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jvpw · 1 year

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'WCW POWER HOUR' 01.02.93 Recap + Review - Bagwell & Armstrong vs. Windham & Pillman, Big World Title Announcement

AIRDATE: January 2, 1993 COMMENTATORS: Tony Schiavone & “The Living Legend” Larry Zbyszko

WCW begins their New Year with Power Hour, featuring a tag team main event pitting Brad Armstrong & Marcus Alexander Bagwell against Barry Windham & Brian Pillman, plus some big news as a new World Champion has been crowned…at a house show in Baltimore during the week.

CHAMPIONS

WCW WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: Big Van Vader

WCW UNITED STATES HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION: “Ravishing” Rick Rude

WCW WORLD TELEVISION CHAMPION: Scott Steiner

WCW/NWA UNIFIED WORLD TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS: Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat & Shane Douglas

LINEUP

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Joe Cruz (SQUASH)

Scotty Flamingo vs. Keith Cole (*)

Brad Armstrong & Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. Barry Windham & Brian Pillman (**1/2)

*****

2 Cold Scorpio vs. Joe Cruz

Right at the bell Schiavone announces some huge news: Big Van Vader is World Champion once again, having defeated Ron Simmons on Wednesday in Baltimore. More to come later today on Saturday Night. Cruz has the weight advantage but not much else and Scorpio easily dispatches him with various aerial moves, including a skin the cat into a slingshot splash and finally a 450 Splash to win.

2 Cold Scorpio defeated Joe Cruz via pinfall (2:44)

JON’S THOUGHTS: Scorpio out here casually busting out 450 Splashes in 1993, turning the crowd into that exploding head guy from Scanners. Love it. (SQUASH)

–

-Schiavone and Zbyszko hype the next Clash of the Champions, scheduled for January 13th, which will feature an Arm Wrestling contest between “Heavy Metal” Van Hammer & Tony Atlas.

-CLIP (12/19/92 Worldwide): Van Hammer defeats Ron Simmons to win WCW’s Strongest Arm competition put on by Jesse “The Body” Ventura. Hammer’s ceremony is interrupted by Tony Atlas, who says he was too late to enter the contest but HE’S the one with the strongest arm in WCW.

-PROMOTIONAL CONSIDERATION PAID FOR BY THE FOLLOWING: Zap Pack’s video game trading cards, GI Joe action figures, and Predator 2 for Sega Genesis and Game Gear.

–

Scotty Flamingo vs. Keith Cole

Cole overpowers Flamingo to start, keeping control with a side headlock until Flamingo finally stuns him with a belly-to-back suplex. Cole counters an abdominal stretch with a hip toss, Flamingo goes back on the offensive with a series of kicks and a bearhug. Cole won’t stay down though, kicking out of Flamingo’s pinfall attempts and fighting back with lefts and a clothesline. Flamingo catches a charging Cole with an elbow and finishes him off with an airplane spin into a Samoan Drop for the 1…2…3.

Scotty Flamingo defeated Keith Cole via pinfall (4:46)

JON’S THOUGHTS: Flamingo may have gotten the win but Cole looked like the stronger man here, kicking out of every other pinning attempt in rapid fashion. Also it has to be said: Keith Cole has the GREATEST mullet I have ever seen on a human being. It is amazing, the perfect level of trash. Knowing the trajectory of Flamingo’s career in the 90s I have no idea what he’s got left to do in WCW under the gimmick. Could be a Michael Wallstreet circa 91 situation where he just suddenly…vanishes. (*)

–

-Teddy Long hypes up the 8-Man ThunderCage scheduled (SCHEDULED) to main event January 13th’s Clash of the Champions special. Clips aplenty play showing the major feuds going into the match (Ron Simmons/Rick Rude, Sting/Big Van Vader, Dustin Rhodes/Barry Windham, Van Hammer/The Barbarian, the final grouping having no real beef with each other but we paired everybody else off so whatever).

-Schiavone and Zbyszko discuss January 13’s scheduled (SCHEDULED) Bounty Match between Erik Watts and Cactus Jack then take it to footage from Jack’s match at last year’s show, a Falls Count Anywhere contest against Van Hammer from the 1.21.92 Clash. It’s a helluva thing mostly thanks to Jack’s bumps but sadly the show does not give us the whole thing, instead cutting to Missy Hyatt mid-move for the next segment. Booo.

-Missy Hyatt wants Erik Watts to make her his manager, as he needs someone to guide him. Cut to a clip from Saturday Night in 1992 where Rick Rude snaps off a Rude Awakening on the concrete floor. Watts makes it to the apron and Rude suplexes him back in…and now we’re back to Hyatt who continues pleading her case for becoming his manager.

–

Brad Armstrong & Marcus Alexander Bagwell vs. Barry Windham & “Flyin” Brian Pillman

Windham muscles Armstrong into the corner, Armstrong quickly fights his way out to reset. Armstrong drops Windham with a shoulder tackle followed by a dropkick into a side headlock takeover. Windham counters with a headscissors, Armstrong kicks his way out and a shoving match breaks out before the ref is forced to intervene. Schiavone brings up Armstrong & Windham’s history, the two having battled over the U.S. Heavyweight Championship at the second-ever Clash of the Champions. Pillman, Armstrong’s former Light Heavyweight Championship rival, tags in and gets dropped with an enzuigiri. Pillman misses one of his own, Bagwell tags in and goes after Pillman’s leg to ground the high-flier. Windham tags in, Bagwell surprises him with a dropkick and back body drop. Bagwell brings Windham to the canvas with a side headlock, Windham escapes but eats a pair of dropkicks followed by an armdrag into an armbar. Pillman sneaks a tag in and traps Bagwell in a side headlock. Bagwell catches a flying Pillman with a shot to the midsection followed by a dropkick and armdrag. Pillman sends Bagwell into Windham’s knee, Windham tags in and drives an elbow to the back of the neck. Bagwell fires back but misses a clothesline and Windham puts him into the canvas with a DDT, popping the crowd.

Windham connects with a belly-to-back suplex, Pillman tags in and comes off the buckles with an elbowdrop for the 1…2…Bagwell kicks out, Pillman settles into a chinlock. Pillman tosses Bagwell to the floor behind the ref’s back, avoiding a DQ. Bagwell catches Pillman with a crossbody but Windham ties up the ref too long and only ends up with a one-count at best. Pillman traps Bagwell in an abdominal stretch, Windham pulling on the arm for extra leverage just out of the ref’s view. Bagwell escapes with a hip toss and crawls under Pillman’s legs to make the hot tag to Armstrong. All four men battle in the ring, ref forces Bagwell out and Windham & Pillman hit a proto Total Elimination (Pillman clipping the knee, Windham connecting with a lariat), Pillman covering Armstrong for the 1…2…3!

Barry Windham & Brian Pillman defeated Brad Armstrong & Marcus Alexander Bagwell via pinfall (9:22)

JON’S THOUGHTS: Having jumped from 1991 to 1993 in my WCW lookback I was a little surprised to see Pillman & Windham as a heel tag team given how heated their feud was back in the day, taped fist matches and the like. They worked really well together and I liked the finish a lot. Schiavone bringing up Armstrong’s history with Windham was a nice way to give some flavor to this one and I want to go back and watch that match now. (**1/2)

–

-Schiavone and Zbyszko hypes tonight’s Saturday Night, where a tournament will begin to get a shot at Rick Rude’s United States Heavyweight Championship.

*****

FINAL THOUGHTS

Disappointing that we didn’t get the full Van Hammer/Cactus Jack match from last year’s Clash, but besides that Power Hour was a breeze to get through. Main event tag team match was fun, loved seeing 2 Cold Scorpio in action, and the tease about Big Van Vader regaining the World Championship during the week did a good job hyping Saturday Night for later in the day.

#world championship wrestling #wcw #wcw 1993 #wcw power hour #tony schiavone #larry zbyszko #2 cold scorpio #joe cruz #scotty flamingo #keith cole #teddy long #missy hyatt #brad armstrong #marcus alexander bagwell #brian pillman #barry windham

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epicmusic42 · 10 months

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WIP Game

Okay so I've seen this around a few times, where you're supposed to list all the stories in your WIP folder and followers can ask about them/request snippets. And it did get me curious how ridiculous my list is because uh... I work on many stories simultaneously. And it's a WIP until it's finished or I decide I'm not writing it.

So yeah. Folks can ask about anything they want. I do not promise you will get an answer since I also included the count of [Redacted] WIP files I've got.

Everything is organized by Fandom and if I have multiple wips for a series, then the series has a subheader. Things in [brackets] are more commentary than wip, but I felt should be acknowledged when counting.

Arda

Crown of mikhil

Prompt notes

Untitled 1

CritRole

Time Fuckery

Modernish AU

Mirror Images?

Two Steps Forward, Nein Steps Back

The Brunch Club

Flashbacks

The Brunch Club backstorys

Mechs AU

Murderplay blumentrio

Untitled 2

My Wish for You

Not my sister, my uncle

Agent A

I'm calling Martha

Ot4 but Crack

Untitled 3

Mechs

Breaking Marius's curse

The Terror: God of grieving, living out of spite, and the trapped

Going from Yes, to I love you

Pangolin Brian

Time loop

Brian is Arthur 40k fiction go

Ocean Pirate AU

On Recovery When You're Immortal

Te amo

This is new

Next Steps

Untitled 4

I Said I'm Keeping You

Lyf/Raph

Not Quite Human

[Loose Change]

Promise You'll Keep Me, Even If I'm Real

Quick Thots

TS/Brian

TS/Jonny

Ts/Jonny end

Ts/marius

Ts/marius/Jonny

Ts/tim

Smut

Ashes/Aurora

Jonny gangbang

Marius/Jonny cannibalism

Superhero Stuff

@fracnkie 's Outsider Pov

The Inherent Eroticism of…

Asking for what you want

Welcoming a new crew member

Ivy

Marius

[Concatenated]

Urban Magic

Eyot Cemetery

Sexy Ghoul Feeding Time

[Like five docs on Ghoul language]

Star Wars

Ka'ra the Gota

Copikla

Friends

Loose Change

More Dead than kaysh thought

Prologue?

Sexytimes

Untitled 5

Mir'j'ade

Advice

Comfort

Consent?

Discussions

Interview

Obi-wan Kenobi of aliit Kryze

Obi-wan Kenobi of Clan Kryze

Xai giiyha'ah anohrahak uu ehnoctel

[Also like 7 notes docs]

Tra'kem'ad

Goran joha

Tra'kem'ad

Translations

Jesara, celo kat fohl

Ke'nuhoy, ner ad'ika

Mando'a I see fire

sa sarad cuyir gotal de pitat

Tal jabat te laamtorun (Blood upon the risers)

Werdlaar

Follow up

Jesara celo kat fohl, juve e paihenelru foh keelak

Misc

Tamah qa brok vaversi

"I've been yours"

Alpha means buir

And I say

Bat Concordia

Dom/sub thing

Ehnap im Lunetana'unru'yth; Rumar'eyir nu Ru'hiib'manir

Jatinobi

Jensaarai

Jetii ori'vod

Ka'ra'ade

Kar'ta beskare

Mattress red

Melida/Daan

Merged world's

Mission: babysitter wanted

Paden'hibir

Protest snippet

Rex fucked up

Rex/sabe

Staging a couple

Stewjoni witch

T'ad runise

Time travel dooku

Time travel maul/Obi-wan

Time8

To be naasade

To: a connection

Untitled 6

Untitled 7

Xanatos/Jango?

Xarehk paiochl Rakadaiji

TMA

Brain wtf?

Jonny dville and Jon Sims same guy

Other

Genderfluid?

Marvel-Dimension Travel

Sire, if I may?

Prompt Bucket

Original Work

Space Beowulf

Satan & Jesus go to pride

Cyberpunk persephone

The Adventures of the Wise Old Wizard

Novel

This is my idea of a pandemic

Generic Prompt Bucket

Loose Change (technically not a WIP)

Redacted

Redacted A

Redacted 1

Redacted 2

Redacted B

Redacted 3

Redacted 4

Redacted 5

Redacted 6

Redacted 7

Redacted 8

Redacted 9

Redacted 10

Redacted 11

Redacted 12

If you read this far, I'll do you the favour of informing you that there are 133 WIPs.

No, I'm not actively working on all of them. But these are all projects that I haven't removed to a "fics I'll never write" or equivalent folder.

#ask game #writing

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dailymilesmorales · 4 years

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Thor and Hulk are at it again. The Avengers' helicarrier is under attack by a swarm of robot minions under the command of MODOK, the head of a tech company who became a super-powered Inhuman villain after a catastrophe known as A Day — and still the raging green muscle finds time to hurl a projectile at Thor’s head. “Just like old times,” says the Asgardian, referencing a bit from 2012’s Avengers movie. Only this isn’t their next blockbuster sequel. It’s their first blockbuster video game.

Since the MCU has been put on indefinite hold in the wake of the global COVID-19 pandemic (see: Black Widow’s release date, production on the next Spider-Man movie), games — and, specifically, Marvel Games — are rising to meet the need for fresh stories. This year alone will see the debut of Marvel’s Avengers (Sept. 4) from the Tomb Raider team at Crystal Dynamics, plus Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales (holiday 2020), a separate spin-off of Insomniac Games’ 2018 Spidey adventure that revives the breakout Spider-Verse star.

“We always believed in the power of video games,” says Bill Rosemann, who’s like the Kevin Feige of Marvel’s gaming division. “We’re happy that more people than ever are discovering — even though you may be physically in different areas — [that] games can bring you together and create connections."

This next phase (to use an MCU term), which finally gives fans playable Marvel adventures on large console platforms, began with Spider-Man. Earlier attempts to make games of this scale, like an Avengers project planned to coincide with the original movie, fell apart. Leaked footage of this first-person effort, as well as a canceled Daredevil game, exist on YouTube as a glimpse of what could've been. The 2018 release, Marvel’s Spider-Man, finally webbed a green light because it was “all about timing,” says Rosemann. “It's all about what talent is available? Do they want to work with Marvel? If so, what's their passion? When you have all those things align, that’s when you can create something great.”

Jon Paquette, the lead writer of Marvel's Spider-Man, noted how one of their mantras "was to design an experience that felt like you were playing a Marvel movie." Out of that mission came a story about Peter Parker, a little more experienced in his years as New York's friendly neighborhood... you know, interwoven with a battle against a sinister rogues' gallery. It became the best-selling superhero game of all time, at over 13 million units. “We had a feeling it was gonna do that,” says Bryan Intihar, Insomniac’s creative director. "I mean, you don't [really] know. There’s this ultimate fear of screwing up one of the most popular characters.” When celebrities like Lin-Manuel Miranda and LeBron James began sharing images from the game on social media, they knew it had “reached another level."

