#daniel way style deadpool

[evilwickedme]

Idk if you have been asked this before, but what ur ur opinions in spideypool? I love the ship, but I hate how utterly hard it is to get a good comic out of them it's so sad

I think the reason I haven't been asked this before is because nobody really thinks to ask someome who writes spideypool fic what they think about the ship, but that's actually a really good question!

I love spideypool. I've been a spideypool shipper for about as long as I've been into marvel comics, since Deadpool was one of the first comics I picked up way back when in 2015. At the time it was pretty much omnipresent in the fandom, and for good reason - Deadpool's crush on Spidey is and was literally canon, or at least as much canon as it can be when it's played for laughs, and there's a lot of charm to their interactions.

To me, the appeal lies in the way they affect each other. Deadpool's got this whole hero worship mixed with actual attraction thing going on on his end, and Spidey has this whole "this is the most annoying man on the planet and possibly in the multiverse but also he's like pretty funny and our fight styles blend well" thing going on on the other end. A high quality longfic for these two will go into issues of morality and find where either of them need to or choose to change for each other, for better or for worse, and can easily include a heavy bit of angst regarding Wade's chronic pain and mental health issues or Peter's anger issues and monetary problems. A high quality pwp for these two will be very funny. These are both things I find incredibly appealing in my ships.

Also, visually, they really do fit together. Afaik, Deadpool's outfit was designed mostly to parody Deathstroke, but there's some Spider-Man in there anyway, and they look all matchy-match.

So why is it so hard to write a good teamup comic for them? Um... I'm not so sure that it is? Like I think that Deadpool annual from 2013 or 2014 where he and Spidey end up switching costumes is so fun and shows some of Wade's tendencies to mix hero worship and attraction really well, and a lot of their other early interactions are short but memorable. I think the issues of Daniel Way's run of Deadpool where Wade and Peter team up are some of the only actually good issues in the whole run, because Daniel Way actually wrote some themes and ideas into there and then didn't drop the ball immediately! He dropped the ball later, but not immediately, which is rare for him.

The main Spider-Man/Deadpool teamup comic seems to have mixed reviews. I haven't read through the whole thing yet, but like, I think it's fine? It certainly isn't outright bad, and it has some fun moments. I think the main problem with it is that it was created for and aimed at people who were fans of the ship, and then didn't really look beyond surface level into why people like the ship. Like I said, spideypool is at its best when it struggles with issues of morality and has some give and take, where both sides learn from the other. The team up comic is more like... Deadpool is bad cause he kills, but he wants to prove to Spidey that he's a good person! And then he tries to prove that by killing Peter Parker, who he thinks is evil (the team up comic started in a weird time in spidey's continuity where he was running a fortune 500 company, it's a whole thing)!

It's a lot of hijinks and shenanigans that I don't mind in fic, but prefer in smaller doses and one off team up comics. If I'm reading an ongoing, I'm going to want it to like... Be about something. At some point. A static character for a mainstay title is fine, but for the most part I want these characters to do something together beyond coexist. I think the best moment in the volumes of Spider-Man/Deadpool that I did read is the one where Wade introduces Spidey to Ellie Camacho, his daughter, because it forced Peter to reevaluate how he sees Wade. But then the itsy bitsy storyline happens, and it's such a shallow understanding of what makes Peter a good hero and what makes Wade ... Uh, Wade, and I think it just makes for mediocre storytelling.

I don't know I guess the problem is when we only had the one offs, we had a taste of something great, but when we got it in longform we realized the first bite was great, but the whole thing was a little stale.

I could write it real good tho, in case you're wondering. Marvel don't lose hope you can still hire me marvel I know you're reading this mARVEL

#one day I'll power through and finish spider-man/deadpool but I'm busy with other things right now #like answering asks on tumblr #spideypool #dp #spiderman #marvel comics #marvel #gail speaks #ask #cowchickenbeefpork #ur url was so close to being kosher and then it wasn't

[paulsebert]

With that said I do believe there have been instances in which I and my friends have engaged in some rather ugly fandom. My online persona first arose in the late 90s/early 00's during the heyday of Television Without Pity, an now mostly extinct fanfiction sub-genre called MSTings, and the writings of the late Chris Hyatte For those who don't remember him I consider Hyatt one of the internet’s great cautionary tales. During the waning days of the wrestling boom fans call “The Monday Night War” Hyatte was a genuine rock star of what we called The Internet Wrestling Community. (Now we just call them wrestling fans.) His fly by the seat of his pants style was truly hilarious and paved the way for a generation of wrestling writers. Alas Hyatt proved to be his own worst enemy as the guy had no off switch. His tendency at lashing out at wrestling personalities (most notably former WCW and current AEW commentator Tony Shiavone)  and other fans like fellow Scott Keith resulted in him flaming out quickly. He was granted chance after chance burning bridges every time. At the time of his death in 2020 he had about 440 followers on Twitter which is two less than I have now. I was one of the last people to follow him in any capacity.

In that environment started writing comic reviews for Comics Nexus and Spider-Fan. I attained a great bit of a following for my reviews of Daniel Way's Venom, a book that I still consider one of the all-time hilariously bad comics of the era. Years later I met Daniel Way at a comic convention after he had largely redeemed his reputation with a successful run on Deadpool. As a young writer Way was in a position by Marvel management where almost ANY writer was doomed to fail. Basically Marvel signed him to write a new Venom comic only to be informed he couldn't use Eddie Brock. Way set out to write a horror comic inspired by The Thing only to be informed that it was going to be part of a PG-rated comics line aimed at Manga readers. When the series became the highest selling book in the fledgling Tsunami line by sheer virtue of being the first solo Venom comic released in several years Marvel asked him to shoehorn Wolverine (and subsequent guest stars) into the story at which point Way was like “sure why not.”  

Flash forward a decade later. Once again “angry reviewers” are in vogue as The Nostalgia Critic is at peak popularity as is Red Letter Media's Mr. Plinkett character. Even CinemaSins hadn't devolved into the complete clickbait that it is today. Marvel comics debuts a book called Avengers Arena which teenage heroes from several previous books: Avengers Academy, Sentinel, and Runaways were first to duel to the death by Arcade who very abruptly went from Marvel's most fun villains to least fun villains. It was a shameless Hunger Games cash-in that was one of the most thoroughly unpleasant comics I've ever read.  I started blogging on Tumblr as a way of venting and it brought me a bit of catharsis.

However with a decade of hindsight I realize that I was probably too hard on writer Dennis Hopeless. Remember Hopeless’ original pitch for the book was a new version of Excalibur consisting of teenagers mentored by Captain Britain. It simply wasn't the book he had wanted to write but the book Marvel editorial wanted. He was in a lose/lose situation. It was only a run on Spider-Woman that was generally well regarded and a WWE tie-in Comic that was much better than the actual WWE television product that I really appreciated how talented he was. Like Way before him he was just a guy doing a job in a lose-lose situation.

I stopped doing my “Worst Comics of the 2010s'' series around the time that Marvel's Secret Empire event came out. The story was largely the victim of terrible and I mean TERRIBLE timing. The people involved didn’t predict the rise of Donald Trump and just how quickly everything would go to shit. In 2015 “dude what if Captain America was like the absolute worst” villain must have seemed like a can't miss idea. In 2016 it was a heart-breaking reminder of the country's wounded psyche and in its promotion of the event Marvel basically left writer Nick Spencer to be hung out to dry. While I find Spencer's body of work to be staggeringly uneven, he was ultimately just another work for hire talent in over his head.  With the benefit of hindsight I would have handled things a lot differently. 

With years of hindsight I probably would have voiced my views differently. It's tempting to blame the current abysmal state of comics discussion on the endless cycle of corporate reboots and gimmicks or reprehensible movements like “Comics Gate” but the roots are much deeper. In fact in some ways it might have been worse. Over on his blog Mark Evanier talked about how Mark Robbins became one of the most controversial Batman artists of his day simply because he didn't draw like Neal Adams. As hard as it might be to believe there was a generation of comics fans who called Jack Kirby “Jack the Hack” because they didn't like his later works like Machine Man and The Eternals. Then you have the whole sad backlash to Ron Marz and the H.E.A.T fan movement. 

It is too tempting to write creators off without looking at their whole body of work. Steve Englehart is simultaneously one of the most important comic creators of his era AND the writer of the hilariously clueless New Guardians. I dislike many of the comics Brian Michael Bendis has written but I respect the importance of Ultimate Spider-Man and still look back fondly on his Daredevil run. Howard Mackie who became fandom's shorthand for “Hack” because of his Spider-Man runs recently made a comeback of sorts for Marvel on a Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider-Mini series and having read the first two issues it's a lot of fun! I'm rooting for him.

I want people to know that I am monitoring the situation closely. I understand the concern but I also do not want to cut anyone off unless I absolutely have to. I am content to focus on my own conduct before pointing at others.  For now I simply ask fans to treat comic creators like human beings and wish to lead by example. I'm not against a little well placed anger or even a tiny  bit mean-spirited humor but I'm just going to be more careful in how I wield it. I haven't written much about comics as of late due to my work/life schedule BUT when I get around to it I'm going to try to be a lot more respectful in my own writing. I simply ask others to do the same.

#comics fandom #fandom #nerdom #state of the blog #my own stuff

[ethanreedbooks]

A Venture Exclusive where I talk Spider-verse where the creative team talks about how it has some similarities to Star Wars

Welcome back to Venture Onward as I discuss the happenings of Spider-Man: Across the Spider-verse. According to writer-producer Christopher Miller, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse acts for the intended superhero trilogy like the 1980 Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back accomplished for its franchise.

Speaking with Empire Magazine about the forthcoming (2018) Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse sequel, Miller stated, "People who've seen Across... have told us that it feels like The Empire Strikes Back of the Spider-Verse franchise," counting, "It shows you worlds you haven't seen, and it's an emotional story that ends in a place where you need to see the third one. So, yeah: this is our Empire."

The Empire Strikes Back is considered among numerous Star Wars fanatics as the franchise's most excellent installment, but when it was first released in 1980, they didn't know if a joyful finish was on the way for their cherished idols. Despite succeeding in a big fight against the Empire in the prior the (1977) Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back jilted off on a tremendous loss with Han Solo (Harrison Ford) cutting after standing frozen in carbonite, Luke Skywalker (Mark Hamill) discovering his father is Darth Vader and holding his hand cut off, and the Bespin colony Cloud City slipping beneath Imperial control. Moviegoers had to pause for three years for the (1983) Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi to determine what occurred next.

Whatever the circumstances and conclusion of Across the Spider-Verse, individuals will not keep waiting as extended as Star Wars fanatics initially did for Return of the Jedi. Across the Spider-Verse is set to release in theaters on June 2, 2023, while the third installment, Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse, is slated for March 29, 2024. Initially, the two films were titled Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (Part One) and (Part Two), indicating that the former leads right into the latter.

About Miller's recognition of new worlds in Across the Spider-Verse, it appears doubtful that the Star Wars planets Hoth, Dagobah, and Bespin introduced by The Empire Strikes Back will create an impression. Still, the sequel is guaranteed to feature five new universes. Into the Spider-Verse mostly held to (Shameik Moore) Miles Morales' home reality, but Across the Spider-Verse will see those belonging to Spider-Gwen (Hailee Steinfeld), Spider-Man 2099 (Oscar Isaac), Spider-Man India (Karan Soni) and Spider-Punk (Daniel Kaluuya), and a fifth universe is existing held under wraps. Each galaxy is distinctive and animated with its distinct style, co-director Joaquim Dos Santos previously said, "We've essentially made five films in one."

Aside from that, fans were regaled to a brief but stunning glimpse at the reality of Spider-Man India from the forthcoming Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Mumbattan, whose character is an amalgam of Manhattan and Mumbai.

Featured on a cover for Empire, the print catches Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy on a tower as they look at Mumbattan, which is vibrant. Also attending is a third wall-crawler, which hinges onto the structure. Before this, fans saw Pavitar Prabhakar, aka Spider-Man India, in some layout art. A following statement reported that Deadpool and Deadpool 2 star Karan Soni had been cast as the vocalist of Spider-Man India.

Aside from Spider-Man India, it was verified by co-writer Christopher Miller that Across the Spider-verse's poster contained a variant of The Spectacular Spider-Man's Spidey. However, ex-showrunner Greg Weisman would say that Miller's guarantee about said sign "is not the same as confirmation that [that version of Spider-Man is] in the movie." More lately, Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man performer Tom Holland was said to pop up in Across the Spider-Verse. However, this has yet to get an official verification from either Sony or Marvel Studios.

But while Across the Spider-Verse presents new web-slingers, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse star Nicolas Cage endorsed before this year that he wasn't invited to continue his position as Spider-Man Noir for the previous film, stating he didn't learn what the odds were of the character emerging in it. "I wish they would [bring the character back]," he persisted. "I love Spider-Man Noir, too. I think that's a great character. Spider-Man's the coolest superhero. And then you combine that with Cagney and Bogart and Edward G. Robinson -- come on, it's a great character."

