Monthly Archives: June 2022

TV

My Thoughts on All Members of The Umbrella Academy (Seasons 1 – 3)

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I really want to talk about this show. And I feel the best way to do that is by talking about the main characters and looking on their growth. Let’s be honest, the overall stories for each season is roughly the same. There is an abstract threat that will cause the apocalypse as well as a more physical threat somehow connected. That part of this show isn’t as important as the characters. As well as the trauma they are trying to resolve and their efforts to become better people. With that in mind, I wanted to air out my thoughts on all members of team.

I want to start with Luther & Diego. Because they actually do have a few things in common. Both have been driven by a subconscious need to seek their father’s approval. That usually means both end up focused on the mission at hand. Which often results in them making decisions without the input of their other family members and can cause more harm than good. But with Diego, I ended up really hating him when the third season came around. He is constantly trying to fight everyone and everything he deems a problem without considering any other way to handle the situation. He is focused on being a vigilante first and foremost. I will grant that at the end of the third season he does have something to fight for besides simply being in charge. But that doesn’t cancel out that is often at odds with what his other family members are doing to try and resolve their bigger problems.

Luther on the other hand doesn’t go that far. Yes, being a team is important to him. But he is more concerned about fitting in and actually being a part of the family. There is one point in season 3 where he feels that they really aren’t a family, but rather people connected through shared trauma. And you can understand why he wants to keep everyone together in the beginning of the show and fit in. After he is mutated by their father, he just ended up being shipped off to the moon where he was utterly alone. His journey to try and feel a genuine emotional connection with his family is understandable. And yes, there were times at the beginning of the show where he makes wrong decisions that risk splitting them further apart. But he does show some level of regret and remorse. That’s why when he gets a relationship in season 3, I do feel happy for him. OK, it does start pretty much out of the blue. But by the end I have come to care for that relationship.

Let’s then move on to Klaus. Easily one of my favorites characters on the show. The main thing to understand about him is that he just wants a peaceful existence. While there might have been times early on in the show where he seems to enjoy some of the drama playing out, there are more instances where he is trying to stop things from escalating. He ultimately just wants everyone to get along and find their inner balance. I’m tempted to say he is the character probably most in tune with his emotions. But then again, he is a drug addict that tries to ignore his own trauma than confront it. Yet he still ends up putting in effort to try and grow and deal with his own issues. And he is perfectly willing to help his other family members with their own problems as well as help with the bigger issues facing their entire unit. He is a delightful character to watch on screen for the comedic moments but also for his own personal journey.

And now we move onto Allison, Five, & Viktor. This batch…is a lot more complicated. Let’s start with arguably the easiest to talk about, which is Five. Another one of my favorites, and that’s partly because he is technically an old grouchy man in the body of a young kid. Something about that just speaks to my own personality. Anyway, he spent decades alone at the end of the world until he was recruited to be a time traveling assassin. He is obviously the most experienced, disciplined, and focused member of the Umbrella Academy. He makes the most progress in dealing with the larger threats and coming up with plans to save the world on multiple occasions.

But he is also arrogant, mean to his other family members, doesn’t communicate with his family about what he’s doing – simply put, not the easiest to get along with. A lot of this can be explained by his past. He spent years and years alone in a post-apocalypse landscape. It would make sense why he would often not communicate with his family about what he’s doing. But as someone who ended up spending just as much time working under the thumb of an organization, you would think he would come to understand when communication is important from a strategy viewpoint. Five has spent so much time being alone and doing morally questionable things that his philosophy is often mixed and a bit contradictory. That latter part we’ll circle back to. But there is a little time spent in season 3 where he does seem to let the fact he is reunited with his family sink in. Where he is allowing himself to feel instead of using cold logic and thinking to deal with everything around him. Definitely one of the most sympathetic characters on the team.

But then there is Allison. Poor Allison…she started off as one of the most like-able characters on the team. But then the third season happened and the show put her through some harsh struggles. Granted, some of that struggle is a result of what she went through the first first couple of seasons. But the main issue she has to deal with is that she is in a new timeline where her daughter never existed. This is the main thing that drives her character arc throughout season three and it’s understandable. But it is also frustrating to see what happens to her and what she ends up doing. She is mean and more violent in the third season. Picking fights in the middle of the night, using her voice power to force Luther to almost have sex with him against his will. Meaning she tried to rape him. And when she found out that Harlan – who used to be a young boy that Viktor helped raise back in the 1960s in Dallas and accidentally gave powers to – was the person who killed the mothers of all the Umbrella Academy members…she killed him. And she would later admit that she didn’t feel better or worse afterwards. She didn’t feel a thing when it came to taking a human life.

Here is one of the things that can be frustrating about this show. It can be argued that this is a deconstruction of superheroes. Or that it really isn’t even about superheroes, but just a dysfunctional family trying to deal with shared trauma. And there is a case for that. This show is based on comics from Gerard Way, who was heavily influenced by Grant Morrison’s run on Doom Patrol. Gerard would even go on to write for Doom Patrol for a short while. But there are multiple times on the show where it makes clear that most – if not all – of the Umbrella Academy sees themselves as superheroes. There is a conversation between Five & Viktor towards the end of season 3 that I found a bit…wrong. This conversation follows the aftermath that Viktor was hiding the revelation about what Harlan did – on accident remind you – and lied about turning him over to the Sparrow Academy who would undoubtfully murder him in retaliation for him accidentally killing a couple of their members. Viktor lied about turning over Harlan so that he could try and take back the power he gave him. Even though this would complicate the larger issue of gaining access to the source of the Grandfather Apocalypse within the Sparrow Academy and figure out a way to save the world.

