tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12545231364642510122024-03-06T02:10:41.283-05:00Humble OpinionsMedia commentary, pop culture, movies, television, comic books, politics and biographyJerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.comBlogger258125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-5039896372051451182020-08-28T22:38:00.001-04:002020-08-28T22:38:19.967-04:00RIP Chadwick Bozeman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe-wy9LxRK5zT7bKdxTEKP9aWTx49f4ESTK0LM4Z-DILWL8iiweBbtGZZIvIkF002KPnyF0NMmifcNFdG49tXNE1D_wv1Sr9SLeK0z96k9P8gvtMEjDVrSlws9z4PG4gB_BsEmzpLjhdn/s1600/Chadwick+Bozeman.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1080" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHe-wy9LxRK5zT7bKdxTEKP9aWTx49f4ESTK0LM4Z-DILWL8iiweBbtGZZIvIkF002KPnyF0NMmifcNFdG49tXNE1D_wv1Sr9SLeK0z96k9P8gvtMEjDVrSlws9z4PG4gB_BsEmzpLjhdn/s400/Chadwick+Bozeman.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">Prayers and condolences out to the friends and family of Chadwick Bozeman, a fine actor who passed away at age 43 today from colon cancer. Most famous for portraying Marvel's Black Panther in one of their best movies, he had much fine work ahead of him. An outstanding talent who will be missed.
</span>Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-1324026112939501302020-05-15T23:18:00.000-04:002020-05-15T23:21:29.295-04:00Comics: Warlock by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALz33jwz5u1qye9FtqfWr6939fzFjHvZMllV6zBosrjvVgyqdp1NJSE0SN-d37IVCHosK9FWCCJ2zs8oTwFERl7blcDeKmG45aSIwSnIYaDrA0AaH1oQ8UuXXReoGRhkrhIsT5gerFLdD/s1600/Warlock.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="225" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhALz33jwz5u1qye9FtqfWr6939fzFjHvZMllV6zBosrjvVgyqdp1NJSE0SN-d37IVCHosK9FWCCJ2zs8oTwFERl7blcDeKmG45aSIwSnIYaDrA0AaH1oQ8UuXXReoGRhkrhIsT5gerFLdD/s320/Warlock.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
was just a kid in the ‘70s, but I remember them as trippy times for comics. No
creator was trippier than Jim Starlin, and no characters were trippier than the
ones he worked on. While the beginnings of Adam Warlock were with Lee &
Kirby (created as the character Him in <i>Fantastic
Four</i>), Starlin and other writers morphed and grew Warlock into the space
spanning, cosmic demi-god he became. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>Warlock
by Jim Starlin: The Complete Collection</i> includes <i>Strange Tales</i> #178-181, <i>Warlock</i>
#9-15, <i>Avengers Annual </i>#7, and <i>Marvel Two-In-One Annual </i>#2. While
Starlin would return to the character frequently in subsequent decades, this
book collects a brilliant contained story, with a beginning, middle and end.
There are some side trips, but they all add up to an extremely satisfying, and
surprising, conclusion. Starlin introduces some classic characters in these
stories, including Pip the Troll, Gamora daughter of Thanos, and Drax the
Destroyer. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLh1AYfgSJNI3T_HOe6KbNxtpjKExKRK09bHe8nudf_c632HyaVdnRO-8YHVeiuJjueAvxb-IieoRtlONDenxVppikmOS2zwsR-haui6FLAArAnHrzBn5yWgGOQi7iNgCsn4Y3EDz9h371/s1600/Warlock+Magus.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="258" data-original-width="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLh1AYfgSJNI3T_HOe6KbNxtpjKExKRK09bHe8nudf_c632HyaVdnRO-8YHVeiuJjueAvxb-IieoRtlONDenxVppikmOS2zwsR-haui6FLAArAnHrzBn5yWgGOQi7iNgCsn4Y3EDz9h371/s1600/Warlock+Magus.png" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Magus and his 'fro</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the first half of the book, the antagonist is the Magus, a future
version of Warlock (with the trippiest afro you’ve ever seen). The Magus runs
the Universal Church of Truth, an evil mind control organization. Starlin must
have had a negative experience with religion as a child, as evil churches and
clergymen are themes he revisits repeatedly in his work. For the second half of
the book, Thanos was front and center as the villain who wants to destroy half
the universe to please his mistress, Death. I didn’t understand that as a kid
and I still don’t, but it is rather horrifying, then and now. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_fj-Gy2yu6MaamvdMc1xngrJ75BWJueg91Po4Jnync9CxAGUIAE9ETWXTMpsYe8ez-QaYPxQulP2RDLJqZGPUOKBkBBr4OvH2WS3tkBOgpBYjC2bbb9_dKzPqD7MozlNIDfh99kpTQPM/s1600/Warlock+Friends.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="675" data-original-width="1200" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx_fj-Gy2yu6MaamvdMc1xngrJ75BWJueg91Po4Jnync9CxAGUIAE9ETWXTMpsYe8ez-QaYPxQulP2RDLJqZGPUOKBkBBr4OvH2WS3tkBOgpBYjC2bbb9_dKzPqD7MozlNIDfh99kpTQPM/s320/Warlock+Friends.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In these stories,
Warlock’s journey concludes in one of the coolest rock-n-roll endings ever, crossing
over between <i>Avengers Annual</i> #7 and <i>Marvel Two-In-One Annual</i> #2. When I read
these books as a child I hadn’t read the Warlock stories that led up to them (nor
would I have fully understood them) and they <i>still</i> blew my mind. It would have been fine if Marvel had left Adam
Warlock where he was at the end of this epic, but I understand that Starlin
made him a popular character through these tales and there was more of his saga
to tell. In the meantime, while definitely products of their time, these stories
still hold up and provide a thinking man’s version of a cosmic superhero. It
was great fun to revisit them and they are highly recommended. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grade: A</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 18.4px;"><span style="font-size: large;">Worth your valuable time: Unequivocally. </span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-75219029239153463272020-04-26T18:02:00.004-04:002020-04-26T22:23:26.146-04:00Graphic Novels: The Twilight Man by Koren Shadmi<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosjCBWOT9t_c5_vPSsDJY_8lVqnejusRw61i91Z_MtGsjlbavzS2pE0FdM5Zhka-838eG8IIgERwfDUOYS-WHcjjansUWZCWcPnd-bOLQL1aRGLt5Faxf_ek6ZhI4lnMIeobR5-oIAw8k/s1600/Twilight+Man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="425" data-original-width="318" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiosjCBWOT9t_c5_vPSsDJY_8lVqnejusRw61i91Z_MtGsjlbavzS2pE0FdM5Zhka-838eG8IIgERwfDUOYS-WHcjjansUWZCWcPnd-bOLQL1aRGLt5Faxf_ek6ZhI4lnMIeobR5-oIAw8k/s320/Twilight+Man.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
never knew much about the background of <i>Twilight
Zone</i> creator and host Rod Serling—except he worked briefly at local
Cincinnati radio station WLW in the 50s, writing commercials and radio dramas. I
heard other things about him—he wrote the first draft of the <i>Planet of the Apes</i> screenplay, he was
prolific, and he sold the syndication rights to <i>The Twilight Zone </i>much too cheaply, never dreaming it would be
broadcast worldwide in perpetuity. <i>The Twilight
Man</i>, an expertly researched graphic novel/biography by writer/artist Koren
Shadmi, changes all that. Shadmi, a comic creator from Israel, digs deep into
Serling’s WWII experiences (where he was one of the few Jews in his platoon),
his boxing experience—he was small and looked for ways to be tough—and his
first attempts at writing and storytelling. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">After
the war, Serling dealt with his diagnosis of shellshock by writing stories and
poetry. He found he had both a talent and knack for writing. As a former paratrooper,
at first he supplemented his income by being a parachute tester, a dangerous—but
lucrative—way to make a few extra bucks (then left him with several new injuries).
After a few years toiling away at WLW in Cincinnati, Serling struck it big with
his first live national presentation for Kraft Theater, a show called <i>Patterns</i>. His career took off from
there. Multiple offers and a move to New York soon followed. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Throughout
his career, Serling had to fight the TV censors and the balance between art and
commerce. After years of this battle, he was inspired to create <i>The Twilight Zone</i>, where he could write
about almost any TV taboo subject he wanted, as long as he cloaked it in a
fantasy/sci-fi metaphor. Then things really took off. <i>Twilight Zone</i> did well enough for a five year run, but was never a
runaway ratings hit. With his reputation now established, Serling wrote
everything from live TV theater to books and endless <i>Twilight Zone</i> episodes. Not to mention being the on-air host of the
show and the producer. Life was busy and hard on his marriage. After <i>Twilight Zone</i>, he taught screenwriting at
Ithaca College and loved it, then smoked himself to an early death.</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Artist/author
Shadmi expertly handles the pacing of the story and Serling’s mental state
during each phase. He shows the writer warts and all, and how intensely
creative people give so much of themselves because they want to take advantage
of work and popularity that may be gone at any time. This usually ends in
burnout, as it did with Serling several times. However, Rod always bounced back
and had something new to say. He didn’t always make the right decisions, but
who does? Serling’s life ended too early during open-heart surgery after a
major heart attack. Hollywood had permanently burned out one of the finest
writers it ever produced at only 50 years of age. <i>The Twilight Man</i> not only deals with the popular parts of Serling’s
career, but also the beginnings of live television and the battles artists have
to fight to defend their voice and non-traditional points of view. For lovers
of history and the mass media. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grade:
A<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Worth
your valuable time: Yes, a fantastic read. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-5963933843453816252020-04-16T17:04:00.000-04:002020-05-01T16:31:23.207-04:00Movies – The Man Who Killed Hitler and then The Bigfoot<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8Gtizltnj2RWYF6_gAELnEdPHvzUE6T7yvXpitxgr-9fFpdUaB968zctcjJTRVVM5iyimYxju9dhs1g5fvAFXVMqSMHNuA-3e2NN7eOVjjSCtZDtT60VjsGyNpeeNwP2GdyfoJh2fyKJ/s1600/Man+Who+Killed+Hitler.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1019" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC8Gtizltnj2RWYF6_gAELnEdPHvzUE6T7yvXpitxgr-9fFpdUaB968zctcjJTRVVM5iyimYxju9dhs1g5fvAFXVMqSMHNuA-3e2NN7eOVjjSCtZDtT60VjsGyNpeeNwP2GdyfoJh2fyKJ/s400/Man+Who+Killed+Hitler.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
is a strange one, and won’t be to everyone’s taste. I enjoyed it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Ace actor Sam
Elliott plays a weathered and grizzled old man, living a quiet and lonely life in
his suburban home. He’s also the man who, near the end of World War II, killed
Hitler in an Allied plot quickly covered up by the Germans. I’d add a spoiler
warning, but, hey, it’s right there in the title! Through the years, Elliott’s
character, Calvin Barr, has become disillusioned with life. The war led to a
dim view of human nature, killing other humans, and cost him his best girl. Now
he lives a settled and decent life, treating others kindly and not reliving
his “glory” days. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Until
the government comes to him and tries to recruit him to kill the Bigfoot. There
are legitimate reasons why, as well as why Calvin is the best and only man for
the job. Initially declining, after a talk with the younger brother who
idolizes him (beautifully played by comedian Larry Miller), Calvin decides to
strap on the rifle once again and go hunting. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Elliott
does such a wonderful job portraying a man who is tired of killing, tired of
taking the world’s problems on his shoulders. But as an honorable and practical
man, he knows he must do what’s right. So he does it, efficiently and without
question. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
quirky gem has a tone which varies from humor to soap opera drama, with a
hightened sense of spectacle added for good measure. It’s silly and absurd
while also being dramatic and moving. The film is cast perfectly, from Elliott
himself to Aidan Turner (<i>Poldark</i>) as
young Calvin and Caitlin FitzGerald (<i>Masters
of Sex</i>) as the girl-next-door teacher who is the love of his life. Like any
man, Calvin’s life holds great achievements—certainly more than most men—and great
disappointments. It’s how he handles these events that show what kind of man he truly is. And that man is both honorable and worth watching. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grade:
B+<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Worth
your valuable time: Yes. </span>Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-87022943830017504062020-04-08T16:46:00.002-04:002020-04-08T16:46:34.305-04:00Read my Celebrity Crush column in Retro Fan #8! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2sCcsjZkmoHsRApqiEp1aaUDOJKBaQzfwLBB9AyT9osmTbbCZc6hEGHpe86gf6tNY2BmHs0u4Pq6apyR8ynzvilpirvgxd_ZfBKMQPhPnKxSz2RjDq7KlchKZ9iGM9ZR-HC3fGTnj1tJ/s1600/Retro+Fan+9.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw2sCcsjZkmoHsRApqiEp1aaUDOJKBaQzfwLBB9AyT9osmTbbCZc6hEGHpe86gf6tNY2BmHs0u4Pq6apyR8ynzvilpirvgxd_ZfBKMQPhPnKxSz2RjDq7KlchKZ9iGM9ZR-HC3fGTnj1tJ/s400/Retro+Fan+9.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">More
stuff to read during the apocalypse! <i>Retro Fan</i> is a slick, color magazine that
deals with pop culture of the 60s and 70s. It’s not only a great mag with
articles about everything from ViewMaster, classic toys and The Flintsones to food and tourist
attractions, but this month features my “Celebrity Crush” column! My subjects?
