Panel Vision - Top 8 Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 Easter Eggs

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So, if the Box Office is anything to go by, you’ve now seen Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2.  I mean, if we're honest with each other that was probably always going to be the case- Marvel is the world’s cinematic guardian now, on the level of Pixar, what they make we watch and this was a sequel to one of their biggest cultural successes.  However, because this is a Marvel movie we all know the story doesn’t just end with the credits or even the after-credits scenes.  

Now comes the weeks of box office reporting and, most important, dissecting the film for Easter Eggs and hints about the broader Marvel cinematic universe story as part of generating hype for the next installment.  Let it never be said I won’t give the people what they want so, in that spirit, I’ve compiled my list of the top 8 Easter eggs from Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, from surprise cameos to cheeky little references buried in the Marvel arcana on display.   

Static Thoughts - 15 Netflix Shows for Marvel's Phase 2

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At time of writing Marvel has produced 4 massively successful Netflix series, with 5 more currently in development plus Iron Fist barreling towards us at high speeds.  Basically, Marvel has completely colonized the world of Netflix programming with the same level of success and drive as they brought to conquering the world of summer blockbusters.  

Given this, I figure it’s well passed time to start pitching new shows they could add to their Netflix roster, especially given how many Marvel characters would be better served by a series than a movie.  The diffused time frame, tight budget, and altered expectations basically set-up the Netflix realm to handle any number of more difficult or obscure Marvel characters and I’ve got 15 here that deserve their shot in Marvel’s inevitable Netflix Phase 2. 

Cover Story - Top 10 More Christmas Covers

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Happy holidays and good tidings y’all, Lord knows we could all use some better days this year.  Yes, once again it tis the Christmas season and once again I’ll be diving into the deep well of Christmas comics.  I don’t actually celebrate Christmas myself but seeing as there’s a real dearth of Hanukkah comics to delve into I figured it’d be better to stick with Christmas.  

After all, the yuletide season is such an ingrained part of the yearly calendar it ends up forced into nearly every comic book at some point, and that can make for some pretty hilarious and horrible mismatched covers, as we’re about to see.  So let’s all get in the Christmas spirit for a bit with the top 10 MORE Christmas Comic Covers.

Static Thoughts - Street Sharks

Edited by Robert Beach

I’ve been playing something of a game of catch-up with geek news lately after being pretty busy with other projects, so I know I’m quite late to the party on this particular news story: the Street Sharks. In case you’ve been as unconnected as me lately, the Street Sharks were recently at the crux of an Internet news story when some plucky cub reporter altered their Wikipedia page to suggest there was a female Street Shark to fill out the roster. 

The ‘twist’ of our story was how the entire Internet was taken in by this ruse and immediately misremembered the show as having a female member of the team, and we all shared a good belly laugh at the fallibility of the human mind (it’s a dark joke.) 

Putting aside the “haha, your mind can betray you at any minute” comedy/commentary of the gag, I think the whole thing brings up a pretty interesting subject that’s been on my mind for a couple of years now, which is the incredibly bizarre relationship nerds all seem to share with The Street Sharks. Rather than pointing and laughing at people remembering the show inaccurately, my question is this: why do we remember the Street Sharks at all? 

Cover Story - Top 15 Ninja Turtle Covers

So, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles have returned to the box office 2 years after their universally panned reboot film.  While Out of the Shadows seems to have fixed some of the previous film’s problems audience interest seems lapsed at best, mainly owing to the first films complete lack of quality and the much more popular Nickelodeon show only picking up steam in the interim. 

However, I’m not here to discuss the failings of the new TMNT movie as I didn’t bother to go see it, fixed income and all that.  Instead, let us actually celebrate the Ninja Turtles the only way a comic book nerd like me can: with an arbitrary assortment of covers arranged into a ranking format so as to give the illusion of meaning and import to my personal preferences.  With that said, let’s dive into the shallow end and get the cover story on the top 15 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles covers.