On the issue of Across the Spider-Verse itself, senior character animator Ere Santos talks about its plot might be a mature one in 2022, remembering how challenging it was to function in the movie. "But what kind of kept us going was we'd be frustrated, or something would change, or a sequence was cut, and then we'd see a new render, and we'd be like, 'Okay, alright? Let's go, let's go,'" counted Santos. "And also, some of the choices characters were making in the story were like, 'What? Okay, all right. This is a kids' movie? I guess it's not a kids' movie. Okay, cool. Yeah, that's good.' So it's very, very, super exciting to me."

The alternate planets in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse are so in-depth that separately could stand as its animated film.

In a continued interview with Empire, the filmmakers behind the forthcoming Spider-Verse film talk about how the ambitious sequel could exceed the original. Joaquim Dos Santos, an associate of the triad of directors behind Across the Spider-Verse along with Kemp Powers and Justin K. Thompson, explained the new dimensional planets as “robust.” “We’ve essentially made five films in one,” stated Santos. Spider-Gwen, Spider-Man India, Spider-Man 2099, and Spider-Punk are four Spider-Man icons who will hold their visually-distinct planets studied in the film. While the fifth Spider-Man planet is being maintained a mystery, writer-producer Phil Lord tells its visuals as “jaw-dropping.”

With Across the Spider-Verse arriving as a sequel to the 2018 universe-crossing sensation Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, fan anticipations for mind-bending wrenches are elevated. “Our contract with the audience is to bring them something they’ve never seen before,” stated writer-producer Christopher Miller. “The first film was about bringing characters into Miles’ dimension. This is about Miles heading off into others.” Also, Shameik Moore, who portrays Miles Morales, aka Spider-Man, believes the sequel will top its critically-acclaimed precursor. “If the sky was the limit last time, the sky is now the floor,” Moore said. “We’re stepping on it and looking at Jupiter!”

Of course, the crew will be back concurrently in the voice cast. Aside from Moore, Hailee Steinfeld, who was in Hawkeye, reprises her role as Gwen Stacy, aka Spider-Gwen or Spider-Woman. Oscar Isaac, who was in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, joins them and plays Miguel O'Hara, aka Spider-Man 2099, an Irish-Mexican superhero living in a futuristic rendition of New York City. Peter David and Rick Leonardi made the character in 1992 for Marvel’s imprint of future-inspired comics called "Marvel 2099." Another new character entering the cast is Spider-Woman. She amalgams the Jessica Drew Spider-Woman from Earth-616 and Valerie the Librarian, an African-American woman who evolved into Spider-Woman in the 1970s Marvel Comics label Spidey Super Stories. Issa Rae performs her.

Across the Spider-Verse will include some mighty big Miles Morales-style Air Jordans to load when it eventually comes, some four-and-a-half years after its precursor arrives in theaters. Indeed, analysts applauded the initial Into the Spider-Verse for its gorgeous animation and a new outlook on the Spider-Man mythos via the eyes of Morales, the biracial superhero who took the part of Spider-Man from Peter Parker in the Ultimate Spider-Man comics. The movie won Best Animated Feature at the 91st Academy Awards, defeating Incredibles 2 and Ralph Breaks the Internet.

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse comes into theaters on June 2, 2023. So that’s it for now. Until then, Venture Onward.

[coolcontenta2z]

Fortunately, Deadpool isn't exactly as ever-present in the Wonder Universe as he was a couple of years prior. Those were the times of various performance books and the Deadpool Corps gathering series, a gag that became drained about when it appeared. Deadpool Kills Deadpool could speak to the exhausted Deadpool fan as much as the forever reliable.

This last leg of the set of three started by Deadpool Kills the Wonder Universe sees the Merc With a Mouth lifted on his own petard. After taking up arms against Wonder's legends and mainstream society itself, the opportunity has arrived to deter the circle by killing every Deadpool in the multiverse.

The Deadpool Corps return to assist the 616 Earth's Swim Wilson with battling off these professional killers, yet it's unmistakable they're throwing away valuable time and energy. clcik on the picture to buy

I wasn't enchanted with both of the past two scaled-down series in this adventure. Fortunately, this book ends up being seriously engaging without skipping a beat. In some capacity, there is a little fulfillment in perusing a story that embraces the possibility of Deadpool's overexposure and making it the core of the metatextual struggle.

In any case, as a general rule, the funny bone is a smidgen more refined, and this first issue doesn't attempt to get excessively charming or self-referential with the result of overloading the content.

The craftsmanship quality likewise partakes in a decent lift in this book thanks to Salva Espin. Espin recently chipped away at Daniel Way's Deadpool series, where his brilliant, lively renderings and expressive comparability to Paco Medina made him a resource.

He carries a comparably grandiloquent style to this series, giving the last piece of a set of three a more customary Deadpool that is called until further notice that the setting has changed to the center of Wonder Universe.

deadpool kills deadpool in paperback

deadpool kills deadpool kindle version

#avengers #deadpool #superhero #marvel cinematic universe #marvel comics #marvel movies #marvel mcu #superheores #samurai #comics #comic review #comic books

[threshasaurus-writes]

Love, Monsters & Mischief

Chapter 2: Meatball Sandwiches

When Doctor Doom abducts Hawkeye and Captain America, it sets off an unstoppable roller coaster of events for the Avengers.

An impostor, unrequited love, power outages, arc reactor mishaps, super villain scheming, Hulk rampages, Deadpool tirades, wedding proposals, and a very unexpected new addition to the family all feature as the heroes do their best to weather the storm of Love, Monsters & Mischief!

(This is The Big One—our Marvel fic from back in the day, now lightly revised and ready for the world to read at last! The finished fic will be 90+ chapters (not a typo), with at least two chapters posted each week. ♥)

Rated Mature, will be at least 475k, Stony, Thorki, Hulkeye, Spideypool, Eventual DevilSpideyPool, Loki & Bruce Banner Friendship, Steve Rogers & Thor Friendship, Implied/Referenced Sex, Magical Mpreg, Pregnant Loki, Fluff and Angst, Domestic Avengers, Plot Twists, Friendship/Love, Emotional Baggage, Slow Burn, Mutual Pining, Feels, Everyone Is Gay, Steve And Tony Are Basically Peter’s Adopted Parents, Genderfluid Loki, Daniel Way Deadpool, Teen Peter Parker, Blood and Injury, Hurt Tony, Hurt Loki, Hurt Clint, Protective Thor, Protective Steve, Arc Reactor Issues, Norse Mythology Loki Lore, Guilty Tony, Guilty Loki, Angst Muffin Peter, Tired Bruce, Supervillains, Polyamory Negotiations, Marriage Proposal, Step-Sibling Incest, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Everyone Needs A Hug, Longfic

Chapter 2 is here on AO3!

#fanfic #marvel #avengers earth's mightiest heroes #emh #stony #thorki #hulkeye #spideypool #devilspideypool #domestic avengers #magic mpreg #pregnant!loki #longfic #I'm not kidding LOL #daniel way style deadpool #friendship #feels #fluff #angst #hurt/comfort #hurt!loki #hurt!tony #hurt!clint #protective!thor #protective!steve #arc reactor #norse mythology #mutual pining #slow burn #couyfish

[davidmann95]

This week's comics (8/5/2020), Aka: Two Ewing Outings, Spurrier League, Far Sector, and Adam Strange giving you Serotonin?

First one of these in awhile!

Deadpool #6: Alright, but I’ve been waiting to see if this would pass ‘alright’ for me and the Krakoa issue didn’t do it, so I’d say I’m done.

Giant Size X-Men: Fantomex: Comic of the week, easy, and while its competition was sparse, it wasn’t exactly flimsy. This was a revelation and a gold standard of how to revisit Morrison material and feel like you’re truly bringing something new to the table with it.

Empyre: X-Men #2: It couldn’t match the gut-punch lunacy of the first issue, but I enjoyed it regardless.

Empyre #4: I feel for Ewing having clearly been sat down and told “Slott wants to do a thing, and he’s one of our boys so we’re doing it, but we all know it’d be a disaster so we’re asking you to hammer out the kinks on this one”. He’s working with the most stock-standard setups and conventions imaginable, but gosh if he isn’t working to wring an enjoyable if straightforward romp out of it. It is really annoying to see the repeated references to the events of the sadly cancelled Ram V/Pasqual Ferry Thor tie-in though. But that scene right before the conclusion? Choice.

Guardians of the Galaxy #5: Ewing’s too good and may need to be stopped before he goes and makes me care about X-Force or something.

Ice Cream Man #20: You know how you feel about Ice Cream Man at this point.

DCeased: Dead Planet #2: A good scene, a bad scene, and a scene I can’t determine either way.

Justice League #50: My feeling that the art really doesn’t fit (not that it isn’t good for what it is) aside, this brings the arc to a solidly satisfactory conclusion; I don’t know that this story is going to end up a perennial, but I’d sure like to see the book be willing to do more Classified-style mico-arcs like this.

Young Justice #17: Not a standout of his career or anything, but certainly the good version of Bendis doing what Bendis does.

Batman: The Adventures Continue #3: I like this creative team and basically what it’s doing, but the storytelling feels weirdly stilted and I don’t think the half-page format helps.

Batman #96: Still fun Batman adventure stuff, but this is fully an Endgame rehash at its core and I have no real feeling that Tynion wants to be doing this so much as he was told ‘Batman #100 is coming up and 5G is soonish, we want a big Batman vs. Joker story’.

Dark Nights: Death Metal: Legends of the Dark Knights:

* The Snyder/Tynion/Williamson/Daniel story: Best Daniels’ art has ever looked, but a really rote and unselfawarely goofy recap in the last place where this character could have gotten any sort of depth.

* The Tomasi/Rossmo story: ...well, at least we got the equivalent of the original BWL one-shot out of the way right up front, and Rossmo’s getting steady work.

* The Bennett/Igle story: Honestly a masterclass in how to play the absolute dumbest shit in the world completely straight in a way that makes it clear you know it’s the dumbest shit in the world, without breaking composure for a second.

* The Tieri/Francavilla story: Ugh. It’s fine, but you give Francavilla to Tieri?

* The Johnson story: This, on the other hand, plays its dumbshit premise genuinely straight - well, kinda - but still works. Not gangbusters, mind you, but it still works. And god, that first panel on the second page *fans self*

* The Ennis/Jones story: Hahaha okay this ruled

Far Sector #7: God, this comic’s still so damn good.

Strange Adventures #4: Son, you know how I feel about this comic about how Adam Strange is a pathetic piece of shit, and you KNOW I loved me that bit with you-know-who (though his initial framing leaves me with some questions given the larger context here).

#Week's Comics #Opinion

[agentnico]

Top 10 Best Movies of 2019

Disclaimer: I have not seen the films 1917 and Bombshell upon releasing this list, so they have missed out on this list due to that factor. Otherwise, there’s a chance both of them would have been on here.

It’s that time of year again when I decide what were some of the greatest films that graced us on the big screen (or small screen in light of Netflix’s ever-growing presence). 2019 was not a bad year for movies, though it’s interesting to note that the highest score I gave to a film this year is an 8/10, not higher. Maybe that’s a detriment to 2019′s film quality, or more so to me becoming more stricter with my opinion. The latter is more likely to be honest since I had problems with Detective Pikachu. I know, how dare I judge that little cute yellow furry Deadpool-sounding Pokemon! Though I am proud to note that this is the most international Top 10 list I’ve ever done, managing to sneak in film picks that weren’t just made in Britain or America. I really branched out this year. Does that make me a professional critic? Probably not, but in feeling I am, and that is what counts. Anyway, without much further ado, here are my favourite films in 2019...

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Glass

Joker

One Cut of the Dead

The Lighthouse

Zombieland: Double Tap

Burning

Always Be My Maybe

The Peanut Butter Falcon

10) JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM - 2019 was arguably the year of Keanu Reeves. From his self parodying roles in Toy Story 4 and Always Be My Maybe (easily the best cameo of the year) to announcements of his participation in the upcoming video game Cyberpunk 2077 as well as returning for a third Bill & Ted film, and of course, there’s John Wick 3, a non-stop action romp that gives the Raid movies and Mad Max: Fury Road a run for their money. The weak ending does cause the film to fall short from perfection, but it still makes my Top 10, and deservedly so.

9) AVENGERS: ENDGAME - I hated Infinity War. I said it once and I’ll say it again. So it was much to my dismay that I really enjoyed Endgame. It’s a culmination and celebration of the entire Marvel Cinematic Universe, and though I may have problems with the franchise as a whole, I do respect them for how far they have managed to come.

8) KLAUS - Netflix’s first animated movie is an absolute delight. A callback to a time when films were much simpler, with a truly good message, beautiful animation that blends 3D computer animation with old-school 2D animation and some great humour. A very sincere and well-paced production with an engaging story (for the whole family!) that doesn’t rely upon ironic jokes to tie in the adults, or on the integration of modern technology to hold the kids’ interest (like so many modern animated features do). It just tells a story. Klaus is destined to become a Christmas classic.