Only the best—Jeannie the Genie vs. Samantha Stevens. Yes, I look at my ongoing
crushes on two fine ladies, Barbara Eden and Elizabeth Montgomery. I actually
planned to meet Ms. Eden last week at the Lexington Comic & Toy Show, if it
hadn‘t been cancelled. Curse you, Coronavirus! Anyway, the mag is a great read.
Pick it up if you’d like to see whom I picked as the ultimate Celebrity Crush.
Order your copy online <a href="https://twomorrows.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=98_152&products_id=1519&zenid=04eda9c4554ac244117eaee9ad9811b7" target="_blank">here</a>. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-21704489744872406082020-04-03T16:01:00.001-04:002020-04-03T16:02:05.320-04:00Books: Cardinal Black by Robert McCammon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyEpo0qeHFNZeMX7JNXqnbINKRMD4BjnlVkNMgTH2DBCEnq4eAKee1dQlrV6kV9oN7i1m7Eqlh2biWtX7a2rwQXYSo282iFj4CL3ckB8kg15pLluiEANrNGxPZq6j1grGb8xMXFDRyuuw/s1600/Cardinal+Black.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="333" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLyEpo0qeHFNZeMX7JNXqnbINKRMD4BjnlVkNMgTH2DBCEnq4eAKee1dQlrV6kV9oN7i1m7Eqlh2biWtX7a2rwQXYSo282iFj4CL3ckB8kg15pLluiEANrNGxPZq6j1grGb8xMXFDRyuuw/s320/Cardinal+Black.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Cardinal Black</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">
is McCammon’s latest entry in his early American colonies thriller series
featuring Matthew Corbett. Corbett is sometimes referred to as a young James
Bond, but I’m not sure why. He’s not a spy (although he certainly does some
spying), is much more of a thinker than a fighter, and while attractive to women
(especially the <i>femme fatal </i>type),
he’s not really a ladies’ man. I suppose that’s just an easy way for reviewers
to put him in a box for easy consumption. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">In
the series, Matthew is a good man in a world of brigands. Ostensibly working as
a detective for the Herald Agency, he is based in early 1700s New York, a
colorful and immersive world brought to life by master raconteur Robert
McCammon. The book is the best entry in the series since the first, </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Speaks the Nightbird</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"> (one of my favorite
books of all time). The story is a thrill a minute, with high stakes, major
battles with villains, narrow escapes and twisty alliances that change every
few pages. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Cardinal Black</span></i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">
is continued from the last volume, <i>Freedom
of the Mask</i>. Matthew has promised to regain a book of evil potions for the
crime boss Professor Fell. He is assigned a chaperone to keep him in line, a
charming psychopath named Julian Devane. Starting out as bitter enemies, the
two come to, if not an understanding, at least a mutual respect. Why would
Matthew agree to such a thing? Berry Grigsby, the love of Matthew’s life, is a drugged
prisoner of Professor Fell, and will stay in a permanent brainwashed and
drugged state unless Matthew can recover the book—which contains the antidote
to Berry’s ills. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">The
mission takes Matthew and Julian to the heart of the English countryside and
some very bad men. And women. The villains, a rogue British Admiral and Satan’s helper,
the aptly named Cardinal Black, are auctioning off the potion book to the
highest bidder, buyers that include killers from the worst criminal groups in
the world. Any of whom would kill Matthew in a second. And believe me, they try. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">I
couldn’t put this book down; McCammon is a master of suspense and cliffhanging
chapter endings. Will Matthew get the book and save Berry? Will Professor Fell
kill him when his task is accomplished? How will they escape? And who will
change the other the most, Matthew or Julian? </span><i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Cardinal Black</i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"> is a brilliant thriller and a true treat. So go
treat yourself.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grade:
A<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: 'times new roman', serif; font-size: large; line-height: 115%;">Worth
your valuable time: Yes! </span>Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-89489753775233733052020-04-02T22:51:00.001-04:002020-04-02T22:54:53.255-04:00Life imitates art ... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAtEhKZLnd2X-bkZJ2zWaRYtJbIxNrRfPKMkSO5Brhn2YCIOjZt8XrJ2Xl_7j4NIWPG8-2jJ3OeqBAKhSIf92sdZN_9f-7xpjeKtBCOuKGT_kNu3QdmCPoRE2GKRAyfTTr7lhL3rKlF8e/s1600/GP+and+Supergirl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1024" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrAtEhKZLnd2X-bkZJ2zWaRYtJbIxNrRfPKMkSO5Brhn2YCIOjZt8XrJ2Xl_7j4NIWPG8-2jJ3OeqBAKhSIf92sdZN_9f-7xpjeKtBCOuKGT_kNu3QdmCPoRE2GKRAyfTTr7lhL3rKlF8e/s400/GP+and+Supergirl.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
Master artist George Perez salutes his most famous cover ... </div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbphYWT0mE7gEAH5A6CwnOzZJLXDWt5UCSXzCAdmy_dQ9KPxl7nsZ3tRmov3XDti4GcgsSP75lrAuhrjxrhB1slb_zAjGViOyNatHypuB2p5jHyUASmQ61BtYOsr7U-9PHyNrhuPeti5sB/s1600/Crisis+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="616" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbphYWT0mE7gEAH5A6CwnOzZJLXDWt5UCSXzCAdmy_dQ9KPxl7nsZ3tRmov3XDti4GcgsSP75lrAuhrjxrhB1slb_zAjGViOyNatHypuB2p5jHyUASmQ61BtYOsr7U-9PHyNrhuPeti5sB/s320/Crisis+7.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i>Crisis on Infinite Earths</i> #7, from 1985.<br />
<div style="text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
I just reread the <i>Crisis</i> series, and it holds up just fine, thank you. </div>
</div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-5140231474840061692019-04-21T18:14:00.001-04:002019-04-21T18:14:41.287-04:00Comics: Q-Ball #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSg5GCIJ8ws4hau19ReeKnR-0uw3ErZ3KvtW01guf8s5KefjXtXl7R4Uw3KSlkDEizDEbvmIj2YzLQPWcrp1H-5JjZMi95dNrlrN9hytTfO3_I2ndEF5UnI2E8O10wIWM4imNS5Q9QLRK/s1600/Q+Ball+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1059" data-original-width="680" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOSg5GCIJ8ws4hau19ReeKnR-0uw3ErZ3KvtW01guf8s5KefjXtXl7R4Uw3KSlkDEizDEbvmIj2YzLQPWcrp1H-5JjZMi95dNrlrN9hytTfO3_I2ndEF5UnI2E8O10wIWM4imNS5Q9QLRK/s320/Q+Ball+1.jpg" width="205" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Man
I have missed reading comics by Mike Baron. Sure, I could raid the long boxes
and dig out out everything from </span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Nexus</b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">
to </span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">The Grackle</b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">—but new Baron is
always welcome in this house. Imagine when the great one offered to send me a review
copy of his newest effort, </span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Q-Ball</b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">. Signed,
yet! Of course I jumped at the chance.</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Q-Ball</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">
is another outstanding and quirky puzzle piece in the Baron oeuvre. Seems that
our title character is a Detroit native named Curtis Ball, a Merchant Marine
who wanted to see the world and learn the visually cool arts of Kung Fu and stick
fighting, or Escrima. Curtis’s current day job is managing a warehouse in Manila. After
an altercation with a potential client without the correct paperwork, Curtis
discovers a dead body in the warehouse and is forced to battle some vile
gangsters interested in illegal withdrawals from the warehouse stock. This is
not something of which Curtis approves, and he is forced to confront the
miscreants with staggering violence. Digging further into the situation, Curtis
meets, and ends up protecting, Donna Wing, a Chinese national busy exposing
human rights abuses by people who don’t want their rocks turned over. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">It’s
an enticing first issue, setting up an intriguing plot and introducing our
players in dramatic ways. The art by Barry McClain Jr. is excellent
storytelling, with clear action and gorgeous, flowing martial arts sequences. The last page left me wanting more and I desperately want to find out what happens next, something every good comic
should do. No decompressed storytelling here, only the beginning of another
epic Bloody Red Baron production. Bring on #2! </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Grade: A </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Worth
the cover price: Unequivocal yes. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-28094926549389791052019-03-05T23:04:00.000-05:002019-03-05T23:07:31.007-05:00My BACK ISSUE Hulk Article is Published Wednesday! <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBZhiMtCKEzhucWQX9PHcL5IYbSbfWvzj8Dcx7VmiRq2SI0REi3K0FAqzRC1wEUZTl3fP2vqzQPCR7z1LQNwQQ65nZABNaW23uM-8i0m60YGd_ZE6U5lbPOsFfo06LuwVNo2QsTk7jSIm/s1600/Back+Issue+111.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="455" data-original-width="350" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkBZhiMtCKEzhucWQX9PHcL5IYbSbfWvzj8Dcx7VmiRq2SI0REi3K0FAqzRC1wEUZTl3fP2vqzQPCR7z1LQNwQQ65nZABNaW23uM-8i0m60YGd_ZE6U5lbPOsFfo06LuwVNo2QsTk7jSIm/s400/Back+Issue+111.jpg" width="307" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Just a note that my article on the comic story "Future Imperfect" starring the Incredible Hulk is published tomorrow in BACK ISSUE #111! I'm really excited about it because I was privileged to interview writer Peter David and one of the greatest artists of all time, George Perez! Also, Future Imperfect, about the Hulk going to a dystopic future to fight an evil version of himself, the Maestro, is probably my favorite Hulk story. This one was really a blast. As editor Michael Eury says, don't ask, just BI it! </span>Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-53117370958124322552019-02-15T14:09:00.003-05:002019-02-15T14:10:23.319-05:00Dr. Smith Anecdote<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtWLeyElGHCgOrt8Fw4Bza-yR1YFaZfWl8OQ8cF92MCDF4b6WHML9PbNSiR9hEDuSUQuajnqtXRrDJOMr9uzAw3xsjbk_UmBfO91ikt_HluWTDLVavOfzjKnHnhBdh4iyd_FB3EOgPS3u/s1600/Dr.+Smith.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="861" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixtWLeyElGHCgOrt8Fw4Bza-yR1YFaZfWl8OQ8cF92MCDF4b6WHML9PbNSiR9hEDuSUQuajnqtXRrDJOMr9uzAw3xsjbk_UmBfO91ikt_HluWTDLVavOfzjKnHnhBdh4iyd_FB3EOgPS3u/s320/Dr.+Smith.jpg" width="269" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">From ace writer Mark Evanier's website, a funny story from Jonathan Harris, Dr. Zachary Smith from <i>Lost in Space</i>. It's weird to hear Dr. Smith say the f-word. <a href="https://www.newsfromme.com/2019/02/13/todays-video-link-2861/" target="_blank">Here's the link</a>. </span><br />
<br />
<br />Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-34143657109807658402019-02-01T23:10:00.002-05:002019-02-01T23:18:35.939-05:00 Television: Punisher Season 2 (Netflix)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpxFKD2zOaYlxOREKvyfORFuLW4FKDBnEQBWZXdKc_ukohGPX3fzgR4zk7BAJ4EmqELBv3HsPALZAe8ag787VBT5ZjRQGmj1MpopHbtO_OwYwCyWU7QGxAOJzb3IA0e3Uc7UW0802aLRR/s1600/Punisher+S2+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="500" data-original-width="334" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIpxFKD2zOaYlxOREKvyfORFuLW4FKDBnEQBWZXdKc_ukohGPX3fzgR4zk7BAJ4EmqELBv3HsPALZAe8ag787VBT5ZjRQGmj1MpopHbtO_OwYwCyWU7QGxAOJzb3IA0e3Uc7UW0802aLRR/s320/Punisher+S2+Poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unbelievable.
It really is. I hated the first season of <b>The
Punisher</b>, the show was truly awful. Slowly paced, very little punishing,
story all over the place. However, someone learned from their mistakes and in
the process discovered who the Punisher was. Season Two was the best Marvel
show so far and its last episode was the best single Marvel TV show to date. I’m
not sure what happened, but more like this please. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Recovered
from the events of Season 1, Frank Castle is wandering through the American
Midwest, reveling in his freedom. When mercenaries invade a bar and go after a
teenage girl, Frank steps in to rescue her and gets sucked in to a major
situation. Meanwhile back in New York, Billy Russo, who Frank defeated and
disfigured last season, escapes a mental hospital with help from his smitten
female therapist and goes on a crime rampage. Eventually the two storylines
come together (at least in the same place) and Frank does some major punishing.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">What’s
so good is that the producers have finally let Frank Castle just be who he is
meant to be. No evil person is safe. He punishes women, devout religious types,
deranged psychotics and politicians. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
pacing is a lot better this season, and the story concentrates much more on
Castle and his immediate supporting cast. The girl he saves in the bar, Amy,
becomes a surrogate daughter whom he protects at any cost. And the cost is
high. The story does screech to a halt for a while when all the characters get
to New York, but picks up the pace again quickly. I think in a Punisher show it’s
reasonable that Frank should kill one person in every episode—at least! He does
this in most episodes, a welcome relief from sitting on the sidelines for most
of Season 1. The fights are expertly choreographed, especially Franks’s
hand-to-hand combat with a gym full of Russian gangsters. That was fun, if
brutal, to watch. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
are very few negatives to this season. Billy, who becomes the villain Jigsaw,
is far too pretty. In the comics, Jigsaw’s face looks like a 1000-piece puzzle.