They still didn’t know if they could make a sequel. There were two post-credits scenes that teased big things to come — another element borrowed from the movies — but that was them "stacking the deck," as Intihar put it. One stinger revealed that Miles Morales, an Afro-Latino teen from Harlem and a playable side character, also developed powers after a bite from a radioactive spider once held in Norman Osborn's secret lab.

“We knew really early that [Spider-Man] was going to end with him getting the spider bite," Intihar says. “We would tease it during development. I think everybody was focused on, 'Can you make the first one really good and we'll worry about the other stuff later?' But we wanted to have that set up so if it became a reality [to do another game] we could pull it off." At one point during an early workshop session, Miles was going to be a post-credits scene reveal and nothing more, but Intihar says the team determined it was important to "see the roots of him being a hero before he even had spider powers." Intihar adds of the final end-credits tag, "One of the reasons we put that out was to hopefully convince people that ‘He’s a Spider-Man now. Can we have a game with him?‘”

It paid off, partly because Insomniac went from being a partner with game publisher Sony Interactive Entertainment to being an official member of the Sony family once the company acquired Insomniac in fall 2019 for $229 million, per the company's financial statements. After that, "they were fully on board with the idea" for a sequel, Intihar says. Rosemann thinks of that first Spider-Man as "proof of concept." Now, for the holiday 2020 season (COVID-19 willing) Miles’ own game will further expand this virtual world.

In Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales, set in winter one year after the events of the previous game, Miles' Harlem home is on the verge of being torn apart by a war between an energy corporation and a criminal organization armed to the teeth with advanced tech. It's not a formal sequel to Spider-Man. That, if the coy responses from the creatives are any sign, may or may not be coming later. It's a shorter spin-off, likened in scope to the Lost Legacy game in the Uncharted series. Nevertheless, Intihar promises "it has a lot of heart."

"This is a full arc for Miles Morales that started in Spider-Man," Brian Horton, the game's creative director, says. "We really are completing this hero's coming of age in our game. It is a complete story."

The choice of a smaller narrative came amid discussions of what that hero's journey looked like for Miles in the context of Insomniac's games. After all, Miles, according to Marvel Comics canon, doesn't typically exist in the same reality as Mr. Parker. "When we started crafting it," Horton recalls, "we realized that, with a little bit more of a compact storytelling style, we could tell a very emotionally impactful story that would fit really well as an experience that would take Spider-Man 1 and [Miles Morales] and do justice to this character."

Miles may be training with Peter to hone his Spidey skills, but Horton and Intihar see him as "his own Spider-Man." The animation, the movements, the mechanics, even his powers (including bioshock and invisibility) aren't just unique tricks for this character, they are metaphors for that hero's journey the pair keep mentioning. Peter's origin "was born out of tragedy" — i.e. the death of his Uncle Ben — but Horton mentions Miles "is more so born out of family. What I think is really compelling about Miles as a character is he has friends that he could actually let into his world — his human world and his Spider world. He's a little different in the way he approaches it."

Despite all this spin-off talk, Rosemann isn’t actively overlapping his universe of interconnected games — at least not yet. It's more like a Spider-Verse. "Each game is in the Marvel universe, but they're in their own reality, if you will," he says. "Currently, our plan is to keep each game set in its own Marvel universe." It's part of his goal to give game-makers as much freedom as possible to craft the stories they want to tell. So, while this year’s Avengers won’t be linked to Spider-Man, it has its own web-slinger. Spider-Man has been confirmed to arrive in Marvel's Avengers as a DLC story sometime after launch. But when the game drops, it will also come with a lead character who maintains certain parallels to Miles.

[..]

#miles morales #games #games: spiderman miles morales #articles #long post

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heroicadventurists · 4 years

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Comic Con @ Home panel and exhibitor list (so far)

Source: Comic-Con@Home

Source: SDCC unofficial blog

TV & Movies

American Dad: Ever wanted to learn how to draw one of your favorite AD! characters? Now is your chance, join show Supervising Director, Brent Woods, as he teaches the cast and executive producers how to draw Roger! Grab a sketchbook & pens and learn to draw everyone’s favorite alien alongside Rachael MacFarlane (Hayley), Wendy Schaal (Francine), Scott Grimes (Steve), Dee Bradley Baker (Klaus) and EPs Nic Wegener and Joe Chandler as they chat about the current season and look toward the series’ 300th episode airing on TBS this fall.

[NEW] Archer (July 24 at 5PM PT): with Aisha Tyler, Chris Parnell, Judy Greer, Lucky Yates, Amber Nash, and moderated by Casey Willis.

The Blacklist

Bill & Ted Face the Music: with stars Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, as well as Wyld Stallyns, Samara Weaving, Brigette Lundy-Paine, William Sadler, and director Dean Parisot and writers Ed Solomon and Chris Matheson. Moderated by Kevin Smith.

[NEW] Blast Off with Disney+’s The Right Stuff (July 25 at 1PM PT).

Bless the Harts: Join the Harts, in quarantine of course, for a Paint & Sip! Watch Kristen Wiig (Jenny Hart), Maya Rudolph (Betty Hart), Ike Barinholtz (Wayne Edwards), Jillian Bell (Violet Hart) and Fortune Feimster (Brenda) with executive producers Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Andy Bobrow try to recreate Bless The Harts characters while chatting about their favorite moments from season one, what they’re looking forward to in season two on FOX this Fall and how they’ve kept busy during quarantine while drinking the show’s favorite drink – boxed wine!

Bob’s Burgers: The Emmy Award-winning animated FOX series “Bob’s Burgers” invites fans into their homes for a virtual panel with all of the laughs and surprises they generally bring to the Indigo Ballroom. Creator and executive producer Loren Bouchard will break news about the upcoming season, and the always entertaining cast including H. Jon Benjamin, John Roberts, Kristen Schaal, Eugene Mirman, Dan Mintz and Larry Murphy will have you howling with laughter with never-before-seen footage, followed by a lively panel discussion and fan Q&A.

Constantine: 15th Anniversary Reunion: with Keanu Reeves, director Francis Lawrence, and Akiva Goldsman.

Crossing Swords: Hulu Original Crossing Swordsfollows Patrick, a good hearted peasant who lands a coveted squire position at the royal castle. His dream job quickly turns into a nightmare when he learns his beloved kingdom is run by a hornet’s nest of horny monarchs, crooks and charlatans. Even worse, Patrick’s valor made him the black sheep in his family, and now his criminal siblings have returned to make his life hell. War, murder, full frontal nudity—who knew brightly colored peg people led such exciting lives? With Scott Mantz, Seth Green, Alanna Ubach, Tara Strong, Yvette Nicole Brown, Adam Pally, Tom Root, John Harvatine IV, and Adam Ray.

A Conversation with Nathan Fillion: Showrunner Alexi Hawley (“The Rookie”) talks with Nathan Fillion (“Firefly,” “Castle,” “The Rookie”) about his career in film and television. With special appearances by Joss Whedon, Alan Tudyk, Gina Torres, Mekia Cox, Molly Quinn, Seamus Dever and Jon Huertas.

Director’s on Directing: with Robert Rodriguez, Colin Trevorrow, and Joseph Kosinski.

The Dragon Prince: with creators Aaron Ehasz and Justin Richmond, as well as voice cast Jack Desena, Paula Burrows, Sasha Rojen, Erik Todd Dellums, Jason Simpson, Jesse Inocalla, and Racquel Belmonte

Duncanville: Join executive producers Mike & Julie Scully, executive producer and star, Amy Poehler, along with stars Ty Burrell, Riki Lindhome, Joy Osmanski, Yassir Lester, Betsy Sodaro and guest stars Rashida Jones and Wiz Khalifa for an exclusive first look at the upcoming second season; returning next Spring on FOX.

Emily the Strange: with creator Rob Reger and illustrator Buzz Parker

Family Guy: Join cast Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Mila Kunis, Seth Green and executive producers Rich Appel, Alec Sulkin and Kara Vallow from FOX’s hit animated comedy “Family Guy” as we celebrate 350 episodes with a virtual table read! After, we’ll take a look back at some of our favorite moments from the last 18 seasons, plus a special sneak peek at the hilarity and hi-jinx coming up in our 19th season premiering this fall on FOX!

Fear the Walking Dead: Fear the Walking Dead will present a panel for the series’ upcoming sixth season, premiering later this year. Moderated by Hardwick, the panel will feature Gimple, Showrunners and Executive Producers Andrew Chambliss and Ian Goldberg and cast members Lennie James, Alycia Debnam-Carey, Colman Domingo, Danay Garcia, Karen David, Jenna Elfman and Rubén Blades.

G-Loc: with director Tom Paton, and stars Stephen Moyer, Tala Gouveia, Casper Van Dien, and John Rhys-Davies. Moderated by Jacob Oller.

The Goldbergs: with cast members Wendi McLendon-Covey, Sean Giambrone, Troy Gentile, George Segal, Hayley Orrantia, and Sam Lerner

Helstrom: As the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer, Hulu Original Helstrom follows Daimon (Tom Austen) and Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon), and their complicated dynamic, as they track down the worst of humanity — each with their own attitude and skills.

HOOPS: The star-studded voice cast of “Hoops,” a new adult animated series for Netflix launching this summer from 20th Century Fox Television (“The Simpsons,” “Family Guy,” “Bob’s Burgers”), gathered for an irreverent-in-the-best-way conversation about coming together to make this show that follows a foul-mouthed high school basketball coach who is sure he’ll hit the big leagues if he can only turn his terrible team around. Voice stars Jake Johnson, Rob Riggle, Ron Funches, Natasha Leggero, Cleo King and A.D. Miles join creator and executive producer Ben Hoffman and moderator/ guest voice star Max Greenfield (Johnson’s former “New Girl” co-star) for a truly wild and hilarious Q&A. Fans will be treated to an exclusive first look at footage from the premiere episode. “Hoops” comes from writer-comedian Ben Hoffman (“The Late Late Show with James Corden,” “Archer”), Phil Lord and Chris Miller (“The Lego Movie”), with animation produced by Bento Box (“Bob’s Burgers”).

Kevin Smith: You know what this is.

LGBTQ Representation on TV: with Jamie Chung (Once Upon A Time), Jamie Clayton (Roswell: New Mexico), Wilson Cruz (Star Trek: Discovery), Tatiana Maslany (Perry Mason, Orphan Black), Anthony Rapp (Star Trek: Discovery), J. August Richards (Council of Dads, Angel, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Harry Shum, Jr. (Shadowhunters) and Brian Michael Smith (9-1-1: Lone Star). The panel will be moderated by TV Guide Magazine West Coast Bureau Chief Jim Halterman.

[NEW] A Look Inside Marvel’s 616 on Disney+ (July 23 at 1PM PT).

Motherland: Fort Salen: TBA

NEXT: Coming to FOX in Fall 2020, “NEXT” arrives at Comic-Con@Home with a sneak peek of the thrilling opening scene of the propulsive, fact-based thriller about the emergence of a deadly, rogue artificial intelligence that combines pulse-pounding action with an examination of how technology is invading our lives and transforming us in ways we don’t yet understand. “NEXT” stars John Slattery (“Mad Men”) as a Silicon Valley pioneer, who teams with cybercrime agent Fernanda Andrade (“The First”), to fight a villain unlike anything we’ve ever seen. Panelists will include creator and executive producer Manny Coto (“24”), John Slattery, Fernanda Andrade, Michael Mosley (“Ozark”), Jason Butler Harner (“Ozark”) and Eve Harlow (“Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.”) for a fascinating conversation about the new series and how AI and technology infiltrates all of our lives, moderated by Thrillist’s Esther Zuckerman.

NOS4A2: Moderated by Entertainment Weekly’s Clark Collis, the panel will feature Showrunner and Executive Producer Jami O’Brien, Executive Producer Joe Hill and cast member Zachary Quinto.

[NEW] Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Candace Against the Universe (12PM PT).

Rooster Teeth: Yssa Badiola, Torrian Crawford, Barbara Dunkelman, Fiona Nova, Kerry Shawcross, and special guest F.J. DeSanto are going to virtually smack you in the face with exclusive reveals and new information about Recorded by Arizal, Red vs. Blue Zero, RWBY Volume 8, and Transformers War For Cybertron: Siege.

The Simpsons: They’ll never stop The Simpsons!…from appearing at Comic-Con; this time on zoom. Join Al Jean, Matt Selman, David Silverman, Carolyn Omine, Mike B. Anderson and moderator Yeardley Smith. Find out how the show has surmounted social distancing and turbulent times en route to season 32!

Solar Opposites: Your favorite Shlorpians are getting together for Comic-Con at Home! As Hulu’s most-watched original comedy premiere to date, “Solar Opposites” centers around a team of four aliens who escape their exploding home world only to crash land into a move-in ready home in suburban America. They are evenly split on whether Earth is awful or awesome, while protecting the Pupa, a living super computer that will one day evolve into its true form, consume them and terraform the Earth… Join Justin Roiland (“Korvo”), Thomas Middleditch (“Terry”), Sean Giambrone (“Yumyulack”), Mary Mack (“Jesse”) and executive producers Mike McMahan and Josh Bycel for all things “Solar Opposites” including an exclusive clip from the upcoming second season!

Stumptown: with cast members Jake Johnson, Cobie Smulders, and Michael Ealy

TV Guide Magazine’s Fan Favorites: Hale Appleman (The Magicians), Chris Chalk (Gotham, Perry Mason), Robbie Amell (Upload), Kennedy McMann (Nancy Drew), Jeri Ryan (Star Trek: Picard), Richard Harmon (The 100), Lindsey Morgan (The 100), Harvey Guillen (What We Do in the Shadows), and Alex Newell (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist)

The Walking Dead: The Walking Dead will make its 11th San Diego Comic-Con appearance with a panel spotlighting the Season 10 Finale episode, “A Certain Doom,” which will air as a standalone episode later this year. Moderated by Hardwick, the panel will feature Gimple, Showrunner and Executive Producer Angela Kang, Executive Producer Greg Nicotero, who directed the season finale, and cast members Norman Reedus, Melissa McBride, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Lauren Cohan, Josh McDermitt and Paola Lazaro, among others.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond: The Walking Dead: World Beyond makes its Comic-Con International debut as the third series in wildly successful The Walking Dead Universe. Moderated by Hardwick, the series’ panel will feature Gimple, Showrunner and Executive Producer Matt Negrete and cast members Aliyah Royale, Alexa Mansour, Hal Cumpston, Nicholas Cantu, Nico Tortorella, Julia Ormond and Joe Holt.