7) DEERSKIN - Leave it to the French to provide us with one of the weirdest motion pictures on this list. A tale of a man’s obsession with his coat (a good looking coat no less!) that leads him to some hilariously dark places. In style and theme Deerskin reminds me of another film I really love, The Voices starring Ryan Reynolds, in that it is strange, horrifying, awkwardly funny and overall weird. You’ll either love it or hate it, but Deerskin is certainly worth seeking out.

6) UNION OF SALVATION - Having been displeased with modern Russian cinema as of late, Union of Salvation surprised me to a major extent. A large scale historical study that describes some of the more difficult pages of the history of the Russian Empire. The revolt of the Decembrists in 1825 had to show the emperor that the old rules and laws were no longer able to restrain the empire from collapse, and although the rebellion was suppressed, it became a special precedent that brought the country under global historical changes. Crisply filmed, and directed in a way that leaves it to the audience to interpret who was right and who was wrong, this is a historical epic that leaves an impact.

5) KNIVES OUT - “I suspect foul play.” I will forever be grateful to Knives Out for gifting us Daniel Craig with a Southern accent, something I never thought I wanted but now that we have it, I would not want it any other way. Director Rian Johnson has crafted a truly original whodunnit, that mixes classic elements of the murder mystery genre whilst adding an interesting modern spin to it. Also, talk about a star-studded cast (with a stand out performance from Ana de Armas)! I hear a sequel is already in the works, and I say bring it on!

4) ONCE UPON A TIME IN HOLLYWOOD - Quentin Tarantino’s love letter to old school Hollywood is a visual and narrative feast, pairing Hollywood legends Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as they traverse the colorful streets of Los Angeles in 1969. Tarantino was already one of my favourite film directors, and here he fully displays why he’s a true artist of his genre (that’s right, the man has his own genre!). I might disagree with the movie’s ending, but the rest of the film is such a fascinating experience and easily one of the most memorable films to come out of 2019.

3) MARRIAGE STORY - Such a depressing movie. Yet such a great depressing movie. Adam Driver and Scarlett Johansson give career-best performances as a couple going through a divorce, and the way the movie is grounded in realism makes the whole thing a painful experience to go through, however one worth taking. Marriage Story is depressing, yes, but also truly incredible.

2) PAIN AND GLORY - The French give us the weirdest film of the year and leave it to the Spanish to give us the most personal one. Director Pedro Almodovar semi-autobiographical film takes a close look at how one deals with acceptance, being forgotten, symptoms of depression and generally all fairly negative attributes, but delivered in such an honest and profound way that there is a strange lightness that emerges from it all. Antonio Banderas is uncannily vulnerable in the lead role, delivering such an earnest performance that shows a man that is filled with melancholic regret who seeks his own form of redemption.

1) PARASITE - The winner of the Palme d’Or (the main prize at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival) is also the winner amongst my favourite films of the year, not that those two are comparable. In any case, Parasite is easily the most original and surprising piece of film-making that I discovered this year, managing to subvert expectations and blend together so many different genres so naturally. To spoil any narrative element of this movie would be a sin, like this one in particular works best when not knowing anything about it. That’s how I watched it, and now it’s my number 1 film of 2019. 

And now also for my No 1 WORST film of the year, which goes to...

WORST FILM OF 2019 - CATS. Obviously. What else did you think I was going to say? When I saw it I thought it was poop, and to this moment all I see is poop. Cats is poop. The end.

#2019 #2019 in film #2019 films #best movies of 2019 #best movies 2019 #best films 2019 #best films of 2019 #film reviews #movie reviews #movie #film #parasite #pain and glory #marriage story #once upon a time in hollywood #knives out #union of salvation #deerskin #klaus #avengers endgame #john wick chapter 3 parabellum #best movies #top 10 #top 10 movies 2019 #top 10 films #cinema #agentnico #cats

[the--sad--hatter]

Frozen Heart (Prologue)

FANDOM - MARVEL MCU, DEADPOOL & X-MEN

WARNINGS - ALL OF THEM, SMUT, VIOLENCE ANGST

DESCRIPTION -  

When Nick Fury finally catches Ex-Shield Agent ‘Black Ice’, The Thief with a Frozen Heart he puts her where she belongs. With The Avengers.

You’re not happy about that decision but you’re the only one who’s kicking up a fuss.

Natasha and Clint are happy to have you back in their lives, Sam Wilson is a big fan, Tony Stark just wants you to keep your hands off his stuff and Steve finds out that not only do you have a connection but you were there for him when nobody else was. 

Bucky Barnes is one of the few people who doesn’t have a connection with you but he’d really really like one. 

                                         CHAPTER ONE

THE KALAHARI DESERT

The Kalahari desert was in Southern Africa so it was quite obviously hot. In fact it was 930 thousands square km of arid, sandy, scorching hell. Or at least it was supposed to be. Nick Fury used his one good eye to take in the perplexing scene in front of him. Smack bang in the middle of the sand dunes was a military style base which according to their intel belonged to a black arms dealer and known human trafficker known as "The Scorpion".

Bad guys having secret bases was hardly unusual however, what was unusual was the fact that this base was covered in at least three inches of ice. Mercenaries who worked for The Scorpion were scattered around, guns raised and alarm on their faces. Fury paid them little attention, they weren't a threat seeing as they were frozen solid like creepy gun wielding statues.

His attention was focused on the battered remains of a tent in the very center of the icy carnage. The tent was barely erect, the front panel frozen in place and giving him a clear view inside to the young woman lying on the frozen ground, two of his medical personnel checking her for signs of life.

They found what they were looking for and related the news to Fury with a sharp nod of affirmation. She was alive. Fury had known she would eventually make a mistake and now she had, he finally had her.

6 HOURS EARLIER

Your head felt full and heavy, your eyes burned and the air around you was so hot you were suffocating. You forced yourself to drag your eyes open, taking in the scene around you. Sand? Tents? You knew what these things were but why they were here was confusing and you couldn’t seem to get your brain to work properly.

Something moved and you looked up, seeing it was a person coming towards you. You knew them, your brain was telling you they were familiar. Your brain was also screaming something else at you, something important but you couldn’t grasp it.

There was a deep gnawing sense in your gut, not a good feeling. You shifted in the seat and tried to move and that was when you realized you couldn’t.

You couldn’t move.

You felt something on your wrists, binding them together. Raw panic started to claw its way through you and you reacted instinctively, reaching down deep inside yourself for the part of you that you’d locked away. You needed to be free, bad things happened when you couldn’t move.

You remembered the blood and you didn’t want to remember that.

You let the primal power inside yourself out and froze the ropes binding you but it all went horribly wrong. You couldn’t reign it in, you couldn’t control it. The last thing you remembered was screaming.

9 DAYS LATER – Avengers Compound, Up-state New York

You had a habit of waking up in unfamiliar places so you weren't too worried at first. It wasn't until you registered the steady beeping of a heart monitor that your brow furrowed in confusion. Your eyes flew open and you tried to sit up, immediately regretting it as the cuffs on either wrist snapped against the metal bed-frame, pulling you back down with a wince of pain.

Panic rippled through you but then a deep chuckle to your right had you turning to face your company, and a growl of displeasure ripped out of your throat as soon as you did. Still, the sight of him calmed your fears and you knew, even if you were cuffed you were safe.

"What the fuck Clint?" You spat out, your voice hoarse from disuse, your hands automatically twisting in the cuffs.

The blonde man sitting on a chair next to the hospital bed you were currently cuffed to smirked at you, unfolding himself ungracefully from the uncomfortable looking plastic chair and leaning over to offer you a cup of water.

You glared at him as he raised it to your lips, tilting it to allow the cool liquid to pour down your throat. The sensation was most welcome, you had no idea how you’d become so thirsty.

Then it hit you, you had no idea how you’d ended up in hospital at all. A quick glance around the room offered no answers. It looked like a standard, albeit well-funded hospital room. The blinds were closed, there were no glass panels on the door to look out of and you and Clint were the only ones in the room.

Panic and uncertainty started to claw at your gut and you looked up at Clint, your expression blank and controlled but he saw the fear and vulnerability in your eyes. He could always see right through you.

“What happened to me?” To anyone else it would have sounded like a demand but Clint knew you well enough to see the plea on your face.

You pulled at the cuffs again and huffed in annoyance. Clint smirked and tapped his ear to let you know he could hear you, you didn’t have to sign.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” He asked you gently.

You frowned, trying to pull up your memories and Clint watched the emotions flit across your face, confusion, pain and then horror.

“Motherfucker.” You whispered.

“That about sums it up... Miss Daniels this time are we?” A deep voice spoke and the door sprung open as Nick Fury walked into the room.

Your expression hardened instantly and Clint's turned apologetic. Fury noted that, the way he noted everything. He glared down at you, trying to intimidate you.

“You froze a 2 mile radius in the desert, killing everyone there instantly. When we found you, you were nearly dead yourself. Lucky for you, we patched you back up and covered up your little mess.” Fury stated.

There was a long pause as he waited for you to say something but you didn’t.

“What, you’re not even going to say thank you?” Fury enquired sarcastically.

“Saying thank you could be taken as an admission of guilt, so no.” You rebutted.

Fury turned to look at Clint who sighed heavily.

“It’s over, you were found in the middle of the scene. We know you’re responsible.” Clint told you.

“We even have a good idea as to why you did it.” Fury informed you and he didn’t miss the way your jaw clenched in response.

“One of the bodies we found on site was First Lieutenant Charles Braxton, your commanding officer. The man who trained you for the past two years and fast tracked you to his special black ops task force. Decorated war hero, husband, father and best friend to Senator Jim Grant. Oh and he was also the criminal known as The Scorpion.” Fury said.

You took in a deep shuddering breath before you spoke, keeping your voice as even as possible.

“If you already know what happened, why bother asking me? What’s your play here Fury?”

“I’m asking because I don’t know what happened but I’ll tell you my theory. You found out Braxton was The Scorpion and he drugged you, kidnapped you and took you to his base. He probably thought he could turn you to his side. He had no idea who you really were though because you would never trust anybody enough to tell them what you were capable of. So when you woke up tied to a chair in the middle of the desert, having just been betrayed and attacked by your supposed mentor and friend you reacting instinctively and tried to freeze the ropes binding you enough to snap them and free yourself. You didn’t account for the drugs in your system or the adrenaline or the emotional turmoil you were facing though because you have always hidden your abilities away rather than learn to use them and instead of freeing yourself you lost control and created a cold snap in the Kalahari that killed everyone around you. How’d I do Miss Daniels?”

“That’s not a theory, that’s exactly what happened and you know it. But you’ve got a second theory lined up where I’m the villain right? Either you rescued a powerful asset or you took down a threat.” You laughed but there was no humour in it.

You knew what was going on. Fury had told you this day was coming and deep down you had always known he was right.

“You’re damn right I do. You killed a lot of people and even if I wanted to I can’t ignore that. I can bring you into the fold and protect you or I can lock you up and throw away the key. Those are the only two choices here. Now I made no secret about wanting you to re-join Shield but last time I asked you told me in no uncertain terms where I could shove that offer. I’m hoping you’ll be smarter this time now that SHIELD isn’t around. So what’s it going to be Miss Daniels, are you finally ready to become an Avenger or are you going to spend the rest of your life in a 4×4 cell?” Fury asked.

You whistled lowly.

“Alright Shaft, I’ll admit it. I was not expecting that.” You said, eyebrows practically disappearing into your hairline.

It was worded like a choice but all three of you knew it wasn’t, not really.

Clint knew you were stubborn and liked to dig your heels in but even you wouldn’t choose life imprisonment just to be spiteful. Fury knew it as well. You looked up at Clint and he braced himself for the anger about to be hurled his way but it never came.

You wanted to be angry at him but you knew it wasn’t fair. He hadn’t done this to you, you had done it to yourself. You had locked your abilities away, pretending you were nothing more than human and it had led to you losing control.

Now you had backed yourself into a corner and the only way out was through Fury, whether it be as an Avenger or a prisoner.

“IF I agree to this ridiculous proposal, I want my record wiped. My real record.” You told him.

“You’re in an awfully precarious position to be making demands. You don’t want to go to prison, If I don’t agree to your terms are you really going to refuse to join The Avengers?” Fury asked you.

You met his eyes and he saw it, you didn’t believe he was going to pass up the opportunity to recruit you but if he called your bluff there was no way you would back down.

He couldn’t comprehend why you were so stubborn but he didn’t have to, he just had to accept it. He nodded his assent and you and Clint both let out a small sigh of relief.

“Welcome to Shield Miss Daniels, Agent Barton here will explain the situation to you regarding the events in the Kalahari Desert and as soon as you’re medically cleared you’ll be introduced to the team who will oversee your official training.” Fury spoke in a crisp and authoritative tone before making his way to the door.

He had gotten what he came for, he wasn’t going to stick around any longer but you spoke up before he could make his exit.

“20 bucks says you regret this before we even reach the end of the month.” You called challengingly.

“I’ll take that bet.” He said without even looking back, letting the door close behind him.

Clint shook his head at you.

“It’s impressive how well he can glare at you with just one eye. Wonder how scary he was when he had both.” You snarked.

“It’s the one eye that makes the glare so effective. And you’ve been unconscious for nine days. The end of the month is tomorrow.” He dead-panned.