Billy only has a few scars. They should have gone with a lot more damage. The
pacing was still slow in a few of the episodes, and Frank doesn’t wear his
skull near enough—but those are minor nitpicks. He does wear his chest skull at
all the right times, and the last scene of the show is a triumph right out of
the comics. Thank you Marvel, for finally making an action-filled show that
pulls no punches—literally. The show has already been renewed for Season 3—let’s
hope it is half this good. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Grade:
A</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Worth
your valuable time?: Oh, yes. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/jrLhP5sK2wI/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/jrLhP5sK2wI?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-69162293185399768982019-02-01T13:44:00.001-05:002019-02-01T13:44:05.575-05:00Update ... And now for something somewhat different ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD673Y3bLhBr6RbvlL5SlDBYOOIuTLrJUGBahGeKcMT9GaSgaZx-Y7KRxdbR57oYOxtygMD-5TEDbotRvwb3eRVVKPmy505hB5nfDLT6MsVgVyKxc7Um1ZvXRCCydUkm9iGImVFEShOQ70/s1600/Critics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="682" data-original-width="1024" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD673Y3bLhBr6RbvlL5SlDBYOOIuTLrJUGBahGeKcMT9GaSgaZx-Y7KRxdbR57oYOxtygMD-5TEDbotRvwb3eRVVKPmy505hB5nfDLT6MsVgVyKxc7Um1ZvXRCCydUkm9iGImVFEShOQ70/s320/Critics.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Time
to do some blogging again! For the six or seven of my regular readers,
hopefully I’ll have a bit more time this year to share some obsessions and
point out various oddities. First off, a change in the review system. In order
to give more accurate opinions of different media, we’re trying a few new things.
First, the 5-Star review system will change to a grade system, A thru F. Don’t
worry, I don’t think I’m a teacher, doling out the <i>final say</i> to media professionals from my ivory tower. It’s just a
handy way to share an opinion. For the record, I realize that even the worst
media is usually created by people trying their best to entertain—and sometimes
failing miserably. No one sets out to make bad entertainment, but sometimes
things go spectacularly wrong. The only exceptions are when story quality or entertainment
value is booted in favor of an agenda. Doesn’t matter what the agenda is, SJW
or white nationalism, progressive or alt right. If someone is more interested
in pounding me over the head with their
political or cultural message than telling a story, it usually means a bad
story and a low grade will be forthcoming. Given that this is every Marvel comic
book published since 2010, I don’t have hopes for good reviews for Marvel
comics. However, I won’t be reviewing (or reading) many Marvel books, so that
shouldn’t be a problem. I want to like and enjoy pop culture, so I tend to
avoid things that have proven to be toxic. I don’t “hate-watch/read” anything.
I like being happy. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">The
other change is just to ask, and answer, a simple question at the end of each
review: Is this movie/comic/TV show worth your valuable ticket price, money or
time? I’ve read mediocre reviews that are not positive or negative that leave
me confused not only whether the writer actually liked the subject; but also was
it worth the time/price? That’s what is important to me when reading reviews,
and I will endeavor to provide it in my own. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; line-height: 115%;">Just
remember, this is one man’s view. You are free to differ or see/read/watch
stuff I disliked. It’s all just my Humble Opinion. </span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-53182893876616957772018-10-14T17:39:00.000-04:002018-10-22T15:32:13.465-04:00Books: Monster Hunter Memoirs: Saints by John Ringo and Larry Correia<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu5vIipbaETsbRhFTzaT1QjDqTzDlgw6LUzLFY4FDyx8Y1iTLlIMFeRT5GdClwA5g6DDO6GpBenFONxkjVy0nNSrkEO_Wbfmg_NwKe9SzMZnNIuJSt6CsSBhiBEgVyamy1bKYAfoWP3m5/s1600/MHIM+Saints.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="329" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVu5vIipbaETsbRhFTzaT1QjDqTzDlgw6LUzLFY4FDyx8Y1iTLlIMFeRT5GdClwA5g6DDO6GpBenFONxkjVy0nNSrkEO_Wbfmg_NwKe9SzMZnNIuJSt6CsSBhiBEgVyamy1bKYAfoWP3m5/s320/MHIM+Saints.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
look at this book with mixed feelings. On one hand, it’s a fantastic read, full
of nonstop excitement, crazy ideas and page-turning action. On the other hand,
it’s probably the last book in the Monster Hunter International Universe by
John Ringo—and that is a sad thing. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">As
the story goes, MHI author Larry Correia picked up the phone one day and
established writer John Ringo was on the line. He’d written a bunch of books in
Correia’s MHI Universe and wanted to know if Correia was interested in having
them published. Not being dumb, Correia happily accepted the offer and now we
have <i>Monster Hunter Memoirs: Grunge </i>(<a href="https://jerryshumbleopinions.blogspot.com/2017/04/books-flame-bearer-monster-hunter.html" target="_blank">See my review here</a>), <i>Monster Hunter Memoirs:
Sinners</i> (<a href="http://jerryshumbleopinions.blogspot.com/2016/11/books-monster-hunter-memoirs-grunge-and.html" target="_blank">ditto here</a>), and now the final book in the trilogy, <i>MHM: Saints</i>. Correia is very clear that he
does some editing and streamlining to make sure the books fit smoothly with the
MHI Universe mythology, but this is mainly Ringo’s rodeo. To me, that is a very
gracious author. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
can see why Correia was so open to the <i>Memoir</i>
series; they’re great. The protagonist, Chad Gardenier, is a working-class
genius, ladies man, sword/gun nut and all-around tough guy. Someone you would
definitely want on your side in a fight. Ringo perfectly chooses the elements
of the MHI Universe he wants to work with; fighting monsters of course, as well
as MHI’s ongoing battles with their main nemesis, the U.S. government’s Monster
Control Bureau. Here, after a harrowing experience, Gardenier actually brings a
personal lawsuit against the MCB—and the results are spectacular! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Taking place in the 1980s, this last book in the spinoff series (for now), brings a definitive close to Chad’s
story. Forshadowed in the first book, it's an ending we dreaded but all knew was coming. How it happens is the important
thing, and Ringo provides an epic ending. Chad is his usual lovable self
(unless you piss him off, which can be deadly), killing monsters in New Orleans
and trying to avoid the MCB. When he ends up on their **** list, he decides to
leave town and investigate a nefarious plot they claim he is part of. He finds
evidence of a Lovecraft-level threat existing under New Orleans, one that will
take an army of MHI team members to fight—and even that won’t be enough if he can’t
figure out how to dispatch it! Along the way, Chad meets and romances many
beautiful ladies, finds new monster species (both friendly and not so much), obtains
a doctorate from Oxford and kills a lot of evil creatures. Then he writes it all
down, which is the basis for this memoir. The final pages are written by
another, filling in readers on Chad’s (possibly) last mission. The final
sentence in the book is a triumph and gives readers hope for a bright future
for the Gardenier family. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Are
these books better than the mothership series, <i>Monster Hunter International</i>? Who cares, both series are the best
modern fantasy has to offer. Let’s just say I can’t wait to read every new MHI
book by Larry Correia and they are extremely satisfying. And I couldn’t wait to
read every new MHI Memoir book, and each one in the series was extremely
satisfying. All MHI books are highly recommended. Now I go in search of
everything John Ringo has ever written. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
***** out of 5 stars. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-27148714404100637372018-09-27T21:15:00.001-04:002018-09-27T21:33:55.915-04:00Books: John Wayne: A Life by Scott Eyman<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6pogDQedYtuE_mOm4p3HXZaRtvJGXntgBMLCZl1TMnSpYV-JyIaa1qs7mP1LaYrDgDZG88O5DDlsvx4NaoCkISbaOquVWQ8fqTIgMaBNtguPvc5S0LTa4IKRha723pMZetRYnlNioCWe/s1600/John+Wayne+Bio.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="346" data-original-width="230" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix6pogDQedYtuE_mOm4p3HXZaRtvJGXntgBMLCZl1TMnSpYV-JyIaa1qs7mP1LaYrDgDZG88O5DDlsvx4NaoCkISbaOquVWQ8fqTIgMaBNtguPvc5S0LTa4IKRha723pMZetRYnlNioCWe/s320/John+Wayne+Bio.jpg" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">John
Wayne is hands down my favorite movie star of all time. The swagger, the walk,
the voice, the <i>presence</i> ... all
combine into a mish-mash of screen glory. An odd result for someone who never
set out to be a movie star. Born Marion Morrison, Wayne wanted to be a football
star, but those dreams were sidelined by an injury early on. He found stunts
fun in the movie business, and slowly graduated to bit parts and eventually
starring roles in B-movies. Then B+ movies. Then he met director John Ford and
his star took off like a rocket. It was only then he became <i>John Wayne</i>. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNxpJ1YN6ERjp1CdT1DWJS-YiESeIX-jbsySUq8tkvHVaChq17QnKAazBP0blN-Q3r02xhUGyFhK6h2ErN8qXDNxUw-jPjKAxoZ3hBRI5fBehL4mAwMZ6UP8Y0_y5oNcORqI3FHP26wrZ/s1600/John+Wayne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="268" data-original-width="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNNxpJ1YN6ERjp1CdT1DWJS-YiESeIX-jbsySUq8tkvHVaChq17QnKAazBP0blN-Q3r02xhUGyFhK6h2ErN8qXDNxUw-jPjKAxoZ3hBRI5fBehL4mAwMZ6UP8Y0_y5oNcORqI3FHP26wrZ/s1600/John+Wayne.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Author
Eyman is in love with his subject, as so many biographers are, but it doesn’t
prevent an honest look at Wayne’s life and career. Readers are taken through
Wayne’s slow burn to superstardom; his several marriages (including his second
to a Mexican prostitute), his affairs with many of his leading ladies, the
facts of his failure to serve in WWII and a good look at his generous and larger
than life personality. His years-long dalliance with Marlene Dietrich was a
surprise. She saw him in a studio cafeteria one day and said to her agent, “Daddy,
I want that!” She got it, and they did several movies together. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">As
with Elvis Presley, Wayne had so many financial commitments and kept so many
people working, he was forced to take one job after the next to keep the
enterprise rolling. Both celebrities were so busy chasing cheap, easy projects,
they missed prospective gems. Especially galling was the failed project
featuring Wayne as an aging rancher and Clint Eastwood as a young cowboy,
fighting against an evil land baron. That would have been fun, but Wayne
thought it too violent and the project faded away. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmexCwRYEZFEzPJgx0KwTKRVq9OXvBvRVylJjpV5YOoCDB3KQ3w2mi9fKO0DuGopiwx59kDpEpAcwa4N9_r0n4I926M7afPI7QWF8kJtAdzhuRbqjnjINmAxk3tAMZkuexeOw0y6q4uhz/s1600/Spoilers+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="580" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirmexCwRYEZFEzPJgx0KwTKRVq9OXvBvRVylJjpV5YOoCDB3KQ3w2mi9fKO0DuGopiwx59kDpEpAcwa4N9_r0n4I926M7afPI7QWF8kJtAdzhuRbqjnjINmAxk3tAMZkuexeOw0y6q4uhz/s320/Spoilers+Poster.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
saw <i>The Spoilers</i> recently, a 1942
gold rush story with Wayne, Randolph Scott and Dietrich as the love interest.
