#i would be interested to see dennis be brian again i think it could be a rly good tool to reveal some stuff abt him
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Here is a chaotic list of Sunny episodes I want from when it was my special interest (I apologise in advance if none of it makes sense):
• High School episode like Frank’s older brother where they all look their own age and everyone’s like you look like a child lol/The Gang’s Origin story
• Sliding Doors - the gang makes opposite decisions to start their day to experiment with the butterfly effect
• the gang does big mouth (they all on drugs and imagine hormone monsters)
• The gang makes a porno
• The gang plays D&D
• A version of the French mistake like in supernatural (Mac and Dee finding out they’re married would be great)
• The gang takes truth serum
• The gang experiments - mac, trying to prove a point about how hard it was to bang chicks, challenges them all to try and have sex with someone of the same gender (turns it into a bet - Frank requests to be left out of it if he finances the thing) (ideal world Dennis ends up banging Mac lol)
• Mac revives project badass (mac becomes comatose and maybe final episode that’s actually kind of emotional) (followed by Dennis revives Mac lol)
• The gang does an Easter egg hunt
• The gang teaches college - they go to a college campus to party but get mistaken for professors and all teach different things (Dee ends up trying to teach acting of course, Frank teaches business, Charlie tries to find a course on being a janitor but ends up teaching a chem lab, Dennis tries to teach Women’s Studies and change their minds and “save” them from feminism but they end up out debating him and reporting him to the dean, and Mac doesn’t teach anything he just goes to the pride club and everyone ends up hating him)
• the gang stages a robbery
* The gang gets super powers (or think they do idk)
* The gang goes to a haunted house (carnival kind of thing for halloween, Dee gets pushed off the haunted hayride and has to find her way back, Charlie and Frank go in the haunted house and try and blend in with the workers, and Dennis and Mac make out lol)
* Dee breaks the gang (like the gang broke Dee but Dee Dee-STROYS these vile men - exposes them and their secrets)
* The gang goes camping
* Mac and Dennis fake date (again - aka the return of Hugh and Vic?)
* The gang meets a real-life lesbian
* Dennis takes his meds (acts more like him in s1)
* The gang meets Macs friends (queer friends he made)
* The gang kisses mac (idk why)
* The gang becomes influencers (immediately followed by)
* The gang gets cancelled
* The gang gets crabs - they all get crabs and have to figure out how it happened (it’s through increasingly ridiculous circumstances like frank and Charlie sharing underwear, but it’s turns out mac and Dennis fucked lol)
* The city of brotherly love (interpret that as you may)
* The gang fights Gritty
* Mac and Dennis’ Double Life (aka. Dennis’ double life 2: this time it’s gay) - they were fucking in s5, stopped when Mac had a gay crisis at the start of s6, Dennis started to fall in love at the start of s12 after Mac comes out and goes back in the closet (realised maybe it’s closer to real than he thinks), but then Mac actually comes out, gives him a Valentine’s Day gift, and it’s all too real for him so he leaves - now he’s back and Mac is being clingy and clearly trying to get back to what they were but Dennis is conflicted...this gets revealed lol
* Brian Jr. stays for the weekend
* Dennis’ Best Friend’s (Mac’s) wedding
* The gang has a sleepover (classic - plays spin the bottle, truth or dare)
* Dennis gets misery-ed (some psycho woman finds his Erotic Life book and stalks him and holds him hostage until he writes more (he starts making up stuff and it ends up being about Mac LOL)
* The Gang Sells Out (This time, in a Gay Way) - the gang jumps on the pride wagon again (are you a gay, bisexual, transgender, or other? Paddy’s is the bar for you!)
* The gang has an auction
* Mac and Dennis break up (again) Mac is mad at Dennis and they spend time apart but everyone complains (they’re still just friends at this point)
* Dennis gets a colonoscopy and Mac drives him and talks about how his butt must be fine bc it looks so nice
* Mac gets DENNISed - Mac comes back from some kind of trip (could be cool) and Dennis is like I got a rescue dog! And mac is like OMG RLY and they go out to see it but it’s missing and Dennis is like wow maybe the dog ran back to the apartment and Mac is like let’s go look and they get back to the apartment and Dennis is a wreck and Mac consoles him with sex lol
* The gang gets kidnapped
* Dennis and Dee birthday episode
#I’m aware many of these are bad#but also idc#yes these are heavily macden themed#also have no idea what happened to the formatting#iasip#sunny#it’s always sunny#macden
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PART 2:
What If?
Readers have long speculated, if Rogue's powers didn't stand in the way, what would she really decide about having children? One only need look at alternative universes and timelines for potential answers.
Probably my favorite example is found in Chris Claremont’s X-Men: The End (2006) which seemed to extrapolate from where X-Treme X-Men left off. In this theoretical future, Gambit and Rogue are married, Rogue has control of her powers, and they have two children, Olivier and Rebecca. We get a brief glimpse of Rogue as a mother and the lengths she's willing to go to save her children when they are taken captive by Sinister.
For another potential outcome of this same pairing based off the more recent timeline, we can thank Kelly Thompson for Captain Marvel: The End (2020) where Carol Danvers returns to a decimated Earth and meets the children of many of Earth’s heroes, including Irene LeBeau, daughter of her old nemesis Rogue and partner Gambit. Irene has taken on the mantle of Rogue, has her mother's white streak and Gambit’s eyes. Frankly, I don't want to live in a world where this character might never exist!
Even when paired with other partners, we see that Rogue has a desire for her own family.
During the Age of Apocalypse, when Rogue ends up with a heroic version of Magneto who can touch her, despite their difficult existence and bleak future Rogue chooses to have a child with him whom they name Charles. Even though Rogue cannot touch his skin and has limited time with him, she dotes on him and loves him above all else.
There is even an alternate reality where the heroes never left Battleworld after Secret Wars in What If? #14 (1998) and Rogue, seemingly possessed by the Carol Danvers persona, marries Steve Rogers. She eventually gives birth to daughter Sarah Rogers, aka Crusader.
Going Forward
So where does this leave us in the 616?
There's no question that Rogue's powers, even under control, could cause difficulties with conception and/or pregnancy. This would be an interesting facet to explore and one we've never seen touched upon in comics. But if the character suddenly now has no interest in having a child, it's a story we likely won't get to see unfold. This new status quo is particularly disappointing considering the drastic change from her earlier appearances and how long awaited her marriage to Gambit had been, a character who would make a great parent as well.
But with the popularity of parenthood falling off drastically in the modern era and many individuals choosing child-free lifestyles, it may well be that there is little demand for a story like this to be explored, especially with an A-lister X-Woman such as Rogue.
Indeed, typically superhero mothers get sidelined, are noncombatants or are C list characters to begin with, so they won't be missed if they were to dissapear from panel for a while. In X-books think Madelyn Pryor, Meggan, Layla Miller, Smasher, and Rayne Sinclair. Jubilee might be the only mutant mother to get significant panel time with her child in recent years, but again fits the C list and noncombatant mold overall. In many cases, elaborate means like time travel, AUs, adoptions, clones, time hops, and supernatural events are used to avoid showing pregnancy or to age up inconvenient babies because writers don't think anyone wants these stories. Looking at you Jean Grey and Cable.
As I said in my previous Gambit discussion, I remain hopeful that someday we'll get 616 stories about some mischievous LeBeau children and see Rogue as a mother for more than just an isolated panel in an AU. The winds can always change direction in comics when a new writer comes along, as they always do. Even if it might take 30 years.
In the meantime, if you want to see some unblinking looks at comic book mothers who are getting it done, I'd look outside the Merry Mutants and check out: Jessica Drew in Spiderwoman by Dennis Hopeless, Big Barda in Tom King's Mr. Miracle, Jessica Jones in Alias by Brian Michael Bendis or written recently by Kelly Thompson and Alana from Saga by Brian K. Vaughn. They all show how motherhood can work for a comic character to enrich her story without removing her from the action or balking away from the realities of parenting.
Thanks for reading!
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Mac Dates A Priest
Mac Dates a Priest
By
Paul Ready
SCENE OPENS
Charlie & Frank are sitting at the bar, with Dee stood behind the bar. They are talking, as Dennis enters the bar and is agitated
Dennis:
Where is Mac? Have any of you guys seen Mac?
Dee:
He lives with you.
Dennis:
I know he lives with me, Dee. He hasn’t been home all weekend.
Charlie:
Have you tried calling him?
Dennis:
I’m not going to call him, Charlie. I don’t care that much. Anyway, I never give him the chance to answer his phone. I only ever let the phone ring once before I hang up. I like to let him think he’s missed the call, then when he rings me back I ignore it, and he gets nervous. Keeps him in line
Frank:
So where do you think he could be?
Dennis:
I don’t know, but he never goes this long without contact. He’s normally annoyingly clingy.
(Dee is wiping down a glass, and smirking as Dennis talks)
Dennis:
What are you smiling about, Dee?
Dee:
Oh, nothing. It’s cute to see how upset you’re getting about Mac.
Dennis:
I’m not upset! I’m concerned, Mac isn’t street smart on his own out there. He needs guidance, he needs taken care of.
(Mac enters the bar with a smile across his face)
Mac:
Hey-yoooo
Dennis (annoyed):
Hey. Yo. Hey. Yo. Mac!
Mac:
Yeah, hey-yoo! It’s the thing I do, Dennis. Hey-yooo!
Frankie:
Dennis is pissed you haven’t called him back.
Mac:
No, no, no. Dennis hasn’t called me, tell them Dennis. Whenever I miss a call from Dennis I always call back. Don’t I Dennis?
(Dennis shrugs with indifference)
Dee:
He wants to know where you’ve been all weekend. He’s been bitching since he came through the door.
Dennis:
I haven’t been “bitching”, Dee. I’ve simply been expressing concern, it’s a dangerous place out there, and I was curious in case Mac was in any trouble.
Charlie:
He missed you. He just doesn’t want to say it.
Dennis:
Shut up, Charlie.
Frank:
So, Mac, where you been?
Mac (Smile plastered across is face):
Oh, yeah. Guys, I have some big news.
Charlie:
What now, Mac? You’re straight again?
Mac:
What? No. Never. Anyway, guys I’ve been seeing someone, and I think it’s time you meet him.
(A priest enters the bar, and he looks like a younger, more handsome version of Dennis)
Mac:
Guys, this is Father Brian.
Father Brian:
Hi Guys.
(Dennis looks stunned, as Dee turns and catches a glimpse of him)
End Teaser
Scene 2:
Father Brian is sat at the bar, he is sat between Charlie and Frank, Mac is stood next to him, and Dennis has joined Dee behind the bar. Dennis is quickly drinking a beer and leering at Father Brian
Dee:
So how did you guys meet?
Mac:
Well, it’s actually a really romantic story. I was saw Father Brian going into my church one day, and I thought to myself ‘I really want to bang this dude,’ so I waited in the Church until he took up confessional, and then I went in and said ‘I want to bang you,’
Father Brian:
I asked him leave.
Mac:
He asked me to leave, so I just waited until he left the Church and followed him until he asked who I was and I said ‘I was the guy who wants to bang you.’ And one thing led to another.
Frank:
So you stalked him?
Mac:
No.
Dennis:
One of the classic love stories
Mac:
Yeah.
(Mac puts his arm around Father Brian)
Charlie:
A quick question, you’ve called him Father Brian twice now, and it’s a little weird. Can’t you just call him Brian or is his actual name Father Brian?
Dennis:
It would be an extremely convenient career choice if that was the case.
Mac:
Well I call him Father Brian, and he likes it…
(Father Brian interrupts Mac)
Father Brian:
I don’t actually like it, but he insists.
Mac:
Shut up, you. He does like it, and sometimes I call him Daddy Brian.
Dee:
Eww.
Frank:
I’ve got a question for you?
Father Brian:
Shoot.
Frank:
Did you know you were gay before you joined the Church?
Father Brian:
What do you mean?
Frank:
Well, you hear a lot of stories about priests and alter boys, and I’m wondering if maybe you were an alter boy, and you know, things happen, and then you’re gay.
Father Brian:
You do know how sexuality works don’t you?
(Mac cuts Father Brian off)
Mac:
Frank!
Frank:
It’s just a question.
Father Brian:
It’s okay, Ronald.
(Dennis and Dee mouth Ronald)
I was an alter boy, Frank. And I know you hear stories, but nothing like that ever happened to me. I’ve been in the church my whole life and I’ve never seen anything like that happen.
Frank:
Ah
Charlie:
I’ve got a question. What’s with the outfit? You’re not in church right now, why aren’t you wearing normal clothes? Or is it the law that you have to dress like this at all times?
Father Brian:
Well…
(Mac cuts Father Brian off)
Mac:
This is actually my doing. I make him wear it.
Dennis:
Well that’s more information than I need to know. Dee, can I have a word?
(Dennis and Dee move into the office)
Dennis:
What the hell is this?
Dee:
What do you mean?
Dennis:
You don’t see it? He clearly looks like me.
Dee:
I hadn’t noticed. Maybe. He’s definitely younger, and better looking.
Dennis:
He might be younger, Dee. But I’m having an off day, I’ve been awake all night worried sick, my eyes are baggy.
Dee:
I thought you weren’t worried about Mac.
Dennis:
I wasn’t worried about Mac. I have a lot of things going on in my life, Dee. Not everything is about Mac. Stop thinking it’s about Mac.
Dee:
Okay.
Dennis:
So what are we going to do about this?
Dee:
Do about what?
(Charlie and Frank enter the office)
Frank:
So, what are we doing about this?
Dee:
Why do we have do anything about this? Mac is happy, can’t we just let him happy?
Dennis:
The guy is calling him “Ronald,” Dee. We can’t be associated with Mac if he wants to go around being called “Ronald McDonald.” No, no way.
Charlie:
He’s got a point, Dee
(Mac walks into the room)
Mac:
Guys, me and Father Brian are heading out. We’ve got some dinner reservations, and we want to get home and, you know, ‘pray’ before we need to leave.
Charlie:
By ‘pray’ you mean…
Dennis:
Bang, Charlie. They are going to bang.