Anyway, the conversation between Viktor & Five feels off to me. While Five admits that they are all worried about Allison and what she did to Harlan – as well as the way she chewed out Viktor in front of them – he is more worried about Viktor. This is understandable because he did technically go against what the rest of the family agreed on and risked the end of the world. But there is a specific part of this conversation that I’m going to paraphrase here. Five defines a supervillain as a superhero who works alone and doesn’t listen to anyone. And while he hopes Viktor never becomes one, he won’t be afraid to kill him if it ever comes to it.

This…really gets to me. Five isn’t technically wrong with his supervillain definition. Yes, villains do often work alone and they often become villains because they are so convinced that their stance on something is the only way and refuses to compromise. But the tricky thing about this definition is context. These specific traits don’t always apply to supervillains. The way I see it is this – supervillains are driven by selfish needs. Sometimes a selfish need to prove themselves over everyone else. And they do it at the expense of innocent people. Not caring if they hurt or kill them. Viktor risked a lot when he went against his family’s plan in regards to Harlan. But he was driven by a need to save someone from certain death. Even trying to take back the thing that has been a burden on him for his entire life. And keep in mind, Harlan didn’t mean to cause any harm. He was someone who struggled to keep in control of his powers. He had no training unlike the Umbrella Academy and he held onto a lot of regret and guilt that were the result of his actions.

There is a lot of nuance around the topic of when is it OK to take a life. Certain situations such as protecting yourself and wartime are considered OK for that, even if it is at best a morally gray area. But superheroes are meant to save people no matter what. The phrase “there is always another way” can be overused in this context, but it’s the truth. And it can applied in this case where Viktor didn’t need to lie to his family. The entire team could have realized that there has to be a better way to deal with their situation that doesn’t involve someone like Harlan dying. And let’s not kid ourselves, the Sparrows would have happily killed Harlan. I also want to point out that despite the argument some of the Umbrella Academy make about how one life isn’t as important as saving the entire universe, there came a time when several of them ended up saying no to a plan that could reboot the universe and save everyone. Yea, some of those same Umbrella Academy members said no to that plan and elected to just let everything end. This is why superheroes aren’t nihilists, it makes them make dumb decisions like that!

I do know some of the arguments about why some of them decided not to go with that plan. Doesn’t really make it right but I know and understand them. Which is why when you realize what does happen to get them all to go through with the plan, it makes them look selfish. I’ll concede that Viktor is one of the people who passed on the plan, which doesn’t mean it was the right decision. I just want to point out that Five – the same guy who argued that saving one life isn’t as important as saving the entire universe – also passed on the plan to reboot the universe and brings billions back to life. The same guy who in that conversation with Viktor identified himself as one of the superheroes. An assassin who killed people, regardless of motivation, and doesn’t communicate with his team or even sometimes listen to what they have to say in case what they have to say could be important.

The point of that long rant is this. Allison has become a villain. And despite a last minute attempt at redemption, I still view her as a villain for what she did, how she felt about it, and the way she treated Viktor afterwards. And Five, despite wanting to stop apocalypses, shouldn’t really be classified as a hero either and that he was willing to go through with decisions that went against his view of himself as a hero. Which finally brings me to the final member of the Umbrella Academy, Viktor.

And it’s here we need to address something important. In between seasons 2 and 3, the actor who portrayed this character came out as transgender. The actor formerly known as the woman Ellen Page came out as a man and is now Elliot Page. The people behind the show were very supportive of him and even incorporated this into the show for his character because his character had previously been a woman named Vanya. While there were concerns about how the show would handle this transition, they ended handling it with a lot of care and respect. It is acknowledged and other members of the Umbrella Academy where supportive when their sibling came out to them within the show’s season. I can be nit picky about how I think two characters should have switched their reactions to the revelation, I will still give the show a lot of credit for how it was handled. And it does make sense for the fictional character’s journey. The seventh member of the Umbrella Academy had felt overlooked and ignored their entire life because it was believed they didn’t have any powers. And when it turned out they did, they were at first seen as a threat to take down instead of a family member to reach out and connect with. And when given a clean slate via time travel, they were able to discover who they were away from the trauma and family. Being transgender wasn’t the only trait of this character. But it is an important part. The show did a great job finding that right balance.

Even if this wasn’t a part of the character’s journey within the show, Viktor still is my favorite of the Umbrella Academy. The entire focus of his journey from the beginning was to connect with his family. Which speaks to a lot of the issues that the other Umbrella Academy members deal with. More often than not, they split up and end up dealing with their own issues and problems alone with no supports. But Viktor wanting to make amends for some things he has done in the past and want to help out his family with their own makes him the most sympathetic and kindest character. Even when he was apparently at risk of becoming a villain according to Five’s bulls*** logic in season 3, he refused to believe that any amount of death was justifiable for the greater good. Which is exactly the kind of mindset a true superhero should have. Yes, he has issues in previous seasons where he has unwittingly become an obstacle for his family to deal with. But it is clear that unlike Allison in season 3, Viktor feels regret and guilt and wants to do better.

And there you have it. All my thoughts on all of the Umbrella Academy members. I even ended up going over some plot points that should indicate how I feel about the show so far. There is nothing left but to hope that the Umbrella Academy finally resolves their issues and start to feel and act like a real family.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – The Black Phone

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It can be tricky to review movies in the modern era. On the one end, there are a lot of movies that are easy to trash because they are lazily copying what more successful movies have done. Especially those trying to tap into nostalgia. Then on the other end, it is easy to praise movies that were doing something original or new. But that leaves a lot of movies in between that take familiar ideas or storylines, injecting their own ideas and details to make it stand out and on its own, but we tend to gloss over them. And I think that is especially true of Horror films. It all comes back to the perception of cliches and tropes. It is common, when giving a negative review of a movie, to mention how it relies on tropes. Truth of the matter is that tropes aren’t inherently bad. You just need to remember to focus on more than just the overall plot and do something with the characters. Add to the familiar to make it unique.