The film was good and Wayne did a good job. However, he wasn’t yet <i>John Wayne</i>. Movie star Wayne was totally
comfortable in his skin. This was an actor learning his craft. Although it was
good to see Wayne throw back his head for a loud belly laugh, something the
actor rarely did as a movie star. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Early
in his career, John Wayne’s screen persona was everyone’s best friend. Then he became everyone’s
older brother. Then everyone’s dad and finally everyone’s loveable grandpa. His
star never tarnished and he is still a top favorite movie star all over the
world. <i>John Wayne: A Life</i> fills in
many knowledge gaps about the star’s rise and struggle to stay on top. I could
have used a lot more anecdotes and “making of” stories of individual films,
especially my favorite Wayne film, <i>Big
Jake</i> (followed closely by <i>North to
Alaska</i> and <i>The Quiet Man</i>), but
perhaps that will be another volume. This book is about the man, and does an outstanding
job showing that man, warts and all. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
****½ stars out of 5 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-81125418927694724052018-07-09T21:22:00.000-04:002018-07-10T22:30:26.302-04:00R.I.P. Steve Ditko<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJoZiL5nnrKeJ7sgl1gfRuYOjxPjgqarx678eyMbn20wLTct98tBZHAOEKkaunp-Qg_uSVBsmi1speWuvfigzXqWVGxZLVL_vucp5Qw18EVJyfXwlomxSAxQpFk_k1c1ibS8HCN3h-EPK/s1600/Steve+Ditko.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="299" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlJoZiL5nnrKeJ7sgl1gfRuYOjxPjgqarx678eyMbn20wLTct98tBZHAOEKkaunp-Qg_uSVBsmi1speWuvfigzXqWVGxZLVL_vucp5Qw18EVJyfXwlomxSAxQpFk_k1c1ibS8HCN3h-EPK/s400/Steve+Ditko.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Mr. Steve Ditko</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Sad to hear of the death of Steve Ditko at 90 years of age. Mr. Ditko was an eccentric individual who had more influence on modern comic books than anyone other than Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. He was the co-creator of Spider-Man, Dr. Strange, Squirrel Girl and one of my all-time favorite B-characters, The Creeper.<br />
<br />
I've seen a lot of remembrances of Mr. Ditko, which is surprising because he was such a privacy-obsessed recluse. But the best has been a very personal story from ace comic book and action writer Chuck Dixon. Here it is:<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.chuckdixon.net/2018/07/steve-ditko.html?m=1" target="_blank">Chuck Dixon remembers how Steve Ditko affected his life. </a><br />
<br />
Rest in Peace, Mr. Ditko. Stan Lee may have written the words, but you gave me my favorite comic book story of all time with my favorite comic panels of all time, in <b>Amazing Spider-Man</b> #33. Thank you for some of the finest entertainment ever put on paper, or into the universe of ideas.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ljGkF9L8-B9O-AsR3vevPYPss46JWe3A_B2J0yqv1fION805oPIPpNpcTbHFJJPku3nJ72f-TBQxkBhUpmAiblZzK59_rXdoLVMYdMPeydPzm_Q9g4P3Wg5smK-GOIl65eM1IuBsKNfk/s1600/Spider-Man+Lift+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="725" height="367" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ljGkF9L8-B9O-AsR3vevPYPss46JWe3A_B2J0yqv1fION805oPIPpNpcTbHFJJPku3nJ72f-TBQxkBhUpmAiblZzK59_rXdoLVMYdMPeydPzm_Q9g4P3Wg5smK-GOIl65eM1IuBsKNfk/s400/Spider-Man+Lift+1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwlKzng2RAnWvIV6JonNTGf0l99JSVRFh4LzO8cq6HpgzX5yuAaNIMf6evb8gaQdiVO6eYKZTFzwYpu9HVAZw1yenu7W18WaZdIPVb4PxMB-N97WDOfiuqdc6IVAy34gMjOGg1vH6jaMr/s1600/Spider-Man+Lift+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="908" data-original-width="614" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnwlKzng2RAnWvIV6JonNTGf0l99JSVRFh4LzO8cq6HpgzX5yuAaNIMf6evb8gaQdiVO6eYKZTFzwYpu9HVAZw1yenu7W18WaZdIPVb4PxMB-N97WDOfiuqdc6IVAy34gMjOGg1vH6jaMr/s400/Spider-Man+Lift+2.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />
I'm sure it brings some comfort to Mr. Ditko, wherever he is, to know that his work will live forever.Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-62238796988582416532018-05-13T21:13:00.001-04:002018-05-13T21:28:00.390-04:00Avengers: Infinity War<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCagZVrExYYCMGW6kLQgtk90ibUhOcitoU_lcKrw2-mPJg6nwQ9jT6Kypenh-23DDGHaCohAASZvPAUjHHcLDKULh-i8Wgm1eXiRcmU4QuezmhDLpXRjkqC8B0muheUeyF7FF3_RP2nQr/s1600/Avengers_Infinity_war_poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1081" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnCagZVrExYYCMGW6kLQgtk90ibUhOcitoU_lcKrw2-mPJg6nwQ9jT6Kypenh-23DDGHaCohAASZvPAUjHHcLDKULh-i8Wgm1eXiRcmU4QuezmhDLpXRjkqC8B0muheUeyF7FF3_RP2nQr/s400/Avengers_Infinity_war_poster.jpg" width="270" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">There
is a disturbing trend affecting recent comic book movies, which I think is only
going to get worse. When Marvel Studios formed over a decade ago, the idea was
to make comic book based movies the way they wanted, without studio
interference. After all, if a studio was footing millions in production costs,
they had the right to insist Spider-Man wear his web-shooters in his nose and have
a blue hoodie and sweatpants instead of a costume. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">When
the Marvel Cinematic Universe began, Marvel enlisted creators who either grew
up loving the stories they were adapting (Sam Raimi—although he worked for Sony,
Joss Whedon) or were more than happy to reflect the comic book aesthetic (Jon
Farveau). As we get further and further from those early days, the directors
and production staff and Marvel Studios itself not only avoid the comic aesthetic
and sources, but hold them in red-hot contempt. Soothing actor egos,
eliminating costumes and letting directors de-comicify the look and stories of
the films are the active agenda of Marvel Studios today. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> <b>Avengers:
Infinity War </b>is good. It’s not great. I admire the director’s ability to
fit everyone in and give them their moment while still telling a coherent
story. There are some nice one-liners and comedic moments, again
differentiating Marvel from DC films, which wallow in their own misery and lack
of humor. I did hate the ending and don’t want to wait a year to see it
finished. My biggest gripe with the movie is that many characters are
unrecognizable. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-ubtgDGKZlacjw2FMgCq5Ch4Wb_HBnCtNT89NSFVaYc0m4pS-Blu5zlrvxoa56hnXMnO50SFOvXBem-nuqtvTIzZmCDm6UdUYJ2Mw7bBUlIA5WLaqB-zFzZp7RuJv4bePo5zOEg6ZY4I/s1600/Captain+America.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="759" data-original-width="550" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx-ubtgDGKZlacjw2FMgCq5Ch4Wb_HBnCtNT89NSFVaYc0m4pS-Blu5zlrvxoa56hnXMnO50SFOvXBem-nuqtvTIzZmCDm6UdUYJ2Mw7bBUlIA5WLaqB-zFzZp7RuJv4bePo5zOEg6ZY4I/s320/Captain+America.jpg" width="231" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is Captain America</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">T’Challa,
the Black Panther, looks good. Viewers can identify the Guardians of the
Galaxy. Dr. Strange is identifiable. But the default superhero costume in every
superhero movie made, black leather ninja crap, is pervasive in this film. The
most egregious example is Captain America, who is not in this film. Part of the
film’s title is <b>Avengers</b>, yet not recognizable
in it are any Avengers. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9Ifn6LsyHsIiTz7YQvkGRW1Q-_qJDytn3DlUeL2p-tyQC0d1O2i18T5xSivb1-Xl6gBg0vB2f1EY5TE4zfsCnVnHz9fV16Ezr46gD5ssznbJ_A_tYgg-4DURJ60-W-H05BvXSoWuwyyL/s1600/Captain+America+CE+Good.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD9Ifn6LsyHsIiTz7YQvkGRW1Q-_qJDytn3DlUeL2p-tyQC0d1O2i18T5xSivb1-Xl6gBg0vB2f1EY5TE4zfsCnVnHz9fV16Ezr46gD5ssznbJ_A_tYgg-4DURJ60-W-H05BvXSoWuwyyL/s320/Captain+America+CE+Good.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Somewhat acceptable as Captain America</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Captain America is an Avenger. Cap has a specific
costume that he has worn since 1941 (with some brief exceptions). In the first <b>Avengers</b> film, Cap wore a close version
of this costume. Instead of Captain America, <b>Avengers: Infinity War</b> features Chris Evans in a beard and black
ninja crap. The public gets Captain America in a movie what, every two years?
And they couldn’t put a recognizable character on screen for five minutes? One
can’t really have an Avengers movie without Captain America, yet here we are.
Stupid. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFA7xMQzYkIv6X24CGu2gr_olfGdReclnJrvA1nIZuSY6Mx2pik7hyphenhyphenA-V9YlV6qonnR0Y4YdwsMA2yNcUAz8V_fJiKYvz-Lg4Q4t3EiW8WGRtcBORvgUexAxzTc3KxCHnwM7r9iJYo_OX/s1600/Captain+America+CE+Bad.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="773" data-original-width="685" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUFA7xMQzYkIv6X24CGu2gr_olfGdReclnJrvA1nIZuSY6Mx2pik7hyphenhyphenA-V9YlV6qonnR0Y4YdwsMA2yNcUAz8V_fJiKYvz-Lg4Q4t3EiW8WGRtcBORvgUexAxzTc3KxCHnwM7r9iJYo_OX/s320/Captain+America+CE+Bad.jpg" width="283" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not Captain America</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Thor
is another example. This eye-patched, shorthaired weirdo looks more like the
real Nick Fury than Thor. Thor has worn long hair a cool winged helmet for over
50 years in the comics. It looks great. Chris Hemsworth wore a similar helmet
for five minutes in the first <b>Thor</b>
movie, it looked great. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdnCARNPJDMFA2HdU80pVDPgr-19c9vzLQ8Ypqzs1-wCg7_SvES7YxpyB8irr-nOXyGinCASQZQgtuVTozc2E7MgHBWmv8nNeMy_LaYYQkmH2TiHyX1MQCTd3AmMz0U3qrkVEfZnLuWGm/s1600/Thor+Kirby.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1229" data-original-width="871" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNdnCARNPJDMFA2HdU80pVDPgr-19c9vzLQ8Ypqzs1-wCg7_SvES7YxpyB8irr-nOXyGinCASQZQgtuVTozc2E7MgHBWmv8nNeMy_LaYYQkmH2TiHyX1MQCTd3AmMz0U3qrkVEfZnLuWGm/s320/Thor+Kirby.JPG" width="226" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is Thor</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Marvel Studios really hates wings for some reason. The Black
Widow’s trademark is long (and sometimes short) red hair. She has never changed
her hair color in the comics. She is, through costume and hair color, instantly
recognizable as the Black Widow. Why did she go blonde in the movie? So the
action figure could be different? That’s what you get when everyone is in black
leather ninja crap; you have to change the hair color to tell characters apart.
<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i0OaBEhea5Tpq8DhrUNZkToEVQ5rI1wgkQAi2YD1NnjM3kn2COmuIU_AEwCj_R2vMSo2Sor8eWg6DJMSj-7FJvxvmX6nEDzjfZtXrcwhBZpp4Yg3lNmhMMrpspvX1Tk2hJ0zXc17-poY/s1600/Thor-Infinity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1200" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8i0OaBEhea5Tpq8DhrUNZkToEVQ5rI1wgkQAi2YD1NnjM3kn2COmuIU_AEwCj_R2vMSo2Sor8eWg6DJMSj-7FJvxvmX6nEDzjfZtXrcwhBZpp4Yg3lNmhMMrpspvX1Tk2hJ0zXc17-poY/s320/Thor-Infinity.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not sure who the #$%& this is, but it's not Thor</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
really hate the moronic Spider-Man costume they forced Tom Holland into for
Infinity War. I think it was the DisneyXD one. It looks awful, and a great
costume is available! Just look at the comics. It’s been basically the same for
50 years BECAUSE IT WORKS. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">As
the years go by, Marvel Studios care less and less about respecting their
source material. I’m not sure Anthony and Joe Russo, directors of <b>Infinity War</b>, have ever read a comic in their lives. Have any current
or upcoming Marvel directors? Sometimes it doesn’t matter—<b>Black Panther</b> wasn’t really taken from a specific Marvel story, but
they got the tone, and the costume, right. But it was already black leather
(vibranium?). </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXhuG-K7Djvho-8FdbuF2FWjro0hyoqcCWTv6LzAwWxDamzfE-f9hycWf_JSHFyNP6A1UP8OM7ag60zeJjsSs-Vc4IhpByEhycGqCxNINRYN1oHhEkEBDPhE8B5qbu4Hj7tYM7x2oGiWG/s1600/Kid+Flash+CW.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="811" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUXhuG-K7Djvho-8FdbuF2FWjro0hyoqcCWTv6LzAwWxDamzfE-f9hycWf_JSHFyNP6A1UP8OM7ag60zeJjsSs-Vc4IhpByEhycGqCxNINRYN1oHhEkEBDPhE8B5qbu4Hj7tYM7x2oGiWG/s320/Kid+Flash+CW.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kid Flash from The Flash on CW</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">For some reason, directors and producers think colorful costumes
are stupid and the public won’t accept them. WRONG! Most of the CW superhero shows
present colorful costumes and they look great—and that is on a TV budget! I’m
not saying every costume in the comics would work on screen—but most of them
could be much more similar with some development by a determined costume
designer. Give Cap his costume and head wings! Give Thor his helmet (and hammer)!
