing Nick, a deaf-mute character, who’s very endearing as the heart of the noble survivors and Molly Ringwald as Frannie Goldsmith, who’s basically the post-apocalyptic version of her character from any given ‘80s movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ray Walston, probably best well known for his role on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">My Favorite Martian</i>, also has a superb turn as Glen Bateman, the moral center of the heroes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Ruby Dee also does a fine job with Mother Abigail, who actually manages to be more than JUST a magic black person stereotype of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She actually has a good deal of her own agency and a very interesting arc in episode 3 where she removes herself from the community she built as she feels she’s allowed herself to become a golden cow for the new chosen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the flipside, the villains are led by the twin talents of Miguel Ferrer as Lloyd Henreid, a small-time crook that Flagg rescues from starvation in an abandoned jail, and Matt Frewer as Trashcan Man, a mentally unhinged arsonist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ferrer is one of the all-time great character actors that TV has ever facilitated and he does a fine job here as basically the inverse of Gary Sinise’s character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They’re both grounded everymen who’ve been swept up into worlds of God and symbolism but are still trying to make the world turn even as they live in the corpse-strewn wreckage of the society that once was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ferrer is also the only character who’s actually afforded a fair deal of complexity in his allegiance to Randall Flagg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everyone else involved is pretty unequivocally good or evil but Ferrer makes the good point that he was literally left starving in a jail cell and it wasn’t God who came to his rescue so why does he owe the lord anything?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Matt Frewer also does a curiously understated job as Trashcan Man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Frewer has made a whole career out of playing cartoonishly unhinged characters like Max Headroom but when he’s called upon for softer roles he actually has a lot of range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s very much the case with Trashcan Man, he walks a very thin line between just human enough to be believable and actively over the top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a pyromaniac transient whose life has clearly been garbage well before the world coughed itself to death so the devil emerging out of humanity’s dusk to give him a purpose and the chance to burn the world is a naturally appealing idea but at the same time, Trash isn’t completely evil either.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s more of a lost soul, someone the world so thoroughly turned its back on despite needing help that it’s not really his fault the devil took him in: every other door was slammed in his face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> is probably an acquired taste of a movie but there’s a lot to recommend here, especially if you like that cadre of actors I listed above.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also a lot to appreciate here if you’ve ever found the mercenary nature of the post-apocalyptic genre to be grating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most stories set after the fall of man tend to focus on this weird imagined falsehood that the only path to survival is selfish brutality so it’s nice to have something like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> that’s all about the power of community.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the end, the Chosen win only partly because of their metaphysical actions but also because Flagg’s society in Las Vegas is based on a kind of brutal anarchy and violent autocracy that can only consume itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a movie about finding hope for the future in the end of the world, which I think is a message we could all do with hearing these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-66169636493957969602019-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:002019-04-06T18:42:34.892-07:00Week of Review - Apt Pupil (1998)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I want to be upfront here; I went into <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apt Pupil</i> with “they can’t all be winners” mentality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m aware that digging through forgotten C-list cinema is by no means a sure thing and there’s every chance that among the genuine gems like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> you’re going to come upon stuff that’s problematic or dated like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, I was in no way prepared for just how terrible <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apt Pupil</i> was going to be, this movie makes <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i> look like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shining</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a film that I fully expected to be dated, tasteless, problematic, uncomfortable and more and while it was absolutely all of those things it was somehow so much less as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a bad movie I’m kind of shocked we ever stopped talking about yet also completely unsurprised it’s been swallowed up by the dust bin of history and banished by its own mediocrity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I mean, when you’ve got a movie about a teen boy sociopath who forms an unsettling relationship with an old Nazi and it’s directed by Bryan Singer the last thing you expect it to be is so damn boring.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Released in 1998, which is to say directly in between the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995 and the Columbine Shooting in 1999, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apt Pupil</i> stars the late Brad Renfro as Todd Bowden, a high school senior, who discovers his neighbor, played by Ian McKellen, is actually a Nazi war criminal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Armed with this knowledge and evidence Teen decides to blackmail Old Nazi into telling him tales of concentration camps because Teen is a proto-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Dexter</i> style sociopath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is probably one of the weakest aspects of the film, that despite being slathered in Nazi imagery and ephemera nobody in the movie seems to care at all about Nazism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teen isn’t portrayed as anti-Semitic and his obsession with the concentration camps doesn’t seem to go beyond the standard pulp sociopathy you’d find in any given prestige TV show these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, my first instinct was to compare it to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hannibal</i> franchise (especially given the Nazi stuff in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hannibal Rising</i>), which gave me cause to remember <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Silence of the Lambs</i> had a HUGE impact on ‘90s thrillers and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apt Pupil</i> definitely felt like painful Hannibal backwash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Circling back to the whole “we used Nazism strictly for shock value” side of things, this is both incredibly offensive and pretty damaging to any point the movie might’ve been trying to make.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They constantly pepper this holocaust imagery into the film as part of the Teen having night terrors about Old Nazi’s stories but why?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not as if he ever exhibits guilt about his blackmail or chooses to stop hearing the stories, we even see him engage in animal abuse at one point so it’s not as if he’s somehow a good guy who just made a mistake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It just feels confused, like the movie needs these scary hallucination sequences to sell itself as a thriller because there’s actually very little plot here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Teen blackmails Old Nazi for about 1/3<sup>rd</sup> of the movie, then his grades start slipping so Old Nazi blackmails Teen into studying (this is an incredibly odd plot cul-de-sac,) then Old Nazi has a heart attack after attempting to murder a homeless man and is recognized in the hospital.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is no arc to this movie, no lessons are learned and nobody changes, it’s just a bunch of stuff that happens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s not even as if the movie is some great acting showcase.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the folks on hand are on auto-pilot, most notably Sir Ian McKellen who always exudes an air of “going through the motions.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also not as if the direction is anything to write home about, it’s all fairly middling and of TV movie quality with none of the handcrafted aesthetics of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Bizarrely, the only person who actually turns in a memorable performance is David Schwimmer as Edward French, Teen’s guidance counselor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48bcapRCPvvn1sHfgQujQhtb8TsW37_Fe3SihmkUsOZF68k9IK8ISC8Y86NWlFO2z-LxwswnRSEZShgFGjbB5oCV4dBJDEURBX8RZMzu9xzCCxHM19NUPEkjnSjUgthz3UVqcFg2BQ38S/s1600/aptpupil_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="348" data-original-width="620" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj48bcapRCPvvn1sHfgQujQhtb8TsW37_Fe3SihmkUsOZF68k9IK8ISC8Y86NWlFO2z-LxwswnRSEZShgFGjbB5oCV4dBJDEURBX8RZMzu9xzCCxHM19NUPEkjnSjUgthz3UVqcFg2BQ38S/s640/aptpupil_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I have exactly no idea why Schwimmer elected to do this movie given he was still riding high on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Friends</i> right now aside from maybe hoping to show some greater range.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He definitely has it, though, as despite only being in the movie for three scenes total he’s absolutely one of the most memorable parts, to the point I kind of wish we’d just gotten a whole movie about Schwimmer as a kind-hearted, tough but fair, guidance counselor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His final scene actually features him figuring out Teen’s relationship to the Nazi and threatening to expose him but Teen puts him in his place by threatening to make false allegations of sexual harassment against him, which brings me neatly to Bryan Singer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In case you’ve been living under a rock for the past few years, Bryan Singer is one of the frankly disappointing but in no way surprising large number of filmmakers who’ve come under greater public scrutiny over allegations of sexual harassment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m saying “allegations” here but this stuff is so concrete Singer was actually forced to flee production on the recent film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bohemian Rhapsody</i> over it so it’s probably a bit stronger than the term “allegations” is often used to imply.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You probably have your own feelings about separating the man from the art but personally I take it on a case-by-case basis and in this case I don’t really think there’s any room for separation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from the fact, the movie isn’t very good its focus on teen boys is incredibly upsetting to the say the least and the ending of our “””hero””” getting away with his Nazi flirtations via false allegations leaves a decidedly bad taste in your mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, a lot of the first allegations against Singer came from extras in a shower scene in this movie so any defense about separating art from artist kind of crumbles when the art was exactly how he ended up committing his crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the end, I’m not entirely sure why I actually did <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Apt Pupil</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I guess it’s that it’s a kind of bad that feels like it doesn’t deserve to be forgotten, a kind of bad we should still be bringing up today as the perfect bad example.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything about the movie stinks of wasted potential at best and artless empty spectacle at worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of watching a young man’s radicalization to violent rightwing views in a time before the Internet sounds like it should be at least interest and it’s not as if the cast is poor, it’s just a movie that isn’t concerned with pushing any boundaries or doing anything unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the tamest of shock films hoping that young white male sociopathy is enough to get a rise out of the viewership while still affording him the considerations of a hero, in other words, it’s a garbage movie made by a pretty garbage director.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com79tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-15714852565702837622019-04-02T06:00:00.000-07:002019-04-02T06:00:07.107-07:00Week of Review - Graveyard Shift (1990)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHWNQk9dpkqimzutiC1_aL3Okel2B2igVHWTpmMC-LiTc4poOBNSXW6XTP44jx9o0owB8PJr31-fBOgbvykTBoEqeCsPZJRW7I10NfukQvKOP17VVlGMhZmu3ejGs5_qBNymk8UkfBwKP/s1600/Week_Review_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxHWNQk9dpkqimzutiC1_aL3Okel2B2igVHWTpmMC-LiTc4poOBNSXW6XTP44jx9o0owB8PJr31-fBOgbvykTBoEqeCsPZJRW7I10NfukQvKOP17VVlGMhZmu3ejGs5_qBNymk8UkfBwKP/s640/Week_Review_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.patreon.com/LidoShuffleBlog">joining my Patreon.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So far in this Week of Review, all the King adaptations I’ve looked at have been fairly unique from one another, barring one crossover character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s about to change with this film, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Released in 1990, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> was adapted from a Stephen King short story of the same name, much like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also much like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> revolves around a series of mysterious deaths in an industrial building that also happens to function as the lifeblood of a small Maine town and there’s an evil owner involved.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You know, when you lay it all out like this it becomes A LOT clearer why Stephen King adaptations would more or less flame out hard in 1995 and not really recover till 2013.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even accepting that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> are actually very different kinds of movies with unique approaches to horror the outward similarities are a little hard to overcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of course the biggest difference, and this is a tough one to avoid, is that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> isn’t nearly as good as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now don’t get me wrong, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> is a pretty enjoyable horror movie for what it is and what it is- is trash.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s not necessarily a value judgment, a lot of movies I really enjoy are trash and I do enjoy <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> but let’s not lie to each other about what this movie is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a low budget little horror movie that feels about TV movie quality and indeed when I first saw it airing on TV one random Sunday afternoon I enjoyed it immensely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I mentioned above <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> is the story of a small Maine town whose major source of industry is the local textile mill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for the townsfolk, the mill is infested with rats and the entire basement is dilapidated to the point it’s violating a number of safety standards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, the mill has one week to gets itself in order or be shut down, the only wrinkles in that scheme are the abusive and manipulative foreman Warwick, played by Stephen Macht, and a hideous giant rat/bat hybrid that’s prowling the bowels of the mill and killing people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our hero is one John Hall, played by David Andrews, a drifter hired for the graveyard shift at the mill and put on the clean-up crew after an incident between him and Warwick over Warwick’s practices of sexually assaulting the women in his workforce.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’re worried the movie ever gets too graphic about that it’s actually surprisingly tasteful for such a lurid little detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We only ever hear about Warwick’s attempts to extort sex from the women under him and we never see it happen or even any attempts, though make no mistake Warwick is absolutely the villain here, even more than the giant rat/bat hybrid monster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi65Ejs46JYrk2dXRRO6VNRBPVaxb8koy_zGbGBYWEK3wJDposaYxcAh6aTjuE0lymhA7LdUDuN9cEy_dX025mN9FWXOliUKPzixjSfPQ_PlaJ4kUVvcGjKi62j0Om3Dj02m-UiJ6GfoPG/s1600/graveyard_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="1064" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi65Ejs46JYrk2dXRRO6VNRBPVaxb8koy_zGbGBYWEK3wJDposaYxcAh6aTjuE0lymhA7LdUDuN9cEy_dX025mN9FWXOliUKPzixjSfPQ_PlaJ4kUVvcGjKi62j0Om3Dj02m-UiJ6GfoPG/s640/graveyard_2.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Stephen Macht does a very good job with Warwick making him despicable but also banal without losing his eccentricity as a character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a cheap bastard who always finds ways to squeeze people for everything their worth but he never comes off as irrational about it, just very small and petty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, he exudes any number of weird mannerisms, not the least of which being his Maine accent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s actually something very strange about the movie, aside from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pet Sematary 2</i> this is the only time I’ve ever seen a Stephen King movie where a character from Maine actually had a regional accent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This actually gets really fun in the film’s third act where the whole crew are trapped in the lower levels of the mill and Warwick takes the opportunity to try and kill Hall, racking up a pretty high body count in the process.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of Hall, he is absolutely the weak link of the film as, despite being our protagonist, he’s giving a fairly bland and lifeless performance, especially compared to Macht.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, one of the more sizable supporting roles of Tucker Cleveland, crazed Vietnam vet and exterminator, is played by the incomparable Brad Dourif and he just absolutely eats Andrew’s lunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dourif is one of our all-time great actors and even in this tiny role, he does a great job.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He gets an extended monologue talking about his time in Vietnam and why he hates rats that’s like about 3 straight minutes of the movie becoming infinitely better, to the point you just wish Brad Dourif’s crazy exterminator had been the main hero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sadly he’s only a minor character though he does have an adorable lapdog he’s trained to hunt rats- both of them end up crushed by a tomb.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIYYxFpAx7qr_I9n4wgjO4ha4tbQgn9x6Pb-QITJlX99XtXV17URPq9tbwRFophl-hnaapUqRVSgUD1TgZ-UZXLurN610ubooeZlocD4Exk-NVCN2xUmFkq0gtTWtRClr0tUm6wHP94GA/s1600/graveyard_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="647" data-original-width="1000" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQIYYxFpAx7qr_I9n4wgjO4ha4tbQgn9x6Pb-QITJlX99XtXV17URPq9tbwRFophl-hnaapUqRVSgUD1TgZ-UZXLurN610ubooeZlocD4Exk-NVCN2xUmFkq0gtTWtRClr0tUm6wHP94GA/s640/graveyard_3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of which, that’s probably the movie’s funniest conceit that “graveyard shift” is actually literal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turns out the mill is built on/next to an actual graveyard which connects to a series of underground tunnels and lost parts of the mill where the monster has been nesting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, if you’re hoping we’ll ever find out what the beast is or how it came to be- we never do, it’s just sort of accepted to be some freak of nature that happened naturally in Maine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The FX work on the creature is actually pretty impressive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You never see it in whole or moving around because they couldn’t get it that good but it does wrap several people in its wings with some really cool latex work and the head and tail of the thing look appropriately gross.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In many ways, the production is actually lucky to have happened so early when practical FX were still the only real way to go as it’s far too easy to imagine the monster rendered in very poor CGI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Overall the production aesthetic of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i> is really well done, probably the best part of the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>, which had a weirdly crisp and artificial feel to it, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i>’s industrial setting is damp and dank and disgusting, filled with rotting papers and destroyed furniture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The mill and the multiple levels of building beneath are like a yawning dungeon and it reminds me a lot of the underground stuff from the likes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creep (2004)</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mimic</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The final sub-layer of the mill turning out to be a vast cave full of human remains left by the beast is a pretty great last setting, especially as Warwick and Hall fight each other with bones as weapons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Graveyard Shift</i>’s biggest problem is that it’s a bit too much like too many other things and not enough like itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from the superficial similarities to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>, the clean-up crew set-up reminds me a lot of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Session 9</i> and the subterranean storytelling and “vermin as monster” set-up is thoroughly in line with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creep </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mimic</i> as I mentioned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>None of that is to say it’s bad, as I said, the good FX and production design combined with Macht and Dourif’s performances and a quick 80-minute running time make this a breezy and enjoyable watch despite its various similarities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a movie you’re best going into not expecting much and meeting it on its own terms- you won’t be disappointed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-25854830888042070852019-04-01T13:22:00.001-07:002019-04-01T13:22:25.570-07:00Panel Vision - Art of the Prank<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BvutHLqOty6inKYwexqFZbK_hU9HHqiWtG9iivLXSBJihQHGeveY5nUBVgrmUCDnITMUANnVW2RXjOkLg-XiOL5im2hnyMRObgkNOI6TsGB7dW0pknWnrPh62_OFm6tkxBdoMHaQVsRi/s1600/Panel_Vision_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9BvutHLqOty6inKYwexqFZbK_hU9HHqiWtG9iivLXSBJihQHGeveY5nUBVgrmUCDnITMUANnVW2RXjOkLg-XiOL5im2hnyMRObgkNOI6TsGB7dW0pknWnrPh62_OFm6tkxBdoMHaQVsRi/s640/Panel_Vision_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s April Fool’s Day, which usually means a day of disbelieving anything you see on the Internet but I’ve elected to celebrate the holiday a different way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather than a fake review I’m looking back at one of my favorite super villains of all time through the lens of one of his few starring roles: Oswald Loomis- The Prankster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Created in 1942 by Jerry Siegel and John Sikela, Prankster is one of the few non-powered villains in Superman’s rogues gallery and a proud member of the joke-themed villain cadre alongside the likes of The Trickster and the Joker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>He’s been through a number of iterations, starting off as a cartoonishly fat character who’d go after Superman using deadly practical jokes and gags.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He also got somewhat re-imagined for the New 52 era but neither of those are the Prankster I’ve chosen to focus on today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, instead I’ll be looking at the Prankster of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman </i>#660 from 2007, written by Kurt Busiek with art by Mike Manley and Bret Belvins, color by Lee Loughridge, and letters by Rob Leigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHpqDqbsTxqrBmTPZ9fE0HX5ld4DT662LN9NL-ojxtFEeR6ijRg0CMSMjI0i_rWIzUmT2ELA4jG1bjvAzDKBaa-U7BZmr1ImWdK6FBCbNPnulQQzbIclXXYhMTneHrAk8OQlW8mOVPhJq/s1600/prank_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="630" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHpqDqbsTxqrBmTPZ9fE0HX5ld4DT662LN9NL-ojxtFEeR6ijRg0CMSMjI0i_rWIzUmT2ELA4jG1bjvAzDKBaa-U7BZmr1ImWdK6FBCbNPnulQQzbIclXXYhMTneHrAk8OQlW8mOVPhJq/s640/prank_1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Prankster of 2007 had been around for a while after undergoing a visual redesign in the late ‘90s and a conceptual redesign in the mid-2000s after DC’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Infinite Crisis </i>reboot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This version of the character, still sporting his lime green suit only now with a thinner look, shared an origin with his previous counterparts as a kid’s show host who’d lost his program and turned to crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in this iteration Prankster’s main criminal activity is playing elaborate pranks on Superman as a way to distract him from other people’s crimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a great idea that plays well on one of my favorite ideas in the superhero universe: a supervillain economy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Supervillains tend to get the short shrift on development in people’s minds, mainly because they’re much more isolated characters in popular adaptations, but in the comics, the supervillain community is a vibrant and well-considered concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It all springs out of comics ability to turn plot holes into strengths, with questions like “who finds these theme specific hideouts for supervillains?” or “who builds supervillain death traps?” that normally just poke holes in this universe turned into an excuse for well-written and engaging characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioG7EapVP_5QSG39XYs0YgosFndjyKQ67VCNGbTLGsfths_hCOs3hUWXzUCfKAR3E_PjxY-mdEy5lK__fltuWGg6_FCocghrLjd9IW_cat4EHMw-woEJLsVX-3bzjz-S3skTJHOToX-7ym/s1600/prank_2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1008" data-original-width="654" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioG7EapVP_5QSG39XYs0YgosFndjyKQ67VCNGbTLGsfths_hCOs3hUWXzUCfKAR3E_PjxY-mdEy5lK__fltuWGg6_FCocghrLjd9IW_cat4EHMw-woEJLsVX-3bzjz-S3skTJHOToX-7ym/s640/prank_2.png" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the case of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman </i>#660, this is actually a villain issue of the whole comic, which is something books will sporadically do and I always appreciate where the comic is written entirely from the villain’s point of view, giving us a little slice of life single issue story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Entitled ‘The Art of the Prank,” this issue takes us through a couple days in the life of the Prankster, we see how he operates in Metropolis, getting clients, setting up his bizarre mix of public performance art and super crime, and what happens when someone crosses him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a nifty little glimpse into a fun side character who otherwise might not be able to hold down an entire comic and a cool way to instill Prankster with more depth and identity without having to resort to tragedy or even cruelty.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a story that lives up to its name in that it is about humor as an art and Prankster as the artist- after all, with his level of advanced technology, the only reason he has to not sell it and become rich is that he’s CHOOSING to live as a supervillain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pranks Superman at least partly because he loves the three-act structure and history of pranks and jokes and this is a chance to do that kind of shenanigans writ large for the whole world to see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpzsNWAz4ltAWH0xqUjWh4Pt3V3ec3xwA1aEozH33-w2aYrEAKBQwKf_NWykItwlmUXgsYXzE4CiwztMis9Gt8YmQyamzOi-p7QM1q7BXkKdCHEPjD-WPhCqMMRd06VFdyACHaiG6PVUd/s1600/prank_3.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1312" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSpzsNWAz4ltAWH0xqUjWh4Pt3V3ec3xwA1aEozH33-w2aYrEAKBQwKf_NWykItwlmUXgsYXzE4CiwztMis9Gt8YmQyamzOi-p7QM1q7BXkKdCHEPjD-WPhCqMMRd06VFdyACHaiG6PVUd/s640/prank_3.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The issue is also beautifully illustrated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Manley and Belvins have a great command of scale that helps the issue pack a lot of action into 22 pages without ever feeling cluttered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s a lot of great use of a single well developed central action panel backed up by a few smaller accent panels above and below it that really helps the book flow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a breezy read that never gets too bogged down despite there being A LOT of text on the page a lot of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They also do a great job with Prankster’s expressions, often getting a wide range of emotions and implications out of a simple look, which is all the more impressive given how cartoonishly one-note his original design was (it was era-appropriate.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Supervillain issues have a tricky task of making their subject sympathetic without taking away from their villainy and a lot of that ends up contingent on pitting them against someone the audience can dislike more but also on humanizing the character, which the artwork goes a long way to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There’s a kind of performative smirk that Prankster adopts when he’s presenting himself as his host persona that absolutely sells his villainous nature but whenever it goes away we do get a glimpse of the more human person underneath his carefully manicured façade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3sD3zMaRZ8v11dM0DgBQ2-sTRWJtaT1upHllb1d4tk-gRkACBp6EHtB4zasHO3gr3-2ibkJEWbTjALK5gy95CwRCFXiEvfjFU_QHD54M5alna7EFp0e31dVQz-G2HWG1KOfMWkq-qlhU/s1600/prank_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1007" data-original-width="1320" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv3sD3zMaRZ8v11dM0DgBQ2-sTRWJtaT1upHllb1d4tk-gRkACBp6EHtB4zasHO3gr3-2ibkJEWbTjALK5gy95CwRCFXiEvfjFU_QHD54M5alna7EFp0e31dVQz-G2HWG1KOfMWkq-qlhU/s640/prank_4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, if I was choosing the real standout of the issue it would have to be Lee Loughridge’s color work which is just phenomenal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coloring can often feel like the most thankless job in comics, the kind of thing people only notice when it’s bad even though it can take an already good book and make it something really special and this color work absolutely sings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s all about bright colors that complement each other to a scene without ever feeling garish or overpowering.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To a point, the bright colors almost feel like a broken off chunk of a different world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His lime green suit makes for a great pop of the absurd during back alley dealings while matching perfectly to the deep reds and purples of his secret lair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It also creates a great visual contrast to the villain Nitro G, a 2-bit hood who wants to force Prankster into a partnership, whose colors are all muted and dulled out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also just a ton of great use of amber and golden colors during a pair of early morning scenes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rob Leigh’s lettering is also very good, most notably his choice of font for Prankster’s internal caption boxes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s this slightly more ostentatious font that still manages to convey emphasis, it looks the way a TV show host turned super villain would sound which is no small feat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the bold emphasized words in dialogue balloons never once feel out of place or misused as they so often can.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HMKdm13veUe6BE7Q9KfOnZ1mL7lqdF4byXEaBVIum_P2E7elXB5-Tw1queml1nnTSzOYH8qPT4lXcQH2xgvVJ-1seKYUnQcK7d9qftVxCCg1LFQ2igzyPYxLFwtEnu9OdvmJIqxcOufQ/s1600/prank_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="645" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_HMKdm13veUe6BE7Q9KfOnZ1mL7lqdF4byXEaBVIum_P2E7elXB5-Tw1queml1nnTSzOYH8qPT4lXcQH2xgvVJ-1seKYUnQcK7d9qftVxCCg1LFQ2igzyPYxLFwtEnu9OdvmJIqxcOufQ/s640/prank_5.png" width="408" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘The Art of the Prank’ is a fun little one-off story about a great version of a character who all too often feels underused or passed over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Prankster holds a special place in my heart as a bad guy in it for the goofy potential rather than the kind of malice the Joker projects or the Trickster’s litany of conflicting reasons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He’s a showman, which feels oddly lacking in the ranks of DC supervillains and the way this issue balances his idealized artistic self and the true man underneath the act shows he can have genuine depth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, I just love that it’s a comic that embraces the fact jokes, gags, and comedies actually do have complexity and artistry- that’s a rarity among serious discussion even today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-10746559167797115532019-04-01T12:11:00.001-07:002019-04-01T12:11:45.332-07:00Week of Review - Needful Things (1993)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the odd things about Stephen King’s work is that he’s arguably one of the most successful literary authors to dip his toes in the realm of continuity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve been living under a rock for the past decade, what I mean by continuity is the idea that characters, events, and elements of a world are consistent across multiple stories that aren’t necessary sequels to each other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marvel Studios has more or less made their bread and butter with continuity, trusting that story elements like SHIELD or the Infinity Stones can appear in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor 2</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Incredible Hulk</i> and audiences will know and accept these films as being in the same universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This has long been the case in comic books but it’s rare in literary circles, mainly because connected books tend to just be sequels but that’s definitely not the case with King.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s concocted a vast web of interconnecting books that are in no way framed as sequels to each other, mainly through shared geography of fictional Maine towns.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Stories like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">IT, Tommyknockers, The Dead Zone, Stand By Me, Shawshank Redemption, Cujo</i> all take place in the same fictional Maine county with its core being the town of Castle Rock, and in 1993 Castle Rock finally got its starring horror movie story in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Based on the novel of the same name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i> is the story of one Leland Gaunt, a mysterious and powerful being played by Max Von Sydow, who comes to the small Maine town of Castle Rock to open an antique store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As you’d expect things start to go wrong as the residents of Castle Rock fall under Mr. Gaunt’s sway one-by-one with only the town Sheriff Alan Pangborn, here played by Ed Harris, left to oppose Gaunt’s machinations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I mentioned yesterday, Pangborn was actually a returning character for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i>, having premiered in King’s 1989 novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s basically up to the viewer on how much you want to consider the film versions of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i> to be interconnected.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are no returning actors but if you accept that some time has passed I could definitely believe Ed Harris’ Sheriff Pangborn as the older version of Michael Rooker’s Pangborn.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However you slice it, Pangborn really isn’t the core of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i> despite being our ostensible hero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If anything, he’s closer to the film’s antagonist as Mr. Gaunt is very much our central character, with Pangborn’s interference only reaching meaningful levels in the third act.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the film is dedicated to Gaunt’s creeping influence over the town as he slowly turns the people against each other and sows discord and violence amongst the townsfolk.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s actually the most surprising thing about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i>, how little the actual story reflects the exaggerated “evil antique store” concept that’s come to inform a lot of pop culture jokes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When people hear about a supernatural antique store they tend to imagine a sort of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight Zone</i>-esc. establishment where the item you buy comes with an ironic twist, like a typewriter that writes bestselling murder mysteries then brings the mysteries to life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s none of that kind of schlocky pulp style here, though the antiques do possess seemingly mystical qualities there’s nothing ironic to them, instead, they’re a pretty clear metaphor for substance abuse.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a pretty common theme in King’s work, mainly owing to his own issues with drug and alcohol abuse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The way the antiques function is that they bring the holder a kind of mystical relief or release while increasing their dependence both on the antique and on Mr. Gaunt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gaunt is cast as a blend of a satanic dealmaker and drug pusher, knowing exactly how to put everyone he talks with at their ease while slowly needling his way into their trust and striking where they’re most vulnerable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He actually has A LOT in common with the similarly deliciously named Mr. Dark from Ray Bradbury’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Something Wicked This Way Comes</i>, only with an antique store instead of Mr. Dark’s magic carnival midway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another big similarity between Mr. Dark and Mr. Gaunt is that they’re both superbly well acted.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Max Von Sydow is a veteran actor with a pedigree a mile long for a good reason and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i> is a nice reminder of how excellent he can be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s the core of this movie and if it had been a less actor in the role it might’ve come off forced or cheesy but he absolutely nails the job of a friendly yet menacing devil in sheep’s clothing that always seems just a little too knowing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He never transforms fully into a satanic creature of the night but they do some very subtle make-up work with him as he seems to drain some kind of energy or pleasure from the town’s self-destruction, his nails growing into yellowed brittle talons and his death cracking and rotting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a very upsetting visual image and helps to keep Von Sydow’s natural grandfatherliness from completely robbing the character of any menace, even if he never physically challenges anyone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from Von Sydow’s great core performance the rest of the production is very top notch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Castle Rock is really well realized with a lived-in feeling that isn’t necessarily authentic to real life but walks the border of picturesque well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole idea of the town is that its outward virtue is a thin and easily shattered façade hiding the web of dark truths and violent secrets under the surface, which is brought across nicely through the production design, especially when all hell breaks loose by the end of the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real standout though is Patrick Doyle’s musical score.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an ornate and gothic score that uses a lot of sweeping melodies and Latin choral singing that gives the proceedings a sense of scale and grandeur you wouldn’t have immediately anticipated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It would’ve been easy to just slot in a stripped down bare bones score with a lot of generic horror movie jump scare music but the larger than life orchestral score has a great effect of selling the importance of Gaunt’s devilry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movie even plays on this itself, implying that Gaunt has been responsible for a number of tragedies down through human history like Pearl Harbor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That would seem a little over the top and clashing with his decision to prey on a small Maine town but it actually fits the sense of Gaunt as a more metaphysical being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To him, the battle for one soul is of equal measure to the battle for a hundred, which again fits the gothic scale of the soundtrack.