[NEW] What We Do in the Shadows (July 25 at 5PM PT): with Kayvan Novak, Matt Berry, Natasia Demetriou, Mark Proksch, Harvey Guillen, Paul Simms, Stefani Robinson, and moderated by Haley Joel Osment.

Wynonna Earp.

COMICS

Celebrating 80 Years of The Spirit: Moderated by Danny Fingeroth.

Decoding the Kirby/Lee Relationship: with Danny Fingeroth.

[NEW] Howard Cruse: The Godfather of Queer Comics.

In Conversation with Robert Kirkman: Creator Robert Kirkman answers fan questions on his titles including THE WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE, FIRE POWER, OBLIVION SONG, and more!

[NEW] LGBTQ Comics and Popular Media for Young People.

[NEW] Out in Comics 33: Virtually Yours.

[NEW] Marvel Comics: Next Big Thing: Friday, July 24, 11:00 AM PST

[NEW] MARVEL HQ: Thursday, July 23, 4:00 PM PST

Skybound Presents: Comics & Creators: A panel of Skybound’s comic book creators including Robert Kirkman, the team behind EXCELLENCE, and more come together to discuss their latest projects.

Tribute to Dennis O’Neil: with Danny Fingeroth.

The Wonderful, Horrible History of E.C. Comics: Moderated by Danny Fingeroth.

OTHER

The Art of Collaboration: Duos Behind Top Films, TV Shows, & Video Games.

California Browncoats.

Creative Renaissance: How to Thrive When it’s Hard to Survive. The continued need for social distancing has brought about a creative renaissance in the digital space. Join the conversation with Joe Barrette (Creators, Assemble!), Phil Jimenez (Creators4Comics), Alonso Nunez (Little Fish Comic Book Studio), and Kit Steinaway (Book Industry Charitable Fund) to hear how nonprofit organizations are working with comics creators to support each other and their communities during these challenging times. You will hear about new learning opportunities, collaborations, how to forge new creative friendships in a time of global disconnect and what it means to find your tribe through fandom and shared passion. Moderated by Dan Wood (Comics librarian, EPL).

From Script to Screen: Behind-the-Scenes of Your Favorite Film & TV Shows.

The Future of Entertainment.

GirlsDrawinGirls Presents Industry Professional Women Artists in Quarantine: Balancing Work, Art, Homeschooling, and Life: With Melody Severns, Debbie Mahan, Sherry Delorme, Rehana Khan-Tarin, Aisling Harbert-Phillips, and Christine Chang.

The Legal Geeks.

Making a Living Being Creative: with Lee Kohse, Brendan Hay, Lex Cassar, and Johnny Kolasinski.

Masters of the Illustrated Film Poster.

Music for Animation.

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eddycurrents · 5 years

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For the week of 15 July 2019

Quick Bits:

Age of X-Man: Omega #1 concludes the event with this finale one-shot from Zac Thompson, Lonnie Nadler, Simone Buonfantino, Tríona Farrell, and Clayton Cowles. It’s a confrontation between many of the groups within this world and X-Man as they discover the nature of the world and discuss some philosophical concepts of conflict and identity.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #50 begins “Amnesty” from Kelly Sue DeConnick, Robson Rocha, Eduardo Pansica, Daniel Henriques, Julio Ferreira, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles. It’s damn good. Arthur returns home here and there’s a reintegration of old supporting cast members, Wonder Woman, and further information about what’s going on in Atlantis. Also the set up for an interesting story possibly further down the line. Great art from Rocha, Pansica, Henriques, Ferreira, and Gho.

| Published by DC Comics

Assassin Nation #5 is the end to what has been a fun and humorous action-packed series from Kyle Starks, Erica Henderson, and Deron Bennett. More great action with some surprises along the way.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Batman #75 begins “City of Bane” from Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Mitch Gerads, Tomeu Morey, and Clayton Cowles. It sets up a new status quo in Gotham with Bane at the helm and a bizarre slotting of various villains into traditional roles.

| Published by DC Comics

Black Badge #12 concludes this series with one last mission from the combined forces of all of colour badges, showing us how a coordinated effort really should have taken place before the groups’ purpose was co-opted. This has been a great series from Matt Kindt, Tyler Jenkins, Hilary Jenkins, and Jim Campbell.

| Published by BOOM! Studios

Black Science #41 sets up an interesting and somewhat surprising new reality after last issue. I kind of expect that we’ll see another big twist as we head towards the finale in the next two issues. Rick Remender, Matteo Scalera, Moreno Dinisio, and Rus Wooton give us an interesting look at “paradise” this issue.

| Published by Image / Giant Generator

Blade Runner 2019 #1 begins a new time period and introduces a new Blade Runner in this alt-present tale from Michael Green, Mike Johnson, Andres Guinaldo, Marco Lesko, and Jim Campbell. Ash is an interesting character and this interpretation of the mythos is wonderful. Also, the artwork from Guinaldo and Lesko perfectly fits this neon apocalypse world.

| Published by Titan

Bloodborne #13 begins the next arc, “The Veil, Torn Asunder”, as an unnamed veteran searches through the madness of Yarnham and beyond. Beautiful artwork from Piotr Kowalski and Brad Simpson, really bringing the existential horrors to life.

| Published by Titan

Daredevil #8 goes in a very interesting direction as Matt accepts a dinner invitation from the married bookseller he keeps flirting with, leading to an assassination attempt and captivating dinner conversation about rules and responsibility. Chip Zdarsky, Lalit Kumar Sharma, Jay Leisten, Java Tartaglia, and Clayton Cowles are really delivering an interesting story here.

| Published by Marvel

Excellence #3 delves into some of the details of how the Aegis deals with rogue magic users. Brandon Thomas, Khary Randolph, Emilio Lopez, and Deron Bennett are doing some very interesting world and character building here.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Fairlady #4 is another great issue. The humour that Brian Schirmer provides in the dialogue is wonderful. This one dives into the mystery of mystery novel missing its final page and there’s one hell of an ending.

| Published by Image

Ghost Tree #4 concludes this excellent series from Bobby Curnow, Simon Gane, Ian Herring, Becka Kinzie, and Chris Mowry. There are a lot of goodbyes in this issue, some pleasant, some not, and some heartrending choices and consequences. Very well done.

| Published by IDW

Gideon Falls #15 checks in with Father Fred’s nightmares. The different time periods and streams, and their crossings-over at this point, are fascinating, even as things become even more chaotic and horrifying. Gorgeous art from Andrea Sorrentino and Dave Stewart.

| Published by Image

Immortal Hulk #21 has gorgeous guest art from Ryan Bodenheim as we get a story filling in this past of Fortean and a dangerous change in the present. Al Ewing also brings forward some of the recurring subtext of form and substance through the Bible and Kabbalah to give a deeper understanding of some of the themes here.

| Published by Marvel

Infinite Dark #8 brings an end to the second arc, with a revelation of the nightmarish creatures trying to destroy the station and a choice for how to proceed with the potential survival or annihilation of the remaining human race. Wonderful work from Ryan Cady, Andrea Mutti, K. Michael Russel, and Troy Peteri.

| Published by Image / Top Cow

Invaders #7 begins a new arc, “Dead in the Water”, dealing with the fallout of Atlantis’ assault on the surface. There are some more hints of Namor’s problems, the return of another Invader, and hints at some nefarious things on the horizon. I love the introduction of Tony Stark into the mess in the present, adding another conflict to deal with. Chip Zdarsky, Carlos Magno, Butch Guice, Alex Guimarães, and Travis Lanham continue to deliver some solid storytelling here.

| Published by Marvel

Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Sirens #4 features an interpretation of the myth of Lorelei by Aud Koch (with letters from Jim Campbell). It’s wonderfully told, with beautiful, magical artwork.

| Published by Boom Entertainment / Archaia

Justice League #28 concludes “Apex Predator” from James Tynion IV, Javier Fernandez, Daniel Sampere, Juan Albarran, Hi-Fi, and Tom Napolitano. This one’s basically integral to the core “Year of the Villain” story as Lex gives his offer to J’onn.

| Published by DC Comics

The Life & Death of Toyo Harada #5 picks up some of the pieces for the remaining few of Toyo’s forces, as they try to make a plan for what’s to come next. It should be interesting to see what the next step is in the finale. Gorgeous artwork from CAFU, Kano, and Andrew Dalhouse.

| Published by Valiant

Little Bird #5 brings this ambitious and unique story from Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar to an end. The personal nature of this story as Little Bird comes to terms with her family has been a very enthralling element in this fight for freedom, and the sacrifices that one makes. Stunning artwork from Bertram and Hollingsworth.

| Published by Image

Loki #1 is an entertaining beginning to this new series spinning out of War of the Realms from Daniel Kibblesmith, Oscar Bazaldua, David Curiel, and Clayton Cowles. It dives in to Loki’s new role as King of Jotunheim and how he’s humorously approaching his duties. There’s a nice set-up for something coming that’s dismissed as a trick.

| Published by Marvel

Outpost Zero #11 reveals the discovery of life outside of the outpost, which leads to an unexpected reaction and sign of more conspiracies to keep the entire populace in the dark. Sean Kelly McKeever has been seeding little hints that something not right has been going on for a long time within the colony and there is more evidence of it here.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #11 sets us up for the end as Pearl returns to San Francisco to take care of the Endo Twins. Also, a game changer of a cliffhanger. Love the double page spreads from Michael Gaydos.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Promethee 13:13 #1 is a digital-original prequel to Christophe Bec’s Promethee series from Andy Diggle, Shawn Martinbrough, Dave Stewart, and Simon Bowland. You don’t need to have read the original to follow this, but I still highly recommend it. This is an interesting starting point, with even more of a conspiratorial/espionage feel than the sci-fi of the main series. It’s good and I’m very interested to see where this goes.

| Published by Delcourt / Soleil

Ragnarok: The Breaking of Helheim #1 is a welcome return of Walter Simonson’s new take on Thor and Norse Mythology, pushing the story in new directions as Thor gains a vision of the end from his father and sets out for Hel. Simonson, Laura Martin, and John Workman work together as a seamless team here delivering a wonderful next chapter to the story. For those new to this series, there’s also a rather nice Q&A section that helps with some of the details.

| Published by IDW

Resonant #1 is an intriguing debut from David Andry, Alejandro Aragon, Jason Wordie, and Deron Bennett. This first issue sets up a different, very interesting post-apocalyptic world that we’re kind of uncertain of, but with the core of a single father trying to protect his children. The art from Aragon and Wordie is incredible.

| Published by Vault

Road of Bones #3 goes even harder into the brutal horror of three men trying to survive without any resources in a harsh landscape devoid of life. Rich Douek, Alex Cormack, and Justin Birch elevate the terror nicely this issue.

| Published by IDW

Rumble #14 unleashes the Last Knight of the Scourge Knights upon the world, bringing with him death through oblivion. John Arcudi, David Rubín, Dave Stewart, and Joe Sabino are definitely raising the stakes here, especially with Rathraq distracted by a personal conflict.

| Published by Image

Sera and the Royal Stars #1 is a fantastic debut of this fantasy series from Jon Tsuei, Audrey Mok, Raul Angulo, and Jim Campbell. It draws on Persian history and folklore as Sera is called upon by Mitra to fulfill a quest to prevent the end of everyone.

| Published by Vault

Silver Surfer: Black #2 continues to build the mythology around Knull. I love this blend of the seed from Venom with what’s been going on in the cosmic side from Guardians of the Galaxy, Donny Cates is doing a great job of reinforcing an evolving shared universe feel. Also, the art from Tradd Moore and Dave Stewart is phenomenal.

| Published by Marvel

Sonata #2 unveils some more mysteries about the planet, including some incredible monsters out to kill and eat everyone. The art from Brian Haberlin and Geirrod Van Dyke is very nice.

| Published by Image / Shadowline

Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #1 is a fun debut from Matt Fraction, Steve Lieber, Nathan Fairbairn, and Clayton Cowles that brings back a lot of the ridiculousness of the old Jimmy Olsen stories, seeing Jimmy in bizarre and humorous predicaments. There’s also an interesting exploration of Jimmy’s family’s history in Metropolis. And wonderful artwork from Lieber and Fairbairn.

| Published by DC Comics

Usagi Yojimbo #2 continues “Bunraku” as the investigation into the puppets continues. The supernatural aspect that Stan Sakai is bringing to this lead off arc for the new volume is engrossing and the colour from Tom Luth is growing on me.

| Published by IDW

Vampirella #1 is kind of a weird start (excepting the zero issue) to this new volume from Christopher Priest, Ergün Gündüz, and Willie Schubert. It’s framed as Vampirella seeking help from a psychiatrist following the trauma of the plane that she was on in the zero issue crashing, a disbelieving psychiatrist, and it’s certainly different.

| Published by Dynamite

X-Force #10 concludes “The Counterfeit King” and with it the series (at least for now). Ed Brisson, Dylan Burnett, Jesus Aburtov, and Cory Petit go out with a bang as X-Force have a final confrontation with Stryfe and his remaining forces. Also, wibbly wobbly timey wimey stuff.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Animosity #22, Ask for Mercy: Season Two #1, Bags (or a story thereof), Blossoms 666 #5, Bronze Age Boogie #4, Captain Marvel #8, Clue: Candlestick #3, Collapser #1, Cyber Force #11, Deadpool #15, Doctor Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #10, Domino: Hot Shots #5, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark #7, Evolution #17, Faithless #4, Firefly #8, From Hell: Master Edition #6, GI Joe: A Real American Hero #264, Hit-Girl: Season 2 #6, Infinity 8 #13, Invader Zim #45, James Bond 007 #9, Joe Golem: Occult Detective - The Conjurors #3, Jughead: The Hunger vs. Vampironica #3, Jughead’s Time Police #2, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Tempest #6, Love & Rockets #7, Lucifer #10, Mary Shelley: Monster Hunter #4, Port of Earth #12, The Punisher Annual #1, The Ride: Burning Desire #2, Secret Warps: Ghost Panther Annual #1, Spider-Man: Life Story #5, Star Wars: Doctor Aphra #34, Star Wars: Tie Fighter #4, Superior Spider-Man #9, Teen Titans #32, They Called Us Enemy, Transformers #9, Transformers/Ghostbusters #2, Turok #4, Uncanny X-Men #22, The Unstoppable Wasp #10, The Warning #9, Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1

Recommended Collections: BPRD: The Devil You Know - Volume 3: Ragna Rok, Bram Stoker’s Dracula, By Night - Volume 2, Dead Kings - Volume 1, Die!Die!Die! - Volume 1, The Empty Man: Recurrence, Grumble - Volume 1: You’re the Dog Now, Man, Gunning for Hits, Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown, Jughead: The Hunger - Volume 3, LaGuardia, Miles Morales: Spider-Man - Volume 1: Straight out of Brooklyn, Princeless - Volume 8: Princesses, Vindication, Ronin Island - Volume 1, The Witcher - Volume 4: Of Flesh & Flame, Wolverine: The Long Night, Wonder Woman - Volume 9: The Enemy of Both Sides

d. emerson eddy might currently qualify as a liquid.