And that is exactly what we have with this movie. Based on a short story by Joe Hill, Stephen King’s son, you can tell what it has in common with other Horror movies as well as some of Stephen King’s own stories. I’m using his books for reference because I admittedly haven’t read any of Joe books. But it still works. A lot of Stephen King stories will have a person (usually a child) that has psychic abilities that have an unknown origin. Sometimes that is paired with another supernatural element at play with an equally mysterious unknown origin. And don’t forget the alcoholic! Yea, in this movie it is the father of the boy who gets kidnapped and his sister who has the psychic abilities. And the villain of the movie is a masked killer which you can find in a whole bunch of other Horror movies.

But as mentioned earlier, this movie stands out because it adds new details and focuses on the actual characters. It would have been so easy for this movie to just have the alcoholic father be mean and have the audience hate him. But through interactions with his daughter we see why he is a bit abusive and why he drinks. We get to learn a bit about their past and what happened. It fleshes him out and makes him seem like a real person. A similar thing can be said for Ethan Hawke as the villain, The Grabber. We don’t really know a lot about him. But as we pay attention to his methodology and the tricks he uses to play with his victims, we can actually piece together what might have made him the way he is. Even some of the things he says when interacting with the main boy – Finney – help clarify what his personality is like and what his mental state must be.

This all connects to various interactions between different characters seen throughout the movie. The way these people talk and act are realistic and authentic. Which is another trait you could connect to other Horror stories, especially those written by Stephen King. How they talk and think through their situations makes the story more engaging. As Finney communicates with the ghosts of the dead kids through the phone, you follow him as he starts planning his escape. The decisions are smart and logical. And because the movie knew to focus on the characters and flesh them out, we root for him and want to see him escape. More often than not, a lot of Horror movies end up making their protagonists stupid and annoying. So when the time comes for them to come face to face with the killer, we actually end up rooting for the killer. If they didn’t want to get killed, maybe they shouldn’t have make so many stupid choices or be such a**holes in general. This movie recognizes that and understands how to make us feel fear for the kid. It knows how to build tensions and suspense.

And this is why this movie is so effective and worth the watch. It is unique because it knows that the characters are most important. At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what plot line is used or which tropes are put into the script. Everyone working on this movie was focused on the details to bring the story to life. The details are what make this movie strong. This isn’t another Horror movie simply going through the motions and relaying on similarities to more successful films to get by. A lot of care and heart went into this making of this movie and it shows.

Film Editorials, Movies

Which Version of “Superman II” is Better?

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Let me make one thing clear at the start. While neither version is flawless, both versions of “Superman II” are good films. Fun action, entertaining performances, and good character moments. But the reason two versions exist at all is because Richard Donner was fired and replaced with Richard Lester. We won’t get into the story behind production because that will be too complicated. Plus, it really isn’t all that relevant to what this piece is trying to explore. Looking at both versions and identifying what makes them unique, we have to ask the question. Which version is better?

I think the biggest, most fundamental difference between the two is tone. Richard Donner saw the Superman mythos as modern mythology. And I personally believe that all superhero/comics mythos as modern day mythology as well. Stories of Hydras, gods like Zeus & demigods like Hercules have now been switched out with stories about Spider-Man, Batman & metahumans. Admittedly, the two major superhero universes (DC & Marvel) also have Hydras, gods like Zeus and demigods such as Hercules, but you get my point. Back on topic – Donner approached his movie with a more dramatic approach. It still had moments of humor. This is still a movie that has to entertain audiences and he is adapting the Silver Age version of these characters. But Donner was continuing a character focused journey and the obstacles that Superman has to overcome.

Lester’s version had more comedy in it. Much of that comedy did overlap with what Donner’s cut had, but there are some notable differences. The third evil Kryptonian – the mute called Non – had a few more moments int he film that made him come off as more pathetically goofy early one. Some of that had been cut out of Donner’s version as the focus was more on him being pure brute force. In Lester’s version, there is more of a comedic banter between Clark and Lois. Especially when they are at Niagara Fall for a story. Clark himself is more of a klutz in Lester’s version in general. Him being a klutz is actually what helps Lois confirm that Clark is Superman. Donner’s version cut most of the comedic banter out, thought still some. And made sure that the two still generally worked off of each other well. And if we are specifically talking about Lois, well, she is suspicious right at the start that Clark is Superman in Donner’s Cut while in the theatrical it takes her couple of scenes before she gets suspicious. And as for how she determined Clark was Superman? Well…she shot Clark! Granted, it was a gun filled with blanks and she therefore tricked Clark to admitting the truth. But man, Donner really know how to adapt that aspect of Lois’s personality!

Aside from tone, there is a handful of differences you can pick up on. Donner’s Cut had Marlon Brando as Jor-El while Lester’s version had to cut him out and use Clark’s mother. Clark briefly gives up his powers in both versions, but Donner had it more explicitly stated why he chose to do that. Lex Luthor is in the film for roughly the same amount of screen time. Only major difference with him is that a couple of his scenes were rearranged in the beginning. Both versions open with the flashback of showing Zod and his henchmen being imprisoned in the Phantom Zone. Lester’s version included a terrorist attack at the Eiffel Tower where Superman had to launch a hydrogen bomb into space, where it went off and free them from the Phantom Zone. In Donner’s Cut, he used the beginning to show that Superman redirecting one of Luthor’s bombs from the first film is what freed them. Also, Lester’s version had a montage of scenes playing while the opening credits rolled. While Donner’s had a montage before the credits and that montage included audio while Lester’s just showed the visuals.