You swore and tried to sit up, forgetting about the cuffs and swore again as you were yanked back down. Clint made a strangled noise as he tried not to laugh. He reached over and pushed down on the cuffs, they were pressure locked and didn’t need a key so they popped open quickly and you held your wrists to your chest and rubbed them.

“Nine days?” You asked, confused.

“You were extremely dehydrated and had mild hypothermia. Add that to the drugs Braxton used on you and well… you weren’t in great shape when we found you.” He explained.

There was an edge to his voice, he was holding something back and whatever it was was bothering him. You reached your hand out, palm to the ceiling and waited. He sighed and put his hand in yours

“You get yourself into some stupid shit kid, and she’s not happy about it.” He whispered with an apologetic look on his face.

You shot up in the bed, alarm on your face.

“No no no no no, tell me she doesn’t know!” You begged.

Clint swallowed thickly.

“Fury said he’d tell her when you woke up.” Clint said, getting off the bed and backing into the corner of the room furthest from the door.

You went pale as you glanced franticly around the room like a deer caught in a trap but there was nowhere to hide and you knew it.

“Traitor!” you hissed at Clint as the door swung open and you swallowed heavily before turning to face your fear.

Clint winced under his breath at the expression on Natasha’s face and you felt like you’d been kicked in the chest as you laid eyes on her for the first time in years.

There was nothing you could say in that moment, no way to ask for forgiveness so you just reached out you hand to her, silently begging for something you didn’t deserve. She didn’t hesitate to take it, squeezing your hand reassuringly. And then continuing to squeeze.

“Ow, ow, ow. UNCLE!” You shrieked.

“As soon as your better, we’re playing 60 seconds.” Natasha said with a wicked glint in her eye.

“If you’re so mad, why are you here?” You sighed.

“I came to check on Clint. I would have come to check on you as well but we both know you can take care of yourself can’t you? You don’t need me.” She responded cooly.

Clint could feel the rising tension and he didn’t want a repeat of last time you and Natasha had been in the same room.

“You need rest, you start training as soon as you’re upright and we still need to take an official statement regarding the situation in the Kalahari.” He spoke over whatever biting remark you’d been about to shoot off at Natasha.

Natasha turned her annoyed look onto him, though it was legions softer than what she had directed at you.

“I have to convince the team to actually take her. Just because it’s what Fury wants, doesn’t mean Cap or Tony will be on board.” Natasha said, releasing your hand.

“What are you going to tell them about me?” You asked her.

“For once, the truth.” She informed you.

Clint nodded at her and she turned to leave while you studiously kept your face turned away from the door. Neither you or Natasha could see each other expressions but from his position at your bedside he could see it all, the brief moment of regret and longing you both had before you schooled your expressions expressions.

Clint sighed heavily and wondered what he’d done in a past life that was so bad he deserved to be connected to two such stubborn people. It was only when the door clicked closed you allowed yourself to drop the anger and look at him.

“How bad is it going to be?” You asked nervously and Clint chuckled at your reaction.

“They’re going to eat you alive.” He reassured you.

Tomorrow he would break the news to you that officially Agent Daniels had died in the Kalahari. But that could damn well wait because Clint had missed you, only to get you back in a near death state.  

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

“Stark, didn’t you get hit by that ice thief a few years ago?” Natasha asked as she walked into the meeting room.

“Four years ago, she broke into the tower and stole an Iron Suit Prototype and left an ice sculpture replica in it’s place.” Tony said with a sour look on his face.

“Yeah, but didn’t she put the suit back the next day? It was on the news.” Sam pointed out.

“Not the point Wilson. She did it to piss me off.” Tony snapped.

“I think it worked.” Wanda coughed.

“Why are you bringing up old wounds Romanov? Nobody’s seen Black Ice for years.” Tony asked exasperatedly.

“Nobody ever saw her, that’s why they called her Black Ice...” Sam added.

“She’s in your medbay.” Natasha said with a smirk.

There was silence.

“The new recruit Fury dropped on my doorstep is the thief who taunted me? And I saved her life?” Tony shrieked.

“Cho saved her life, you just paid Cho to do it.” Sam sniggered, sending Wanda devolving into a fit of giggles.

“Well I’m going to be the one to kill her!” Tony insisted.

“Barton might be a little upset if you do that.” Natasha informed him.

Tony squinted suspiciously at her.

“Why?” Steve was the one to ask.

“Black Ice is a former Shield Agent and yes Tony... Fury, Barton and I knew it was her who stole your suit. She dropped off the radar three years ago, faked her own death after an incident in Moscow. Clint just got her back, he might be annoyed if you go and kill her.”

“You knew?!” Tony was incensed.

“You’re friends with Black Ice?”Wanda asked excitedly.

“Who do you think gave her the name?” Natasha asked her.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The next morning you were all but tossed out of the hospital bed by Clint who flung a change of clothes at you and told you the bad news.

You didn’t have any close friends, actually any friends at all to mourn your “death” but you still allowed yourself a moment of sadness for the life you were leaving behind. You were shaken out of your moment by a knock on the door and you looked up to see a Natasha stood in front of you.

There was no readable emotion on her face, no indication as to whether she was here to hug you or to kill you. Though that question was quickly answered as with an almost unnoticeable flick of her wrist Natasha sent a knife flying straight at your face.

You whipped your head back just in time, though you were still a fraction of a second too slow and the blade left a slight nick across your left cheek before embedding itself in the wall behind where your head had previously been.

“Reaction time is a little slow but not terrible. You haven't been keeping up with your training. Keep the knife, consider it gift” Natasha told you with a smirk.

You glared at Natasha with wide eyes as she turned and sauntered away.

“Oh and welcome back to the land of the living сестренка.” Natasha called over her shoulder.

You scowled as you signed the medical discharge papers, almost signing Daniels out of habit. It would take some getting used to being a Barton again.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

So this is going to be my next fic series after Name Calling IF you guys like it. If not, I can scrap it and work on something else. It’s kinda up to you lovely people, and I won’t be offended if this isn’t a hit. 

#hattersmarvelverse #bucky x reader #Steve x Reader #WIP #Bucky x Reader #Bucky fic #Bucky Barnes #The Winter Soldier #Winter Soldier x reader #Bucky x You #Bucky x Y/N #Bucky x OC #Wanda x Reader #Vision x Reader #Sam Wilson x Reader #Black Widow x reader #Natasha x Reader #Hawkeye x Reader #Clint Barton x Reader #Spiderman x Reader #Peter Parker x Reader #Wade Wilson x Reader #Deadpool x reader

[tabloidtoc]

OK, June 8

Cover: Cher Turns 74 -- in hiding and in love 

Page 1: Big Pic -- Kristin Chenoweth in a Winnie the Pooh onesie with boyfriend Josh Bryant and her dog Thunder 

Page 2: Contents 

Page 3: Contents 

Page 4: Kristin Cavallari dating again -- she’s ready for romance just one month after her split from husband Jay Cutler 

Page 6: Meghan Markle chronicled her time in the U.K. in a secret diary and the revelation has sent The Firm into a tailspin -- it’s confirmed everyone’s worst fears that Meghan has them over a barrel and could bring them down with the click of a finger 

Page 7: After Jennifer Lopez’s daughter Emme wowed the crowd with a surprise appearance during the Super Bowl halftime show J.Lo’s ready to take on the full-time role of stage mom as the 12-year-old preps to release a bilingual children’s book of prayers, three years after her split from music producer Jack Antonoff it seems Lena Dunham is still nursing a broken heart so much so that’s it’s affecting her day-to-day life, after more than 15 years of friendship Ashton Kutcher and Dax Shepard are still thick as thieves 

Page 8: Though it’s been two years since Tom Hardy wrapped up filming as the titular character in Capone which has just recently been released but the renowned Method actor still can’t get out of the notorious gangster’s mindset so much so that even his wife Charlotte Riley who is used to Tom’s extreme behavior during a film shoot is rattled by his demeanor and she’s telling him not to take any more weirdo roles because it affects their personal life, Jon Hamm is desperate to work intimately with January Jones again and the quickest path to that is through a Mad Men reunion -- Jon still feels deeply connected to January and in a lot of ways she’s the closest he’s had to a real-life spouse after the years they spent as an onscreen couple, The Bachelorette Hannah Brown is feeling the consequences of her actions after blurting out the N-word while singing along to DaBaby’s track Rockstar in an Instagram Live video and she apologized immediately but the backlash has been pretty brutal 

Page 10: Red Hot on the Red Carpet -- silver gowns -- Diane Kruger, Reese Witherspoon, Janelle Monae 

Page 11: Nina Kiri, Catherine Zeta-Jones 

Page 12: Who Wore It Better? Betty Gilpin vs. Nina Dobrev ✅, Chiara Ferragni vs. Dakota Fanning ✅

Page 13: Kaia Gerber vs. Nicky Hilton Rothschild ✅

Page 14: News in Photos -- during her televised City of Lover Concert Taylor Swift unveiled a few personal photos from her trip to France last September 

Page 15: Pierce Brosnan congratulated son Dylan for graduating from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Vanessa Hudgens, Adriana Lima relaxing in Florida, Ariana Grande shows off her new butterfly tattoo in an Instagram selfie 

Page 16: Lance Bass pointed out his platinum locks before dyeing them blue, Gwyneth Paltrow shared a snap of her and Chris Martin’s daughter Apple 

Page 17: Adam Sandler on a bike, Kate Beckinsale brushes her cat Clive, Elizabeth Hurley and her dog Ava, Britney Spears 

Page 18: Dean McDermott and son Beau playing golf, Sara Gilbert and estranged wife Linda Perry with son Rhodes at an L.A. park, Melissa Gorga played basketball with kids Antonia and Gino and Joey 

Page 19: Drew Barrymore read to her Instagram followers to take part in the Save With Stories fund, Shawn Johnson East and daughter Drew, Pink and kids Jameson and Willow

Page 20: Color Theory -- these ladies brightened up their looks at home -- Elle Fanning, Lottie Moss 

Page 21: Taraji P. Henson, Jennifer Love Hewitt 

Page 22: Arnold Schwarzenegger on a bike, Brooke Burke filmed a new exercise routine for her fitness app, Devon Windsor is having way too much fun doing physical couples challenges with husband Jonathan Barbara

Page 23: Josh Hutcherson on a bike ride around the neighborhood, Nicole Scherzinger and her boyfriend Thom Evans demonstrated easy workouts you can do at home, Venus Williams on the tennis court in Palm Beach Gardens 

Page 24: Inside My Home -- Kelly Clarkson’s modern mansion in L.A.’s ritzy Encino community is for sale for $9.9 million 

Page 26: What went wrong between Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox 

Page 27: Blake Shelton is worried history will repeat itself now that he and girlfriend Gwen Stefani have splashed out $13 million for a mansion in L.A. which is their first home together but Blake thought things were going great with ex-wife Miranda Lambert until they really started pooling their money and putting down roots then they started to fall apart with arguments and bad feelings, just weeks after Ashley Benson and Cara Delevingne ended their two-year relationship Ashley was spotted locking lips with rapper G-Eazy but an insider claims it’s more of a rebound than a full-fledged romance, Ariel Winter and her boyfriend Luke Benward are talking marriage just six months into their romance

Page 28: Scott Disick and his girlfriend of two years Sofia Richie are taking some time apart and the official line is that Sofia’s giving him space to work on his personal issues but everyone knows they were hanging by a thread before his rehab stint, Ryan Reynolds has kicked up his workout regimen while at home in Bedford during the quarantine and it’s all about maintaining his physique and being able to fit into his tight Deadpool gear at a moment’s notice and she’s trying to get wife Blake Lively to join him in his three-times-a-day workouts but she’s become much more relaxed about staying in shape since becoming a mom, Love Bites -- Jaime King and husband Kyle Newman split, Rooney Mara and Joaquin Phoenix expecting, Jamie Otis and Doug Hehner welcomed a son 

Page 30: Cover Story -- Inside Cher’s Private World -- from ongoing health issues to her secret new romance sources tell all about Cher’s wild life 

Page 34: Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen’s unbreakable bond -- inside the Olsen twins special relationship and how Ashley is helping Mary-Kate move past her messy divorce 

Page 36: Matthew Perry on the mend -- after a rough few weeks Matthew has started to get his life back in order 

Page 38: Exes tackling quarantine together -- these former celeb couples have chosen to hunker down with each other. What could go wrong? -- Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson, Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber, Mario and Ramona Singer 

Page 39: Tyler Cameron and Hannah Brown, Jesse Metcalfe and Cara Santana, Getting Some Space -- these still-coupled duos have socially distanced from each other -- Julianne Hough and Brooks Laich, Johnny McDaid and Courteney Cox, Emma Heming and Bruce Willis 

Page 40: Interview -- Dua Lipa opens up about her new album and her life off stage 

Page 42: Summer Stunners -- swimsuit models spill fitness and diet secrets that will have you beach-ready in no time -- Nina Agdal, Irina Shayk 