#This Week in Comics

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libahunt-conspiracies · 5 years

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Chapter 21 Theories

Chapter 21 was a nice break from the hecticness going on. The three amigos moment at the end was perfect!

Delirious did not hurt or kill Evan. The only reason he tackled Evan was because he thought Brian wanted to hurt him. Del seems to know who his friends and allies are even in bloodlust. He may not be in full control, but he’s there enough to not hurt his friends without reason. The only reason he’s fighting Brian is because Brian attacked first.

Everyone is hoping that, with Evan out of the picture, Delirious will be able to calm down and leave his bloodlust state. Brian will hopefully be able to help this process by tiring him out. Del is pretty fucking strong in his bloodlust state so hopefully he doesn’t hurt Brian too badly. I’m thinking that this fight will be pretty even. Brian’s got experience and control on his side while Del’s got brute strength. Brian will try to hold back, but I’m not sure how much he’ll be able to. This fight will probably end with Brian knocking out Del, but not before Del manages to hurt Brian.

Del is probably going to be very withdrawn after coming out of his bloodlust. He’ll probably try to avoid everyone but Cartoonz. Cartoonz will be able to comfort him in his own way. He’ll probably want to know what caused Del to go into bloodlust in the first place. Maybe Del admits that he wanted to protect Evan and couldn’t control his anger when he saw the dark elf strangling Evan. Cartoonz will demand to know why this human was worth Delirious nearly losing himself, especially since humanity has been nothing but awful to him in the past. Del will defend Evan, which surprises Toonz because Del doesn’t get seriously worked up that often. Maybe Luke starts to realize that Evan and Del are mates, even though it’s supposed to be impossible.

Werewolf mates are able to feel their mates’ emotions. I’m not sure if this normally requires a mating mark or not. Evan is able to get a feel of Del’s emotions, even though they aren’t marked. This could be because Jon is a special turned werewolf case. Brock is able to do the same with Brian, but they both have a mating mark. I wonder what has to happen for werewolf mates to get their marks?

I’m surprised that Brock hasn’t put it together that he’s Brian’s mate. He’s going to end up friend zoning himself at this rate! Maybe once Brian’s back Brock will confront him over it. Brock will want to know why Brian is so willing to put himself in harm’s way for him; especially since Brian has a mate out there he should be protecting instead. Maybe Tyler gets to Brian before Brock does and Brock “accidentally” overhears their conversation. Tyler has been trying to figure out what’s going on between Brock and Brian for a while now. Maybe Brian admits to it after some fierce interrogation and arguing. Brock overhears this and is stunned. He walks away before he’s able to hear Brian explain to Tyler why he hasn’t told Brock yet. Tyler, surprisingly, is totally fine with the news. He just wanted to know what was going on. Tyler actually questions Brian’s reasons for not telling Brock and berates him for keeping Brock in the dark. Brian only half answers Tyler’s question before deflecting the question back at Tyler to ask about him and Craig. Tyler gets flustered and bickers with Brian for a bit. They totally become friends though neither will admit to it. They give each other advice before parting ways.

I can’t wait for Evan and Del to figure out they’re mates. Jon will be unsure of what to do and Evan will be patient with Del, helping him to figure everything out. Once they’re actually bonded they’re going to be inseparable. Evan’s going to be eager to give Del all of the affection he’s been deprived of his entire life. Evan will probably be more into the “pack bonding” rituals than Delirious at first, but after a while Delirious becomes more comfortable with it. Del is gonna be crazy protective of Evan afterwards. Will Del’s bloodlust become a bloodrush after they become official mates?

Did something happen to Brock besides Brian’s dad sacrificing himself for him that made Brock turn away from being a hunter? He seems very adamant about not using his drive or other hunter abilities. What if it was Brock’s hunter clan that hunted down and killed Brian’s pack? What if Brock blames himself for not being able to stop his clan from killing an innocent werewolf pack? Maybe his clan tried to convince him that all werewolves are evil and will kill anything they see without hesitation, but because Brian’s dad sacrificed himself for Brock he knows it isn’t true. After that day, Brock swears off his hunter heritage and vows never to use his powers to hurt anyone ever again.

Why has no one in the group attacked by the dark elves mentioned that the elves called Mini the Phoenix?? I feel like this is pretty important information that needs to be discussed! Even if they didn’t trust what the elves had to say, Brock, Evan, and Tyler could still see that they were targeting Mini. Not only that, by the vampires mentioned that they were sent to retrieve the Phoenix as well, and they were obviously going for Mini. Why was this not discussed as soon as they regrouped and met up at Panda’s bar? Are they waiting for Brian and Delirious to get back? I feel like it should’ve at least been mentioned so that they can have a constant guard for the bar! Grigori had already shown that he’s willing to attack them in a safe haven, and once he finds out that the forces he has currently sent out have been defeated he’s going to send more powerful people. Mini’s in a lot of danger right now, and everyone’s just sorta glossing over it. Why hasn’t Tyler demanded to know what’s going on? This is the second time Mini has done something to him and passed out as a result. Why hasn’t Brock talked to Mini to get more details about what happened? He’s the one who knows the most about the situation, so why hasn’t he done more investigating to prove or disprove his theories?

Maybe next chapter Marcel manages to reunite Smiity’s soul with his body. Will Smiity be immediately overwhelmed by his memories, or will he just mesh with them like nothing ever happened? How is Smiity going to know how to find the Phoenix? Maybe he got more information after he was caught back at the evil meeting? Maybe they tried using him to find the Phoenix, and that’s how he got separated from his body. Maybe they pushed him too far when making him find the Phoenix. Or maybe the energy generated from separating a living soul from its body allowed Grigori and company to locate the Phoenix through the ward.

Next chapter is going to be fun! There’s going to be a lot of stuff to resolve and a lot of stuff to explain! I can’t wait see what happens!

I promise this will be the last set of theories I do the saturday of the next chapter! If I don’t have them done and uploaded, yell at me please! I hope you enjoyed them anyways! They were fun to write! I’ll casually tag @crimsonbluemoon here!

#submission #libahunt #Chapter 21 Theories #sorry they're late again!#got them in 30 minutes before chapter 22!#planned on having this done yesterday but got drunk instead :/#can't wait for chapter 22 #it's gonna be great!!!#1sunnydaze0

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basicshadowhuntersstuff · 6 years

Photo

This week in Shadowhunters news, updates, sneak peeks, and behind the scenes. All the stuff you need to stay up to date.

Official Promotion

ShadowhuntersTV shared a video of Alberto (Simon) discussing Freeform’s Summer of Service.

ShadowhuntersTV tweeted: Maia behind the scenes of #ShadowhuntersSeason3.

ShadowhuntersTV tweeted: Bullseye, Magnus. #Shadowhunters

Freeform shared a video of Kat (Clary) discussing Freeform’s Summer of Service.

Freeform (article): 25 Reasons to Love Alec Lightwood Even More Than You Already Do

Freeform (video): OTF 3024 – What’s A Fashion Trend That You Love? | Freeform

ShadowhuntersTV tweeted: Luke's always looking out. #Shadowhunters

Shadowhunters In The News

HollyWire (interview): Hollywire interviews Kat (Clary) on the Teen Choice Awards pink carpet.

E!News (poll): Kat (Clary) was nominated as TV’s Top Leading Lady 2018

Just Jared Jr. (article): Katherine McNamara Debuts Gorgeous New Blonde Hair on Social Media

Digital Spy (article): Shadowhunters season 3b: Release date, episodes, spoilers and everything you need to know

Matt Carter (article): Shadowhunters season 3 progress report: The editing process

Tell-Tale TV (poll): Harry (Magnus) and Matt (Alec) are competing in Tell-Tale TV’s Battle of the Ships.

SpoilerTV (article): Shadowhunters - Episode 3.21 - 3.22 - Titles Revealed

HollyWire (interview): Shadowhunters Luke Baines Talks Season 3!

Fr Conventions (interview): [What About Conventions?] : Will Tudor

Fr Conventions (interview): [True or False] : Katherine McNamara

Twitter & Social Media Stuff

Brian Hui (makeup artist) tweeted some behind-the-scenes photos:

David Castro (Raphael) earlier in the season. [1]

Kimberly-Sue Murray (Seelie Queen #3) in all her Seelie Queen glory.

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) directing Kat (Clary) and Emeraude (Izzy).

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) tweeted: Having such a special time editing 321 & 322 aka a true love letter to the fans. If you enjoy watching it half as much as I've enjoyed making it, all is good #tearsofjoy #tearsofsadness #specialtimesintheshadowworld #shadowhunters

Bryan Q. Miller (writer) tweeted a list of “hints” about each episode of 3B.

Matt Hastings (director) shared some behind-the-scenes photos:

Working with this uncommonly talented fella was one of the highlights of 3B. Can’t wait for you to see what’s behind the shades. ⁦@LukeBaines⁩ #Shadowhunters

We’re starting an indie band. Wanna join? ⁦@Kat_McNamara⁩ ⁦@LukeBaines⁩ #Shadowhunters

Through the looking glass with ⁦@Kat_McNamara⁩. #ShadowhuntersSeason3

Always reaching for the best quality on #shadowhunters. Couldn’t have done it without these amazing humans. #PierreHenry & #DPRogerChingirian

These guys. Filmmakers to the core. Brothers forever. #chrishatcher #pierrehenry #ShadowhuntersSeason3

A quiet moment of reflection with this wildly talented and deeply decent fella. ⁦@HarryShumJr⁩ #MagnusBane #ShadowhuntersSeason3 #redballoon [2]

And this fella. The incomparable unstoppable Production Designer #DougMcCullough and his team made all of our dreams a reality. Actually, they made them better than we imagined. Committed professionals all. #Shadowhunters #Season3

Group shot! ⁦@HarryShumJr⁩ ⁦⁦@DomSherwood1⁩ ⁦@WainwrightAE⁩ ⁦@EmeraudeToubia⁩ ⁦@NoahDanby⁩ ⁦@Kat_McNamara⁩ ⁦@arosende⁩ ⁦@isaiahmustafa⁩ ⁦@MatthewDaddario⁩ ⁦@aleyordolis⁩ #Shadowhunters #bts #huntersmoon

Oz Comic-Con announced that Matt (Alec) is joining Dom (Jace) in Brisbane and Sydney.

Kat (Clary) wishes Clary a happy birthday and shares a behind-the-scenes picture.

Matt (Alec) shared baby photos and landscapes:

'sup.

The usual. Check out this newt.

Similar! Sunset yesterday.

In the mountains, duh.

Kat (Clary) shared her own baby photo: DIY mermaid... #fbf

Kimberly-Sue Murray shared photos of herself as the Seelie Queen on Instagram and complimented the costume department and makeup/hair/prosthetics department.

MCM Comic Con shared a video of Kat (Clary) and her excitement to attend MCM London Comic Con.

Todd Slavkin (showrunner) shared some pictures from 3B:

I know you’re starved for content. This is my mini-micro trailer for 3b #feedthefandom #theleasticando #shadowhunters

3b micro trailer continues #relax #playnice #everyonewillgettheirturn #shadowhunters [3]

Another piece of 3b #girls #shadowhunters [4]

Jack Yang (Asmodeus) shared a photo on Instagram: Clowning around on the last day of shooting. @harryshumjr was a wonder and joy to work with. You sir are a gift to the world 🌎 Thank you for letting me play in your sandbox. #TeamEdom

Nicola Correia-Damude (Maryse Lightwood) shared some fitspiration on Instagram.

John Rakich (Locations Manager) tweeted: I'm so proud to be a part of something that's meant so much to so many. Not just as something entertaining but something that grew to inspire such passion, dedication and positivity. #bestfansever #shadowfam #Shadowhunters #saveshadowhunters

Nuno De Salles (Cast Trainer) shared a throwback photo of Matt (Alec) during leg day.

Lisa Berry (Cleophas) tweeted: So much love to yah @toddzer1 you’ve made a kick ass show. You have us waiting with bated breathe. #Shadowhunters

Luke Baines (Jonathan Morgenstern) tweeted: Just saw scenes from 3021 and 3022... when @toddzer1 says it’s a love letter to the fans, he means it. It’s everything you could want and more. #ImNotCryingYouAre

Steve Byers (Underhill) tweeted: #Shadowhunters has illustrated for me how Fandoms have a very real influence on shows creatively. Ultimately economics will usurp wishes and fanfics but a passionate audience is a very beautiful thing.

Javier Munoz (Lorenzo Rey) shared a cast photo on Instagram: Hi friends. I miss you. A whole lot. @shadowhunterstv

Harry (Magnus) shared photos of an action figure given to him by a Korean Shadowhunters fan on Instagram

#SaveShadowhunters (continued)

On June 4th, it was announced that Freeform wouldn’t be continuing on with a fourth season of Shadowhunters. Here are a few major highlights. (Our full roundup for #SaveShadowhunters can be found here.)

Twitter & Social Media Stuff

VIP Outdoor Media shares an outstanding video created with footage of Jack Yang (Asmodeus) at San Diego Comic Con with the Save Shadowhunters pedicab and bike billboard.

Carl’s Jr. (Fast Food Chain) gets sassy about #SaveShadowhunters

Articles

Film Daily (article): Everything we want to see happen in ‘Shadowhunters’ S3B (and a possible S4)

ShumDario News (article): #SaveShadowhunters: the shows’ impact, and why we’re raising hell

Twitter (moment): The #SaveShadowhunters hashtag was featured in Twitter’s #HashtagDay moment.

Other News

Hollywood Reporter (article): 'Crazy Rich Asians' Sequel Moves Forward With Director Jon M. Chu (Exclusive) Harry (Magnus) will have a prominent role as Charlie Wu in the sequel.