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i> was not a critical success at the time and has since more or less faded from the King adaptation conversation, which is honestly a real shame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand why some folks would be turned off by it, the way Mr. Gaunt is framed as something close to the protagonist and the long-running time probably didn’t sit terribly well with the landscape in 1993.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, after about 6 years of prestige TV dramas with morally ambiguous leads and small-town secrets, I feel like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Needful Things</i> has never been more in line with modern sensibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a great showcase from a great actor backed up by some moody cinematography and a soundtrack that goes above and beyond: highly recommended.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-9228204608606277512019-03-30T23:25:00.003-07:002019-03-31T15:58:44.034-07:00Week of Review - The Dark Half (1993)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider <a href="https://www.patreon.com/LidoShuffleBlog" target="_blank">joining my Patreon.</a><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let’s talk for a minute about George Romero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Romero is one of the all-time giants of the horror genre, a skilled and storied director most famed for introducing the world to the streamlined vision of zombies that was the “of the Dead” film series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as excellent as that series is (the first four films and the Romero directed remake anyway) the man did a lot of other high-quality work that’s gone unfairly under-appreciated by the public at large such as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monkey Shines</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Knight Riders</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In 1993, Romero decided to dip his toes into the Stephen King pond and turned in one of the best King adaptations of the decade: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starring Timothy Hutton and Michael Rooker, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i> is quintessential King viewing, hitting on a number of his favorite tropes and ideas while still realizing them in their best way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film also marks the first entry in this retrospective to tie into the Stephen King shared universe of stories, connecting as it does to the fictional town of Castle Rock, Maine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, continuity, quality, and a number of name actors and creators who’ve become beloved in their own right- let’s talk about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Set in the town of Ludlow the film revolves around Timothy Hutton’s character Thad Beaumont.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thad is a writer, in true Stephen King style, though a bit of a peculiar one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thad tried his hand at writing highbrow novels but couldn’t find any traction so he switched gears to start writing pulpy, ultra-violent, salacious crime thrillers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, Thad wasn’t too keen to have his name attached to these dime store paperbacks so he came up with the pen name ‘George Stark.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for Thad, this happy status quo is threatened when a nogoodnik from New York figures out his ruse and threatens to expose him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With another choice, Thad decides to make the story public himself and kill off George Stark, only for George Stark to come to life and start killing off the people looking to kill him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Much like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>, this set-up is absolutely in King’s classic wheelhouse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The tortured writer with a history of substance abuse is such a stock character for King it’s almost a surprise when they aren’t part of a story at this point, though I think that’s pretty forgivable given King’s real-life struggles with drugs and alcohol.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the idea of fictional stories coming to terrifying, even unintentional life is another common King-ism, most notably found in the similar but not as good <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secret Window</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Where <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i> sets itself apart is in the execution and the subtle details that make this story unique.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, it helps that George Stark’s manifestation is never really explained.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all very dream-like and runs on magical thinking; George Stark comes to life because Thad Beaumont is unwilling to let him die.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know some critics were turned off by this approach but personally, I really love it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Horror has always been a genre that stretched the audience-art unspoken contract as far as it would go, specifically along the ideas that awareness of a thing is enough to summon it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In this case, Stark’s existence doesn’t need to be explained any more than the universe just making it happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There is one neat wrinkle of explanation to George Stark, though, which is that he’s wearing the form of Thad’s parasitic twin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is probably the movie’s most out there central idea but it’s established early on that as a boy Thad had a brain tumor only when the doctors went to operate it turned out it was the growing remnants of a twin he’d absorbed in the womb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They find a full-on eyeball and a few teeth growing inside his brain in one of the movie’s most messed up sequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Stark manifestation ends up wearing the remnants of this tumor like a human skin suit, which means that Timothy Hutton gets the job of playing mild-mannered Thad Beaumont and the hard-drinking, hard-killing, southern bastard that is George Stark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This basically makes the movie a doppelganger film with actually quite a bit in common with 2019’s breakout horror hit <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Us</i>, only a bit more esoteric.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i>, Stark may be out for revenge against Thad’s acquaintances who helped kill him off but he’s also desperately trying to hold onto his place, in reality, Thad’s growing disdain and resentment for his creation slowly eating away at him to the point he becomes this rotting corpse of a man by the end.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a great use of make-up and Timothy Hutton absolutely shines in both parts, projecting menace and glee as Stark vs. Thad’s more sincere and pragmatic everyman role.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, you absolutely do get the sense both men are two sides of the same coin, that George Stark became this vessel that Thad poured his darkest impulses and worst aspects into until he eventually gave it terrifying life and power over him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You can see a lot of Jack Torrance in Thad’s personification here, specifically the Jack Torrance of the book who was meant more as a take on alcoholism than the movie’s searing critique of the lie of the American family structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aside from Timothy Hutton in the lead we also get Michael Rooker as Alan Pangborn, a reoccurring King character and sheriff of Castle Rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rooker’s a great actor and one we definitely didn’t appreciate enough prior to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Walking Dead</i> and he does a fine job playing Pangborn as a by the book cop suddenly caught up in a case that’s much weirder than he’s ever experienced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We also get Amy Madigan as Thad’s wife Liz Beaumont, who unfortunately doesn’t have all that much to do in the movie aside from getting kidnapped by George Stark eventually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There’s also a lot of really cool and dreamlike imagery done with sparrows in the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This cuts to the weird mysticism of the movie and the way things only half make sense, which is again something I valued about it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Throughout the movie, Thad is haunted by phantom sparrows, which slowly slip into reality until they blot out the sky by the end in some of the most memorable parts of the movie you’ll ever see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a great concept and ties into the idea of sparrows as animals that ferry souls back and forth from the land of the living to the land of the dead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That kind of weird magic combined with the whole idea of Stark as a sort of thought form willed into existence by Thad’s unconscious make-up the best explanation we’re given for the film’s plot overall, which basically puts about on par with a really good <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight Zone </i>episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s actually probably the best description of the film on balance, a really good 2-hour <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight Zone</i> episode, which is not a bad thing to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i> was not a major success for its time though it did win several well-deserved Saturn awards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was the second to last Romero film to foray into other styles before he returned to the safety of the zombie genre with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Land of the Dead</i> in 2005.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure the movie has ever developed the cult following it absolutely deserves as it really is one of the most enjoyable King watches I’ve yet seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Timothy Hutton’s commanding humanity and cruelty are a great showcase and Romero’s visual aesthetic fits the spooky rural Maine countryside perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a weird movie that runs on dream-like logic that puts the black magic in magical thinking, cut from the same cloth as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Nightmare on Elm Street, Hellraiser, Shocker, Candyman, </i>and<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"> Us</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, its ties to the King shared-universe set-up a quasi-sequel/spin-off for one of its main characters that also stands up as a great King adaptation and we’ll talk about that one tomorrow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-30614028602702075352019-03-30T10:19:00.005-07:002019-03-30T10:19:57.583-07:00Week of Review - The Mangler (1995)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">On to day two of my look back at the forgotten Stephen King adaptations of the ‘90s, today we’ll be taking a look at the Tobe Hooper film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was one of the last King films of the Golden Age of adaptations, released in 1995 right before the well of adaptive works dried up almost overnight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s actually somewhat staggering the level of King adaptations that cropped up between 1990 and 1995.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Including TV mini-series like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">IT </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> the first half of the ‘90s saw a staggering 12 King adaptations, the same as the entirety of the ‘80s and double the number that was made in the 2000s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s also part of why these mid-decade adaptations like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i> started getting into the stranger corners of King’s canon, most of the more cinematic or standard pulp options like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Christie, Misery, </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Shining</i> had already been done so they were really scraping the bottom of the barrel with stuff about Romani weight loss curses or an evil industrial ironing machine from hell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, don’t let the goofier subject matter fool you because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> is easily one of the best King adaptations this decade produced.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Based on a short story from King’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night Shift</i> collection, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> is about exactly what I said- an evil industrial ironing machine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story revolves around the Blue Ribbon Laundry, an industrial laundry in a small Maine town, where a tragic accident ends up feeding one of the workers into the huge ironing machine that makes up the bulk of the factory.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This kicks off an investigation by our hero Detective John Hunton, played by Ted Levine of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monk</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Silence of the Lambs</i> fame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hunton is convinced the accident was due to carelessness and that the subsequent inquest was the city fathers covering up for the wealthy and evil business owner William Gartley, played by a deliciously over the top Robert Englund.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, as events around the mangler, as the machine is called, continue to spiral and the body count climbs steadily higher Hunton becomes more and more convinced there’s a more sinister and supernatural explanation for it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the surface <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> is nothing special, it’s all very standard Stephen King fair about small-town secrets, lone sheriffs, the conspiracies of the wealthy, and a creature that feeds off of death and hate usually possessing an inanimate object.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The titular Mangler is hardly that far removed from the likes of Christine or the Overlook Hotel or the possessed trucks from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Maximum Overdrive</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What sets it apart as a King adaptation is the production design and quality/style of performance at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Firstly the Mangler itself looks AMAZING.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I haven’t been able to find any information about the prop construction or whether this was a real piece of machinery they reworked for the movie but it looks incredible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of that is the blend of human and inhuman appearance, creating an almost animalistic look to the sprawling industrial Hellmouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its front has the look of a gaping maw but there’s no symmetrical set-up to give the illusion of eyes to complete the face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has a similar feeling to the Xenomorph, a thing that’s all devour and destruction and the way it stretches through the entire factory without clearly showing what it does gives it an extra air of mystery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All of the production design hits this same weird blend of over the top to the point of near cartoonish-ness but reserved just enough to still be unnerving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think a lot of that has to do with the film’s director Tobe Hooper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hooper is most well known for directing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Texas Chainsaw Massacre</i>, which has almost the opposite aesthetic to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i>, but a lot of his other work like the unfairly maligned <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2</i> or the underappreciated <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Spontaneous Combustion</i> absolutely hit this same vein.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The best way I can describe it might be “Theme Park Horror” like the design of the Mangler looks like something you might see in a horror-themed amusement park with its blend of almost too on the nose design and the buckets of blood that tend to splatter it as it consumes victim after victim (seriously this thing has a shocking body count for something that can’t move.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For instance, the interior of Robert Englund’s office in the movie is this creepy, aging blend of taxidermy and archaic ‘40s leftovers that go well with his weird design as using this ancient-seeming leg braces, it all feels like he should be welcoming you to his haunted mansion- which I thoroughly enjoyed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of Englund and the Mangler’s inability to move, if you guessed from my description that Englund was purposely letting people get eaten up by his factory equipment- congratulations, you’ve seen a Stephen King film before.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole set-up is actually shocking similar to the Vulcan subplot from Neil Gaiman’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Gods</i>, but a lot of people can have the same idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all seriousness, this is actually a cliché that really works in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler’</i>s favor, the point I suspect the movie might’ve been ahead of its time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The plot of the movie is a pretty clear literalization of the way the powerful and wealthy sacrifice the lower classes to the machinery of capitalism, an idea that I think a lot of people in the halcyon days of the 1990s were willing to dismiss but feels far too prescient to today’s landscape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, there’s a lot of material in Stephen King stories like this that may have felt weird or dated back in the day but has only felt more and more acceptable, like Robert Englund’s performance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He plays Gartley as this incredibly hammy and obvious evil factory owner which would’ve seemed cartoonish and unrealistic if we didn’t live in a world where villainy has been constantly emboldened to be its worst, most obvious self.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the flipside to Englund’s performance is Ted Levine as Hunton, who plays the role as basically a slightly more hardened version of his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Monk</i> cop character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Levine has always had a weird likability to his gruffness, a rough-hewn charm if you will, and this movie really shows off his skills as a widower cop struggling to do something more than just mark time till he can collect his pension.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It also helps that he’s not alone in his quest as he has the aid of his neighbor and brother-in-law Mark Jackson, an amateur occultist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mark is honestly one of the real saving graces of the film as his positive energy and enthusiasm for the idea that the Mangler is possessed help the movie move at a more even pace and not get too bogged down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Daniel Matmor played Mark and sadly didn’t do much beyond this, which is a real shame because he absolutely holds his own in this movie alongside Levine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFRMltQqBWRb33euWdCqkFgxrGC6V1kj7YCMMr-1O2dN8i5Ns_dXJHdqdGSBtHEjH_5XcFohWpGNZ8WuMv-bflunXPZXD-iV1a1K0dXzWVLuPusxMT0emfi6oXpOE3VcI5GcilK4PXdlq/s1600/mangler_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1023" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrFRMltQqBWRb33euWdCqkFgxrGC6V1kj7YCMMr-1O2dN8i5Ns_dXJHdqdGSBtHEjH_5XcFohWpGNZ8WuMv-bflunXPZXD-iV1a1K0dXzWVLuPusxMT0emfi6oXpOE3VcI5GcilK4PXdlq/s640/mangler_4.jpg" width="408" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For a movie I’d honestly mocked for far longer than I’d care to admit, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler</i> was an incredibly refreshing surprise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think a lot of people made my mistake of writing this movie off as the dregs of the King craze and the fact it’s literally about a killer laundry machine probably didn’t help convey the right idea about what it actually was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was not well received at the time but somehow managed to produce two sequels, neither of which I’ve seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The movie is very much in Tobe Hooper’s wheelhouse so if you’re a fan of his other work there’s a good chance you’ll like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mangler </i>as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a tricky balancing act between child-like spook house horror, blood and guts sleaze, and genuinely compelling performances and small-town melodrama that reminds one: there are no bad movie ideas when you have good movie execution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-19767606687934549682019-03-29T18:52:00.000-07:002019-04-01T18:52:32.995-07:00Cover Story - Top 12 John Constantine Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaGaaFyPJoS40rxnMA78VbCGznH-neVP-EflEPTdoUqvCflyzOhBF2j5w-hJjd6aztIGsmI2j1aiW3t7XB9k7JLXA3IcfZndKBih0QNQ8hbalkUQWN8jYHj6OknS2Gwt8NNSMUm3Ckhkt/s1600/Cover_Story_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOaGaaFyPJoS40rxnMA78VbCGznH-neVP-EflEPTdoUqvCflyzOhBF2j5w-hJjd6aztIGsmI2j1aiW3t7XB9k7JLXA3IcfZndKBih0QNQ8hbalkUQWN8jYHj6OknS2Gwt8NNSMUm3Ckhkt/s640/Cover_Story_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.patreon.com/LidoShuffleBlog">joining my Patreon.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is actually an article I was planning to do last October but that turned out to be a busy month.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s sort of the thing about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Legends of Tomorrow</i>, it’s a delight of a show with a ton of deep cut geeky heroes but it can be hard to keep up with how often they feature characters that could demand a whole number of articles, reviews, and lists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Today we gather to celebrate John Constantine, everyone’s favorite blonde cockney street wizard and trench coat wearer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I joke but John is among a handful of mystical and urban fantasy characters at DC, and their adjacent imprint Vertigo Comics, who call themselves The Trench Coat Brigade, so just know that’s where we’re starting from with this dive into the top 12 Constantine comic covers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll be drawing from John’s first solo comic entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellblazer</i>, which began life as part of DC’s mature readers imprint Vertigo Comics and ended after 300 issues when they decided to import John to the main DC universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a lot of titles to get through so let’s get down to it and get the cover story on the top 12 John Constantine comic covers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aU9pfq0aWZPhpD4j6vX38NC5s_C7aijJIuENC6ilzJ4hLbg8QnIZ2mMfbiLUF43KEJrhMJ742DHFKfdwQCN5ZKDDtECr3d8HKt-Zn55JwAuBa4DYe7JHREqDWVwNIT-unZptwouTkCFq/s1600/constantine_13.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1239" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1aU9pfq0aWZPhpD4j6vX38NC5s_C7aijJIuENC6ilzJ4hLbg8QnIZ2mMfbiLUF43KEJrhMJ742DHFKfdwQCN5ZKDDtECr3d8HKt-Zn55JwAuBa4DYe7JHREqDWVwNIT-unZptwouTkCFq/s640/constantine_13.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">12.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like most of the issues I’ll be spotlighting in this list, these comics are the product of the modern age of cover design, and covers made for a more adult audience to boot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, we’re dealing with a very different approach to scale, perspective, and content than you normally get on Cover Story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are far from the Silver Age at this point, as this cover should indicate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This isn’t meant to be something that literally happens in the comic (though with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellblazer</i> it can be hard to tell) instead it’s representative of the emotion and content at hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Firstly, I had to start with a cover that featured Constantine smoking, it’s basically a trademark of his character, but secondly, I love the visual language here to show how dead inside he is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cheap plastic mask over his inner skeleton is a great metaphor and one that manages to look appropriately spooky as well as evocative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This cover also features some very good color balance between the dulled out brown and white of the skeleton and the weird pastels of the gradient background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Overall this is a good first sample of what can be done with modern cover sensibilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKOtALu1nG5F_0sO9mA6v-6jef5M6wBxzbZa4bsI1nC2OAeXUZrtw_0Y8fo7XT_8OoG1Kp2DwrdSCY_QO1m6pKGI9v4uzZD5YPj2ZAhbgSCmqKrroBRDUn27WliCX1x5g6CFeFt50N3rb/s1600/constantine_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="824" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUKOtALu1nG5F_0sO9mA6v-6jef5M6wBxzbZa4bsI1nC2OAeXUZrtw_0Y8fo7XT_8OoG1Kp2DwrdSCY_QO1m6pKGI9v4uzZD5YPj2ZAhbgSCmqKrroBRDUn27WliCX1x5g6CFeFt50N3rb/s640/constantine_11.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">11.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This cover is closer in style to the classics of cover design but still decidedly modern.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That pure white background is a very modern and minimalist approach to cover art, one that puts a lot of faith in the reader to appreciate and grasp what’s happening without needing to fill up the scene with action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the more meta idea of Rich, the Punk, trying to slap his name and logo over the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellblazer</i> title is classic comics through and through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Basically, since the creation of logo art comic covers have been finding a way to have fun with it and I think this cover speaks to the cheeky irreverence of Constantine’s cover quite nicely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I don’t know anything about Rich, the Punk, except that I doubt he appeared in many more comics after tangling with cold heart Johnny here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, Constantine’s a character who does a lot of smiling and swearing to exude a sense of blokey-ness to put people at their ease but he’s always meant to be incredibly mercenary and cold-blooded so the way he’s casually knocking the letter out from under Rich here perfectly sums that up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like the Rockers vs. Mods subtext design to their outfits, with Constantine’s suit and coat balanced nicely against Rich’s leather jacket and jeans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">10.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is one of the more culturally unique aspects of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellblazer</i> in cover form, the way the book was made specifically to promote a British perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellblazer</i> got its start in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s during the British invasion, when a ton of really talented British authors and creators like Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore were crossing the Atlantic and breaking into American comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was actually part of why DC created Vertigo in the first place, they wanted to tap into the more adult market that these British authors often appealed to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the case of this cover, everything from the look of this soldier to the design of the houses speaks to a uniquely British experience but one we can still decipher.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The soldier is a British Tommy, one of the ground grunts of World War 2, his ghost looming large over the row houses of British suburbia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a creepy image and the use of camouflage green right down the center of the scene helps sell it as strange and unnerving.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s also the nice touch that the woman and stroller on the sidewalk are actually bisected by the pillar of green as if it’s coming out of the past to demand space in the now: it’s an eerie image even across cultural barriers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHYRSoGSRTboHqXUG5phBtB9ad61oRMedgHg5YJWmsFpQFBfwO4U2XO4ncWNRvQJySEPkz12H4SP0F8TKFEe9NgF7hS__5Z_4yNvynw4n13W3SFW9zBqjn51muWRXAum7eeAIGtoRM1mz/s1600/constantine_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="825" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOHYRSoGSRTboHqXUG5phBtB9ad61oRMedgHg5YJWmsFpQFBfwO4U2XO4ncWNRvQJySEPkz12H4SP0F8TKFEe9NgF7hS__5Z_4yNvynw4n13W3SFW9zBqjn51muWRXAum7eeAIGtoRM1mz/s640/constantine_9.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of cultural exchange, this cover certainly sums up Constantine’s relationship to American readership really damn well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s always been a popular character in Vertigo’s deck and a useful tool in DC after he immigrated to the main universe, but it comes with that same smarmy smug goofiness that you just love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I mentioned earlier, Constantine has always been a character with a good deal of cheek and comedy at the core of his persona, mainly backed up by his cockiness- all of which is counterbalanced by his crazy Bohemian lifestyle as a wandering street wizard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In this case, I absolutely love the joke of dressing the statue of liberty in his trench coat and him holding up a pint glass of, what I'm sure is warm beer, is a real cherry on top.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like the addition of the big scar down John’s face, something that tends to get left out of his modern iterations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It adds a touch of that hardscrabble life on the bottom that makes his sarcasm and smugness more tolerable because we know he doesn’t need to be taken down a peg- life is constantly doing that to him for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So harkening back to cover #10 and the issue of cultural exchange here’s an unfun fact for the uninformed in the audience: Britain actually was involved in Vietnam, as were the French.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is mainly because the conflict in Vietnam extended well before America’s more pronounced involvement but there is a degree of shared cultural trauma around ‘Nam for Brits and Americans, though it’s nowhere near as pronounced an aspect of British history as it is American.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any event, I really love the design of this cover and how it’s able to conjure up the imagery of Vietnam through just the vaguest of hints.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Incidentally, take note of how different the soldiers reflected in the glass here look compared to the Tommy from #10, that’s part of conveying a different conflict and moral standing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, this scene is clearly a flashback focusing on a battle over there rather than returning troops, which gives it a different cadence, as does the crying Vietnamese face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like that we get the hint of Constantine in the background looming over the scene, it all creates a very evocative scene that I think speaks to the more gloomy and moody vibe the book could often hit.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2YdvmRx780qTcQ5O4U0cdFn_QXEOwR-phZVF19qS5SeKOvBq0jJLDlhU3_xAYWMAoW61f0aqlYDTybD8HIO7EB3I44IWS3WJXIIwSJizV37xEHVAS2AfSHq15CfHDhxgO05VKwGgFsXh/s1600/constantine_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="823" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR2YdvmRx780qTcQ5O4U0cdFn_QXEOwR-phZVF19qS5SeKOvBq0jJLDlhU3_xAYWMAoW61f0aqlYDTybD8HIO7EB3I44IWS3WJXIIwSJizV37xEHVAS2AfSHq15CfHDhxgO05VKwGgFsXh/s640/constantine_7.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is such a delight of a cover, a perfect blend of absurdist imagery and genuine menace, it’s that perfect blend that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Hellblazer </i>always did so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, I love the perspective shot here with the viewer framed as the one wielding the remote control and, I guess, trapping Constantine inside the television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a really funny idea and a nice meta-gag about the fact he basically exists for our entertainment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But at the same time I also really like the look of fear and dread on John’s face, giving the situation a greater degree of tension than if he’d just looked annoyed or was flipping off the viewer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Actually, one of the funnier things about this design is that, with how scrunched up Constantine is, the implication seems to be he actually is inside the TV set rather than trapped in a broadcast or the like- that’s a funny idea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also want to quickly draw attention to the incredibly ‘90s looking pattern behind the TV.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s hard to make out exactly but it’s that weird blend of random shapes and colors that can best be described as “blockbuster video carpet pattern.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no idea WHY they decided to make this the background of the walls but I salute the decision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJtdDcppG6oEN2z6LImZbGdgxYHskUT5QUEIL3u1BTSpEMBdmzv9WhzhecY73peWqbE176VC8Egv_UinVa42BTeVYwr6nCMYp1_1KcR_h4nCsnSbMoRnk0mXK3XE3t7QFKgWsMjAv6-ae/s1600/constantine_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="817" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNJtdDcppG6oEN2z6LImZbGdgxYHskUT5QUEIL3u1BTSpEMBdmzv9WhzhecY73peWqbE176VC8Egv_UinVa42BTeVYwr6nCMYp1_1KcR_h4nCsnSbMoRnk0mXK3XE3t7QFKgWsMjAv6-ae/s640/constantine_6.jpg" width="408" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here’s a pleasant little cover set along the British coast to give you chills.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, my favorite thing about this cover is that, because this is a horror/urban fantasy comic, I have no idea if that skeleton is just supposed to be closer to the viewer and it’s a perspective trick or if it’s a giant skeleton being consumed by like snakes and other giant worms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Either way, it’s an immediately striking and upsetting image and a great way to convey “buried secrets” without any dialogue at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, there’s a superb use of color here, especially the contrast between Earth, sky, and sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The soft blue of the sky and vanilla clouds is a beautiful contrast to the deep burnt orange underground and I love the way the water shimmers around the horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The use of brush strokes as well adds a real sense of texture to the cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It almost reminds me of a kind of demented hotel art, the inoffensive pleasantness of the sunny seaside day marred by this lone wanderer and the vast depth of horrifying secrets he brings with him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR_Iz0NQd28iwTvf-uCW4X4S-dhqhoEINoljbkNSY01eMbk3TpL31GlK5XHKiL3anVigtumFS8cqC4_yTJH1v8HNcThStDyb13wMJSu3sAKe6RZvlMgiNzYFPKffyy9GaHQjoGPnqLjEk/s1600/constantine_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSR_Iz0NQd28iwTvf-uCW4X4S-dhqhoEINoljbkNSY01eMbk3TpL31GlK5XHKiL3anVigtumFS8cqC4_yTJH1v8HNcThStDyb13wMJSu3sAKe6RZvlMgiNzYFPKffyy9GaHQjoGPnqLjEk/s640/constantine_5.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you’re wondering if it was intentional that we went from Constantine walking over a buried corpse to him being the one in a shallow unmarked grave: it definitely was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all seriousness, this cover is another great use of irreverence paired with creepy or disturbing imagery to highlight the ridiculousness of the upsetting situation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, John just being in the grave wouldn’t be too bad, this is a superhero comic after all, but throwing him into the dirt with both of his eyes sucked out of his head is a might be unsettling.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, that creepiness, accentuated by having his eye sockets still bloody from their emptying, is smoothed over by the joke of him getting buried with the things he loved most in life: booze and cigarettes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, the image of John Constantine, in the grave but still with a cigarette in his mouth and an empty bottle of cheap alcohol clutched tight to his chest is basically the only way I could ever imagine this legend of urban fantasy finally biting the big one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcomiK51MLhs7evWaiQLYfqvu7ZhoC4Ng4iTtDXApCAZvaJS5spH1ifHQdfPYur2-RBLOTN-KA2ZmrZIxAo6cmsDzpGqBIyQAva3vaBGC5GT9HTTAHmOOaR5nAG1K6KRZs4a6-uhIoP0V2/s1600/constantine_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="816" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcomiK51MLhs7evWaiQLYfqvu7ZhoC4Ng4iTtDXApCAZvaJS5spH1ifHQdfPYur2-RBLOTN-KA2ZmrZIxAo6cmsDzpGqBIyQAva3vaBGC5GT9HTTAHmOOaR5nAG1K6KRZs4a6-uhIoP0V2/s640/constantine_4.jpg" width="408" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This cover might actually take a little explaining to get to why I found it so evocative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a very good cover all on its own as the image of the hero being burned in effigy is incredibly evocative and downright iconic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The blend of scarecrow and crucifixion imagery on hand here really imbues the scene with a sense of horror and mysticism and the smoldering flames do a great job giving the scene energy but not movement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the background is really well composed, like that blend of sloping hills, barren trees, and empty sky all make for a creepy, abandoned countryside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A</span><span style="font-size: large;">dditionally, the color design and balance are incredibly complementary and well conceived.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">The bright orange of the fire blends perfectly into the burnt blood red of the horizon and all of it contrasts to the soft purple of the snow-covered hills.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">However, what really sold me on this cover was how much it drove home the way John’s trench coat is the signature of the character.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">It’s his cape and cowl, his logo and costume, so seeing it go up in flame, even in effigy, is like seeing the bat cowl in tatters or a shattered Captain America shield, it’s just a great image.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ouxmvuHiT5Da6nZYre135KBBgZxwMAAfdvlUEvwq-sumWaZzb85d-QVg7yxQv59HHXnhtU0Bb81ZwbKQC-XzDQDWCfN_5vsiWcIE6EcXlN4M3FH9pcKOsTj6WNSc1ZNjXnlhDYBfnlnH/s1600/constantine_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="830" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7ouxmvuHiT5Da6nZYre135KBBgZxwMAAfdvlUEvwq-sumWaZzb85d-QVg7yxQv59HHXnhtU0Bb81ZwbKQC-XzDQDWCfN_5vsiWcIE6EcXlN4M3FH9pcKOsTj6WNSc1ZNjXnlhDYBfnlnH/s640/constantine_3.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">God, this cover is freaky and terrifying.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, I actually considered using it as part of the main image for this article but every time I see it it’s just too messed up and creepy to employ.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly, the all black background creates this superbly upsetting shadow over all the faces that really does evoke a sense of death to this image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get the feeling these people aren’t just being still but are in fact dead, hence why all their faces are as shrouded as possible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, there’s something really uncanny about how they’re rendered, looking just realistic enough that you could believe they’re some kind of skin masks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Constantine being the only to move doesn’t help the situation either but it’s even less helpful that his movement is screaming in terror toward the viewer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, I have no idea what this story could even be about just that this image is a goddamn horror movie in comic cover form.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3vaZsMdIS8rIK3j_H4WrMETYGmuV_tz43a1LBS9HzmmomIwf44dfg8-ZGpniHzMUHjyUFixdmK1KMs4VgedOJTXd5aBWVp9zZxcR5jou8PLGX3g0i8AsH9HKw8YTN8zLQgkJaFbZunS2/s1600/constantine_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL3vaZsMdIS8rIK3j_H4WrMETYGmuV_tz43a1LBS9HzmmomIwf44dfg8-ZGpniHzMUHjyUFixdmK1KMs4VgedOJTXd5aBWVp9zZxcR5jou8PLGX3g0i8AsH9HKw8YTN8zLQgkJaFbZunS2/s640/constantine_2.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">2.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As much as the trench coat is a symbol of John Constantine, there’s no denying that cigarettes are also a bizarrely emblematic element of the character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of that has to do with how John is positioned in relation to the main universe of Superman and company.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He originally appeared in the pages of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Swamp Thing</i> before sliding into the more adult line Vertigo Comics, which technically makes him a superhero who became a mature readers comic, hence why the idea he smokes and drinks were kind of a big deal at the start.