Give Black Widow silver bracelets and red hair! These things have worked for over
five decades for a reason. People like them! Don’t make everything bland
black ninja crap. And don’t let the actors go without masks because of their attention-grabbing
need to show their faces all the time. Captain America wears a mask. Iron Man
wears a mask. Spider-Man wears a mask. If you don’t want to adapt comic books,
try YA novels, like everyone else! Not many of those characters wear costumes. But if they
did, I’m sure they would wear black leather ninja crap. It’s tiiiiiiiiiiiiime
to stop!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">If
most of the characters from <b>Avengers:
Infinity War</b> were recognizable as Marvel comic book characters, as in
<b>Avengers</b> 1 & 2, I would have loved this film. Since they weren’t, I had no
emotional attachment to them. As it is, I somewhat liked it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
*** stars out of 5</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
</div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-74497104582837653382018-03-23T08:31:00.003-04:002018-03-23T08:31:43.383-04:00Don't Mess With His Neighborhood ... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0RpanLNwK4eSlyU4OqeDc7cBALxOFsI_ClGQoiGt8GlRzdAUPmtnzNspmIx2hyphenhyphenvJ4i6L0nbT20bObs54jQlUpdAYpdq0GDTqN5VRQh2xdCSy_w8vaDw0QGZLNjl9t2d07bj-TNfOFfBg/s1600/Mr.+Rogers+Hammer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="634" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj0RpanLNwK4eSlyU4OqeDc7cBALxOFsI_ClGQoiGt8GlRzdAUPmtnzNspmIx2hyphenhyphenvJ4i6L0nbT20bObs54jQlUpdAYpdq0GDTqN5VRQh2xdCSy_w8vaDw0QGZLNjl9t2d07bj-TNfOFfBg/s640/Mr.+Rogers+Hammer.jpg" width="515" /></a></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">All kidding aside, I have nothing but respect and admiration for Mr. Fred Rogers. Kind, humble and a true gentleman, I wonder what Mr. Rogers would make of today's television landscape--even PBS? I'm sure he would handle it in stride, with an eye towards making children's--and everyone's--lives better. I'm looking forward to the Mr. Rogers' documentary this summer. </span>Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-45357483412343565812018-03-18T15:14:00.003-04:002018-03-20T15:56:00.824-04:00 Television – The Punisher (Netflix) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJV3Pro8tOwqqVZaYp8TA5trNN7gL_7ryJWIcss5ZRwx99eUor30qd753UMZaHruBordoHD1jnW7aOfNI-KDO936uKFNegKtlj4ENNdC0wgFV_zoulLslseLT6vRnMVLzCzbRCjzW8qve/s1600/Punisher+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBJV3Pro8tOwqqVZaYp8TA5trNN7gL_7ryJWIcss5ZRwx99eUor30qd753UMZaHruBordoHD1jnW7aOfNI-KDO936uKFNegKtlj4ENNdC0wgFV_zoulLslseLT6vRnMVLzCzbRCjzW8qve/s320/Punisher+Poster.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>*Slight Spoilers*</b> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">How
simple is the Punisher concept? A Special Forces soldier comes home from the
war to his loving family. While on a picnic in Central Park, they get caught in
the crossfire of a mob hit and are killed, he barely survives. Vowing revenge,
the soldier devotes his skills to a new war, taking down violent criminals and
mobsters in a variety of permanent ways. That’s the story of Frank Castle,
Marvel’s Punisher. It’s so uncomplicated.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Not
for Marvel TV though! Marvel TV has never met a creative concept they can’t
mangle for politically correct television. I really looked forward to this show—how
could anyone get it so wrong? First, these Marvel Netflix shows are too long! That
is on them, <b>Punisher</b> could have
easily filled a hundred episodes with the right ideas. Instead, Marvel TV is
addicted to one major storyline (with several boring sub-plots to eat up time)
over the magic number of 13 episodes. The first episode of <b>Punisher</b> is pretty good, the last is excellent. The rest drag like
hell. Were the writers as bored as the rest of us? If they were it certainly
shows. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxBHGjk8vE3WwnGvTKbrNof4DCePp9p6Vcs1BPErS5UOcwWRwWlxx-df2HXApTY0gBVLCLQw_Yg_aA2qAcVk1AbkDjNJUgTRbBBA5S7B66vPochb5EvOZWEK788LWepwiOzufadpnRwZ8/s1600/Punisher+jon-bernthal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="349" data-original-width="520" height="214" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXxBHGjk8vE3WwnGvTKbrNof4DCePp9p6Vcs1BPErS5UOcwWRwWlxx-df2HXApTY0gBVLCLQw_Yg_aA2qAcVk1AbkDjNJUgTRbBBA5S7B66vPochb5EvOZWEK788LWepwiOzufadpnRwZ8/s320/Punisher+jon-bernthal.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jon Bernthal rarely dressed as the Punisher</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Actor
Jon Bernthal’s performance as the Punisher is good. However, the writers have
no idea who the character is. They are too absorbed with their themes of guns;
good or bad?, American military veterans and shady government operatives. And NO
ONE comes out well. While some of the characters and storylines are layered. ALL
soldiers and former military are portrayed as insane, evil or suffering from
PTSD. At least no one is all three. Well, except for the psycho serial killer who
kills everyone he wants to before the Punisher fails to stop him. Oops,
spoiler. The most weak and sniveling of these ex-military villains OF COURSE
wears an NRA shirt. Is there any other way for a Marvel writer? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
of the most iconic symbols emblazoned on the Punisher is the painted skull he wears
on his chest armor. It’s been a part of his gear from day one. It’s a big part
of what makes Punisher the Punisher. Marvel TV loves to ignore everything that
makes a hero iconic, so they pretty much do away with this too. I think he
wears a half-painted skull on his chest in maybe two of the thirteen episodes.
Marvel TV thinks all cool costumes or icons need to be limited to the last five
minutes of a show’s last episode. Don’t want to fans to get any service, you
know! That might cause them to watch it or recommend it to others. Conservatives
might end up watching the show. Can’t have that! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
worst part of Marvel TV’s <b>Punisher</b>
is the slow, unevenly paced storytelling. The first episode, where Frank Castle
is reintroduced from his run on <b>Daredevil</b>,
is all right. The last episode, where Frank takes on the military bad guy back
in Central Park, in full Punisher regalia including his chest skull, is great.
Of course in the show it’s the military, not the Italian mob, who kills Frank’s
family, another stupid idea. Episodes 2 through 12 are not all terrible, but
have little to do with the Punisher. We have military hijinks, Department of
Homeland Security politics, highly corrupt government officials doing bad
deeds, and endless yawn-inducing similar scenes. And what is the Punisher
doing? Romancing a co-worker’s wife. Sitting in his concrete bunker and squinting
menacingly. Oh, and in episode 8, Punisher and his partner Micro talk about
their feelings for an hour and then Micro shows Punisher his penis. Really. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Writers,
for a much better show, read a Punisher comic (something I’m not sure anyone
connected to this show actually did). Doing a show the opposite way would have
made for a much better experience. Make the main plot about the Punisher, and
sub-plots about all the political intrigue. Make it more episodic—maybe Punisher
against a different bad guy every few shows—and make the military thing the
overall subplot that resolves in the last show. They could have done this and
kept the first and last shows pretty much intact, while adding a lot more Frank
Castle action along the way. But no, instead the audience has to be bored by
endless sub-plots and social commentary, while the star sits in a bunker and
looks at computer screens. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Overall
the Marvel TV’s <b>Punisher</b> was a
massive and boring disappointment. There were good moments along the way, and
when it hit the fan things got violent and the right folks got punished. The
Punisher even wore his skull once. But there is massive room for improvement
here. Again, try reading any <b>Punisher</b>
comic by Dixon, Ennis or Baron and just follow the outline. Is it really that challenging? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
**½ stars out of 5 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-77693480660822536112018-03-14T23:32:00.002-04:002019-06-10T22:10:20.464-04:00The Time I Met Chuck Norris<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-La8lR8301fPlTvBwgSlDx6dgqSXI-TVMXquF_E3JVCtOBHN1_HJN1hCyAaULRGqJAy9qlTLeOvbBrIsycP79k9kjTAbJcWhjcBTJWNXne7EyUwlzlW3nUpr2dMmXv64YVL_ZwLEAsyzB/s1600/Chuck+Norris+Con.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="571" data-original-width="728" height="250" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-La8lR8301fPlTvBwgSlDx6dgqSXI-TVMXquF_E3JVCtOBHN1_HJN1hCyAaULRGqJAy9qlTLeOvbBrIsycP79k9kjTAbJcWhjcBTJWNXne7EyUwlzlW3nUpr2dMmXv64YVL_ZwLEAsyzB/s320/Chuck+Norris+Con.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The eyes of a Ranger are upon you ... </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">This
past Sunday I was lucky enough to score a free pass to the Lexington Comic
& Toy Show. I wasn’t going to go, but I checked the attendee list and one
of the guests was the one and only Mr. Chuck Norris. Of course I grew up with
Chuck Norris—<b>Good Guys Wear Black</b>, <b>The Octagon</b>, <b>Silent Rage</b> and the greatest movie ever made, <b>Lone Wolf McQuade</b>. Frankly, I was giddy about meeting the great
one. The man who doesn’t sleep, he waits. A cobra bit Chuck Norris once. After
three days of agonizing pain, the cobra died. This is the man. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">After
a pleasant Sunday drive to Lexington, I entered the con and headed for Chuck’s
booth. The line was crowded but not that bad. I saw him from afar. Walker,
Texas Ranger himself, smiling, shaking hands and signing autographs. From afar
he looked like a young, middle-aged man, as if his 78<sup>th</sup> birthday
wasn’t the day before (it was). While I waited patiently, I struck up a
conversation with one of his bodyguards, an armed, off-duty Lexington police
officer in full uniform. I asked him about Chuck. He said he had been with
Chuck all weekend, and he had never seen such a kind, involved, enthusiastic
celebrity. Just what you want to hear about your hero. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
finally had the opportunity to approach Chuck. After a full weekend of being “on,”
mixing with fans and pressing flesh, he looked like he was having the time of
his life. I chose a photo to sign from his assistant, an <b>Invasion U.S.A.</b> photo of Chuck brandishing two Uzis. I stepped up
to him. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Hi
Mr. Norris, I’m Jerry.”<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Hi
Jerry!” said the man. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">He
took my photo, turned it around and started to sign in a tight, readable
script. Chuck would not have prospered in medical school. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Can
you sign it ‘to Jerry’?” I asked. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">His
assistant butted in and told me signature only. Celebrities have different
rules about this—Adam West would only personalize with a specific name, which I
didn’t want at the time. For the man, I wanted the world to know Chuck Norris
signed a photo directly to <i>me</i>. Oh well, that’s life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
engaged Chuck. “<b>Lone Wolf McQuade</b> is
my favorite Chuck Norris movie!” I squealed like a 12-year-old schoolgirl meeting
Justin Timberlake. He smiled and said “Oh yeah?” “Yeah!” I replied. “If you
have time I can quote all the dialog from beginning to end,” I joked. He smiled
and handed me my photo. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">“It’s
been a total pleasure to meet you, Chuck.” I said. He smiled like a kid and
stuck out his hand. I shook hands with Chuck Norris. Read that suckers! <i>I shook hands with Chuck Norris!</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">“Tell
your buddy I said hi,” said Chuck. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Without
missing a beat I said, “Thanks, I will!” I walked away holding my photo.
Eventually it occurred to me that I didn’t know what in the world he was
talking about. I racked my brain. What buddy? Was the great one confusing me
with someone else? After thinking about it, I think the noise of the convention
hall messed with Chuck’s hearing a bit. I think he must have thought I told him
<b>Lone Wolf McQuade</b> was <i>my buddy’s</i>
favorite movie. Not sure why I would say that, but he must have thought he
meets all kinds, so what? Anyway, I can now divide my life into two parts—before
I meeting Chuck Norris and after meeting Chuck Norris. This part is definitely better!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">And
yes, I realize I only survived the encounter because Chuck Norris let me live. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8F99l8fY8P6eySzGWvUy13F7zX6-BTNo-H4-hEG3guEjvpA9bf29WtV-07yZA3hI-_3MgXso2cf5unRpV_n2Yo0NSALNogmCRVlCMR-8gtzSjaqpi6QhBedcgI4CxVPMkFMDnPw2AOrq/s1600/Chuck+Norris.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1292" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhN8F99l8fY8P6eySzGWvUy13F7zX6-BTNo-H4-hEG3guEjvpA9bf29WtV-07yZA3hI-_3MgXso2cf5unRpV_n2Yo0NSALNogmCRVlCMR-8gtzSjaqpi6QhBedcgI4CxVPMkFMDnPw2AOrq/s320/Chuck+Norris.jpg" width="258" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-50903986454838121842018-03-07T17:45:00.003-05:002018-03-07T17:49:32.623-05:00Contrast: Kirk vs. Picard<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBm7GAojhrP7GIabtg0_eoR5TC8r123APwqhDkDWIDwGBKIdEnF4DaiPU2-39WLeTIyYoTHLN50x47AdtogwlT53B-_0XRXIsxGoZQOhiD9MgPEJIVVGwFoxujtDK0fWzm34GE6sEdptY/s1600/Kirk+Picard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="677" data-original-width="1533" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIBm7GAojhrP7GIabtg0_eoR5TC8r123APwqhDkDWIDwGBKIdEnF4DaiPU2-39WLeTIyYoTHLN50x47AdtogwlT53B-_0XRXIsxGoZQOhiD9MgPEJIVVGwFoxujtDK0fWzm34GE6sEdptY/s640/Kirk+Picard.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">From
the February issue of <i>Previews</i>, a peek at McFarlane Toys’ new Star Trek action figures.
