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Comics

What the Future of Spawn Should Include

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Spawn is a pretty good representation of what the 1990s were in terms of look and atmosphere. The title has represented both the best and worst of what the era had to offer comics. But it was smart enough to recognize the bad stuff in the early days and phase them out. Regardless, the 90s style of the character and series is a big part of what made the character to so popular. What I’m referring to is action, dark atmosphere, violence, brooding, that sort of thing. But this book knew how to properly utilize and present it for the most part. These are all elements that connect to the heart of Spawn and what his stories are about.

But now that so much time has passed – achieving major milestones and now expanding with new books – it’s time to make some changes. I’m not talking anything major. The last thing I want is for this series and universe to become like DC and Marvel in terms of tone and approach simply because it’s trying to copy their success. Todd McFarlane knows how to handle his creation and make it distinct from everything else. And let’s face it, Marvel & DC have made more than fair share of mistakes in terms of creating content and guiding their characters. The one major change I’m suggesting is more about adding to the universe than taking anything away. Spend more time letting the characters…just live.

That admittedly sounds confusing, so allow me to explain. One of the new Spawn titles is focused on Gunslinger Spawn and his solo adventures. Brought into the present due to events in issues 300 & 301, this Hellspawn’s journey is about finding his way back to his own time while dealing with characters and events in the present. There is of course action and mystery laying out future potential storylines and enemies. But there have been several moments in this series that have taken me by surprise. There is a bit where Gunslinger is genuinely confused and curious about the existence of an indoor toilet. And he is perplexed about the existence of plumbing. This was a funny joke, but made funnier and more surprising by how logical it is. He does come from a time where something like this doesn’t exist. It makes sense why he would ask questions about something like this. Also, despite knowing how to study a map he admits he can’t read. Makes sense and is pretty humorous.

In a separate issue, it opens up with him learning from a woman how to properly hitchhike. She shows him how to properly hold out his arm and how to use his thumb. And when he gets picked up, he isn’t mean to the driver or just giving him the bare minimum of courtesy. It seems like the two of them had a decent time in each other’s company during the short trip to Gunslinger’s destination. He even shows some level of affection for a couple of the wolves guarding his stuff. Long story short, these are moments that help create a personality for the character that doesn’t advance the story. It creates small humorous, and sort of wholesome, moments that make it more fun and engaging to read.

The major thing I think the Spawn universe should do moving forward is to have more moments like these. Show what the characters are like, have them interact in ways that aren’t focused on missions and show them create friendships. Up until this point, we haven’t seen a lot of that. There was Nyx before she was killed in issue 300 – and yes, I’m still angry about that and want her resurrected. Right now in the King Spawn title. Al and Terry are working together, but Terry for sure doesn’t like being in that situation and their relationship is fractured at best due to their history. The new characters that are being introduced and focused on should be the main focus moving forward. Obviously we can’t get rid of Al, that would be going too far. But have more stories with Gunslinger Spawn and Jessica Priest and the rest where they have moments of them just being themselves. Bonding in ways that Al seemingly lost the luxury to have with his newfound mission to wage war on the supernatural forces trapped on Earth.

The best existing example I can use for comparison is the JSA from DC Comics. There were issues were the team members weren’t on missions and just spent time with each other dealing with the day to day stuff. Some of that if properly translated to the Spawn universe and breathe some new life and creativity that can help it evolve. I’m suggesting this because I don’t want Spawn to end. Hopefully we do get some of that down the road once the new titles have been around for a little longer. Here’s to 30 more – if not more – years of the Spawn universe!

Comics

The Third Standalone Sequel to Watchmen

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Who at DC Comics signed off on creating 3 separate sequels to Watchmen? I’m all for different people adding to this world, but they all came it in a pretty short span of each other. Doomsday Clock took a few years to complete, the HBO show started running before Doomsday Clock got its last issue out, and I think this comic started publishing only a year after the show ended. There is a thing called oversaturation you know. Some people might assume that two or all three are connected and might end up disappointed to learn otherwise. But none of this is actually speaking to the quality of this comic, so let’s dive into that.

Rorschach is a 12 issue mini-series that is a standalone sequel to Watchmen published under the DC Black Label, an imprint of DC Comics for more mature stories. It starts off with two people who are about to assassinate a presidential candidate being killed by security. An investigator is hired by the candidate – Governor Turley, the conservative opponent to sitting President Redford – to find out who these people were and why they tried to kill him. Things are made stranger since one of the people is an elderly man wearing a Rorschach mask but the other is a twenty year old woman. And the journey through their lives complicates the investigation every step of the way.

We should talk a little bit of the writer of this comic, Tom King. He has made several well known stories in career. A few have been highly praised. But a few are highly despised among critics and and comic fans, so there was concern and backlash when it was announced he was the one writing the story. We don’t have time to go over his writing style, but I will identify one trait that shows up across his work. Tom King likes to write dialogue in a sort of poetic style. Even if sometimes that results in his characters not talking like real people or just has them keep going on and on about something completely unrelated to the situation at hand. Some of his books do it better than others. Luckily, that does seem pretty restrained in this book. Since most of the people in the story are government workers and even investigators, they talk like they should. It does feel like these people are more grounded and realistic.

Throughout the story there is focus on a couple of different conspiracy theories. One is that Doctor Manhattan, knowing that the squids – like the one that “attacked” New York – and devised a plan where the bodies of the heroes are destroyed but their souls will reappear in other bodies. That connects to the dead attackers, the young woman who was raised by her extremist father has convinced several people they were Rorschach reincarnated so to speak. And for a while, I thought this story would end up speaking on the topic of isolation and connection. Which would have been a relevant thing to discuss especially in the midst of a real world pandemic. How ideas can be powerful and bring people together, no matter how dangerous their influence might be. But that you should always identify the people behind the idea and see their true motivations. I thought that was where this story was going.