PopSugar (article): Harry Shum Jr. Is Cool and All, but Just Wait Until You Meet His Wife, Shelby Rabara

#shadowhunters #bss news roundup

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thebestbusinesspodcast · 3 years

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Effective Marketing Strategies and Writing a Copy with Jon Reyes

What does it take to create marketing strategies and sales copies that produce great results? Most copywriting freelancers follow the three-step formula: getting good, getting connected, and getting paid. But sometimes, this is easier said than done. Meanwhile, for business owners, the biggest challenge is capturing a target market. You need to know how you can form a connection with your ideal customers. You should also make sure that they choose you over your competitors.

In today’s episode, Jon Reyes tackles both issues that these freelancers and entrepreneurs face. He discusses the fundamentals of writing a copy, business, and entrepreneurship in general. He also talks about the biggest challenges he faced, as well as the habits he developed to succeed.

What does a copywriter do to create effective marketing strategies? How does writing a copy capture your target market, and how do you connect with them? Stay tuned to learn more about Jon’s time-tested and effective strategies that freelancers and entrepreneurs will surely benefit from.

Here are three reasons why you should listen to the full episode:

Discover the things you need to do when you start out in business.

What does a copywriter do and how can they overcome the challenges they go through?

Understand why Jon puts so much emphasis on the importance of believing in your product or service.

Resources

John Carlton’s The Freelance Course

Greg Glassman’s video on CrossFit

Learn more about Jon’s mentorship course and find downloadable files for freelancers here!

Connect with Jon: Website | LinkedIn | Facebook

Episode Highlights

How Jon Got Started in Sales and Marketing for Business

Growing up, Jon did not have a background in business.

Over time, he developed self-esteem issues. He felt inferior and didn’t think he was smart, resulting in social anxiety.

Jon decided to rebuild and reinvent himself into someone he liked. He wanted to do something important in his life.

He graduated with a degree in advertising and a minor in psychology. He wanted to find a job in sales but ended up not liking it.

As Jon was exploring opportunities, he came across internet marketing and copywriting.

Challenges in Writing a Copy

Jon likens copywriting to public speaking.

When he was starting out, he was second-guessing his writing and unfamiliar with the business world.

To address this issue, Jon resolved to get good at writing a copy.

Jon also values good fundamentals. Through this, he can stay sharp and focused in the industry.

If You Are Starting Out or Struggling in Writing a Copy

As a freelancer, your skill set should match your rates.

Hone your skill set by doing free projects, keeping a portfolio, and gaining testimonies.

This way, you can serve the world of business and keep yourself humble.

Never sell yourself short. Remember to keep the balance between knowing your worth and being humble.

You also need to take time to learn new things and build your skills. This is true for all practices.

Writing a Copy: Habits That Jon Developed Throughout His Career

If you are new to a business, you need to understand your target market.

After this, figure out how you can connect to your market.

Form a human-to-human connection with your audience. Tell the story in a way that speaks to people’s pain points.

If you can move people through words and win them over, that’s how you build a longer-term following.

For Jon, you have to understand the crowd you are selling to. Know what their motivations and pain points are before you start writing a copy.

The Importance of an Outside Perspective

If you’re marketing something that you are passionate about, chances are you’ll be too focused on the good points.

When you fall into this trap you don’t see the perspective of your target market anymore.

So you need outside expertise to connect the dots between your perspective and your target’s.

Coaches can also help you bring out your potential.

Remember that there is always going to be someone better than us, no matter how good we get at anything.

Situations Where Jon Does His Best Work

Jon works best at influencer marketing, personal growth, and self-help.

He sometimes works in the health and fitness space as well.

In everything he does, he works the best with someone who believes in what they sell.

Jon also looks for scalability when working with companies.

He cannot work with people who sell and/or market an inferior product or service.

How to Work with Jon

Jon gets prospects from his extensive connections.

You can also reach out to him on social media.

Before working with someone new, Jon makes sure that they’re a good fit.

He does this because he prefers to build relationships.

Two Powerful Quotes

“You should never sell yourself short and always know your worth. But you have to remember that there is that balance between marketing and selling yourself and that confidence in your skillset.”

“How can you connect to someone through writing or even through a video script that makes them feel like you're talking just to them? So it's kind of a unique dialling in, a unique message.”

About Jon

Jon Reyes is the copywriter behind today’s top industry leaders. These industry leaders include Brian Tracy International, Brain.Fm, Conscious Copy, Mimosa Mastermind, the Fairall Group, and iThrive. He is a B2B consultant, strategic advisor, and high-powered copywriter for hire with a multimillion-dollar track record. Through his marketing strategies and sales copywriting skills, Jon has helped generate over 40 million dollars in sales for his clients.

Jon is also the founder of Copy Blueprints, an agency that integrates full-service copywriting funnels with collaboration and coaching principles. It is also a platform where he supports other copywriters through accelerated mentorships, helping them take more control of their income and career growth by leveraging the power of writing.

You may connect with Jon through his website or reach out to him on LinkedIn or Facebook.

Enjoyed This Podcast?

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For episode updates, visit our website. You may also tune in on Apple Podcasts.

PS.

Do you already have a successful business, meaning you're up, running, and paying your bills with some profit left over?

Are you interested in growing your business, automating/streamlining things, and staying one step ahead of your competition?

📨 If you can answer YES to all these questions, please reach out to me through https://www.members.bestbusinesscoach.ca/problems-we-fix/ and describe your situation, goals, and the best time/way to contact you.

Check out this episode!

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junker-town · 3 years

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Dorktown: The god-awful drive that changed NFL history

Now that the new episode of Dorktown has dropped, Jon Bois and Alex Rubenstein to discuss Mark Sanchez, dynasties, and whether or not Jon is stupid.

Thanks to everyone who watched our latest episode of Dorktown! This one was a little different than any other Dorktown episode we’ve ever made: rather than simply telling a story, we made an argument that has proven to be a little controversial: that one disastrous drive in 2011 changed the course of a franchise and, in turn, NFL history.

Below, Alex and I chatted about some odds and ends surrounding the episode. Hope you enjoy. And hey, if you haven’t already, remember to subscribe to Secret Base on YouTube.

Jon: This video stars the Jets in the years before and after 2010, and I gotta say, I found this team really endearing at the time. Darrelle Revis was incredible to watch, Rex Ryan was prone to popping off and saying whatever, and Mark Sanchez was a guy I found myself pulling for. I really wanted him to be able to put it all together, but his numbers with the Jets indicate he, uh, didn’t.

I find it pretty difficult to evaluate quarterback talent. Part of that is because I’m just bad at it, but part of it is that I feel like it’s so context-dependent and the sample is so small. So I guess my question for you is, do you think a world could exist in which Sanchez emerged as a good quarterback? Do you think maybe he was in a sub-optimal system, and that he would have thrived on a different team? Or do you think we saw the best Mark Sanchez we were ever gonna see?

Alex: I think Mark Sanchez was certainly in a sub-optimal offensive ecosystem that was coordinated by Brian Schottenheimer and that didn’t necessarily have an abundance of threatening downfield targets.

However, to me the biggest problem with Sanchez is that even playing behind a strong offensive line led by stalwarts D’Brickashaw Ferguson and Nick Mangold, he just couldn’t function once he got hit.

He could look great in practice or throwing against air, but when the bullets were flying and he got clobbered a couple times, he’d get way too easily rattled. That’s why someone like Eli Manning was able to carve out a 16-year career and a couple Super Bowl MVPs despite hardly having the same kind of talent as top-end quarterbacks such as his brother.

The man could get smacked in the mouth time after time after time and he’d get up every time. It never affected his subsequent plays. Sanchez would get knocked to the ground and then his passes would practically sail to the Hudson River. It is impossible to succeed as an NFL quarterback if you can’t shake off hits, so I really don’t think Sanchez would’ve lived up to his draft status regardless of which team selected him.

Jon: Ouch, man. It’s sort of fascinating to consider how we perceive this kind of stuff. Like, ask your average football fan what they think of Mark Sanchez, and odds are they’ll tell you that on the field he was a baby idiot loser. Whereas in reality, he was perhaps in the 99.94th percentile of toughest human beings instead of the 99.994th. Do percentiles go to 100 or stop at 99? Don’t care, I’m sticking with it.

Speaking of baby idiot losers, I think that’s what I might be after my declaration in the video that the Chiefs are a possible dynasty in the making. Gettin’ a little bit of shit for that one, which I think is fair. “What is a dynasty?” is up there with “what is a sport?” on the list of most tedious sports debates, but since I brought it up, I’ve kind of doomed myself to having this argument. If you had to peg what constitutes a dynasty, what would you consider the requisite qualities? Multiple Super Bowl wins? One Super Bowl win with a couple more appearances peppered in? If the ‘90s Bills had won one of their four Super Bowls, you think they’d qualify as a dynasty?

Alex: But is Joe Flacco elite? Those Bills squads would be tough to classify as a dynasty even had they hit their last-second field goal in Super Bowl XXV just because, while they did win their conference each of the next three years, they were so thoroughly out-classed in each of those ensuing Super Bowls. The AFC during that time was basically like the NBA’s Eastern Conference for about a half-decade following Mike Jordan’s middle retirement. You only get so much credit for winning that conference.

I would loosely consider any team that wins multiple titles in a window of time that’s less than twice that in years to be a dynasty. For example, winning two titles in three or fewer years, three in five or fewer years, etc. But there can also be hard-to-quantify exceptions; I don’t know if I’d consider those late-90s Broncos a dynasty after back-to-back titles and then their precipitous 1999 decline, but it’s certainly debatable.

A team that only wins one title but puts up a hell of a fight in an adjacent run or two to the championship round — such as the mid-90s Braves (1995 title, outscored Yankees by eight runs in 1996 World Series) or mid-00s Pistons (2004 title, one flubbed rotation from a likely repeat) — might warrant that dynastic title. Especially when acknowledging fortunes can change, it doesn’t seem ridiculous to look at the Chiefs’ body of work from 2018-20, combine that with the fact that their best player is 25 years old and under team control until the sun burns out, and extrapolate to say a dynasty is a possible end result. Defensible remark!

Jon: Right! I do think these Chiefs need one more Super Bowl win before we can call them a dynasty. Admittedly, it was dangerous of me to even suppose something like that. Things change so, so quickly. I mean, this could very easily be another Seahawks situation: they win a Super Bowl, then lose another, and it feels like they’ll inevitably be back. But even though their superstar quarterback has stayed healthy and actually improved over the years, while they’re often a tough out, they haven’t been back in any of the years since. That could just as easily end up being the Chiefs’ story.

Now, I said something else in this episode that’s understandably being scrutinized. I concluded that if the Chiefs waited until the offseason to fire Todd Haley, they probably would have made an outside hire to replace him. I could be wrong about that. Romeo Crennel was well-liked within the organization and it’s possible they would have simply promoted him. Still ... I gotta think that shocking Packers upset was the thing that sealed it for him, and if he hadn’t coached that game they would’ve looked outside the organization. And if they did, that guy would be far more likely to have a multi-year leash. So, Alex, would you care to settle this once and for all? If you disagree, you’ll be betraying your friend. If you agree, you will then by default become the person everyone is mad at instead of me. Anyway, have fun!

Alex: I’ve seen it too much first-hand with my Niners. Mike Singletary as interim coach parlayed pulling down his pants and turning around Vernon Davis’ career into getting the full-time gig. A couple years later when he was fired with one game left in 2010, Jim Tomsula took over and presided over a destruction of the Cardinals. He didn’t immediately turn that into becoming the permanent coach as the 49ers won the Jim Harbaugh sweepstakes, but that was a huge reason why he eventually got the job once CEO Jed York fired Harbaugh. Teams love overreacting to one thing an interim coach does. Although to be fair, we all know the one surefire way to get a promotion is by dropping your pants in the middle of the workplace.

That game had to have played a key role in Clark Hunt’s calculus to give Crennel the job. I’ll take the heat, Jon. No problem. Everyone can tweet their rage at me until the cows come home.

[Editor’s note: Alex does not have a Twitter account.]

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samdukewieland · 4 years

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Stuck Inside Media Diary Week 6

It was during this week that it dawned on me just how many movies I’ve watched since when I started keeping track of it. Then I got to wondering how long I keep this going-it’s kind of a bit, but also not one totally. I guess as soon as I go back to work and no longer spend my days playing PlayStation for hours on end and there’s no longer The Ticket to listen to for the day, that’s when it stops. Got real close to breaking the streak this week, which is probably the most harrowing thing I’ve been through in about 7 weeks (for the record, Week 1 was not documented as there was not much to document).

Sunday, April 26

Mad Men, “The Mountain King”, “Meditations In An Emergency” [Season 2 Finale], “Out Of Town” [Season 3], “Love Among The Ruins”

California Don Draper/Dick Whitman is a real nice sweet spot that Mad Men taps into this season, or at the very least it comes across as much more interesting than the adventures of young Dick Whitman. It’s, obviously, the most honest we see Don/Dick whenever he’s around Anna and makes you realize just how much work he puts himself through to not be honest to anyone or himself. But to see Jon Hamm go between both characters really knocks you back on your ass-Draper is a pretty surface level “showy” character display, at least in the first season, and I’m glad they decided to flesh him out now like this, by giving the audience something that isn’t so wooden or warn out (wooden is usually an insult, but take it to mean like a gorgeously polished oak table or redwood or something else you could stare at for hours). That ending with him and Betty at the kitchen table is an incredible showcase for both of them (I used to be very dismissive of Betty, but I realize now that that was super unfair and dumb of me! so it’s been kind of eye opening re-watching this and realizing that January Jones was/is actually really good)

Season 3 is probably my favorite season of the show, from what my brain can recall and it really hits the ground running. You can feel the energy radiating off of it (when they were writing it they had already won their first Emmys and were already looking highly favored to repeat success in season 2).

Plot Against America, “Part 5″

Beef House, “Army Buddy Brad”, “Prunes”

Three Busy Debras, “A Very Debra Christmas”, “Cartwheel Club”

People really underrate Adult Swim and Cartoon Network, especially when you find yourself with an awkward amount of time before watching something at a scheduled time. Just nice li’l 15 minute (barely) long episodes before The Last Dance, that’s nice. Also I think the last time I talked about Debras I compared it to Stella which I stand by, but I’d also throw in Strangers With Candy and Pee Wee’s Playhouse. So if you like that kind of stuff.