So you might be thinking that there isn’t too much of a difference between the two. While one might have more comedy, they still shared the vast majority of scenes and the plots are for the most parts exactly the same. But there is a big difference when it comes to how they end. Lester’s version had a big fight between Superman and the Zod’s crew in the city. Then they all went to the Fortress of Solitude where another fight happen. One that utilized very bizarre powers never before used in the film or past film and weren’t used in the following films. But then Superman uses a trick to get rid of his enemies powers and kills them. At the end of the film, Superman plants a kiss on Lois to wipe her memory in regards to his secret identity. Now…the Silver Age Superman did have a lot of bizarre powers. But I have yet to hear of a story where he does that. And it kind of ages badly.

In Donner’s version, he also includes the big fight in the city. And all the main characters do go to the Fortress of Solitude. But there is no fight in the Fortress. It goes into Superman’s trick and killing them. Superman then destroys the Fortress and returns Lois home…and then Superman flies around the world to turn back time just like in the first movie! All the events that happened are reversed and Zod and his crew are still in the Phantom Zone. My problem with this is not only does this repeat the ending of the first movie, but it’s kind of a middle finger to the audience by saying nothing that happened actually mattered.

With that in mind, I have to side with the Lester’s version – the theatrical cut. It does have more goofy stuff in the film and Donner’s does have more character focus. But Lester’s didn’t go so far as to wipe out the entirety of the film’s plot. Lois may no longer remember Clark is Superman but everything else is still intact. But Donner’s Cut is still a very interesting version to watch. And I still recommend you go seek it out. I’m always going to be interested in different takes on certain movies and how things might have played out. And this certainly satisfied my curiosity. You might have a different opinion but that’f fine. “Superman II” is always a fun watch, no matter which version you prefer.

Comics

Harley Quinn & Poison Ivy Make Big Decisions

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We can all agree that “Heroes in Crisis” was hot trash. But unfortunately, we are forced to deal with the consequences of that story. One of those being the death & resurrection of Poison Ivy. This 6 issue mini-series follows her and Harley Quinn recovering from the events of that event and trying to find a way to move forward. But they find themselves wrapped up in a conflict, the results of resolving it will have major influence on the characters long afterwards.

One curious thing to note is that even though it stars both of them, Harley is the character with the most significant character journey. IN the beginning it is stated that she feels like being bad just isn’t worth it anymore. Sure, she hasn’t actually been a regular villain for some time. But she really only plays hero when she finds herself framed for a crime. The fact that a hero was behind the carnage in “Heroes in Crisis” was seen by her as a sign that the world is already broken and there is no joy in that. She genuinely wants to become a true hero. Ivy is still recovering from coming back in a body that seems mostly plant based now, a special gift from Lex Luthor seemingly helping her body stabilize. While she is herself unsure of what she wants moving forward, they are forced to play hero when the Floronic Man shows up.

The main conflict of the story is kicked off by Floro wanting to consume Ivy and take her power for his own. The two women do flee and find themselves on the run. But Jason Woodrue seemingly sends parts of himself to follow them wherever they go. Eventually, the two of them decide to go on the offensive until they finally make it to New York City to finish this. But it turns out, Woodrue isn’t the one that’s been tracking them. It was another copy of Poison Ivy! The special gift that Luthor gave Ivy ended up creating multiple versions of Ivy that were growing in the house they were originally hiding out in. But most of them burned in the fire during Woodrue’s confrontation. This was the only other version of Ivy that survived. And while the Ivy that was with Harley was supporting her in her efforts to be a hero, this Ivy is angry that she was abandoned and taunts Harley with this being another item on her list of failures and claiming that Harley doesn’t truly care about her. She just wants to fix her and turn her into the version Harley wants.

And it’s in this last issue where the majority of the character based developments occur. Harley has been focused on wanting to be a real hero. Of course she makes the occasional joke about it like hoping it comes with a good insurance plan or if she gets a business card. But it is fueled by a genuine desire to want to change and improve herself. The problem is that when Harley is passionate about doing something, she doesn’t always take into consideration the thoughts of the people that end being involved. Despite Ivy being pushed as an anti-hero in recent years – something that I personally actually encourage – Ivy still prioritizes her mission over everything else. She has stated this along similar lines in past comics to Harley. So her pulling Ivy into a cause like this right after Ivy has been resurrected and still recovering does feel like she is molding Ivy into something she hasn’t fully consented to.

But it isn’t intentional and it wasn’t with bad intentions. Harley still loves and cares for Ivy no matter what. That is what the Ivy that has been traveling with Harley throughout this story recognizes and protects during this final confrontation. This Ivy even suspects that the real reason this angry Ivy is attacking is because she is jealous of the moments and time that protagonist-Ivy had with Harley. Showing that no matter which Ivy we are dealing with, she also still loves Harley. The story ends with Harley crying as she drives off into the distance while the two Ivy’s merge and she figures out what she wants to do next.

Well…there is one more thing to talk about within the actual story. The two share a kiss in the finals pages of the comic. But it is Ivy kissing the forehead of Harley. On a splash page showing just those two. Meaning, it was presented like the two of them were supposed to kiss each other but it was changed for some reason. This got some backlash, questioning why the comic didn’t have the two properly kiss. And it’s not like they haven’t kissed in-universe before in past issues. The best reason I could pick up from it is that maybe Ivy couldn’t handle actually kissing Harley because she might end up not going through with merging with the other Ivy. But if that is close to the truth, then it was presented wrong. Don’t make it a splash page and have a bit more dialogue to set the mood as more somber.

Issues aside, this is still a fun read. And it has the two main characters make some decisions that will have some longterm consequences down the road. What happened to Harley? She would find herself back in Gotham City to help Batman during several conflicts, becoming an honorary member of the Bat Family. She got another solo title that explores her helping the regular citizens recover from trauma while being a crime fighter. As for Poison Ivy, that’s a bit more complicated. Despite merging at the end of this series, the times she would show up again for some reason reversed that action. Two versions of Poison Ivy cameoed in “The Swamp Thing”. The version that is more concerned with plant life above human life with seemingly no humanity left within her is referred to as Queen Ivy. Then in the pages of “Catwoman”, the softer and kinder Ivy shows up as she is rescued by Selina from custody. The two Ivy’s were reunited and merged together at the end of the Batman story “Fear State”. Where she and Harley had their proper kiss. If your a Harley and Ivy fan, this is still worth the read and I’m sure you’ll have fun while doing so.