I think this brilliantly contrasts the differences between Captains Kirk and
Picard. Kirk is the warrior/diplomat. He comes with a communicator and a
selection of weapons. Picard is a pinky-lifting surrender monkey, whose
accessories include a flute and some kind of male marital aid. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Yeah, that’s
about right. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-80100664193361953862018-02-26T21:42:00.000-05:002018-02-27T10:47:47.938-05:00Movies – Black Panther<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHG5OVaJe2XRyJXiEqoNxplPWPvWyIEGSLcLEa5LsPDPWBPiqTvEkivTXZLS54D1aSQw_lwExQ6eggml8P48g7dhTdSG4IC8Qeegq4aRzPF1aPhis2v0CBJeuWFc1zl2VDB-mANLEmVBQ/s1600/Black+Panther+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUHG5OVaJe2XRyJXiEqoNxplPWPvWyIEGSLcLEa5LsPDPWBPiqTvEkivTXZLS54D1aSQw_lwExQ6eggml8P48g7dhTdSG4IC8Qeegq4aRzPF1aPhis2v0CBJeuWFc1zl2VDB-mANLEmVBQ/s400/Black+Panther+Poster.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">It’s
rare that “blockbusters” live up to the hype. Even with my love for superhero
movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe in particular, it is unlikely each film
in their ongoing series will continue to become ever more entertaining. But that
is what is happening. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Black Panther</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
is a triumph. The film hits all the right beats, has flawed heroes and slimy
villains, and most importantly radiates a sense of heroism and a joy of being
alive. Chadwick Boseman is T’Challa, king of the fictional African nation of
Wakanda. Wakanda guards its secrets, and its highly advanced vibranium
technology, with great care. No one knows how prosperous and advanced
Wakanda really is—except for Ulysses Klau (Andy Serkis), who gathers a force to
try to steal their vibranium. He is aided by T’Challa’s cousin Erik Killmonger,
an American unknown to the Wakandan royal family. He soon becomes very known to
them, as he helps invade the country and challenges T’Challa for the right to
be king. </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
spectacular action in this movie is only equaled by the art direction. <b>The Black Panther </b>is the most African
mainstream film ever made. Everything from the clothing to the tattoos are
inspired by authentic African tribes and the result is a blazing explosion of
color and light. The acting is wonderful as well. The standout character has to
be T’Challa’s sister Shuri, in a magnificent performance by Letitia Wright. Shuri
is a genius, a beautiful science geek and has a precocious sense of humor. She
takes her jokes right up to the line with her king and royal brother—and then
regularly goes over. She’s funny and fun, a great character. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
stakes are high for T’Challa and his kingdom. When Killmonger challenges him,
the entire Wakandan nation and national identity is at stake—and T’Challa doesn’t
necessarily handle it well. He’s not perfect, which makes him all that much
more likable. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Something
I loved about <b>Black Panther</b>, as
mentioned—is the sense of joy surrounding the film and its characters. When T’Challa
is crowned king near the beginning of the story, thousands of his subjects are
standing on a hillside observing. Huge drums are beating an African rhythm and
the Wakandans are swaying to the beat, moving to the music, welcoming their
king. I’ve heard some criticism of the scene as being corny, but I loved it.
There is such a sense of joy coming from that scene. A nation and benevolent
king who are acting as one. It’s inspiring. Scenes like this are what make Marvel movies far above anything DC is producing. In DC movies, the only happiness
is the joy Superman feels when he murders someone. They are dark affairs, both
physically and spiritually. Marvel movies are the exact opposite, where good
battles evil and wins, not because an awful script says so, but because the
heroes are better and their philosophy is better. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
loved everything about <b>Black Panther</b>;
the story, the actors, the music and the absolute delight it emits. Kudos to
Marvel Studios for allowing this film to be so much of what it needs to be. An unequivocal
5-star rating. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
***** stars out of 5</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-21754798018445588202018-02-18T23:31:00.002-05:002018-02-27T10:56:33.968-05:00Comic Capsule Reviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK6AgSTVpyxIENg78VwchJSUAUSKtjOORWjK9QlXmvf18oMbXUpE9i5MDKPM5A_Z87cc5VPGc7lm5puiOgStRmbusJ2OGcvjj_GcdQ6BZJhbKEcTJ4mRfenZBOs4XbpR9dQelVHGNjiwB/s1600/Curse+Words_11.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="585" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSK6AgSTVpyxIENg78VwchJSUAUSKtjOORWjK9QlXmvf18oMbXUpE9i5MDKPM5A_Z87cc5VPGc7lm5puiOgStRmbusJ2OGcvjj_GcdQ6BZJhbKEcTJ4mRfenZBOs4XbpR9dQelVHGNjiwB/s320/Curse+Words_11.png" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Curse Words</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
#11 – Charles Soule is one of the few current authors who swings for the fences
every time he’s at bat. I love his stuff. Contrary to almost every other comic
on the market, I can’t find a whiff of his political views in his work. Nor can
I find that condescending snideness with which authors infuse their stories if the
reader happens to be on the opposite side of the aisle. Soule just likes to
tell a satisfying story. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Curse Words</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
is about the travails of the evil wizard Wizord. When Wizord is sent to Earth
from the Hole World to conquer it, he decides that it would be a shame to lay
waste to such a lush, pleasure-filled virtual paradise, complete with baseball,
sumptuous food and vast reserves of money and power. He turns his back on his
demon boss Sizzajee and sets himself up as a wizard for hire. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sizzajee
doesn’t take this well, and has sent several assassins after Wizord. In this issue, after defeating his former lover and latest assassin, Ruby Stitch,
Wizord sends her (or what’s left of her) back to the Hole World. She ends up in
a surprising place and meets a group who has no love for Sizzajee. Meanwhile,
Wizord searches for his kidnapped daughter Margaret (currently in the form of a
platypus—don’t ask) and is frustrated to find his seeking spells don’t work.
That’s because the government has wizards of their own now, and they are
preparing to go to war with Wizord. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Curse Words</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
is full of absurd (but wonderful) twists, startling ideas and impossible
things. And is his time on Earth making Wizord ... a better person? Nah. But still, he’s
starting to mellow a bit. It’s clear that soon he will have armies from Earth
governments and the Hole World after his scalp (and magic beard) soon. I look
forward to the coming battle. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
****½ out of 5 stars</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvR1bV1IKBZ4RzRn9sOWv_7kbey-Y8C3nczRKZiA75XsdAovOaDg5z6TKDE9VprqqkxbpG1RIkMrllDpL2whnzwPKFH1RMKKUMMZgD_Y841cPT2lvU5dLq9OiI4qCCA45R49dK-I4x4bJ/s1600/Mage+%25236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="279" data-original-width="181" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNvR1bV1IKBZ4RzRn9sOWv_7kbey-Y8C3nczRKZiA75XsdAovOaDg5z6TKDE9VprqqkxbpG1RIkMrllDpL2whnzwPKFH1RMKKUMMZgD_Y841cPT2lvU5dLq9OiI4qCCA45R49dK-I4x4bJ/s1600/Mage+%25236.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Mage: The Hero Denied</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
#6 – I am generally a fan of writer/artist Matt Wagner, who is one of the best
Shadow writers alive. This series is the third and final part of his
semi-autobiographical <b>Mage</b> Trilogy.
I thought the first miniseries was unique and charming (back in the ‘80s!),
liked the second and am really enjoying this final chapter. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Series
protagonist Kevin Matchstick, the reborn Pendragon, has come a long way. He’s
lost most of his hair, gotten married and had two precocious kids. He’s also
honed the use of his powers, now able to imbue any object with Excalibur magic,
rather than just the baseball bat of <b>Mage</b>
I & II (which I miss). As the series opens, Kevin and his wife are out of
the monster killing game and settling down to life on the West Coast. However, the
monsters haven’t retired, and when Kevin accidently runs across and kills
several nasty ones, the game starts anew. Only now he has a family to worry
about. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
this issue, Kevin is in a race to find the legendary Fisher King before his
adversary the Umbra Sprite does. Kevin obtains a potion from a local wizard to give
him temporary magic sight, then goes on the trail of a Questing Beast, a being
that can help him with his search. His quest takes him away from his family,
not realizing his wife is in direct danger from an unexpected source. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Wagner
is at his inspired best here, with art that pops off the page and characters
that sing with goodness and evil. I can’t wait to see what happens next, which
is a feeling every good comic should promulgate. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating: **** stars out of 5</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWvr-3wwEeq2qXI5F2mFRW7ZC_8deZ5dofiET9rkz9A2IStRCCMSAFX9AZVo858bPPjUqC0qntU_Xm2Rgb93zeJAgxk8lfurZnT26VBcbqHeWJ85TCoPQwMN01rUyE9tmPjTs9Bgwq9Hf/s1600/Minky+Woodcock+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="546" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWvr-3wwEeq2qXI5F2mFRW7ZC_8deZ5dofiET9rkz9A2IStRCCMSAFX9AZVo858bPPjUqC0qntU_Xm2Rgb93zeJAgxk8lfurZnT26VBcbqHeWJ85TCoPQwMN01rUyE9tmPjTs9Bgwq9Hf/s320/Minky+Woodcock+3.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Minky Woodcock, the Girl Who
Handcuffed Houdini</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"> #3<b>
</b>– This historical fiction story by writer/artist Cynthia von Buhler is
quite a treat. I’ve long admired Harry Houdini, the most famous magician who
ever lived. I’ve read quite a bit about his career, especially his proclivity
to expose mediums and fortunetellers as the grifters and confidence tricksters
they are. In this story, von Buhler deals with the period of Houdini’s life
directly before his death. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Minky
Woodcock is part of a family of private detectives. Tired of answering the
phones and sweeping the floors, she intercepts a call from Houdini asking for
help and strikes up a friendship with the magician. She briefly becomes
Houdini’s assistant and is present during the incident that causes Houdini’s
death. In this issue, on his deathbed, Houdini asks Minky to do what she can to
tell the world what happened, and not let the mediums claim credit for killing
him. Mediums all over the world had been predicting his death for years. I
suppose one year it would have to be true. To do that, she intercepts medium Margery
of Boston, and disguises herself as Margery to do her next séance. Margery was
an actual person, real name Mina Crandon. She was a Boston medium who had a
huge bag of supernatural tricks that fooled rubes and educated folks alike. She
was in a years-long war with Houdini, recounted in the excellent non-fiction
book <b>The Witch of Lime Street: Séance,
Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World</b> by David Jaher (see my review
<a href="http://jerryshumbleopinions.blogspot.com/2016/05/books-witch-of-lime-street-seance.html" target="_blank">here</a>). It’s a nail-biting true story. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Cynthia
von Buhler is an outstanding artist and storyteller, and her woodcut-inspired
color art for this comic is amazing. Filled with action, grandeur and cloak and
dagger intrigue, this comic is worth your hard-earned shekels. The book does
contain nudity and adult themes and is not for children. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
**** stars out of five</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKgwHVuA_ghcpzimW4FT-TN_L4ipma4VqC-WghZQePL_8b2BWj0MCmfVAz686wxD9DSDM-5_I8_MWhMVjbJ8cHjxwu1Z-UuhYLuJ4SaLBjM9DVVGmn5F05UsnG2w-AU7rpqt3lAlHaptw/s1600/Paper+Girls+20.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="585" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCKgwHVuA_ghcpzimW4FT-TN_L4ipma4VqC-WghZQePL_8b2BWj0MCmfVAz686wxD9DSDM-5_I8_MWhMVjbJ8cHjxwu1Z-UuhYLuJ4SaLBjM9DVVGmn5F05UsnG2w-AU7rpqt3lAlHaptw/s320/Paper+Girls+20.png" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Paper Girls</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
#20 – I think I’m finished with Brian K. Vaughn. Vaughn can be a good writer,
but he and I are moving in different circles creatively and I don’t think I’m
interested anymore in what he has to say. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
really enjoyed Vaughn’s <b>Y: The Last Man</b>,
although I thought protagonist Yorick was a milque-toasty half man. Same for
Vaughn’s sci-fi opus <b>Saga</b>. Marko was
a wimpy beta-male who let his wife Alana do all the fighting and heavy lifting.
I finally gave up on the title. His <b>We
Stand on Guard </b>miniseries was so anti-American I’m surprised Vaughn hasn’t
moved to Canada with Lena Dunham. Until recently, I liked <b>Paper Girls</b>. This entertaining time
travel tale of four teenage papergirls always piqued my interest and kept me
coming back. With recent issues, the pacing has suffered, the story moves like a
glacier going uphill and plot elements have gone in clichéd and uninteresting
ways. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">In
this story, paper girls Erin, MacKenzie, KJ and Tiffany are still traveling
through time and dealing with several future (and past) factions out to get
them. The future versions of Tiffany and Erin are hilarious and incredibly well
drawn by series artist Cliff Chiang. But the pacing is thunderously slow. The
girls have been sent to the distant past where they are chased by the natives,
then to the future where they are chased by the authorities, to the present
where they are chased by everyone. They (and the reader) don’t know what is
happening, or why, or what to do about it. Instead of taking action or controlling
events in any way, the girls are just tossed about by the plot, jumping from
one frying pan into another. Add to this that the book is turning out to be
just another lesbian story and the result is rather grating. I can read fifty
Marvel comics a month for that. Vaughn once said in an interview he didn’t want
his female characters defined by their relationships with men. That’s fine, but
it seems he could fix that by being a better writer. But now he has solved the
problem by having his female characters defined by their relationships with
women. Would it have been impossible to have these very well defined female
friends turn out to be just female friends? That would be a radical concept in
today’s climate, and one Brian K. Vaughn is not capable of attempting. Too bad.