Page 43: Emily Ratajkowski, Olivia Culpo 

Page 46: Style Week -- Gabrielle Union recently unveiled her Spring/Summer 2020 NY&Co collection with a sizzling campaign shot in Miami’s Little Haiti 

Page 48: Summersalt X Tanya Taylor swim collection, Katy Perry’s favorite headband 

Page 50: Warm-weather must haves -- Emily Ratajkowski 

Page 52: Beauty -- fast and east beauty boosters -- Kristen Bell, Ashley Graham 

Page 54: Entertainment 

Page 58: Buzz -- Sarah Jessica Parker commemorated her and Matthew Broderick’s 23rd wedding anniversary with an IG tribute 

Page 60: Hollywood Heat Meter -- Ellie Goulding occasionally fasts for 40 hours, Jonah Hill is the actor who swears the most in his films, Ryan Seacrest’s droopy eye and slurred speech during the American Idol finale was from exhaustion, Mindy Kaling will be cowriting the Legally Blonde 3 script, Brad Pitt recorded a surprise message for Missouri State University grads, Kanye West’s former bodyguard Steve Stanulis revealed his time working for the rapper 

Page 61: Sound Bites -- Chris Evans on why he caved and joined Instagram, Catherine Zeta-Jones on why her husband Michael Douglas doesn’t use TikTok, Ellie Kemper on shooting the Unbreakable Kimmie Schmidt special with Daniel Radcliffe, Ryan Reynolds on quarantining with his three daughters 

Page 62: Horoscope -- Gemini Heidi Klum 

Page 64: By the Numbers -- Denise Richards 

#tabloid #tabloid toc #grain of salt #cher #sonny bono #Kristin Cavallari #meghan markle #jennifer lopez #lena dunham #jack antonoff #ashton kutcher #dax shepard #Tom Hardy #charlotte riley #jon hamm #january jones #hannah brown #megan fox #brian austin green #gwen stefani #blake shelton #ashley benson #g-eazy #ariel winter #luke benward #scott disick #sofia richie #blake lively #ryan reynolds #mary-kate olsen

[hellzyeahthewebwieldingavenger]

Absolute Carnage: Scream #1 and Absolute Carnage: Seperation Anxiety #1 Thoughts

SPOILERS BELOW

I’m not going to do full breakdowns of these issues or any of the tie-ins to Absolute Carnage with the exception of ASM and the possible exceptions of Venom and anything Ben Reilly/Kaine might crop up in, depending upon what does down in those stories. 

These two minis were a big part of what got me hyped for Absolute Carnage. Is it because I love these characters?

LOL...no.

My investment in Scream ends with the nostalgia I have for the Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man theme park ride. 

Beyond that I’ve advocated that these characters be somehow mitigated as they were a huge part of watering down the symbiote brand in the 1990s. Sans Scream none of the characters stand out or have individual personalities or hooks, hence they are so often just lumped in together, this happening quite literally in the 1990s when all four of them merged into a single symbiote called Hybrid.

However, the sheer bravery and audacity of Marvel to decide that they were going to use these characters, give them their own mini-series and make them briefly relevant again in 2019  was so surprising to me I give them major kudos. Much as I give Absolute Carnage in general kudos for having the bravery to in this day and age make a mega crossover event out of a homage to one of the most notoriously bad Spider-Man stories ever, Maximum Carnage.

However to my surprise, the issues offered more than audacity.

They weren’t reinventing the wheel, nor were they particularly deep at all, but the remit for these series, and this event as awhole, seems to be to just have fun with the mess that is symbiote history and pay homage to it.

I mean if you want background reading for these series or Absolute Carnage as a whole it boils down to EVERY symbiote story ever. That’s how all encompassing it is!

The Scream issue started off with some decent dialogue incorporating her name and actually might’ve been reusing an abandoned idea from Spider-Man 3, by having the symbiote bonded to a skeleton (this was Eddie Brock’s fate in an older draft of Spider-Man 3 which made it’s way into the novelization). But more shockingly for me was the return of Patricia Robertson (no relation to Joe or Randy).

You might be scratching your head at the name I wouldn’t blame you. Patricia is a fairly deep cut  to symbiote lore.

See kids once upon a time the year was 2003. It was a time when Marvel were recovering from the 1990s and as far as the Spider-Man brand was concerned were trying to distance themselves from clones, Venom solo-books and having loads of symbiotes; but also trying to chase the newfound anime/manga crowd.

Enter often (and rightly) derided comic book writer Daniel Way. What did he do? Well he did a Venom ongoing  series about a clone of the Venom symbiote...drawn by someone trying to evoke manga by ripping off Humberto Ramos’ early 2000s  style...and failing at doing that...

Believe it or not this piece of crap ongoing series lasted 18 whole issues.

That series was also...sigh...the first American comic book series I ever collected.

...I know...

Prior to that I’d only read reprints, but when an comic book shop opened up near where I lived and I saw Venom had his own comic I began picking it up, it was the first ever comic on my first ever pull list.

I wouldn’t say I LIKED the series, but there is nostalgia there for me. The fact that Patricia is showing up again, that continuity from this forgotten and derided series is relevant again (complete with pretty accurate renditions of the clone venom symbiote) and that Pat is the new Scream blows my mind!

Separation Anxiety ont he flipside was perhaps a stronger story. There was little in the way of continuity beyond fitting in with what happened last time we saw these symbiotes (which was IIRC in Carnage vs. Deadpool) but what the issue has going for it is it’s played as a straight horror comic. Horror seems to be a very effective new angle to approach the symbiote from in the 2010s and this series leans in on that. 

The spelled out but nevertheless clever twist on these symbiotes is that it embraces the name of the comic (which is the same as their most famous 1990s outting) as the central premise of the series. The main characters are a family of four, the parents of whom are in the midst of an ugly separation. The main focus is on the eldest child who laments her parents separating and breaking up their family, only for the story to be a case of ‘be careful what you wish for’ as her family is gruesomely and violently forced back together when they (and her) bond to the Life Foundation symbiotes who are under the control of Knull/Carnage.

There is a brilliantly bonkers scene where the family sits down for a stereotypical family dinner scene that’s given a dark humour twist.

The artwork is also very impressive with extremely creative layouts and panelling to convey the story. I’d post pages from it but I’d just be posting the whole comic.

If you vaguely have a fondness for symbiotes and monster/horror comics I’d highly recommend both titles actually.

#Spider-Man #Absolute Carnage #Carnage #carnage symbiote #venom #venom symbiote #she venom #patricia Robertson #Daniel Way #Life Foundation #Scream #symbiotes

[eddycurrents]

For the week of 15 May 2019

Quick Bits:

Age of X-Man: Next Gen #4 hurtles towards the end as Glob, Armor, and Rockslide attempt to track down Anole before he does something stupid. Everything’s really starting to fall together in these minis as the lie of the world starts to unravel. It’s also interesting how Ed Brisson portrays the cultists fighting back against the “no love” edict as just as deluded and indoctrinated by X-Man’s change of reality.

| Published by Marvel

Aquaman #48 begins Arthur’s quest to recover his past in the first part of “Mother Shark”, with one hell of a twist for an ending cliffhanger. The high level of the quality of art on this series continues as Viktor Bogdanovic and his Greg Capullo-inspired style (with Jonathan Glapion and Daniel Henriques providing additional inks) join Kelly Sue DeConnick, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles.

| Published by DC Comics

Batman #71 is part two of “The Fall and the Fallen” from Tom King, Mikel Janín, Jorge Fornés, Jordie Bellaire, and Clayton Cowles. With the heavy reliance on dream sequences and simulations lately, it certainly makes me wonder who’s gaslighting who, whether anything in the story is real or if King is just playing us. Great art, though.

| Published by DC Comics

Bloodborne #12 concludes “A Song of Crows” from Aleš Kot, Piotr Kowalski, Brad Simpson, and Aditya Bidikar. This arc has been even more surreal than the first, embracing that odd mix of depression and existentialism that seems to permeate the franchise. This is going to take a few more readings to really sink in.

| Published by Titan

Calamity Kate #3 gives us a look into the disastrous relationship between Kate and Sandra. Though the accuracy of events might be a bit nebulous, given some missing time and an appearance that not everything is happening as we see it, this paints Sandra as a particularly resentful, hateful person. Also, another clue in Kate’s rival. Great action art from Corin Howell and Valentina Pinto, with an interestingly designed tentacle monster.

| Published by Dark Horse

Daredevil #5 is the gut punch. As great as everything that Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Sunny Gho, and Clayton Cowles have delivered in the first four issues (and seriously it’s some of the best Daredevil since Miller and Mazzucchelli), this one tops it. A reckless, dangerous Daredevil, a hazard to himself and everyone around him, having it dawn on him what he’s been doing. And all of the Catholic guilt, shame, and judgement, not just on himself, but on the revelation that he’s seemingly oblivious that all of his friends have also been in his situation.

| Published by Marvel

Fairlady #2 is another great issue from Brian Schirmer, Claudia Balboni, Marissa Louise, and David Bowman. The blend of fantasy and police procedural is seamless, presenting a completely believable world, building up bits of supporting characters and elaborating on the setting as the story unfolds. Also a great shift into a kind of storybook art style from Balboni and Louise during one of the flashback sequences.

| Published by Image

Guardians of the Galaxy #5 sees the other shoe drop. Donny Cates, Geoff Shaw, David Curiel, and Cory Petit deliver an excellent set-up for the finale of the “Final Gauntlet” here as Hela makes her move and we find out what the game actually was. Also, more hints about Rocket that don’t seem pleasant.

| Published by Marvel

Immortal Hulk #17 goes hard for thriller first before leaning back into horror as Bushwacker stalks Banner through the “abandoned” lab. Very interesting new “rules” that Al Ewing is laying out as what makes up a Hulk keeps consistently changing.

| Published by Marvel

Joe Golem: Occult Detective - The Conjurors #1 picks up with our dead hero being nibbled by fish, and it’s just downhill from there for Molly, Simon Church, and all of existence due to Dr. Cocteau’s meddling. Great art from Peter Bergting and Michelle Madsen.

| Published by Dark Horse

Justice League #24 is the penultimate chapter of “The Sixth Dimension” and amidst the dire situations, heroic sacrifices, and stunning betrayals, there’s a great opening sequence about the little disappointments that Superman feels when he lets someone down. It’s like Catholic guilt amplified immensely, but it raises some interesting questions about how superheroes deal with depression. Or not deal with it, as it were. Great work from Scott Snyder, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sánchez, and Tom Napolitano.

| Published by DC Comics

Little Bird #3 is another incredible instalment in this story, with some interesting revelations about Little Bird and Gabriel, from Darcy Van Poelgeest, Ian Bertram, Matt Hollingsworth, and Aditya Bidikar. The artwork from Bertram and Hollingsworth is mind-bendingly awesome.

| Published by Image

Livewire #6 continues the PSEP arc from Vita Ayala, Kano, and Saida Temofonte as Amanda discovers more about the organization and gets introduced firsthand to the academy bully enforcer. The art from Kano, from the characters through the layouts, is next level.

| Published by Valiant

Naomi #5 explains everything. Mostly. Sure, there are still questions, and there’s likely a huge battle coming for the final issue, but we get a full-fledged explanation as Naomi tells her newly-learned origin story to Annabelle. And it’s brilliant. Wonderful parallels to other tales and a hint at implications for the DC Universe as a whole. Also, drop dead gorgeous artwork. Seriously some of the best ever to grace the comics page. Brian Michael Bendis, David F. Walker, Jamal Campbell, and Wes Abbott provide another excellent issue here. Highly, highly recommended.

| Published by DC Comics / Wonder Comics

Oblivion Song #15 is one hell of a page turner. Robert Kirkman, Lorenzo De Felici, Annalisa Leoni, and Rus Wooton barely give us a chance to breathe in this one as the Faceless Men attack, both those who’ve chosen to stay in Oblivion and the exploration teams jaunting back and forth from Earth. Great tension.

| Published by Image / Skybound

Pearl #9 is another visually stunning issue from Michael Gaydos. Seriously just look at this beauty.

| Published by DC Comics / Jinxworld

Sabrina the Teenage Witch #2 throws even more chaos Sabrina’s way as it seems like everything in Greendale is something supernatural or paranormal or straight out of weird science. Kelly Thompson is delivering some great humour, while the art from Veronica and Andy Fish remains perfect for anything and everything in Archie’s world.

| Published by Archie

Superman #11 swings back around to Zod after Superman unceremoniously left him being beaten by Rogol Zaar as this arm of “The Unity Saga” continues, delving further into the battle consuming Jor-El at the moment, but not really explaining anything. This is chaos, but it looks pretty.

| Published by DC Comics

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder in Hell #3 is worth it just for the glorious artwork from Mateus Santolouco and Marcelo Costa. The monster designs are incredible and the red, surreal glow of the colours just give life to the strange and deadly nature of this hellscape. 

| Published by IDW

Transformers #5 suggests that there’s a whole lot more going on under the surface of Cybertron and the mystery of the death of Brainstorm that we thought. More interesting things going on with Rubble too, as he gets kind of lost while Bumblebee’s off doing other stuff.