Mac:
Yes.
(An awkward silence fills the room. Father Brian enters the room.)
Father Brian:
Hey guys, sorry to interrupt. Ronald, are we leaving? Got that praying to do before dinner.
Frank:
Gross.
Mac:
Right guys, we’re out.
Dee:
Have a good time guys.
(Mac and Father Brian leave the office)
Charlie:
Any of you guys notice how he looks like a more handsome, younger version of Dennis?
Dennis:
God damn you Charlie.
SCENE ENDS
Scene 3:
DENNIS AND CHARLIE ARE TAKING THE BINS OUT THE BACK OF THE BAR. CHARLIE THROWS THE BAG IN THE DUMPSTER, AND THE BAG LANDS ON CRICKET
Cricket:
Hey, what the hell?
Charlie:
Cricket?
Cricket:
Yeah.
Dennis:
What are you doing in our dumpster?
Cricket:
Crack.
Charlie:
Well that’s fair.
Dennis:
Okay. Well, whatever. Don’t set fire to our dumpster.
DENNIS AND CHARLIE TURN TO WALK AWAY, AS CRICKET GOES TO DROP THE LID BACK ON HIMSELF. DENNIS TURNS BACK
Dennis:
Cricket, I’ve got a question for you.
Cricket:
Yeah.
Dennis:
You were in the church. You ever come across a Father Brian?
Cricket:
Father Brian?
Dennis:
Yeah, might not have been a Father when you were in the Church. But he was an alter boy.
Cricket:
Maybe. What does he look like?
Charlie:
Like a better looking Dennis
Dennis:
Shut up, Charlie
Cricket:
Brian Doherty? Yeah, I know him. Why?
Charlie:
Macs dating him.
Cricket:
Ah. Well that’s not surprising.
Dennis:
What do you mean?
Cricket:
I heard Brian Dohery stories before I left the church.
Charlie:
Dude, was he was abused?
Cricket:
Abused? Please. Brian was blowing so many priests they started turning him down. Never seen a priest do that before…or since
Dennis:
Gross.
Cricket:
Guys, can I get back to my crack now?
Dennis:
Sure. Thanks, Cricket.
CRICKET CLOSES THE DUMSPTER. AND CHARLIE AND DENNIS WALK BACK INTO THE BAR. FRANK & DEE ARE SAT AT THE BAR.
Dennis:
So we just had an interesting conversation with Cricket.
Frank:
He smoking crack in the dumpster again?
Charlie:
Yeah.
Dennis:
He says this ‘Father Brian’ was blowing priests back in the day.
Dee:
But he said he wasn’t abused.
Charilie:
So did Cricket.
Dennis:
I don’t trust this guy, I think we need to take a closer a look at this. Dee, what time was their dinner tonight?
Dee:
Eight.
Frank:
We going to go and see what happens?
Dennis:
Us? No, Frank. Not us. We’ll send in a mole. Dee, phone Luginos. Make a reservation for one. Frank, go and get some clean clothes. Charlie, get some bleach and the hose out. Maybe get some wire brushes as well.
Dee:
Where are you going?
DENNIS WALKS AWAY FROM THE BAR AND TOWARDS THE BACK DOOR
Dennis:
Me? I’m going to get our mole.
END SCENE.
Scene 4:
SCENE OPENS IN THE BASEMENT OF PADDYS PUB. CRICKET IS SITTING ON A CHAIR AND ALL HE IS WEARING IS A TATTERED PAIR OF BRIEFS. CHARLIE IS FILLING UP A BUCKET WITH WATER FROM A HOSE. DENNIS IS LOOKING MENACINGLY AT CRICKET.
Charlie:
I don’t know why we had to throw the water out that was in here. It was perfectly good water, there was bleach it, and bleach kills everything Dennis.
Dennis:
Bleach doesn’t kill everything Charlie. And when was the last time you changed the water in that bucket?
Charlie:
Change it? I never change the water Dennis, I just add more bleach. That’s what it keeps it clean.
Dennis:
That’s probably why the bar always smells, Charlie. You need to change the water after you’ve used it Charlie, the bleach doesn’t clean the water.
Cricket:
Guys, why couldn’t we have done this at one of your houses?
Dennis:
Well Charlie and Frank are having a dispute with the landlord over the ‘communal’ toilet arrangements
Charlie:
He said he won’t clean the used needles out of the shower room, so me and Frank have been going around collecting second hand needles and leaving them in there until he clears them out.
Dennis:
Well there’s whatever that is. And to be honest, I don’t want you in my apartment. You smell, and you were just in a dumpster. So that’s not happening. Anyway, we’re all good down here, aren’t we Cric?
Cricket:
Not really. Pretty cold down here. Is that water even hot Charlie?
Dennis:
No, Cricket. There’s no hot water down here. But it’s clean, and that’s good. Probably the cleanest you’ve used in a while, huh? And you’re going to get a nice meal out of all of this, right?
Cricket:
I suppose so.
CHARLIE REMOVES THE HOSE FROM THE BUCKET AND TURNS THE WATER OFF. DEE AND FRANK COME DOWN THE STAIRS
Dee:
I got the reservation
Frank:
I got the clothes
Dennis:
Good. Great. Now Cricket, do you want to get in the bath and we’ll get you all cleaned up.
CRICKET SITS DOWN IN THE BUCKET.
Charlie:
There you go. How you feeling in there Cricket? Pretty good?
CRICKET SPLASHES THE WATER ABOUT A BIT.
Cricket:
It’s pretty good. I thought you said there was no hot water down here.
Dennis:
There isn’t.
Cricket:
It’s pretty warm in here. Oooh. Ooh. Ah, getting pretty hot now.
CRICKET STARTS TO SPLASH AROUND UNCONTROLABLY IN THE WATER
Cricket:
What the hell is this Charlie? Shit, agghhhhh.
CRICKET JUMPS OUT OF THE BUCKET AND STARTS TO SCREAM
Dennis:
What the hell did you put in there Charlie?
CRICKET IS SCREAMING, AS DEE GETS THE HOSE AND TURNS THE WATER ON AND STARTS TO SPRAY IT AT CRICKET. BUT HIS SCREAMS JUST INTENSIFY.
Dennis:
Charlie, what the hell did you put in that water?
Charlie:
It might be the lye.
Frank:
Lye will do that. Waters probably making it worse.
Dennis:
Lye? Lye, Charlie? Shit. God damn it.
CRICKET IS STILL SCREAMING ON THE FLOOR AS DEE IS SPRAYING THE HOSE ON HIM BUT MAKING IT WORSE
Dennis:
Turn the water off, Dee. Jesus, it’s making it worse.
Charlie:
Is there like an invisible fire or something?
Dennis:
No, Charlie. You’ve washed the man in acid. We got any vinegar, upstairs?
CRICKET IS CRYING ON THE FLOOR.
Cricket:
Oh my god, it hurts so much.
Dee:
I’m so sorry, Cricket.
Dennis:
Shut up, Dee. Will someone go and get the god damn vinegar?
CHARLIE, FRANK, AND DEE HEAD UP THE STAIRS TO LOOK FOR THE VINEGAR. THE SCENE STAYS WITH DENNIS AND CRICKET IN THE BASEMENT. CRICKET IS STILL ROLLING AROUND IN PAIN.
Cricket:
Dennis this hurts so bad.
Dennis:
I know, Cricket. Jeez, just give me a god damned second to think. How the hell are we meant to intercept on this dinner tonight? Goddammit I should have known not to let Charlie run the water.
Cricket:
Dennis, please. God.
THE SCENE CUTS TO THE CHARLIE, FRANK AND DEE SEARCHING THE BAR FOR VINEGAR.
Charlie:
I’ve been waiting to ask this since we got up here, I didn’t want to ask whilst Dennis was around. But what’s vinegar?
Dee:
Goddammit, Charlie. Frank, any luck?
Frank:
Here, we go.
FRANK PULLS OUT A SMALL BOTTLE OF VINEGAR WHICH IS ABOUT HALF FULL
Frank:
Well this won’t do it, but it’ll be a start. Me and Charlie will head down to store and get some more.
FRANK HANDS DEE THE BOTTLE AND HIM AND CHARLIE LEAVE THE BAR. DEE GOES BACK DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT.
Dee:
Well I got good news and bad news. I got the vinegar, but there isn’t much of it. Frank and Charlie have gone to get more.
Dennis:
Well I guess it’ll have to do for now. So Cricket, where does it hurt most?
CRICKET IS WRITHING AROUND ON THE FLOOR
Cricket:
Everywhere, Dennis. Everywhere hurts.
Dee:
But if you had to be specific
Cricket (Shouts over Dee):
IT ALL HURTS, DEE!
DEE PANICS AND DROPS THE GLASS BOTTLE ON THE FLOOR AND IT SHATTERS
Dee:
Oh, shit.
Cricket:
Oh my god no.
CRICKET CRAWLS ACROSS THE FLOOR, AND STARTS ROLLING IN WHAT IS LEFT OF THE VINEGAR
Dennis:
Well at least you don’t need to pick now, Cric. So that’s an improvement.
Cricket:
There’s no improvement. It’s all just pain.
Dee:
Is there nothing else in here we can use until they get back? We could try the water again.
Cricket:
Oh god no. No more water. Never more water.
Dee:
Any ideas, Dennis?
Dennis:
No, I don’t really want to go to that restaurant, and Cricket clearly isn’t in any shape to go now.
Dee:
No, not about the goddamned restaurant Dennis? About Cricket.
Dennis:
Oh, Cricket. He’s just going to have to wait. All my information is from Fight Club, so go ahead and try the water again if you want.
Cricket:
No, god no.
Dennis:
Probably best to hold out and wait for the guys to get back. Why don’t you run upstairs and grab us a couple of beers while we wait? Cricket, you want one?
CRICKET JUST MUMBLES IN AUDIBLE PAIN
Dennis:
I’m guessing that’s a no for Cricket. But grab an extra just to be on the safe side. Don’t want you getting thirsty down here Cric.
CRICKET SCREAMS IN AGONY
Dennis:
Okay, well I’m not going to sit down here and listen to that until they get back. So why don’t we both go up and get a drink?
Dee:
Sounds good to me.
Cricket:
Don’t leave me here.
DENNIS AND DEE BEGIN TO CLIMB THE STAIRS.
Dee:
We’ll back in a minute Cricket.
Dennis:
You stay strong Cric. All this will be over before you know it.
DENNIS GOES BEHIND THE BAR AND GRABS TWO BOTTLES OF BEER FROM THE FRIDGE, OPENS THEM AND PUTS THEM ON THE BAR
Dennis:
Well, I’m glad to be away from that. Cheers.
Dee:
Cheers.
CRICKETS SCREAMS CAN STILL BE HEARD IN THE SILENCE.
Dennis:
Can you hear that?
Dee:
Yeah.
Dennis:
Kind of off putting. I’m going to close the door.
DENNIS GETS UP AND GOES TO CLOSE THE BASEMENT DOOR AS MAC WALKS INTO THE BAR. DENNIS STILL HAS HIS HAND ON THE DOOR
Dennis:
Hey Mac.
Mac:
Hey guys, what’s going on? Is that screaming?
Dennis:
Yeah. Crickets down there.
Dee:
We were washing him, and Charlie filled the bucket up with lye. Him and Frank have gone to the store to get some vinegar.
Mac:
Lye?
Dee:
Yeah.
Mac:
Like Fight Club?
Dennis:
Yeah.
Mac:
Ouch. You want to close that door Dennis? It’s distracting.
Cricket (in the background):
Please don’t close the door, Dennis.
Dennis:
They’ll be back in a couple of minutes Cricket. Stay strong buddy.
DENNIS SHRUGS IN INDIFFERENCE TO DEE AND MAC THEN CLOSES THE DOOR. THEN HE POINTS AT MAC
Dennis:
Beer?
Mac:
Sure.
DENNIS TAKES A BEER FROM THE FRIDGE, OPENS IT, AND PUTS IT IN FRONT OF MAC.
Dee:
So what you doing here? I thought you had a big date with Father Brian.
Mac:
Oh, that’s over.
Dee:
Already? Mac, you left the bar less than two hours ago.
Dennis:
Now Dee. Let’s hear him out, maybe this priest wasn’t all that he seemed.
Mac:
Well we went back to his place, you know we fooled around and..
DENNIS CUTS HIM OFF
Dennis:
Yeah we don’t need to hear about that.
Mac:
Anyway, he went to get a shower and his phone went off. So I picked it up, and there was a picture of a priest and an alter boy and they are going at it. Pretty brutal stuff. So I kept looking through the phone and there was a lot, and I mean of lot, of stuff on there.
Dennis:
Woah.
Dee:
I’m sorry to hear that Mac. So what did you do? Did you phone the police?
Mac:
No, he was a man of god. So I stopped by the Church of the way here and let them know, they said they’ll handle it. Says this kind of thing happens all the time, and they have ways of dealing with it.
Dee:
What does he mean by that?
Dennis:
He probably means he’ll ship him off to somewhere else, and he’ll start back up again somewhere new.
FRANK AND CHARLIE COME INTO THE BAR EACH HOLDING TWO 5 LITRE BOTTLES OF VINEGAR. MAC TURNS BACK TO DENNIS.
Mac:
Well, that’s not true.
Dennis:
Frank. When a priest gets ratted out for abusing alter boys what happens?
Frank:
They sent him somewhere new, starts back up all over again.
Mac:
That’s not true.
CHARLIE SITS DOWN NEXT TO MAC
Frank:
Everyone knows that.
Charlie:
So you found out he was abused then?
Mac:
Wait, you guys knew?
Dennis:
Yeah. Cricket told us.
Charlie:
We had this whole thing set up where we were going to clean Cricket up, then he was going to go and spy on your dinner, see if he could find anything out. We were worried about you, man? We don’t want you dating an abuser.
Mac:
Aw. Thanks guys.
Dee:
Also, I think Dennis was a bit intimated by how much younger and better looking he was than him.
Dennis:
No I wasn’t, Dee.