</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
*** stars out of 5 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
did something I thought I would never do again ... I bought superhero comics.
DC has become too PC, but Marvel has done far worse—they’ve gone full scale
Social Justice Warrior. Superhero comics are no longer about fighting bad guys,
doing the right thing or action and adventure—they’re now about why America is
racist, why conservatives are bad and why men and women should never, under any
circumstances, become romantically involved with each other. Are those things
really what younger readers want to read about? After some rave reviews
from folks I trust, I dipped a toe back into the pool. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfjVgxMcn-LuQ_KvPhNfZy0_VnzKH_XUAlaobTQNF4BmyJQQrfo4alInBuTt-dA0iKcu4-zT78tNErDz03dlrWhQdYJQ9CuRBnQIV7lnPsJy5FLfJad_UlIsMkyPZEGMMpeOfG1CU7QSN/s1600/Marvel+Two-In-One+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="553" data-original-width="360" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlfjVgxMcn-LuQ_KvPhNfZy0_VnzKH_XUAlaobTQNF4BmyJQQrfo4alInBuTt-dA0iKcu4-zT78tNErDz03dlrWhQdYJQ9CuRBnQIV7lnPsJy5FLfJad_UlIsMkyPZEGMMpeOfG1CU7QSN/s320/Marvel+Two-In-One+3.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Marvel Two-In-One</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
#3 – MTIO has been such a pleasant surprise. It’s not perfect, but it is a step
in the right direction. It lacks Reed and Sue Richards, but make no mistake,
this is a Fantastic Four comic. With Reed and Sue missing, Ben and Johnny are
planning to scour alternate universes to find them. Johnny’s powers are
malfunctioning and getting weaker. Guest star Hercules leads them to the money
grubbing and mercenary Dr. Koul, who examines Johnny and finds a cool secret
that adds to the FF mythos. Dr. Koul is an interesting character and I hope she
joins the team for further adventures. This issue ends on a delicious twist
involving the Mad Thinker and his obsession with Reed Richards. The banter
between the characters, especially Ben and Johnny, is priceless, and the plotting
moves the story along at a brisk pace. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">The
only criticism I have of the book is the lack of property damage. Comics as a
medium has probably moved on from seeing Ben Grimm or Hercules, two of the most
powerful beings in comics, ever throw a punch or clobber anything ever again.
Today’s comics are all about the talky-talk and resolving problems by holding
hands and singing. This comic is entertaining, but I’d like to see the Thing
lift a bus and save some bystanders, or smack Dr. Doom in the mask. Those days
are regrettably gone forever. But overall this is an enjoyable comic, something
I never thought I’d see again from Marvel. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
***½ stars out of 5 </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBU3WlNqswXuOK5qswL-7qm2uCX-pvj15uT08Gk9OydXe0cGKByq2SGujKirILppOphzRAfSdOdE3Irdo9jZkOz01Y9VyFG2Y3dytuqeyRJqxKQtm6w9PqU0KwaKhMd5UmwCBZ0vFA376/s1600/Batman+40.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="291" data-original-width="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTBU3WlNqswXuOK5qswL-7qm2uCX-pvj15uT08Gk9OydXe0cGKByq2SGujKirILppOphzRAfSdOdE3Irdo9jZkOz01Y9VyFG2Y3dytuqeyRJqxKQtm6w9PqU0KwaKhMd5UmwCBZ0vFA376/s1600/Batman+40.jpg" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Batman</span></span></b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">
#40 – The other superhero comic I tried was this one. Critics of all stripes
are raving about Tom King’s take on Batman and I now see what they are talking
about. After being written as blandly as possible by Grant Morrison years ago
to being relaunched over and over with more bland and awful stories, I
suspected that all the good Batman tales were told and DC just didn’t know what
to do with the character. Tom King has certainly changed that thinking. His
writing is funny, fresh and he sees the character and his supporting cast with
new eyes. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
read the story of Batman proposing to Catwoman in <b>Batman</b> #24, a welcome idea
that has never before been done. King has redefined the Batman/Superman
relationship and made Clark, Lois, Bruce and Selina all double-dating friends,
handled brilliantly. In this issue, King presents Bruce’s relationship with Wonder
Woman. Stuck in an alternate dimension fighting hordes of demons attempting to
conquer our world, Batman and Wonder Woman are tempted to start a romantic
relationship. Time moves differently in that dimension and years go by, years
that test Bruce’s commitment to Selina. But Bruce and Diana come out of the
experience as stronger friends, as it should be. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I’m
not sure if DC has the stones to follow through with a Bruce/Selina marriage.
But under King’s guidance I’d like to see it done, with the art of current
series illustrator Joelle Jones. When we die and go to heaven, we’ll all draw
like Joelle Jones.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;">Rating:
**** stars out of 5</span> </span>Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-84958562778877869982018-02-11T15:46:00.001-05:002018-03-07T17:57:33.237-05:00Movies - The Villainess<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iXgnbCBDQ7zmNmj1xeQ-6mAoaLoq7wLuk_5yX0EXUT9o-cBxSIAwGeWPy9Eif05fKPM9LdvEjN3m8BsytD-OsmH_QgZ4C5eiFWEjKREZRr2xDDDQwL_SuzQjV5-rZTK4ca4oYInX-WKX/s1600/Villainess+Poster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="630" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5iXgnbCBDQ7zmNmj1xeQ-6mAoaLoq7wLuk_5yX0EXUT9o-cBxSIAwGeWPy9Eif05fKPM9LdvEjN3m8BsytD-OsmH_QgZ4C5eiFWEjKREZRr2xDDDQwL_SuzQjV5-rZTK4ca4oYInX-WKX/s400/Villainess+Poster.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>The
Villainess</b> is one of the best South Korean exports in recent memory. Female
action powerhouse Kim Ok-bin plays Sook-hee, a woman trained from youth to be a
living weapon and deadly assassin. When her lover is murdered, she seeks
revenge on the criminal organization that killed him. Captured by the
authorities, she is arrested and given a choice by a clandestine government group—she
can die, or she can go work for them. In 10 years she can retire fat and rich.
She takes the job. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">From
the first minute, a point of view camera takes Sook-hee into a warehouse full
of criminals where she violently removes everyone on four floors. First she
uses guns; when she runs out of (a lot of) bullets, swords, then knives, then blazing
fast hand to hand combat. This first scene challenges viewers to think, what’s
next and how can the filmmakers possibly top this? Believe me, they do. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sook-hee,
now working undercover in her new identity as Chae Yeon-soo, soon embraces her
government job. She gets an apartment and starts to fall for her quirky
neighbor, Joong-sang. There is more to Joong-sang than meets the eye, but is he
friend or foe? Or both? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6Cg-GAylJccZSCuqwM45ToWl-z183yUm-i5XIeSRUcrfSbTRM3wXWvDUW5sPDEadOPgm6Sy1mGqZUp-XDTuZRcroSXHfjgjGp9njV0jnlORfUi6C2vY3Gwz0G0GzcU7GXj6GIEWkUWnQ/s1600/Villainess+photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="364" data-original-width="600" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb6Cg-GAylJccZSCuqwM45ToWl-z183yUm-i5XIeSRUcrfSbTRM3wXWvDUW5sPDEadOPgm6Sy1mGqZUp-XDTuZRcroSXHfjgjGp9njV0jnlORfUi6C2vY3Gwz0G0GzcU7GXj6GIEWkUWnQ/s320/Villainess+photo.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Kim Ok-bin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Life
slowly improves as Sook-hee raises her new daughter and proceeds to carry out
her spy/assassin assignments—until she is targeted by a man she thought was
dead. This leads to massive set piece battle scenes between Chae and a large
group of criminals. She battles it out with their greatest assassins, with
fights on the side of skyscrapers, in public transportation, and a
heart-stopping sword battle on motorcycles, in a tunnel with armed riders all
around her. These fights are original, spectacular and violent. The motorcycle
sword battle alone must have left scores of dead stuntmen on the ground. If
they used CGI to make heads strike the pavement at 70mph, I didn’t notice it. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Chae
goes through so much heartbreak in the movie, with betrayals, dead lovers and
family members, and vast organizations trying to kill her—including her own.
The story is fun (if a bit soapy) and the action is unique and non-stop. This
is one for action lovers. Highly recommended. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Rating:
**** stars out of 5</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ettsG15TD2Q/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ettsG15TD2Q?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-7853361290287612052018-02-06T15:12:00.000-05:002018-02-06T15:13:20.095-05:00Quarter of a Million Dominoes and Counting ... <span style="font-size: large;">There is something meditative about watching dominoes fall for 14 minutes ... This must have been a monster to set up. </span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Q0jeohWnmAQ/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Q0jeohWnmAQ?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe></div>
<br />Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1254523136464251012.post-4506047803675990952017-09-28T17:35:00.000-04:002017-09-28T17:51:07.727-04:00 2017 Cincinnati Comics Expo<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMNNkp9D70LmJqqaA0ALIS5tSovS9-L02hGdSwTD3JEfTmsyRGH5mRvvhehSR65ykTG7APCea8v2BnLbqCfoVqZOfP2_oFyy5q-6i8RALtFTX9McDU9v7c-U2bufX4ARPbrogvzdagUDi/s1600/CCE+Banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="470" data-original-width="1140" height="262" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSMNNkp9D70LmJqqaA0ALIS5tSovS9-L02hGdSwTD3JEfTmsyRGH5mRvvhehSR65ykTG7APCea8v2BnLbqCfoVqZOfP2_oFyy5q-6i8RALtFTX9McDU9v7c-U2bufX4ARPbrogvzdagUDi/s640/CCE+Banner.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">Last
weekend was this year’s Cincinnati Comics Expo. For several reasons I could
only attend one day this year, Sunday. As usual, my friends at Comic Book World
had the biggest (and best) booth at the con. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaRQAjOn_5MWfA5QH0-SEFD9vbJDjSD-P4edUnczqGJZEuOz-XwrbG9pECcWhxANaAKpJh5HLZ6BhWG1_BKUBpskah3oraBWikT5K5IFnt5AHX76jSseKlyh8BoGEKgwJCet6tck3AnxK/s1600/CBW+Comic+Expo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="960" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVaRQAjOn_5MWfA5QH0-SEFD9vbJDjSD-P4edUnczqGJZEuOz-XwrbG9pECcWhxANaAKpJh5HLZ6BhWG1_BKUBpskah3oraBWikT5K5IFnt5AHX76jSseKlyh8BoGEKgwJCet6tck3AnxK/s400/CBW+Comic+Expo.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The famous Comic Book World Booth</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3G23lRTV-gIFFhChNpB4U_LGuZt7GDeLOOdNy6FJrg3pSGBeVB34psk20BPwP6fGBLmFGrdW-yqIlhyphenhyphenzahfZfBXToxyNYKvZS2A-hBB-yhyphenhyphenmRqJBCK0PXLj6zdBZfb8PUp3u3lqoO7du/s1600/IMG_0539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM3G23lRTV-gIFFhChNpB4U_LGuZt7GDeLOOdNy6FJrg3pSGBeVB34psk20BPwP6fGBLmFGrdW-yqIlhyphenhyphenzahfZfBXToxyNYKvZS2A-hBB-yhyphenhyphenmRqJBCK0PXLj6zdBZfb8PUp3u3lqoO7du/s320/IMG_0539.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">One
thing I love about the Cincy con is that they have lots of comic book dealers.
In this day of cons featuring media celebs, wrestlers and cosplay professionals,
the Cincinnati Expo likes and features comic dealers of all stripes. Folks were
there with quarter boxes (haven’t seen that for a while), dollar boxes and
walls full of primo key books for thousands of dollars apiece. There was
something for every budget. There were also dealers with comic-related art,
posters, clothing, props and weapons. <o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBUb9bSpNZ6Qdx8bO2uluc49Dm3jD0P8jn_oPbUFKgiF1gT9cgQ3ngMQBcgu_qo4W7oLb1Kg2vXGw0v_ApOPC7TADP-ZoyJhL5ACNM58O319hCgTarB4ggZj_lCOMhXZT5Z3VQXkLD5LE/s1600/IMG_0547.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxBUb9bSpNZ6Qdx8bO2uluc49Dm3jD0P8jn_oPbUFKgiF1gT9cgQ3ngMQBcgu_qo4W7oLb1Kg2vXGw0v_ApOPC7TADP-ZoyJhL5ACNM58O319hCgTarB4ggZj_lCOMhXZT5Z3VQXkLD5LE/s400/IMG_0547.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A Cheesecake art booth. Nice art!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AsMxu6uTg-SiWG_lOMnN4sflsobRuymzQy4doslaqtKzgQfFwwzeFcvNWeuBT1t6jPrf1kJ29nUS-Q4xV2TKHomeEmlJsgoNuNmQ3ix1X6vNALO63nadGrMe-cM97aX5m9p2pH7AfU4i/s1600/David+Bradley.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="317" data-original-width="214" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2AsMxu6uTg-SiWG_lOMnN4sflsobRuymzQy4doslaqtKzgQfFwwzeFcvNWeuBT1t6jPrf1kJ29nUS-Q4xV2TKHomeEmlJsgoNuNmQ3ix1X6vNALO63nadGrMe-cM97aX5m9p2pH7AfU4i/s320/David+Bradley.jpg" width="216" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">David Bradley</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
first walked by the media celebrity tables. I really wanted to meet actor Cary
Elwes of <i>The Princess Bride</i>. I read his book about that movie and it was a hoot.