| Published by IDW

Uncanny X-Men #18 adds again to the body count as things continue to fall apart. The nihilism, darkness, and depression in this series has really been getting to me these past few issues. With announcements for House of X and Powers of X, this is starting to feel like a “throw the X-Men down a hole before rebooting” type of story. I’m still not sure if I like it, since it’s putting me in a sour mood.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms #4 drills down on Freyja’s defence of the Black Bifrost, intent on taking away its use from Malekith. All of the art on this series has been phenomenal, but Russell Dauterman and Matthew Wilson somehow take it up another notch. This is epic.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms: Giant-Man #1 kicks off another front in the War as Freyja tasks Ant-Man, Giant-Man, Goliath, and Atlas to infiltrate the Frost Giants’ bastion on Earth and get revenge, from Leah Williams, Marco Castiello, Rachelle Rosenberg, and Joe Sabino. Very nice bits of humour and wonderful artwork.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms: Spider-Man & The League of Realms #1 opens up another front as Spider-Man leads the members of the League of Realms into New Heven territory, from Sean Ryan, Nico Leon, Carlos Lopez, and Joe Caramagna. It’s great to see more Ryan-penned Spider-Man, even if he only ever seems to get to write the event tie-ins. He’s got a great handle on Spidey, effortlessly displaying that humour and humanity of the character every time.

| Published by Marvel

War of the Realms: Strikeforce - The War Avengers #1 is the second Strikeforce one-shot elaborating on encounters spinning out of War of the Realms #3. This one focuses on Captain Marvel’s motley crew of Avengers as they try to strike at the heart of Malekith in Britain from Dennis Hallum, Kim Jacinto, Ario Anindito, Java Tartaglia, Felipe Sobreiro, and Joe Sabino. Some nice Deadpool humour and art in what is one of the more bonkers tie-ins.

| Published by Marvel

Other Highlights: Age of X-Man: Marvelous X-Men #4, Amazing Spider-Man #21, American Carnage #7, Battlestar Galactica Classic #4, Bettie Page #5, Black Badge #10, Black Widow #5, Cinema Purgatorio #18, Farmhand #8, Firefly #6, Gideon Falls #13, Go Go Power Rangers #20, High Level #4, Infinity 8 #12, Ironheart #6, James Bond 007 #7, Kaijumax - Season 4 #6, Kick-Ass #14, KISS: The End #2, Last Stop on the Red Line #1, Life & Death of Toyo Harada #3, Low #22, Lucifer #8, Lumberjanes #62, Marvel Action: Spider-Man #4, Morning in America #3, Old Man Quill #5, Orphan Age #2, Planet of the Nerds #2, Port of Earth #10, Princeless - Book 8: Princesses #2, Spider-Man: Life Story #3, Star Wars #66, Star Wars: Age of Rebellion - Lando Calrissian #1, Star Wars: Tie Fighter #2, Teen Titans #30, Xena: Warrior Princess #2

Recommended Collections: Batgirl - Volume 5: Art of the Crime, Bitter Root - Volume 1: Family Business, GI Joe: A Real American Hero - Volume 22, The Horror of Collier County, Immortal Hulk - Volume 3: Hulk in Hell, Jeepers Creepers - Volume 1: Trail of the Beast, Justice League Odyssey - Volume 1: The Ghost Sector, MCMLXXV, Mister Miracle, Outer Darkness - Volume 1, Outpost Zero - Volume 2, RuinWorld: Eye for an Eye, Star Wars: Age of Republic - Heroes, Star Wars: Han Solo - Imperial Cadet, The Whispering Dark

d. emerson eddy wishes there were more hours in the day in order to write about everything.

#This Week in Comics

[tracies-tales]

oh my gosh, if no one has requested it already, can you do #60 "sing to me" with egobang?? I love your writing so much and holy FUCK if that isn't the perfect prompt for them I don't know what is,,, and I know you'll make it even more perfect ❤

well dang i’ll certainly try to!! no one has requested it unless the tumblr staff are eating my asks, so thank you for the prompt!! buckle up kids:

Dan whistled to himself as he approached the door of the Grump House; he’d been overwhelmed with the positive response to his newest drop, “Danny Don’t You Know,” and it had left him in a giddy mood since watching the number of hits climb so quickly throughout the course of only the first day. 

He was smiling broadly as he entered the house, as always bringing a ray of sunshine into the building with him wherever he went. He’d already seen Arin’s car in the drive, so he knew Arin himself was present somewhere within. “Aaarin?” he called. There was no immediate response, so Dan tried again, “Awin, come on out you siwwy goose! We can’t do a show if you’ve been kidnapped for ransom.”

Dan quieted down to listen, still not hearing a reply. His face scrunched up in curiosity, knitting his brows together as he wondered if Arin had headphones on or maybe had a late night and was napping at nine in the morning. He shrugged it off and assumed Arin was too wrapped up in something or another. 

The whistling started up again as Dan twirled his car keys on his finger, hanging them on a hook and skipping into the kitchen. He grabbed a bag of Skittles from the top shelf, which only he and Arin could easily reach, before he glided down the hall to descend into the basement.

As Dan munched on the Skittles with gleeful abandon, he came to a halt at the bottom of the stairwell when he thought he heard the groan of an office chair. “Arin?” Dan said, mouth still full of candy. 

Dan frowned as he heard a distinct sniffle, followed by Arin saying, “Oh, hey Danny,” with a hoarse voice.

The response had come from the editing room, and if Dan wasn’t mistaken, Arin had been crying or was currently extremely ill. Either way, Dan jogged down the hall to the proper door and slowly pushed it open, noting the lights were all off save for the glow of the computer screen. He didn’t miss the fact that Arin had just closed a window so that Dan couldn’t see whatever it had been. Now that they were in the same room, it was painfully clear which of Dan’s two guesses had been right.

Tissues littered the desk and surrounded the trash can from failed attempts at tossing them out. Arin’s eyes were rimmed with redness, and he hastily tried to wipe a tear off his cheek. 

“Jesus, man,” Dan’s own mood plummeted at seeing Arin so distraught, “what happened?”

“It’s stupid, dude, don’t worry about it,” Arin rubbed at his eye.

“Oh fuck no, I will worry about it,” Dan retorted, moving to rub Arin’s back soothingly. 

“It’s dumb,” Arin repeated, avoiding eye contact. “I’ll get over it in like…thirty minutes,” he tried to force a chuckle, which turned into a gross, gooey cough.

Dan made a disgusted face at the sound but said, “Well I can get you over it in like…twenty nine, if you let me.”

Arin managed a real chuckle at that, “As always, you are infinitely helpful, Daniel.”

“I know I am,” Dan chirped, straightening and practically glowing with pride. “Now come on, let’s move to the couch and you can let me in on your secrets,” he bopped Arin’s nose with a finger.

Arin snorted just before his expression fell again. He stood and picked up a new tissue to blow his nose in, grunting a, “Blegh,” at his own mucus before they moved to their recording studio. When they’d both plopped onto the couch, Arin said, “So, like…it isn’t even about me, first of all.”

Dan raised a brow, “What, did you watch a video of a kitten making those mewing sounds while eating? I told you that’s dangerous shit, Arin,” he gently scolded with his mother-like impression.

“That was yesterday!” Arin snapped with a grin, making Dan glad to see he was at least responding well to humor.

“Well we can sit here with our thumbs up each others’ asses, or you can tell me what’s up straight.”

“Not us,” Arin made finger guns at him.

“I know that,” Dan drawled dramatically, unable to suppress a giggle. “But what’s wrong?” he asked, setting a hand on Arin’s knee to rub his leg.

Arin took a deep breath and said, “I was kind of reading the comments on your new video.”

“Oh fuck, don’t tell me. Some fucker decided to give his two cents about how I’m wasting my talent as a singer?”

“More or less,” Arin mumbled. “There were so many positive and supportive people, so I was already emotionally compromised, but then there was just…one major asshole. Told you it was dumb.”

Dan shook his head, “It isn’t that dumb. People can be hurtful. I’m just wondering why it impacted you so bad. I mean, you know not everyone can like my band.”

“Well yeah, but why can people not just leave their goddamn negativity to themselves? Just because they don’t like your style doesn’t mean they have to come at you like that.”

“Arin, you’re the only one that comes at me,” Dan smirked and wiggled a brow. Arin rolled his eyes and shoved Dan’s shoulder. Dan made a musical chuckle, then sighed, “I appreciate you looking out for me, man. Just don’t let those idiots get to you. Let them waste their time.” Dan slung an arm around Arin’s shoulders and drew him in for a hug, rocking them back and forth slowly.

After a moment of silence, Arin sheepishly said, “Hey, Dan?”

“Yeah, Big Cat?” Dan raised a brow at him.

“…Sing for me?”

Dan smiled, taking a moment to settle on a song and going with the mellow version of “Take on Me” from the Deadpool 2 soundtrack. Dan rubbed his hand along Arin’s arm, letting Arin tuck his head up under his chin. He shut his eyes as he lost himself in the song, noting that Arin’s breathing had evened out slowly but surely. 

When he trailed off the final lyrics, Dan kissed Arin’s head and said, “Your support for my career means more than anything in the world. It totally overrides asshole spew.”

Arin snorted and began to laugh, choking out, “Asshole spew,” into Dan’s shirt.

Dan burst out laughing as well, as that hadn’t come out as intended but now they were here. “Your support is the Clorox Wipes to their asshole spew,” Dan managed to say through the laughter.

Arin was crying anew again, but this time it was tears of mirth still due to the new phrase. Dan wrapped his arms around Arin and pulled him down to laugh in a tangled pile on the couch; he was just glad he’d managed to make Arin smile again. It was all he ever needed.

#egobang #prompt #fic #fluff #comfort #crying #singing #i made up the asshole #i haven't looked at the comments #don't go lookin' for a comment that ain't there #polygrumps

[gothify1]