The Last Dance, Parts 3 & 4

Dennis. Rodman. The downside of these episodes is that they go fully into the time jumping aspects that it didn’t do as heavily in the first two installments. I also think they might play better if they ran right after the first two parts, rather than have that week long simmer. That’s like the most critical thing I can say about them, and it really just boils down to “I want more now.” Love that Isiah Thomas has no shame in being in the doc, despite just being taken to the dome by e v e r y o n e featured in it. Probably the best example of “no such thing as bad press”-it should be taught in business school or wherever agents go to school.

Monty Python’s Life Of Brian, Jones 1979 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

This was, somehow, a big blind spot in my Monty Python catalog. I think I very quietly went through a contrarian phase of “Monty Python isn’t that funny” somewhere in college, probably a li’l in high school too. It’s definitely been a thing I’ve been worried about re-visiting (I can’t remember the last time I watched Holy Grail, which I considered a religious text) and wanted to keep at arm’s length. That was very uninteresting and there is nothing at all interesting in me admitting that this movie’s really fucking funny; I was cackling when they bring out the huge stone during the stoning scene. The alien thing, while I respect in a purely “well, we don’t know how to get from this point to this point with it ‘making sense’ so let’s just go all the way to nothing”-stance, I’m just pretty allergic to anything Gilliam (I’m guessing) thinks of as incredibly clever. Life Of Brian: good!

Monday, April 27

Parks And Recreation, “Tom’s Divorce”

This feels like a very underrated episode of Parks, not in the conversation a lot, which feels like an oversight. I also just realized that it’s a Harris episode, so that could be why I am trying to champion it right now. Honest, I didn’t know until two minutes ago.

Mad Men, “My Old Kentucky Home”

Mmmmm. There’s an image from “Old Kentucky Home” of Roger Sterling that is still so shocking and I’m using a great deal of restraint to not post it above (because it’s super-duper racist), but I am still in awe that a buddy of mine from college used/uses(?) it as a cover photo on one of his social media accounts. IF only I could be so bold as he, or Roger Sterling in black-face.

The Virgin Suicides, Coppola 1999 [as of now this is available on Prime]

Grew up in a pretty anti-Sofia household from at least one of my undisclosed older brothers. I was told very early on that she is overrated and not very good at what she does and I just never investigated to see if that was true or not until...well I guess last Monday night. Baby’s first Sofia Coppola movie, babe. Talk about a mood! I liked it, I think? Yer kind of a weirdo-guy if you really latch yerself onto loving The Virgin Suicides, but I guess I didn’t realize how much of the movie has Kirsten Dunst or the other sisters not talking before I saw it. Or that James Woods is a pretty convincing sad/quiet/weird guy (as tempting as it is to say that this is the last good thing James Woods was good in, the correct answer is Recess: Schools Out-maybe John Q ((I haven’t seen it.)) I wonder how many conflicting feelings Josh Hartnett inspired in teenage girls between 1999 and 2001. Great job, Sofia, sorry I’m late to the party and for the pre-conceived notions that were lodged into my stupid brain.

Tuesday, April 28

Mad Men, “The Arrangements”, “The Fog”

Attaboy to “The Arrangements” for giving Carla Gallo work (tsktsk for not finding a way to use her more). “The Fog” is pretty mediocre Sopranos karaoke episode; not great, but not as bad as I remember it being. The Betty being hazy sequences aren’t as long as I recalled them to be, so that was nice. Plus all the Gene stuff....man, I don’t know.

The Manchurian Candidate, Demme 2004 [as of now this is available on HBO]

Jonathan Demme is easily the most underrated director of his time, especially when it comes to shifting genres and putting such an overwhelmingly human touch to everything he works on. This is probably the movie that has the least amount of that, but it takes these wild swings and chances that you can’t help but respect the hell out of what you’re watching. It’s maybe the weirdest Denzel role I think I’ve ever seen, but he’s so good in it, but that’s just kind of the standard in Demme movies. What’s the worst performance you’ve ever seen in one of his movies? Is there one? I’ve never seen the original Manchurian Candidate so I don’t super know where or what this one lacks, but it’s so strange that it has made me want to go back and watch it again to try and understand or just watch the choices that Demme makes in this movie. How about Streep!

Joe Pera Talks With You, “Joe Pera Gives You A Piano Lesson”, “Joe Pera Watches Internet Videos With You”

I know I harp on this a lot, but it’s just so wholesome and I guess I’m just shocked that anything this wholesome could have Connor O’Malley’s prints all over it. I say that as an admirer of both things, but just can’t wrap my head around the two come together.

Wednesday, April 29

Something Wild, Demme 1986 [as of now this is available on HBO]

This movie’s incredible. I knew absolutely nothing about it going in, other than it was Demme and Jeff Daniels (every time I saw the poster, my brain just registered Melanie Griffith as Catherine O’Hara, because that’s who it looks like at a glance). I was floored, I couldn’t believe a movie like this existed and I just hadn’t seen it (though, to be fair, I can’t imagine a person who doesn’t love Jonathan Demme going out of their way to see this in 1986, let alone 2020). And I’ve got some apologizing to do to Melanie Griffith after being pretty underwhelmed by her in Working Girl, I loved her in this. I also can’t help but wonder who has had a worse life (in the face) because of cigarettes, Ray Liotta or Al Pacino? If you want actual good discussion on this movie, I can’t implore the Blank Check episode with Scott Aukerman where they talk about it (there was also nothing more, personally, of a relief than hearing them talk about how it reminded them of a David Lynch movie and After Hours, thoughts I also had while watching, but am by no means enough of a Lynch-head or have seen After Hours enough to confidently throw that out in the open without someone else saying it first).

Thursday, April 30

Mikey And Nicky, May 1976

About once a year Criterion does a 50% sale and lately I’ve tried to take advantage of that (having a disposable income really lends itself to doing this). This was a movie I knew nothing about, other than Peter Falk was in it and ya know what, I really like Peter Falk. I wasn’t expecting an all-night movie, I was barely expecting a crime/mob movie, but it technically is. It’s about so much more: cowardice, male-friendship, our weaknesses and shortcomings as people, Ned Beatty being pissed about driving around New York City and getting lost. I’ve thought about it a lot since watching it and I’m glad that I own it and can re-visit it whenever I want.

Parks And Recreation, “Christmas Scandal” & “Special”

Joe Pera Talks With You, “Joe Pera Has A Surprise For You”, “Joe Pera Helps You Write An Obituary”

When you just look at these titles on paper (or screen, rather) without actually seeing them, it’s a pretty good setup as a joke. However, this is when the season and show takes a very melancholy turn that’s incredibly moving. (I think he might’ve actually lost his grandmother between seasons-very possible I have this wrong, I just know the character was based on her)

Friday, May 1

Mad Men, “Guy Walks Into An Advertising Agency”

Man, this episode.This is an all-timer on every level; not an ounce of fat on this one and maybe one of the funniest things to happen on this wonderful show.

X-Men: Dark Phoenix or, uh, just Dark Phoenix, Kinberg 2019 [as of now this is available on HBO]

Incredible that people in charge of an X-Men movie decided an actual team that should be depicted in this movie was Mystique (team leader, lol), Cyclops, Jean, Nightcrawler, Hank/Beast, Storm and Quicksilver. I mean yeh, this thing is really bad, potentially worse than Apocalypse, because that at least tried to have a personality. Though the train sequence here does have some redeeming qualities to it, so it might have the edge-I couldn’t tell you a single set piece from Apocalypse other than Oscar Isaac’s beautiful mug being caked in blue make-up (lol). Also, I gotta admit, mad respect to Kinberg for the incredible bait and switch with making Jessica Chastain look enough like some kind of mixture between Cassandra Nova and Emma Frost where you’re expecting her to be either of them and not just a shape-shifting alien.

Joe Pera Talks With You, “Joe Pera Shows You How To Do Good Fashion”, “Joe Pera Shows You How To Pack A Lunch”, “Joe Pera Talks With You On The First Day Of School”

I obviously want more episodes of this show, but if there were ever a perfect collection of stories, it was this.

Saturday, May 2

Top Chef, Season 17 episode 7

Tough, tough loss for Eric [insert Tom Colicchio “there’s always Last Chance Kitchen”] who I really admire and absolutely loved last season, I wish he had not gone on All-Stars this year, gained a couple more years, polish his technique and come back on the next All-Star season and sweep the floor. No shame in this loss though, because half of the competition this week was pretty dumb, though this was good build-up for Restaurant Wars, which the producers seem to always have hanging above their head as fan favorite and they feel like they need to throw Poochie in there.

Mad Men, “Seven Twenty Three”, “Souvenir”, “Wee Small Hours”, “The Color Blue”, “The Gypsy And The Hobo”, “The Grown-Ups”, “Shut The Door. Have A Seat”

I don’t know if I necessarily advise watching 7 episodes of Mad Men like I did this past Saturday. However, I think you’re kind of hard-pressed to not want to just keep the tap going on this one. Incredible stretch of episodes for January Jones and a real proper introduction to Henry Francis, probably a character I should hate, but have a lot of affection for. He might be the most sincere character on the show, which makes him pretty endearing. “Shut the Door. Have A Seat” is also one of the best getting the gang together sequences/movies I think I’ve ever seen. This is also a real, real tough stretch for Don, humanity wise, between his handling of poor Salvatore and his dealing with Betty once he finds out about she and Henry. Great season, great stuff.

The Death Of Stalin, Iannucci 2017 [as of now this is available on Netflix]

Despite knowing (possibly) an embarrassingly low amount about Russian history, I dug it. Felt like the joke was probably on me partially, because of how little I know about Russian history, but is that gonna make me not enjoy watching Jeffrey Tambor in Hank Kingsly form bounce off of Steve Buscemi, Simon Russell Beale, Michael Palin and Jason Isaacs (holy shit, Jason Isaacs in this movie)? Nah. Though, be warned because this thing is probably ripe for your cousin who goes out of his way to tell you stuff like “well Doctor Strangelove is satire, that’s why it’s so genius.”

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davidmann95 · 7 years

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Superman Starter Pack

First and most importantly, before we go into petty commercial concerns, let’s remember the meaning of the day I orginally posted this. Because friends, it was no ordinary day: it was Miracle Monday, the anniversary of Superman triumphing over no less than the biblical prince of darkness himself (or at least a respectable substitute), and it was so awesome that even though it was expunged from humanity’s collective consciousness, they still instinctively recognized the third Monday of May as a day of good cheer to be celebrated in Superman’s honor from now until the end of time.

I know I write plenty about Superman on here, but with as much as a pain as comics can be to get into, I’m sure at least some of those I’m lucky enough to have follow me haven’t been able to find an easy in for the character. Or maybe a follower-of-a-follower or friend-of-a-friend is looking for a reasonable place to start. So in the spirit of the season, I’ll toss on the (admittedly already pretty massive) pile of recommended starting points on Superman: ten stories in a recommended - but by no means strict - order that should, as a whole, give you a pretty decent idea of what Superman’s deal is and why you should care, all of which you should be able to find pretty easily on Comixology or a local bookstore/comic book shop.

1. Superman: Birthright

What it’s about: It’s his origin. He gets rocketed to Earth from the doomed planet Krypton, he gets raised by farmers, he puts on tights to fight crime, he meets Lois Lane and Lex Luthor, he deals with Kryptonite, all the standard-issue Superman business.

Why you should read it: It does all that stuff better than anyone else. He’s had a few different takes on his origins over the years due to a series of reboots, another of those tellings is even further down the list, but the first major modern one pretty much hit the nail on the head first try. It toes the tricky line of humanizing him without making you forget that hey, he’s Superman, it’s high-action fun without skimping on the character, and if there’s any one story that does the best job of conveying why you should look at an invincible man-god all but beyond sin or death with no major inciting incident in his background as a likable, relatable character, this is it. Add in some of the best Lane and Luthor material out there, and it’s a no-brainer.

Further recommendations if you liked it: About a decade before writing Birthright, its author Mark Waid worked with Alex Ross on what ended up one of DC’s biggest comics ever, Kingdom Come, the story of a brutal near-future of out-of-control superheroes that ultimately narrowed down to being about Superman above all else, and one of his most popular and influential stories of all time at that. Years after Birthright he created Irredeemable, the story of a Superman pastiche named Plutonian gone murderously rogue and how he reached his breaking point, illustrating a lot of what makes Superman special by way of contrast.

(Since Superman’s had so many notable homage/analogue/pastiche/rip-off/whatever-you-want-to-call-it characters compared to other superheroes, often in very good stories, there’ll be a number of those stories on this list.)

2. Superman: Up, Up and Away

What: Ever seen Superman Returns? That, but good. Clark Kent’s been living and loving a normal life as a reporter and husband after a cosmic dust-up in one of DC’s event comics took Superman off the board for a year, but mounting threats demand his return to save Metropolis again, if he still can.

Why: If you’d rather skip the origin, this is as a good a place as you’ll find to jump onboard. Clark and Lois both get some solid characterization, a number of classic villains have solid screentime, there’s some interesting Kryptonian mythology sticking its head in without being too intrusive, a great overarching threat to Metropolis, and it captures how Superman’s powers work in a visceral sense better than almost anything else. If you just want a classic, pick-it-up-and-go Fun Superman Story, this is where to go.

Recommendations: If you liked this, you’ll probably be inclined to enjoy the rest of co-writer Geoff Johns’ run on Action Comics, including most popularly Legion of Superheroes and Brainiac, both with artist Gary Frank. Another series tapping into that classic Superman feeling pretty well - regardless of whether you enjoyed the original show or not - is Smallville: Season 11, showing the adventures of that series’ young Clark Kent once he finally becomes Superman. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason’s run on the main Superman title under the banner of DC Rebirth tried to maintain that feeling, properly introducing Jon Kent, Lois and Clark’s 10-year-old-son, as Superboy in what seems to be a permanent addition to the cast and mythology; your mileage on its success may vary, but Volume 2, Trials of the Super Sons, represents the best of it. And the current Superman work by Brian Bendis - beginning with his The Man Of Steel miniseries and spinning off into both Superman and Action Comics - while controversial, presents a very similar take on Superman to the one seen in Up, Up and Away and a similar sensibility, to very positive results.

3. Superman: Secret Identity

What: He’s Clark Kent, an aspiring writer from a farm town in Kansas. Problem is he’s only named after the other guy, an ordinary teenager who’s put up with crap his whole life for being named after a comic book character in an ordinary world. But when he suddenly finds himself far closer to his namesake than he ever would have imagined, it becomes the journey of his life to find how to really be a Superman.