Mac:
Now you mention it he did remind me of a younger, better looking Dennis.
Frank:
See. We all said it.
Dennis:
To hell with all of you. Anyway, why haven’t you taken that vinegar down to Cricket yet?
Charlie:
Crap, I completely forgot.
Dee:
Yeah, he’s gone pretty quiet down there.
Dennis:
Let’s go check on him.
THE GUYS GO DOWN INTO THE BASEMENT AND CRICKET HAS PASSED OUT FROM THE PAIN. HIS BODY IS COVERED IS HORRIBLE BURNS
Dennis:
Jesus, that’s disgusting.
Frank:
He smells even worse than before.
Charlie:
So shall we just pour the vinegar over him?
Dennis:
No. I say we just leave him. He looks pretty peaceful at the moment, and if we wake him up he’ll just be in more pain. Probably best if we leave the vinegar here and let him go at it at his own pace.
Frank:
Suits me.
THE GANG ALL AGREE WITH DENNIS AND LEAVE THE BOTTLES OF VINEGAR AND LEAVE THE BASEMENT.
Mac:
So what do you guys want to do?
Dennis:
Well you got a reservation for two, and Dee you made a reservation for one. Let’s see if we can get Frank and Charlie added on there and go get something to eat. What do you say about that?
THE GUYS TURN THE LIGHTS OFF AND START TO WALK TO THE DOOR
Mac:
I’m in. Worked up an appetite this afternoon.
Dee:
Gross Mac. Nobody wants to hear about you sleeping around with molesters
Dennis:
Now Dee. Mac didn’t know what he was getting himself into, and before you start to judge remember you raped Charlie.
Dee:
No, I didn’t.
Charlie:
That is true.
Mac:
You really are disgusting Dee.
THE GANG EXIT THE BAR.
Cricket (mumbles in the background):
Guys?
EPISODE ENDS
#its always sunny in philadelphia#script#rob mcelhenney#charlie day#glen howerton#lockdown#kaitlin olson
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something that’s been bothering me about this season is how little dennis’ absence has been addressed, even as a joke! we know rcg and they literally never leave any plot point unaddressed, they love bringing back even tiny things from previous seasons and showing the later consequences of them (for instance, dennis continuing to impersonate brian lefevre leading to mandy and north dakota etc etc etc) so why would they not focus on it? it feels like they’re purposefully starving us for an explanation and dragging it out much longer than literally any other show would. i remember seeing an interview where glenn said something like “dennis, the character, decided to leave the bar, and we’re going to take that decision and development seriously.” but the thing is, they haven’t!
or at least, not yet.
(putting it under a read more because this got long)
as we all know, there’s some timeline fuckery happening this season -- the gang beats boggs 2: ladies reboot happens after the super bowl (see: guigino’s waiter). this is the first time the super bowl episode has been brought up. we see it mentioned again in time’s up for the gang. rcg is clearly laying breadcrumbs leading up to the episode, and it must have some significance.
we all know rex is back in the episode, and i don’t think it’s unreasonable whatsoever to theorize that out gay beefcake mac and rex, someone mac has been outwardly attracted to since season three, will definitely at the very least do some intense flirting, and seeing as it is the super bowl, it also wouldn’t be unreasonable to think hmm! maybe there’s a kiss cam moment in there! maybe with rex, maybe not, but i think we’re definitely going to see some very gay mac in that episode, hopefully making out with some beefcake on live television.
if that happens, which honestly seems pretty possible (why else bring rex back if not for a symbol of mac’s gay awakening and maybe the first time we see him actually getting with a guy?), i think it’s entirely plausible that it sets off the sequence of events leading to dennis coming back to philly.
say dennis is sitting at home in ND, watching the big game (cause even if you take the man out of philly, you can’t take philly out of the man!), and the kiss cam starts rolling. he doesn’t pay much attention at first -- watching people that aren’t him make out is one of his top pet peeves, why should he give a shit if other people kiss? it’s not like they’re fucking, and more importantly, if he’s not involved, there is literally no reason to care -- but then suddenly he sees a familiar face and freezes in place. his eyes are glued to the screen, his hand stops digging through the bowl of popcorn he’s holding, his face contorts into shock then confusion then disgust: mac is making out with a guy on live tv. mac is making out with a guy on live tv. mac is making out with a guy on live tv. mac is making out with a guy on live tv.
the very next morning, dennis’ bags are packed, and he’s back to philly. not because he finally realizes he’s in love with mac and is returning to confess his undying adoration for him and win him back, like some shitty rom com. no, it’s because dennis can deal with a lot of things, sure, but watching the one person he thought would always worship and love him, someone who’s unending admiration and devotion to him has always been as constant, expected, and without deviation as (as @rcgrights brilliantly put it) the air dennis needs to breathe -- watching that person immediately move on without a second thought, on live tv, no less? this is the ultimate humiliation and betrayal in dennis’ eyes. he has no idea what the fuck the emotions he’s currently feeling are, but he knows none of them are positive, and that he wants them to stop. reminder that this is dennis “i just want everything to go back to normal” reynolds, a man who hides his dependence and insecurities under layers and layers of superiority. but yet, in a split second, all of his carefully constructed walls had come crashing down because mac, the one person he thought would always adore and desire him, apparently no longer does. if mac’s no longer in love with him, who even is he? mac’s love for him has become so deeply intertwined in the dynamic of the gang, the only people on earth he cares about, so deeply intertwined in his life, so deeply intertwined in his own psyche, that now that it’s no longer obvious he has no idea what to do with himself. he never thought it would come to this. so something has to change.
mac is, as we all know, an extremely dependent and emotionally stunted person. he had a horrible and depressing upbringing, and now, after a lifetime of being neglected, avoided, and unloved, he is stuck in the freudian pregenital stage, which is marked by feelings of intense deprivation and loss. this is something that’s always been woven into his character, even though it became clearer and clearer as time went on. back in the season five commentary for mac and dennis break up, dr. drew pinsky (an actual psychologist and doctor from celebrity rehab that, for whatever reason, rcg brought on) says about mac’s fear of abandonment in relation to dennis: “everything threatens him because he’s in an abandonment crisis right now. he got close to being abandoned so anything now is a threat.” this is a pretty accurate explanation for almost all of mac’s interactions with dennis -- the more it seems like dennis is moving away from him, the more desperate he is to have him back, and the more outwardly affectionate he is out of fear of abandonment. however, part of being as emotionally stunted as mac is not being able to properly understand what happens when people distance themselves, be that physically, emotionally, or both. to quote dr. drew talking about mac, “one thing about little kids, like, two-year-olds, they can’t tolerate coming and going. when somebody’s out of sight, they cease to exist. very primitive way of perceiving other people” to which charlie day responds “yes, mac’s very primitive.” this knowledge makes it easy to understand mac’s apparent lack of response to dennis’ absence -- out of sight, out of mind. if he’s not there, he ceases to exist. obviously, it’s not that simple, but having dennis be gone is almost a relief for mac: he doesn’t have to worry about pleasing him and gaining his love and respect anymore, because he’s not in the picture. there’s no way mac can even screw it up because he’s just not there. this is a weird and unwelcome but surprisingly freeing feeling that mac isn’t quite sure how to deal with.
unfortunately, he doesn’t get much opportunity to find out, because before he knows it, dennis is back.
dennis is back, refusing to explain what happened, telling them to just move past it, which is strange because no one, not even dennis, leaves their family and retcons a major life decision they felt confident in for absolutely no reason. if the reason was that he got tired of being a dad, or he didn’t like mandy, or that the north dakota life was boring and just not for him, why wouldn’t he tell the gang, even in a split second off hand manner? it’s strange that he wouldn’t mention it whatsoever. unless, of course, the only reason he came back is one that dennis can’t wrap his mind around, one that for all logical conclusions shouldn’t be a reason at all. it’s just like the part of the gang does a clip show where they ask him to name one good thing about living with mac, and he can’t. mac is annoying, doesn’t pay rent or do any work, all he does is go on the dildo bike, etc.. there is no reason why dennis should keep living with him, and dennis knows that. so why has he lived with him for twenty years, why has he not taken any of the many opportunities he’s been given to move out for good, why did he not get a new apartment after coming back from north dakota, why does he still stay with mac when there’s absolutely no logical explanation for it? these are the questions that dennis desperately tries to avoid thinking about, for fear of finding out something he doesn’t want to know about himself, about mac, about them. so, he replaces these insecurities with the only things he knows how: superiority complexes, cockiness, and being an absolute dick to mac. because that means that dennis is above mac, right? he’s still himself, he’s still awesome, he doesn’t need mac, right? if he insults mac and makes it clear he’s not interested in him, then on some level that has to be true, right?
let’s say he’s more self aware than he seems to be, though. let’s say he has some vague idea of what’s going on, or at the very least, knows he wants mac back to normal. if he wants mac to dote on him again, then why would he treat him 10x shittier than he has any other time? well, dennis prides himself on his minoring in psychology, as we all know, and even if he kind of sucks at it, there’s no way anyone with even the tiniest background in psych wouldn’t have picked up on mac’s abandonment issues. and knowing that dennis 1) knows mac so well, and 2) most likely knows how the pre-genital stage/fear of abandonment works from his past education, it’s fitting to assume that he knows that the best way to get mac immediately back under his influence is to be completely and totally awful to him. the worse dennis is to mac, the harder mac tries. and dennis is desperate for mac to try, he’s so used to having mac’s constant approval of him that now that he feels like he’s lost it, he needs it back, and needs it stronger than ever. this may be why dennis has been so awful to mac all season, but, of course, continues living with him, continues being around him, and is even back in philly in the first place. again, why else could he possibly be back? maybe this is entirely speculation and i’m reading way too deeply into everything, but it really seems as if this is one of the only explanations for dennis’ admittedly strange behavior this season.
let’s just say that i’m anxiously and apprehensively awaiting the gang wins the big game.
#OOOOOOOOOF THIS IS SO LONG#but i'm lowkey proud of it i hope it doesn't flop#plz read for some predictions/md meta!#macdennis#iasip#It's always sunny in philadelphia#mac macdonald#dennis reynolds#meta#iasip s13#the gang wins the big game#the gang does a clip show#it's always sunny#casey.txt#s13#100
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The Way of Masters
(art by Phil Noto)
So with her likely upcoming appearances in Young Justice and maybe Gotham and maybe Birds of Prey, I’ve had Lady Shiva on my mind again. Well... more than usual. And I managed to keep it bottled up so far but now I feel those urges again so let’s at least try to channel them into some hopefully decent comic book analysis. Today’s subject: why I can never get really behind any story that involves Lady Shiva teaching anyone martial arts.
Expect the usual copious amounts of NOT MUH under the jump:
The concept of Lady Shiva as a teacher comes from two main sources: Jim Starlin’s Death in the Family, which established her as a teacher for hire, and Chuck Dixon’s first Robin miniseries, where Tim Drake ran into her and asked her to train him. It was further solidified in Gulacy and Dixon’s Knightsend, where she helped Bruce get his kung fu mojo back after healing from his spine injury. And then there was Gail Simone’s Birds of Prey, where Shiva trained Dinah Lance to try and turn her into her successor. On top of all that, there’s New52 Shiva having trained Jason Todd, and while I have no idea if it’s been confirmed in canon, I’m like 90% sure she must’ve trained Damian at some point too. So it’s pretty much a solidly established fact that Shiva trains people.
And I personally find it to be a fundamental misunderstanding of her character.
(art by Brian Bolland)
Now, first of all, logistics-wise I have a problem with people repeatedly going to train with a known killer when guys like Richard Dragon are just, y’know, there. And while there’s a dozen of possible in-universe explanations that you could possibly wield (It’s faster! It’s harder! It allows you to learn her techniques should you ever have to fight her!), ultimately I think the best explanation is just that it’s more dramatic. To be trained by someone diametrically opposed to your ideology in stuff you want to know but have vowed not to use is an absolute no-brainer in terms of dramatic tension. And that’s exactly why I don’t like it from the start: because every. Single. Story. That involves Shiva training anyone always ends in the exact same place: with Shiva ordering her student to kill and her student refusing to. Or in Bruce’s case, just pretending he killed someone.
This is nothing but a pointless exercise in character reaffirmation that does nobody any favors. Of course Batman/Robin/Black Canary is not going to kill anybody. Tempting them with it is just going through the motions. It was old hat in the 90s, let alone now. And yet, in one form or another, it just keeps happening. And it keeps happening because none of these stories are really concerned with Shiva herself. They are stories about Batman/Robin/Black Canary getting stronger, with Shiva used as a tool whose characterization is based on the most surface-level reading possible of her. The problem is that these stories also feed into each other, just like how Hush establishing Shiva as a member of the League of Shadows snowballed into this hellscape where she’s literally nothing but a member of the League of Shadows. Lack of interest in her actual character creates and perpetuates these misunderstandings until nothing else exists. But now the question becomes, well, what is her actual character? Good question.
So in Denny O’Neil’s Question run, which I am never going to shut up about until everyone who even thinks about writing Lady Shiva reads through at least twice, Shiva physically and metaphorically kills Vic Sage, then saves his life. I’ve talked about this before but the short of it is that not only does she kill his body, but by presenting him with something he can’t understand, she also kills his stoic, narrow-minded idea of a black and white world. But once she’s saved him, she doesn’t stick around to train him. Instead, she gives him the address of the aforementioned Richard Dragon, who takes him in as a pupil. And this is where things start getting a bit floaty.
(art by Denys Cowan)
Because there’s a difference between teaching someone and helping them learn it on their own. Zen Buddhists know this. The idea is not to build a path for someone, or to guide them through it. The path is unique to every person and they have to walk it by themselves. But that doesn’t mean you can’t at least point them towards it. Which is what Richard does. Sure, he teaches Vic how to fight, but way later in the run, Richard explains how unimportant that is:
And make no mistake: Shiva is very similar to Richard in this aspect. Her interest in Vic is not about whether he can become a mighty warrior, but in what motivates him. She’s interested in seeing how Vic develops, and her reasons are, in her own veiled way, pretty much the same as Richard’s:
Right before this page, Richard explained that Shiva thinks Vic is fueled by a lust for combat, while he argues that it’s curiosity that motivates him. And the book never gives a clear-cut answer, showing Vic as an intensely curious creature (in fact, it was his curiosity about Shiva’s motivation that helped tear down his old black-and-white worldview) but also as someone prone to seeking the simplicity of punching dudes in the fucking face when the world gets too complex. Which is part of the genius of this Question run: nobody is ever that simple.