Below-freezing temperatures and bulky outerwear can make winter a challenging time, sartorially speaking, but come January, the gloves are off—both literally and figuratively—when Hollywood’s jet-set touches down in sunny Los Angeles for award season. Thanks to a blockbuster year in film, music, and television, the 2019 red carpets are an opportunity to make a major statement. Here, we’ve shown an early spotlight on 23 actors and musicians guaranteed to land spots on the 2019 awards season’s best-dressed lists. Let’s start with a red carpet renaissance woman: Lady Gaga is going to have an epic award season. We can’t wait to see what she wears to the Golden Globes, the Oscars, and the Grammys when she wins big for basically everything A Star Is Born is nominated for; her style evolution has been a true Hollywood glow-up! A close second and perennial team Who What Wear fave, Emma Stone is bound to inspire your next black-tie event look when she hits the red carpets in 2019. Think she’ll take any notes from her character, Abigail Masham, in The Favorite and go full baroque, or keep it completely contemporary with the latest from Louis Vuitton? Speaking of The Favourite ,  Joe Alwyn , aka Baron Masham, aka the first earl of Leicester in Mary Queen of Scots , is guaranteed to have a memorable awards season (especially if Taylor Swift is on his arm). The 27-year-old British actor had a banner year with four movies premiering in 2018, and undoubtedly cribbed a few style notes from several of Hollywood’s leading ladies—we have a feeling his star status is about to skyrocket. Of course, award season wouldn’t be a must-watch moment if not for a little healthy competition. Saoirse Ronan and Margot Robbie , two of 2018’s best dressed and co-stars/rivals in Mary Queen of Scots , are absolutely going to slay—sartorially speaking. Spoiler alert: There’s a clear winner in the film (and, um, history), but we’d be absolutely thrilled if the top red carpet ranking featured a tie between these two sensational style stars. While we’re revisiting history, let us remember the ground-breaking, earth-shaking, and red carpet–rousing movie of the year, Black Panther . Boasting an all-star lineup and memorable world premiere in which the cast paid homage to African royalty, we hope this stylish crew—especially Chadwick Boseman, Lupita Nyong’o, Michael B. Jordan, Leticia Wright, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, and Angela Bassett —continues its winning streak throughout award season. Wakanda forever! Crazy Rich Asians , one of the most over-the-top and enjoyable fashion films of the year, was a feast for the eyes both on screen and at the red carpet premiere. Constance Wu , the movie’s leading lady, worked with celeb stylist and Who What Wear contributor  Micaela Erlanger  for the press tour last summer, creating gorgeous looks for a range of appearances. We love how they play with fashion together and can’t wait to see which designer is selected for the Globes in January. Fashion’s latest It boy, Timothée Chalamet , had an incredible 2017 with Oscar-nominated films Lady Bird and Call Me by Your Name , and this year, he added Golden Globe nominee to his list of accolades. Not only does the Beautiful Boy star embrace bold colors and prints, but he’s also reportedly self-styled. We’re impressed! If you haven’t already heard of Kiki Layne , don’t worry—you will soon. Her breakout film, If Beale Street Could Talk , an adaptation of James Baldwin’s 1974 novel by Oscar-winning director Barry Jenkins, has already been nominated for several Golden Globes ahead of its premiere. Kiki has a major year ahead of her with at least two other projects in the can, and we’re excited for her red carpet debut with Regina King, her fellow Beale Street star and Golden Globe nominee. Rounding out our list of film favorites is a newcomer, Elsie Fisher . At just 15, she has captured hearts as the cringe-worthy (in the best way!) ingenue of Bo Burnham’s directorial debut, Eighth Grade , which premiered over the summer. Elsie has already made an impression at smaller red carpet events, and she recently spoke to Vanity Fair about her affinity for suits, remarking, “I feel like suits are very me… I look poppin’ in ’em!” We couldn’t agree more. As far as red carpet style goes, we find musicians tend to be a bit more daring than actors, which is why we’re especially excited for the 2019 Grammys. One woman who never ceases to surprise us with her style chops is Cardi B, who is up for album of the year for Invasion of Privacy . Whether Cardi goes full-on glam, breaks a piece out of Versace’s archives, or debuts her upcoming collab with Fashion Nova, we know she’ll dress to impress—red bottoms, guaranteed. It’s no surprise that with the rise of the rosé wave in pop music came the return of cowboy boots . At the center of this ethereal yet empowering moment is singer Kacey Musgraves . The “Velvet Elvis” singer has already racked up several Country Music Awards but was recently nominated for album of the year for Golden Hour , transcending the confines of her genre, and presenting an opportunity to show off her unique mix of vintage-meets–high-fashion style at next year’s Grammys. We’ve had our eyes on Dua Lipa ever since she explained “New Rules” to us in 2017, and we were thrilled by her two Grammy nominations this year. Up for best new artist and best dance recording, this edgy British singer and street style star will undoubtedly make a major red carpet splash throughout 2019. Is there anything Tessa Thompson can’t do? In addition to her appearance in Janelle Monae’s much-buzzed-about “Pynk” music video, the Creed and Westworld star is a style chameleon who’s bound to thrive during award season—even if she’s just there to support her friends and castmates, the similarly suave Michael B. Jordan and Thandie Newton. Let’s talk about Lili Reinhart for a minute: Not only has she captured hearts as Betty (and Dark Betty!) on Riverdale for the past three seasons, but she’s also become a media darling, sharing insights into acting , acne , and of course, all things Archie. Notably, we love her brand-new campaign photos for the Mighty Company x Ilaria Urbanati celestial-inspired charity collection—hey, if anyone can pull of stars and stripes on a red carpet, it’s Lili. See you at the Emmys? If you haven’t already caught up on Atlanta , consider this an official mandate. You’ll probably recognize Zazie Beetz as Vanessa Keefer, Donald Glover’s character’s ex-girlfriend. Or maybe you remember her from Deadpool 2 as Domino, a mutant whose superpower is luck. Either way, Zazzie is definitely one to watch this red carpet season, especially since she’s being styled by Jason Bolden, whose other clients include Yara Shahidi and Sasha Lane. Be sure to look for her at this year’s Golden Globes supporting Donald, and hopefully again on the Emmys red carpet next fall. Finally, we’ve got the one and only  Busy Philipps. Unless you’ve completely opted out of pop culture and social media this year, Philipps has been on your mind—or more accurately, on your phone! A forever fave from early aughts teen dramas Dawson’s Creek and Freaks and Geeks , Philipps has BLOWN UP in 2018 thanks to her hilarious commentary, candor, and colorful style which is broadcast via her Instagram, recently released memoir, This Will Only Hurt a Little , and new E! show, Busy Tonight . Working with stylist Karla Welch (who also counts Tracee Ellis Ross and Sarah Paulson as clients), you know Busy’s bound to bust a move, whether on the red carpet, in her nightgown, or at a tiny trampoline class. Think I missed any potential red carpet style stars of 2019? Hit me up on Twitter or Instagram at @Drewblahblah and we’ll put them on Who What Wear’s radar before the New Year. Up Next:  From the Oscars to the Golden Globes, Cannes to the British Fashion Awards here’s where you’ll find the most glorious red carpet looks .

[ljones41]

“X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” (2009) Review

“X-MEN: WOLVERINE” (2009) Review

I must admit that when I had first learned of Marvel’s plans to release a fourth movie in the ”X-MEN” franchise nearly six years ago, I did not warm to the idea. And when I learned that this fourth movie would focus upon the origins of James Howlett aka Logan aka Wolverine, my wariness deepened.

Fortunately, ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” eased most of my doubts. It turned out to be a surprisingly entertaining movie. Directed by Gavin Hood, it told the story of how a Canadian mutant named James Howlett (or Logan) became the amnesiac Wolverine first introduced in the 2000 film, ”X-MEN”. The movie not only provided a brief glimpse of his tragic childhood in mid-19th century Canada, which included the deaths of his stepfather; and real father and his relationship with his half-brother, Victor Creed aka Sabertooth, along with an extraordinary title sequence that highlighted the two brothers’ experiences as Canadian mercenaries for the U.S. Army during the Civil War, World War I, World War II and the Vietnam War. But the gist of the film centered around their work as mercenaries for the U.S. Army’s “Team X”, led by military scientist Major William Stryker; and James’ (Logan’s) later conflicts with Victor and Stryker after he left the team.

”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” had received some bad word of mouth before its release at the beginning of May. A rumor circulated that either Marvel or 20th Century-Fox had meddled with director Hood’s finished work. Since I do not know whether this is true or not, all I can do is comment upon what I had seen on the movie screen. And to be honest, I am not a big fan of the Wolverine character . . . despite Hugh Jackman’s portrayal. Yes, he can be very entertaining. But uber-macho types like Logan have never been my forte. But I went ahead saw the movie, anyway.

First, I have to say that ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” was not perfect. One, I never understood why James and Victor had served as mercenaries for the U.S. Army during both World War I and II, since Canada had participated in both wars and at least seven decades had passed between the deaths of John Howlett and Thomas Logan (James’ step-father and father) in 1845 and their participation in World War I in 1917-1918. And two, how did Stryker know that Victor had less chance of surviving the adamantium process than James? Was it ever explained in the movie? I also had problems with two of the characters in the movie, along with Nicholas De Toth and Megan Gill’s editing. But I will discuss those later.

Despite some of the flaws mentioned in the previous paragraph, ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” turned out to be better than I had expected. The movie took viewers on James Howlett’s emotional journey that started with him as a young boy in 1845 Canadian Northwest Territories, who stumbled upon an unpleasant truth about his parentage in the worst possible way. By the time the movie ended, James (or Logan) had fought in several wars, participated in Team X’s black operations, estranged himself from Victor, fallen in love, experienced loss, acquired his adamantium claws and lost his memories. Several fans had complained that Logan’s character did not seem like the complex loner from ”X-MEN” throughout most of the movie. Instead, he seemed more like the slightly benign team player that had emerged at the end of ”X-MEN 3: THE LAST STAND”. I must admit that these fans have a point. Only . . . I am not complaining. This only tells me that screenwriters David Benioff and Skip Woods had properly done their jobs. If Logan’s character had remained the cynical loner throughout the entire film, I would have been disappointed. One key to good writing is character development. In all of the previous three ”X-MEN”, Logan’s character had developed slowly from the loner to the team player shown at the end of ”THE LAST STAND”. But ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE”is only one movie. And in that single film, the screenwriters, along with Hood and actor Hugh Jackman had to show the audience how James Howlett became that amnesiac loner. The last thing I wanted to see was a one-dimensional portrayal of his character. And I am thankful that I have no reason to complain about Logan’s character arc.

Not only was I impressed by Logan’s character development (which was the gist of the story), I was also impressed by how Hood, Benioff, Woods and Jackman handled Logan’s relationships with Victor and Stryker. I enjoyed how the screenwriters created the con job that both Stryker and Victor had committed against Logan. They had manipulated Logan into volunteering for the adamantium process, so that he could seek revenge against Victor for his girlfriend’s death. What Logan did not know was that he had been nothing more than an experiment – a test run – to see if the process would work for Stryker’s new weapon – a mutant called Weapon XI or Deadpool that had been injected with the abilities of other mutants, including Logan’s healing factor. I feel that Benioff and Woods’ creation of the con job was an imaginative twist to the story . . . and very essential to Logan’s character development.

Speaking of Logan, I must say that Hugh Jackman did an excellent job of conveying Logan’s emotional journey in the film. Thanks to his first-class performance, he took Logan from the loyal, yet wary half-brother of the increasingly violent Victor Creed to the amnesiac mutant who ended up rejecting Remy LaBeau’s help amidst the ashes of Three Mile Island. Mind you, Jackman’s portrayal of Logan has always been first-rate. But since this movie featured a more in-depth look into the character’s development, I feel that it may have featured Jackman’s best performance as aggressive and self-regenerative mutant.

Liev Schreiber seemed equally impressive in his portrayal of Logan’s half-brother, Victor Creed aka Sabertooth. Like Logan, Victor possessed a regenerative healing factor, an aggressive nature and superhuman senses. But Schreiber’s Victor seemed not to have embarked on an emotional journey. Instead, his character seemed to be in some kind of quandary. Not only did Schreiber portray Victor as a more aggressive and violent man than Logan, but he did so with a touch of style that seemed to be lacking in Tyler Mane’s portrayal in the 2000 movie. Schreiber also did a magnificent job in revealing Victor’s conflicted feelings toward the character’s younger half-brother. He loves James, yet at the same time, harbors several resentments toward the younger man – including one toward Logan’s abandonment of Team X and him.

Normally I would pity the actor forced to fill Brian Cox’s shoes in the role of U.S. Army scientist William Stryker. The Scottish actor had given a superb performance in ”X-MEN 2: X-MEN UNITED”. Fortunately, Marvel hired Danny Huston for the role. Not only did he successfully fill Cox’s shoes in my opinion, he managed to put his own stamp on the role. Like Cox, Huston did a great portrayal of Stryker as the soft-spoken, yet ruthless and manipulative military scientist who would do anything to achieve his goals regarding the existence of mutants. But whereas the older Stryker simply wanted to destroy mutants, Huston’s Stryker seemed to desire control over them . . . for his own personal experiments. And Huston . . . was superb.

I felt more than satisfied with most of the movie’s supporting cast. Ryan Reynolds was memorable in his brief role of a wisecracking mercenary with lethal swordsmanship named Wade Wilson. He was both hilarious and chilling as the mutant who eventually became Stryker’s premiere experiment – Weapon XI aka Deadpool. Taylor Kitsch made a charming, yet intense Remy LaBeau, the New Orleans hustler and mutant who had escaped from Stryker’s laboratory on Three Mile Island. Rapper will.i.am made a solid screen debut as the soft spoken teleporter, John Wraith. Dominic Monaghan gave a quiet and poignant performance as Bradley, another member of Stryker’s Team X that happened to be a technopath. Kevin Durand as funny as the super strong Fred Dukes aka Blob, who developed an eating disorder after leaving Team X. Daniel Henney was intense and unforgettable as Team X’s ruthless tracker and marksman, Agent Zero. I enjoyed Tahyna Tozzi’s portrayal of the strong-willed Emma “Frost” so much that I found myself wishing she had been the movie’s leading lady.

Which brings me to Lynn Collins as Kayla Silverfox. I am sure that Ms. Collins is a competent actress. But her performance as Kayla, Logan’s telepathic girlfriend struck me as a bit uninspiring. Oddly enough, she physically reminded me of Evangeline Lilly of ”LOST”. In fact, her portrayal of Kayla damn near came off as flat so much that her acting skills almost seemed as mediocre as Ms. Lilly’s. Considering Ms. Collins’ reputation as an actress, I suspect that screenwriters Benioff and Woods are to blame for the flat portrayal of Kayla, instead of Ms. Collins’ acting skills. Tim Peacock gave a competent, yet unmemorable performance as the younger Scott Summers aka Cyclops – another mutant who became one of Stryker’s prisoners on Three Mile Island and a part of the Weapon XI experiment. If this Cyclops is supposed to be twenty years younger than the one featured in the first three ”X-MEN” films, then I believe that a younger actor should have been cast in this film. Why? I never got the impression that James Marsden’s Cyclops had been somewhere between 34 and 38 in the three previous films.

As I had stated earlier, I was not impressed by Nicholas De Toth and Megan Gill’s editing of the film. At times, it struck me as slightly choppy and amateurish. Only the editing featured in the opening title sequence struck me as impressive. And imaginative. However, Donald McAlpine’s photography and the visual effects supervised by Dean Franklin, Craig Veytia and Mike Rotella struck me as very impressive – especially in the title sequence and the scene featuring Logan and Victor’s fight against Deadpool on Three Mile Island.

In conclusion, I found ”X-MEN ORIGINS: WOLVERINE” to be surprisingly enjoyable. It turned out better than I had expected, despite some flaws. It would probably rank third for me in the ”X-MEN” franchise – somewhere between ”X-MEN 3” and ”X-MEN: FIRST CLASS”. I find this astonishing, considering I did not have any real hopes for this film when it first hit the theaters nearly nine years ago. I realize that many fans of the franchise have low opinions of the film. But you know what? I guess I really do not care.