Comics

The Gem that is First Thunder

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Going to make this declaration right now. I’m always going to refer to Billy Batson as Captain Marvel. I don’t care about Carol Danvers and Marvel Comics, Billy had the name first. Besides, it wasn’t until the New 52 that they stopped referring to Billy as Captain Marvel in-universe. And we can all agree that the New 52 was dumb. Anyway, this 4 issue story released in 2006 and depicted the first time that Superman and Captain Marvel worked together.

This story obviously takes place in the early days of the main DC Universe. Before Diana left Themyscira for Man’s World, before Batman had been operating for a full year in Gotham, the heroes of Metropolis & Fawcett City find themselves working together. I should note that back in the 90s, Billy had his own series called “The Power of Shazam!” which was a followup to a graphic novel with the same name. The graphic novel re-established an origin for Billy Batson as Captain Marvel which would remain until the New 52. I bring this up because in-universe at the time, there was a 4 year gap between the graphic novel and the beginning of the follow-up series. “First Thunder” actually does a great job of filling in the gap between the two and doesn’t contradict anything established in those projects.

But now let’s talk about the story itself. Billy is homeless and living in the subway, and there is a friend from school who occasionally visits him and knows about his superhero identity. Billy is still getting used to the unspoken costs that come with being a superhero, but that isn’t seen until later. Billy is still having fun with his magical powers and does some genuine good for his city. Superman ends up running into Captain Marvel when he follows a group of museum thieves who can conjure up magical monsters. The two team-up and work on the case together to figure out what’s going on. We get a scene where they are in the North Pole, assumingely near the Fortress of Solitude, and Captain Marvel is just asking Superman questions. Asking about his powers and other similar fan questions. But to his credit, he does just simply come across as a big fan of Superman, if slightly annoying. Still fun to see a more relaxed scene of two superheroes talking, even if is short.

We do get a few flashbacks to an even that happened some time before the beginning of this story. Captain Marvel stops what was secretly a scheme of Dr. Sivana’s to collect insurance money. So Sivana ends up reaching out to Lex Luthor in an effort to deal with Captain Marvel. The two bald men meet and their opinion of the other is exactly what you expect. But it is still cool to see these two similar yet very different villains interact. Their meeting resulted in Sivana getting in touch of a metahuman tracker to tail Captain Marvel and find out some information about the magical hero.

In the main story, they end up discovering what the plan is. The museum thieves are planning on creating a demonic equivalent of Captain Marvel while another magical villain – Eclipso – is unleashed in Fawcett City. While Captain Marvel fights his demonic equivalent named Sabbac, Superman must deal with Eclipso and the mind controlled people he sues to throw at the Kryptonian. Both heroes end up winning and congratulate the other. Superman goes back to Metropolis and Billy meets his friend in the subway to look at a newspaper talking about Captain Marvel. However, the third issue ends with the two of them being ambushed by a group of mercenaries holding guns against the two kids.

And this is where the story takes a surprising turn. That metahuman tracker successfully followed Captain Marvel for a while and discovered that he was Billy and was living in the subway. Sivana then dispatches mercenaries to kill the kid known as Captain Marvel. While Billy is able to successfully transform and knock out all the gunmen…his friend lies dead behind him. The sight of it shocks Billy. We later see Captain Marvel force his way into the police station and physcially abuses one of the mercs in custody. Threatening to kill him if he doesn’t speak. Luckily Billy doesn’t kill the gunman. Cpatain Marvel shows up in Sivana’s office, terrifying him and holding the old man in hi hands. Letting Sivana know that he has been trying to come up with any reason to not kill him, but fails to find that reason. For a moment, it does look like Sivana will be murdered. But Billy finds he can’t just do it and lets the villain go before leaving Fawcett City.

Superman sees the news coverage of this in Metropolis and finds Captain Marvel at the same North Pole location from earlier. Superman expects a tense confrontation, maybe even a fight. But he is genuinely surprised to see the champion crying and regretful about what happened. He tries to explain how a kid died, someone he considered a close friend. This of course confuses Superman. Captain Marvel then stands in front of Superman, says the magic word, and he transforms into Billy Batson. A moment of silence passes, but then Superman asks five words, and I swear you can feel the quiet anger when you read the dialogue. “Who did this to you?”

This brings us to a meeting between Superman and the wizard Shazam, the person who gave Billy Batson his powers. We see Superman yell at the wizard, condemning him for choosing a child to take on such power and an incredibly large burden. Throughout most of the conversation, Shazam stands firm and insists that Billy was the right choice and it was his fate. Superman yells back, arguing back how kids should be in school and enjoying their lives without the worries that heroes must deal with. At least someone like Superman had time to process and think about the costs before he put on a cape, at least it was his decision. Billy isn’t able to process something like what just happened in the subway. Shazam admits that Billy is new to something like this, stating that he needs guidance. But the look on his face is s subtle silent plead to Superman to help Billy in this dark moment. Realizing that Shazam himself isn’t the best person to help him right now and that as powerful as he is, he also needs Superman’s help just as much as Billy. The story ends with Superman finding Billy in an abandoned home and sitting down next to him as he reveals his identity with the young kid and they begin a talk.