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Over time his chain-smoking became a kind of core part of his visual identities like Superman’s S or the Bat symbol, to the point people were actually incensed his 2014 TV show wasn’t going to feature him smoking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, the visual image of the stubbed out cigarette and John walking away into the unclear distance serves as the perfect visual metaphor for his departure from the mature reader's line and re-entrance into the main DC universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a cover that speaks to conclusions, the end of an era, and the character literally leaving a defining piece of himself behind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrXnzgGmeiv8ye-vYsFpB-26sly3n-wCt2QEDeSAfQ-dTlOf8WhbCnFKWvkRtmW4Jthmg-Eo8QeNy2zFdL8yBr6M8ClyHiZ9xPMBP6oWbR5ZNia0_nplPtqKrttR__TRoEZLz4GtJtLf1/s1600/constantine_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="847" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrXnzgGmeiv8ye-vYsFpB-26sly3n-wCt2QEDeSAfQ-dTlOf8WhbCnFKWvkRtmW4Jthmg-Eo8QeNy2zFdL8yBr6M8ClyHiZ9xPMBP6oWbR5ZNia0_nplPtqKrttR__TRoEZLz4GtJtLf1/s640/constantine_1.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In terms of visual language, a character putting their back to the reader can mean a lot of things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In cover #10 John turned his back to us because the image of the giant soldier was so shocking and commanding, a statement on the nature of immediacy of the scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In cover #2, John’s turned back was to intimate a departure; that we, and the comic, were something he was leaving behind as he made for new beginnings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this cover, however, the turned back isn’t about either of those things, it’s a symbol for intimacy- a way to hammer home that the characters aren’t aware of our presence and that what we’re seeing isn’t actually meant for us.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A small, quiet moment like this with John and his ghost friend walking under the moonlit sky could be done in a number of ways but the way it’s crafted here the message is clear: this is a private moment that we happen to have stumbled upon by accident.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an almost tender scene that speaks to the genuineness and heroism that’s always been under the layers of cynicism and sarcasm that surround Constantine like armor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-84698312634824302992019-03-29T13:56:00.000-07:002019-03-29T13:56:01.155-07:00Week of Review - Thinner (1996)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei0caMwaI07lb6yJMBqtkzvW0idh3BoQ5c293Jbjx3EW94lfgTdLI_NXn_ASw7WocobHiAbEStK_FhnmhMNAGtWQaskTOpNo70iwprdFGs8qK7eODdipgpDihPSOu4YqPcU6E8yRngjhW/s1600/Week_Review_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjei0caMwaI07lb6yJMBqtkzvW0idh3BoQ5c293Jbjx3EW94lfgTdLI_NXn_ASw7WocobHiAbEStK_FhnmhMNAGtWQaskTOpNo70iwprdFGs8qK7eODdipgpDihPSOu4YqPcU6E8yRngjhW/s640/Week_Review_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider <a href="https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=ApwteFz9rs9QxF9TQVvCA1-cHa3Q3hFu_aeqT1W2KhjMOTyq9blhY57gnFS&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d64813b57e559a2578463e58274899069">Donating</a> to keep the blog going<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A week from today will mark the premiere of a new remake of the Stephen King classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Pet Sematary</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far the new film has a lot of positive buzz, which makes sense given we’ve entered into a new Golden Age of Stephen King adaptations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously between <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Mist, Gerald’s Game, Mr. Mercedes</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">IT, 1922, Dark Tower, 11/22/63, Under the Dome, </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Castle Rock</i> Stephen King is undergoing a shocking renaissance of TV and movie adaptations in the 2010s with even more films yet to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, I’ve decided to look to the past, specifically the ‘90s, as that was the last time Stephen King became the go-to thing to adapt in the horror genre.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, I’m not planning to look at the big names of King adaptations that have always stuck in people’s memories like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Shawshank Redemption</i>, no I’m interested in the weird B and C list adaptations the past has to offer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After all, there’s really not much left to say about a movie we’ve all agreed is good and should be remember but off-beat oddities that pop culture has collectively turned its back on can be so much more weirdly rewarding and it doesn’t get much more weirdly rewarding than 1996’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Adapting the 1985 novel of the same name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i> is the story of an allegedly obese lawyer (more on that in a bit) named Billy Halleck, played by Robert John Burke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Billy is involved in a traffic accident where he carelessly runs own a woman and uses his connections to the local authorities of his Maine town (of course it’s in Maine) to get off without a charge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, things take a turn for Billy when the woman’s father places a curse on him and the other men involved covering up the crime.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now he’s losing weight at a medically terrifying rate and will soon waste away to nothing if he can’t find a way to reverse the curse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the outset this movie probably sounds pretty basic, the curse set-up is a more or less common starting point for a whole subgenre of horror and the well-observed lesson of “murder is wrong” makes this in line with any given <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tales from the Crypt</i> episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, this movie is brought to us by the legendary Tom Holland, most notable for directing <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Child’s Play</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fright Night</i> and while those movies were classics of the ‘80s in the ‘90s he got…weird.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m not really sure what happened to Tom Holland to make his ‘90s work the bizarre fever dream it morphed into but other offerings like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Langoliers</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Temp</i> have become sort of legendarily bad and honestly with good reason, and I say that as someone who likes both films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i>, let’s start with the big awkward elephant in the room because things are only going to get worse from there- this is a movie about the horribly racist trope of the “G*psy Curse.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is one of those ideas I think we’ve started getting about consigning to the past as awareness that the G-word is a slur for Romani people has grown.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i>, however and unfortunately, predates that greater social awareness so this is a movie where people throw that term around a lot along with its abbreviated version too, though to the movie’s credit it’s at least aware that several of its characters are racist against Romani people and we aren’t really meant to like them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, this is one of those movies about an unlikable guy getting his comeuppance, to the point it actually starts with Billy getting a violent mafia don found innocent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of the violent mafia don, played by Joe Mantegna of ‘Fat Tony from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Simpsons</i>’ fame, he actually isn’t a throwaway character in this like I thought he would be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, this is where the movie goes from dated and problematic to upsettingly bizarre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By around the mid-point of the movie Billy manages to track down the Romani caravan that cursed him and begs for release to no avail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This having failed he puts the curse of the white man on them, I am not kidding or embellishing- that is a direct quote from the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, it turns out the “curse of the white man” actually means getting his mafia buddy to wage a campaign of terror against the caravan- poisoning their dogs and shooting up their camp with an assault rifle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I honestly have no idea how much of this baffling third act comes from the original source material or was just a nonsense decision thrown together for the movie but it’s all done in an incredible cartoonish and over the top manner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Overall this movie treats death and morality like foreign concepts, to the point I’d argue it’s a black comedy if it managed to be funnier instead of just shocking and bizarre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, one of the co-writers, Michael McDowell, is also a credited writer on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beetlejuice</i>, which absolutely makes sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner </i>is basically what you’d get if Beetlejuice had actually been the main character of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Beetlejuice</i> rather than just a sort of quirky supporting element.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our main character seems mostly fine with having murdered a woman with his car and largely unbothered by his friends, a judge and the chief of police, succumbing to their own terrifying curses- one of which was getting turned into a lizard man via very dodgy CGI.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even the ending hits this weird pitch-black comedy note.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Caving to the mafia’s intimidation, which includes a distressingly prescient acid attack I didn’t even mention before, the Romani leader removes the curse from Billy and transfers it to a pie, which has to be eaten by someone else, who will die and thus remove the curse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Billy, seeing this pie as a way to get back at his wife who he blames for the initial accident and suspects of cheating on him, tricks her and her lover into eating it and we end on a really weird mean joke about that double-murder he just got away with.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Circling back around to the dodgy CGI comment from earlier, the fat suit use in this movie is pretty subpar as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I understand why they actually needed one here, in that the amount of physical weight change the story demands would be supremely unhealthy and time-consuming to actually achieve.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the movie still ends up straining to portray Billy as a lot fatter than he actually is at the start and it’s really not very good at it, especially given they tell us his weight at one point and he would be at best kind of hefty for his height but in no way obese.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, I’m not even sure what possessed the grieving father to curse him to be thin in the first place other than I presume he knew the title of the movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From everything, I’ve said here <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i> probably sounds a lot worse than it actually is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not saying its constant use of the G-word is at all forgivable, it’s definitely not even if you’re trying to play the “it was a different time” card, and if that combined with the really upsetting “curse of the white man” stuff turned you off I wouldn’t blame you at all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time, the existence of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Drag Me to Hell</i> as basically the better version of this movie makes any justification you could muster for it pretty thin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, as a bad movie, it’s pretty enjoyable in its floundering weirdness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not as fun a watch as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Temp</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Langoliers</i>, which both showcase Tom Holland’s weird cartoon alien sensibilities a lot better, but if you go in with a mindset to make fun of it and are prepared for its uglier aspects there’s a lot of fun to be had at <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thinner</i>’s expense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-4966596005790932732019-03-24T18:40:00.001-07:002019-03-24T18:40:33.522-07:00Filmland - History of Doppelganger Horror<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><br />By now you’ve probably at least seen an advertisement for Jordan Peele’s sophomore feature <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Us</i>, though based on the box office a lot of us have seen the film itself as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you haven’t seen it yet don’t worry, no spoilers here, but the film’s focus on evil doppelgangers has definitely got me thinking.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Killer duplicates of oneself is a pretty great horror concept but one rarely explored in the medium as often as ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and various other forms of more widely accepted monsters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, I’ve narrowed down the history of evil doubles in horror movies and TV in order to look back at the premise that’s given us one of the most memorable horror films of the year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1956 – INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This prime piece of cold war paranoia represents the genesis of the evil duplicate on film, at least as far as the public consciousness is concerned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Based after the book of the same name, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> is the story of a small California town beset by mysterious pods that produce an evil duplicate of you while you sleep who then replaces the original.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starring Kevin McCarthy and directed by Don Siegel, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> is often considered one of the great sci-fi horror B-movies of the ‘50s alongside the likes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Fly</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Incredible Shrinking Man</i> and frankly, there’s a good reason for that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Despite the fairy tale version of the ‘50s as a time of innocence and prosperity, the decade was rife with paranoia, upheaval, forced conformity, and the omnipresent threat of nuclear war- all of which come together perfectly in this unnerving thriller made all the moodier by its black and white visuals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, Kevin McCarthy absolutely steals the show as the lone human among the pod people (hey, this is where that term comes from) and while the fear of infiltration can easily be tied to the Red Scare of the time the genuineness of the fear makes it still impactful to this day.</span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1960 – TWILIGHT ZONE ‘MIRROR IMAGE’</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact: Jordan Peele has actually name-dropped this particular <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight Zone</i> episode as a specific influence on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Us</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That definitely fits as ‘Mirror Image’ fits many of the same dream-like logic aesthetics of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Us</i> while also bringing up the term “doppelganger” as part of its actual plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is of a young woman waiting for a bus in an all-night station when she becomes increasingly aware of her own doppelganger lurking within the station with her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s an odd little story that fits into one of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Twilight Zone</i>’s favorite styles of episode: a mystery that doesn’t make sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s no given reason or deeper explanation for the double aside from some metaphysical ideas about other planes of reality that are somewhat dismissed by the ending narration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s much more about the young woman’s fraying mental state while emphasizing the mystery of the doppelganger as a kind of nightmare you can’t wake up from.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe not one of the best episodes the series ever produced but certainly a memorable one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1978 – INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS (AGAIN)</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Get used to seeing this name on the list cause we’ve got one more round to go (thankfully the 4<sup>th</sup> adaptation of the film dropped the replacement angle so it doesn’t make the list.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1978 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> was a thoroughly different beast from its 1956 counterpart, taking a softer approach to the basic idea than the clear anti-communism style of the first film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Starring Donald Sutherland and Leonard Nimoy, the 1978 film trades the first’s ‘50s paranoia for ‘70s malaise, with the fear of the pod people reflecting concerns about the increasing dehumanization of the modern world rather than the invading force of communism or societal conformity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It also adds a greater degree of body horror thanks to the advanced FX and the really upsetting wrinkle that the pod people now emit a horrifying shriek.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While the 1956 film is the tighter movie on the whole (it has a greater devotion and conception of what it wants to be) the 1978 film has a lot of goodwill towards it especially thanks to Leonard Nimoy and Sutherland’s performances.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the final ending shot is absolutely a killer moment and all-time classic of the horror genre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1980 – HAMMER HOUSE OF HORROR ‘TWO FACES OF EVIL’</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We’re getting truly obscure with this one though it has so many strong similarities to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Us</i> that I might have to do a full article on it somewhere down the line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 1980, British horror studio Hammer decided to launch a short-lived anthology horror TV show with a different hour-long horror story for each episode.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 12<sup>th</sup> episode of that series was ‘Two Faces of Evil,’ about a family on vacation that become menaced by murderous doppelgangers of themselves.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like ‘Mirror Image’ this is one of the only entries in the whole list to actually use the term ‘doppelganger’ as well as its curious mythology that they’re our villainous exact duplicates from another plane that enter our reality and must kill us to survive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Overall it’s a very impactful tale that follows the dream-like style of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Twilight Zone</i> episode but amped up given the focus on a whole family and how unnerving the doppelgangers are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This also introduces the idea that the doubles aren’t exactly perfect as the killer husband double has deformed teeth and a sharpened finger-nail he uses to ply his gory work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For the short running time and obscurity, this is probably the best actual tale of doppelgangers on the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1985 – TWILIGHT ZONE ‘SHATTERDAY’</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yeah, bet you forgot there was a 1985 Twilight Zone revival huh?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s probably because, for the most part, it wasn’t very good (sorry if you really like it.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the premiere episode of the revival series, entitled ‘Shatterday,’ actually was a really interesting premise probably thanks to writing work by the great Harlan Ellison to say nothing of a genuinely good performance from Bruce Willis in the first of his trio of “man vs. self movie” (see also <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Kid </i>and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Looper</i>.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The story of ‘Shatterday’ is another classic Twilight Zone example of magical thinking though this time it’s done in a much more nuts and bolts style of storytelling: a selfish businessman tries to call his apartment to check his phone messages only to have himself answer the phone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Apartment Willis ends up launching a kind of war against Outside Willis, consolidating resources and trying to live his life in a more caring and generous manner like taking care of their older failing mother.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Eventually, as the two continue their battle of wills for who gets to exist the selfish Willis wastes away more and more in the kind of happier ending that was a staple for the 1985 show and part of why we don’t remember it so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1992 – ARMY OF DARKNESS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s kind of odd to think of how much “evil duplicates” are a core part of the Evil Dead franchise at this point but they absolutely are.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you aren’t familiar with the series, it revolves around Ash Williams, played by Bruce Campbell, as he battles ancient monsters called Deadites who can possess the flesh of the living.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series has had a long life transitioning from an intense horror film to a horror-comedy with the quasi-remake <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Evil Dead 2: Dead By Dawn</i> and then entering into full-on horror/fantasy/action/comedy hybrid by the third installment <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Army of Darkness</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Army of Darkness</i> is where the series’ love for evil duplicates starts as it featured both an army of mischievous tiny versions of Ash but a full on an evil double of him who, after getting disfigured to make the FX work easier, became the film’s prime antagonist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an absolute blast of a high concept adventure that draws inspiration from a number of sources to keep things fun and scary and exciting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the follow-up TV show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ash vs. The Evil Dead</i> also featured a handful of evil Ash duplicates all its own as the series has always been pretty tongue-in-cheek about how bad of a dude its ostensible hero actually is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1993 – THE DARK HALF</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let’s get this out of the way now: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i> is the best entry on this entire list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Directed by George A. Romero of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night of the Living Dead</i> fame, the film adapted the Stephen King novel of the same name and starred the often under-appreciated Timothy Hutton.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hutton plays a highbrow novelist (this is a Stephen King story) who becomes haunted by the form of his own parasitic twin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s an incredibly bizarre and upsetting concept though it explores a lot of ideas King would use repeatedly throughout his work, such as the vestigial twin taking the name George Stark, the pen name Hutton’s character uses for his non-highbrow work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are a lot of similarities in this regard to the later King story <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Secret Window</i> though <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Dark Half</i> is far superior for how spooky and ethereal it is as both men struggle with having only one soul between them, both trying to be the one who gets to live.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">1994 – BODY SNATCHERS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From an extreme high to an extreme low, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Body Snatcher</i> is easily the least of the three adaptations of the original novel (I haven’t seen the 2000s remake entitled <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion</i> as it doesn’t involve duplicates.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The 1993 film was directed by Abel Ferrara, a mostly independent director who started out making exploitation films like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Driller Killer</i> (a notorious video nasty) before transitioning into more thoughtful work in the ‘90s like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bad Lieutenant</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">King of New York</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Body Snatcher</i> is one of Ferrara’s only forays into science fiction and it’s easy to see why as despite his occasional skill at horror none of his acclaimed talent makes it onto the screen here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This version of the story is reset to a military base in Alabama and again follows plant-like pods that create killer duplicates of people while they sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The big problem here is that there’s just no character on display, the heroes of the film are paper thin and barely established and without that core grounding, there’s no anxiety or tension to be exploited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where the 1956 film represented fear of both communist infiltration and ‘50s forced conformity and the 1978 film focused on the dehumanization of the modern age the 1993 film is about how the rigid life of a military base is kind of like pod people if you really squint and force the metaphor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I know this film has its defenders but I’m sorry there’s just nothing to recommend with this one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">2008 – MIRRORS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This one is a bit of a cheat as technically the monsters involved aren’t doppelgangers or doubles but mirrors, however, it still has enough man vs. self action that I felt secure in adding it to the list- also I really liked this movie so I’m counting it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally starting life as a remake of the Korean Horror film <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Into the Mirror</i>, the script slowly morphed into its own unique entity under the supervision of director Alexandre Aja, director of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Hills Have Eyes</i> remake and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">High Tension</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, if that resume makes you think this is going to be a gore-fest: don’t, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Mirrors</i> is actually a fairly tame horror film aside from a few pretty intense scenes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The plot revolves around Kiefer Sutherland’s character, a cop who got laid-off and has taken a job as a night watchman at a burned-out department store where the mirrors are alive and malicious.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You definitely get a sense of the linger Asian horror aesthetic here as a lot of the actual plot of the movie is about unraveling the mystery of the mirrors in a way that reminds me of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Ring</i> or even <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Stir of Echoes</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This leaves the movie as more of an urban fantasy film than straight horror but it’s still got some good thrills and chills, especially when people’s reflections start coming to life and hurting themselves, causing severe damage to their real-world counterparts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">2009 – TRIANGLE</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And so the list sputters to a halt with a pretty weak final entry: those are the breaks sometimes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Triangle</i>, released in 2009, is ostensibly a slasher film though despite the name and boat setting it has nothing to do with the Bermuda Triangle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>More than anything it’s a time travel horror movie though not one that really makes sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the story of a group of friends who go out boating one day only to be caught in a storm and come upon a derelict ocean liner.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They board the ship only for a mysterious killer with a bag over their head to start picking them off one by one and if you think “is the killer one of the friends but time displaced?” yes, that’s less of a twist and more of just the plot of the movie though.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Triangle</i>’s biggest problem is that it’s far too concerned with looking clever than being clever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of fighting a you that’s displaced in time is cool and even creepy but so much of the time travel and time loop stuff in the movie doesn’t make any sense and is just there to look cool and seem smart, especially the ending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe you could enjoy it if you’re more forgiving and pretzel logic in the name of coolness but personally this was just another weak 2000s horror movie getting in right at the end of the decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-72453529279954430402019-03-18T09:00:00.000-07:002019-03-30T12:31:22.168-07:00Panel Vision - 11 Possibilities for Captain Marvel 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Kh-NqDX-Sz89F4NRdzO9Py1MGrS4Gxouxq8cpavW2D9OdiVT1ZwWivwpYsFwg91i03FTVLrYjeEsTCF4mUtG4ho5GK3ktsL-VKTeO1JWQEbUckUNXSSFvlqXPgLp-7RsgsmDorn2fvPE/s1600/Panel_Vision_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Kh-NqDX-Sz89F4NRdzO9Py1MGrS4Gxouxq8cpavW2D9OdiVT1ZwWivwpYsFwg91i03FTVLrYjeEsTCF4mUtG4ho5GK3ktsL-VKTeO1JWQEbUckUNXSSFvlqXPgLp-7RsgsmDorn2fvPE/s640/Panel_Vision_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By this point, the success and sequalization of Marvel films feels almost like a given.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Marvel has gotten so good at making quality movies that manage to thrill us without skimping on characterization that the fact we’ll be seeing these heroes again in new installments is the norm and not the exception.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, and combined with its record-breaking success so far, it doesn’t seem too earlier to start speculating about what we can expect from the next entry in the blossoming <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> franchise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The first film has been a major success for Marvel, planting their flag firmly alongside <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Wonder Woman</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> in the realm of relatively more diverse superhero blockbusters and promising a whole world of potential for the next installment in this new and exciting franchise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Combined with the extensive collection of comic book history that Carol Danvers and the Captain Mar-Vell brands have been wrapped up in and the recent changes in ownership at Marvel and Disney and there’s plenty of places to take this series next: here are 11 possibilities.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKFQD8_8-ZbQgfYTwVu0WCvFgvOHZ07uWTtsgbhdIB-MoMYj7Ih45n8mWyJZDVdqfYWqbokpI7eSLEUlozaxcJrR_7hjF3-4QJOI4pQtcFTdY9Tbirtvb4FgPFg92JZhcOXkG2QIShy1U/s1600/carol2_0.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="330" data-original-width="640" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxKFQD8_8-ZbQgfYTwVu0WCvFgvOHZ07uWTtsgbhdIB-MoMYj7Ih45n8mWyJZDVdqfYWqbokpI7eSLEUlozaxcJrR_7hjF3-4QJOI4pQtcFTdY9Tbirtvb4FgPFg92JZhcOXkG2QIShy1U/s640/carol2_0.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4B8EluEEi4af5WtDddUWuZmGCwgyPH2twJkJb13_qJ9R7ZZpgubjHJHRVV0gnmgabwD12kCAxRjipg9lj8JFfBNrtiJtQFPlPUvTpwtEGlm925NCtqnFyux46GF9KoJYq4gw4VbhY2Yeb/s1600/carol2_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="737" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4B8EluEEi4af5WtDddUWuZmGCwgyPH2twJkJb13_qJ9R7ZZpgubjHJHRVV0gnmgabwD12kCAxRjipg9lj8JFfBNrtiJtQFPlPUvTpwtEGlm925NCtqnFyux46GF9KoJYq4gw4VbhY2Yeb/s640/carol2_2.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">MONICA RAMBEAU – CAPTAIN MARVEL</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you’ve already seen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> chances are you probably already know that Monica Rambeau and her mother Maria Rambeau were a big part of the plot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What you might not know is that Monica Rambeau was actually the first woman to wear the Captain Marvel name, premiering back in 1982.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s always kind of struggled to find lasting permanence in the Marvel Comics universe, undergoing multiple name changes such as Photon, Pulsar, and Spectrum but she’s managed to stick around till today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She’s enjoyed a serious fan resurgence alongside Carol Danvers’ ascension to the rank of Captain Marvel and it seems pretty clear <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> was setting up Monica in the new movie to gain powers of her own and fly alongside Carol in future sequels.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is actually a pretty common Marvel move, giving their white heroes a black best friend/partner hero like War Machine or Falcon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d still hope that Monica could be a defining character in her own right and not just Carol’s back-up but the idea she’ll be in the sequel seems pretty secure as it’s been years since we had a Marvel movie with only one hero in it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">MOONSTONE</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A semi-obscure villain from the 1970s, Moonstone is arguably the closest thing Carol Danvers has to an archenemy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like Carol and Monica, she’s worn many names over her 50-year history but Moonstone seems to be the one she most often comes back to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She was originally introduced as an evil psychologist working alongside Dr. Faustus, a mind control psychologist villain who’s already been alluded to in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agents of SHIELD</i>, before graduating up to a full blown super villain in her own right when she acquired the Moon Stones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Moon Stones are a pair of cosmically powerful stones that grant her powers more or less similar to those of Carol Danvers: flight, super strength, energy blasts, with the added wrinkle of intangibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The idea of an evil psychologist villain sounds like a really solid evolution of Yon-Rogg’s gaslighting and manipulations in the first film with the added benefit of giving us a woman villain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, it’s long been rumored Marvel wants to adapt the popular Dark Reign/Dark Avengers comic in some way for Phase 4, an event where various villains masquerade as heroes to convince the public they were the new Avengers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Moonstone was the designated stand-in for Carol Danvers during that event so bringing together the pieces for that could easily start here, especially if Carol is going to be leading the MCU going forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EohhqGn5OcUvEvs7D1ecOhsXFa9yga2qnyowa9k_Zo7BOHGonMKwzzJhL4Iwepd2i_0eyPIIPqSlFmvUf3opQWATVU7HshANKJSqOtHisraOhRaIEzEpboq_KSEfHg10yifhBfcZYtdD/s1600/carol2_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="481" data-original-width="500" height="614" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0EohhqGn5OcUvEvs7D1ecOhsXFa9yga2qnyowa9k_Zo7BOHGonMKwzzJhL4Iwepd2i_0eyPIIPqSlFmvUf3opQWATVU7HshANKJSqOtHisraOhRaIEzEpboq_KSEfHg10yifhBfcZYtdD/s640/carol2_4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE NOVA CORP</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the curious things about <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> being a prequel is that we actually already know the ultimate fate of its villains, the Kree Empire, thanks to the events of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In case it’s been awhile, the powerful and vast Kree Empire of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> eventually gave way to its own aging decadence and was defeated in a war with Xandar and its main force the Nova Corp, an intergalactic police force that took possession of the Power Stone in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Nova Corp are basically Marvel’s own Green Lanterns but the concept has enjoyed some impressive longevity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a time in the mid-2000s when Nova was one of Marvel’s premiere comics and the face of their cosmic stories and more recently a younger Latinx Nova has again helped the character find popularity among younger readers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the movies, the Nova Corp got completely knocked out by Thanos in the events immediately prior to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Infinity War</i>, which is a real shame given how excellent their design and conception is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, their ties to taking down the Kree and the fact that the most successful Nova comic sprung out of devastation to the Corp could be an easy set-up for a role in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel 2</i>, maybe focusing on a renewed threat or Carol Danvers taking the last of the Nova Corpsman under her wing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jzk9SfiWwhce6cO_fZqECtaJs3UTP-9Np1rDC0LxPzPq76VXU2MgAhbMUGfijfQONI9m2u5ZKpwI57muC-K6cxD8__llr_atcTMCfVsfOdebd-DPWuwyu60DAGMzjVqtT8b72tUhQqXP/s1600/carol2_5.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="484" data-original-width="745" height="414" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5jzk9SfiWwhce6cO_fZqECtaJs3UTP-9Np1rDC0LxPzPq76VXU2MgAhbMUGfijfQONI9m2u5ZKpwI57muC-K6cxD8__llr_atcTMCfVsfOdebd-DPWuwyu60DAGMzjVqtT8b72tUhQqXP/s640/carol2_5.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE CELESTIALS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another refugee from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 1</i>, these guys were introduced and seemingly discarded far too quickly for characters that are so fun and engaging in the comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Celestials (I don’t know what their MCU name is) are a race of cosmically powerful titans that travel from world to world seeding the potential for new life and destroying the worlds they deem unsuitable for evolutionary development.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re a weird blend of the kind of big cosmic mythos stuff that Captain Marvel deals with Marvel’s bizarre evolutionary fixation that sprung out of the X-Men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, the big reason I think we might see the Celestials again is The Eternals, a race of super-powerful god-like beings hidden on Earth created by the Celestials after they looked into mankind’s genome and saw the potential for mutants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Eternals will be getting their own movie in Phase 4 so bringing back such a core part of their mythos as the Celestials would absolutely make sense and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel 2</i> is a good place to do it and get people hyped up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, if that isn’t the direction the Eternals movie plans to go, there is another group of genetically modified Earthers that would fit more naturally into Carol’s mythos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Like I just said, the fact there’s an Eternals movie coming
sometime soon means I expect we’ll be seeing more threads of these characters
woven into Marvel’s cosmic web as we go forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their relative obscurity and similarities to the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor</i> franchise mean that selling the
world on the Eternals is probably going to be a task and a half for Marvel and
having them spin out off the now very popular Captain Marvel series seems like
an easy solution.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their powers are
similar in nature to Carol’s and their hidden city on Earth is a pretty great
location to just have on hand, plus their ties to genetic manipulation and
cosmic power make them an easy fit for a lot of the stuff <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> already established as its brand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m not sure we’d get a full on partner
movie like Nick Fury enjoyed in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain
Marvel</i> but something establishing them or their enemy race, the Deviants,
could be an easy element to just drop into the film, especially if the Eternals
are going to be playing a big role in Phase 4 as has been rumored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, there is another race of