Now, it’s possible to transfer this to the exampled provided below and say that Shiva is similarly interested in Robin/Batman/Black Canary’s development. But only if you don’t really go any deeper than the pure surface. Because the difference here is that at no point through the entire Question run does Shiva demand that Vic take a life. She doesn’t want to prove to him that her way is superior, or that killing people makes you better. She doesn’t want Vic to become like her. She’s just interested in seeing how, once violently stripped of all his preconceived notions and brought back as an almost clean slate, he evolves. And it’s an evolution Shiva has respect for.
And that’s why I can’t get behind any story about Shiva as a teacher. Because just like Richard, she’s not there to try and tempt people to walk her same path of slaughter, sneering smugly at their heroic ideals of the sacredness of life. That’s a dangerously bi-dimensional reading of her that leads to endless rehashes of tired plotlines that go to the same wretchedly familiar places we’ve been to a thousand times before. There’s no deeper insight into the character of Tim Drake or Bruce Wayne to be gained by putting them in a situation where they’re forced to kill but they don’t. There’s no evolution, no characterization, there’s nothing to be gained except for a physical upgrade. And while they may not lose much from just going through the motions over and over again, Shiva gets it so much worse because her character is eroded by these nothing plots.
(art by Ed Benes)
In BoP, Simone tried to give Shiva a new reason to actively seek an apprentice, which at least demonstrates more agency on her part than the usual row of Bat-people knocking at her door. Simone’s Shiva is preoccupied with the future and creating a legacy, but again, that’s an idea I just can’t get behind at all. To have a character as steeped into Zen Buddhism and Taoism as Lady Shiva worry about life after death feels like a betrayal, and wanting to turn Dinah into a new version of herself clashes with everything explained above. And Starlin, Dixon, Gulacy, Loeb, Gabrych and Tynion IV don’t even try. It’s enough to make one wonder, is there any writer who actually paid attention when reading Question?
(art by Damion Scott)
Look, call this a reach, but I think there’s a pretty good reason why Lady Shiva’s first appearance in Kelley Puckett’s Batgirl has her wearing a purple coat that’s basically an update of her design in the very first issue of Question. And considering Puckett actually collaborated with O’Neil on the tail end of that run, it’s not even that far of a reach. More importantly, however, Shiva treats Cassandra pretty much the exact same way as she treats Vic: she tears her apart and then leaves her alone for a year so she can rebuild herself. That’s not to say it’s a 100% perfect callback. She does help Cass get her body-reading skills back, and sadly, some of Shiva’s kill-crazy personality has seeped in, making her give speeches about how Cassandra is a waste because she doesn’t kill and how if they are to fight they must fight to the death and whatnot. Which makes sense for Cassandra’s development since rejecting such notions is a big part of her character, although that doesn’t make it any less tired.
But ultimately, the reason why I bring up Puckett’s Shiva is because he’s pretty much the only one to actually take those aspects of O’Neil’s Shiva and bring them back into the light. In a perfect world, the whole “you must kill” thing wouldn’t exist and Shiva would just be satisfied with seeing Cassandra develop on her own. And as we move further into pure headcanon territory, I think O’Neil’s Shiva would be downright fascinated by the idea of someone becoming stronger than her in their own terms rather than just by trying to be like her in every way. Sadly, Puckett’s Shiva doesn’t stick the landing, since the respect she shows for Vic’s personal growth is nowhere to be seen here. And once Gabrych takes over, we’re right back into caricature mode, where we’ve stayed for over a decade save for that one Blackest Night Question special. Which was co-written by, big surprise here, Denny O’Neil.
I understand why writers go for it. It’s simple, it’s dramatic, it’s familiar, and it gives their characters something to brag about. “Trained by the greatest martial artists in the DCU, including Lady Shiva” is used to describe even people like Cassandra who never actually trained under her. But I think it’s an error. And I find the alternative not just more gripping and compelling but also ripe with possibilities for both characters in the equation. It forces the person writing it to sit down and think what could Shiva find interesting in each character, and how they could be changed by her presence, framing it all as a two-sided journey of self discovery rather than a melodramatic ideological struggle of which we all know the ending. All you have to do is stop treating one of the most interesting characters in modern DC as a tool to make others get better at punching.
#Lady Shiva#DC#Batman#Robin#Batgirl#Denny O'Neil#Kelley Puckett#Comic books#Ramblings#First Shiva Rant of 2019#Look#I made it to two whole days#That's gotta count for something#Right?
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Detective Comics #1000, Chris Conroy & Dave Wielgosz, eds.: I bought this on impulse because it was on the new releases shelf and people were talking about Batman online. It’s a 100-page anthology tribute for the Batman character’s 80th year and the one thousandth issue of “Detective Comics”. I don’t think anyone is ever at their best in a tribute anthology, but that makes them kind of interesting to look at, you know? There are eleven stories, which I will now spoil in their entirety.
1. “Batman’s Longest Case”, Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo, Jonathan Glapion, FCO Plascencia, Tom Napolitano: The first of two stories in which Batman is doing something that looks grim, but is actually happy and anniversary-ish - both with similar titles, and both from major Batman writers. This is the better one, because I think Capullo is an interesting artist. He’s comparable to Jae Lee, in that he’s someone who had some work in comics under his belt prior to being ushered into the second ‘generation’ of popular Image artists, and has continued to evolve quite vividly over the years. The Capullo of today dials up the use of shadows and silhouette that used to sort of decorate the folds of Spawn’s flowing cape and such - here, they’re used more to focus attention on storytelling fundamentals: geography; gesture; etc. I also generally like the colorist, FCO Plascencia, who’s done some Varleyesque color-as-mood work on earlier comics with this team, though the story here is subdued... very classy, dressed for the gala.
Hints of ‘90s grotesquerie only pop up once Batman has solved a large number of flamboyantly abstruse riddles and discovered that the titular Longest Case is really an initiation test fronted by wrinkly old Slam Bradley, the original Siegel & Shuster-created star of “Detective Comics” back in 1937, who welcomes Batman to a Guild of Detection. This is clever of the writer, Scott Snyder, because Batman as a basic concept is hugely derivative of earlier pulp, detective and strip hero characters - and, if you’re being honest about paying homage to the character’s origins, you might as well play up lineage as your metaphor.
2. “Manufacture for Use”, Kevin Smith, Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Alex Sinclair, Todd Klein: In contrast, this story shoots for the quintessential. Smith, of course, is the filmmaker and longtime geek culture celebrity who’s written comics off and on, so maybe it’s his distance from the continuum of superhero writing that has inspired a short story that could have run as a backup in any Batman comic since the 1970s, give or take few cultural references. Matches Malone (Batman, when he is being an undercover cop) descends into the secretive world of true crime memorabilia to buy the gun that killed Bruce Wayne’s parents, which he then melts down to form the metal bat-symbol plate Batman wears on his chest, verily steeling his heart with the memory of this tragedy to fortify him in his neverending battle against crime! NANANANANANANANA BATMAAAAAN! Jim Lee and his usual crew makes everything look like it’s ‘supposed’ to, provided you see this type of statuesque posing as the best sort of superhero art, which many DC comics readers presumably do, given how a lot of these things look.
3. “The Legend of Knute Brody”, Paul Dini, Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs, John Kalisz, Steve Wands: Dini has written tons of comics, with not a few of those drawn by Nguyen, but this feels mostly like DC1k (acronym’s resemblance to “DICK” a purely innocuous reference to Nightwing, I assure you) acknowledging the extensive legacy of “Batman: The Animated Series”, on which Dini was a writer and producer. The story takes the form of a biography of an infamously clumsy hired thug for supervillains, whom even the most novice reader will have figured out is a Batman Family asset about halfway down page 4 of 8, leaving a whole lot of laborious and narration-heavy slapstick to wade through. Admittedly, this might work better as an animated cartoon, with voice acting leavening the pace of the gags, but I’m also not sure ‘this would be better in a different art form’ is the impression superhero comics should be giving right now.
4. “The Batman’s Design”, Warren Ellis, Becky Cloonan, Jordie Bellaire, Simon Bowland:
Most of the drawing in DC1k is the kind of stuff you can easily trace to a few popular and fairly narrow traditions of ‘realistic’ superhero art. Becky Cloonan is the only woman to draw an entire comic in here -- Joëlle Jones co-pencils a story with Tony Daniel later on, and Amanda Conner does a pinup, mind -- and her work is the only place in this book where you catch glimpses of a global popular comics beyond the superhero provinces in the Hewlettian wild eyes of the hapless human opponents of her Batman, lunging through velvet layers of cape and smoke, lipless mouth parted on a shōnen ai jaw. It is really very impressive.
The writer, Warren Ellis, does a pathos-of-the-hard-man story, in which Batman explains his combat strategies via narration while carrying them out, occasionally making reference to the medical bills his prey will incur and their timely motivations as terroristic white men who feel ignored by the world, and at the end Batman asks the last guy U WANT TO LIVE IN MY NIGHTMARE, LITTLE BOY and the guy is like n- no dr. batman sir, and gives up because Batman’s is too dangerous and scary a life model. It is made clear from the text that Batman has programmed himself into a system of reactionary violence that he inevitably reinforces, but this message is so heavily sugared with cool action and tough talk that the reader can easily disregard such commentary, if so inclined, which has been a trait of Ellis’ genre comics writing since at least as far back as “The Authority” in the late 1990s. It fits Batman as naturally as the goddamned cowl.
5. “Return to Crime Alley”, Dennis O’Neil, Steve Epting, Elizabeth Breitweiser, ‘Andworld Design’: I was surprised that there weren’t other writers from across the Atlantic in DC1k, given the extensive contributions of Alan Grant and Grant Morrison to the character. I was maybe not as surprised to see Dennis O’Neil as the lone credited writer to pre-date the blood and thunder revolution of Frank Miller et al. in the mid-1980s, as that commercial shadow is far too long to escape. Of course, O’Neil was one of the architects of superhero comics as a socially relevant proposition and Batman as a once-again ‘serious’ character in the 1970s, and it may be a reflection of his standing as a patriarch that this story contains no sugar whatsoever: on the anniversary of his parents’ death, Batman is confronted by a childhood caregiver who has figured out his dumb secret identity, and castigates him for doing stupid shit like dressing up as an animal and punching the underclass when he could actually do something as a wealthy man to improve the world. Then Batman starts beating the shit out of young masked teens who have stolen a gun, after which Batman, who is also a masked thug, is told that he is, at best, a figure of pity. The end!
What emerges from this story, to my eye, is that Batman is a terrible fucking idea if examined with any sort of serious realism - and Steve Epting draws the story as close to photorealism as anything in this book gets. I also think it is not insignificant that O’Neil, the writer here most unplugged from superhero comics as a commercial vocation, is the one to make these observations; to believe in superhero comics is to understand that there is play at the heart of these paper dolls, and to make your living from these things is to contemplate new avenues for play. Maybe Batman is dark, obsessive! Should he... kill? Sure, Bill Finger made him kill. The Shadow killed lots of dudes. So did Dick Tracy. Ramp up the verisimilitude too much, though, and you’ve got a guy wearing a hood going out by the cover of night to scare the shit out of superstitious cowards who’ve been taking from the good people of society, which, in terms of motivational narratives, is the same origin as the Ku Klux Klan. To play nonetheless, is the craftsman’s burden.
6. “Heretic”, Christopher Priest, Neal Adams, Dave Stewart, Willie Schubert: Meanwhile, on the other side of the coin, is veteran Batman artist and frequent Dennis O’Neil collaborator Neal Adams. And while Adams is not credited as the writer on this story, it bears all the hallmarks of his 21st century work at DC: whiplash pacing; uneasy expository dialogue; and eager callbacks to Adams’ earlier work. This is the Batman comic as a continuity-driven adventure, and I found it largely incomprehensible as a story, not unlike Adams’ recent “Deadman” miniseries. I still like his husky Batman, though.
7. “I Know”, Brian Michael Bendis, Alex Maleev, Josh Reed: Hey, did you know Brian Michael Bendis, writer of approximately ten and one half zillion Marvel comics, is writing comics at DC these days? Here he teams with longtime collaborator Maleev for a story that brings to mind the old line from Grant Morrison’s & Dave McKean’s “Arkham Asylum” about Batman being the real person and the guy under the mask being the mask. The Penguin, of all villains, figures out Batman’s secret identity, but elects not to pursue Bruce Wayne in his private life, because destroying Bruce Wayne would create a pure Batman far too dark and twiztid for anyone to handle. Or, maybe that is all just an image the perfectly sane Batman has deliberately encouraged as part of his umpteenth contingency plan. I would argue that this is a gentle spoof of people taking Batman too seriously, which clicks with what I’ve read of Bendis’ idea of the character in those 100-page comics they sell at Walmart: a globetrotting detective-adventurer, appropriate for all ages. Bear in mind, I’ve read maybe 0.2% of all Brian Bendis comics.
8. “The Last Crime in Gotham”, Geoff Johns, Kelley Jones, Michelle Madsen, Rob Leigh: Whoa, now we’re talking! Kelley Jones! Just look at this:
Such totally weird stuff, coming from the artist who drew all those classic ‘90s covers with the huge bat-ears and wildly distorted musculature, the cape this absurd, unreal shroud. It looks like he’s working from photo reference with some of this comic, but also just tearing out these drawings of huge jawlines and shit, this total what-the-fuck-is-going-on haze, which perfectly matches Geoff Johns’ furiously ridiculous story about an elderly Batman and his wife, Catwoman, and their daughter, and Damian, and a dog, who all investigate a mass murder that turns out to be the Joker’s son committing suicide, and then Batman unplugs the Bat-Signal because crime is over in Gotham forever, and then we find out it’s all the birthday wish of Batman, who is blowing out the candles on his birthday cake, in costume, in the Batcave. Is “Doomsday Clock” like this? Should I pirate it??