However, that went away when a different conspiracy turned out to be true. That the attack on Governor Turley’s life was orchestrated. But unlike it being manipulated by President Redford like he is trying to prove, it was of his own doing. Setting events up in a way where the only connections would go back to Redford and help him win the election. However, the investigator we have been following through the story has constantly been at odds about what he thinks & feels, trying to figure out what he should do once he discovers this information. This ultimately leads him to kill Turley himself, essentially identifying himself as a new Rorschach, but not in the way the the dead criminals would define him as. But rather a new vigilante that follows Rorschach’s ideals.

So this story ends up being one that talks about the cyclical nature of violence and politics in society. And the investigator’s story is sort of a living Rorschach test where his viewpoint is constantly changing until he sees what he wants to see. Depicting his rise – or fall, depending on how you look at it – into vigilantism. And this story is completely serviceable for the Watchmen mythos. But I’ll admit that I think it lacks a special quality, something that prevents it from having as full an impact as it should. You can say what you want about Doomsday Clock and the HBO show. But both of those stories had reveals or surprises that really touched on the overall message of their respective stories. Those revelations helped leave as large an impact as possible. I don’t think I’m going to remember this comic the same way I look back on the show or Doomsday Clock. But that doesn’t mean I think this is bad. If you are looking for something that is more of a detective story, this is that story. And you’ll like it for sure. This just didn’t engage me in the way that I hoped.

TV

The One Failure of the HBO Show Watchmen

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I need a mini rant about something before we actually get to the topic at hand. Why is this show simply titled “Watchmen”? That’s the name of the original story. How come every sequel rebooting a franchise has to have the same name as the original? Blumhouse did it for their first Halloween film, the 5th installment of the “Scream” franchise did it, the Netflix Texas Chainsaw Massacre film did it. If your story is following up on events from previous films or installments, then you have to do better to identify it as a separate entity! Why is Hollywood’s lack of creativity progressing to project titles?! All right…I’m sorry, just needed to get that out there. let’s actually get to the problem regarding this specific show.

Before you get mad, I should say I think HBO overall did a great job with this show. I definitely would recommend it for fans of the graphic novel. Especially if you are someone who is looking for a sequel that’s more like Alan Moore’s writing style and the grounded take he approached. The world has progressed in an organic way from the graphic novel’s ending, we explore fascinating aspects of this world’s past and are introduced to a whole set of engaging new characters. The show deals with the nature of power, Racism, and explores many similar themes and ideas that Alan Moore once did. But having said that, there is one part of this show that I feel it ultimately failed to do justice. And it comes back to our favorite superhero advocating for nudity – Doctor Manhattan.

They do a few things with this character in the show. Manhattan seems to possess the ability to transfer his powers to someone else. And that’s hinted at in the final episode where Angela eats an egg that might have been imbued by Manhattan with his powers. But we don’t actually see if she inherited them, leaving it open to interpretation. This I’m actually good with. It is completely logical that this would be in his power and he did do something like this in Doomsday Clock. The second thing the show does with him is apparently show he has a weakness. The bad guys apparently use this special kind of battery to power a machine that has the ability to permanently kill Doctor Manhattan. I…look, Adrian was able to hide his real plan from Manhattan during the events of the graphic novel. It had to with a certain type of particle that could shield themselves from how Manhattan viewed time. But Adrian thought he could also kill him, only to see him reappear as a giant right in front of him. Resurrection is literally the first ability that Manhattan learned how to master. You MIGHT be able to find a way, but you have to come up with something really convincing. And I don’t think the show did that to explain how they were able to kill the blue man.

But the real issue is his motivation. The reason why Manhattan is in this show, the reason why he is interacting with these characters. We are shown that he did leave Earth for a while and did experiment in creating intelligent life. But then one day he turned his attention back to Earth and saw Angela. He came back and met her because he had fallen in love with her. Let me repeat that. Doctor Manhattan – the man whose whole story in the original was related to how he felt himself disconnecting with his emotions and fell out of love with two women – had fallen in love and that’s why he returns to Earth. I…no. Just a simple no. I can’t accept that as a believable motivation for this character.

Let me better clarify Manhattan’s story. To say he had fallen out of love might be interpreted as he no longer has feelings. But that would be inaccurate. He does return with Laurie to confront Adrian about his manipulative plan about creating world peace. Even though he felt like life had no meaning throughout most of the story, the talk he and Laurie has on Mars did remind him about how spectacular it is. And the graphic novel does show he still cares for Laurie and Dan. But the intensity of emotions he feels isn’t the same as it was before his transformation. It’s more like he cares about them the same way some people might care for a family pet. He’s fond of them, recognizes that he does have an emotional connection to them. But he still sees himself as superior and doesn’t believe he actually needs them like they might need him. And keep in mind, he ultimately decided that Adrian’s plan was the way to go. Whether or not he agrees with it is irrelevant. Manhattan is fundamentally a scientist and has a different set of principals than his former teammates.

Look, Doomsday Clock is not a perfect story. I actually made a post going into further details about that Watchmen sequel, including going over some flaws. But Manhattan’s role and purpose in that story was more faithful. The way we are introduced to him in that comic matches up where we left him in the original and we actually see in that comic how he changes by the end. But we don’t really get that in the HBO show. We don’t really get why Manhattan suddenly finds himself in love again. But he is important to the themes the show wants to explore so they needed to find a way to bring him in. And don’t get me wrong, having Manhattan in this show is the right decision. The show is still overall great. But their handling of the character prevents me from fully realizing this as a faithful follow up to the original story.