Why: The best ‘realistic’ Superman story by a long shot, this doesn’t sideline its heart in favor of pseudo-science justifications for what he can do, or the sociopolitical impact of his existence. He has the powers, he wears the costume to save people (though he never directly reveals himself to the world), and in-between he lives his life and learns what it means to be a good man. It’s quiet and sweet and deeply human, and probably one of the two or three best Superman comics period.

Recommendations: If you like the low-key, pastoral aesthetic, you might enjoy Superman for All Seasons, or Supergirl: Being Super, and the one-shot Man and Superman by Marv Wolfman and Claudio Castellini has something of a similar down-to-Earth feel. I’d also recommend Jeff Loveness and Tom Grummet’s Glasses in Mysteries Of Love In Space. If you’d like more of writer Kurt Busiek’s work, his much-beloved series Astro City - focusing on a different perspective in the superhero-stuffed metropolis in every story - opens with A Dream of Flying, set from the point of view of the Superman-like Samaritan, telling of his quiet sorrow of never being to fly simply for its own sake in a world of dangers demanding his attention.

4. Of Thee I Sing

What: Gotham hitman Tommy Monaghan heads to the roof of Noonan’s bar for a smoke. Superman happens to be there at the time. They talk.

Why: A lot of people call this the best Superman story of the 90s, and they’re not wrong. Writer Garth Ennis doesn’t make any bones about hating the superhero genre in general (as evidenced by their treatment in the rest of Hitman), but he has a sincere soft spot for Superman as an ideal of what we - and specifically Americans - are supposed to be, and he pours it all out here in a story of what it means for Superman to fail, and why he remains Superman regardless. It sells the idea that an unrepentant killer - even one only targeting ‘bad guys’ like Tommy - would unabashedly consider Superman his hero, and that’s no small feat.

Recommendations: If you read Hitman #34 and love it but don’t intend to check out the rest of the series (why? It’s amazing), go ahead and read JLA/Hitman, a coda to the book showing the one time Tommy got caught up in the Justice League’s orbit, and what happens when Superman learns the truth about his profession, culminating in a scene that sums up What Superman Is All About better than maybe any other story. Tom King and Andy Kubert’s Superman: Up In The Sky, while not without blemish (there’s a rightly-controversial chapter involving Lois that precludes universal recommendation), is a similarly humane look at Superman and the clash of his iconic power and mortal limitations. If you appreciated the idea of a classically decent Superman in an indecent world, you might enjoy Al Ewing’s novel Gods of Manhattan (the middle of a loose pulp adventure trilogy with El Sombra and Pax Omega, which I’ve discussed in the past), starring Doc Savage and Superman analogue Doc Thunder warring with a fascistic new vigilante in a far different New York City.

5. Superman: Camelot Falls

What: On top of a number of other threats hitting Superman from all sides, he receives a prophecy from the wizard Arion, warning of a devastating future when mankind is faced with its ultimate threat; a threat it will be too weak to overcome due to Superman’s protection over the years, but will still only just barely survive without him. Will he abandon humanity to a new age of darkness, or try and fight fate to save them knowing it could lead to their ultimate extinction?

Why: From the writer of Secret Identity and co-writer of Up, Up and Away!, this is probably the best crack at the often-attempted “Would having Superman be around actually be a good thing for humanity in the long term?” story. Beyond having the courtesy of wrapping that idea up in a really solid adventure rather than having everyone solemnly ruminate for the better part of a year, it comes at it from an angle that doesn’t feel like cheating either logically or in terms of the characters, and it’s an extremely underrated gem.

Recommendations: For the same idea tackled in a very different way, there’s the much better-known Superman: Red Son, showing the hero he would have become growing up in the Soviet Union rather than the United States; going after similar ideas is the heartfelt Superman: Peace on Earth. The rest of Kurt Busiek’s time on the main Superman title was great too, even if this stood easily as the centerpiece; his other trades were Back In Action, Redemption, The Third Kryptonian, and Shadows Linger. Speaking of underrated gems, Gail Simone’s run on Action Comics from around the same time with John Byrne was also great, collected in Strange Attractors. And since the story opens with an excellent one-shot centered around his marriage to Lois, I have to recommend From Krypton With Love if you can track it down in Superman 80-Page Giant #2, and Thom Zahler’s fun Lois-and-Clark style webcomic Love and Capes.

6. Superman Adventures

What: A spinoff of Superman: The Animated Series, this quietly chugged along throughout the latter half of the 90s as the best of the Superman books at the time.

Why: Much as stories defining his character and world are important, the bread and butter of Superman is just regular old fun comics, and there’s no better place to go than here for fans of any and all ages. Almost all of its 66 issues were at least pretty fun, but by far most notable were two runs in particular - Scott McCloud, the guy who would go on to literally write the book on the entire medium in Understanding Comics, handled the first year, and Mark Millar prior to his breakout success wrote a number of incredibly charming and sincere Superman stories here, including arguably the best Luthor story in How Much Can One Man Hate?, and a full comic on every page in 22 Stories In A Single Bound.

Recommendations: Superman has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to runs of just plain fun comics. For the youngest in your family, Superman Family Adventures might just be what you’re looking for. Supergirl: Cosmic Adventures in the Eighth Grade would fit on your shelf very well next to Superman Adventures. Superman: Secret Origin, while not the absolute best take on his early days, has some real charm and would be an ideal introduction for younger readers that won’t talk down to them in the slightest, and that you’ll probably like yourself (especially since it seems to be the ‘canon’ Superman origin again). If you’re interested in something retro, The Superman Chronicles cover his earliest stories from the 30s and 40s, and Showcase Presents: Superman collects many of his most classic adventures from the height of his popularity in the 50s and 60s. Age of the Sentry and Alan Moore’s Supreme would also work well. For slightly older kids (i.e. middle school), they might get a kick out of Mark Millar and Lenil Yu’s Superior, or What’s So Funny About Truth, Justice, and the American Way? And finally, for just plain fun Superman runs, I can’t ignore the last year of Joe Casey’s much-overlooked time on The Adventures of Superman.

7. Superman vs. Lex Luthor

What: Exactly what it says on the tin: a collection of 12 Luthor stories from his first appearance to the early 21st century.

Why: Well, he’s Superman’s biggest enemy, that’s why, and even on his own is one of the best villains of all time. Thankfully, this is an exceptionally well-curated collection of his greatest hits; pouring through this should give you more than a good idea of what makes him tick.

Recommendations: While he has a number of great showings in Superman-centric comics, his two biggest solo acts outside of this would be Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo’s Luthor (originally titled Lex Luthor: Man of Steel) and Paul Cornell’s run on Action Comics, where Lex took over the book for about a year. Also, one of Superman’s best writers, Elliot S! Maggin, contributed a few stories here - he’s best known for his brilliant Superman novels Last Son of Krypton and the aforementioned Miracle Monday, and he wrote a number of other great tales I picked some highlights from in another article.

8. Grant Morrison’s Action Comics

What: Spanning years, it begins in a different version of Superman’s early days, where an as-yet-flightless Clark Kent in a t-shirt and jeans challenged corrupt politicians, grappling with the public’s reaction to its first superhero even as his first true menace approaches from the stars. Showing his growth over time into the hero he becomes, he slowly realizes that his life has been subtly influenced by an unseen but all-powerful threat, one that in the climax will set Superman’s greatest enemies’ against him in a battle not just for his life, but for all of reality.

Why: The New 52 period for Superman was a controversial one at best, and I’d be the last to deny it went down ill-advised roads and made outright bone-stupid decisions. But I hope if nothing else this run is evaluated in the long run the way it deserves; while the first arc is framed as something of a Superman origin story, it becomes clear quickly that this is about his life as a whole, and his journey from a cocksure young champion of the oppressed in way over his head, to a self-questioning godling unsure of the limits of his responsibilities as his powers increase, and finally an assured, unstoppable Superman fighting on the grandest cosmic scale possible against the same old bullies. It gives him a true character arc without undermining his essential Superman-ness, and by the end it’s a contender for the title of the biggest Superman story of all.

Recommendations: Most directly, Morrison did a one-off mini-sequel to this run in Sideways Annual #1, where he gets to give his creation of t-shirt Superman a proper sendoff after he was quickly retconned out of the main line. Outside of this, Greg Pak’s runs on Action Comics and Batman/Superman, and Tom Taylor/Robson Rocha’s 3-issue Batman/Superman stint, as well as Scott Snyder, Jim Lee and Dustin Nguyen’s blockbuster mini Superman Unchained, are the best of the New 52 era. If you’re looking for more wild cosmic Superman adventure stories, Grant Morrison’s Superman Beyond is a beautiful two-part adventure (it ties in to his event comic Final Crisis but largely works standalone), and Joe Casey’s Mr. Majestic was a largely great set of often trippy cosmic-scale adventure comics with its Superman-esque lead. For something a little more gonzo, maybe try the hilariously bizarre Coming of the Supermen by Neal Adams. And while his role in it is relatively minor, if we’re talking cosmic Superman-related epics, Jack Kirby’s Fourth World has to be mentioned - it’s soon being reisssued once again in omnibus format.

9. Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?

What: More than just the title story, DC issued a collection of all three of Watchmen writer Alan Moore’s Superman stories: For The Man Who Has Everything, where Superman finds himself trapped in his idea of his ideal life while Batman, Wonder Woman and Robin are in deadly danger in the real world, Jungle Line, where a deliriously ill and seemingly terminal Superman finds help in the most unexpected place, and Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?, Moore’s version of the final Superman story.

Why: Dark Superman stories are a tricky tightrope to walk - go too far and you invalidate the core his world is built around - but Moore’s pretty dang good at his job. Whatever Happened you should wait to read until you’ve checked out some Superman stories from the 1960s first since it’s very much meant as a contrast to those, but For The Man Who Has Everything is an interesting look at Superman’s basic alienation (especially in regards to his characterization in that period of his publication history) with a gangbuster final fight, and Jungle Line is a phenomenal Superman horror story that uncovers some of his rawest, most deeply buried fears.

Recommendations: There are precious few other dark Superman stories that can be considered any real successes outside a few mentioned among other recommendations; the closest I can think of is Superman: For Tomorrow, which poses some interesting questions framed by gorgeous art, but has a reach tremendously exceeding its grasp. Among similar characters though, there are some real winners; Moore’s own time on Miracleman was one of the first and still one of the most effective looks at what it would mean for a Superman-like being to exist in the real world, and the seminal novel Superfolks, while in many ways of its time, was tremendously and deservedly influential on generations of creators. Moore had another crack at the end of a Superman-like figure in his Majestic one-shot, and the Change or Die arc of Warren Ellis’ run on Stormwatch (all of which is worth reading) presented a powerful, bittersweet look at a superman’s attempt at truly changing the world for the better.

10. All-Star Superman

What: Superman rescues the first manned mission to the sun, sabotaged by Lex Luthor. His powers have reached greater heights than ever from the solar overexposure, but it’s more than his cells can handle: he’s dying, and Lex has won at last. This is what Superman does with his last year of life.

Why: I put this at the bottom since it works better the more you like Superman, but if you’re only going to read one story on this list, this one has to be it. It’s one of the best superhero stories period, and it’s everything that’s wistful and playful and sad and magical and wonderful about Superman in one book.

Recommendations: If you’re interested in the other great “Death of Superman” story, skip the 90s book and go to co-creator Jerry Siegel and Curt Swan’s 60s ‘Imaginary Story’, also one of the best Superman stories ever, and particularly one of Luthor’s best showings. If you got a kick out of the utopian ‘Superman fixes everything’ feel of a lot of it, try The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Superman-Blue! The Supergirl run of Steve Orlando tries to operate on a pretty similar wavelength, and was definitely the best thing coming out of the Superman family of books at the time. The recent Adventures of Superman anthology series has a number of creators try and do their own ‘definitive’ Superman stories, often to great results. Help, ostensibly a Lex Luthor story by Jeff Loveness and David Williams in DC’s Beach Blanket Bad Guy’s Special, is in fact as feel-good a take on Superman’s relevancy as there is. And Avengers 34.1 starring Hyperion by Al Ewing and Dale Keown taps into All-Star’s sense of an elevated alien perspective paired with a deep well of humanity to different but still moving results.

#Superman #Opinion

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mychiccabin · 5 years

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18 Books Every Cabin Should Have

I grew up in a family of readers, and that reading tradition has carried on, we are constantly exchanging book recommendations and giving books as presents. It’s no surprise that one of our favorite cabin activities is reading. There are few things more pleasant than reading next to a crackling fire, or cuddling up in an over-sized armchair after a strenuous hike to relax and escape into a book, or taking a book out onto the porch and reading on the porch swing.

Obviously there are millions of books, thousands of different types, and honestly, I enjoy almost every type of book: mystery, biographies, histories, science fiction, fantasy, romance, classics, dramas. Every genre works for cabin reading, but I have picked some of my favorites that feel particularly appropriate to read at your cabin.

Check out this article to find a beautiful, rustic bookcase perfect for your cabin.

The Little House Books Complete Set

Laura Ingalls Wilder

I grew up reading the Little House on the Prairie books with my mom and later watching the show on PBS, haha! These are charming classics with endearing family dynamics, set in nature, these autopbiographies take you back to a simpler time. Perfect for escaping from your normal life and reminding you of what is most important.

Hardcover: $159.99

Reviews: “This book’s text is exactly like the original. The quality is great. Pages are thick and glossy and the illustrations are bright and colored in. I recommend this book to every age!” “I bought this set of nine books for my grand daughter because she loves to read books and she has had them on her wish list for over a year. They come in a nice little box and the pictures are just right . She is eleven years old and I bought them for her about a week ago and she is now on her fourth book in reading it seems hard for her to put down . When I see her she gets a book out and wants to read to me and the wording in the books is very easy for her to read and understand . I would recommend buying single or the whole set to anyone that likes to read . I did not receive this book at any discount or reduction in price for any review, I just thought they were a great book for any one to read.”

The Call of the Wild & White Fang

Jack London

American classics, these books are about dogs and nature, and like the Little House books they are accessible enough for children but poignant enough to maintain the interest of adults. Jack London’s portrayal of the wild is unparalleled in its depiction of the duality of immense beauty and danger. Everyone should read a Jack London book at least once in their life, especially while they are somewhere they can marvel at the power of nature and our place as creatures in it.