9. “The Precedent”, James Tynion IV, Alvaro Martinez-Bueno, Raul Fernandez, Brad Anderson, Sal Cipriano: Inevitably, we come to the story that argues that Batman is actually a great guy, and his pressing of children into action as vigilantes under the cover of night is an amazingly positive thing. This is what I mean by “play” - it doesn’t literally make sense, we all know that, but if you buy into the superhero idea, you can buy into this universe of metaphor where the Batman Family is a vivification of finding your company of people, and belonging, and being loved. Lots of talk in here about snatching young people out of the darkness and forging them in light, and helping them find a better path - it sounds like Batman is signing these kids up for the Marine Corps, which is one of several organizations that recognizes the power of these arch-romantic impulses.
10. “Batman’s Greatest Case.”, Tom King, Tony S. Daniel, Joëlle Jones, Tomeu Morey, Clayton Cowles: This is just unbearable. Oh god, what absolute treacle. It’s the second story in this book about Batman being serious and mysterious, but it turns out something nice is going on - he really just wants a photo of the whole Batman Family, because he lost his family when his parents got shot, but then he cracked his greatest case by finding a new family, which is the Batman Family!
All of this is communicated via clipped dialogue in which various Batman Family superheroes trade faux-awkward quips and cutesy ‘moments’ that are supposed to embody the endearing traits of the characters, but read as the blunt machinations of art that is absolutely desperate to be liked. This is art that is weeping on my shoulder and insisting I am its friend, and I want to get away from it, immediately. Tom King is the most acclaimed superhero writer of this generation, and I can only presume his better work is elsewhere.
11. “Medieval”, Peter J. Tomasi, Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza, David Baron, Rob Leigh:
Finally, we have the obligatory story-that-leads-into-next-issue’s-serial, thereby demonstrating that Batman endures. It’s done as a series of 12 splash pages, depicting Batman in battle with his greatest foes, and it benefits immeasurably from the presence of artist Doug Mahnke (some inks by Jaime Mendoza), whose been a favorite of mine since those early, blood-splattered issues of “The Mask” at Dark Horse decades ago. Broadly speaking, Mahnke is working in a similarly muscular vein as many contributors to DC1k, but his sense of composition, of spectacle -- that boot-in-the-face energy the British call thrill-power -- adds an important extra crackle, and an element of humor; his Batman looks like a hulking maniac dressed in garbage bags, beating the shit out of monster after leering monster. What we are seeing is the fevered imagining of a new villain, the Arkham Knight (a variant of a character introduced in a video game), whom writer Peter J. Tomasi characterizes via the old trick of having the villain narrate to us a bunch of familiar criticisms of the hero, which the hero will presumably react to and overcome, or acknowledge in an interesting way, or something, in future installments. This probably would have worked better if other stories in this book hadn’t already made a lot of the same points in a manner that is not an advertisement for the rebuttal of those points... or if I were even capable of reading a story like this without imagining a final dialogue bubble coming in from off-panel going “SIR, THIS IS A BURGER KING DRIVE-THRU.” But something’s gotta go in issue #1001.
-Jog
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I have some issues that I want to talk about...
Ok so I’ve been thinking about macdennis (as one does 25 hours a day) and I just wanna share something... so we all know Mac and Dennis are gay for eachother, as does anyone who’s seen them interact in the slightest, and that’s been apparent since the literal first episode of the show (this isn’t necessarily related but I think it’s cute that the literal first lines of the show are between these two gays but to continue on...) and the levels of said gayness have evolved over the seasons. We have season 1 twinks who are subtle (at least for the most part) in their homosexual subtext and this could be played off as two “really good friends” but nothing beyond that (not how I choose to see it but some do and that’s not necessarily invalid just because some of us disagree), moving on through the seasons the gayness becomes more blatantly obvious, it’s brought to the viewers point of focus in a more straight(lol)forward way and the climax of this really shows in season 5 with the tipping point being Mac and Dennis Break up. Other than the few scenes with Frank/Charlie this whole episode is devoted to the blatant codependency of Mac/Dens relationship, not to mention the sexual tension (which is completely unsubtle imo), they literally cannot function without eachother and there is NO heterosexual reasoning that can explain the extended scene (beautiful lips!)... as we progress further in the show the homosexual undertones only become stronger (I could site every point in individual episodes and have a thesis level of critical analysis but for the sake of brevity we won’t go there today) which can be seen in the double parter Mac Fights Gay Marriage/Dennis Gets Divorced, any Mac and Dennis titled episode really and many more (every episode or at least most of them shows some level of interaction between the two that makes the viewer go “hmm well that’s gay as fuck”). Continuing on though, I’m writing this mostly to get into the newer seasons (11/12 respectively) so obviously in season 11 we have the ICONIC suburbs episode where they literally move to a house together and take up their individual “marital duties” (i.e. honey do list, Mac staying at home and taking care of things in his way lol, and Dennis going to work, etc) and we learn a lot about their dynamic and see that the codependency has not in fact weakened over time but grown to incomprehensible levels, in the rest of season 11 there’s fairly limited interaction and Mac/Dennis team ups but in the 2 part finale of The Gang Goes to Hell there are some important pieces. To start Dennis in the beginning is the one who supports Mac’s decisions (saying something along the lines of “you don’t have to mean it, just say what he wants to hear” etc) and it shows how well he knows Mac compared to the rest of the gang, again we have limited interaction until the end of the first part but there’s some really interesting stuff once they do get to interact. I’d like to start with Dennis’ reaction to Mac coming out and how “he always knew”, he always knew and still acted the way he always has (and knowing that he knew, makes one doubt Dennis’ own self proclaimed heterosexuality), moving on, when the boat first malfunctions Dennis automatically reaches his hand out to steady Mac and doesn’t show any real concern for anyone else, fuck even after the boat steadies he keeps his arm reaching out towards him... there’s definitely more in part two but I’m going to skip ahead a little to the tail end of part two. Dennis hid the letters that Mac’s dad sent him from prison and he looks heart broken when Mac gets upset, showing that Dennis actually gives a shit no matter how much he tries to pretend that he doesn’t (this is pre onion that I’m talking about here) and I believe that he honestly was just trying to protect Mac from his shitty father (which could have to do with Dennis’ own daddy issues but we won’t get into that here), also in the end of this episode we have Charlie saying something along the lines of “send us a miracle” and Dennis looks @ Mac in that super love sick way (he is his miracle! i’m so soft i apologize). The last thing I want to touch on in this episode is that when Mac is shoved back into the closet at the end, Dennis makes a very frustrated face... the face of a man who just wants his best friend to come out already... wow ok this is long but let’s move on to season 12, that will continue in the next paragraph break for the sake of breaking up this wall of text...
Ok so in season 12 is where imo everything kind of culminates and comes to a head as far as Mac and Dennis’ dynamic goes...to touch briefly on Making Dennis Reynolds a Murderer, we have “Well if Mac’s going to do it... I’m going to do it” (which speaks for itself) as well as Mac and Dennis just generally being portrayed as spending quite a bit of time together. Moving on to where everything really kicks off in this season imo is Hero or Hate Crime. We have Mac finally escaping from the closet but there’s a lot that’s woven into that, Dennis encourages Mac to come out of the closet until he actually does so (we’ll get to that in a minute) and when Mac leaves Dennis is the one who encourages the gang to just let him enjoy his first day out. The importance of Dennis pushing Mac to come out and then getting uncomfortable when he actually does is because HE NEVER THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN, and when it does he makes the same fucking face as he does when he’s trying to hide his emotions during the RPG scene... after this episode Dennis becomes “emotionally distant” (to quote Mac himself) and he generally is just kind of weird about Mac being out, I personally believe that’s because he’s too scared to admit his own feelings and scared to have to explore his own sexuality and how that impacts his overall identity. Obviously next we have PTSDee and Mac’s dream/subsequent reality, so at this point it’s well established that Mac has a thing for notorious 5 star man Dennis Reynolds but now we have to ask the question “does Dennis reciprocate those feelings?” (spoiler alert: yeah he does but moving on), in this episode it’s made apparent that Dennis is aware of Mac’s attraction (and has been for a long time) but even though it comes very close, he does not act on that attraction in a substantial way and we as an audience collectively heave a disappointed sigh (in gay) and hope for better next time. Next up is the The Gang Tends Bar, which is a fucking masterpiece... so from the beginning we have Dennis trying to avoid Valentine’s day and get the gang to “just do their jobs!”. Later we have the parallel between Mac trying to talk to Charlie about Dennis and Dee trying to talk to Frank about Charlie (both convos are interrupted by that intruding Jerry) and that is really solid evidence for the Chardee Macdennis Theory™... to get to my point here we have the “I have big feelings” speech and Mac coming in to save the day with his gift. So this is where it goes off, Mac who is now openly out gives Dennis a Valentine’s Day gift and makes no move to clarify this as a friendly/unromantic gesture, and the way that Dennis looks at him (other than being hella gay) is one of realization and just realizing that someone actually loves him (our collective hearts break for the bastard man), and going back to Hero or Hate Crime, he makes that same face when he glances back at the gang which is him trying to hide his emotions and how much Mac/the RPG really mean to him. Lastly in season 12 we have DDL, imo the most crucial part of this episode as far as Macdennis goes is in the beginning when they are coming up with the plan, I’ll insert the script here because it says more than I ever could:
Mac: Look, I think the point is, maybe we got to close the emotion door for Mandy by telling her that you're gay.
Dennis: Yeah, right, but I already had sex with her.
How am I gonna convince her I'm gay?
Mac: Just go with me here. Brian's not above having a one-night stand with a woman, but he's got no room for her emotionally - because he's in love with me.
Dennis: With you?
Mac: Well, yes, the lover is me, of course.
Dennis: Mm.
So this to me is just the writers pointing out the nature of Mac and Dennis’ relationship, they literally change the dynamic in no way and they’re almost screaming “THEIR IN LOVE YOU FOOLS”... the rest of the episode shows Dennis being confused at Mac’s actions (”why would you say you want to raise the kid?!” and showing discomfort when Mac launches into the same “he’s my bottom” speech from Mortgage Crisis) and Mac becoming more brazen with his obvious huge crush on Mr. Reynolds. Dennis leaves dramatically at the end and takes about 10 times longer to say Mac’s name than any other member of the gang, while Mac looks on with that sad puppy dog look on his face. This is how they leave it, other than Mac and the rest of the gang blowing up the Rover.
So to get to the original point I was trying to make before going the fuck off... now that we’re in season 13 we all are kind of wondering where they’re going to take this. After all the evidence I’ve discussed here, plus literally the entire roster of episodes, I just want to say that something with a capital S is going to happen. I mean, why would they be focusing so much on their relationship (to the point of it being uncomfortable *cringes and thinks about the sex doll*) and not ... take that anywhere? I mean they’ve been upping the anti since around season 10 and I feel like that character development and plot evolution is not for nothing, RCG know what they’re doing and I truly believe that we may get something at least resembling canon Macdennis this season, add in the factor of promo like “The Machelor” and it’s almost impossible that we aren’t going to get anything... also in the promo for the new episode we have Mac and Dennis holding a fucking heart shaped object between their hands...HEART SHAPED and that’s a level of metaphor that’s not even trying to be subtle... anyways I’m gonna go now but these are my surface level thoughts on the matter and if you want to hear some more specific analysis (on episodes/scenes) don’t hesitate to ask and I’ll type out something similar and not as lengthy. If you made it this far, I wish your heart luck moving further in this new season and we can all cry together
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s13:
hi okay i kept talking in the tags on my last post so here is more about s13 predictions ig
like i said we all know den literally can't function without mac it's been proven several times in the show
CLEARLY in mac & dennis break up
& my thought is how this will affect s13
so like,,,they're lying if they're gonna try & pretend like dennis can actually cope w/o mac if anything i think he needs him more than ever rn. even if dennis miraculously developed quickly & amazingly enough 2 be a dad that doesn't change how much he depends on mac. boy couldn't live without him in s5, and he was still like, okay then? obviously none of these characters r okay but i've seen only a few ppl mention dennis in the latest seasons. consequently mac seems happier this past season especially now that he's out which is great (i mean then u have DDL & then that kinda shattered but let's not mention that rn) but like we know dennis has been like,,,ragin' a lot more & he was diagnosed in s10 & we haven't really seen him happy in awhile like compared 2 earlier seasons when he seemed more calm & happy. what he thinks he needs is to leave his old life behind but what he actually needs, probably, is the gang rn more than ever but ofc he's not gonna admit that! so he run!
there's a number of reasons why i can't see them letting den be gone for any length of time but the main one being that it just doesn't make sense? like frank said u can't just go be a dad & he was right, & even if i think dennis could be capable of that it's obvious he's getting Worse & to be away from his friends, his family rn is not gonna help that, especially when we know he would be miserable in ND which is literally essentially what he says in 10.01 when he gets off the plane. i'm not a dumbass who thinks he's a sociopath & i know he has big feelings but i still don't see this being a situation where a child is magically the thing 2 crack dennis & fix all his problems
so like, there's my argument based on just the POV of the setting. now let's go back 2 den himself. like i said it definitely seems like he's getting worse, & him admitting that he has feelings was a huge, pivotal thing for him especially to admit that to the entire gang. from there they could use that to finally get den's character to open up a lil more & not try to suppress everything which i think is essentially why he seems worse? he wants to be one way & not feel & it's affecting him as it has over the years. we also know from mac, that he's been distant w him. whether u ship them or not they have a connection that's different from all the rest. so mac senses that den is acting different& like pushing him away, & we know it's not bc he's gay cuz den always knew that. this is where theories come into play, cuz it could have to do w den's feelings & trying to push the gang away so that he can pretend everything is okay which i think is a reasonable guess, or if u wanna add another layer to that there's also been the mention of him being uncomfortable with mac being out because now he's scared of mac's feelings & his own feelings.