Comics

Why Doomsday Clock is Important

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NOTE: My thoughts on this comic were originally posted on the Community site within the DC Universe service. Some minor edits have been made, most notably a new introduction paragraph. Otherwise, my original thoughts on the comic remain unchanged.

DC Comics has made several mistakes over the years. One of their most infamous is the New 52. It was their attempt to restart their universe and continuity from scratch, as if it was brand new. I’m not the first to tell you it was a massive failure. The vast majority of issue can be connected to a lack of commitment to actually start over, seemingly referencing events and characters that shouldn’t have happened or exist yet, as well as the dark and sour tone of a lot of the title being published at the time. This started in 2011 but came to an end in 2016 with the soft reboot one shot, DC Rebirth. This would help change the tone of all title and characters and actually help improve the creative direction the company was leading towards. One thing to note in the one shot that the in universe reason for why the New 52 happened, while at the time still unknown, was caused by someone. And the ending pages made it clear that the being responsible is Doctor Manhattan. Thus setting the stage for the characters of the Watchmen universe to finally meet the heroes of the main DC Universe.

First things first – if you are an Alan Moore purist or if you have an unbreakable love for the original Watchmen story, chances are you are not going to be interested in this story. You might even be someone who just really prefers grounded and realistic stories like Watchmen, preferring to read stories that deconstruct the genre much like how Alan Moore did. If any of this sounds like you, chances are you aren’t going to be interested in this. But maybe there is a small chance what I have to say might make you curious enough to check it out. With that said, let’s dive in.

When it comes to Watchmen, I will be one of many people to say it as an epic story. It is a graphic novel I still very much love today,. However, I will admit, especially looking back on it recently, there are a few flaws. Because it does explore complex philosophies and mature themes, Watchmen is a cold story, one that presents a dark deconstruction of the superhero genre. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It could come off as a touch pretentious at times, but it is still an important and relevant story even to this day. But this has inspired the Dark Age of comics, a lot of new anti-heroes and dark stories that have really turned the genre itself into a depressing landscape. Characters and titles that are dark, violent, and “edgy” just because they can be or the people behind them thought they would be cool and popular. But those stories and characters that came afterword, despite how popular they became or how laughably bad they ended up becoming, did serve as a reminder about Watchmen’s legacy. One that is dark, cold, and pessimistic to its core.

In hindsight, it should come as no surprise that one of the characters that story created ended up being the one responsible for the New 52. That era of DC did seem like something that would come out of the 1990s.

But let’s get back to the present. When we return to the world of Watchmen in the first issue of Doomsday Clock, it is living in a state of anger and conflict that feels eerily similar to our real world. New characters Mime and Marionette bring a dark glee to the world, similar to Joker and Harley Quinn, but the new Rorschach (Reggie Long) is a reminder of how grim their world is. Whether it is how Ozymandias talks to Saturn Girl or how Doctor Manhattan explains what he has been up to all these years, the pessimistic tone and cold logic from the original story is still alive.

I wanted to start this off by talking about the grim tone of Watchmen because it plays a hugely significant role in Doomsday Clock. Look, I am never going to say that we should never have realistic and grounded stories like Watchmen. They are needed, important even in this day when it feels like everything related to the superhero genre has over-flooded pop culture. Not only do these stories bring variety, but they do help some people get a better understanding of why people like superheroes to begin with.

But we also need the fantastical. The bright and optimistic stories. The stories that embrace everything that comes with the genre. Because those stories show even more why people continue to love and look up to superheroes well past childhood.

Doomsday Clock is both a tribute to Watchmen but also a critique. It respects Alan Moore’s story, reminds us that it is something that should still be talked about. But this sequel also shows the danger of what a dark philosophy and viewpoint of the world can bring, how it affects people. Doctor Manhattan is passive because for years he has been under the belief that he can’t change what is to come. He believes that there is no difference between a dead body and a live one. He has drifted away from what makes him human. Ozymandias sees himself as a hero, but is more like the madman Lex Luthor that he seeks help from in the beginning. The new Rorschach gives up for a period of time in the story because he believes that we should let the world burn in hopes of bringing all the pain and suffering to an end. But the heroes of the main DC Universe, and the writers of Doomsday Clock, have the perfect counter-argument:

You need hope. People can’t live, can’t truly live, without having hope that they can make the world better. That they can change things.

Doomsday Clock takes a look at both Watchmen and the Dark Age it had inspired and reminds us that heroes like Alan Scott and Clark Kent are what truly make the superhero genre timeless. They are the light that brings people to them like moths. A dark deconstruction every once in a while is fine, even eagerly welcomed. But to have that dark thinking become the dominant force will simply bring more despair to the world. When Alan Moore wrote his story, his world wasn’t a bright place. Just do a little research about his political beliefs and the things he’s said about former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This is not a critique, I still love many of his stories and characters today. His beliefs helped create great stories like V for Vendetta. Now, you can make an argument that political/social climate of 2016 isn’t too different from how it was back when Alan Moore released Watchmen and you would most likely be right. But we don’t need another Watchmen. We need stories like Doomsday Clock to inspire and bring meaning to the genre we love, so that way we can be inspired to bring the same hope to the real world.

Watchmen is cold, dark, and ultimately pessimistic. Doomsday Clock pays tribute to everything that made its predecessor great. But this is a story of warmth, light, and optimism. And that is why this story is more than worthy to be known as a sequel to Watchmen. It respects it by keeping true to what that world was about, but it also brings something new by helping the characters naturally progress towards something brighter so that they can help shape their world for the better.