genetic augments that might fit a little more neatly into Carol’s background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ha-63_esgxcRPtYbd3Z5J0_FxKZL3o2TP9npWyQfihNt8OCHq2pXYiVvGNe08qH0dB8Pqey7rYdiPYUlfak0l8biAX7ENcjtybvocnwD2FcLVzB83qK9rC1SPGDGFiEDvHU644BLWJEl/s1600/carol2_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="868" data-original-width="1280" height="434" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0Ha-63_esgxcRPtYbd3Z5J0_FxKZL3o2TP9npWyQfihNt8OCHq2pXYiVvGNe08qH0dB8Pqey7rYdiPYUlfak0l8biAX7ENcjtybvocnwD2FcLVzB83qK9rC1SPGDGFiEDvHU644BLWJEl/s640/carol2_7.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE INHUMANS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yeah, remember these guys?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were supposed to be Marvel’s next big TV thing back in 2017 that more or less blew up on the launch pad despite YEARS of development and lead-up in the likes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Agents of SHIELD</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At this point, the Inhumans push feels like the product of another time, mainly driven by Marvel’s mad scramble to create a viable stand-in for the mutants, which has become a non-issue since the Disney/Fox merger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, the Inhumans basically have no clear function despite their elevated status so I’m not sure there would be demand for a follow-up on their show.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, the big thing the Inhumans have going for them is Kamala Khan, the incredibly popular new Pakistani Ms. Marvel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though not a member of the Inhuman Royal Family her powers do come from her ties to the genetically augmented super race and at this point, there’s SO much demand for her to appear in the MCU it’s downright ridiculous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the Inhumans have a history with the Kree as they were created by Kree scientist to essentially be a race of super soldiers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Digging them up as a way to revitalize the Kree war machine after the loss of the Xandar war would be a really solid way to fold these folks back into continuity in a less vital capacity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It worked in the comics multiple times and speaking of which.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-jlSH2Rt5PCLOVhCc1Tv9DqscKEzhEawfOsVAEPqj9ZZ2Y9g-v_qt2EQGGTfbQXIIEjlMAS4KaKGEkc5pzxPwlNHHFrkA59JZvySW8nvfzrx3XJhaTv0xZEBs-zfmRss8aPYHNjqmlEw/s1600/carol2_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgc-jlSH2Rt5PCLOVhCc1Tv9DqscKEzhEawfOsVAEPqj9ZZ2Y9g-v_qt2EQGGTfbQXIIEjlMAS4KaKGEkc5pzxPwlNHHFrkA59JZvySW8nvfzrx3XJhaTv0xZEBs-zfmRss8aPYHNjqmlEw/s640/carol2_8.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE SHI’AR</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I just mentioned, a lot of things have changed now that the long talked about Disney/Fox merger has finally gone through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With its completion, Marvel Studios has regained access to both the Fantastic Four and the X-Men along with their attendant materials.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, a lot of the space and cosmic properties Marvel had been locked out of are now up for grabs and an introduction to the MCU, which honestly seems like the best way to integrate this new material given how often the X-Men have felt like problematic pariahs in their own universe and how dated the Fantastic Four can come off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One such IP are the Shi’ar, a space empire of bird people from the X-Men comics who’ve played a major role in the cosmic comics history.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Shi’ar have been enemies of the Kree on multiple occasions, fighting them first in the event <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Galactic Storm</i>, which embroiled the Avengers, then again when the Kree press-ganged the Inhumans into service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That second story ultimately ended with the Inhuman as the new Kings of the Kree Empire and set-up a whole new era of really popular stories called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">War of Kings</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Thanos Imperative</i>, which I could definitely see Marvel Phase 4 or 5 wanting to work their way towards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixK0tWIUFEC2lBWjo-P1QQ9ZZvK086khdITGqznmLNgg0cD2fEgB2VGtEM3olHDc2f4IgQIAWpDtTe_fgqLosacD44vXeKDE2dOu7oUkeWPlUUF_osctSQ4ZzJ4FdeY_y3EqJ1h38hRh07/s1600/carol2_9.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1060" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixK0tWIUFEC2lBWjo-P1QQ9ZZvK086khdITGqznmLNgg0cD2fEgB2VGtEM3olHDc2f4IgQIAWpDtTe_fgqLosacD44vXeKDE2dOu7oUkeWPlUUF_osctSQ4ZzJ4FdeY_y3EqJ1h38hRh07/s640/carol2_9.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">SUPREME INTELLIGENCE / SENTRY</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Circling back around to the Kree, they definitely felt a little under-developed in the final version of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i>, we got a hint of what their culture and tech was like but not nearly enough of a clear picture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big question I was left with was: what is the Supreme Intelligence in this context.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the comics, the Supreme Intelligence is a giant head in a jar with weird tentacles that come out of its top, which it seems the movie version might’ve been at one time as well?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lingering threads about how no one had ever seen the real Supreme Intelligence and the design of the communion wiring definitely felt in line with the original character and it’d be really nice to see this thing show up in live action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, the other big problem the Kree had as antagonists by the end was they were so thoroughly outclassed by Carol’s power it was downright ridiculous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A good way around that might be the introduction of something called the Kree Sentry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re big robots designed for serious devastation that give most Marvel heroes a serious run for their money.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel 2</i> really plans to follow up on Carol’s threat to go back to Hala and seek revenge on the people who lied to her something like the Sentry could make that a much more even fight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJkvyCZ__WP-J5u_r4Hg5E1glZ8hfRtctuUzx5AyNmq4kjuNemBLKUtNMQn-PxiDbLDdoAWjT8gfph_sewa50XwUaNa1s2Z6fgojNwVOqfSh390Wl-PzVR2d1i2MnU35Uro2EWECNpDgC/s1600/carol2_10.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="464" data-original-width="851" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQJkvyCZ__WP-J5u_r4Hg5E1glZ8hfRtctuUzx5AyNmq4kjuNemBLKUtNMQn-PxiDbLDdoAWjT8gfph_sewa50XwUaNa1s2Z6fgojNwVOqfSh390Wl-PzVR2d1i2MnU35Uro2EWECNpDgC/s640/carol2_10.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE MAR-VELL FAMILY</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, one of the really clever things <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> did was streamline Carol’s powers to just come from an already known and easily explained source.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the comics, her abilities and heritage are part of this elaborate and tangled web of interconnected characters that are all somehow deeply unrewarding to learn about despite being interesting as people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, while I doubt we’ll such much of a deep dive into the Nega-Bands or the forces of Maelstrom and Epoch there are a handful of Mar-Vell Family types I think we might see.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Quasar was a very popular Marvel character in the ‘70s and ‘80s who took up the mantel as a protector of the universe from the original Captain Mar-Vell that would make for a nice fit to the MCU’s cosmic side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phyla-Vell was the daughter of the original Mar-Vell and served as a hero in her own right, briefly acting as Quasar before eventually becoming an agent of death called Martyr.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Phyla is also one of Marvel’s few out gay characters so getting her in a <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> sequel would definitely be a big deal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, there’s Noh-Varr, sometimes known as Marvel Boy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Noh-Varr never had cosmic powers like the others but his origin as a genetically augmented Kree is a pretty solid fit to the movie mythos and he also served as one of the Dark Avengers like Moon Stone so it’d be another stepping stone in that direction.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLdWSLlf2IAYh3quLZ3k-ma-OVIs5ViJmxa-mQ5aPtwNz3faNkoyE0i8kV_je_cF98EfwcKaZ1EXfw1vHB1Pp7Swf3Y0GL3oRggzc-SzTBu1P-3oyYLZPWIKcYUCP7TyTWhH2AniSfxO3/s1600/carol2_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="408" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDLdWSLlf2IAYh3quLZ3k-ma-OVIs5ViJmxa-mQ5aPtwNz3faNkoyE0i8kV_je_cF98EfwcKaZ1EXfw1vHB1Pp7Swf3Y0GL3oRggzc-SzTBu1P-3oyYLZPWIKcYUCP7TyTWhH2AniSfxO3/s640/carol2_11.jpg" width="408" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">SUB-ATOMICA</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I know I said we probably wouldn’t see any greater delving into the cosmic mechanics of the Captain Marvel comics but I’m making an exception for Sub-Atomica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Originally introduced in the pages of Fantastic Four, Sub-Atomica is basically what it sounds like: a subatomic universe complete with civilizations and peoples that can be explored and walked among.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This seems to be a mild inspiration for the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Ant-Man & the Wasp</i>’s Quantum Zone concept, which looks to be playing a key role in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Avengers: Endgame</i> so there’s definitely a reason for its inclusion here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, after its introduction in the comics it was used as a big part of the original Captain Mar-Vell’s mythos, with his powers drawing directly from Sub-Atomica.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sub-Atomica also served as the setting for the popular 1980s toy and comic line Micronauts so it’d be interesting to see Marvel dive back into that well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPAoxtETUo7Wg5LUm3pWvuB6ZSVJ5Rzn8zlss9IxgwTA_tlNONUGSJEJgwsDFlGIWhrJZdo5mE9Oy-xVbh-Al0TMrm4Zvy7vAze8PF4VmxP-PnkhGo8_LX_tiMIyUSJjDnW8H-p6QKzf6/s1600/carol2_12.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiPAoxtETUo7Wg5LUm3pWvuB6ZSVJ5Rzn8zlss9IxgwTA_tlNONUGSJEJgwsDFlGIWhrJZdo5mE9Oy-xVbh-Al0TMrm4Zvy7vAze8PF4VmxP-PnkhGo8_LX_tiMIyUSJjDnW8H-p6QKzf6/s640/carol2_12.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">GALACTUS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At this point, the MCU is basically in a “countdown to Galactus” loop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s inarguably one of the biggest and coolest threats in the entire Marvel Comics canon so the second the rights to his character reverted back to Marvel Studios everyone started marking time till he premiered in the movies, to the point many have speculated he’ll play the Thanos role in the upcoming Phase 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m not sure I’d go that far but I’d definitely love to see Galactus make an appearance in the MCU, especially after how disappointingly he was rendered in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer</i>, and I think <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel 2</i> could easily be the perfect place to do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s a cosmic level threat whose power could definitely rival Carol’s and his collection of heralds would make or a solid fighting force for her to clash against.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, Galactus’ role destroying the Skrull’s home planet in the comics could be an easy entry point for him into the Captain Marvel movie mythology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-24314911483348128532019-03-15T09:00:00.000-07:002019-03-30T18:10:09.586-07:00Cover Story - Top 12 Lex Luthor Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_fGTJmcBK1d5lixNldazXCSGvSm-KdejZNIMK4-IER4xdgZ2CwNopozhlk1ZBr5R8wcxxcaC518XBsc1Rydh376PyZ9ovwX1vuy-KXPtgQCJVgWFbcKDy_Vi5oDbxyw0EgrkiEMtNZLD/s1600/Cover_Story_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm_fGTJmcBK1d5lixNldazXCSGvSm-KdejZNIMK4-IER4xdgZ2CwNopozhlk1ZBr5R8wcxxcaC518XBsc1Rydh376PyZ9ovwX1vuy-KXPtgQCJVgWFbcKDy_Vi5oDbxyw0EgrkiEMtNZLD/s640/Cover_Story_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lex Luthor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a name that wrings loudly through the halls of supervillain infamy alongside such titans as Dr. Doom, the Joker, Loki, and Thanos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Created in 1940, Lex Luthor is one of the oldest and most well known super villains of all time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s appeared in almost every Superman-centric piece of media we’ve had, played by countless actors and enjoyed numerous solo comic appearances as a protagonist in his own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His obsessive dedication to destroying the man of steel has shaped up to be one of pop culture’s greatest David vs. Goliath stories running across decades and multiple iterations of the character: he’s been a rogue scientist, a business guru, President, and a superhero in his own right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This Sunday will mark Luthor’s first live-action appearance on the CW show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Supergirl</i>, played by Jon Cryer, and while that’s not quite as momentous as it might’ve been given we live in the Superhero Age I’ve still decided to mark the occasion with a deep dive into the top 12 Lex Luthor comic covers.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So we’re starting with kind of a strange entry, this is something called an ‘Imaginary Story.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Imaginary Stories were a strange conceit of DC in the Silver Age as a way to do one-off bizarre explorations of ideas that the authors didn’t want to keep in-continuity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It didn’t survive into the ‘70s but a lot of Imaginary Stories of the ‘60s were integrated into continuity in one form or another, most notable among them being the comic where Superman split into two different versions of himself called Superman-Red and Superman-Blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular Imaginary Story is actually exactly what it says in the caption box: the Death of Superman and, this being a non-canon story, they don’t chicken out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Just as the cover depicts, Lex Luthor totally kills Superman in this issue through Green Kryptonite poisoning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s a pretty robust background but even without that element, this is a really unique and dynamic cover for something from the Silver Age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of that comes down to scale, the actual content at hand is pure Silver Age: a shocking image that demands to be read to be understood, even if it didn’t turn out to be a trick in this case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, having Superman’s lifeless corpse take up so much of the cover was a unique approach for the time and the way the other characters are only partially visible speaks to a more mature perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a cover that isn’t relying on action or scale to sell its contents rather an understanding that you, the viewer, grasp the importance of this image even if it’s not covered in movement lines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the color work is really excellent as well, creating a great visual binary between the primary colors of Superman’s costume and the green/purple combo that tends to inform most of his bad guys.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9N0iDsk3hx5wNShW7WeYRm9yL7xKIy1Uza4E8QBdulUb234T3YHPjjaYz1y8pXhzbw97kkFST-azMfKDg146TFuXKeXIxYvJplvUHZpqYwJSHO56USe2A5-xBHLr22_3UxepgIKPejzB/s1600/luthor_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="829" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEji9N0iDsk3hx5wNShW7WeYRm9yL7xKIy1Uza4E8QBdulUb234T3YHPjjaYz1y8pXhzbw97kkFST-azMfKDg146TFuXKeXIxYvJplvUHZpqYwJSHO56USe2A5-xBHLr22_3UxepgIKPejzB/s640/luthor_11.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Something I absolutely love about this cover is the dopey, MS Paint style visual the computer has cooked up to match its “Clark Kent is Superman” conclusion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This issue comes to us from the post-1986 revamped Superman comic that was overseen primarily by comics legend John Byrne.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This issue has gone down as an all-time classic of that run, and with good reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is of Luthor punching a bunch of information into a supercomputer to calculate who Superman is, it gives him the right answer, only for his own ego and cynicism to render him unable to believe that Superman would ever masquerade as a human.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a great idea and a great cover to match, one that actually does happen in the comic much like #12.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a good example of how the flatter approach to colors in more modern comics can still yields impressive results as everything in this scene is muted but still very clear thanks to the bold line work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I especially like the way the scene is divided between the computer screen, Luthor, and his hench-woman, it creates a natural three-point visual to guide the eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the same time the softer colors make that “SECRET REVEALED!” caption burst pop all the better.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also pretty funny seeing Luthor make all these complex calculations on the equivalent of an Apple 2E monochrome computer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">10.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Lex Luthor: Man of Steel</i> is not a great comic but this cover is pretty superb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unlike the two preceding ones, there’s less merit to the content of the actual issue and more to do with the iconography being used here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This particular pose of the protagonist snapping chains across his chest has become one of the most iconic Superman poses there is ever since appearing in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman </i>233 in 1971.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a clear projection of strength and overcoming limitation and the idea of applying it to Lex Luthor is spot on for his character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big part of what’s always made Lex more than just a mad scientist or an evil CEO is that he’s meant to embody humanity’s greatest potential used for its greatest evil, an equal to Superman in all but goodness. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is a great reversal of the original imagery, both figuratively and literally as the image is flipped with Luthor facing the opposite direction from the original cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not as huge a fan of the pure red color work, I don’t really know why they came to that conclusion, but it also doesn’t really hurt the image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s certainly a more impressive look than if they had just had him in his white shirt and gray pants doing the same and this was also in those strange days before Luthor had his lexo-suit brought back into continuity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">9.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘One Year Later’ and ‘Up, Up, and Away’ were a pair of stories in the mid-2000s basically meant to right the DC universe after a period of getting somewhat off the rails.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>‘One Year Later’ was a branding event across multiple books to have them flash-forward in time by one year as a way to set-up new creative teams and new status quos, while ‘Up, Up, and Away’ was specifically meant to get Superman and his comics back to a more streamlined and clear continuity after about 5 years of increasingly mangled and confusing storylines.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A big part of that was returning Luthor to his rogue scientist roots after spending nearly 20 years as an evil CEO, hence this particular transitional cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I really like how it symbolically feels like a bridge between old Luthor and new Luthor, with him sporting the power suit of the classic design but steeped in the weird science crystals that would become his trademark.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those are Kryptonian crystals as well, incidentally, as another big part of ‘Up, Up, and Away’ was streamlining what Krypton was and how it was visualized.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I actually think the idea fits Luthor really well as he’s always had a taste for ironic attacks on Superman, after all, he could use any number of weapons against the man of steel but he always defaults to Kryptonite, small reminders of Superman’s home that only cause him deadly pain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrta-PIUezsUimBzM07iQTzaV_jfv08yN0u2HpYyJaHqHzB64HFYih0_ROXQBzXhjcVF-UCV851FRBkWflD3oliN9iRc0tfeS3vk4oU65cACJ4WF3PD8tRVEyBjVsk_vERmwBTXLlYfHFs/s1600/luthor_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="825" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrta-PIUezsUimBzM07iQTzaV_jfv08yN0u2HpYyJaHqHzB64HFYih0_ROXQBzXhjcVF-UCV851FRBkWflD3oliN9iRc0tfeS3vk4oU65cACJ4WF3PD8tRVEyBjVsk_vERmwBTXLlYfHFs/s640/luthor_8.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">8.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the banner title suggests this cover came in the wake of the very popular and overall pretty good <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Blackest Night</i> event.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>During said event, Lex Luthor became a deputy Orange Lantern of Avarice, complete with this awesomely designed energy version of his war suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was also the first cover from a full on take over of Action Comics by Lex that turned into one of DC’s better comic solo explorations of his character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not sure I totally dig the idea of Lex being an avatar of greed but I can’t deny the image of him with the power ring and energy armor is badass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They manage to wring a superb amount of detail out of this image given it’s all rendered in orange, which is a very tricky color to work with given how easily it bleeds into red or yellow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I actually think this Orange Lantern version of the Lexo-Suit is a major step up from the normal model as I’ve never cared for the upside Superman-crest of the classic suit and the big Orange Lantern symbol on the chest is a much better and more definable visual to build the costume around.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also just as a minor note having him perched on a pile of skulls is a really nice touch and even fits with the Orange Lantern concept as the way the ring works is that anyone an Orange Lantern kills becomes recreated within the ring as energy servants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Luthor with powers is an absolutely great motif that pops up in a number of his covers but I think this visual of him flying over the Earth might be the best of the bunch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a very evocative image and, similarly to #9, speaks to the transitional phase Luthor was in at the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: large;">This comic, </span><i style="font-size: x-large;">52</i><span style="font-size: large;">, was set during the so-called “Missing Year” that set-up that ‘One Year Later’ branding initiative I showcased earlier so it was literally the story of how Luthor moved away from his company and business schemes and settled back into secret laboratories and power schemes, with a whole major plotline revolving around a project to give himself superpowers.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s beautifully rendered here with him striking the Superman pose above the Earth, high concept and bizarre but still clothed in the well-tailored business suit that was always meant to make him seem like a more realistic villain.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;">Also similarly to cover #10 this is an image that has Luthor assuming Superman’s pose and style, emphasizing the way he covets</span><span style="font-size: large;"> Superman’s power but not his responsibility or morality.</span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is such an old school, Silver Age style cover it’s downright ridiculous.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This kind of return to classicism and emphasis on bigger, bolder weirdness was a hallmark of Grant Morrison’s 1996 <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">JLA</i> comic and the entire ‘Rock of Ages’ story speaks to his very weird aesthetic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly the color use here is a major cut above the material of the time with a lot of bright spots like Martian Manhunter’s green, Superman’s electric blue, and Joker’s lavender suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even Batman looks brighter than usual with his yellow oval costume and the blue tint of his boots and cape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a showier cover than most of the others I’ve brought up, as furthered by that word balloon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, by the ‘90s no one was using word balloons like this on comic covers anymore except ironically, which this is admittedly doing to a degree.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The purposely-stilted dialogue form Batman is obviously meant partly as a joke though this does more or less happen in the issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also absolutely adore that expression Luthor is giving like he’s pleased with how angry he is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, there’s just really superb flow here, starting with the word balloon drawing the eye downwards as you read it, leading into the heroes whose stance parallels the slope of the floor leading us over to the villains as they skulk away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a tribute cover to Silver Age comics but with modern conventions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the core tragedies of Lex Luthor is his steadfast belief that he’d truly be a great hero if not for Superman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Depending on the incarnation that can be a legitimate failing of his own imagination or an elaborate form of self-delusion but Lex’s quasi-heroic streak feels like a firmly entrenched aspect of the character that it’s wrong to simply discard.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such, I absolutely freaking love this cover, featuring him leading a ragtag band of freedom fighters through the shattered hellscape of a dark future without Superman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This comes from the acclaimed ‘Camelot Falls’ storyline, which was based around Lex’s constant claim that Superman coddles the human race too much, that civilization has to fall naturally so that it can rise again and that by denying that cycle Superman is making mankind’s inevitable fall all the worse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This visualization of the dark tomorrow left in Superman’s wake does a great job conveying how broken this world has become (with a really nice visual of the daily planet building smashed in the background) but also featuring 4 characters who carry on Superman’s legacy in some way, even Lex.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a great dive into the idea that in the absence of Superman or faced with a deadly enough threat Lex Luthor can still find it within himself to do the right thing, even if it’s just to preserve the legend of Lex Luthor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is an interesting cover because it comes to us from the Bronze Age of the ‘70s but is still reflective of the Silver Age style shenanigans that were <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman</i>’s bread and butter for so many years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s still a shocking moment from the issue, complete with speech balloons and thought bubbles, and is probably misleading about what actually happens (especially given Luthor’s shoes are drawn with a mysterious energy glow to imply he’s cheating) conceptually this is a ‘60s cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In terms of construction and technique, though, this is totally a product of the Bronze Age.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bulk of the action on the page is Superman and Luthor, shirtless and brawling, rather than the weird alien location something else colorful and bizarre.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The two leads are afforded more central space on the cover because the creators are more confident that the reader will understand the importance of the image in the context of the magazine rather than as a shocking bit of creative weirdness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the background is devoid of what you might expect from a space-set Superman comic as the red sun planet is fairly barren and unimpressive with a basic sphere space ship the only means of transit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, the core of the image is Luthor v. Superman, no powers, just fisticuffs and true grit, even if I suspect Lex isn’t playing fair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This may be the purest distillation of Lex Luthor’s savagery and tragedy as a character in comic cover format.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s such a perfect look at the massive egotism and self-delusion that his obsession with Superman affords him, the complete refusal to take any responsibility for his actions or acknowledge his own many failings, it’s Lex Luthor, Shakespearian tragedy, writ large.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, the artwork of this cover is just superb.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s another Bronze Age take on a Silver Age idea, with the high level of detail to the destroyed city reflecting conventions of the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I absolutely love that among the rubble of Metropolis a random “no standing” sign somehow managed to survive whatever doom Luthor brought to Earth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There’s also a really nice use of building destruction here to frame Luthor’s pose, with the shattered buildings on either side of him while he shoves a defiant fist into the sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helps him and his speech balloon pop more against the icy blue of the sky rather than the highly detailed devastation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also really love the cracked and broken Superman statue taking up the full right of the frame.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a fitting tribute to Luthor’s unhinged madness as it reflects the perfect strawman Superman has come to be for Lex, a foe that excuses his every action, no matter what atrocity he commits it’s okay because Superman made him do it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDvT956-D6ZIBIqS9tg8MPbSEPEFKSbJdBXB_IApVbewPO4Yz4uXzvjURHUIeE5tUcX3OLOGItS6LXPpcquUItLuOtkmshp9LZUeEJxfgkgrCwqiYa0gymHdxrhTwNfe6EjHmbdJlv_t_/s1600/luthor_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="829" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghDvT956-D6ZIBIqS9tg8MPbSEPEFKSbJdBXB_IApVbewPO4Yz4uXzvjURHUIeE5tUcX3OLOGItS6LXPpcquUItLuOtkmshp9LZUeEJxfgkgrCwqiYa0gymHdxrhTwNfe6EjHmbdJlv_t_/s640/luthor_2.jpg" width="414" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was no way we were getting through a Luthor cover list without touching on his time as President but I actually think this superbly creative cover is the best artistic work to come out of that ill-conceived era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I’m not a fan of these kind of extreme close-up covers but there’s a cheeky irreverence to this one that I think actually fits the weird tone set by the actual events of Lex 2000 (as it was known at the time.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The basic image of Superman’s cape is hardly an iconic one but it has its own weight to it, mainly thanks to the old “you don’t tug on Superman’s cape” saying, which I definitely think this cover is meant to evoke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The “Vote Lex” button stuck onto it in the style of a “KICK ME” sign feels a lot like a prank or joke, which was ultimately the crux of Luthor’s entire scheme to be President.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He didn’t really use his powers at the time to hurt Superman or do much more than cameo in a bunch of other comics, it was basically a whole Presidential campaign meant to get in Superman’s face and tick him off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sometimes the best villainy isn’t about the impact it’s about the scale of how petty you’re willing to be.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From the second I saw this cover I knew it had to be number 1.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Not necessarily because it shows the cleverest use of the medium technically, that’s actually probably #2, no but because of how well it encapsulates Lex Luthor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>See, the deep unspoken truth of Lex Luthor is that despite all his grandiosity, despite his company and his war suit he is a very, very, very small man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s the deep dark truth at the core of his character, that despite how much he loves himself and views Lex Luthor as humanity’s greatest achievement all he’s ever done is squander his potential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even before Superman arrived on the scene in Metropolis, Lex Luthor was never anyone’s idea of humanity’s future, even an evil one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He busied himself with black market arms deals and slum lording, Lex Luthor was never going to be anything more than a sad little man clinging to the things that made him feel big and this image captures that fact perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The encroaching darkness of his own obscurity illuminated only by his connection to Superman in the kryptonite, a man in chains of his own making forever on the verge of being completely subsumed by the darkness of anonymity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s not a man of steel or a man of tomorrow, just a small coward clinging to what makes him feel big.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-36433573528824541492019-02-15T21:48:00.000-08:002019-03-28T21:49:45.706-07:00Cover Story - Top 10 Silver Age Doom Patrol Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimQ2WjhxqAcyG-cUUSPyMia4LjKqEp5CfHKXib1KGm-qxVBEi4QraTn_Rm3RDLEwvnUOU0b5p8th9ZUF8rSvpLgJlOIfWInUuneCwrxB-wegxcIL6Uvou4qVGFTlSV0BmLBNdWJi1G8qA/s1600/Cover_Story_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjimQ2WjhxqAcyG-cUUSPyMia4LjKqEp5CfHKXib1KGm-qxVBEi4QraTn_Rm3RDLEwvnUOU0b5p8th9ZUF8rSvpLgJlOIfWInUuneCwrxB-wegxcIL6Uvou4qVGFTlSV0BmLBNdWJi1G8qA/s640/Cover_Story_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Doom Patrol, the world’s strangest heroes, have you ever heard of these folks?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’d bet not for most folks though I honestly have no idea how comic booky my readership is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, even as a fan of the Patrol they’ve always been a pretty firmly entrenched C-level property in the backlog of DC Comics superheroes which makes their upcoming streaming show on DC Universe, produced by Greg Berlanti, a real surprise- but a good surprise like twins or a tax rebate.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To celebrate their ascendance to the small screen and the fact the Doom Patrol show actually looks pretty good and very well cast (putting it ahead of its contemporary <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Titans</i>) I thought we’d look back at the top 10 Doom Patrol comic covers, specifically drawing from the Silver Age version of the team in the ‘50s and ‘60s because they had the superior cover artwork (sorry fans of the ‘80s Morrison series, I won’t apologize to fans of the John Byrne 2000s comic as I’m unconvinced such people exist but I’m sure we’ll end up talking about that series sooner or later.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWLTiqVWQGTpyIUzJg6yuthyI8YbegrY3BSaO-xfgX42Vdzq1LvaqQcHSc_IMbAdD1KmIFB6wwQFqEuFQTwQBpSJdebRYIXRx88seQMz_5_fgahSHkjDk7Rg0_ZEZgTOSdc9Df3HyU_Dz/s1600/patrol_11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="355" data-original-width="720" height="314" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLWLTiqVWQGTpyIUzJg6yuthyI8YbegrY3BSaO-xfgX42Vdzq1LvaqQcHSc_IMbAdD1KmIFB6wwQFqEuFQTwQBpSJdebRYIXRx88seQMz_5_fgahSHkjDk7Rg0_ZEZgTOSdc9Df3HyU_Dz/s640/patrol_11.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7Q3MlqaLv1vRu6T9WtLyWFKPC3Gua5zPM9F_HHkot0PHRhtnq230KUeTjvezBwdLMept0r_jr9bLRKQG96uP84gxeh2prGmgSV2fejFiUCLS9cUtgiJ95pDZ_ZAZFjl_aVQ4zhIhy8dF/s1600/patrol_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgF7Q3MlqaLv1vRu6T9WtLyWFKPC3Gua5zPM9F_HHkot0PHRhtnq230KUeTjvezBwdLMept0r_jr9bLRKQG96uP84gxeh2prGmgSV2fejFiUCLS9cUtgiJ95pDZ_ZAZFjl_aVQ4zhIhy8dF/s640/patrol_10.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This isn’t the best cover on the list but my god if it isn’t the MOST ‘60s cover I’ve ever seen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Let’s start at the top with that weird checkerboard pattern backing up the amazing logo design (love the purple letter backdrop and weird neon sign-style to the word ‘Patrol.’)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That checkerboard was a signature of DC Comic covers in the ‘60s and is known affectionately as “Go-Go Chex” which is one of the greatest facts I’ve ever learned (you’ll also notice I incorporated it in my logo design for Panel Vision.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The circular character portraits are also pretty emblematic of the decade, especially for group comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Back in the ‘60s and even into the ‘70s books would often feature a “roll call” on the inside cover listing everyone who would appear in the book, this still happens sometimes now with event comics but it’s unfortunately rare.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On to the main content of this cover, I absolutely love the design of this weird energy brain beast. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Believe it or not, this will not be the only evil brain in a jar on this list though he absolutely has the most cartoonish face ever.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The color work on his energy body is also really well done as you couldn’t achieve a gradient as easily in the time so they go with this stark differentiation between white, orange, and yellow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, if there are some <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Titans</i> fans in the audience this is what Beast Boy originally looked like when he first appeared as the son of Elasti-Girl and Mento, adopted son that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have no idea who ‘Galtry’ is in the bottom right-hand corner or why he looks like a cartoon dumb guy but I can’t imagine context would really enhance this image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVMCzW5GPaVM3lds-olL6swAO7i4JX64h_N1y3OWUKa2XietiAAIxArRqYu1HRj5g6DzL6uoIQ2oWWkllbSn2adFtCwvEDB5GLMVYCDU5qqOyazW1GY47Z-8XdMa5qak5AwDptd-p07WU/s1600/patrol_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJVMCzW5GPaVM3lds-olL6swAO7i4JX64h_N1y3OWUKa2XietiAAIxArRqYu1HRj5g6DzL6uoIQ2oWWkllbSn2adFtCwvEDB5GLMVYCDU5qqOyazW1GY47Z-8XdMa5qak5AwDptd-p07WU/s640/patrol_9.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is actually a very strange mix of components for a Silver Age cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Outwardly it has some of the standard elements of the time, the simplistic backgrounds, big flashy captions, speech balloons, a shocking scene meant to entice browsers at magazine racks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big change from the covers of the time is the scale of the image.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most covers of the ‘50s and ‘60s would try and scale down the heroes to get as many full body shots into frame as possible, that’s part of why you can always see all of Batman and Superman in their various Silver Age covers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Something like this, where the heroes make up the bulk of the cover space and even have to contort a little to fit, with the Chief not even able to fit fully into frame, is a really different take that’s more reminiscent of the ‘70s style of cover you’d see pioneered in Spider-Man comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It works really well here, I especially like the look of shock on Robot Man’s face even though he’s, you know, a robot and completely immune to bullets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, the stilted yet evocative dialogue on display here is a good example of how Silver Age stuff can etch its mark on comics going forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">8.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is another interesting example of Doom Patrol’s more experimental perspective.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of this came from the fact Doom Patrol, even for the time, wasn’t a huge hit for DC so it was allowed to do its own weird thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was also a lot closer in conception to a Marvel comic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>DC books of the ‘60s were mostly just straight power fantasies or whimsical tales whereas the Marvel method was about subverting fantasies, turning powers into curses like with the Thing, Spider-Man, or the X-Men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Doom Patrol’s powers were definitely intended to be curses only they had a rogues gallery drawn and stylistic pallet drawn from the high concept weirdness of the DC mold rather than Marvel’s slightly more grounded styles.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">All that adds up to covers like this amazing weirdness, where the Mutant Master (who has an amazing design with that eye for a head) is drawn full scale but our heroes still don't have their full body in the shot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The use of shading on the Mutant Master blast is really bold here and works very well, I also love the foreground being this ruined city he’s rampaging through.