it could be bc of the thing b/w them, or just the different connection that they have, but mac is the only one who says anything about dennis being distant. so is he only being distant w mac, or do the others just not notice bc they're not mac? either way mac is the one who notices & he's gonna be the first one to notice things going on w dennis. den has been like on a downward spiral almost & i think the RPG & brian jr just brought that to a head, & he runs, supposedly 2 deal w the latter. (i'm sorry i'm referring 2 a fuckin baby like it's a war crime but i don't evenl like them anyway so it's fine)
like depending on how u wanna interpret it, RPG=dennis realizing how he feels about mac, or how mac feels about him, or just the fact that he was all upset about vday only 2 find out mac got him what he wanted more than anythin & it didn't even matter 2 him that there wasn't a rocket bc it was the gesture so i mean interpret that how u will but FEELINGS
& then brian jr=who he apparently knew about but only becomes a problem bc mandy all of a sudden decides 2 show up & also thinks he's someone else so i really still don't understand some of the logic behind this event but anyhow. he's like noticeably v on edge this ep bc he literally had no idea how 2 get out of it & then all of a sudden he's like wait no i don't want to, but that's not the only thing? pretending to be in a relationship w mac & mac telling him he wanted 2 fake it & raise the kid w him was obviously also adding onto that & still his response was "im not gonna PRETEND to be in a relationship w u for the entirety of my child's life" so again interpret that how u will but...obviously we know he decides 2 go raise brian jr
but he's not gonna be able to do that. not bc he's not capable. i'd like 2 point out he left everyone & everything behind including his RPG & his beloved range rover, so i mean he prob left everything at his apartment too. (i have some theories bout this but it is not the time for those) like his car. is still in philly. his decision is made essentially on a whim after a moment w his kid & like an existential crisis while his friends danced around him bc up until that point he just didn't wanna deal w it
so it could've been like a few hours b/w those scenes but it's still a pretty impulsive decision considering it's a child, a new state you don't even like, a lovely woman ur not interested in, and leaving your friends, family, job, and entire life back in philly. maybe he also thinks it'll help him w his feelings. but he's been repressing shit for at least 12 years that we've seen (we know it's been longer like prob his whole life) & noticeably been getting worse, gives a sudden revelation to his friends about his feelings, & then leaves. that's not...okay. like we know they all have trauma & ridiculously unhealthy coping mechanisms but even if u take everything else away he's not gonna be happy having suppressed all his emotions and problems & then leaving having barely dealt with them w the others at all.
especially mac, who's a huge part of this which u can't deny even if u don't ship them. now i do so like my comments are gonna sway a bit more but i think it'll still work even if u don't agree w me on that aspect. personally i think there could be some sort of parallel there about how mac has gotten happier, while dennis has been more unhappy? like mac comes out & u could even argue dennis being jealous & acting that way bc he wants 2 come out & he's been suppressing that for so long but he's still not at a place rn to do it. or even the fact that mac feels more open & free to be himself while dennis feels the complete opposite & if anything has felt like repressing things even more, while mac mentions being sensitive (12.08 hints he feels more free 2 be sensitive now that he's out & doesn't have 2 worry about being so masculine so that he won't be called gay) & dennis mentions his big feelings but he's still not rlly talking about anything bc i mean u don't really just reveal everything suddenly. so especially in that regard he definitely needs mac.
like not only bc of their connection but bc he depends so much on mac & now mac feels more open & honest & i really think den needs to be around him more, not pushing him away (which could also be why) bc he needs to see how much happier mac is & how he's changed & maybe it'll help him open up more, & if anything mac would probably be the best one for him to do that w anyway.
i'm also gonna mention my sort of views on some ways den could come back: now considering his car was still there i think it could even be possible that mac goes home to their apartment to find that dennis is still there, maybe just waiting or maybe packing, who knows. them blowing up the range rover & using the RPG without him only to find that he hadn't left yet, or at all is definitely something i could see happening (& i know this is a more serious post about den but come on i think we'd all laugh @ that) or the thing i definitely see happening is the gang talking in the bar, who knows how long it's been (maybe a day, maybe a few months) & all of a sudden dennis strolls in and says nothing, walks behind the bar & grabs a beer while the others just stop talking and stare. cue title card "dennis is back" (tbh this is one of the most realistic ones i think & i know glenn mentioned it might be funny if he just didn't come back at all but i think this is vastly more funny & in keeping w the show i mean come ON) or there's like the sad part. this again could depend on how u wanna view things. but if u look at it as dennis going on a downward spiral, only for him to kinda hit rock bottom w the RPG & brian jr. (which isn't even a theory that's literally what happened) then we know this isn't good. it's not a typical situation where they leave on good terms, or they leave happy because we know he wasn't happy. we know he initially didn't want this & isn't ready & we know he hates north dakota, & we also know it's not like he's in love w mandy or anything no matter how nice she seemed, as the person he was closest to was: mac. so it's not like he's really leaving for a better lifestyle either necessarily, because he may have mentioned envisioning himself getting married & having a kid but we saw how it went when he married someone he didn't love, and how he again was unable to function without mac, and it's obviously not how anyone plans on those things happening, & if they did have him settle down w mandy which i do not see ever happening we know he'd literally be settling.
so for him to have been going through a rough patch, to hit an extremely low point & then walk away from his friends, is not going to end well. he hit that low point & is now leaving without dealing with any of his problems because his focus is on fixing one of them: the kid, but also how he was affected by frank because he doesn't want the kid to grow up in that same way. so he thinks that's the most important issue, because he also likes to pretend he doesn't have any other ones, & thinks this is the thing he needs to deal with and everything will be fine. but he didn't deal with anything else, he's only bringing those problems with him, to north dakota, to mandy, to the kid, to his "new life." so if anything he's only gonna be more miserable and he won't even have mac there w him, who he literally depends on to function & considering he's only getting worse being w/o mac is the last thing he needs even if he thinks, or wants to believe that that's exactly what will help. idk how they're gonna deal w him being gone, if he's gone for any length of time or anything, but my point is if he's stated to be gone for months or something like that i'm pretty sure he's gonna come back at the worst we've ever seen him because he was only without mac for hours before he realized he had no idea what to do & they were only, what, a few miles away? part of all this is that he's codependent but that is most heavily dealing with mac. s5 dennis was still doing pretty okay, considering. so him not functioning without mac was just pathetic. s12 dennis has been a mess & him being without mac at arguably his lowest point is kind of scary to think about.
#im sorry this is SO LONG#but...yeah basically#some of y'all thought den was dark#but if hes gone for any length of time...#like hes gonna be sad as shit#& this isnt me being like omg he cant function w/o mac!#cuz like.#he literally cant.#theyve said this.#it isnt a joke#its not me saying it bc theyre so in love#its like..a direct result of dennis' bpd#mac happens to be the one he really relies on#that would be where id say the love comes in but#yeah#i really hope they dont do that#because ive thought before 'oh he should be gone awhile'#like maybe he'll develop more w the kid & everything#or that it'd be interesting to see the gang respond to life without him#but then i think about this#i hope they bring him back like right away like i said#cuz otherwise the only logical response from den being gone for awhile is for him to be like...Bad#ive seen fics mentioning like self harm & suicide (TW) & i've thought well i dont see that happening or thats too dark...#but honestly when i've written this all out i'm thinking it's more likely than not#& im not a psychologist im not claiming to be but i do get his character a lot bc we're very similar in that aspect like how we deal w thing#basically den needs to come back & ASAP bc its not gonna be good for him if he doesnt#dennis reynolds#macdennis#dennis needs him like now more than ever
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Consumer Guide / No.100 / Singer Nina Clarke with Mark Watkins.
MW : Planet Of Women - what happened next?
NC : Well, as you know, there was a point where Planet of Women were really set to take off; we had a major publishing deal with Sony, signed by the same person, Charlie Pinder, who signed The Darkness, we played the Download festival twice to rave reviews, we were being regularly featured in Kerrang, were the first band to sing live on 6 Music (for Bruce Dickinson’s rock show) and were on tour with Thunder and then The Quireboys.
I think one of the main things that happened was that “Classic Rock” didn’t take off again the way the industry at one point expected. We were billing ourselves as a classic rock ‘Aerosmith meets The Supremes’ band, so I think the industry became nervous of pushing us.
In all honesty, it just kind of fizzled out. The big opportunities stopped coming, there were some we didn’t want to take (we were asked to be the featured band on T4 Sunday each week for example – it was something half of the band wanted to do and half didn’t so it was a difficult one, but I am glad we didn’t do it. It would definitely have made good watching for TV I am sure (!). Overall, I am not really interested in a reality TV car crash version of what we were; I want to be able to hold my head up high in public for one thing!
Probably, the final nail in the coffin was me becoming pregnant with my little girl, Isabella. I moved back to Solihull to be nearer my parents and then, despite intending to carry on, I think we all knew that the moment had passed.
I still keep in touch with everyone from the band (and I am now married to the drummer, Martin – which is funny because we weren’t all that close when I was in the band; we got to know each other many years later). Jolene lives not too far from me in The Midlands with her family and Jade and I chat regularly on social media. Pete, the guitarist, comes over every now and then and Jason the bass player’s wife, Trudi, who is a phenomenal band live photographer, has taken photos for me several times (one of her photos of my wedding is on my wall in my lounge!).
I have been very active musically since Planet Of Women (other than under lockdown!). I have travelled the world singing with my Abba Tribute Band, 21st Century Abba, and The Tarantinos (places including Mauritius, India, Libya), have albums of library music published (songs used for Heart FM, Friends on Comedy Central, Coventry University) and done a lot of session work too (including duetting a few times with Jamie Oliver, the celebrity chef).
Jade still performs mainly within London collaborating with fantastic musicians and still sounding great. I had the real pleasure of singing backing vocals for her at a jazz festival in Corsica twice, which was wonderful and just like old times (Pete and Martin were also there). Jade still has her phenomenal voice; she has such a unique style. She has been entertaining us all with live performances from home under lockdown. I owe Jade a lot; she taught me how to (as Wayne’s World fans would say) ‘wail’! I honestly wouldn’t be where I am today without learning from her.
Pete still writes songs constantly and his library music is used all over the world. We have collaborated on many songs together (as has Jade and Pete). Pete is a brilliant songwriter – he taught me a lot about how to create a good song and whilst I now mainly collaborate with other people, I always love working with Pete.
Jolene is the social media queen; she honestly should write a book from her blogs – they always make me laugh. She is the one pushing us to do a one-off Planet Of Women reunion gig for old times sake, which would be great fun.
Jason, the bass player, is an avid music fan and he and Trudi travel the UK and Europe to attend festivals and watch bands. Jason has recently picked up his bass again and started playing live, which is great to see.
Russ was the original drummer and he now is the drummer for Uriah Heap, touring the world.
Magic (Martin) the later drummer got the best deal of course, because he married me (ha ha ha... he will kill me if he reads this!). Martin has toured with Bewitched, The Bay City Rollers, Jo Harman and also tours with me with The Tarantinos and 21st Century Abba. He is also a lecturer at BIMM Institute Birmingham and does a lot of session work in our studio at home too. He is endorsed by so many brands (Sonor, Paiste for example) and is such a talented, versatile drummer.
MW : Tell me about backing Graham Bonnet...
NC : Ah, he was such a lovely man, he really was. Very humble and kind. I was very nervous to meet him because he was a real rock legend. Even though Rainbow were big before my time, I grew up listening to an Ultimate Rock Songs album which I played to death, and ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ was one of my all-time favourite songs.
Graham was so friendly when we met him; he really put us at ease and was fun to hang around with after the show too. I still have the caricature picture he signed for me saying I did a great job. I can’t tell you how amazing it felt to be singing backing vocals for him – something I will never forget!
MW : Do you have any favourite songs of Graham's?
NC : It has to be ‘Since You’ve Been Gone’ from 1979 – it’s an all-time classic! I really enjoyed ‘Night Games’ too; a song originally from 1981 that I hadn’t known until working with Graham.
MW : Tell me about your ABBA covers band...
NC : I have always been a huge Abba fan, in fact I think I may have been named after the 1970s Abba song ‘Nina, Pretty Ballerina’ (I always remember my uncle singing it to me). My nan had the Super Trouper album (released in 1980) and I used to play it every time I went to her house. I felt a connection to Agnetha on account of us both having naturally long blonde hair and I idolised the band.
Once I moved back to Solihull, to have my babies, I still wanted to be involved with live music and also needed Part Time work. I saw an advert for an Abba tribute band in The Stage and auditioned. I was very proud to get the part!
Since then, I have switched Abba bands a few times. My Abba tribute band now, 21st Century Abba, was only set up last year by myself and Marcus, who was the Bjorn with me in a past Abba tribute band. In our previous Abba tribute bands we won the UK’s No.1 Abba tribute band at the National Tribute Awards by the Agents Association GB every year from 2013-2018.
The only thing was that the keys weren’t live and the harmonies were on track, which always made us feel like a second rate band. So we set up on our own with a live keys player and myself and Indrija, who plays Frida, sing all the harmonies as Abba sang them, and it feels like we have raised our game. It's great fun – we travel all over the world (I have been to India, Mauritius, Libya to name but a few places).
I honestly feel so lucky to be doing this as a job.
MW : What covers are most requested by your ABBA fans?
NC : ‘Dancing Queen’ is the main song that people request - I don’t think we would be forgiven if we didn’t play that song in our set! Although perhaps that is because we pretend to finish the show and then it’s our big encore, so people start cheering for it when we go off stage.
Honestly, it is so hard because there were just so many huge Abba hits and it really is impossible to fit them all into every show! We do try to ensure for a private booking that we play that person’s favourite song though.
MW : List in order of preference your Top 5 Tarantino films, and say something about your No.1 choice…
NC :
5 Inglourious B*stards (2009)
4 Jackie Brown (1997)
3 Reservoir Dogs (1992)
2 Kill Bill, Volumes 1 & 2 (2003 & 2004)
1 Pulp Fiction (1994)
Wow, this is a difficult question! I love them all!