Panel Vision - Kickers Inc

Edited by Robert Beach

This Sunday marks the special occasion of Super Bowl 50. All across the nation, the people of America gather round TV sets, bars, and in a stadium to view the epic clash of titans between um…two different sports teams. I’m pretty sure. Okay, obviously I’m a geek and not terribly interested in sports. I know a bit because I grew up in the triple threat area of Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Massachusetts where if you don’t support your local sports team, you’re basically screwed. 

So while I know enough to root for the Patriots whenever they make it big, I honestly couldn’t tell you who’s playing at this major event. However, I’ve always maintained a weird affection for the bizarre ephemera of sports, mainly because they’re essentially a pitched battle of physical skill and strategy between two groups in colorful costumes. That’s pretty similar to a superhero set-up and, in 1986, Marvel had that same idea and so the world was gifted Kickers Inc. The greatest gift we could receive. 

10 Marvel Superheroes to Fill in the 3 New Mysterious Marvel Films in 2020

Edited by Robert Beach

In case you haven’t heard, Marvel has made a major announcement. After making a bundle of cash at the box office (more than Captain America: The First Avenger incidentally), Ant-Man is officially getting a sequel. This is a big victory lap for Marvel, turning a troubled and public production history on a C-list hero into a financial hit and a real cultural connection with audiences. The sequel, entitled Ant-Man and The Wasp is slotted to come out July 6, 2018. This has lead to some pretty major shake-ups. 

Black Panther will now be released in February 2018 to coincide with Black History Month and Captain Marvel has been pushed back yet again, this time to 2019. Though I’m glad we’re getting more Ant-Man because I was a big fan of the first film, I don’t think it was really worth the price. Captain Marvel is getting so continually delayed it only feels like a matter of time before Marvel delays it into oblivion, and I certainly don’t like that Ant-Man 2’s title frames Wasp as his sidekick. 

I don’t want to judge too quickly too soon. Marvel still has 3 years to hammer Ant-Man 2 into something great, and it’s possible Wasp will get to take more of the center stage she deserves in this follow up. The Marvel announcement also came with the date of 3 new, unnamed Marvel releases: May 1, July 10, and November 6 all in the year 2020. This mysterious update is what we’ll be discussing today. It’s time for some wild speculation with 10 guesses on Marvel’s secret projects.

Groot #3 Review

I take a look at the 3rd issue of Marvel's outstanding Groot comic, which features a Silver Surfer team-up, check it out over on Front Towards Gamer:

http://ftg.operationsupplydrop.org/2015/08/07/groot-3-review-comics/

Panel Vision - Top 12 Comics That Should Be Shows

Edited by Robert Beach

As we enter the dog days of the summer season, the ramp up is getting started for all the fall series dramas, which translates to “A ton of superhero and comic book shows.” This fall alone we’ll be seeing Flash, Arrow, Walking Dead, Gotham, Supergirl, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., and Jessica Jones. All of that is before Lucifer, Preacher, Agent Carter, and Legends of Tomorrow kick up in the winter. With Krypton, Teen Titans, Static Shock, and #4Hero still in the development cycle, I’d expect plenty more superheroes on TV before we see non-superhero adaptations like Southern Bastards or Sex Criminals. As such, I thought I’d get in on the act by taking a look at the top 12 comics that should be TV shows.

Panel Vision - 15 Comic/Star Trek Crossovers That Should Happen Next

This week marked the launch of a brand new Star Trek crossover series with Star Trek/Green Lantern – Spectrum War.  The first issue isn’t all that great but if you want more details you’re welcome to read my actual review of it here.  Star Trek actually has a fairly lengthy history of crossover stories in comic book form, previously crossing over with Doctor Who, The Legion of Superheroes, The X-Men, Ghostbusters, Transformers, and The Planet of the Apes.  However this latest crossover has got me thinking about how Star Trek hasn’t actually crossed over with all of the DC or Marvel comic universes, just small aspects of them.  It got me thinking about what other comic properties Star Trek could stand to cross into and I put together a top 15 list, here they are.