Due to how iconic Watchmen has become, I don’t think even the strongest supporters of Doomsday Clock will say it is as good as Alan Moore’s story. Partly because it suffered multiple delays, causing some interest to wane and for it to temporarily be disconnected from the main universe it is supposed to impact. But maybe in time, popularity for Doomsday Clock will grow and people can make the argument.

There are a few small flaws that I just want to briefly mention. I would have liked it explicitly stated that Mime actually had invisible weapons. That’s what I ended up assuming, but it would be nice to have it stated in story. Manhattan’s predictions for what he sees in the future of the DC Universe, predictions meant to set up potential stories, can very likely end up not passing, which is mildly distracting in the back of my mind. Perhaps if those stories end up not passing, we can say that they ended up playing out in a different universe that is separate, but created by, the metaverse. Like mentioned earlier, the multiple delays have complicated just how connected Doomsday Clock was to the rest of the regular DCU as it was being published. That has seemingly been rectified and the company can now be more organized moving forward.

In conclusion, Doomsday Clock is still a very important story. It is a welcomed sequel to Watchmen that pays tribute to its predecessor yet very much has its own story and opinions to share that make it different. I am very happy that I got to read it and I can only see my opinion for this story strengthen over time.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Doctor Strange

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The Marvel Cinematic Universe is both impressive and frustrating. When you look back on what it’s accomplished – in terms of story-telling, making unknown characters/actors household names, and box office – there’s no denying it’s a huge achievement and should be praised. But when you have a franchise that lists this long with so many films )and now TV shows), a formula is created. One to help ensure their future installments become successful. And while the MCU should stray further from the formula and expand, it can still be executed well and enhanced by direction and acting. “Doctor Strange”, one of their installments from 2016, is a great example of that.

Dr. Stephen Strange is a neurosurgeon who loses the use of his hands to perform surgery in an accident. He ends up coming across Kamar-Taj in Nepal and meets the Sorcerer Supreme known as The Ancient One. There he learns the mystic arts and becomes involved in a conflict where one of the Ancient One’s former students attacks their Sanctums so that a being known as Dormammu can conquer Earth. Dr. Strange manages to defeat the being from the Dark Dimension, but with the iplication that the way he did it will have repercussions down the road.

This movie shares several traits that can be seen in other MCU origin stories. Several people have pointed out how Strange’s personality is similar to Tony Stark. There is truth in that. But I would argue that it takes Strange longer to move away from his more narcissistic thinking in the movie and that in future appearances he still struggles with his more arrogant nature. But he is still very like-able in this film, thanks to the casting of Benedict Cumberbatch. He also has an ally/kind of love interest, Dr. Christine Palmer. But they don’t go all the way with their romance. The closest we get is that they were once lovers before the events in the film and she gives him a kiss on the cheek before the climax. They could have changed that to just a hug, but I appreciate that the movie doesn’t have them end up together like most other MCU movies.

And that actually connects to one thing that makes this movie a little more unique. There is a supporting character named Mordo, one of Strange’s teachers in the film and allies. But by the end, he becomes disillusioned by the world of Sorcery. He is a strong believer in maintaining the natural order. But when he learns that the Ancient One uses power from the Dark Dimension to extend her life and watching Strange tamper with Time to save the planet, he ends up leaving Strange and the other sorcerers. Him leaving with the implication that he and Strange will go up against each other down the road is a little dark but in a good way. It does show some of the complexities or different philosophies when it comes to how people like Mordo or Strange should use their power. Most of the MCU films have the villains more clear-cut evil and easy to hate. It’s only in more recent films that we are getting more complex antagonists. And while Mordo wasn’t a villain or antagonist in this film, I completely get why he thinks the way he does and I understand his fears. And when he and Strange do go up against each other later on, I can’t really hate his reasoning or motivation.

But going back to Strange manipulating Time, that’s another thing that makes this film unique. When it comes to the final battle of Strange vs Dormammu, you would expect a big battle with great visuals. And while CGI is used to depict the Dark Dimension and there is action, it doesn’t play out like you think it would. The trick Strange uses is that he puts Dormammu in a time loop. So even though he is killing Strange, Dormammu is in actuality Strange’s prisoner. Eventually, he agrees to make a bargain with Strange to leave Earth and escape the loop. It’s actually a clever way to handle the final climax of a Marvel movie and I have to give credit for that.

But honestly, I just really like this film in general. I’ve always found myself more drawn to the supernatural characters of comic books. And some of the dialogue in this film reminds me why I like reading the comics I do, as well as just the types of stories I gravitate to the most. Exploring ideas and themes not usually talked about, or familiar ones from a unique perspective. And this film has some of the best visuals of any MCU film. There are several scenes that do look similar to “Inception”. But there are so many other visuals that are truly awe-inspiring. At the end of the day, this is one of my personal favorite films from this long running franchise.

Film Editorials, Movies

Can Sony’s Cinematic Universe Work?

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It’s no secret that Sony has been trying to create their own cinematic universe. Their most infamous attempt was using “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” as a launching pad. When they began working on Venom, many just assumed it would crash and burn like Tom Cruise’s “The Mummy” being used as the start of Universal’s Dark Universe. But despite getting mixed to negative reactions from critics, “Venom” made a lot of money and seemed to be liked by general audiences. This lead to a sequel, a Morbius film, and 2 more connected films in active development at the time this is being written. I want to explore 3 questions in this post. How has Sony’s universe changed since inception? What are the criticisms of this universe? And what can be done to improve it?