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the magenta background, it creates a really nice visual that’s clear and distinct despite having A LOT of action going on at once, also that energy line does a great job bisecting the scene and drawing the eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Really creative monster design is absolutely going to be a theme of this list but I think Kranus here might be an all-time best for his amazing ability to launch his disembodied parts at people.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s such a weird power I never would’ve even thought of it, also his cape is held on by little skull clasps, which is absolutely the height of fashion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do really wonder if that diamond tipped lightning scepter is part of his normal form and hand-shooting attack or if this is a special adjustment to deal with Negative Man and the energy being that resides within him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Actually, a minor detail I do thoroughly appreciate is the way the flying body segments are still attached to the main body via wiring, that’s a neat little addition and actually makes sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is also a good example of effectively using color to balance a scene, in particular, that pea-green background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally I don’t like flat background colors but with how dominant Kranus’ silver/purple scheme is and all the yellow caption boxes sticking with a simple, softer color for the background was absolutely a good call.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now, see, this is actually an example of some pretty subpar color balancing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The amber sky and blue water absolutely do not fit together, assuming that light blue background area is even supposed to be water- I can’t tell without any detail.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Additionally, the pea green color of the logo is far too soft against the harsher amber, which also bleeds into the caption boxes far too easily.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, all that is forgiven for the amazing image of Elasti-Girl turning into a giant crystal version of herself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Her power is size changing so she’s naturally able to grow that big but the crystal change is totally unique and reminds me of Superman’s villain Bizarro, an imperfect duplicate of Superman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s such a creepy and evocative visual, someone turned to harsh geometric crystal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like the line of soldiers and police at the page’s bottom drawn using more perspective and foreshortening even as the rest of the cover fits more naturally into Silver Age styles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, the point of view here trying to create the flow of a hill is incredibly unique for its time even if it doesn’t quite work on the whole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We’re nearing the absolute pinnacle of the pioneering perspective and foreshortening work in the Doom Patrol comics here with this incredible cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s amazing how the addition of one simple element like the studs on the flattening rollers can take this visual from fairly standard cartoon fair to bizarrely evocative and extremely memorable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve all seen characters get flattened like this in a cartoon medium but the way Robot Man has been stretched out here and turned into Swiss cheese is just such a weird approach it basically demands you pay attention to it like any good Silver Age cover should.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also, the color balance, which is much more important with large perspective images like this, is back on point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The silver and gold of the machine and robot parts form the bulk of the scene while the green and pink of the backsplash create a really good complement to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All 4 colors are working together instead of clashing or bleeding into each other and there’s a firm divide between the foreground and backdrop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the blue floor looks better as a way to highlight the red of Negative Man and Elasti-Girl’s costumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is absolutely the MOST Silver Age cover of the bunch- the background that’s half present and half clear void, the way it’s working to get everyone in the show while also looking as ridiculous as possible, a villain themed after clocks whose face is a giant clock and whose name is Doctor Tyme.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the coloring backs this up as it creates a weird Technicolor rainbow palette that doesn’t exactly clash but it in no way complements itself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The yellow of the hourglass sand goes with the amber of the ground to create a natural split to the blue sky and Elasti-Girl’s red dress gives the whole thing a wash of primary color that’s balanced nicely against Doctor Tyme’s green costume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also, I really love that Doctor Tyme’s eyebrows are clock hands and that his mouth seems to be full of gears?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, this guy’s villain design might be too weird, he’s bizarre enough to be memorable but a little too weird to actually come together naturally- especially the fact he seems to be wearing slacks and a tie modeled after a grandfather clock bell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">3.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now that is a memorable Silver Age villain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Meet Animal-Vegetable-Mineral Man, a man with the power to transform any part of his body into any animal, vegetable, or mineral.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the wackiest concept I’ve ever heard of and easily one of the best visuals I’ve ever seen in the entire comics medium.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The second you lay eyes on half of a dude’s face turning into a ferocious T-Rex it’s one of those things you’re never going to forget.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He even has the power to get around the T-Rex arm probably by summoning those diamond-looking forearms and giant diamond foot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s seriously a ferociously creative idea that’s wonderfully executed here in the style of a classic Silver Age cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You’ve got the central action, basically no background but a block color that avoids clashing well, and the heroes even scaled down so you can fit them all on the page in full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They even threw in some weird movement lines around Animal-Vegetable-Mineral man just to sweeten the pot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrry_bXU4emX5PWxqpx2eycBRxePt8v_TIARuZOahxmT1Qx_GuKC54Q29Afnq6KPh3NOMkgWa-AltsI6x6ZYz60u6uAqJkIeMOO54S73bPox3g5cA6O8j-zt68XfibDy91yKCmFeUX_9eu/s1600/patrol_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="579" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrry_bXU4emX5PWxqpx2eycBRxePt8v_TIARuZOahxmT1Qx_GuKC54Q29Afnq6KPh3NOMkgWa-AltsI6x6ZYz60u6uAqJkIeMOO54S73bPox3g5cA6O8j-zt68XfibDy91yKCmFeUX_9eu/s640/patrol_2.jpg" width="442" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Again, I can’t stress enough what a bizarre and experimental approach to perspective these covers were for the time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You just didn’t see this kind of point of view in the ‘50s and ‘60s, hell you rarely see this kind of perspective even now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The idea of setting the villain mostly out of frame aside for his leering face is such an out of left field move but it absolutely works here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much the same way they’ve placed each of the heroes in a unique trap to fit their ability but don’t show us the trap in full, trusting the reader to grasp what we’re seeing without needing every link in Robot Man’s chain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, the traps are all curiously basic in a very evocative way, like the giant chains and iron maiden contraption. Combined with the red background the whole scene is weirdly hellish for a Silver age comic, even more so with the unhinged look in the villain’s eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Normally in death traps you expect something elaborate or themed or even just more mechanically built around trapping the heroes but not here, they’re just entombed in this dark red chamber with that giant sneering monster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Didn’t I promise you another brain in a jar before we were done?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is the Brain and his ape ally/lover Monsieur Mallah, the talking gorilla.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It has been said by Julius Schwartz, one of the titans of the medium, that apes on comics sell comics and this cover is no exception because it’s absolutely great.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s got that same trick of foreshortening to make the characters so large they can’t be seen in full without making them indistinguishable, thus giving the cover a sense of scale and action that avoids the more picture book look of some other Silver Age stuff.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The color work is superb, using the monochrome of the surveillance screen to balance against the red background and green superhero costumes with that bright yellow text popping off the cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Everything about it comes together perfectly as a vision that was ahead of its time in technique and style while still featuring a robot, a mummy, a brain in a jar, and a talking ape because comics are just the raddest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-50470905095640512172018-11-02T06:00:00.000-07:002019-04-13T12:46:42.926-07:00Cover Story - Top 10 Sabrina Covers<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">I swear, at some point I’m just going to have to transition this blog into something that talks about comic book adaptations and nothing else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s honestly kind of startling the explosion in comic book adaptations we’ve gotten over the last 5 years, even beyond the confines of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Case in point, today’s Cover Story will be looking at the top 10 covers featuring Sabrina, the Teenage Witch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most folks now probably know Sabrina from her ‘90s TV sitcom or the newly premiering Netflix series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</i> but she actually has a long and storied career in the pages of Archie Comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While rarely counted alongside the likes of DC, Marvel, and Image Archie Comics has absolutely dominated the non-superhero side of comic books since it set about imposing industry standards to kill its competition in that field (this is comic books people, there are no clean hands.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While Archie and the rest of the Riverdale gang are their flagship crew they’ve also enjoyed a smattering of other long-lived successes, with Sabrina being core among them so let’s take a look at her top 10 comic covers.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdboDaiw5MSHr535hFqgAoY5_G1anyIuHpfMljisBcNPPV4p4S0B5TT_paGKAC1fupGF0i3spplrTGgU9mEPbqrAM9umLxCWOBfWNHmhoIBaXxyKvsS5j7EEjMFCh3m36ypjDST3Y0GsnH/s1600/sabrina_11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="937" height="326" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdboDaiw5MSHr535hFqgAoY5_G1anyIuHpfMljisBcNPPV4p4S0B5TT_paGKAC1fupGF0i3spplrTGgU9mEPbqrAM9umLxCWOBfWNHmhoIBaXxyKvsS5j7EEjMFCh3m36ypjDST3Y0GsnH/s640/sabrina_11.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLZnRuuLzCz_PjcDk09JR9jdKHndkWPeK6A4kJM9e8k0CNMb7TsTbvpD1A1mFX5U4YXOskH9c8PcQ2LJjW72MieMsf76rT7lRxEPc50Ibngy89O0A9v1YnWKoObrwmo8eKYZlI4fCsNKe/s1600/sabrina_10.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="930" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBLZnRuuLzCz_PjcDk09JR9jdKHndkWPeK6A4kJM9e8k0CNMb7TsTbvpD1A1mFX5U4YXOskH9c8PcQ2LJjW72MieMsf76rT7lRxEPc50Ibngy89O0A9v1YnWKoObrwmo8eKYZlI4fCsNKe/s640/sabrina_10.jpg" width="412" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">10.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So despite Sabrina being a major staple of Archie Comics for years most of these covers are going to be coming from her more recent series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chilling Adventures of Sabrina</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Aside from seeming to be the prime inspiration for the Netflix show it also features a lot of her best cover work like this lovingly minimalist design.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m an absolute sucker for covers that make great use of silhouettes and negative space and this cover has that in spades.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really like the way the scraping branches of the barren forest look almost like veins against the soft red backing color here.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Also, the way the bats blend seamlessly with the branches is a nice touch and a cool reflection of the scribbled hearts and pentagrams on the right-hand side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s honestly really impressive that you can get such a recognizable image out of a minimalist cover for Sabrina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you asked me to describe this character from memory I’d have a hard time with it but in this case, the visual design of her hair and headband go together perfectly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I also like the slightly menacing addition of the red of her eyes, that’s a nice touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7TRh6p1NHBXI7eEDJEFtc9V4rEa5hhm5XlFJ2FyqU34xXtLTUuNCN7AxmvLpdFWXlqUN50vnfqbLsBHitEWV0xNc0JMUI4yjutgPPyByR0yKo9rnhQ1jrqiMxe5w4wElRkt14T1mhyiY/s1600/sabrina_9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="596" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc7TRh6p1NHBXI7eEDJEFtc9V4rEa5hhm5XlFJ2FyqU34xXtLTUuNCN7AxmvLpdFWXlqUN50vnfqbLsBHitEWV0xNc0JMUI4yjutgPPyByR0yKo9rnhQ1jrqiMxe5w4wElRkt14T1mhyiY/s640/sabrina_9.jpg" width="428" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">9.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this is what Sabrina spent an inordinate amount of her time getting up to back in the day, playing host to the sporadic horror comics put out by Archie Comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Interestingly, Archie Comics was actually instrumental in putting an end to the horror comic boom in the ‘50s through heavy self-censorship of the industry through the comics code, only to turn around and embrace the genre themselves in years to come.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This cover speaks to their weird blend of spooky horror aesthetics, with the segmented design a deliberately retro look inspired by ‘50s multi-story comics but featuring a brighter and more vibrant use of color and far less blood and guts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That top image of the four-armed beast on the spooky more is a great example of the kind of camp that informed their work in this era.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, again I’m impressed how much blonde hair + headband is easy shorthand for Sabrina as I instantly knew the young woman in the bottom right-hand corner was her despite being a disembodied head.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucJct6fkLOZtrAbVP346J70B-W3bW1U7X6VAXQ2BpR5znuJiAKcr-jOAm-3twvWwBFZ_iyCengZEiB4ueS7KgmgH1vaxTPYCqtqofqi0vb5ikEj3Xb6RrSKPyABcfO8yG9jg_KW-CHIaG/s1600/sabrina_8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiucJct6fkLOZtrAbVP346J70B-W3bW1U7X6VAXQ2BpR5znuJiAKcr-jOAm-3twvWwBFZ_iyCengZEiB4ueS7KgmgH1vaxTPYCqtqofqi0vb5ikEj3Xb6RrSKPyABcfO8yG9jg_KW-CHIaG/s640/sabrina_8.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">8.</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Much more of a modern cover here, though the logo design on top absolutely speaks to the campy, spooky retro roots of this franchise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I especially like the little detail of making the numbering for the book a coffin and the ghost lettering on “SABRINA” is incredibly charming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As for the cover itself, like a lot of covers from the modern era of Sabrina, it feels informed heavily by the history of horror movie iconography and posters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In this case, the giant looming eyes have any number of origin points in the genre’s history though they remind me most of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Eyes of Laura Mars</i>, which would fit the somewhat more Lynchian preclusions of this series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also really love the little detail of Sabrina’s giant eyes looking over the woman with skulls in place of her own eyes, that’s a nice parallel and the way the burnt yellow of the sky creates the hint of flesh color without going overboard balances the superimposition well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The color palette, on the whole, is very well composed, emphasizing a kind of older, almost archaic look with the heavy tans, whites, and creams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looks like the colors of some ancient scroll- even the blue of Sabrina’s eyes has been dimmed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also bonus points for that great “Spellman” tombstone in the front and center.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHfWZ6hlDvMMzeGLgKD8zFnUVZsXbp6dx0DVgL-uFE2A4GE36GRX5pUQ9m3KMqtl56dcyr6-X4LjyZVGirq2EGbTsPVGggAQE55IhltD-MegcsdE2R5mGz5c7NjgQE_uRE8Nz_8kHON5A/s1600/sabrina_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="600" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpHfWZ6hlDvMMzeGLgKD8zFnUVZsXbp6dx0DVgL-uFE2A4GE36GRX5pUQ9m3KMqtl56dcyr6-X4LjyZVGirq2EGbTsPVGggAQE55IhltD-MegcsdE2R5mGz5c7NjgQE_uRE8Nz_8kHON5A/s640/sabrina_7.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I told you the modern series loves its horror movie designs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In case you don’t know, this particular cover is aping the visual style of the poster for the ‘70s Stephen King horror classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Carrie</i>, about a psychic girl who goes on a rampage after getting a ludicrous amount of pig blood dumped on her at the prom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hence the visual design here of the side-by-side panels featuring prom queen Sabrina and post-pig blood Sabrina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a solid comparison point for horror iconography given how much Sabrina’s witch powers play on the same themes of female power that informed a lot of Carrie and I really appreciate how all out they went on making this cover look like an old VHS box.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s a tricky art making a cover look like something else and it can easily end up overpowering the design but the smattering of peeling paper aesthetics and the tiny credits on the bottom are a really nice addition.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Going back up to the logo design again, I’m not sure it really NEEDS the addition of Sabrina casting a spell on us from a spooky circle on the far right side but it’s a fun element all the same, which I think sums up the overall spooky fun aesthetic of these covers nicely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhf6E7rjKKyVUtHzaGWY4hXH7oEnhmILtA61HUJjnTBhEIUU9bfkF4qSG1MDxtQXxI4WmVvB8wyutYZw2GSXA0KCSSmpZZWQVtiYUKUUUxRkHELTmhxJhjHKYiqtFUxNJgJdlMk4sB2jM/s1600/sabrina_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhf6E7rjKKyVUtHzaGWY4hXH7oEnhmILtA61HUJjnTBhEIUU9bfkF4qSG1MDxtQXxI4WmVvB8wyutYZw2GSXA0KCSSmpZZWQVtiYUKUUUxRkHELTmhxJhjHKYiqtFUxNJgJdlMk4sB2jM/s640/sabrina_6.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Okay, so this is a bit less spooky-fun and a bit more spooky-terrifying but I’m still enjoying it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, I think this cover does a fine job conveying the slightly more adult brand of storytelling that this series favored.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was part of the Archie Horror imprint, as the left-hand insignia proudly states, which was all about re-contextualizing the Archie properties into much harsher and more frightening/upsetting horror stories like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Afterlife with Archie</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jug Head: The Hunger</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So giving us a cover that features bloody handprints, a pentagram smeared on the wall, and this incredibly creepy floating dead-eyed Sabrina definitely speaks to that tonal shift.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s honestly kind of a bizarre image if you think about it like Sabrina seems to be floating pointlessly in an empty room where a thousand hands splattered all over the wall?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It raises a lot of questions that there are no good answers too, or at least no answers that don’t lead to even more terrifying conclusions, which is the heart of doing horror well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I especially like that this cover keeps the broom in there, most of the time this kind of “blood and guts meets classic spooky iconography” set-up can seem try-hard but this is a really nice blending.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RujI4tA3AODQjQkmWNxEh2GXhwx1nDElSSrs-mvb_XuApTg_ASwMEN5FKU2K7OpEeXNaTMnrkAtkNGgIUpr62XWZubfFZAxzFmzBCZVKmXCAWynBs4GWAi4fttPVxKV94hpdIyQZeWGH/s1600/sabrina_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0RujI4tA3AODQjQkmWNxEh2GXhwx1nDElSSrs-mvb_XuApTg_ASwMEN5FKU2K7OpEeXNaTMnrkAtkNGgIUpr62XWZubfFZAxzFmzBCZVKmXCAWynBs4GWAi4fttPVxKV94hpdIyQZeWGH/s640/sabrina_5.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Fun fact, that “3.99” sticker isn’t because this is a scan that’s actually drawn onto the cover, it’s another one of those gags about making the design look like something else.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big reason it’s there is to cover up the 35 cents price mark in that big gray blocker on the left-hand side, which is based on an old convention used by Archie Comics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m actually not a huge fan of the colored barrier but I think it works here as the slate gray adds a nice counterbalance to the scroll color design of the central cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The use of obvious brush strokes in the background, though, is what really sells this cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s something incredibly handcrafted about that design that gives it a curiously evocative vibe and that’s not even touching on the central image of Skullbrina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The skull is a really useful visual marker for conveying a transitional zone between old school camp spookiness and modern-day creepy gore and this cover is a great example of how.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We all know that skulls are a signifier of Halloween and spook house fun but rendering it in a hyper-realistic way here makes it a lot less inviting, especially the way the fractures on the crown blend into the strands of Sabrina’s hair.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, you can see here how the blue and red of Sabrina’s face can be pumped up to give a real splash of color to the more neutral tones.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ixUqKKI0Cw8OX1GtB1BfHaP6Zd7vL-GI0Cw3C-XRfdyTI6hvNTwJ48HCleUpk3OeUdp2mRHm7ralcAWLdpAqWpBkTOrgHDFPLPyMaxeJT0MVK-HjiK5R_JYYnBcv5uGl5A6ozJNDwCOx/s1600/sabrina_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="833" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4ixUqKKI0Cw8OX1GtB1BfHaP6Zd7vL-GI0Cw3C-XRfdyTI6hvNTwJ48HCleUpk3OeUdp2mRHm7ralcAWLdpAqWpBkTOrgHDFPLPyMaxeJT0MVK-HjiK5R_JYYnBcv5uGl5A6ozJNDwCOx/s640/sabrina_4.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This is such a pure summation of “Gothic” imagery I absolutely had to include it on this list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s an entire subgenre of cover art that’s encapsulated in this image, everything about it an iconic style while also making it unique to Sabrina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Simply structured, this is a three-part Gothic image that uses scale to differentiate its images and create a visual flow from the upper left to the bottom right as the images get closer to the viewer.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Those images are the looming figure of Sabrina’s father, steely and cold looking over the scene and defining the background of the scene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He’s the most ambiguous part of this image, the monument of his face implying a sullenness that’s difficult to interpret.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Next comes the old dark house/castle, a standard of the Gothic image textbook and a solid definition of the foreground.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I especially like the way the house doesn’t have any clear front or place you’re supposed to interpret as an entrance, also the sickly sallow of the yellow glow from the windows is a great touch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, you have Sabrina running from this scene at the focus point, telling us this is a scene that should be feared even if we don’t know why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a classic cover design but classic for a very good reason, it just works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Hey, it’s another retro throwback cover, this time borrowing from that retro ‘50s horror comic aesthetic that informed stuff like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Creepshow</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Tales from the Crypt</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The big tell is that use of the red backing barrier behind the logo- that is classic horror comic cover design that lasted all the way into the 1970s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do like too that they’ve even adopted a more horror comic kind of illustration approach, eschewing the painted brush strokes and tight close-ups of previous covers for this almost joke cover.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Seriously, this particular image of someone reading about the horror story that’s about to befall them is a major staple of pulp horror used in everything from the old EC and DC horror comics to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Goosebumps</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also note the three horror movie posters in the background for <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rosemary’s Baby</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Sunday</i>, and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Earth vs. The Spider</i>, which is actually a pretty unique smattering, though the ‘60s grounding actually fits Sabrina aesthetic a lot better than ‘50s B-movies or ‘80s slashers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpwBCDAqThyK4ySulSTYmJHC2EeOEKkYkfEpKrAKPVEwf9UiNq33pN_9aVotFsLmx5jHw45zatO5rNiWBNRHV6BleTGo0mB0tmGWca-yhsYLVt42ds_WjlAu-CLBH5_cwW49YRBgGwUU8/s1600/sabrina_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwpwBCDAqThyK4ySulSTYmJHC2EeOEKkYkfEpKrAKPVEwf9UiNq33pN_9aVotFsLmx5jHw45zatO5rNiWBNRHV6BleTGo0mB0tmGWca-yhsYLVt42ds_WjlAu-CLBH5_cwW49YRBgGwUU8/s640/sabrina_2.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And now for something completely different.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, I have no idea how this incredibly colorful and endearing cover ended up produced by Archie Comics after all those super dark and horror-infused ones but I absolutely adore it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I admit, a lot of that comes from growing up with the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Sabrina, The Teenage Witch</i> sitcom as well as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kiki’s Delivery Service</i>, which I’m assuming this cover is at least somewhat paying homage to.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I really love the balance of colors here on Sabrina’s costume, keeping her colors dark and muted and her design vaguely spooky (horizontal stripes are always spooky) without clashing against the blue/green gradient of the sky, it’s subtle but it’s sharp.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, the visual design of the clouds is really well done, creating a very persuasive look with the hints of more pastel color and translucence, they do a great job framing Sabrina.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even the title logo fits this reworking, with the big bold title in a deep purple like Sabrina’s jacket but the softer magenta of the subtitle giving it that lighter tone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Also, this is the only cover to feature Salem, Sabrina’s wisecracking cat sidekick who I love.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1VkFC4KsoE6IIRlI_0R5lN6h9Kz0oTKfmVC1Urqqkn6Oi2dV8xuvK43j0GHkgOggfbsQ5PrwxJtR-cHHSKxXDPQAvXOs6hXHTwhzEsNBDlgj42s877BnVQDxFD3oZdj6Hv8KENeoL7WB/s1600/sabrina_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="832" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA1VkFC4KsoE6IIRlI_0R5lN6h9Kz0oTKfmVC1Urqqkn6Oi2dV8xuvK43j0GHkgOggfbsQ5PrwxJtR-cHHSKxXDPQAvXOs6hXHTwhzEsNBDlgj42s877BnVQDxFD3oZdj6Hv8KENeoL7WB/s640/sabrina_1.jpg" width="416" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I said at the start, I absolutely adore covers that heavily use minimalism and negative space and there is something just incredibly evocative about this particular one. That blood red sky is an absolutely superb visual background and gives the entire scene a sense of gloom and impending devastation. A lot of that has to do with the fact this scene isn’t outwardly creepy but it has the implication of bad things to come, a real sense of “the coming storm” in cover format. This whole series has made excellent use of barren trees and here they create both a great visual dynamic to help fill the screen and add a sense of movement from left to right with the blowing wind. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I also like the little detail of the car and parking meters here; it gives the visual a weirdly abandoned look to it. Even the small splashes of white and yellow on Sabrina herself can’t take away from the aura of dread this cover evokes. It’s steeped in visual tradition of horror iconography so old it’s become part of our shared lexicon, to the point that just the handful of implications like the rising wind and the blood red sky all swirling around this lone girl that we KNOW is more powerful than she appears is enough to convey a sense of creeping horror yet to be realized. </span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-9961133238922132862018-10-02T06:00:00.000-07:002019-04-13T20:15:31.789-07:00Eternal Character Roster Revealed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kJCtpD9-1bQ7U1CdwbfGFpnnxv1nEtyKokBiRJ0k-ovEGlzwu7-1O9UQj42CqZOtIYVvjZgJoonP3D-B0qybI588bJJdeMwXYJPAB4inFBNW307_cANDgKiong6AemTlY0J962dgUQZX/s1600/WYLK_Banner.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="843" height="302" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5kJCtpD9-1bQ7U1CdwbfGFpnnxv1nEtyKokBiRJ0k-ovEGlzwu7-1O9UQj42CqZOtIYVvjZgJoonP3D-B0qybI588bJJdeMwXYJPAB4inFBNW307_cANDgKiong6AemTlY0J962dgUQZX/s640/WYLK_Banner.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you liked this article, please like us on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LidoShuffle01/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Facebook</a> or follow us on <a href="https://twitter.com/saintwalker98">Twitter</a> and please consider<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="https://www.patreon.com/LidoShuffleBlog">joining my Patreon.</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, we’ve finally gotten a bit of an update on Marvel’s still happening <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eternals</i> movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Specifically, we know the film will be about the clash between the Eternals and their ancient enemies the Deviants and that Marvel will be aiming for colorblind casting, which is a pretty major positive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’ve also received a character breakdown of who to expect in the new film, though they’re basically just names at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, there are some very surprising names on this list and some really out of left field descriptions worth digging into along with the more pedestrian choices for an Eternals movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, this seems as good a place as any to dive into the basics of the Eternals’ core characters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, let’s breakdown <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Eternals</i> character list.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnz4cTbo3n1-7c1DQthI1TCfgGxJQIhHsraluoIQWEIdD-LLZ_GznGdMnQTpaFW7W0Mj4zN_FpsDHdq2Xl3SKWlLtU3OtsTgSyicth0R8pMHkLO3PIfVzSwkcrKtyuEDQb1MxStnU-u6nC/s1600/EChar_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="440" data-original-width="670" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnz4cTbo3n1-7c1DQthI1TCfgGxJQIhHsraluoIQWEIdD-LLZ_GznGdMnQTpaFW7W0Mj4zN_FpsDHdq2Xl3SKWlLtU3OtsTgSyicth0R8pMHkLO3PIfVzSwkcrKtyuEDQb1MxStnU-u6nC/s640/EChar_1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9Mpy4vSWzqxYsrdzwn5gDd9b_V6IxQkIe71czlwI7gEOKdKC2Y8ZD_ZFXZh3IVVqA5UUBeBuNqNO_XW3sSKAORkdHIlC1VtlU5R3tCIf3E5jFDWzSflz-iRKb2vDsyBWSiCQz5eYqof-/s1600/EChar_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1295" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr9Mpy4vSWzqxYsrdzwn5gDd9b_V6IxQkIe71czlwI7gEOKdKC2Y8ZD_ZFXZh3IVVqA5UUBeBuNqNO_XW3sSKAORkdHIlC1VtlU5R3tCIf3E5jFDWzSflz-iRKb2vDsyBWSiCQz5eYqof-/s640/EChar_2.jpg" width="246" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Let’s start with the second biggest name the Eternals ever produced, along with a bit of background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve never heard of the Eternals, they’re a race of phenomenally cosmic beings that vaguely resemble characters from Earth mythology and live in a secret city in the Antarctic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’re opposed by the Deviants, a race of monsters from Siberia, and their greatest champion is Ikaris, named after the Greek figure of myth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Essentially a sky god, Ikaris is basically a third generation version of Thor, God of Thunder, though there’s a good deal of Orion of the New Gods to him as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s because all three of these characters were developed by the great Jack Kirby as a way to keep telling a specific kind of space opera he’d gotten into even though he was switching publishers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ikaris is more or less your standard hero, he does good and fights the bad guys and has a Superman-ish array of powers including flight, super strength, invulnerability, and eye beams.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s probably the only Eternal who HAD to be in this movie with one another notable exception, which leads us to our next entry.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwrmtlCfFZhVfqRTXKEBocOSBT4iMEOFn1Fplvk10_2sVDSPVD797lGiRpQsCyo85e8JF0WyH6DuNBMGuyPuCB2OcUHdo2w3gCjEwP6_ZoHcZxDdTfspVbTIk9U6npQMDx3qcA1jDrg-x/s1600/EChar_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="609" data-original-width="400" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpwrmtlCfFZhVfqRTXKEBocOSBT4iMEOFn1Fplvk10_2sVDSPVD797lGiRpQsCyo85e8JF0WyH6DuNBMGuyPuCB2OcUHdo2w3gCjEwP6_ZoHcZxDdTfspVbTIk9U6npQMDx3qcA1jDrg-x/s640/EChar_3.jpg" width="420" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Named after the witch from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Odyssey</i>, Sersi may not be an Eternal champion like Ikaris but she’s definitely the Eternal with the most marquis value at Marvel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She has the power of matter manipulation and transformation, like her supernatural namesake she can transform things into other things.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s been a pretty consistent member of the Eternals since their inception and will often end up romantically involved with Ikaris though that’s usually fairly open to interpretation.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">More notably, she’s the only Eternal to get meaningfully included in franchises outside their own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She served as an Avenger for a time and has had a longstanding relationship with the Greek God Hercules.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Where Ikaris is more stern and heroic Sersi is light-hearted and playful, as her powers of transformation definitely reflect.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s also one of the more original Eternals as she doesn’t have a clear parallel in Jack Kirby’s New Gods or Thor work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkLt4kp6ph8veg9atxfBxRRqzntglIX41XH8Qi3SXYsCIrkl62Ovl69AhmrrL2vE9N86U-GGUl9FhSP7NexeVnDk0R0QpW5OZbp4J32hNbtLXzBOB5jdmN5CL5GYU8iAjRAh99Wwpw1xf/s1600/EChar_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="381" data-original-width="250" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHkLt4kp6ph8veg9atxfBxRRqzntglIX41XH8Qi3SXYsCIrkl62Ovl69AhmrrL2vE9N86U-GGUl9FhSP7NexeVnDk0R0QpW5OZbp4J32hNbtLXzBOB5jdmN5CL5GYU8iAjRAh99Wwpw1xf/s640/EChar_4.jpg" width="418" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Makkari is one of the odder additions to this list as he’s not really a major Eternal except for the fact he was the main character of Neil Gaiman’s mid-2000s revival.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s been through a number of visual reworkings, none of which were particularly great, and aside from this one pretty good comic he was always strictly a supporting Eternal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, when Neil Gaiman writes you that’s pretty much a lock for making you a more important part of the mythos so I can’t say I’m too surprised to see his name on the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In case that name wasn’t obvious enough, it’s a play on the name Mercury, the Roman messenger of the Gods.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Makkari is a super speedster, which honestly promises to be really exciting visually.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually, ALL of the Eternals have fairly interesting visual powers with an emphasis on altering reality, energy beams, super speed, and more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I wouldn’t be surprised if Makkari ended up one of the main characters in the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Here’s another pretty clear “third generation” character, Thena is basically the Eternal’s answer to Sif from the Thor series and Bekka from the New Gods: a warrior woman.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her name is a reference to Athena, goddess of war and wisdom, though her powers are basically your standard enhanced humanoid set-up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She really isn’t that different from Wonder Woman only with more of a space flavor instead of ancient Greece or Rome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s still a pretty cool character and basically serves as the queen of the Eternals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She’s not quite as visually unique as the others on this list in terms of her powers but her costume of pure gold armor absolutely looks fantastic and I’m sure it will look even better in live action.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I do wonder, however, with all these major Eternals on hand how the film will balance what’s sounding like a very large cast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not as if Marvel hasn’t taken on larger groups before and the idea of solo superhero films feels weirdly quaint at this point but still, it will be a challenge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you’d expect from what’s basically a pantheon of Gods, the Eternals have their own version of Odin and his name is Zuras.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Fun fact, actually, the term most commonly used for the King of a group of Gods in comics is a “Skyfather,” I have no idea where that comes from but it shows up all the damn time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In any event, Zuras is basically Zeus, as the name no doubt suggests.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s the leader of the Eternals though he rarely tends to intervene or exert his full will on the collective, he’s more of a soft guiding hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">He’s actually less like Odin, who was basically a Deus Ex Machina for any given Thor story, and more like Highfather from the New Gods, a source of authority but not power.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His greatest ability is the power to summon the Uni-Mind, an energy being forged by the combined psychic energies of all Eternals into a single entity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a weird concept but one I’m almost positive we’ll be seeing as part of the third act moment of self-realization in the inevitable film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">DRUIG</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of course a movie needs a villain the way a pantheon needs a God of evil and in this case, that character is Druig.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Druig is actually a somewhat more unique character in these ranks as he doesn’t really track with Loki from Thor or Darkseid from the New Gods, he’s his own, somewhat bland, man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t fully escape their shadow, though, as his origin is that he’s Ikaris’ scheming cousin, which feels par for the course in the realm of courtly intrigue and high drama that informs a lot of God stories.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">His main power is control of darkness and fear, often he’s known as Druig of nightmares.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s basically a traitor to his people, appearing benevolent but secretly working to undermine the Eternals by allying with the monstrous Deviants because he wants power and to wipe out mankind- the usual.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m assuming we’ll get a more fleshed out and interesting backstory for the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE FORGOTTEN ONE</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this is a really weird one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Forgotten One is basically what he sounds like, a member of the Eternals who somehow became separated from the main group and was then forgotten, even losing his own identity over the years. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is part of the whole “Ancient Astronauts” origin of the Eternals as an ancient people genetically engineered by traveling cosmic giants they’re supposed to have existed for centuries and inspired their various myths like Zeus and Ikaris.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the case of the Forgotten One, he’s allegedly the inspiration for Sampson, Beowulf, Gilgamesh, and Hercules despite the fact all four of those characters actually exist as real people in the Marvel universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That particular contradiction is a big part of why the Eternals have always fumbled for popularity, their very origin clashes with the Marvel universe as established.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Regardless, the Forgotten One is fairly popular, serving as an Avenger for a time though he looked more like Gilgamesh in that iteration.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m betting we’ll be getting the all-black costume version from when he served as a mad villain in the mid-2000s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Specifically, because he’s more powerful than any other Eternal and has difficulty remembering who he is he was easy for Druig to set loose on the others.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this is the first major curveball of the list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As I said just last entry, the Eternals’ origin is that a race of cosmic giants called the Celestials genetically engineered them from cavemen and then left them on Earth to develop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, not all the Eternals stayed on Earth, some of them began a colony on Saturn’s moon Titan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Eternals of Titan are actually very important characters as one of them was Thanos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, it seems Thanos’ identity as an Eternal may have gotten written out of the MCU so the fact we’re now getting his comic book brother introduced to canon is a real shock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Incidentally, that is Star Fox’ biggest and best claim to fame, that he’s the brother of Thanos.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s also been an Avenger a few time but his basic power, vague mind control that borders on Kilgrave levels of creepiness, means he tends to get swept to the side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No joke, aside from the Thanos connection Star Fox’s biggest storyline is the time She-Hulk had to defend him in court against charges of sexual assault.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, I never expected to see this guy get recycled into the mix especially in comparison to some of the bigger missing Eternal names.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span class="" style="font-size: x-large;">ELYSIUS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">And here we have curveball number two.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Elysius isn’t technically speaking an Eternal in the comics but she’s close enough for comfort I suppose.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’s another Eternal of Titan, one specifically created by the rogue computer system ISAAC as part of a plan to conquer the moon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s all more or less beside the point though; her most prominent role in the comics was as the wife of the original Captain Mar-Vell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mar-Vell was never too central a character to the comic but Marvel’s drive to keep the “Captain Marvel” copyright their own meant they had to keep the character around in one form or another for years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the case of Elysius, she was both married to the original hero and mother to his children Phyla-Vell and Genis-Vell, who have both served as Captain Marvel at one time or another.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s weird there isn’t more TO this character given she’s listed on a pretty major cast list but at the same time, with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Captain Marvel</i> coming next year, I have to assume she’s setting up bigger things on that front.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this is probably the strangest entry on the list because, as far as I know, there is no Eternal named Piper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There have been a handful of Marvel characters who go by the name Piper, a few of mysterious origin, but none that have ever had ties back to the Eternals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, it’s possible that Piper will be the name of a new Eternal created specifically for the movie or even one of these G-list Marvel cast-offs now folded into the mythos for some reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Personally, though, I think what’s most likely is that “Piper” is just the name they’re using for the Eternal Sprite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Sprite is sort of a Loki type Eternal, a being of mischief and illusions who was most reminiscent of Puck from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A Midsummer Night’s Dream</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprite was a mostly unimportant Eternal for the bulk of his career…until that Neil Gaiman comic I keep referencing and will probably have to review on here sooner or later.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sprite, it turns out, was the Eternal responsible for the rest of them losing their memories and being left to live out their lives among the humans so the fact he’s on this cast list is starting to make that plot point look more and more likely to translate to the film, that is assuming this is Sprite and not just some new yahoo named Piper.</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">HERCULES</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I admit this last entry is a bit more of a guess but given everything we know about this film, the history of the MCU, and the Eternals background I would not at all be surprised.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Firstly <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eternals</i> seems fine making characters Eternals who were only related to the group in the comics, like Elysius.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Secondly, I’ve been expecting the MCU to integrate the Olympian Gods in some way since <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Age of Ultron</i> revealed that producers specifically nixed a scene where Thor said the Greek Gods weren’t real for this exact reason.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Thirdly, Hercules has had a long history with the Eternals, leading a war against them in the pages of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor</i>, romancing fellow Avenger Sersi, and almost joining them in the mid-2000s so he’s certainly within their sphere.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally, the character list names a “Greek God type” as its final mystery member.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Add that all up and it seems a pretty good indication of Hercules showing up in the final film, especially with how underdeveloped the Greek pantheon is in the Marvel comics (seriously, aside from Pluto and Ares, who are villains, there are no other name Greek God types.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-54718659983222659212018-09-10T06:00:00.000-07:002018-10-06T11:22:10.525-07:00Filmland - History of Horror & the Apocalypse<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the fall season comes upon us once more it’s time for that spookiest of traditions: the new season of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Horror Story</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This year’s season will be about something that’s on everyone’s mind lately: the apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The end of days is one of those primal fears that’s been with society pretty much ever since there was a society for us to fear the end of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, despite being a fairly ubiquitous terror and one that you’d think everyone held a stake in the Apocalypse’s place in the horror pantheon is actually pretty limited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even setting up this timeline I’ve had to fudge want counts as “horror” a bit to include some stuff that’s more schlocky or was featured a lot in the old horrorathons that channels used to show around Halloween when I was a kid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With that said, I did find enough apocalyptic horror material to create something of a timeline for the genre and how it reflects the anxieties and apocalyptic scenarios of the time.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">We start in 1951 with one of those “not quite a horror” movies that I mentioned earlier: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Worlds Collide</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Worlds Collide</i> is one of those movies that I don’t think many people have seen but the title has become weirdly ubiquitous, sort of like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Utopia</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Voyage of the Damned</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s also one of a large handful of ‘50s sci-fi movies that featured enough junky special FX and horror-adjacent material to land it a spot in most horror movie marathons hence why it ended up on this list.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To the horror movie marathons’ credit, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Worlds Collide</i> actually does have something of a horror bent to it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the story of a kind of rogue planet that enters Earth’s solar system and will pass so close to us that we’ll be thrown completely off our axis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The science of it is extremely junky, especially when you get into the human’s plan to build an escape rocket given this is almost a decade before manned space flight would even be attempted, but it’s still an enjoyable watch.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most of the movie centers on the scientist who discovered Earth’s imminent doom and his desperate attempt to save some of humanity with the help of an old rich guy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The real horror of the situation sets in as the rogue planet becomes more and more visible to the world and everyone begins to panic, culminating in a riot at the escape rocket launch site when the mass team of folks who built the escape craft learn there isn’t room enough for all of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For real-world comparison <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Worlds Collide</i> came out in 1951, only three years after the Soviet A-Bomb was confirmed and the Cold War arms race began to heat up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was a serious era of paranoia in American society, with McCarthy and HUAC beginning the Red Scare the year before in 1950.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Despite that, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Worlds Collide</i> is ultimately hopeful with the humans actually managing to escape to the passing planet and maybe even forward facing as the lead scientist ultimately chooses to strand himself and his rich old benefactor on Earth, saying the new world will be better without them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The end of the ’50s saw something of an uptick in apocalyptic horror offerings, in particular from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Twilight Zone</i>, the new face of speculative fiction at the dawn of the ‘60s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Twilight Zone</i> offered a number of apocalyptic scenarios in its various episodes 2, in particular, stand out as exceptional examples of the show- ‘Time Enough At Last’ and ‘It’s A Good Life.’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These are two of the most popular and iconic episode <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Twilight Zone</i> ever produced and both touch on the apocalypse in a unique way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For ‘Time Enough At Last’ it’s the story of an isolated man who somehow survives the apocalypse only to find the one thing that gave him joy was lost to him in the end of man as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a harsh and ironic episode, with the final shot of the broken Burgess Meredith, blinded by his own flippancy towards the apocalypse, left opining the unfairness of being the one man left alone in a shattered world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For real-world context, the episode premiered in 1959 around the height of the US personal bomb shelter craze, when the best symbol of suburbanite status was a concrete shelter in the backyard for the inevitable nuclear war.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">‘It’s A Good Life’ is also about an apocalypse though one of a very different kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the story of a child in a small Ohio town with near-omnipotent power who, in the show’s opening, simply makes everywhere else in the world that isn’t his small Ohio town “go away.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s unclear if the child Anthony has somehow removed the town from reality or simply wiped out everyone that used to be but it is definitely an apocalypse, albeit one overseen by a dictatorial little tyrant in the form of a spoilt monster of a child who’s never been told no.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Twilight Zone</i> has always been a show made in the shadow of World War 2 and Rod Serling’s Jewish heritage and it’s easy to see how ‘It’s A Good Life’ examines fascism through its uniquely apocalyptic lens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The ‘60s was very much an America concerned with the fascism of the ‘40s, especially as we became more widely aware of Nazi crimes and the fascism of the USSR became more and more visible.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not that hard to draw a line from the petty child tyrant of ‘it’s a good life’ to the petty posturing of Kennedy and Kruschev as the Cold War continued to heat up.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The mid-60s were an odd time for horror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old standards of Universal horror had slipped into the realm of kitsch or beginning their Hammer revival era while the Atomic horrors of the ‘50s had faded off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>New bogeymen were coming to dominate the American subconscious and easily the most prominent of them was the zombie and while the zombie was firmly cemented in 1968’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night of the Living Dead</i> (not technically an apocalyptic film) they definitely got their start in the ‘60s in 1964’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Last Man on Earth</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A black and white Italian adaptation of the Richard Matheson novel <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am Legend</i>, the 1964 film is one of the clearest influences on <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Night of the Living Dead</i> and one of the truest explorations of the horror of the apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It follows Vincent Price as the last normal human left in a barren landscape ravaged by a plague that turned its victims into zombie-esc. vampires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The film is a chilling exploration of Price’s isolation in the apocalypse and the way it’s slowly but steadily eaten away at his own humanity, eventually culminating in the realization that a society of intelligent zombies had been growing under his nose and that he had still been murdering them like vermin.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film is a great combination of the ‘60s fears of global disaster and increased militarization, especially in the flashback scenes of the plague destroying the world, as well as connecting to the lingering Italian legacy of fascism as the new order of intelligent zombies wear the black shirts of fascist Italy.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The end of the ‘60s brought a growing sense of apocalyptic defeatism in American cinema, especially the more sci-fi and speculative material. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This was mostly a response to the various political assassinations of the ‘60s, most notably JFK, and the nation’s souring on the Vietnam war as it dragged on and on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By 1968 America was a nation trudging headlong into the malaise and depression of the ‘70s and that was most reflected in Charlton Heston’s dystopian trilogy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Only 2 of Heston’s 3 films are horror adjacent so I’ll save <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Soylent Green</i> for another discussion, but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Planet of the Apes</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omega Man</i> definitely hold a spot in the horror pantheon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Planet of the Apes</i> is easily the more long-lived and popular of the two films, spawning a franchise that endures to this day but I’d argue only the first film exists as something like unto horror.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, there’s the existential horror of mankind’s end but what I think really sells <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Planet of the Apes</i>’ horror is the way the humans are treated.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scene of the human hunt and the gorillas posing with their pile of human corpses is one of the most nightmarish things I can imagine and the threat of being dissected alive hovers over Charlton Heston’s entire time among the ape overlords.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s part of what makes the film such a unique bleak take on a bleak situation, it’s not just that mankind wiped itself out and the apes took our place, there’s a lot of evidence in the series that the apes have ruined their own civilization and what we’re seeing here are the last remnants of a once great ape civilization.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omega Man</i>, while not as well known, is definitely more horror-oriented as it’s another adaptation of Richard Matheson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am Legend</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film casts its zombies as even more hideous mutants with albino skin and hideous sores though it also cuts out a lot of the more interesting narrative aspects.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omega Man</i> is more of a straightforward “lone man against the zombie horde” type story, even if the zombies, in this case, are more intelligent radiation mutants than actual zombies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omega Man </i>is probably most noteworthy in this list as one of the only apocalypse films that ends on a happy ending, certainly, the first time that’s happened here since 1951’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">When Worlds Collide</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s fair to say that American in 1978 was a very different place from America in 1968.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this point, Vietnam was over and the nation had powered its way through Watergate but was still caught in something of a national malaise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Star Wars</i> had hit theaters a year ago as the third part of a triple knockout alongside <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Rocky</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Jaws</i> so the market for apocalyptic cynical films was about to shift, but not before we got one more out.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion of the Body Snatchers</i> was a remake of a film of the same name from 1956.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The basic premise of both films is the same: creatures that can replace humans with their exact duplicates have invaded the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The major difference between the 1956 film and the 1978 film is that sense of dystopian pessimism that the ‘70s managed so well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While the 1956 film is framed as a scientist who discovered the invasion desperately warning the authorities of the attack and ultimately convincing them, the 1978 film is a lot more esoteric and bleak.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is told from the POV of a handful of angsty city folk who are slowly noticing more and more people they knew becoming unfamiliar strangers till they eventually realize what’s happening only after it’s far too late to stop it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The film’s final scene, of one of the last human survivors reaching out to her old friend only to find him also replaced by the pod people, is one of the great dark endings of horror and, in a way, nicely predicted the complete takeover of shiny faux-optimism of the coming ‘80s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While the ‘80s was a decade of unflinching American jingoism and blind optimism in the face of Cold War threats that particular air of plastic happiness didn’t go completely unexamined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was a counter-culture of the day, however weird and imported, that grew more and more angry and honest about the ’80s mask of conformity as the decade went on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We start in 1982 with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halloween 3: Season of the Witch</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This was an attempt by the producers to transition the Halloween franchise from a slasher series to an anthology series of films with a story about a latex mask kingpin who’s updated the ancient druidic rituals of Halloween for the modern day to sacrifice millions of children for some unclear goal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the ‘80s would go on businessmen villains would become more and more common but <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Halloween 3</i>’s Conal Cochran remains one of the worst the decade ever produced: a mass child murder set to kill the world with a special TV commercial.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Then, 1984 gave us <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Terminator</i>, the film that launched the franchise and people tend to forget was originally more of a slasher with a robot monster than an action movie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While a more personal and focused horror tale, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Terminator</i> actually moves up the cynicism and timescale of the apocalypse, opening with a world already ravaged by death and destruction and ending on the implication this future is an inevitable one despite mankind’s best efforts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>From there we move on to 1985’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Day of the Dead</i>, the first of the Romero zombie films to be set firmly in the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Day of the Dead</i> presents a world fully overrun by the undead, with the last of humanity cowering in their holes and slowly going mad from isolation and societal collapse as the few remaining reasonable humans are caught between an unhinged military commander and an equally unhinged mad scientist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an intensification of the world <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Terminator</i> already showed us, a world with an inevitable apocalypse only here there’s no Kyle Reese to save the day: all the soldiers are violent monsters and the scientists are self-obsessed and useless, all figures of authority are useless and you can only save yourself.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">*Finally, 1986 gave us the ultimate takedown of the ‘80s by way of the apocalypse in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Little Shop of Horrors</i>. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The horror musical based on the stage play of the same name is the story of a nerdy little nobody named Seymour Krelborn who discovers a weird plant during a total eclipse of the sun only to have the plant grow huge off human blood and began talking to him, offering money and the love of his lady friend Audrey in return for killing people and feeding them to the plant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While the final version of the film has Seymour ultimately rejecting and defeating the plant the original ending of the stage play, which was filmed and screened to audiences and eventually rediscovered, had the plant devouring Seymour and additional plants spread across the US and take over the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The whole thing ends with the world ending because the jerks of the world were all too willing to feed them blood for the promise of fame and fortune- the whole world flushed down the toilet by a bunch of cowardly nerds eager for money and girls.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The ‘90s brought a real sense of cooling off to the world after the fall of the USSR.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It wasn’t completely a time free of global conflict but it was an era of unchallenged American hegemony, so the apocalypses of the ‘90s weren’t going to come from any petty pedestrian source like artificial intelligence or space plants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>No, for the ‘90s we looked to Satan to destroy us, mostly as a response to concerns about the impending millennium, hence why one of the prime examples of this was the TV show <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Millennium</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Produced by Chris Carter as his follow-up project to <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The X-Files</i>, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Millennium</i> wasn’t terribly clear on what it was exactly, just that it was about “the rising darkness around the upcoming millennium.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mostly that translated to a lot of lurid crime tales but it also had a habit of having demons and angels and various sundry visions factor into episodes concerning prophecy and some oncoming great struggle.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The overall vagueness of the ultimate threat served as a nice parallel to the ‘90s inability to predict its own future.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There was also the 1994 TV movie adaptation of Stephen King’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though ostensibly about a plague destroying mankind, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Stand</i> is much more of a metaphysical apocalypse concerned with King’s own mythology of good and evil clashing in the emerging post-apocalyptic societies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The main thrust of the story is about the divinely led survivors in the Boulder Free Zone embarking on a spiritual vision quest against the new city of wickedness that emerges in Las Vegas under the thumb of a Satan stand-in named Randall Flag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The story is mostly in tune with stuff like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Independence Day</i> or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Volcano, </i>‘90s movies that were mostly concerned with continuing the growing sense of pan-demographic communality under Americanism.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s an apocalypse to be sure but it’s a hopeful apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the mid-2000s it’s safe to say the optimism and patriotism of the ‘90s had drained away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We didn’t have as much of an apocalyptic center point as we did during the Cold War so our various doomsday offerings served as reflections of multiple issues rather than a single threat like nuclear war.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In 2005 we got George Romero’s crowning 4<sup>th</sup> installment in his zombie series <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Land of the Dead</i>, a searing indictment of capitalism and how it persists and festers like a weed even amid the rubble of the apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s a really great capstone to the series featuring dynamite performances by Dennis Hopper and John Leguizamo as well as an interesting examination of the zombies as an emerging class of intelligent being with a society, shades of Matheson’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am Legend</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of which, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am Legend</i> got its third and least faithful adaptation in 2007 with the Will Smith film of the same name.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Land of the Dead</i>, both films are very big apocalypses, marked by vast destroyed and overgrown cityscapes that have been claimed by nature and the new world orders.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am Legend</i> is ultimately about isolation more than anything else, probably as a reflection of growing anxieties about the way booming technology was dehumanizing and isolating one another (yes, that was even a concern back in 2007.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This is also part of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I Am Legend</i>’s place as an ambassador for fast zombies to the popular consciousness, with the super fast zombie hordes representing a booming overpopulation where we all can’t help but feel more alone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, there was 2007’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">28 Weeks Later</i>, a movie that basically turned the 6-year quagmire of American military occupation in the middle east into a literal apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most of the film is about the complete unpreparedness of the military structure to actually deal with emergency situations, a reflection of the recent failures in Katrina as well as in Iraq and Afghanistan, eventually highlighting the brutal inhumanity of a billion dollar military machine unleashed in an environment where collateral damage doesn’t matter.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even with all that brutal inhumanity turned against the film’s zombie/rage virus, the fact that it’s allowed to escape into the outer world and end humanity because we weren’t quite inhuman enough in our fight against is a chilling thought to be sure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I think it’s fair to say the late 2000s/early 2010s belonged to the zombie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, without warning these guys were everywhere- books, video games, movies, TV shows- if it had the living dead we were eating it up with a spoon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>For our purposes, though there were essentially 2 defining directions the zombie subgenre elected to take in the 2010s, handily summarized by two opposing zombie apocalypse stories of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zombieland</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Walking Dead</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zombieland</i>, released in 2009, is the ultimate payoff to the fun apocalypse fantasy that first started with elements of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Omega Man</i> and was solidified as “zombie” became interchangeable with “apocalypse” while also becoming the default shotgun fodder of video games across the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the nerd fantasy of self-sufficient glory found in the midst of humanities twilight, even if things like the breakdown of the Internet would render most of us paralyzed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Walking Dead</i>, which premiered one year later, was just as much a fantasy of the end of the world but one geared towards a different kind of man.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Walking Dead</i> is more of a doomsday-prepper fantasy of the apocalypse, a world where the macho strengths of men are important once more in forging a new path for humanity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s every bit the elaborate fantasy as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Zombieland</i> only one made for men who already know they’re macho now instead of ones who assume they’d become macho during a zombie apocalypse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It definitely seems like a grim commentary on the world of the 2010s that even amid our horror films the apocalypse is presented as a fantasy of a better world, a chance to finally let loose the heroism within us or the skills that can’t find purchase in the world as is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Maybe with how much the real world has become a dystopian wasteland the idea of an apocalypse has just become more appealing because whatever else at least we’re getting a chance to start over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-2211608822266853172018-07-06T19:20:00.000-07:002018-07-06T19:20:00.366-07:00Strange Chronicles - American Knight in Strike of the Centipede<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"> It’s summer in Bethlem, Pennsylvania, and the heat lingers over the town like a fever, seeping into the streets and alleyways of the rust belt metropolis. Nights like this, even the rivers seems restless, swirling and changing under the rust-colored sky. The sun has finally gone down and the entire city tries to breathe a sigh of relief as the dark envelops them. The sounds of steel and chemical manufacturing slowly ebb away with the daylight hours, the factories in the North West barrens outside town empty of their workers even as their blood-colored smoke drifts skyward. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>East Bethlem hums with fans and air conditioners from the towering high-rises and penthouses of the financial district, while further to the street hot jazz and cold neon fill the streets of the Chamberlain docks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Across the river, on the North Bank where the Washington forks into Northward, the city heaves against the heat without such luxuries.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hydrants burst, people sweat, and the only neon comes from the bright crosses of Mission Row.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Further North, just outside the city proper, is Parkland- once its own small town now swallowed up into the greedy giant that is the greater Bethlem metropolitan area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>They first built Parkland around the Red Wing Garden and Aviary in the center of the town, but then the factories moved in and by the time 1939 rolled around the rich had moved to the south to Four Towers and Sommerset and Parkland had become Bethlem’s own ghetto.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Red Wing Garden was now just a forest in the middle of the city, surrounded on all sides by crumbling tenements and apartments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Places like the Williamstown Arms, where Greg Wolfman tries desperately to get a little sleep.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not the heat that keeps Greg awake- it’s the visions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>It’s been a month since she first appeared to him, first made herself and the truth known: Columbia, the living Goddess of America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She’d appeared right there in Greg’s one-room apartment amid the leaks and the roaches and the sticky heat and all, glowing a radiant red, white, and blue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She told him that he was to be her champion, that in every generation one must be chosen until the long midnight in America was over and that dawn was still nowhere in sight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greg didn’t know whether he was going insane or it had all been real, just that the next morning he found a costume, his “vestments,” lying at the foot of his bed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Since then he’d worn them a few times, he’d seen the newsreels and read the papers about the folks in New Athens and Sharona- Mystery Men in colorful costumes righting wrongs and protecting the helpless: was that what Columbia wanted him to become?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there was a Columbia at all, that is.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One thing was for certain, Greg wasn’t going to get any sleep, either way, might as well make the best of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His costume was mostly blue, with red boots and hood, the shirt was made of chainmail and short sleeved, and it came with gauntlets that turned into knuckles made from Bethlem Steel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As he put them on he could the voice of Columbia whispering in his ear again “to the West, that is where you are needed, my American Knight.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Climbing the fire escape outside his window up to the roof, American Knight gazed to the West, towards the only place in Bethlem where the river was close enough together to build a crossing: The Narrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Narrows was dark, its industry having migrated out to the Barrens a few years back, leaving behind a red light district, most of the city’s slums, and a series of abandoned factories that sat squat upon the riverfront.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, right where the river widened and the Narrows gave way to the North Bank there was still light- the glittering lights of corporate labs and headquarters, their neon logos dotting the skyline as it scraped starward and definitively ended the Narrows.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That had to be where he was meant to go, but where?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pulling a pair of binoculars from his belt he scanned the brick and concrete complexes looking for any sign of something amiss- he found it in the Spade Chemicals Building, 13<sup>th</sup> Floor- it was awash in a strange green glow. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Without hesitation, Greg leaped from his rooftop to the neighboring one, the mortar of the aging building threatening to give beneath him before relenting to his weight.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In all the times he’d bounded across the city roofs they’d never let him fall yet, it made him wonder if there really was someone looking out for him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Racing across the Bethlem skyline, he made his way to the edge of the park- that’s where the train station was.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The elevated train was the pride of Bethlem, a series of different colored lines that were the only way to navigate the city as a whole thanks to the forking river splitting it into three sections.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: white;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: large;">Greg could see the Yellow Line to the Narrows preparing for its 11PM departure, filling up with skeleton crews for the corporate high rises and the occasional night shift steelworker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The train was already beginning to move by the time Greg reached it, landing on the roof of the Parkland police precinct- a long flat building that ran parallel to the tracks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the bright lights atop the station silhouetted him against the giant police badge on the side of the building, American Knight hurled himself from the roof towards the train below.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>He landed hard, but safe, his hands grabbing at the rough steel of the top of the train car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He pulled himself to a kneeling position, scanning the skyscrapers for the Spade Chemicals building once more- it wasn’t hard to spot, the green glow from floor 13 had grown even stronger: a bright oasis of unnatural light in the darkness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Quickly, his mind turned to ways to get into the building- security tended to frown on masked men just bursting in wherever they pleased even if they did wear the flag.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Yellow Line turned a curve around Pickett’s Hill, bending towards the center of the Narrows, quickly drawing closer and closer to the building when Greg spotted the nearby construction site- that was his way in.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Yellow Line was still on the curve, the only time he could risk leaping from the train as it slowed down to make its arc, spying a nearby billboard jutting from a nearby building.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seizing the opportunity, he leaped from the train, hands finding purchase on the light fixtures that illuminated the advertisement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Pulling himself atop it, he set out at full tilt for the vast steel skeleton of the construction site.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By the time he arrived at the site itself the glow on the 13<sup>th</sup> floor had turned into an unearthly glare, even brighter than the neon signs and logos of the surrounding buildings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Navigating the steel beams and thin wooden planks of the site, American Knight made his way to the side closest the Spade Chemicals building and the crane.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’d used similar machinery during his time as a steelworker so he knew how to drive the giant piece of construction machinery, pointing it directly at the 13<sup>th</sup> floor and turning its long neck into a bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With as sure footing and fast a pace as he dared muster, he set off down the crane, headed right for the eerie green glow, speeding up as he approached the building and in one fluid motion leaping through the glass window of the 13<sup>th</sup> floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The floor was a vast open laboratory floor, with strange vials and electrical machinery covering the walls and countertops.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the center of the room stood a gang of five men in suits, faces covered with handkerchief masks, and a scientist in a white lab coat- his eyes covered by goggles.