For three quarters of this story, it is a pretty good story. Fun to read with some cool action and small moments of fan service. But this final issue includes a hard tonal shift that works in favor of the mini-series. It elevates it into a story that holds a surprising amount of emotional weight. It gives a moment where it imparts an important lesson. Everyone experiences hardship, no matter how invincible you feel. It is hard and feels overwhelming if you face it along. But you shouldn’t face it alone. It is OK to reach out to someone for help. Because it’s our connections to others that make us feel like we can take on anything.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Crimes of the Future (2022)

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It’s weird that David Cronenberg has two movies with this title and yet they aren’t connected in any way. Putting that aside, a brief overview of the movie. In the future, mankind has dwindled in size and major parts of cities and civilizations are in ruins. While not specified how far in the future it is or what has happened, it is clear that society and people have changed in dramatic ways. Most people no longer feel pain. Those that do also have the ability to create new organs. In this world, surgery is the new sex as people experience relief and satisfaction from being cut open. Performance artists are the main example of this, such as Viggo Mortensen’s & Lea Seydoux’s characters. But a strange man approaches them to do a performance with a certain body and the new government is working with the Organ Registry to fight back against this man and his group.

I should start with my criticisms of the movie. For some reason, everyone speaks really softly. This isn’t that surprising as many Cronenberg movies seem to have characters speak softly. And there are scenes where that delivery works. But there are just as many scenes where it is difficult to make out what they are saying. There is one scene, where Seydoux’s character is speaking to the crowd watching the final performance of the movie. But the crowd are several feet away and are on higher ground. She should speak louder so they can hear her! There is a subplot that comes up in the movie that doesn’t really go anywhere. I do get what it is supposed to add to Mortensen’s character – someone who feels pain and grows organs only to have them cut out during his performances. It’s meant to push him towards where his character ends up regarding his personal beliefs. But the subplot just feels like it is unceremoniously killed off.

One thing I wasn’t expecting this film to critique is the art world. In this movie, anyone can do surgery. Which makes sense because the way it is done and is experienced by people, it is very much sex. But only certain people are seen as artists and seemingly give meaning to it. It took me a minute for me to adjust to how this is used to parallel the art culture of the real world. Mainly because it takes a while into the movie for the critique to become clear. And I think that might be my biggest critique of the film. You watch it for a while and it is definitely interesting and you want to watch where it goes. But for a while it leaves you wondering what exactly the point of the movie is. What is the message it is trying to convey? It takes until the third act of the movie for your brain to make the connection once Mortensen’s & Seydoux’s characters ask the mysterious man why he wants them to go through with his request for a performance. That request being to perform an autopsy on his dead son.

And from there, I transition to my biggest praise for this movie. When the movie gets to this point, your brain makes the connections very quickly. This movie is exploring how society and the world around us has affected the evolution of our bodies. The people growing new organs are seen by the mysterious man and his group as being the next step in what humanity is becoming. And while this mysterious man’s group has surgically altered themselves, the dead son is the first one to be born with the new organs and system. That is also when you realize that the new government and the Organ Registry want to discredit these people because if this revelation becomes known, who knows how people would react. Granted, by the time you reach this point in the movie, you would assume that everyone would actually not be too disgusted by that. But the way the government tries to find and shut down people in the performance art world or this other group is a form of control. And the government in the real world does have a history of wanting to control what can and can’t be done to our own bodies.

The third act revelation also adds more meat to a lot of characters – their journeys and their motivations. That’s not to say they aren’t good performances. Mortensen is great as always and Seydoux is just as good. Another standout is Kristen Stewart – all though, she doesn’t do a lot. In that way, her role is similar to Robert Pattinson’s in Cronenberg’s movie “Maps to the Stars”. They are definitely in the movie and they have some level of effect on the storyline. But they don’t have a lot of screen time and they do seem to be lacking some sense of closure. I would have liked one more final scene with Stewart’s character to gain a little more insight into her beliefs now that we know the full extent of what she was doing.

But Mortensen’s character journey is the main one to focus on. He is one of the most famous performance artists in this new world. But he is also secretly working with the new government to find and capture certain criminals taking things too far. He is a part of the world but he is in between how life used to be and what life is moving forward. There are multiple times where characters comment on how Mortensen’s character is trying to maintain control over his body through him letting his new organs be cut out before they take root. And when you get to the third act, you put together that this is him denying the changes that are already happening to him and mankind in general – whether he knows that’s why he is doing it or not. But when the end of the movie comes, he does find belief. He believes in what the mysterious group says about how their bodies are changing and what that truly means for them. And the movie ends with him making a decision that see shim embracing that ideology and finally experiencing total relief from the pain he has been feeling.

Sorry if this has been vague, I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible. But this is a movie where the main message is actually very provocative and it stays with you well after you leave the theater. It does unfortunately take a while for the message to be fully realized and there are parts that could have been improved on. But the good outweighs the bad in my opinion and is worth the watch.

Comics

A Look at Poison Ivy’s First Comic Series

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A big criticism of the modern comic book industry is that nothing seems to really change. Or when they tease change, it never truly sticks. But there have been a number of times where companies and creatives have really tried to do something new. Most of the time, these changes occur with the lesser known characters from their roster. One curious and interesting case of a comic book company trying to change the perception of a character is Poison Ivy. While originally created and presented as a supervillain for Batman, DC has recently been trying to push her as an anti-hero. Personally, I think that’s the right idea and is something worth pursuing. One of the biggest results of this push is the character’s own mini-series named “Poison Ivy: Cycle of Life and Death” released in 2016.

Published towards the very end of the New 52/ right at the beginning of Rebirth, this story was meant to have the character reconnect with her human side. The character is often portrayed as an ecoterrorist that values plant life over humans, gaining her powers after years of abuse and as the result of scientific experimentation. But there have been times where she finds herself at odds with what she feels she must do for the natural world vs what she wants for herself. This 6 issue story does explore that to a certain extent. She relocates to Gotham with a new identity and at a research facility. But her main goal while there is to experiment and create plant-human offsprings as surrogate children.