Pulp Fiction has been my all-time favourite since university – I had posters of John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson on the wall. It is such a clever film – the chronology of it is all over the place but it all ties together at the end – brilliant. I just fell in love with the way Tarantino, unlike any other film, adds detailed chat that is not necessary to the story of the film – the fact that assassins could be casually discussing cheeseburgers on the job is both hilarious and disturbing.
MW : Do you sing in the shower?! What songs?!
NC : Of course! The acoustics are fab!! I have always sung ‘Andante, Andante’, the Abba song from the Super Trouper album (it's actually a Frida song so shh!). It was always one of my favourite songs off the album and nobody had ever heard of it until Mamma Mia 2 came along recently. I was so happy that finally other people were also raving about the song!
I also sing ‘Crazy’ by Patsy Cline – a huge 1960s country hit. it was one of the first songs I had to learn in a function band I was in when I first moved to London.
MW : What was the last good book you read (or are reading)?
NC : I am a sucker for a good psychological thriller. Currently reading ‘Sleep’ by C.L. Taylor which I can’t put down (I am a bit of a bookworm!). Only a few weeks ago I read ‘1984′ by George Orwell; I knew so much about it, even watched the film, but hadn’t actually ever read it. Absolutely brilliant – so many films and books today have been influenced by George Orwell; fantastic!
MW : Any celebrities you keep in touch with, or are on your radar?
NC : Martin (my husband) was drumming for Bewitched for a while, and one of the twins, Keavy, came to our wedding. Dennis Stratton (of Iron Maiden) was also at our wedding as a joint Best Man too (along with Knuckles from The Tarantinos). It's funny because I don’t see them as celebrities; they are genuinely nice people and we consider them friends.
A few years ago, I was presenting The Black Country Rock Show for Guitarist TV and had the pleasure of interviewing people like Tony Clarkin (Magnum – see You Tube for the outtakes of our interview – we couldn’t stop laughing!), Brian Tatler (Diamond Head) and Al Atkins (Judas Priest). It was great fun and as part of that, I sang on an album, soon to be released. I sang lead on my version of ‘Still Got The Blues’ by Gary Moore, with Dennis Stratton on guitar, Harry from Thunder on drums, Nick from Magnum on Bass and Mike De Jaeger, my co-presenter on the show also on guitar. It was recorded at Mad Hat Studios in The Midlands and was great fun.
Luke from Thunder - at first I kept in contact with and he offered to write together on some songs, but, and I really regret this now, this offer came just as I had had my first child and I never did anything about it!
There was also talk of Planet Of Women doing backing vocals for The Quireboys again at their big shows in September 2020, although due to Covid 19, it looks like this now won’t happen, which is a real shame.
MW : What about meeting Jamie Oliver?
NC : The Jamie Oliver thing started when I met a music producer, Leigh Haggerwood, when I was performing a pub gig in London years ago. He said he liked my voice and then called me out of the blue to ask if I could do a piece of session work for him which I then found out was a duet with Jamie Oliver to be performed when he was the featured chef at The Good Food Show at the NEC (you had to pay extra for his show, which was in a separate auditorium, and he cooked to the song). Jamie was a drummer before he became a famous chef (funnily enough the bass player in The Tarantinos, Andy Tolman, was the bass player in their band) and so he wanted to incorporate music into his show.
The first song was a cover of Nelly’s ‘Hot In Here’ and was called ‘Cold Out There’. My main line was ‘I just love this soup, it really makes me hoooorrrrrnyyyyy’!! The following year I was asked to sing the duet again, and this time the song was about fish stew, and the main line was ‘I Wanna Fish Stew’. Yes, it was intended to be rude! The funniest thing was Leigh and Jamie sniggering like school kids while writing lines and then asking me to sing them. Jamie did a spoof You Tube video using the song (look it up!) and then for his 40th birthday the staff of all his restaurants lined the streets of London cheering him, and there was a gospel choir singing a gospel version of our song!
Around that time, I went to several of Jamie’s parties, both at his home and in local pubs. I went to a barbecue at his country home when they had only just bought it (which was filmed for The Naked Chef). I really got on well with his wife, Jules – she was so friendly and down to earth. And Jamie was just one of the lads – really good fun. I sang at Jules’ 30th birthday party too which was great fun.
I do have signed recipe books by Jamie, and I genuinely do love his recipes – they are perfect for me – really lovely food but not too posh or fiddly that you end up either failing or feeling hungry after!
He really is a very talented chef and a really good guy.
MW : How good are you at Maths?
NC : Ha Ha! This may sound strange, given I am a singer, but I actually have a 1st class Mathematics and Business Studies degree from Warwick University, and I am also a qualified chartered Accountant!
I was always very studious at school and even though I loved singing, I was too shy to really push myself. It was only when I went to university, joined a gospel choir (which I ended up running in my third year) and then set up a band that I started to really enjoy performing live. My first band, The Sally Gardens, were terrible when we first started out! We were all new to performing and our songs were very average. However, three years later (and a few changes of members) and I think we were really putting out some great songs. I was performing more and more solos with the gospel choir and I realised that I wanted to carry on singing even when I moved into the “Real World”.
I took an Auditing (Accounting) job in London mainly so I could be in the centre of London, and try to get into the music scene. I had all sorts of adventures before hooking up with Jade in Planet of Women.
After moving back to Solihull, I started working for Hilton Hotels in Finance (I am the main finance person for several hotels). People find it really strange that I have two very different, equally important jobs, but I think it is the perfect mix. I get the perfect balance between brain work and creativity, and I genuinely get to earn money from my two passions!
MW : What are you most looking forward to doing once ALL the Coronavirus restrictions are lifted?
NC : Of course, it has to be performing. We were lucky enough to do a theatre show on 14th March 2020, just before lockdown, but this now seems a lifetime ago! All of our festivals have been pushed back to next year and hopefully our dates abroad will get rebooked next year too. The very sad thing is that some of the venues that we were really enjoying working with have unfortunately had to close, which is really upsetting. I do hope that the government urgently helps venues so that they aren’t forced to close. I miss my Abba and Tarantino's families!
I will miss all the time I have had writing songs and doing session work though – it has been great to get really creative with writing. I have albums published with Justin Bryant through BMG (Teen Pop Sensation Deep East Music) and , as I touched on earlier, our songs were used to advertise Friends (yes, the comedy series with Rachel, Ross and Joey), Heart FM and Coventry University to name but a few, plus I am signed to Long Lunch Music in a collaboration called Sequoia (with Chris Garfield from Jimmy James and the Vagabonds and Marcus Tate from 21st Century Abba).
We recently filmed a video (‘Where’s This Thing Going’ Sequoia – on You Tube) for one of our songs. The video was filmed under lockdown, which was great fun (although it's always embarrassing watching yourself on screen!).
MW : What have you learned most about yourself during lockdown?
NC : Hmm... at first I learned that I don’t have to rush around; that there is so much to enjoy right in front of my nose…the garden, my neighbours, chilling with my children (Izzy and Jack) and my husband. However, I must say, after three months, I started to get a bit stir-crazy….I do think I am built to work…if you know the famous poem, I am a Saturday’s child so I work hard for a living!
MW : Where do you see yourself in 5 years time?
NC : Ooh... great question! I would still love to be performing live (when it's good there is nothing like it) and travelling the world (never gets boring). I would also like to be writing more with my fabulous co-writers. The joy of getting the quarterly email from PRS (Performing Rights Society) to see where your songs have been used just never gets old.
MW : How can we keep in touch?
NC : I keep Facebook and Instagram private, but you can always reach me via my band websites :
www.21stcenturyabba.co.uk
www.thetarantinos.com
www.sessionvocals.co.uk
or the Facebook / Instagram sites :
https://www.facebook.com/21stcenturyabba/
https://www.facebook.com/TheTarantinoscom/
https://www.instagram.com/21stcenturyabba/
https://www.instagram.com/thetarantinosofficial/
(c) Mark Watkins / July 2020
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SUMMARY
At University of Zurich Institute of Medicine in Switzerland, Herbert West brings his dead professor, Dr. Hans Gruber, back to life. There are horrific side-effects, however; as West explains, the dosage was too large. When accused of killing Gruber, West counters: “I gave him life!”
West arrives at Miskatonic University in New England in order to further his studies as a medical student. He rents a room from fellow medical student Dan Cain and converts the building’s basement into his own personal laboratory. West demonstrates his reanimating reagent to Dan by reanimating Dan’s dead cat Rufus. Dan’s fiancée Megan Halsey, daughter of the medical school’s dean, walks in on this experiment and is horrified. Dan tries to tell the dean about West’s success in reanimating the dead cat, but the dean does not believe him. When Dan insists, the dean infers that Dan and West have gone mad. Barred from the school, West and Dan sneak into the morgue to test the reagent on a human subject in an attempt to prove that the reagent works, and thereby salvage their medical careers. The corpse they inject comes back to life, but in a frenetic and violent zombie-like state. Dr. Halsey stumbles upon the scene and, despite attempts by both West and Dan to save him, he gets killed by the reanimated corpse, which West then kills with a bone-saw. Unfazed by the violence and excited at the prospect of working with a freshly dead specimen, West injects Dr. Halsey’s body with his reanimating reagent. Dr. Halsey returns to life, also in a psychotic, zombie-like state. Megan chances upon the scene, and is nearly hysterical. Meanwhile, Dan collapses in shock.
Dr. Halsey’s colleague Dr. Carl Hill, a professor and researcher at the hospital, takes charge of Dr. Halsey, whom he puts in a padded observation cell adjacent to his office. He carries out a surgical operation on him, lobotomizing him. During the course of this operation, he discovers that Dr. Halsey is not sick, but dead and reanimated. Dr. Hill goes to West’s basement lab and attempts to blackmail him into surrendering his reagent and notes, hoping to take credit for West’s discovery. West offers to demonstrate the reagent and puts a few drops of it onto a microscope slide with dead cat tissue. As Dr. Hill peers through the microscope at this slide, West clobbers him from behind with a shovel, and then decapitates him, snarling “plagiarist!” as he drives the blade of the shovel through Dr. Hill’s neck. West then reanimates Dr. Hill’s head and body separately. While West is questioning Dr. Hill’s head and taking notes, Dr. Hill’s body sneaks up behind him and knocks him unconscious. The body carries the head back to Dr. Hill’s office, with West’s reagent and notes.
In his re-animated state, Dr. Hill acquires the ability to control other re-animated corpses telepathically, after conducting brain surgery on them. He then directs Dr. Halsey to snatch Megan away from Dan. While being carried to the morgue by her reanimated father, Megan faints. When she arrives, Dr. Hill strips her naked and straps her unconscious body to a table. She regains consciousness as Hill begins to sexually abuse her, including touching her breasts and placing his bloody severed head between her legs. West and Dan track Halsey to the morgue. West distracts Dr. Hill while Dan frees Megan. Dr. Hill reveals that he has reanimated and lobotomized several corpses from the morgue, rendering them susceptible to mind control as Halsey is. However, Megan’s voice reawakens a protectiveness in her father, who then fights off the other corpses long enough for Dan and Megan to escape. In the ensuing chaos, West injects Dr. Hill’s body with a lethal overdose of the reagent. Dr. Hill’s body mutates rapidly and attacks West, who screams out to Dan to save his work before being pulled away by Dr. Hill’s mutated entrails.
Dan retrieves the satchel containing West’s reagent and notes. As Dan and Megan flee the morgue, one of the reanimated corpses attacks and strangles Megan. Dan takes her to the hospital emergency room and tries to revive her, but she is quite dead. In despair, he injects her with West’s reagent. As the scene fades to black, Megan, apparently revived, can be heard screaming.
DEVELOPMENT
When thinking of the sort of person who would have written a movie as bloody and outlandish as The Re-Animator, one might not immediately think of someone who teaches literature at a New York college but that’s exactly what screenwriter Dennis Paoli does for a living when not working on film scripts. Paoli has worked on and off with Re-Animator director Stuart Gordon since their high school days in Chicago, collaborating on projects that have ranged from comedy skits to a stage version of the hero epic Beowolf. By the time Gordon and William Norris contacted Paoli about the idea of collaborating on a Lovecraft script, Paoli’s academic pursuits had primed him for a venture into the bizarre.
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Paoli says that he was originally brought onto the project as “the Gothic consultant,” because at the time he was working on his PHD in 18th and 19th century Gothic fiction. Paoli found that his knowledge of this style of literature could be applied to the task of adapting that latter-day Gothic H.P. Lovecraft. “The Gothics’ Paoli says, ” were the first kind of novels written. It’s very strange what’s happened to them. On the one hand, when you say Gothics you think of these current formula romances, but in their time, the first Gothics were the experimental novels. They would try anything to tell a story. They strove for effect, to have an immediate and violent effect on the reader. So they were banned in many places. In the House of Commons in England they called for a stop to romances, especially Gothic romances, because they were believed to be corruptive-just the same argument you get today.”
The Gothic-style source material for The Re-Animator was a series of six grisly stories by Lovecraft revolving around the mad scientist Herbert West. In a quest to conquer death, West concocts a serum that can re-animate dead bodies. The serum produces macabre results and West spends six stories refining his ghastly experiment.
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At first The Re-Animator was envisioned as a series of 13 half-hour episodes to be produced for either syndicated or cable TV. Once an outline was drawn up, Paoli says that William Norris wrote the first half-hour pilot, but then the collaborators found that there seemed to be more interest in an hour show that might be included in an already existing anthology series. Paoli expanded the script to an hour, and then went on to expand it again to an hour and-a-half when prospects arose to produce the story as a feature film.