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Luckily for American Knight, the machinery around them was emitting a powerful hum that covered the sound of his entry and the entire gang of men was concentrated on the scientist’s actions as he manipulated a strange liquid that emitted the green glow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greg ducked behind a large piece of machinery that didn’t seem to be on, peering around it he saw the scientist hold up a glass dish with something scurrying inside of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He dripped a few drops of the green liquid onto the dish then gestured to the men to get back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In an instant, the counter began to shake as the glass container shattered and a dark shape grew and grew.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>By the time it was done the thing was the size of a large dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking closer, American Knight could see from the glow the thing was a giant cockroach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scientist smiled with triumph before fitting a leash to the giant insect and handing it to his companions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With the flick of a switch, the humming subsided and the green light faded away to a soft glow from the vials of green liquid held by the scientist.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without the humming American Knight could make out their conversation “So I guess this stuff really works huh Doc?” “Indeed, Herr Tausen will be pleased” Knight recognized the stiff practiced English as a German accent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the scientist packed the green liquid into a secure case Greg peered closer through the gloom and could make out an insignia on the side of it: a swastika, these men were Nazis.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At that moment, the American Knight decided he had to intervene.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He had seen the newsreels and read the reports of what these men were doing in Europe and knew whatever their purpose here was it must be sinister.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Springing forth from his hiding place he slammed full tilt into the biggest of the goons, knocking him into the banks of machinery.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sparks flew everywhere as the man slammed backward, briefly illuminating the gloomy laboratory now that the glowing fluid had been stored away.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could hear the scientist shouting in German as the other men moved around him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Trusting in his ears, American Knight lunged to his left, his steel-clad fist striking hard in the stomach of one of the remain men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without a second to spare he grabbed the man by the collar, hurling him as hard as he could toward the spot where the scientist had been.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was the sound of shattering glass followed by the return of that same eerie glow as the green liquid splattered across the room.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In the new light, Greg could see there were three thugs left, while their scientist friend was making his way for the exit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The closest crook had already pulled a handgun from his jacket and was taking aim at Greg.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With lightning reflexes Greg pulled his gauntlets together in front of himself, the bullets ricocheting off their hardened steel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One went wide and hit the man in the arm, he screamed and dropped the handgun just in time for American Knight to plow right into him- knocking him square into his companions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As the three men struggle to stand up, Greg charged across the room to the elevator, the scientist desperately pushing the button to try and summon it faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Knight slammed into him, holding him up against the elevator doors with both hands; in his deepest voice, he snarled, “Alright Kraut, I want answers!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s in the case?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’re you planning?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The scientist wriggled in Knight’s grasp, sweat dripping down his goggles only for his look of panic to twist into a grin “What are we planning?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Your doom, Amerikaner.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly, a powerful force slammed into the back of Knight’s legs, bringing him to his knees.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could feel powerful cartilaginous legs scraping against the chain mail of his back and heard a terrible chittering from behind him- it was the giant cockroach, loose from its leash and set to protect its master.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Greg rolled, trying to wrestle the creature from off his back as its mandibles dug into the metal of his uniform.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The elevator door opened casting a beam of pale light on the scene as the scientist fled.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The two remaining goons had gotten to their feet and looked pointedly at their employer “See to it neither of them survives” said the scientist as the doors closed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Hearing the two men approach, their guns drawn and cocked, America Knight summoned up all his strength, rising first to his knees then all the way to a stand, his back and the giant cockroach towards the men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thing was enraged, biting at him with all its might and he could feel the mail in his shirt starting to give.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With only moments before it gave way completely, he leaped back into the two men, slamming hard against the left one.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The cockroach began to shriek in confusion, twisting to focus its anger on the crook.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as it released its clamp on Knight’s back he was turned around, steel gauntlets pressed against bug and men shoving them both hard towards the opposing wall- shoving and shoving till, with a shattering crash of the window, both of them exited the building down the 13 stories to the pavement below, landing with a wet gruesome thud.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The last of the crew stood alone among his fallen comrades as American Knight turned back to face him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Faced with a savage beatdown of his own or compliance the man elected to throw his gun to the floor and put his hands in the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Approaching him slowly, Knight spoke, “The doctor…where is he headed?” The man pulled down his mask to speak more clearly “Across the river, he’s meeting his boss at the old abandoned Twin Stallions Steel Mill” “His boss, who’s that?” “I don’t know, another Kraut like him, they call him Centipede, it’s all I know I swear” <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>American Knight closed in on him, pulling handcuffs from his belt and chaining the man to a nearby countertop “for your sake, it better be” he said before ducking out the window back onto his makeshift bridge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>Within 30 minutes Greg was back atop the Yellow Line headed across the Washington River, the water shifting bellow him choppy and angry.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The South Bank of the Narrows was darker than its north side, the vast black shape of Mount Olivia blotting out the stars surrounding it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even through the midnight gloom American Knight could make out the Twin Stallions Steel Mill, abandoned since the explosion that had driven the city’s industry to the surrounding Barrens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The giant hole in the side of the main building like a gaping wound still yawned into the night, the two wrought iron Stallions reared up in a whinny on either side of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Yellow line slowed to a stop at the station, directly above the mill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Leaping from the train onto the nearby rooftops, American Knight made his way down to the shattered factory below, slipping in through the broken wall.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>American Knight crept along the upper scaffolding of the factory floor towards the sluice basin that poured into the river outside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He could hear voices coming from the foreman’s office below along with hints of that same green glow from Spade Chemicals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crawling onto along the pipes above the office he could see down through the absent roof the scientist was meeting with an unknown figure in full Nazi SS regalia along with a handful of additional goons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They were speaking in a congratulatory tone and the man in the SS uniform was patting a glass box on a nearby desk with something inside.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vials of formula were on the opposing wall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Suddenly, the pipes underneath the American Knight gave way and he came crashing down into the office, landing on one of the men.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The remaining 3 surrounded him before he had a chance to get up, grabbing his arms.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The lead German looked him over before turning to the scientist “So, this is the American who gave you trouble at the laboratory, eh Herr Doctor Web?” the scientist nodded “And you’re the Centipede” spit back Greg, the Nazi immediately startled by his statement.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“So, our friend can talk eh? Bring him” The hired muscle dragged Greg down the stairs from the foreman’s office to the large pit in the middle of the factory floor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It opened directly into the sluiceway designed to allow any dangerous run off to bleed into the river and be carried to the sea.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They held him at the edge, the Centipede taking his aim with his gun “It’s too bad you will not live to see the fruits of our labor” he said, as he set his glass case on the ground, the centipede within scurrying up the glass “When Dr. Web’s mutagen is applied to my pet it will grow to such a size that it will devastate this mockery of a city. Ah well,” he took aim at Knight’s head with his luger and fired…only for the pistol to produce the clicking of a jam.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>In that moment of surprise, American Knight was up, shoulder checking his first captor and delivering a swift kick into the other.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Centipede quickly managed to un-jam his gauntlet and began firing, Knight shielded himself with his gauntlets and tucked behind the last crook who took the bulk of the fire.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The man fell dead away onto the Knight, knocking them both into a pile of metal gears with a clang.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Centipede quickly snatched the vial of growth serum from Dr. Web and pulled his pet centipede from its case.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Your victory is fleeting American!”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With only seconds before he combined the insect and the chemicals, American Knight grabbed a nearby gear and hurled it as hard he could into the Nazi.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>The vial shattered covering man and centipede in the glowing mutagen- he screamed, a shriek that modulated and shifted as his body began to morph, the centipede in his hands liquefying and spreading through his veins as they fused into one being.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The vertebrae of spine cracked and stretched as his body elongated, the skin of his arm turning to hard cartilage of an exoskeleton, his voice twisting into an insectoid chirp as a hard mandible burst from his cheek and his mouth began to stretch wider and wider.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Freeing himself from the gears and dead man, American Knight rushed towards the hideous twisting thing in the tattered SS uniform, slamming it with both his gauntlets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>As he pushed against it he could feel the same strength as from the giant cockroach but multiplied by at least 10 when the scratching clawing legs of an insect began to burst from the man’s growing side.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Summoning every ounce of strength left in him he pushed the creature as hard as he could towards the edge of the sluiceway.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking up he could see the transformation was beginning to settle and the hideous human centipede thing was staring down at him with hateful eyes, drawing back its claw-like arm for one final finishing swipe when suddenly the ground beneath it began to crumble- the foundations of the sluiceway gave out underneath the weight of the thing and it tumbled down into the blackened abyss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><span style="color: white; font-size: large;"> Glancing around the darkened steel mill Dr. Web had disappeared into the night during the struggle. That was alright, the American Knight would hunt him down another night, thought Greg as he made his way to the nearby emergency exit. Leaving the main building, he made his way to the edge of the property, right where the outer lot gave way to a sheer drop to the river. Dangling his legs over the side as he sat down, he took a moment to let the cool night air wash across his face, the sound of the rushing water fill his ears, the glittering neon and fluorescents of the city across the water filling up the night. Greg would like to think the Centipede was gone for good but with all the strange things filling up the world lately he doubted it, the US’s midnight wasn’t over yet and so the American Knight wasn’t going anywhere. </span></span></div>
Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-87651327306871397482018-06-30T10:58:00.000-07:002018-06-30T10:58:09.397-07:00Strange Chronicles - Kid Brimstone in Flight of the Beast<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">There’s a chill in the air as the sun goes down outside Valley Lodge, Montana.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the kind of smoky bite carried on the wind that tells you colder days are yet to come, the kind you get when October’s almost over and autumn along with it, with nothing left but long November nights and the cold harsh winds that blow across all that empty space.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s not a bitter cold, it’s not harsh enough to be bitter yet, just the promise of bitterness that makes you thankful there’s still a little bit of warmth left in the world, even as the vast slate grey clouds swirl across the sky and the sun slips below the long, flat horizon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The last lights cut across the vast corn and wheat fields of the little farming community now stripped bare and waiting for the next year’s planting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Life moves in cycles in Valley Lodge- plant and harvest, spring and fall, new generations raised up in the fields till they became the old timers sitting on porches telling stories about when they were young, it’s a place that values its continuity and its traditions, traditions like tonight, October 31<sup>st</sup> 1938- Halloween.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Yes, Halloween, the one time of the year when things look the scariest and the whole world doesn’t look quite so frightening in comparison.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Even in the days of the dustbowl when they could see the huge storms blow to the South Valley Lodge found a place for this day, a single day to choose to be afraid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Without homemade pastries and homemade costumes they’d sit under the flickering electric lamps and tell ghost stories late into the night about the old abandoned church on the way out of town, the lost mine somewhere in the foothills, and the scarecrows around the edge of the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That was last year though, not this year, this year prosperity had come back to Valley Lodge and things looked a little brighter as ghosts, witches, skeletons, and monsters prowled the streets asking for candy under the dimming sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cat Curtis watches from her window as the sun went down and the children navigate the town as the street lights buzz to life, the sky fading to a deep purple offset by the warm amber at the edge of the horizon line.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Soon, she’ll be heading out as well, she thinks to herself as she turns away from the window, fiddling with her costume- a red jumpsuit and black cape.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She falls back on her bed, her wooden devil’s mask sliding neatly into her side, its static face grinning outwards towards the darkening gloom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s been almost a year since she found the mask in the basement of the curiosity shop where she started working evenings, almost a year since she started wearing it and became Valley Lodge’s very own superhero.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kid Brimstone the papers called her, a 15-year-old teen devil that fought crime and all manner of other things that go bump in the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old folks always said Valley Lodge had someone looking out for it on account of all the weird tales the town had survived, just most folks had figured that “someone” was a teen girl turned teen demon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Standing up, mask in hand, Cat slowly pressed it to her face, feeling the slight tingle through her body as the air began to crackle around her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Slowly, the mask fused to the young girls face, the wood softening into tough skin over her own as her body twisted as well, her legs crooking, her toes fusing and solidifying into hooves, her fingernails jutting further and further out into claws, she could feel the horns of the mask fusing to her forehead when fire engulfed her entire body, completing the transformation from Cat Curtis, high school girl, into Kid Brimstone, defender of the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perching herself on the windowsill, the twilight breeze cool and refreshing across her now demonic face, she leapt forth with a powerful thrust of her hooves, loping from branch to branch through the grove of trees that backed her family’s home, till eventually, she landed on the roof of the town church.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Skittering her way up the imposing steeple, she reached the top and paused, gazing out over the entirety of the little town of Valley Lodge, seeing it all laid out in front of her as the twilight finally gave way to the night and the street lamps formed the rows and columns that made up the small town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most places like this wouldn’t see much trouble, even on Halloween, but Valley Lodge isn’t most places, it’s a weird place where weird things happen, the kind of places where things you can’t explain tend to fill up all the empty space that is America, and on this Halloween night weird things were definitely afoot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It began with a scream on Chestnut and Main, by the hardware store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cat could feel the thing before it happened, the crackle of otherworldly malevolence through the still fall air that only a demon could sense, even if it didn’t help Old Man Wilson any.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As fast as she was, Kid Brimstone didn’t get there till the old time was just a puddle on the soft dirt of the Montana country road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Her eyes glowing with infernal fire as she scanned the scene, Cat could hear the soft wailing of Valley Lodge’s only police car approaching in the distance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>After a year of her appearances the Sheriff and the townsfolk had come to accept her as a guardian, even if she did look exactly like the kind of thing you learn to fear in Sunday school.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It helped that she was the only one who could help in the strange cases, like how does a man fall to his death in the middle of the street?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">By the time Sheriff Arnold got there a crowd was developing, Kid Brimstone always brought a crowd whenever she bounded through the streets and Mr. Wilson’s screams had been hard to ignore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cat knew the sheriff could handle the details- deputizing men to clear the area, sending someone to find the town doctor, that he would look to her to explain what happened, to make it right.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She could see him moving through the crowd, intent on her position when a second scream rang out in the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unwilling to wait for the Sheriff, Cat leaped into the air, a ring of brimstone fire left in the middle of the street where she took off.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Landing on the roof of the hardware store, she peered through the absolute blackness of the sky above the town, her infernal vision lighting the way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Through the depths of the blackness, near the old Peachtree place, she could make out a shape, a vast thing that glowed in her eyesight, the way only evil does when you look through the eyes of hell, and though its shape was unclear, in its claw-like hands Cat could make out the soft blue that marked an innocent life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In a second she was off, leaping from roof to roof towards the Peachtree family farm, eyes locked skyward as the thing circled overhead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As she got closer the thing began to take a more definitive shape- it was big, big as a truck, but shaped like a man, though the proportions were all wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its arms were thick but it had no hands, only claw-like spikes from each forearm, and its legs turned into talons at the thigh.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It had no head but a thick shoulder muscle extending across its top, with a single lidless eye set in its vast and a drooling maw at the middle of its chest, with huge leathery batwings keeping it aloft in the Montana night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cat searched her mind for what the creature could be, from where it might’ve come, in her demonic form she knew all that hell knew and could find any answer, though there were some questions she dared not ask.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With a hard thud Kid Brimstone landed on the roof of the Peachtree farm, the old tiling of the roof bending under her hooves as she scanned the skies for the thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She spotted it in the Northwest corner, headed towards the old railway mail station, and in its claws was Danny Peachtree, 8 years old and dressed like a cowboy.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Exhaling as she bent her legs, hands clenched into tight fists of devilish power, Cat summoned up all her strength and in a single leap launched herself into the creature- ramming it square in the back.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The horrible thing let out a monstrous cry, like a train derailing but somehow much deeper.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Instantly the creature dropped the boy and he began to fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Digging her claws into the thing’s back, right at the joint of the leathery wings, Kid Brimstone angled herself downward and launched herself into the night after Danny- catching him in mid-fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The boy was terrified- taken by some alien creature and now rescued by a literal devil from hell, it was all Cat could do to hold onto him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She didn’t have the free hand to use her cape to glide downwards and couldn’t risk the creature taking the opportunity to attack her from behind, so she curled her body around the struggling boy, holding him tight and trusted in gravity to do the hard work of getting them down.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The two hit the ground hard, though Danny took the landing a lot better thanks to Cat than he would’ve otherwise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In her demon form nothing could truly damage her but that didn’t mean she couldn’t be hurt, and falling about 4 stories straight down definitely hurt.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shaking the pain and the dust from her horns, Cat slowly rose to her hooves, surveying her surroundings.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The town was behind her, not too far, with nothing but barren fields and flat Earth surrounding them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the distance she could make out the water tower of the abandoned railroad mail station…and there atop the tower was the thing, looking right back at her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As soon as it saw Cat the thing began to howl, low and guttural yet also metallic, the kind of sound that cuts right through you as plain and truly wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Looking down at Danny, the frightened little boy she just saved who still looked terrified, she said to him in her least demonic tone “Get Behind Me.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The young boy did as he was told, shuffling behind Kid Brimstone’s cape as planted her hooves to face in the direction of the thing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In one smooth motion, the thing took flight off the water tower, its massive batwings sending dust whirling through the air as it began to circle its attacker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kid Brimstone’s eyes started to burn as her mind whirled through infernal knowledge.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cracking her fingers as she began to whisper arcane tones, ancient and infernal symbols forming in the air around her hands when, in one motion, she clapped them together and pulled them forth, red energy arching between them then settling into the form of a pitchfork which she grasped firmly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">She’d finally been able to place the creature, it was a being of chaos- primordial magic, the kind of weird anti-geometry that’s hard to work and even harder to control.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That gave her an edge, knowing what the creature was…and knowing what it could do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She braces herself, pitchfork held outward in both hands defensively as the Chaos Beast circled closer and closer, its pink outer flesh glistening wetly in the moonlight while the deep black cartilage of its claws disappeared against the inky blackness of the night sky.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All at once, its single eye began to glow a sickly green, energy pouring forth from its maw and then its entire body until finally a bright beam of pure chthonic energy shot forth from its single eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The beam hit Kid Brimstone square in the pitchfork, splintering on impact as the crimson fire of her staff deflected the otherworldly blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All around her the dust and dirt of the Montana countryside was beginning to give way to the chaos energies unleashed by the thing- odd angles twisting out of the dirt, dust that was one second made of flesh and then diamonds before settling back to dust again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This fight had to end quickly, the longer the Chaos Beast was allowed to roam free the more it would twist the world to resemble its own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking a deep breath and waiting for the creature to glide close to her, Kid Brimstone took aim and breathed a massive jet of hellfire directly into the thing. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Beast was caught off guard, screaming as the unholy flames covered it, its eye blasting forth that green beam in any direction it could to try and stem the tide of flames that consumed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Taking advantage of the Beast’s distraction, Cat pulled back her arm, taking aim with her pitchfork and whispering a new spell into her weapon before hurling it directly into the Beast’s chest.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It hit with a loud wet thump, embedding itself deep in the pink flesh of the Chaos Beast, before shooting forth burning red chains from the handle, staking themselves to the ground and pinning the Beast to that spot.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cat knew the chains wouldn’t hold the Chaos Beast for long, turning to Danny behind her, who now seemed far less frightened of his devilish rescuer, she said “run!” and sent the boy racing back towards the welcoming lights of the town.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With Danny in the wind, Cat turned back towards the railway station, leaping towards it as the Chaos Beast shrieked and wailed and raged against her binding spell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Cat knew whatever had brought this creature into the world had originated at the rail station, that it was still keeping the Beast in our plane, and that if she could destroy it- this would all be over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The station wasn’t large, just a single building and the water tower, but the track had been used as a railway graveyard ever since being abandoned nearly a decade ago.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nearly a dozen abandoned and broke down rail cars now peppered the land beside the rail station- engines that had exploded, end cars that broke and rolled off the tracks, and the boxcars you just couldn’t use anymore.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One of them had to be where this was coming from, Cat thought, as she sailed through the air, scanning the yard with her infernal vision.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It turned out she didn’t need magic eyes to see the source of her problems: at the far end of the yard was a single boxcar, covered in rust and overgrown, out of which poured that same green glow as from the creature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Landing hard on a nearby caboose with a shattered frontend, Cat could hear, in the distance, the last of her infernal chains snapping and the triumphant bellow of the Chaos Beast as it took flight and headed towards her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kid Brimstone sprinted for the boxcar as fast as her hooves could carry her, the dense flapping of bat-wings getting closer and closer with each second.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The wood of the car’s closed-door splintered as she dove into it, somersaulting across the floor as she landed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There in the car she found what she was looking for- a corpse.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It looked to be the corpse of a drifter, some nameless hobo who’d posted up in the boxcar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Something had happened to him though, something bad: both his eyes were gone and a weird geometric pattern had been formed on his chest- partly it had grown forth from inside him in the form of splintered bones and partly it had been carved onto his chest by some unknown blade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The old tramp’s body pulsed in its own unnatural glow, his face frozen in terror at whatever thing had taken his eyes and made him into a doorway to someplace that couldn’t fit this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For just a second Kid Brimstone hesitated, wondering how she could possibly close this door, searching her mind for what infernal tool could fit this task when suddenly the roof of the boxcar was torn upwards.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The black cartilaginous talons of the Chaos Beast ripped through the metal of the roof like it was nothing, hurling chunks of the disused boxcar into the nearby fields as it dug deeper and deeper trying to reach its tormentor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Panicked for a moment, Cat dropped to the floor, pressing herself as far below the Chaos Beast’s grasp as she could.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The frustrated cries of the Chaos Beast filled the air as it tore and rent downwards; till the roof of the boxcar was removed enough it could press its eye to the hole.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It fixed Cat with that eye, deep and unnatural green, impossible shapes swirling within its pupil as chthonic energy filled the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Beast was only a few feet away from Cat now, she could hear the crackle of energy from its eye, feel the heat of its ragged breath from that slavering maw, she knew it was preparing to burn her with its gaze, to render her down to pure chaos and remove her from this plane, so in one swift motion she brought her claws through the remaining box car metal- scratching across the Beast’s eye.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The thing’s shriek was so loud Cat could feel blood spurt from her ears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>She had bought herself a few seconds as the Beast recoiled, its deadly eye no longer fixed on her, and in those seconds Cat knew what she had to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As she readied herself, searching for the right spell, she suddenly felt the boxcar lurch and shift under her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The massive talons of the Beast burst through the far wall and suddenly the entire car was on its side as it began to lift into the air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Scrambling out the hole in the ceiling, Kid Brimstone watched as the ground quickly faded off as the Chaos Beast flew her and the boxcar higher and higher, the moon in full ascendance framing their flight when suddenly- the ascent stopped and she began to fall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Digging her claws into the roof of the car and trying not to panic, Kid Brimstone pulled herself out of the car, planting her hooves in the rusting metal and riding the falling hunk of machinery downward, even as the corpse door rattled within.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shouting her incantations loudly and defiantly against the rushing wind of her fall, she moved her hands quickly in the air, hell’s amber glow and infernal runes forming as she drew the symbol of her spell.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On the ground, just below Cat and her boxcar chariot, a circle of flames began to form, spinning faster and faster till the ground fell away beneath it revealing a vast crimson inferno- it was hell, a portal to hell that Cat had summoned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">High above, she could hear the cries of frustration and dismay from the Chaos Beast as it swooped downward, now desperate to stop its missile from plunging into the hell mouth.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grasping the metal roof as hard as she could, Kid Brimstone turned to face her attacker, its vast pink form a blur of oncoming motion.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Allowing a quick smirk to cross her lips, even as the Beast drew nearer, she drew in a deep breath and a jet of fire shot forth from her mouth- engulfing the creature and propelling the car down even faster.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally, with seconds to spare, she kicked herself free from the car, her black velvet cape spread wide to catch the wind as she sailed free of the otherworldly boxcar.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Turning back as she drifted through the air, she could see the green glow within fade as it tumbled into the waiting hell mouth, which closed shut almost immediately.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Its connection to its own geometry shattered, the Chaos Beast’s body began to fall apart in mid air- its pink skin evaporating into a dark green dirt, the crackling energy of its eye fading to a dim grey, its final shriek of defiance caught in its quickly decaying throat till soon it was nothing but dust on the October wind.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Landing gently at the foot of the railway water tower, Cat allowed herself to finally relax, leaning back against the ancient wood of the abandoned structure.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Chaos Beast was vanquished but the mystery of who unleashed it using that poor drifter as a corpse door still remained but that was tomorrow’s problem, for now, she would savor her victory before returning home to her family and bed and returning to the form of Cat Curtis- another spook bites the dust thanks to Kid Brimstone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-37635596858790067332018-04-16T19:59:00.000-07:002019-04-13T20:04:52.827-07:00Marvel Announces Eternals Film<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, let’s talk about The Eternals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>These folks are, allegedly, going to be Marvel’s next big thing going into phase 4 and the 2020s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I use the word “allegedly” there because I feel like we’ve definitely been here before and done the “next big thing” dance enough times for it to feel decidedly old hat by now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In particular, we were last here in 2017 when Marvel spent 2 years and countless comics trying to make the Inhumans into their next big thing only for the property to completely flame out after ½ a season of subpar television.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Even if you LIKED the Inhumans TV show there’s no denying the concentrated effort to rebrand the Inhumans as the new it thing from Marvel was both a failure and embarrassment, especially with how much they’ve receded from the public eye at this point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>One wonders if the Eternals, a very similar group conceptually, aren’t just Marvel’s new flavor of the month, to be forgotten within a few short years of their culmination?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For the uninitiated, the Eternals are one of three groups of secret races that have helped fill out the Marvel comics universe, most notable for being the last of said three groups.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Created in the mid-70s by Marvel scribe Jack Kirby, the Eternals were, for all intents and purposes, an excuse for Kirby to keep producing comics in the style of his New Gods books after leaving DC.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the time Marvel was VERY invested in this particular style of colorful super team, mainly owing to Chris Clairemont, Len Wein, and Dave Cockrum’s revamp of the X-Men in 1975 into the team of mutants we all know and love today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Incidentally, the X-Men are going to be key to this story so bear that in mind but I’ll get back to the business angle in just a bit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, the Eternals are a group of powerful cosmic beings who resemble various gods, most notably the Greek Gods though they are not, in fact, the Greek Gods, who are also real and hang out with Thor- it’s needlessly confusing, as was much continuity in the ‘70s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their origin is that eons ago a group of space-based cosmic giants called the Celestials came to Earth and foresaw mankind’s potential for super-powered mutants.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Intrigued by this, the Celestials took a handful of humans and genetically altered them to create 2 distinct races: the Eternals who possessed phenomenal cosmic power and beauty and the Deviants a race of hideous but powerful monsters.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrthOxE9sXXEQdXoMKmXnrZ4lFp53oveGW-tGHFk5P4E3bH_cTPV97gSoQnNJZqfXP15LWfusjWVPmbLL4ZjzZKOhf_cOKP1cvYI8e1kW5qXkluNraeN89RIl6YIzkhZ7eFWIrD7R_dFX/s1600/eternals_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="861" data-original-width="554" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKrthOxE9sXXEQdXoMKmXnrZ4lFp53oveGW-tGHFk5P4E3bH_cTPV97gSoQnNJZqfXP15LWfusjWVPmbLL4ZjzZKOhf_cOKP1cvYI8e1kW5qXkluNraeN89RIl6YIzkhZ7eFWIrD7R_dFX/s640/eternals_2.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Eternals have banged around the comics ever since the ‘70s but have never really enjoyed longstanding popularity.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They mostly appeared in the Thor comics as ‘70s Thor was all about weird cosmic stuff, along with a brief stint tied to the X-Men as their villain Apocalypse owes his origins to the Celestials as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Their most recent iteration was in a mostly very good comic revival from Neil Gaiman that revealed the various Eternals had lost their memories and been living amongst humanity till they became awakened.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Gaiman comic, which has a lot of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">American Gods</i> overtones to it, feels like the clearest way to approach a movie version of this property without just retreading the ground Thor already covered.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">“Retread” really is the central impression I get from making the Eternals Marvel’s new tent pole as we barrel towards the new decade.