#X-men #X-men Origins: Wolverine #gavin hood #logan #wolverine #sabertooth #william stryker #hugh jackman #liev schreiber #danny huston #lynn collins #tim peacock #cyclops #scott summers #Dominic Monaghan #will.i.am #kevin durand #taylor kitsch #gambit #tahyna tozzi #patrick stewart #professor x #daniel henney #agent zero

[arkhangelske]

Favorite & Least Favorite Venom Story Arcs

So I’ve finished reading all the main (Earth-616) Venom&co. story arcs! Man, that was a lot. Took a few months. But totally worth it. I’m still digging up some of the alternate timeline things (read Deadpool: Back In Black last night, also finished up some Spider-Girl story arcs I read back in the day and never finished). I have to say, I don’t really understand why people think it’s ‘backwards’ for the symbiote to go back to Brock in the current story arc. Don’t get me wrong, I loved the Flash stories (and was very surprised by how good Space Knight was!) but... the symbiote loves/has loved two people: Eddie Brock and Peter Parker. The whole marriage association with the symbiote literally goes back to the 80s stories (the title where it tries to re-bond with Peter is titled “Til Death Do Us Part”) and the subject has been brought up off and on by Brock over the years. I’m really enjoying the current storyline, and sometimes while reading the especially awful arcs I just had to remind myself that it turns out ok.  

BEST

80s/90s I’ve always been a much bigger fan of Venom as an anti-hero/lethal protector, but I also like him when he’s being scary as hell. The 80s and 90s were good for that.

ASM 332: Sunday in the Park with Venom ASM 346-347: Elliptical Pursuit & The Boneyard Hop Both of these classic “Venom vs. Spider-Man” stories have always been my favorites with Venom as a villain. I must have read these a million times when I was a kid.

ASM 361-363: Carnage I still really like the debut story arc of Carnage. Bagley’s original Carnage design remains my favorite, even if it’s not the most realistic.

Venom: The Hunger - I already knew this was my favorite of the stand-alone series’ from when I was a kid, probably because it’s the first time the symbiote was really explored on its own as a character. I actually kind of hate the art style in this (some people love it), because I feel like it’s too xenomorphic. But the story carries it. Also, I fucking love the chocolate thing.

Venom: Sinner Takes All - Another old favorite that still holds up. I like how it built more on Brock’s past, so it wasn’t just about him having big beat’em’ups with other Marvel heroes/villains. 00s I REALLY hated the 00s. This is when I originally quit reading any SM/Venom comics because I was so pissed off with the direction they took Venom. However, I must say that I liked a couple moments: Toxin 1-6 - I was so delighted by this storyline, especially since it came out of the shoddy “Venom vs. Carnage” story arc. I wish the Toxin symbiote would have stayed with Mulligan and they had explored this character more, instead of just dumping the symbiote randomly onto other people.

Spider-Man: Dark Reign - As much as I was not into the Mac Gargan era of Venom, this limited series was HILARIOUS and probably one of my favorite story arcs overall, to be honest. In general I enjoyed all the Dark Reign tie-ins, so much that I mostly read the entire arc through all the different books it crossed through.

10s/present

Venom: Space Knight - This series was amazing! I was so shocked, because when I saw the covers I remember thinking that it looked like it would be dumb. But it’s probably one of my overall favorite Venom storylines at this point. Kind of like Star Wars.... with Venom!

Agent Venom: Circle of Four - Honestly I didn’t care for the ending of this arc, but I did really like the beginning. I’m pretty sure this was the only time I gave a shit about Jack O’Lantern as a villain, and it was done really well. The writers did a spectacular job on working Flash into the role of Venom, so I actually didn’t not enjoy any of his story arcs. Carnage (Vol 2) - I was genuinely surprised to enjoy this, especially the cover art. Since I’m not a huge fan of crazy villains-only stuff, I didn’t expect to like this as much as I did.

Deadpool vs. Carnage -  Deadpool generally makes everything better, or at least more tolerable than without Deadpool. And I feel like this is an ideal matchup.

WORST

80s/90s

The Madness - God this one was awful. There wasn’t a whole lot that made sense, it was just a really bad setup to get Venom to fight Juggernaut. Venom: Tooth and Claw - another half-baked storyline to get Venom to fight Wolverine... just... a really terrible story. ( in general a lot of the mini-series’ from the 90s are just kind of ehhh, with a little bit here and there to keep the interest)

00s

Every story arc with Brock-Venom was pretty awful in the 00s. I was lukewarm with Anti-Venom as I didn’t completely hate it, but the weird turn of character in Brock was annoying. Given his more-or-less delusional personality I could ... accept it. These storylines were my least favorites:

SSM (Vol 2) “The Hunger” - funny how one of my favorites has the same title as the storyline that made me quit reading. Even now I wanted to stop reading for fear of how crazy out-of-character Brock and the symbiote were being written. Not to mention all the random new character traits and abilities the symbiote spontaneously manifested. It was just horrible.

Venom (vol 1) - Daniel Way’s weird ripoff off The Thing combined with a bunch of really far-fetched storytelling... which Venom wasn’t even in properly until halfway through... and then it ended in a really abrupt and unresolved way. The art was blech, the story was miserable... just the worst. Venom vs. Carnage - You’d think this would be hard to fuck up, but it was pretty bad. Art was rough, and for some reason it was like the symbiotes were just puppeting their hosts completely. The characterization of everything was plain wrong in this whole story arc. Toxin was about the only good thing to come of it. 10s/present

Thunderbolts (Vol 2) - every story arc in this series was a trial to get through. Mediocre writing, lackluster art... Deadpool was the only thing that got me through this. It did pick up a little at the end, but otherwise was miserable. Venomverse - I hate to do it, but I really didn’t love this extremely hyped event. I mean... it’s okay... but for all the promotion the weak writing really killed it. It’s possible some good storyline could be salvaged from it later, though.

#venom #carnage #anti-venom #eddie brock #symbiote #marvel #marvel comics #reviews #favorites #girls reading comics #venomverse #agent venom #flash thompson

[nightmareonfilmstreet]

[Recap] You Need to Catch Up on FOX's THE EXORCIST Season 2

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[Recap] You Need to Catch Up on FOX's THE EXORCIST Season 2

Bold statement alert: The Exorcist is the best horror show on TV. While Stranger Things gobbles up all of the press, the little possession-series-that-could is flying under the radar, under constant threat of cancellation. So this is my plea: don’t sleep on this show!

When The Exorcist first debuted last year on FOX, it looked like the series was just another ill-advised corporate attempt to capitalize on an established film property – albeit a well-produced, well-acted one. Then, mid-way through the first season, The Exorcist pulled off a stunning twist. *Season One Spoilers Ahead* In Episode 5, “Through My Most Grievous Fault”, Geena Davis’ character Angela Rance was revealed to be a grown-up Regan MacNeil. This moment turned the entire series into a direct sequel to William Friedkin’s classic 1973 film of the same name.

From there the series not only built on Pazuzu’s mythology, it spun out a complicated conspiracy about demons taking over the Vatican while firmly establishing priests Marcus Keane (Ben Daniels) and Tomas Ortega (Alfonso Herrera) as cheer-worthy protagonists. Despite truly abysmal ratings, FOX made the unlikely decision to renew the series, casting John Cho as the season two lead to fill the vacancy left by the departing Davis, whose arc wrapped up in season one.

The Exorcist is just under halfway through its season two run and it remains as smart and scary as ever. The most recent episode also dropped a major bombshell…right before taking a two week World Series-induced hiatus. In the absence of a new episode, here’s a recap/plea to get you caught up to when the show returns Friday, November 3rd. *Season Two Spoilers Ahead*

The renegade and the innocent

The Exorcists

Marcus Keane was a renegade priest when the series began (we know because he wore a leather jacket), but his reckless disregard for Church protocol quickly got him ex-communicated. Over the first season, he mentored Father Tomas, an conflicted innocent man of God looking to make a difference. Eventually the pair became a formidable exorcism duo in their attempts to save the Rance family.

Marcus and Tomas spent the first two episodes of this season working on a new case. The details are less important than the approach each one adopted during the exorcism: Marcus elects to use traditional methods (standard chains and prayer stuff) while Tomas established a mental connection with the possessed woman. In doing so, Tomas opened himself up to the demon (kind of like a two-way radio), a development that greatly perturbs Marcus and will undoubtedly have implications later this season.

Episode three reminded us that Tomas is still relatively inexperienced – he believes that he knows best, but he also nearly exorcised a young girl named Harper (Beatrice Kitsos), who wasn’t actually possessed and would have died had Marcus not intervened.

Other pertinent facts: while it has never been explicitly stated, episode four gently reminded us that Marcus may be gay. Season one spent a fair amount of screen time on Tomas’ doomed (because, you know, priesthood) romance with a parishioner, so it’s possible that S2 may give Marcus‘ love life a little more attention.

Meanwhile at the Vatican…

The Vatican Conspiracy

Much of The Exorcist‘s first season focused on the various possessions in the Rance household, with occasional glimpses of a larger conspiracy aimed at infecting and infiltrating high ranking members of the Vatican (including, in one memorable episode, the Pope!). The Exorcist’s principal character in the Vatican conspiracy storyline is Father Devon Bennett (Kurt Egyiawan) who acts as a liaison with Marcus and routinely gets the crap beaten out of him.

In season two, Father Bennett has matched up with a new character, Mouse (Zuleikha Robinson). Robinson has showed up in a few other genre shows and here she got introduced in kick-ass fashion: poisoning a group of demon-possessed cardinals at a dinner party. When last we left off, Mouse revealed that the demons have become more assertive; they are now deliberately possessing exorcists in order to access their knowledge and eliminate them.

It seems inevitable that Father Bennett and Mouse will meet up with Marcus and Tomas, it just may take a few episodes since the latter duo cut off communications after Father Bennett revealed that the Vatican was compromised and it was no longer safe to talk.

The kids aren’t alright

The Kim Foster House

With the Rance family rescued and sent off to a cabin in the woods (for real), season two’s new mystery centers around a spooky foster home nestled on a creepy island near Seattle. Foster dad Andy Kim (Cho) is still reeling from the suicide of his wife, which has left him raising an amicable, albeit slightly damaged, crew of five kids by himself. The makeshift family includes leader Shelby (Alex Barima); cynical Verity (Deadpool and Tragedy Girls breakout Brianna Hildebrand); sleepwalker David (Cyrus Arnold); blind Caleb (Hunter Dillon) and Grace (Amélie Eve), an agoraphobe prone to wearing The Orphanage-style creepy pillow masks. Also in the mix is Rose (Li Jun Li), a social worker – and Andy‘s ex – sent to perform a site visit in the wake of Andy’s wife’s death.

Though the first few episodes are the definition of a slow burn (blame splitting attention between Marcus and Tomas in Montana and Andy and the kids), there’s a pervasive sense of foreboding doom whenever the action shifts back to the island. The large shadowy house, the mist-covered woods and the old, closed-up well are all horror catnip.

Throughout four episodes it is clear that something supernatural is happening: Caleb mysteriously disappeared in the middle of the night, nearly tumbling down the well (an act he blamed Verity for, which she staunchly denied). Meanwhile Shelby witnessed the birth of a deformed lamb, which triggered his religious beliefs and prompted him to deface the home with a protective charm. Plus: when Andy finally managed to lure Grace outside, a flock of birds dive-bombed the house in horrifying kamikaze fashion, leaving the lawn littered with feathery corpses.

Father Tomas (Alfonso Herrera) explores Grace’s room

Where did we leave off?

As mentioned, the most recent episode “One For Sorrow” ended with a twist. The episode delivered Marcus and Tomas to the island to drop off Harper at the foster home. The twist, however, doesn’t concern the exorcists’ dawning awareness that something is off about the island; rather it involves a discovery that Verity made when she returned home unexpectedly and overheard Andy and Grace talking. She followed voices up the stairs to Grace’s room, revealing that the little girl’s decorated room is actually an abandoned art studio replete with cobwebs and rotting food Andy left for Grace. With that The Exorcist deftly paid homage to innumerable ghost stories in which a main character is revealed to be dead or an hallucinatory apparition.

The teaser for next week’s new episode (below) elaborates that Grace is a manifestation of the demon pursuing Andy, which makes Tomas and Marcus’ arrival even more timely. Things are just starting to heat up!

Last season The Exorcist unexpectedly turned out to be a surprising, frightening sequel to 1973 film that we didn’t even know we wanted. Its renewal, not to be too hyperbolic, was a minor (religious?) miracle. To put it mildly, this season’s ratings aren’t good, which means that this little fright fest needs as much press and eyeballs as possible. The recent twist proves that there is still plenty of story left in the premise, which showrunner Jason Ensler and the cast clearly have the talent to execute in a visually exciting and scary fashion.

Hopefully this recap has convinced enough of you to jump aboard and check out The Exorcist when it returns Friday, November 3rd. I know I’ll be watching (and writing about it). Will you join me?

The Exorcist airs Fridays at 9pm ET on FOX in the US / 8pm ET on CTV Two in Canada

Key art for S2

#alfonso herrera #ben daniels #Brianna Hildebrand #horror on tv #John Cho #Kurt Egyiawan #Li Jun Li #Pazuzu #the exorcist fox #Zuleikha Robinson