It’s been said that when they began pre-production on “Venom”, it was going to be a legit Horror film. One that took after John Carpenter & David Cronenberg that would have been a true Body Horror, psychological experience. But when “Spider-Man: Homecoming” made a lot of money in 2017, Sony wanted the option of a crossover and altered the film that was more action focused with some Horror inspired moments. I can’t say with 100% certainty if that’s what happened, but that’s the rumor and it does sound on brand for the studio. Every film released so far still has several scenes where it does still have that Horror inspiration. Moments with a dark atmosphere that show the potential of what they could have been if allowed to fully embrace it.

And that leads us to looking at the criticisms of Sony’s universe. So these films ended up focusing on more action than expected. Not a big deal. The movie “Underworld” did that but it still had a unique feel. But unlike that movie, all of the movies from this universe are PG-13. Look, you can have good PG-13 films that lean in a more dark direction. “The Batman” was PG-13 and it had a lot of dark and psychologically interesting material in it. But Sony’s films have an issue of using general plots and outlines that were used by comic book movies from the 1990s and 2000s. In “Venom”, it was executed in a way where it can be seen as an enjoyable throwback. I can’t say it’s an authentic portrayal of the character, but people looking to have fun could say they found it. It worked a bit in “Venom: Let There Be Carnage” but it doesn’t seem to be helping “Morbius”.

If you combine this with the fact that Sony won’t let them be true Horror films, that makes them look kind of stupid. Sure, from a business perspective it makes sense. You have comic book characters you want to adapt, some of them not very familiar with general audiences. The PG-13 rating has worked for a lot of comic book movies and you want to try and make your money back. But this also makes them seem behind the times. The tropes used in Sony’s films feel dated when you compare it to what is being put out today. Hell, movies like “Deadpool” & “Joker” show that R rated comic book movies can be very profitable. And that’s actually one of the main reasons there are so many Horror movies in the first place. They tend to not have very big budgets and it’s almost guaranteed you’ll make a profit. I look at “Venom” & “Morbius” and I see how they can take notes from some of the old Universal Monster films. Sony’s Spider-Man Universe could fill the hole that people wanting more mature content from Marvel are missing.

And speaking of which, let’s actually focus on the Spider-Man part of their cinematic universe. For a while, it seemed like Sony was working on a way to bring Tom Holland’s version from the MCU to their own for crossover. That makes sense from a business perspective as well as pleasing the fans of that version of the character. It seemed like we were going to get that based on what “Spider-Man: No Way Home” was marketing and the when Venom was pulled into the MCU in a post credits scene of his second film. But no, that’s not what happened. Tom Holland’s version is still in the MCU, Venom ended up being pulled back into his universe just as quickly as he was pulled out, leaving behind a sample of the symbiote. The marketing for “Morbius” showed that somehow Michael Keaton’s Vulture from “Spider-Man: Homecoming” ended up in Sony’s universe. The way he ended up in that universe was fine if a bit confusing. But the after credits scene of him meeting Morbius not only doesn’t match how it was shown in trailers, but you can clearly tell it was done at the very last minute. With neither actor actually being on stage together, and their reactions not matching what the other was saying.

Look, we knew their Sinister Six build-up was coming. But it has no real weight in this universe. The Venom movies don’t address the existence of Spider-Man until the post credits scene of the second film, and even then it was for the one outside their universe. And since he wasn’t mentioned until the post credits of “Morbius”, we don’t really know what that character feels about the hero. We don’t know if they have any history together. Sony hasn’t decided on who is playing Spider-Man or even which version of the character their using. How can you call this the Spider-Man Universe when we are 3 movies in and we’ve had only two clear references to the character who hasn’t interacted with either of these two characters? It seemed like they were preparing for Tom Holland to interact with them. But “Spider-Man: No Way Home” made clear that wasn’t happening, even though one of the villains from that franchise is now in Sony’s universe. It’s clear the executives at that studio have no clear idea of what they want to do or what they want to build up.

And finally, we have to ask…what can be done to improve this situation? Right now, Sony has two more films in development for this universe. Kraven, which I believe is filming right now, and Madame Web. I don’t know much about her, but she might be a character that can do some multiverse abilities. Both of these films need to reference Spider-Man, during the main story and not just in a post credits scene. We need to establish there is a web slinger in this universe. We also need to determine which version of the hero we are dealing with. Peter Parker, Miles Morales, Gwen Stacey, Cindy Moon, doesn’t matter. We just need to establish which one and try and shine a light on what kind of history this hero has in this cinematic universe. It would be ideal for Spider-Man to actually show up in one of these upcoming films. Sony needs to make an actual commitment to something that will give audiences one of the things they have been saying exists for a while now.

And there is some work that needs to be done before we jump into a Sinister Six film. We’ll most likely get a Venom 3, meaning we need to use that film to actually address Spider-Man. Maybe a one-on-one fight, maybe build-up so that he can join other character to be a part of the Sinister Six. But we need to show they know he exists, how he views the web slinger, establish tension between them – at the very least. I’ll even go as far as to say we need a similar situation for “Morbius 2”. Yes, I’m advocating for a sequel to that film. The previous film showed he knows about Spider-Man in the post credits scene. For this sequel, we for sure need to have Spider-Man involved in the main plot to establish what kind of relationship the two of them have. If Sony does this – as well as actually address Spider-Man to a significant enough capacity in Kraven & Madam Web – the Sinister Six movie will have some actual weight to it.

Finally, Sony needs better writing for their films. So far, all 3 have just been all right. And they are relying on tropes from over a decade ago. Better writing and stories will get us more involved with these characters and actually get us looking forward to seeing them on screen. Fully embrace the dark atmosphere these characters – these super-villains – are known for. I also would like for them to include R rated movies, but I’ll settle for actually pushing the boundaries of what PG-13 can show. Make bold moves that leave some kind of impact, even if they don’t fully work. Because at least then I will remember these movies and start to actually care for them.