He was the con’s biggest media guest and they had been pushing his appearance
for almost a year. He cancelled a week before the con. Not sure why, but if it
wasn’t an emergency that was a jerky thing to do. I next looked for actor David
Bradley, Filch from the Harry Potter movies. He just wrapped up the fourth and
last season of <i>The Strain</i> and I loved his performance as the crusty old
professor and monster killer Abraham Setrakian. Of course, he had cancelled
too. I did meet up with character actor Jason Isaacs. I mentioned he creeped me
out with his performance as a New England gangster in the cable show <i>Brotherhood</i>. I’ve spoken with several
bad guy actors and movie villains now, and it amazes me how they justify the
behavior of their characters. In response, he said, “Yeah, but he had morals
and did the right <table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_9DlSdfd-JoP_0dEVwhDPDXOgX7cyRQSw-RXzQbtR-0XTdsstZioRSbPYIaT4IIbmS1sIgYAgEtZvecNlSq4ElyAMlwOII8GHo-er6f_SeaJdQX6rg0u7LJgUnbM1iYhYtrnzEQkd-eX/s1600/Jason+Isaacs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1056" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS_9DlSdfd-JoP_0dEVwhDPDXOgX7cyRQSw-RXzQbtR-0XTdsstZioRSbPYIaT4IIbmS1sIgYAgEtZvecNlSq4ElyAMlwOII8GHo-er6f_SeaJdQX6rg0u7LJgUnbM1iYhYtrnzEQkd-eX/s320/Jason+Isaacs.jpg" width="209" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Jason Isaacs</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
thing sometimes.” I pointed out that he killed innocent
people (and many deserving ones). Isaacs replied, “Sure, but he tried to do the right thing.” That’s
interesting. In the show, Isaacs’ character Michael Caffee terrorized his
girlfriend, murdered innocent people and threatened anyone he could to get his
way. He really was an amoral scumbag who deserved to be removed from the planet
for the good of humanity. But the actor who played him only saw the character’s
redeeming features, as few as there were. I supposed actors are human and have
to survive playing evil people, so they cling to anything good or not wicked
about their character. That was an interesting conversation. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8YaAHvruGsUrIUuuvQyU0jADGiFU5cJOoxQI_D_h2Ki1Q84_q9m9GAAdQ_mBaVp53WUG4sYj5ekx2qFor7Nc1CyhuGgQP0E56xrWCyyYu0sSNFHMjLXwizPIHC0PvIjRCH-upcpQRfpE/s1600/IMG_0542.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8YaAHvruGsUrIUuuvQyU0jADGiFU5cJOoxQI_D_h2Ki1Q84_q9m9GAAdQ_mBaVp53WUG4sYj5ekx2qFor7Nc1CyhuGgQP0E56xrWCyyYu0sSNFHMjLXwizPIHC0PvIjRCH-upcpQRfpE/s320/IMG_0542.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">L to R: Matt, Ty Templeton, Ted</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
next ran across my friends Matt and Ted, waiting for Ted’s sketch from comic
artist Ty Templeton. He was drawing Jack Kirby creation Big Barda for Ted
(shhhh—I think Ted as a bit of a fetish for Barda—not that I blame him). Matt
showed me the Steve Canyon Templeton had drawn for him the day before (shhhhh—I
think Matt has a bit of a fetish for Steve Canyon). Here’s the drawing, which I
loved:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t8YvpshnO8pClmXjV5whOHvRSi0JsTpRH85R1XvRaB-uUQ9oHDiKTB4iuK7eWcvmPjHB9tK7EZGuwbWOX3CvHbBRCyYMDhJDx9B5nh-jFa96uIE-BR6M-xAWBoz3xmIc0yV61C3_Vlku/s1600/Steve+Canyon+Sketch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4t8YvpshnO8pClmXjV5whOHvRSi0JsTpRH85R1XvRaB-uUQ9oHDiKTB4iuK7eWcvmPjHB9tK7EZGuwbWOX3CvHbBRCyYMDhJDx9B5nh-jFa96uIE-BR6M-xAWBoz3xmIc0yV61C3_Vlku/s320/Steve+Canyon+Sketch.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Steve Canyon by Ty Templeton</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">I
didn’t go to any panels this year, but I did take a few cosplay photos:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14N9SfdtlIZLzIQifTt8Daq7dbwH-U1S2fk8Og8jejUKxJbGC4ZmEDUtvZon_kV-BEl0ssiIx71mwUqKxVFV1YpuVsCn9-FcGd3TL2uEWqKxbigkk38wiSg3JV9rcQTRJld5vC0QcDJ6j/s1600/IMG_0536.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg14N9SfdtlIZLzIQifTt8Daq7dbwH-U1S2fk8Og8jejUKxJbGC4ZmEDUtvZon_kV-BEl0ssiIx71mwUqKxVFV1YpuVsCn9-FcGd3TL2uEWqKxbigkk38wiSg3JV9rcQTRJld5vC0QcDJ6j/s320/IMG_0536.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Poison Ivy - Excellent costume</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5y0iiczhrh3W975BGJ5VWXM6AIxgT7k_MjbU2ZHTF7IPcVViv5HFA8EvhT_HfJYck8kN1NWY_F116OMCFrlAcX0yap5dhzs-ljXhszFi0ShuogmW29AWTDd51dmXgKg55ntEJ7ZK_tW7/s1600/IMG_0537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5y0iiczhrh3W975BGJ5VWXM6AIxgT7k_MjbU2ZHTF7IPcVViv5HFA8EvhT_HfJYck8kN1NWY_F116OMCFrlAcX0yap5dhzs-ljXhszFi0ShuogmW29AWTDd51dmXgKg55ntEJ7ZK_tW7/s320/IMG_0537.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Not sure and a Disney Princess</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgsLVJHjh5MNAKHnn7yu5sc4NhJ6ary29zr9kWItY6mERRAYesrotpv1XpsF7ZyC_Ot3magVezUzIEJcZ6UZAA7vN49C_0BUR_lIPHurcZO_7HI1Uc6kiqAYYj8qPgKG-hWXHAmXiZzh7/s1600/IMG_0546.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBgsLVJHjh5MNAKHnn7yu5sc4NhJ6ary29zr9kWItY6mERRAYesrotpv1XpsF7ZyC_Ot3magVezUzIEJcZ6UZAA7vN49C_0BUR_lIPHurcZO_7HI1Uc6kiqAYYj8qPgKG-hWXHAmXiZzh7/s320/IMG_0546.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Star Wars Character</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCc7O-3xwZYhE79WKshZnMDM02LHR8O0XesQIKf_Coxdeot35qmOaQ23Xf7JcCo7xdNJvX0FsLMtCe9kSGa-W7l-kQchohUJjtjLtBJqtQGOHUZByay-gFoKWVNCNosk6iUImErIREUSu/s1600/IMG_0548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMCc7O-3xwZYhE79WKshZnMDM02LHR8O0XesQIKf_Coxdeot35qmOaQ23Xf7JcCo7xdNJvX0FsLMtCe9kSGa-W7l-kQchohUJjtjLtBJqtQGOHUZByay-gFoKWVNCNosk6iUImErIREUSu/s320/IMG_0548.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Another family that cosplays together ... </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LCuzpLVYVKzGhHxHLexwmTa-7VsJ9iQ3jFlFTYyPbXcc9C-ePm7QqJa5Hzrk8dbQ7KfS39Nw3nAmiVsqnV9KJtckxSVXavCBdSe6SfWVAGb8nnn4GIl_xUcP5hlPRWwa4lzRCvmiHE4-/s1600/IMG_0549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6LCuzpLVYVKzGhHxHLexwmTa-7VsJ9iQ3jFlFTYyPbXcc9C-ePm7QqJa5Hzrk8dbQ7KfS39Nw3nAmiVsqnV9KJtckxSVXavCBdSe6SfWVAGb8nnn4GIl_xUcP5hlPRWwa4lzRCvmiHE4-/s320/IMG_0549.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Star Wars pilot and a Sith Cheerleader. Really. </span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH2ifa14gFTG5eHo60gysuw51Z_gjPVnreiGeCgADBtixWrUvBUYDI6svp7nUGg2m0ZduukrCgByEnLzLH99UUbC4pmIaCSHow7jFkMQc-1fkgUhwxNNQufE18-K7LsJWPd6gBN4yV89u/s1600/IMG_0550.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNH2ifa14gFTG5eHo60gysuw51Z_gjPVnreiGeCgADBtixWrUvBUYDI6svp7nUGg2m0ZduukrCgByEnLzLH99UUbC4pmIaCSHow7jFkMQc-1fkgUhwxNNQufE18-K7LsJWPd6gBN4yV89u/s320/IMG_0550.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Suction-cup tip Green Arrow and the Joker</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhra9q_O9Pq94xkjaTLCY7TL0PUshQpC9e5M9r_fk44QZg5vS2nNLD0ggC62zbPYAxPp2gdtCJQdPkCldix8k3y7-PDaYrdjvklfJ_AY6aCg-3x9eTcvrdtdeCDs3D_wM_MK1EpJQ1c3tRW/s1600/IMG_0551.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhra9q_O9Pq94xkjaTLCY7TL0PUshQpC9e5M9r_fk44QZg5vS2nNLD0ggC62zbPYAxPp2gdtCJQdPkCldix8k3y7-PDaYrdjvklfJ_AY6aCg-3x9eTcvrdtdeCDs3D_wM_MK1EpJQ1c3tRW/s320/IMG_0551.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">The best Harley Quinn at the show</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1i57IOAylE4jHQ_7zULP3ChQRuXXLtkn4G2ynMYymMmH9ZWiB9ngBJ0h3s94g01anOirvsf8h88NlN8FiOSa-yjH-6fgUQwMZhiRr15nUqJq51xA1g9rZDsbtmKiehhdlcEA07fGIFaic/s1600/IMG_0552.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1i57IOAylE4jHQ_7zULP3ChQRuXXLtkn4G2ynMYymMmH9ZWiB9ngBJ0h3s94g01anOirvsf8h88NlN8FiOSa-yjH-6fgUQwMZhiRr15nUqJq51xA1g9rZDsbtmKiehhdlcEA07fGIFaic/s320/IMG_0552.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Emma as a female Joker</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yrLsn594NSEFN1CWkVDJkj0fM1603U67H6SmkyHLVyrVhbMQQlr-FB0QYWvVxYxut4yTg28XM6MGL19CiRQPu9zCkE-tJprGCysfafVumm6svft5br4qU14UMWqfzsSDKE9eWYTPjE-z/s1600/IMG_0553.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="480" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yrLsn594NSEFN1CWkVDJkj0fM1603U67H6SmkyHLVyrVhbMQQlr-FB0QYWvVxYxut4yTg28XM6MGL19CiRQPu9zCkE-tJprGCysfafVumm6svft5br4qU14UMWqfzsSDKE9eWYTPjE-z/s320/IMG_0553.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Black Cat & Kingpin</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMAs_pkqdezdooIeYVsz-Rq9VkNxmbrRUDj0Y4eXF15uU3YggXWcBmCRM1ENymizn32bog7pFY97vEnodOCUEY4vqHBclkXVKl6v25kontCXB0oXO3ziNtLnsLjPo_23pwkN6bYUDaxck/s1600/Wonder+Woman.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWMAs_pkqdezdooIeYVsz-Rq9VkNxmbrRUDj0Y4eXF15uU3YggXWcBmCRM1ENymizn32bog7pFY97vEnodOCUEY4vqHBclkXVKl6v25kontCXB0oXO3ziNtLnsLjPo_23pwkN6bYUDaxck/s320/Wonder+Woman.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">Movie Wonder Woman. I approve!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wPBhAOFJefrS1mltJlFU1ki7h37gW92n5C2svnm4f6huLvbkA5b7Vrp00Q0mJxMxbRoLT0VEvY6U2spo-RKjBt7hawdjap1li6azR2xteZ5NvMMbzGnntzpXcXCG6bS67M6MnmamWyXH/s1600/IMG_0555.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="480" data-original-width="640" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0wPBhAOFJefrS1mltJlFU1ki7h37gW92n5C2svnm4f6huLvbkA5b7Vrp00Q0mJxMxbRoLT0VEvY6U2spo-RKjBt7hawdjap1li6azR2xteZ5NvMMbzGnntzpXcXCG6bS67M6MnmamWyXH/s320/IMG_0555.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: small;">A working R2-D2</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: large;">A
fun con, as always. Hopefully not as many guests will cancel next year. Either
way, it is not the con organizer’s fault—some things just can’t be helped. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Jerry Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11594572804669006416noreply@blogger.com0