While she is successful at that, there isn’t conflict. The head of the research facility is murdered and she is in danger of being discovered by authorities. But the person believed to be dead turns out evil and now wants to use the cells used to create Ivy’s offspring to unlock immortality. Also, Ivy herself does struggle trying to determine the best way to provide and raise her surrogate daughters. The story ends with the bad guy being defeated with her offspring leaving Gotham to try being on their own. Even Swamp Thing – my favorite character of all time – shows up to try and give Ivy direction for what she should do now. And yes, I have a lot of idea of what DC should do with a Swamp Thing & Poison Ivy collaboration, but that’s a discussion for another day.

Overall, this is a solid story. Nothing truly memorable. But a fine read if you are a bit curious about it. I think the biggest problem with this story is that it tries to be something of a superhero story. Mainly when it comes to utilizing some of the story tropes of the genre to tell Ivy’s story. Like mentioned earlier, I love the idea of exploring her as an anti-hero. Someone with a more complex ethical code that’s connected to two very different worlds. DC hasn’t always shown the full strength of what she can do. But when they do, she is truly a formidable force. She could very well take over the world and wipe out humanity if she truly cuts off herself from her human side. But because she chooses to remain connected – mainly through her romantic relationship with Harley Quinn – that does set-up the potential for a lot of interesting character exploration. But telling it using superhero tropes isn’t really the best way to do that.

I like the idea of Ivy creating offspring that also share the same duality as hers. But since this is only a 6 issue story, they don’t have the chance to fully delve into anything meaningful. The offspring themselves are flat as a result. And when they leave Gotham to be on their own…I have no choice but to assume they are dead since they haven’t shown up since. Which based on what had been established about their biology, is the most likely scenario for them. If this series ran for a little longer, maybe they could have really tapped into something. But instead, it just sort of simmers. And underwhelming conclusion with a vague tease that will never be paid off.

At the end of the day, I don’t regret reading this. I feel like in the long run this might actually help convince DC to do more stories focused on her. Hell, maybe even an ongoing series. Because this story does start off on the right track and does present a couple of interesting ideas. But the stories will have to ditch the superhero clothing so to speak. That’s not to say there can’t be fights and villains, but it will need to be more experimental and creative with how the story is told. But I still stand by the fact that Poison Ivy has a lot of potential to truly be a powerhouse if given the chance.

Comics

The Journey of Renee Montoya

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The 1990s has become a surprisingly important decade for Batman. This decade saw the publication of two major Batman comic events – Knightfall & No Man’s Land. Both of them would have major influences on the character and mythos for years to come. Speaking of Knightfall, this decade would see the introduction of Jean-Paul Valley AKA Azrael who would take up the Batman name during that event. No Man’s Land saw the introduction of Cassandra Cain, the second woman to take up the Batgirl mantle. And the character who would star in the first Batgirl solo title. Tim Drake would be the star in the first solo Robin title which started during Knightfall. Let’s not forget Batman in other media. The film “Batman Returns” would become a fan favorite in the years following its initial release. The animated film “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” was sorely overlooked but has become known as one of the best – if not the best – Batman movie. And of course, the show “Batman: The Animated Series” was highly popular and has become known as one of the greatest cartoon shows of all time.

The animated show is relevant to what this article is taking a look at. While the show’s biggest influence on the comics was creating Harley Quinn, there was another character that the show created that would make the jump to the medium. A character that when it comes to the regular citizens of Gotham, is probably the best representation of the best the city has to offer. That character is the cop, the vigilante, the badass known as…Renee Montoya.

As mentioned, she was a character that was created by the animated show, as a cop (and later detective) of the GCPD. But she actually was preemptively introduced Batman #475. Kind of similar to how the Adam West Batman show asked DC Comics to create a female character – Barbara Gordon as Batgirl – to see how people would react before introducing her on the show. It would later be established that she is the daughter of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, along with her brother. When she was later promoted to detective, her partner was Harvey Bullock. While he was a grouchy character, and someone who didn’t mind bending the rules to solve a case, Montoya was a sort of counter-balance. She’s someone who was supportive of Batman. In fact, she would later admit she became a cop partly because she was inspired by him.

During the events of No Man’s Land, Montoya was one of the cops who remained in the abandoned city of Gotham along with Commissioner Gordon. It was during this era should would act as the middle man between the remaining GCPD and Two-Face’s gang. Maintaining an uneasy alliance to help keep the peace in what has become Gotham. There were moments of genuine partnership, especially in the early days when Two-Face found himself helping out the people in the aftermath of the earthquake and Renee would lend a hand. Things were more tense as No Man’s Land went on however. Even reaching the point where Two-Face would capture Gordon and put him on trial for what her perceived as wrongdoing. Renee would convince Two-Face to actually execute a fair trial where the Harvey Dent persona of Two-Face would defend Gordon. The situation ended with Gordon being released.

Despite Gordon doing some morally questionable things during No Man’s Land and even refusing Batman’s help in the beginning, Renee would stick by his side and offer support. Which is why later on, after Gotham rejoined the US, she found herself on the brink of the abyss. Gordon had been shot, seriously injured. Renee went out to try and track down the shooter and seek vengeance. Thankfully she was stopped by Bullock before she could do anything. But it turned out that Harvey had leaked the shooter’s identity to the mafia when it was discovered the assailant was a part of the Witness Protection Program. This would result in him no longer being a cop. Some hated Bullock for doing what he did, others stuck by his decision. Renee was stuck in the middle. She was angry at what her partner did. But she can’t ignore the fact that she shared his anger at the man who shot one of their closest friends. Anger that would be fed as danger began moving in her direction.