That should be everything. These are all of my thoughts on this cinematic universe, it’s problems but also the potential changes they can make. Hopefully something similar to what I outlined will actually happen.

Movie Reviews, Movies

Review – Morbius

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Marketing is very important for a movie. They can help ensure how many people are going to see a movie once it premieres. Back in the day, “Batman: Mask of the Phantasm” didn’t make a lot of money when it opened in theaters despite how great of a movie it is. But that can be blamed on the lack of marketing there was for the movie. Both in terms of how much there was and in the low quality of the film’s marketing. And the marketing for “Morbius” wasn’t exactly stellar. Of course the numerous delays didn’t help. But now it’s out and people are already tearing it apart. And now it’s time for me to see how well the movie ended up being and it it matched how I expected it to turn out.

Overall, this movie is…all right. I know that all the trailers and TV spots probably make this movie seem lame. And there is stuff to not like about it. If you were to read the script for this movie, it’s clearly underwhelming and bland. But the main reason this movie is elevated to it being fine is thanks to the performances. While Jared Leto tends to play eccentric characters, he is more restrained and actually gives a good performance. Nothing amazing, but he does what any actor should do and get us invested in the title character. All the actors in this film give the performances they should and end up being good or good enough. Of course, Matt Smith is a stand out as he is clearly having fun. His character, Milo, grew up with Michael Morbius and they shared the same blood disease. And early on it clearly establishes their connection and you do enjoy how they interact with each other before they eventually turn on the other.

So performances all around are good. The effects are hit or miss, with admittedly more misses. Morbius has this echolocation ability that does look kind of interesting when used. The effects used to show his more monstrous form is okay. Nothing particularly memorable but I’ve seen worse. And it does have a vague vampire-like quality to it. But whenever he moves fast or jumps/glides through the air, he creates this smoke around him. Or I guess you can call it mist, I’m not sure what it should be called. There’s really no reason in-universe why it’s happening, but I think it’s used to cover the bad effects used for the action scenes. But the action overall is also okay. I’ve seen far worse when it comes to action so this didn’t really bug me. The story outline is very similar to other comic book movies from the 2000s, but it again executes it fine.

And that’s ultimately the film’s biggest failure. That it’s only fine. If this truly was as bad as most people saying it is, I would have a lot more to talk about. If this movie had tried more to add something unique or even eccentric – regardless if it worked or not – I would have something more to talk about. But I really don’t. Outside of the post credits scene – which is a clear example of how Sony has the poorest organization skills when it comes to mapping out their cinematic universe – I just don’t have much to say. There are small moments and scenes that do show the potential it could have been. But it really plays it safe all things considered. Take that for what’s it worth. Maybe not good enough to buy a ticket, but good enough to rent it or check it out on streaming.

Comics

The Time Travel Issues of Flashpoint

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Hard to believe it has been over a decade since this event comic and the beginning of the New 52. While that era of DC wasn’t devoid of good stories, titles & characters, they tended to be the exception as opposed to the norm. But most people tend to be all right with the story that started DC on this path, “Flashpoint”. I wanted to take the time to air some of my frustrations with this story in regards to the time travel logic it uses.

Before I get into it, something we should discuss. The rules of how time travel can work varies a lot in fiction. Lots of different approaches to how to travel & how changes to the timeline work. One theory you might have heard about that was popularized by fiction is The Butterfly Effect. The general idea is that if you step on a butterfly in one part of the world while time traveling, an earthquake happens on the other side of the planet. I believe this…to an extent. I understand we are dealing with a type of fiction that plays with stuff like this on a daily basis. But I believe there should still be a sense of logic for how these timeline changes occur. And a number of them don’t really add up. So, the big change that happens in this story is that The Flash – Barry Allen – goes back in time and saves his mom from dying. This results in a lot of timeline changes that we see through the story.

With that being said – how does that cause Bruce Wayne to die instead of his parents? Barry is in Central City and Bruce is in Gotham. Hard to tell how far apart the two cities are supposed to be, but let’s assume it’s a fair amount. How does saving Barry’s man cause a mugger to shoot Bruce instead of his parents? Actually, now that I think about it…how old are Bruce and Barry supposed to be canonically? If Bruce is supposed to be older, chances are this origin already happened for him. Even if they are the same age, we again still have the issue of geography. As far as I can tell, Bruce’s origin shouldn’t have been affected at all.

And why does Barry’s time traveling act affect how Billy Batson’s powers work? In case your unfamiliar, Billy Batson is Shazam. He says the name and he is magically transformed into a superhero. But in this timeline, multiple kids have to say the name and then they all collectively become the superhero in one body. While an admittedly interesting idea, I doubt Barry’s mom has any influence on how Shazam’s power is supposed to work. This concept doesn’t even appear in the New 52 afterwards! Yes, Billy does share the power of Shazam with some people, but it’s still just one person turning into one person and not six into one. I know this is a smaller issue in comparison, but still something to bring up.

Back on track – how does saving Barry’s mom cause a war between Atlantis and Themyscira? I understand that in this timeline Barry doesn’t become The Flash. But would his existence as a hero really prevent this? But more importantly, I don’t think this would happen in the way this story chooses to go with. Arthur & Diana have an affair which leads to Mera getting killed by Diana and that leads to war. I think I remember coming across something how in the main DC Universe Arthur admitted to having feelings for Diana. Probably while under the influence of the Lasso of Truth. But I don’t think that means Diana would have the same feelings and go through in exploring them in that way. Even IF she did, she wouldn’t kill Mera! I’m not an expert on Wonder Woman, but I have read up on the majority of her comics post Crisis on Infinite Earths up to the modern day. And she is not written to be like that. She is in touch with her feelings, including empathy, and has too much respect for everyone she considers a friend to ever do anything like this. Would Barry’s time travel affect her very personality?