Hardcover $9.25

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer & The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Mark Twain

More books that we read together as a family when I was in grade school. Huck Finn has more advanced themes that are worth further study, but both novels inspire a sense of adventure and a basic search for humanity for kids. I vividly remember assessing my life in relation to Tom and Huck’s, who was I? And who did I want to become? And, of course, I wanted to search for treasure! Mark Twain is one of the world’s greatest storytellers. These are books to be enjoyed by every age.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer paperback $8.79

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn paperback $8.99

Hatchet

Gary Paulsen

I first read Hatchet when I was a little younger than the main character, Brian, who is thirteen. We read this book in class, and my classmates and I were all captivated by the story of a boy who survives with a hatchet and his grit in the wilds of Canada. This book is a fun read and would also lend itself to a practical discussion about survival skills and proper safety precautions to take in nature.

Paperback $7.89

Anne of Green Gables

L.M. Montgomery

Who doesn’t love Anne with an ‘e’ and her charming adventures? Perfect for introducing you children to kindred spirits and hilarious mishaps through the quirky, sweet red head as she endears herself to all of Prince Edward Island.

Hardcover $12

The Hobbit

J.R.R. Tolkien

“He wished to go and see the great mountains, and hear the pine-trees and the waterfalls, and explore the caves, and wear a sword instead of a walking-stick.” Travel Middle Earth with Bilbo, Gandalf, and the dwarves. An adventure for any age.

Paperback $11.16

Walden

Henry David Thoreau

Arguably the preeminent American work on seeking truth through nature, Thoreau’s transcendental search for enlightenment should be a staple of every cabin. Certainly ambulatory, sometimes pedantic, and frequently ambiguous, this book requires some searching and a perceptive mind; but it does serve as a reminder about what is most important and that sometimes it takes removing oneself for normalcy to understand your place within your life.

Paperback $5.35

Leaves of Grass

Walt Whitman

Another American transcendentalist, Whitman focuses on the physicallity of nature and humanity and the active, corporeal experience of life. Whitman’s magnum opus, this book is worth reading all the way through to compare and synthesize his musings; however, this is also a great source of individual poems. Pick one to ponder on each day of your vacation and see how it affects your experience.

Paperback $8.99

All Creatures Great and Small

James Herriott

I brought this autobiography to my book group for our book exchange. James Herriott was a veterinarian in rural Yorkshire, England. and an exquisite storyteller. His love of life, the rural community, and the tender animals he treats is contagious and permeates the reader. Beautifully written, these charming stories will lift the mood and help you better appreciate the glories of nature.

Hardcover $30.99

The Journals of Lewis and Clark

Merriwether Lewis, William Clark, Bernard DeVoto

For those who love history, geography, science, adventure, or storytelling these journals (abridged) have it all. I learned about Lewis and Clark and Sacagawea and their adventure in third grade, so it was pretty surreal to read their actual accounts of their journey.

Paperback $10.71

Where the Crawdads Sing

Delia Owens

Published August 2018, this book is one of my favorite new reads. Heart rendingly exquisite, this novel was a page turner. Linking the love of nature with the vitality of human connection, this book reminds us of the importance of seeking and fostering beauty.

Hardcover $16.20

Black Nature: Four Centuries of African American Nature Poetry

These poems provide a broad perspective on the intersection of humanity and nature. Spanning over four centuries of poetry and ninety-three poets, these poems are grouped into different themes, or eight cycles. Focus on individual poems or study a specific theme like “Talk of the Animals.”

Paperback $25.93

Into the Wild

Jon Krakauer

The evocative, true story of how Christopher McCandless journeyed to his solitary death in the wilderness. At times adventurous and inspirational, searching for the truth found in simplicity and past the brink of normal mortal limits, this novel also serves as a cautionary tale about the futility and insensibility of foregoing human relationships and the guardrails of common sense. I first read this novel in college, studying fronteirs, and I love the idea of fronteirs: the opportunity to push beyond them and explore, balanced with the guide lines of our history of learned experience and our relationships that we can lean on for guidance and support.

Paperback $9.47

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

Cheryl Strayed

Most of us have already read the novel or watched the movie of Cheryl Strayed’s personal thousand mile long hike along the Pacific Crest Trail and through her own psyche. A reminder that we find ourselves through the action of doing hard things and sometimes we need to isolate ourselves to hear and understand our own language.

Paperback $9.89

House Made of Dawn

N. Scott Momaday

A complex, wrenching novel about the dichatomy between cultures and lives warring inside individuals. A tale about a young Native American man, Abel, and the split he feels between his history and setting. And a portrait of the American Southwest and the communities that inhabit it.

Paperback $12.99

East of Eden

John Steinbeck

Cain and Abel writ large. An American classic, Steinbeck’s mastery of language and story is unrivaled. A novel that explores character and choice, man’s relationship with nature/self/others/ god, and our tenacious search for life and meaning. Read this long novel when you have the time to fully devote to pondering it.

Hardcover $23.98

The Shining

Stephen King

Why is it so fun to get scared? And there is something extra perfect about reading a scary novel while far away from your normal life and the sense of security a neighborhood brings. This is a classic horror novel, gripping and unnerving. Perfect as the setting of isolation matches the average removed cabin. Caution, only read if you enjoy horror.

Hardcover $32.33

And Then There Were None

Agatha Christie

Another isolated, scary novel, this one written by the queen of mystery herself. Quick paced, interesting mystery, well-developed characters, Christie’s mastery of language, this novel has it all. If you love Agatha Christie, or if you haven’t given her a try, put this one at the top of your list.

Paperback $6.39

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junker-town · 4 years

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An up-to-date look at the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Expect a lot of sequels.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe closed out its “Infinity Saga” last summer with the releases of Avengers: Endgame and Spider-Man: Far From Home, which ended a 23-film cycle of big, ambitious, and thrilling storytelling. Despite what felt like a logical beginning, middle and end to its first few phases of films, Disney and Marvel have no plans to slow down anytime soon.

Captain America, Iron Man, and some of the other key Avengers from the last decade-plus are now set aside for characters stepping forward into bigger roles — such as Black Panther and Captain Marvel — and characters we have not seen in this iteration of films yet. With Disney’s merger with Fox, characters like the X-Men and Fantastic Four are on the way with Marvel Studios now having the rights to the majority of the storied comic company’s intellectual property. This comes after decades of heroes’ film rights being divided among several studios.

Here is the full list of projects that are currently in development for the next phases of the MCU.

Theatrical Releases

Black Widow (November 6, 2020)

There had been rumors for years that Scarlett Johansson would get her own solo film and now it is set to lead Marvel’s “Phase Four” as the first-post Infinity Saga movie. However, this film is set to take place between Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War. Other cast members include David Harbour, Rachel Weisz and Florence Pugh, among others. Taskmaster will be the villain in this movie, who is known for his ability to copy the powers of the heroes he is facing.

The Eternals (February 12, 2021)

Marvel is never afraid to throw something new and weird at its audience, and did so with massive success with the Guardians of the Galaxy franchise. The Eternals is set to tell the story of a race of human-god aliens created by beings called Celestials that have lived on Earth for 7,000 years among us. The cast includes Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Angeline Jolie, Gemma Chan, Lauren Ridloff, Salma Hayek, Brian Tyree Henry, Lia McHugh, and Kit Harington, to name a few from the massive lineup. Chloé Zhao will helm the film.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings (May 7, 2021)

The MCU has a way of existing as genre films inside of a superhero film packaging. To name a few examples, we have seen political thrillers (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) and heist films (Ant-Man), but now Marvel steps into its first kung fu-inspired take. Shang-Chi is a master of the martial arts and will be played by relative newcomer Simu Liu. We have actually heard of the Ten Rings before, as they were the terrorist organization introduced when Tony Stark was kidnapped in Iron Man. Then, we met its leader, The Mandarin, in Iron Man 3. Except we didn’t because that was a fake out. Tony Leung is set to play the “real” Mandarin and Awkwafina is also set for a role in the film, directed by Destin Daniel Cretton.

Untitled Spider-Man Sequel (November 5, 2021)

Things were dicey here for a bit with Disney and Sony, who owns Spider-Man’s film rights, having a contract dispute in the summer of 2019. However, both sides came to an agreement and Tom Holland’s Spidey is back on track with Zendaya also set to return and Jon Watts directing once again.

Thor: Love and Thunder (February 11, 2022)

Thor is one of the only original Avengers set to play a role in the next phase of films and both Chris Hemsworth and director Taika Waititi are set to return. Tessa Thompson will also return as Valkyrie and Natalie Portman is making her return to the role of Jane Foster in the film. Foster is set to become the female version of Thor in this next installment with Christian Bale making his MCU debut as the film’s villain, though we do not yet know who he is playing.

Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (March 25, 2022)

Doctor Strange’s solo outing was solid, but did not do a ton to movie the needle among MCU fans. That changed with the key role that he played in both Infinity War and Endgame and now he is back for another film centered around him. This time, Benedict Cumberbatch’s Strange will be joined by another Marvel hero in the form of Scarlet Witch, played by Elizabeth Olsen. Benedict Wong is set to return as Wong with Chiwetel Ejiofor also back to play Karl Mordo. The events of this film will be tied into the Scarlet Witch Disney+ series WandaVision (which we will discuss here a bit later). The film will be directed by Sam Raimi of the Evil Dead franchise and the 2000s Spider-Man films.

Black Panther II (May 6, 2022)

When Black Panther became the cultural phenomenon it was after coming out in February of 2018 — eventually earning a Best Picture nomination at the Oscars — it was only a matter of time before we got a sequel. Not much is known about the project other than Ryan Coogler returning to direct and the expectation is that the majority of the cast from the last film should return, as well. The rumor is that the sequel may feature Namor, who actually preceded Aquaman as the Atlantean/human hybrid character in pop culture.

Untitled Captain Marvel Sequel (July 8, 2022)

The only thing that is known about this film is that Brie Larson is set to reprise her role as the titular hero. Seeing as her solo film took place in the 90s and Endgame brought her into the present day, there is no shortage of possibilities for what her next outing might look like.

Unscheduled theatrical projects

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

After a brief brush with controversy over old tweets that saw James Gunn fired from the job of directing this movie, all sides came to an agreement and he was brought back. This is expected to close out the story thread of his iteration of the Guardians, but it is going to have to wait until he finishes work on DC’s The Suicide Squad, which he signed on to direct when he was originally fired by Marvel.

Untitled Ant-Man and The Wasp Sequel

A more recent addition to the upcoming slate of films with news of its development dropping in April 2020. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are expected to be back in their roles, and Peyton Reed will be back to direct after doing the last two films.

Blade

This was the surprise of all surprises when its development was announced at San Diego Comic-Con 2019. Mahershala Ali will be playing the role after lobbying Marvel to bring back the character, and the Oscar winner reaching out was too good for the studio to pass up. That is all we know about this film for now, but it has fans of the vampire hunter excited to see what Ali and the studio can come up with.

Fantastic Four

It is only a matter of time before we get to see Marvel’s iconic foursome of heroes hit the screen again after the Disney-Fox merger went through. After a few “meh” outings in the mid-2000s and a putrid reboot attempt in 2015, the characters are back where they belong. All we know so far is that the studio is developing the project with no other details available at this time. Fans have been clamoring for the real-life couple of John Krasinski and Emily Blunt to play Reed Richards and Sue Storm, respectively. You can add my name to the list of people who would love to see that casting.

X-Men

We are probably far away from the X-Men making their debut in the MCU, which is not the worst thing in the world. Fox’s franchise ran for almost 20 years and it is going to take some time for people to cleanse their pallets of the Hugh Jackman/Patrick Stewart-era of characters. They are on the way, but it is going to take some time and they might be the last of these projects that we see on the screen.

Disney+ Shows

These will appear exclusively on the Disney+ streaming platform, but Marvel maintains they will have cinematic budgets and that everything will connect to the theatrical releases, so this is a brand new layer to the MCU.

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (August 2020)

Now that Black Widow has been pushed to the fall, this is the next MCU property we are set to see. This series is set to follow Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) after the events of Endgame, where an old Captain America passed his shield and mantle on to Wilson. Daniel Brühl is set to return as Helmut Zemo of Civil War fame and Emily VanCamp returning as Sharon Carter. Wyatt Russell joins the cast as John Walker, the U.S. government created successor to Steve Rogers.

WandaVision (December 2020)

As we mentioned before, this series is set to lead into the events of the Doctor Strange sequel with Wanda Maximoff involved in a big way. Paul Bettany is also set to return as Vision, as it appears that Wanda has created an alternate reality where they can live together among the backdrop of sitcom-style settings from multiple decades (yeah, it’s going to get really dang weird). An adult version of Monica Rambeau, who was a child in Captain Marvel, is set to debut and be played by Teyonah Parris. Randall Park and Kat Dennings are going to return to the MCU in their roles of Jimmy Woo and Darcy Lewis, respectively.

Loki (Early 2021)

Loki stealing the Tesseract in an alternate timeline in Endgame screamed Disney+ series, and now Marvel is doing just that. The series will see Tom Hiddleston reprising his role as the God of Mischief as an alternate version of his 2012 self traveling back in time and altering history. Owen Wilson and Richard E. Grant are also set to join in some form or fashion.

What If...? (Mid-2021)

This is going to be an animated anthology series that explores how events of the MCU would have happened by changing different variables, a la if Peggy Carter was given the super soldier serum instead of Steve Rogers. The original actors from MCU films will return to reprise their roles in a voice acting capacity for the series, which will star Jeffrey Wright as The Watcher. A second season has already been greenlit, as well.

Hawkeye (2022)

A limited series is set to come for the bow-and-arrow wielder with Jeremy Renner reprising his role as Clint Barton, which would see him pass on his mantle of Hawkeye to Kate Bishop (reportedly to be portrayed by Hailee Steinfeld).

Ms. Marvel (2022)

Kamala Khan/Ms. Marvel has been a recent character in the comics with rapidly growing popularity among fans. Not a whole lot is out there on the series other than Bisha K. Ali being hired as the head writer. It is also possible Ms. Marvel is introduced in Captain Marvel’s sequel.

Moon Knight (2022)

Moon Knight is Marvel’s answer to Batman, except he has a dissociative identity disorder. So ... that’s an interesting concept. In addition to his Disney+ series, Moon Knight will be appearing in future MCU films, as well.

She-Hulk (2022)

She-Hulk is set to revolve around Jennifer Walters, the cousin of Bruce Banner/Hulk who gains powers after receiving a blood transfusion from him. Walters is a skilled lawyer and has often appeared as representation to heroes and other enhanced beings over the years. Another ... interesting concept. Marvel is reportedly looking for an “Alison Brie-type” to play this character. The lead writer on the series is set to be Jessica Gao of Rick and Morty fame.

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