Renee would be assigned a new partner, Detective Crispus Allen. He had more in common with Renee personality-wise compared to Bullock. All though he considered Batman a necessary evil, one that he wants to help the GCPD move away from. So he’s a little more by the books than Renee in certain areas of the job. But that won’t be a factor until later one. In the comic title “Gotham Central”, Renee found herself harassed by a rapist that ended up walking. It started with him suing her. Nothing that she probably couldn’t fight off herself. But then he and a private investigator discovered her big secret. Renee Montoya is gay and has been secretly seeing a woman named Daria. When he followed the two of them, Renee would confront him and make a threat to him if he ever went near Daria. The next morning, two major things happened. Renee’s stalker was found dead. But more importantly – a picture had been hung up in the GCPD showing her and Daria kissing. She had just been outed to the entire police force.

These two events combined and some more finer details made her the primary suspect and was put on trial for murder. Her brother – who had already known but still struggled with the knowledge – couldn’t convince their parents that Renee being gay wasn’t true. Disowned by her parents and several officers from the GCPD against her and throwing slurs at her, her only ally was Crispus Allen who was struggling to prove she was framed. But thankfully, the mastermind revealed himself as Two-Face. It turns out that he had fallen in love with Renee due to their working relationship during No Man’s Land. He orchestrated everything so that she would have nothing in her life except for him. Leaving her no option but to love him. In his delusion, he believed that her love for him during her darkest hour would be enough to “overcome” her sexuality. He had captured her during her transit from the courthouse to reveal this information to her. At first she played into it to try and lower his defenses. But then she fought back, the gun in his hand dropping to the floor. Both made a move for it, but Batman finally intervened. A part of her became angry at him because she was almost at the gun. But he told her that one of them being shot and killed was not an option. Still, her anger grew despite being rescued and her name being cleared.

Renee Montoya was someone who would still help the people of her community. Someone who worked hard to do the right thing and find justice. But ever since she was outed and her parents turned their backs on her, she began to spiral. At night, she was out at bars looking for fights. She began drinking just like her former partner Bullock. One night she found herself holding a gun and crying in her home, her girlfriend Daria trying to comfort her. A slightly more productive way of exercising her anger was going after a cop from the crime investigation department, Jim Corrigan. He is c op who sells crime scene evidence on the side for some money but the GCPD could never firmly prove his illegal activities. When his side hustle put her partner Cirpus Allen in danger of losing his job, she beat the information she wanted out of him. While he was cleared, Allen was angry that now the GCPD didn’t have a case against Corrigan. Renee would discover that since then, Allen had been doing his own investigation to try and create a solid case. However, he ended up being shot and killed by the man he tried to take down.

The GCPD went all in to try and finally nail Corrigan. But he manipulated the evidence and once again walked. So during the night, after taking a few more drinks, Renee broke into Corrigan’s home. She held the gun up to him until he dropped to the ground, crying and begging her to not kill him. Despite all her anger building up all this time, through everything that had been thrown at her – she couldn’t pull the trigger. She left him to cry on the floor. The next day, she turned in her gun and badge and quit the force.

Months went by. Daria ended up leaving Renee, unable to watch her spiral any longer. That only pushed her to drink more, seek out more women for sex meaningless sex. But at least it distracted her. She no longer knew who she was or what she stood for. Her inability to become a killer also made her view herself as a pathetic version of Batman. What’s next for someone who has lost everything and everyone that she considered important? Now that’s the question. And it’s also where the faceless vigilante Charles Victor Szasz AKA The Question enters the story.

The faceless vigilante recruits Montoya as he investigates a bizarre case that touches on various aspects of the DC world. During this time, it is revealed that The Question is dying from lung cancer. And the reason he reached out to her is because he wants her to take his mantle. But in order to do that, he must go through the same kind of training he did. Which includes her looking deep into herself and confronting all of her flaws. Finding some sense of inner peace. It at first seems like a nigh impossible thing for her to do. How can someone who has gone through so much hardship – including being disowned by her own parents – find a way to move past that? But Renee found what she was looking for. And so when Charles Victor finally dies, he feels at peace knowing that he did manage to help someone he called a friend in his final days.

The woman formerly known as Detective Renee Montoya is no more. She is now The Question. Taking on the corruption of the larger world in a way she never has before. Reuniting with an old flame, Kate Kane the Batwoman, and even briefly working together to take on the Religion of Crime. The faceless woman fights for those that have been exploited and abused by those in power, feeling whole for the first time in her life.

And then DC Comics decided to shoot itself in the foot and started the New 52 initiative. The purpose of the New 52 being was to reboot the entire DC universe and start all their characters from the beginning. We don’t have time to go over the entire New 52, but here is what is relevant. Despite there being no communication on what was or wasn’t canon anymore, referencing characters or events or stories that shouldn’t exist yet, Renee was back to being a detective at the GCPD. And yet, as DC moved past the New 52, they seemed to be unsure of where they wanted Renee in her story. In some appearances she was a detective on the force. In others she was The Question, even though I’m not sure if Charles Victor is supposed to be dead. And more recently, she is shown as the being the commissioner of the GCPD. It is all very confusing. But on the bright side, no matter what role she’s occupying, she is continuing the fight against evil.

At the time this is being posted, the character is celebrating her 30th year anniversary. But the real reason I decided to write and publish this piece is to show the true strength of what DC has to offer. We often stay focused on the superheroes like Batman or Superman or Wonder Woman. Those that put on a costume and fight against unfathomable forces. But there is a plethora of characters who are much more regular citizens that have some of the more inspiring journeys that the medium has to offer. A woman struggling with her identity, dealing with everyday crime, then losing everything that once defined her only to become more confident in who she is and what she feels compelled to do. The story of Renee Montoya is one that inspires and gives hope for all of us that we can be heroic. We have the capability of fighting back against the corruption and obstacles around us. And she shows us how we can improve on ourselves.

Renee Montoya – detective, vigilante, fighter, hero.