And how the HELL does Barry saving his mom affect where Superman’s ship lands?! I’m sorry, but this is a BIG one for me. Clark’s ship came from an alien planet many light years away and comes to Earth and – unless this is an Elseworlds story where the whole purpose is to fundamentally change a character – lands in Kansas. But in this timeline, it lands in a city and causes some damage and is secretly experimented on. But Barry’s time travel shouldn’t affect the speed of the Earth’s rotation! Seriously, that would be the only way how this new timeline could explain how Clark’s ship lands in a different spot. And that’s just nonsensical and illogical.

Last thing, this story is supposed to start the New 52, where all heroes are starting off and they don’t know each other yet. Except the ending of “Flashpoint” doesn’t establish that. The ending of the story has Barry talking to Bruce and they know each other to the point where they don’t need to wear masks around each other. There is no way this is supposed to start the New 52 if they aren’t supposed to even know each other yet. Oh my god, this story has so much that doesn’t make sense! But I guess that’s not uncommon for anything in the New 52, so I guess in that way it connects. Look, this isn’t an awful story. But I’m glad that we have recovered from the long lasting damage this story has brought to the DC Universe.

Comics

The Three Jokers: Was It Worth The Wait?

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Back when the DC Universe was still under the New 52 banner, there was a big Justice League Storyline called “Darkseid War”. At one point, Batman sat in the Mobius Chair. It’s basically a super advanced computer that can answer any question you have. He tests it by asking it who killed his parents. And then he asks a bigger question – who is the Joker? We don’t hear the Chair’s answer, but we see Batman’s shocked reaction. Later on in 2016, not too long after the end of that storyline, there was a special one shot that revealed the answer. There are THREE Jokers. The story going into this answer had been teased for years but kept getting pushed back. Until finally it came out in 2020, even though it was under an imprint that takes place outside the main continuity and the main Batman title never addresses this revelation again. But is it still worth reading?

The 3 issue story is written by famous comic book writer Geoff Johns. If your unfamiliar with comics and who he is, there is one important thing to know about him. He has written both good and bad stories, like anyone has – but one thing that is common in most of his stories is that he tends to introduce retcons. The reason he does this is to help support the story that HE wants to tell. Even if the retcons he uses might go against what has been established or well known characterization of favorite characters. One the one hand, this can lead to “Green Lantern: Rebirth”. After Hal Jordan turned into the villain Parallax back in the 90s and then died for several years, Geoff brought him back to life and retconned the reason why he turned bad. This lead to a huge expansion of the Green Lantern mythology that will help provide truly great stories. And it didn’t necessarily take away the importance of the other characters that have took on the role of Green Lantern. But on the other hand, Geoff’s style can also lead to “The Flash: Rebirth”. Barry Allen had a heroic death back in the 1980s that allowed his sidekick, Wally West, to take over as The Flash and develop his large fanbase. While Geoff might not have resurrected him in 2008, this story from 2009 pushed Barry Allen into the spotlight and pushed Wally West to the side. Wally would either become ignored by the DCU all-together or be completely mishandled in the following years. Point is, Geoff tends to use retcons to help tell his stories and the consequences can easily go either way in terms of affecting the quality of his stories or later stories.

Anyway, back to the story at hand. It is discovered in this story that while one Joker came into his own by himself, he ended up creating two other Jokers. Each one has their own nickname and it usually how they are addressed in the story. The Criminal is a representation of the Golden Age Joker who thinks and acts like a crime boss. The Clown is a representation of the Silver Age Joker who does some of the more over the top schemes. While also being the one who killed the second Robin, Jason Todd. Don’t worry, he came back as the Red Hood. And then there is The Comedian, the representation of the Bronze & Modern Age Joker. And the one who crippled & sexually violated Barbara Gordon AKA Batgirl. She also got better. As they gather once again, the plan seems to be for them to create a new Joker. And the choice they end up settling on is Joe Chill, the man who killed Bruce’s parents. It is up to Batman, Red Hood, & Batgirl to find and stop all the Jokers.

It was a smart idea to have Batman’s only allies in this story be the two that have suffered the most from one of the Jokers plans. It ties into the theme of trauma and how someone tries to move on from that experience. But there is more focus on Batman & Red Hood than there is on Batgirl. Jason goes through a variety of emotions and even ends up killing The Clown – the one who had originally killed him. But there isn’t a lot of exploration of what Batgirl is going through emotionally. You can make the argument that she has come to some sense of closure in her own title back in the main DCU and that since this only has 3 issues they need to cut something to keep it going. But considering Jason already aired out all of his baggage about his trauma back in mid 2000s and his feelings are plain and simple, it would be more interesting to see the complex thoughts Barbara has. Especially since in “The Killing Joke” – the story where the Joker crippled and violated her – her trauma was really just used to advance the story of all the male characters in the story, mainly the Joker’s. So to see her get less focus again is annoying.