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m actually a pretty big fan of the characters but there’s so much about them that feels derivative of more popular works it’s hard not to interpret this as just an attempt to replace franchises without re-upping contracts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Firstly, the story of a bunch of God-themed cosmic aliens who’ve had a history on Earth for years pretty much IS <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor</i>, a point so blatant that even the old ‘70s Thor comics had to draw attention to it with the Greek Gods actually declaring war on the Eternals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8Ywzmy_c3yLMCMrPvOMI5lGt3XSECXFJjxCYDzcmnBjoswLzNPccrKeQ6ht7Z6e6hYpv1GfexBJmyeUXTtHz6Bjd1HuLiTVj7Ekj1zBEFgrjxXQ2-xXg22C2dI8Xrg00w7HpQxr88LE1/s1600/eternals_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1089" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhc8Ywzmy_c3yLMCMrPvOMI5lGt3XSECXFJjxCYDzcmnBjoswLzNPccrKeQ6ht7Z6e6hYpv1GfexBJmyeUXTtHz6Bjd1HuLiTVj7Ekj1zBEFgrjxXQ2-xXg22C2dI8Xrg00w7HpQxr88LE1/s640/eternals_3.jpg" width="434" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That point of similarity really makes it seem like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eternals</i> is being pitched as a kind of off-brand Thor, something that preserves the visuals aesthetics and tone without having to hire back Tom Hiddleston and Chris Hemsworth now they’ve become much more expensive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m not totally sure this will be the approach, especially given Tessa Thompson’s Valkyrie proved incredibly popular in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Thor: Ragnarok</i> and I think there’s absolutely a market for a solo film starring her.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, Marvel has already spent the better half of a decade trying to turn the character of Angela, Thor’s long lost sister, into someone of note in the comics so it feels like if they wanted to continue the Thor name and franchise with Hemsworth in a reduced IE cheaper role she and Valkyrie would make more sense than Eternals.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There’s also the possibility the Eternals are a lingering X-Men stand-in, like the Inhumans.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both groups basically functioned as X-Men also-rans in the mid-‘70s after the success of Giant Sized X-Men #1 and the entire push of the Inhumans from 2015-2017 was to be the new version of the mutants that Marvel maintained total copyright control over.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This one I’m not quite as sure about as a lot has been made lately about Disney purchasing Fox’s entire IP library, including both the X-Men and Fantastic Four.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">With that deal pushing towards a more or less unpreventable conclusion the idea that Marvel would set about the serious work of creating an all-new X-Men stand-in group, especially after Inhumans bombed hard, seems really unlikely.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There’s always the chance this is a very long and obtuse goal of setting up the Eternals and Celestials to build up to a Marvel version of Apocalypse, but by the same token, his garbage adaptation in the 2016 film probably means that isn’t the case.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMYF9b2urFjVgFUtdE1c9oIyxBLUsse6jdk0IuvG-Tv_SNJLoycx-Pot5C4nmYZunzZVfh6C3R_kezpGkYFQDp9ay6PQb3srrxIoj3XTRTRJs-j6ZCnqA-32ytcb8GfJ_3pVRwPaiVZ41/s1600/eternals_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1080" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMYF9b2urFjVgFUtdE1c9oIyxBLUsse6jdk0IuvG-Tv_SNJLoycx-Pot5C4nmYZunzZVfh6C3R_kezpGkYFQDp9ay6PQb3srrxIoj3XTRTRJs-j6ZCnqA-32ytcb8GfJ_3pVRwPaiVZ41/s640/eternals_4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Overall the strangest aspect of this Eternals announcement is the idea it’s going to serve as some kind of a lynchpin going forward.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So far Marvel’s big central figures as we move into the 2020s have been Black Panther and Spider-Man with Captain Marvel waiting to really take the reigns in 2019.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Eternals don’t really have a connection to any of those characters or the Avengers as a whole, they’ve always done their own thing for the most part.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Traditionally the Eternals do have ties to Thanos but that doesn’t seem to have crossed over to the films and while they could connect to whatever the origin of Captain Marvel’s powers turns out to be, the franchise they have any concrete ties to is Guardians of the Galaxy, thanks to a cameo by the Celestials in the first film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So call me less than optimistic here at the outset, maybe as more details emerge the Eternals will show itself to have a clearer identity than the table scraps of Thor and the X-Men but for now I don’t think anyone was desperate for the Inhumans redux it’s coming off as.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-35827042327654222262018-04-03T06:00:00.000-07:002018-04-04T20:23:22.500-07:00Panel Vision - 2001: A Space Odyssey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Today marks the 50<sup>th</sup> anniversary of the premiere of Stanley Kubrick’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i>, one of the pinnacles of weird speculative sci-fi films of the late ‘60s alongside the likes of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Planet of the Apes</i> and <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Soylent Green</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The film actually wasn’t a huge success immediately upon release but slowly became a cult classic, allegedly because audiences of stoners would enjoy tripping out to the psychedelic images on display.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The film proved popular enough to warrant getting a comic book adaptation by the king of comics himself: Jack Kirby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Kirby liked doing the comic so much and it did so well for Marvel that this led into a new ongoing comic by Kirby exploring his own interpretation of the Monolith and the attendant <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i> mythos, which is what I’ll be looking at today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCwS5MYh29DuiRBZQkXrmS8b7_9eGFFFOfwj21fAMG-pxRYED8qcq416k1GtubFlscFlBp2qV-_LU9AnOIK3gkTXvQfaZb30Pe3lgdrDgbYuveuruAmYz9ZzNF0wP26Dt1oQj3ig6uJ7C/s1600/space_odyssey_1.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="350" data-original-width="650" height="344" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCwS5MYh29DuiRBZQkXrmS8b7_9eGFFFOfwj21fAMG-pxRYED8qcq416k1GtubFlscFlBp2qV-_LU9AnOIK3gkTXvQfaZb30Pe3lgdrDgbYuveuruAmYz9ZzNF0wP26Dt1oQj3ig6uJ7C/s640/space_odyssey_1.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Jack Kirby <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i> comic is, today, mostly remembered for being the book that introduced the character of Machine Man, but we’ll get to him in due time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The opening few issues are basically all the same structure as the film but following more fantastical events and with Jack Kirby style splash page artwork.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve never seen <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001</i> or just don’t remember, the way these stories work is mostly centered around the Monolith, an unknowable entity that’s taken an interest in the development of mankind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Each issue begins in pre-history with the Monolith appearing to a single representative of ancient man and using its weird psychic powers to inspire them to take the next step in the evolution of human thought like inventing the wheel or bronze.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>From there we cut to a distant future where we see basically the reincarnation of the stone age character making another great leap forward, usually in space exploration, before again encountering the monolith and passing through a trippy otherworldly dimension then aging into a cosmic fetus of some kind.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Much like the movie version of this story I’m not really sure the “narrative” is what’s going to hold the most interest for folks in this comic series, especially with how repetitive things get around issue 4.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The bigger selling point of the comic IS the trippy weirdness of it all and the chance to see Kirby draw dinosaurs and spacemen in the same issue.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This appeal definitely wasn’t lost on producers at the time either as that was a big selling point of Kirby’s entire late career among the big 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’d previously had a surprise hit for DC with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Kamandi</i>, a book that was literally pitched as a rip-off of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Planet of the Apes</i>, and Marvel was keen to mimic its success- first with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i> then later with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Devil Dinosaur</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kirby himself was most drawn to the property because of his growing fascination with what was, at the time, a new and emerging theory- Ancient Astronauts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you’ve never encountered this idea it’s basically become the bread and butter of sci-fi lately, the concept that ancient humans were guided by or at least interacted with alien astronauts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Kirby had become fascinated by the idea, like most of nerd America, when it was introduced to the world in the book <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Chariots of the Gods</i>, to the point that it played a key role in inspiring his <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">New Gods</i> comic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i> was basically just another chance to explore this concept and was hardly his last- the idea would pepper his work going forward, most notably in his Marvel comic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Eternals</i> but it was also there throughout his independent work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As for the comics themselves, I wouldn’t say they were one of Kirby’s best writing works.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By this point, he’d been working in the medium since the ‘40s with Captain America and spent the better part of the ‘60s and ‘70s working on a titanic number of comics at once so taking a lighter approach to the scripting on this book is pretty forgivable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, it’s most similar to the original <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Devil Dinosaur</i> comics: a romp through a science fantasy version of the primal age more about showcasing how imaginative and developed the artwork could be.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Speaking of which, Kirby’s art skills really were near their absolute zenith at this time and every issue of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i> involves at least 1 spectacular double-paged spread.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A real standout is the story in issues 5-6, imagining a sterile dystopian future where the Earth has become so polluted that all aspects of life are these elaborately packaged artifices and the monolith appears to a superhero-obsessed directionless young guy and inspires him to join the space program where he makes first contact with alien life.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The alien life design is incredibly weird and evocative in that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Invasion of the Saucer Men</i> kind of way and the space flight scenes are a thing to behold, especially some of the final scenes where our hero re-encounters the monolith after helping mankind move beyond its plastic prison.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As for Machine Man, whose stories make-up the last 3 issues of the comic and whose solo series followed up this one, it’s kind of another transparent reworking of old Kirby ideas but with a new coat of paint.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To be clear, I don’t MIND the new coat of paint, Machine Man has one of the most striking visual designs of all time and it’s not at all surprising he became instantly iconic with comic readers and has endured to this day.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, the story, which only tangentially involves the Monolith as the thing that inspired Machine Man’s creator, feels an awful lot like Kirby’s <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">OMAC</i> comic for DC, which was itself, again, literally pitched by editorial as “Captain America in the future.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">A lot of it is fairly standard “robot on the run” stuff set in Kirby’s vision of a New Age ‘70s sci-fi dystopia, so like imagine <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Logan’s Run</i> as decorated by Galactus.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Probably the most interesting part of the run is in the 10<sup>th</sup> issue where it’s revealed the Monolith has a kind of archenemy- Satan.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Seriously, I’m not even kidding, the issue is titled ‘Hotline to Hades’ and they mean that very literally.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">It’s all about some villainous fat cat who has a phone that lets him call Satan and apparently Satan really hates that Machine Man has free will so he puts a hit out on him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s really weird and vaguely reminiscent of classic <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Doctor Who</i>, I honestly wish the concept had come up sometime prior to the last issue if only so we could see more of Satan vs. a big hunk of rock.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">You shouldn’t need me to tell you that Jack Kirby’s bizarre reworking of Stanley Kubrick’s bizarre reworking of Arthur C. Clarke’s very bizarre <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">2001: A Space Odyssey</i> is a niche oddity at best.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of your enjoyment of it is going to depend on how much you like Kirby artwork and are willing to forgive anachronistic depictions of the Stone Age involving dinosaurs and such.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Personally, it’s the kind of mini-series I’d argue is the pinnacle of the comic genre: not necessarily great but definitely experimental and unique, you really aren’t going to read anything else like it out there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-79888818135078857092018-04-01T06:00:00.000-07:002018-04-04T20:29:11.635-07:00Panel Vision - Foolkiller (2017)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">Happy April Fools everyone, if there can really be such a thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ve elected to celebrate this most ignominious holiday by delving deep into the “fool” part of the name with a look at one of my favorite superhero G-listers: Foolkiller.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Created in 1974 in the pages of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Man-Thing</i> by the incomparable Steve Gerber, Foolkiller is one of the many bizarre no-name characters that tend to pepper the lower tiers of the Marvel echelon.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s best described as a more comedic version of the Punisher, largely because Steve Gerber was one of the premiere funnymen of ‘70s Marvel comics (he invented Howard the Duck, after all.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From those humble beginnings Foolkiller’s actually been re-imagined about 4 different times, once as a hardcore murder vigilante with a weird bondage gimp costume, once in the Marvel mature readers line MAX Comics, and once as part of Deadpool’s expansive entourage.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’m going to focus today on the last of those three, the Greg Salinger Foolkiller, and his short-lived five-issue comic from 2016 written by Max Bemis, drawn by Dalibor Talajic, and colored by Miroslav Mrva.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">As I said, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Foolkiller</i> (2016) follows up on the adventures of Greg Salinger, the second iteration of the character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Though Greg has had sporadic solo titles in the past his longest running appearance was as a member of Deadpool’s team Mercs for Money, which is why his costume is specifically like a purple version of Deadpool’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He doesn’t have any powers if that’s what you’re wondering, just a compulsive need to kill people he considers fools, which I think is why he eventually transitioned into being more of a comedy character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">To be sure, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Foolkiller</i> (2016) is a comedic book though it’s very much in the style of black comedy that Max Bemis tends to favor.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The series finds Foolkiller having hung up his costume and become a psychologist for SHIELD, working to try and reform Z-list villains like Young Red Skull while living in Queens with his girlfriend Melanie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Unfortunately for all involved Greg isn’t quite as cured as he thought and starts to relapse, becoming Foolkiller again to bump off is patients.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Now just from the outset, I should say Foolkiller is a very idiosyncratic comic and I’m not really surprised it only lived for 5 issues despite being billed as an ongoing series.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s about as niche as a niche comic gets: a dark comedy where people actually die starring a G-list superhero who bumps off Z-list villains in-between long and bizarre monologues about psychology.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s closest point of comparison for comic fans might be some of the more recent Ant-Man stuff or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superior Foes of Spider-Man</i> only it’s much, much bloodier.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Honestly a lot of the comic is most similar in tone to Bemis’ previous work <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Evil Empire</i>, a fairly prescient work these days.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s all wrapped up in the idea of Foolkiller as a more personally aware yet no less awful character.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s fully aware of his own history of childhood abuse and backsliding behavior it’s just that awareness can’t necessarily save him from repeating the same toxic behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What helps here is that Foolkiller doesn’t fall into the trap of being a proud jerk, a character type, which has become more and more prevalent and more and more taxing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At the end of the day, Foolkiller wants to be a good person he just sucks at it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s actually why I’ve always been drawn to the superhero screw-up archetype, like Ant-Man or Jessica Jones, their very definition as superheroes means they’re trying to do the right thing and can’t retreat into a shell of self-accepted awfulness. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In a lot of media, it’s far too easy to have a character where their own interpersonal failures and immaturity as a badge of honor, but the whole definition of the superhero is to struggle against complacency, cowardice, and the baser instincts of our nature.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">In the case of Foolkiller, it’s actually an even more unique approach as he’s fully aware of his own psychological shortcomings and ultimately willing to reach out for help when the costumed murdering gets a little too all-consuming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All of this ends up very well illustrated in issue 4 where Deadpool makes an extended cameo where he helps Foolkiller get a handle on how to sell a comic and Foolkiller gives him psych advice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Incidentally, that’s very much the crux of the comic’s comedy: applying psycho-therapy help to the off the wall weirdness of a superhero universe.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of Foolkiller’s clients are completely goofy one-off joke characters and the villain’s ultimate plan turns out to be that he keeps sabotaging himself and wants Foolkiller to help him overcome this flaw and then act as a therapist to his super-powered mafia.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBybTOUih8t943mQVZXGHf_o5VA4Mm5aQu8UFVUgDITwErCPVBJDNI7BlTYRPcaEg-DMV-u0JCkQJ5BZFmOKqwRO4LwLo96yauMqkUWwuQnjbmwRCnTexBduc6_eQEwD56cPktgh4j6Xnc/s1600/foolkiller_4.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1002" data-original-width="1299" height="492" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBybTOUih8t943mQVZXGHf_o5VA4Mm5aQu8UFVUgDITwErCPVBJDNI7BlTYRPcaEg-DMV-u0JCkQJ5BZFmOKqwRO4LwLo96yauMqkUWwuQnjbmwRCnTexBduc6_eQEwD56cPktgh4j6Xnc/s640/foolkiller_4.png" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Given all the psychobabble flying around and the way our protagonist has a somewhat tenuous grasp on the real the artwork has a big task in reflecting Foolkiller’s fractured outlook while still being understandable, luckily Talajic and Mrva manage this excellently.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Talajic has an easy command of the comic medium and his panels never feel cluttered even though some of them are very full.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Most importantly, the book understands how to use sequential art as a way to fade through events that aren’t realistically sequential.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This basically just means there’s a lot of good use of montage in the comics, most of which are probably some degree of imagined.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Again, issue 4 is where this is shown off the clearest as Foolkiller and Deadpool filter through several locations and costumes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s actually the kind of scene that works best in a comic book because the reader has time to examine each individual panel before moving to the next one, making it easier to follow the flow through radically changing settings and designs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mrva’s coloring is also real solid.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Coloring is one of the more thankless elements of comic books in that folks tend to only really notice it when it’s bad but in this case, a lot of good work goes into it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A lot of the job here is in making characters pop, a reflection of the bright dots of weird lunacy that define the superheroes in this otherwise mundane environment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mrva does a great job creating a background palette of cool night colors and earth tones that serve to highlight Foolkiller’s purple tactical suit.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, there’s a lot of color balancing that goes into the book’s caption boxes, especially with multiple narrators, not to mention the great washed out color work that goes into the fantasy and dream sequences.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Foolkiller</i> definitely isn’t a comic for everyone, in fact, I’d dare say it’s a comic for almost no one but it’s one I definitely enjoyed and I don’t think I'm unique enough a being to be alone in that.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s the kind of mini-series that back issue bins at comic book shops were basically made for, a weird one-off that was too bizarre to maintain itself but just curious enough to keep itself circulating on blogs like this.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">There were a lot of those that came out in the ‘90s like <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Druid </i>or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">A. Bizarro</i>, which fits because <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Foolkiller</i> does have a very ‘90s vibe to it (I mean, the main hero dresses exactly like a parody of a ‘90s superhero- all pouches and guns.)<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s entirely possible that without the same grounding in superhero tropes or a willingness to accept a darker kind of comedy that brushes off death you won’t enjoy this book but I really liked it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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Lidohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04192114417069310219noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8711364635734509030.post-68473622108523736822018-02-23T06:00:00.000-08:002018-04-07T22:56:53.203-07:00Panel Vision - 7 Possibilities for Black Panther 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, by now <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> is a bona fide hit, one of the biggest films of the year and on track to be one of the biggest films of all time frankly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As such a sequel is now pretty much all but inevitable.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Indeed, our very idea of the superhero is probably going to have to start adapting to this new post-<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> age: it’s a milestone movie much in the same vein as <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, the Dark Knight, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, </i>or <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Deadpool</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I get the unique sense <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> is going to basically be Marvel’s license to print money going forward into the 2020s so it’s time to milk this particular topic for all its worth by diving into the next big question for Black Panther: what do you do next?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, anything is on the table and the events of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Infinity War</i> are probably going to reshape things quite a bit as well but I think I’ve got a few ideas for 7 characters we might see in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther 2</i>.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjijAZJrVngtjp60lMAqUYOHQgdO35i5SPigS3ne344sKHFcg4kdQjkZ09QJf7WR9noiIGFQv3IsYMDd7kGcFmY08qKb6NwuMCdIOeFdB-QcRPq4OwvmHQ4ToyQV-Ov0JPpJqrEWAJyT_/s1600/blackpanther2_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1020" data-original-width="520" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSjijAZJrVngtjp60lMAqUYOHQgdO35i5SPigS3ne344sKHFcg4kdQjkZ09QJf7WR9noiIGFQv3IsYMDd7kGcFmY08qKb6NwuMCdIOeFdB-QcRPq4OwvmHQ4ToyQV-Ov0JPpJqrEWAJyT_/s640/blackpanther2_1.jpg" width="326" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">KLAW (Again)</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">If you saw <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther 1</i> you know what I’m talking about but if you haven’t spoilers to follow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> Andy Serkis’ Ulysses Klaue, a villainous gunrunner from <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Age of Ultron</i>, makes a return, now sporting a sonic cannon in place of a hand, similar to his comic book counterpart.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Klaue gets killed around the midpoint of the movie as part of a scheme by the real antagonist Erik Killmonger but there’s no reason Klaue couldn’t return for a third installment in an even more comic book accurate form.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So this story is kind of two-fold, let’s start with the background.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the comics, Klaw is more or less Black Panther’s archenemy but he’s also made out of living sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>That’s a weird idea as would befit a character first popping up in the Fantastic Four comics and I get why they didn’t introduce him as a sentient sound wave.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, given how inconsequential death tends to be in the Marvel universe having him return as living sound now seems like a much easier pill to swallow.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, it’s been established in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> that sonic vibrations can be used to negate vibranium’s properties so if some villain wanted the perfect anti-Wakanda weapon a living sound would be the perfect option, but we’ll dig more into that later.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKBmogXyuN3ckkos5wpd_Uv7TZtxW244PRSUcKTDWrqgdSweJy1z4zZPVubXiOueSFeRe8g6PFTtb5rhs22Nryn8W962BihP6mx0GMAHDumEx8CXQQU2_4nZCqB-1mjUUo7iVpBSnrw09/s1600/blackpanther2_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="457" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggKBmogXyuN3ckkos5wpd_Uv7TZtxW244PRSUcKTDWrqgdSweJy1z4zZPVubXiOueSFeRe8g6PFTtb5rhs22Nryn8W962BihP6mx0GMAHDumEx8CXQQU2_4nZCqB-1mjUUo7iVpBSnrw09/s640/blackpanther2_2.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">BLACK PANTHER SHURI</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Obviously, Black Panther’s tech genius sister Shuri is sure to be in the sequel film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Shuri was the break out of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> and with good reason: she’s brilliant and deeply funny, instantly charming with a really unique and striking visual style that made her part of a whole host of great supporting characters in the film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>However, in the comics, she isn’t JUST T’Challa’s genius little sister she also served as Black Panther herself, most notably during an attempted invasion of Earth by the Skrull and a destructive invasion of Wakanda lead by Dr. Doom.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’m not sure we’ll see a full version of Shuri’s Black Panther costume in the next movie but Marvel does enjoy setting things up ahead of time and they’ve gotten similar range out of stuff like putting Pepper in Iron Man armor in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Iron Man 3</i> or anytime they have Bucky wield Cap’s shield.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">What’s more, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> seems to have gone out of its way to establish the versatility of this new Black Panther nanotech armor so it would fit if they threw some of it on Shuri for an action scene or 2.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, if it tracks well that’s already a ton of cash in merchandising and a set-up for more Black Panther films if Boseman ever leaves the lead.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SUqUvct8ibiNOivL2YutLY04rAMzUJf-yDoLDUyDGHfep39skZospngBmjgeTq4xmXAab9-QRw3py-i7NqPDQYRW0CM9nQDmJPZS0A0KKi0iKuzE8tVXBo3JREqcqBHbSBpLAFZDOnJA/s1600/blackpanther2_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="640" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5SUqUvct8ibiNOivL2YutLY04rAMzUJf-yDoLDUyDGHfep39skZospngBmjgeTq4xmXAab9-QRw3py-i7NqPDQYRW0CM9nQDmJPZS0A0KKi0iKuzE8tVXBo3JREqcqBHbSBpLAFZDOnJA/s640/blackpanther2_3.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">This idea was teased in the post-credits stinger of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i>, that Bucky Barnes might become the character known as the White Wolf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If you don’t remember in the MCU, Bucky was dropped off in Wakanda after the events of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Civil War</i> because he was worried his mind might still be compromised with Hydra passcodes and was hoping the Wakandans could repair him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">At the end of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i>, we see he seems to have recovered and is referred to as ‘the white wolf’ by the local children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The White Wolf was a Marvel anti-villain, I suppose, he was T’Challa’s adopted brother and wore a weird white version of the Black Panther costume.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Honestly, his arc is real similar to Killmonger’s in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther-</i> a black-ops trained son of Wakanda spurned by its leadership and grown resentful in exile but still very much enamored with the idea of Wakanda and what it could represent.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Given the similarities to Killmonger, I doubt we’ll see the adopted brother version of White Wolf in the upcoming films and it does seem like they’ve gone to serious lengths for Bucky Barnes to be the new White Wolf.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t really know how this will gel with the possibility of Chris Evans leaving the Captain America role but it’d be weird if they set-up the name drop in a post-credits scene only to NOT follow up on it in future films.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It would be pretty great to see Bucky running around with a cape and the all-white costume if only for the spectacle of it all.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJpzdGII3W5n7P9VvrRn8RRjP11UUQm3ImeU2PM0QXY2gnl5XSbGTk627uJfvOSoAoeyWpXIrTSqrwBusbKSnoUXADnnDvz9CuY4m5jJDcwd-e2nQy0UbflWrg_ehs1ZWSVibDpL6LnOe/s1600/blackpanther2_4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="659" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTJpzdGII3W5n7P9VvrRn8RRjP11UUQm3ImeU2PM0QXY2gnl5XSbGTk627uJfvOSoAoeyWpXIrTSqrwBusbKSnoUXADnnDvz9CuY4m5jJDcwd-e2nQy0UbflWrg_ehs1ZWSVibDpL6LnOe/s640/blackpanther2_4.jpg" width="410" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">THE THUNDERBOLTS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So these guys are who I was referring to earlier in the article when I was talking about Klaw.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Thunderbolts are basically Marvel’s answer to the Suicide Squad only somehow more optimistic and less optimistic, they’re a layered concept.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They originally emerged as a team of supervillains trying to turn hero under the leadership of Baron Zemo before their name was taken over by a government operation using supervillains to hunt heroes who refused to register their secret identities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They’ve got a long and weird history but “shady US government hit squad” is their most common running identity and the one I’d expect if they were to show up in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther 2</i>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">My belief is that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther 2</i> will specifically feature the US Government as the villains as that feels like the natural next step for this franchise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Given that such a plot would require a full-scale invasion of a country the US would need some serious firepower: hence the Thunderbolts.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">They already have ties to Zemo, who’d be a natural leadership fit given he already killed one king of Wakanda, and you could have soundwave Klaw appear as a member as well.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There are plenty of other characters with Thunderbolts connections circling the MCU lately like General Thunderbolt Ross’ Red Hulk identity along with numerous Netflix characters if they wanted to go that route such as Punisher, Elektra, Luke Cage, and Nuke.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJw8vVneRhMnag76ghUgJ-zbfNULsEEm1ZtQFCi-YE09LRj9CsEeHFXXIGplnTZMeHczfVaisoQg6D81Bug6fIDSj8ITTP0ry4F7hAwXPQHn8ycKDhz2Wd0YIIyI1NjveWnL0171PNjLlD/s1600/blackpanther2_5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="812" data-original-width="500" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJw8vVneRhMnag76ghUgJ-zbfNULsEEm1ZtQFCi-YE09LRj9CsEeHFXXIGplnTZMeHczfVaisoQg6D81Bug6fIDSj8ITTP0ry4F7hAwXPQHn8ycKDhz2Wd0YIIyI1NjveWnL0171PNjLlD/s640/blackpanther2_5.jpg" width="394" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">JOSIAH X</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">So, here’s a character who demands an explanation so bad he’s basically holding us at gunpoint- Josiah X.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His origin goes back to a comic I reviewed forever ago called <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Truth: Red, White, and Black</i>, which revealed that before Steve Rogers the US tested unstable versions of the Captain America serum on unwilling black men, an idea meant to echo the Tuskegee syphilis atrocities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>There was only one survivor of these experiments: Isaiah Bradley, unfortunately, he suffered severe brain damage from the proto-serum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>His son, Josiah al Hajj Sadiq, decided to adopt a new version of his father’s original costume and shield and became a hero in his own right: Josiah X.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Though really a character more suited to his own Netflix show, Josiah X feels like a natural fit for the world of <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther</i> as implied at the end of the first film.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the final moments, it was confirmed that T’Challa was launching a Wakandan aid push, setting up community outreach centers and such in various black hubs across America.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Having to contend with a local superhero like Josiah would be a natural conflict to arise out of that situation and could make for some very interesting conflict, especially as it might give T’Challa a chance to try and actually mentor Josiah before he becomes more of a Killmonger.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, Josiah X is one of Marvel’s few premiere Muslim characters and it’d be pretty cool to see one in the films, especially after all the bizarre religious stuff in the first film.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriXDDpIbZw7lFE5cTTYQjPEo0qAgzrmKdj2nHjTNKmQBVMiXU2SYN3V4qSGuVdtaxdUG3-0MU2KXI9FBTW7rsNVLV18_hOYOf5X2Fv-FszQ1D3UVDuwkfYTm8j__sdR6Ttfjj2xJEon9G/s1600/blackpanther2_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="545" data-original-width="487" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriXDDpIbZw7lFE5cTTYQjPEo0qAgzrmKdj2nHjTNKmQBVMiXU2SYN3V4qSGuVdtaxdUG3-0MU2KXI9FBTW7rsNVLV18_hOYOf5X2Fv-FszQ1D3UVDuwkfYTm8j__sdR6Ttfjj2xJEon9G/s640/blackpanther2_6.jpg" width="570" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">RIRI WILLIAMS</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">I’ve actually seen a lot of folks suggesting Shuri should basically just also be Riri Williams, which seems like an incredibly reductive approach to both characters frankly.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Marvel cinematic universe is a big enough place to foster TWO smart black women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, Riri Williams, as a character, just isn’t compatible with the experiences of Shuri.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Part of what made <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther </i><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>such a refreshing film was how much the character of Killmonger served as a counterpoint to the Wakandan utopia: he was a bucket of cold war on the technocratic perfection of Wakanda, a reminder that out in the real world systems are still designed to grind even the best and brightest black children down into nothing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">That’s a very different kind of story and character than you would get than with a literal princess like Shuri and, honestly, one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther 2</i> is probably going to be in need of.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Much like Josiah X, Riri Williams would be a natural fit for the format of Shuri and Nakia now spearheading Wakandan outreach in America and it’d be a really interesting place to build from if these new versions of Iron Man and Captain America emerged out of the original characters ashes in the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Infinity War</i>.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Marvel movies have excelled at embracing their own meta-ness so making <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther 2</i> literally about BP fostering a new generation of heroes who don’t even draw their visual inspiration from him could be a really clever approach.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzOMMO1INmZ-tZ0BQCwxW6uco7soCX-arOhrJX4IXNzl4pztEkPbuegpmpH7Xy6EDiRVF2-5sC3_1aG4EXp1_L37tne0YKAVTiOJ_JP0jlOegX0tIwM4st5MU7mcTLnWqbFS0E2uint8L/s1600/blackpanther2_7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="700" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYzOMMO1INmZ-tZ0BQCwxW6uco7soCX-arOhrJX4IXNzl4pztEkPbuegpmpH7Xy6EDiRVF2-5sC3_1aG4EXp1_L37tne0YKAVTiOJ_JP0jlOegX0tIwM4st5MU7mcTLnWqbFS0E2uint8L/s640/blackpanther2_7.jpg" width="422" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><u><span style="font-size: x-large;">STORM</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Consider this my NEW “it won’t happen but if it did it’d be amazing so let’s play out the hypothetical” type entry for these lists.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>By now we’ve all heard about how Marvel is hovering over an acquisition of the entire Fox IP catalog in one of the biggest media buyouts of all time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Nothing’s yet been formalized but it’s looking pretty concrete and while there’s a LOT of unpleasant implications the deal brings with it you can explore those elsewhere because I literally have no power over the decisions of mass corporations so I’m going to try and look for a shred of comfort within their machinations instead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Storm showing up in <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Black Panther 2</i> would be an absolute power move as a way to slowly introduce the X-Men and mutants into the MCU.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Obviously, there’s a big problem that you can’t have the X-Men just APPEAR out of nowhere but setting them up individually over several films actually sounds like it could be an interesting plan, especially with how well the various individual X-Men can carry their own corners of reality.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Logan would be the perfect fit for a Winter Soldier film, Colossus showing up in a Black Widow movie would blow minds, Deadpool hopping around through Spider-Man would be a riot, that kind of thing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Storm was considered a goddess in Kenyan prior to joining the X-Men so exploring that parallel to T’Challa as the avatar of the Panther God would make an easy starting point.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What’s more, Storm would be a natural ally in T’Challa’s quest to increase Wakanda’s positive impact on the world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Like I said, it probably won’t happen but if it did it’d make a lot of sense and be a real easy win/set-up for the Storm movie we should’ve already had by now.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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