Another issue this story shines on is the relationship between Batman and Jason Todd. As mentioned earlier, Jason came back as the Red Hood in the 2000s and he was a villain when first brought back. He used guns, he killed, he tried to get Batman to kill the Joker himself. Jason was angry, furious at Batman for not seeking vengeance against the Joker for what he did. But in the years since Jason Todd has come back, he has been transitioned into more of an anti-hero role that will sometimes be an ally to Batman. He still uses guns and keeps going back and forth on whether or not he kills. And yet when he kills one of the Jokers in this story and Barbara informs Bruce, he seems to want to forget it. Which is against how one of the most well known things about Batman is that his one rule it that he doesn’t kill. And makes sure any other vigilante operating in Gotham and allied with him also follows that rule. I think this is supposed to shed some light on why Batman has tried to bring Jason Todd back into the Bat Family since his resurrection. It’s supposed to be his way of trying to make up for what he sees as his failure for not saving him and him trying to not react & punish Jason for this murder ties into that. If so, it isn’t really explained that well. And it still goes against his one rule and how he is usually portrayed in the main continuity.

But on the other hand, this does also tie into one of the positives of the story. How Bruce is shown with some more humanity and emotion than he might normally be portrayed as. Which makes sense considering the inclusion of Joe Chill and how Batman ultimately has to choose to save him from becoming another Joker. We do get some insight into the history between the two and how he seems to have some closure about that trauma towards the end of the story. And we do get a good final scene between Batman & The Comedian – the last Joker left alive by the end. It isn’t groundbreaking but it does shine some light on how he views himself in their relationship.

One last issue to shed light on is the revelation that Batman has known the identity of this version of the Joker for a long time. And that his wife from before he transformed didn’t actually die but has been living in the Witness Protection Program with her son she was pregnant with back when she was with Joker. First of all, this goes against the established fact that he doesn’t actually know as show in the main DCU. Secondly, this does complicate how “The Killing Joke” is viewed. It kind of indicates Joker wasn’t the best husband prior to the transformation. Which might sound logical, but it goes against how he was characterized before he actually became the Joker. But I think this might actually balance out. That story wasn’t exactly the best in regards to handling it’s female characters. I already mentioned what that story did to Barbara. So actually having her survive and kept hidden so that they don’t get harassed by the press, Joker, or someone seeking revenge against Joker does give her a happy ending. Complicated as that revelation might be.

With all of that being said, where does the story stand quality-wise and is it worth the read? If you go into this story hoping to find something new and earth shattering, you might be disappointed. But it does play around with a cool concept that touches on the Joker’s entire comic history. There are some cool scenes and there is an emotional element to it that I think is well done. And the theme of finding a way to move past from past trauma is relevant. Yes, a couple of characters should have gotten more focus and some stuff that happens in the story goes against what has been established in the main continuity. But I think the advantage of it being published under a different imprint means it can be decided later if it is canon or not. Even though that means the main DCU just dropped one of it’s most interesting story teases in recent years. What I’m trying to say is that I was still able to enjoy this story. Maybe not as much as I wanted, but I think I was able to focus more on the good than the bad.

Comics, Film Editorials, Movies

Film Editorial – The Best Villain for The Batman 2

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The latest film version on the Caped Crusader has opened to positive reviews from both critics and audiences. With early talks for a sequel already underway, many people are trying to guess who the next villain will be. Most Batman fans and actors from the film have their money on The Court of Owls. A recent addition to Batman lore, they are a secret society of Gotham’s most powerful controlling everything from the shadows. They are also a group of villains that have been growing in popularity thanks to their appearances in other media. As exciting as they would be, it runs the risk of repeating the same story of corruption that the previous installment covered. Which is why, if you ask me, the best villain is a guy who used to wear a potato sack on his head.

Dr. Johnathan Crane is a psychologist at Arkham Asylum and a professor of Psychology. His experiments relating to fear and the effect they have on the human mind lead him to becoming the villain known as The Scarecrow. He has appeared in video games and various animated Batman shows over the years. But his most well known appearance was in the Christopher Nolan film “Batman Begins”. There was potential in him in that film, certainly not a bad performance. But it’s safe to say he was underutilized, especially when it came to showing what people see while under Crane’s fear toxin. But it is because of this lack of focus and development that Scarecrow can receive the same treatment as The Riddler. But what kind of story would work with this kind of character?

There was a recent storyline in Batman comics that focused on Scarecrow as the main bad guy. Known as “Fear State”, Dr. Crane took advantage of a city trying to recover from two back-to-back city wide traumatic events by using the media to intensify the sense of fear throughout Gotham. He even manipulated city officials into turning against Batman by framing him for terrorist attacks, forcing him to team up with a group of people – The Unsanity Collective – who try to move past their traumatic past by wiping their memories clean and losing all sense of fear. The entire purpose behind this plan is to push Gotham into what Dr. Crane calls the Fear State. His theory is that once they confront and push beyond the limits that fear puts on the human mind, people can grow and become better versions of themselves.

This is a storyline that can be used effectively in the next Matt Reeves film. After The Riddler kills several high profile officials – including the mayor – and then uses bombs to flood Gotham where his followers attempted to attack Gotham’s citizens, there would be fear that more people like The Riddler will start appearing. Dr. Crane could be inspired by what the serial killer was trying to accomplish and tries to help the city in his own way. Through a series of attacks and the spread of his fear toxin, he would push Gotham’s citizens into a state of panic in an effort to have them let go of their fear and become new people. The movie could even do justice when it comes to what people see when under the toxin’s influence. While the first movie had a psychological element and a Horror atmosphere, the movie could create truly disturbing visions and hallucinations that – if presented the right way – can make you question what is real in the scene you are watching. In this way, it can take inspiration from “Joker” by using subtle choices and framing to keep you guessing what’s really going on until the very last second. There can even be a way to adapt the Unsanity Collective where they are formed by Dr. Crane to help him in his mission.

This is admittedly my suggestion for where The Batman 2 could go. But it’s a direction I believe would help further the themes and story of Matt Reeves’s universe.