Adapting Lovecraft to create a violent, Gothic effect on screen has its problems, says Paoli, which may account for the mediocrity of previous Lovecraft films. One problem, says Paoli, is that most of the author’s stories were written in the first person; in the case of the Herbert West stories, the narrator is Dan Cain, West’s reluctant assistant. “Most movies,” explains Paoli, “aren’t made that way. It’s very difficult to get across the first-person point of view unless you use a lot of voice-over narration, but then that distances you from the screen. You don’t get that immediate effect”
Another problem concerns the nature of Lovecraft’s horror. “Lovecraft’s people have seen something that has changed them, that has twisted them, that has ruined their lives or made them mad. In the stories, all you get is the reactions to the horror. You do get some descriptions, actually some quite vivid descriptions, but they’re always made more vivid by your own imagination. On film, you have to show these horrifying things, these things that the narrators see which make them mad, and you’re under the obligation, in a way, to make your audience mad. That is an awful obligation for a filmmaker.” In the past this has been an area in which Lovecraft pictures have really fallen apart. Anyone who has been subjected to the endless psychedelic shots from the point of view of the monster in The Dunwich Horror can attest to that. In The Re-Animator, though, the graphic horror is displayed-in spades. “Because we have reached a period now where you can be explicit, it allowed us to show these bloody events without cutting away or suggesting them off-camera. You have to take that excessive route,” adds Paoli.
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PRE-PRODUCTION
Producer Brian Yuzna describes the original story and the way it was adapted to the screen. “H.P. Lovecraft’s story takes place at Miskatonic University at the turn of the century,” he says. “It has a very grisly, dark kind of feeling to it. The medical students there are digging up the dead and bringing the dead back to life. It goes on and on. It’s a kind of serial. These guys grow up and it just continues and continues.
The director selected for the project was Stuart Gordon, a theatrical director from Chicago who has written and produced some 25 plays including play versions of Sirens of Titan and Huckleberry Finn. He did a three-part science-fiction play to be performed on three consecutive nights, called Warp, which went on to Broadway and later became a comic book. He also directed the original version of the play E.R., which later became a television series starring Elliott Gould.
Yuzna describes Gordon as a “very talented guy and a real horror fanatic.” H.P. Lovecraft’s Re-Animator will mark his directorial film debut. Remarks Yuzna, “Stuart is such a talented director, though he had some trouble adapting to film because he really knew very little about the mechanics of filmmaking, but he’s an incredibly fast learner and he’s a very, very talented director of actors.” According to Yuzna, the production has aimed for “the sort of shock sensibility of an Evil Dead with the production values of, hopefully, The Howling.”
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BEHIND THE SCENES/INTERVIEWS
Robert Sampson, who plays Dean Halsey in the film, had some personal experience in what it’s like playing a zombie. He describes the film as “the most fun ! ever had going on to explain that it allowed him to indulge in the wildest fantasies I’ve ever had as a child, of scaring people, of doing all those things that I wasn’t allowed to see when I was a kid. I was not allowed to see the scary Frankenstein movies and all that stuff. My parents were afraid that it might do a number on me, so I would sneak out to go see them. And now I’ve had the opportunity to do one. I did a Twilight Zone and a One Step Beyond that were similar to this, but they weren’t as rich, as thought out.”
Halsey goes on to describe what happened when a corpse was injected with the re-agent. “They inject it at the base of the skull, and what it does is, it’s like sticking your finger in a light socket. You just go Ahhh! There isn’t any control. You turn into just this mad, re-animated thing.
“There’s a scene where I’m in a padded cell, and I have a strait jacket on, and my daughter doesn’t understand what’s happened to me. So she is standing there talking to this evil doctor standing behind this one-way mirror. It’s a mirror on my side and a window on his side, and he’s trying to seduce her. Heturns and looks and can’t find me at all. All of a sudden, I’m gone. But, as he’s making a move for her, I bang my head against the window. Now I don’t know why I’m doing this, but I still have a sense of feeling. The timing of it is so weird, because I just come up and bam!
“Stuart Gordon has this off-the-wall sense of humor that I didn’t even know was there until I went to see the first dailies. I was shocked by his macabre sense of humor, but it comes out of the reality of the situation. He has everybody playing it very serious, and the humor comes out of these seemingly normal people in this bizarre circumstances.”
“What this film is about is conquering death. I mean, Herbert West’s dream is something that all doctors have shared, and that is to prolong life as long as you possibly can. It used to be believed that when your heart stopped, you were dead. Now they have drugs like epinephrine which is an adrenaline derivative which can start the heart after it’s stopped. They use fibulators and electric shock to make the heart start again, so now the stopping of the heart does not necessarily mean you’re dead. Now what they’re calling death is defined as ‘brain death, which happens six to 12 minutes after the heart stops.
“West is trying to conquer brain death. What he is trying to do is prolong that six or 12 minutes as long as he possibly can so that a person who has died, even though their brain has never received any blood or oxygen, he can be brought back. His attitude is the same as any doctor’s, that it’s better to save a life even if it means the person is going to be debilitated, than to let the person die. Even if there is brain damage, it’s still better to have that person living than dead, so under that philosophy, his approach is medically correct.”
Gordon hopes that while watching these bizarre, bloody experiments, audiences will get involved with the film’s characters. “I’ve seen many horror films where you don’t care about anybody, and that to me sort of sinks the film. If you’re not afraid for someone, you’re not afraid. It’s important. I think that one of the things that we’ve really got going for us is that we really have some wonderful actors in this film who are giving spectacular performances. When things happen to them, I think the audience is going to really care, and they’re going to really feel bad about alot of it-and horrified.”
SPECIAL EFFECTS
A tall order, to be sure, especially since the budget is estimated to be just under a million dollars, far less than most of the other competitors in the zombie-film field. But then, Yuzna expects Re-Animator to be an energetic film. Unlike most movie zombies, the living dead in this film are not slow, shambling creatures. The re-animating fluid Lovecraft imagined is a sort of super-adrenaline, and so the living dead are almost supercharged. In fact, one of the opening makeup effects, devised by John Buechler, is a Cronenbergian eye-popping caused by overdosing a corpse with too much of the serum.
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While Buechler was called in to handle the exploding head, plus an articulated version of a re-animated decapitated noggin, and three special corpses in Dr. Hill’s zombie army, the main effects chores in the film were handled by Tony Doublin (mechanical) and John Naulin (makeup). Naulin has gone from managing the Shop of 1,000 Faces on the Universal Studios Tour to being manager of research and development at Don Post Studios for several years, and has since been teaching makeup and working on projects related to the entertainment industry including working on the Stilsuits for Dune. He headed a makeup crew which included Gerald Quist, John Criswell, Therese Shirley, Dana Ginzberg, Richard Davison, Jeff Seigal, Julie Manegers, Melonie Cleric and Richard McGuire.
Unlike the simple gray pallor that the undead have in many flicks, Re-Animator has some rather colorful zombies. John Naulin describes how this look came about. “Stuart, the director, had some disgusting shots brought out from the Cook County morgue of all kinds of different lividities and different corpses. We sat down with that and with a book of forsenic pathology, and picked about eight or nine special colors that are not normally available with the makeups that we were using, and we had the makeup lab mix up some custom colors for us,” he said. “The corpses in this film will reflect how a corpse actually looks once the blood has settled in the body.” (After death, gravity causes blood to pool in the lowest portions of the body which in turn creates a variety of odd skin tones.)
When we ask Naulin how he would describe the effects in this film, he replies, “Moist. This is the bloodiest film 1 have ever worked on. I’ve been mixing up the blood on this film, and in the past I don’t think I ever used more than a couple of gallons of blood on a single film, but on this one, when we’re done, we’ll have used 24 gallons.
“So far the stuff looks real good. We had some of our crewmembers that couldn’t make it through some of the screenings, let’s put it that way. What especially got them was the scene where David Gale, who plays the zombiefied Dr. Hill, gets his head cut off with a shovel. I don’t think this has ever been done where somebody, on camera, has a shovel shoved through a live actor’s head and there’s a live body that is still moving and kicking, and then the head rolls off, and it’s still moving.”
The headless Dr. Hill zombie was the biggest challenge in the film. Explains Naulin, “Most times somebody loses their head in a film, you see maybe a 100 frames of it and it’s gone. We’ve got to carry 50 pages of it.” The effect was achieved a number of ways, most of which were designed by Tony Doublin. Doublin explains that the problem wasn’t “so much the body being headless, but the fact that you always run into the problem of what you do with the nine or 10 inches you lose when you lose somebody’s head. If you go up with the shoulders, the crotch and the arms become all distorted, and all the proportions go to hell. I’d seen The Dark where this guy’s head was pulled off, and it looked like a midget in a fiberglass body, but it didn’t stumble around quite as badly. Each scene we had to use a different technique! One technique that proved quite effective was building an upper torso that an actor could bend over and stick his head through so that his head appeared to be the head that the walking corpse was carrying around.
To keep Hill’s head alive, it frequently sits in a pan of blood to get its blood supply replenished. This required numerous scenes where David Gale had to sit with his head sticking up into a bloody pan while blood dribbled down the cracks in the opening. While this effect proved simple to do, it was quite un comfortable for the actor. Well, nobody said Hollywood was all glamour.
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The big climax necessitated the most work. The various undead in Dr. Hill’s zombie army had to be made up, plus effects rigged not only for Dr. Hill, but also exploding veins (caused by an overdose of the serum) and burn effects. In addition, there were Buechler’s three special corpses: one of a motorcycle accident victim who looked like he skid for awhile; a failed operation that had been stuck in a body bag without the doctors bothering to remove the hospital tubes or put his guts back into his abdomen; and a third corpse, nicknamed “Gesundheit,” which was supposedly the victim of a close range shotgun blast at the back of his head which blew off the front of his face and left a gaping orifice which has hardened and dried.
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CAST/CREW
Directed
Stuart Gordon
Produced
Brian Yuzna
Screenplay
Dennis Paoli
William J. Norris
Stuart Gordon
Based on
“Herbert West–Reanimator”
by H. P. Lovecraft
Jeffrey Combs as Herbert West
Bruce Abbott as Dan Cain
Barbara Crampton as Megan Halsey
David Gale as Dr. Carl Hill
Robert Sampson as Dean Alan Halsey
Al Berry as Dr. Hans Gruber
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon as Dr. Harrod
Ian Patrick Williams as the Swiss Professor
Gerry Black as Mace
Peter Kent as Melvin the Re-Animated
Craig Reed as the One Arm Man Corpse a.k.a. the Burn Victim
CREDITS/REFERENCES/SOURCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY
Fangoria#61
Fangoria#46
Fangoria#50
Delirium#01
Cinefantastique v15n04
Re-Animator (1985) Retrospective SUMMARY At University of Zurich Institute of Medicine in Switzerland, Herbert West brings his dead professor, Dr.
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Matt Dinerstein/NBC 8:30 AM PDT 8/21/2017 by Kate Stanhope "It's definitely addressed in the season premiere," Rick Eid tells THR about the exit of Bush's beloved character, Det. Erin Lindsay. Chicago P.D. fans are already well aware that the Intelligence Unit is going to look a little different when the cop drama returns for season five. Det. Erin Lindsay (Sophia Bush) will have left for that FBI gig in New York, with Det. Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) taking her spot, joined by returning team member Det. Antonio Dawson (Jon Seda) after a brief stint at the State's Attorney's office. But there's a new name behind the scenes as well with the addition of new showrunner Rick Eid. Replacing series co-creator and longtime showrunner Matt Olmstead, Eid comes to P.D. after working on several other Dick Wolf series: Law & Order, Law & Order: Trial By Jury and most recently Law & Order: SVU, on which he served as showrunner for season 18. Among his first orders of business? Making sure the series more accurately reflects the issues the real-life Chicago Police Department is currently facing: In 2016, there were 4,338 reported shootings and 754 reported homicides, the highest numbers in 20 years, which many have blamed on the Chicago Police Department. "There's a lot going on there socially, politically, certainly as it relates to what's going on with the police department," he tells The Hollywood Reporter. "So we just really wanted to locate the show in that rich, complicated and racially charged and socially charged and politically charged environment." Eid also talked to THR about just how that will play out onscreen, the new dynamics within the Intelligence Unit and the "personal, emotional issues" facing Det. Jay Halstead (Jesse Lee Soffer) after the exit of his longtime partner (and girlfriend), Erin. How did this change come about? Why did you want to make the move to take over on P.D.? Dick asked me if I'd be interested in running Chicago P.D. and I said yes. (Laughs.) That was pretty much the conversation, truthfully. What appealed to you about Chicago P.D. specifically? I love the show and I love the complexity of the characters and the ability to… it's kind of an interesting canvas. There's a lot of moral ambiguity in this show that I thought would be fun to explore. READ MORE 'Chicago P.D.': Dick Wolf Addresses Sophia Bush and Matt Olmstead's Exits When Dick approached you about P.D., was there any advice or instructions that he gave you? Or maybe something from Chicago Fire showrunner Derek Haas since he used to be a writer on P.D.? Not really. It was, "Make it great." (Laughs.) [Those] were the marching orders. I'm trying my best to do that, but there was nothing specific. There was no,"'We want it to be like this," or, "We don't want it to be like that." It was, "Come in, look at the shows, let us know what your take in [season] five is and we'll go from there." In the best way possible, it was just wide open. What can you say about your take for season five? Where are you hoping to take the show this year? The big thing that we're trying to do is really attach the show to Chicago 2017, and to make the episodes in the show feel like it's in the middle of that complex city right now. There's a lot going on there socially, politically, certainly as it relates to what's going on with the police department, so we just really wanted to locate the show in that rich, complicated and racially charged and socially charged and politically charged environment. How will that be reflected on the show? Will the show rip from the headlines more the way SVU does? In the season premiere, we're introducing this idea of reform. The chief of police and superintendent has designated an independent auditor to oversee the police department and that independent auditor will be Mykelti Williamson [who played Voight's old partner Lt. Denny Woods in season four]. So we're literally introducing an authoritative figure who is charged with overseeing the Chicago Police Department and making sure it operates in an appropriate way and in conformity with new guidelines and regulations. You spoke about the moral ambiguity of the show, and Voight (Jason Beghe) specifically comes to mind. How will a character who so frequently bends the rules react to with this new age of reform in the department? As a policeman, he's going to have to react to it in a way that allows him to do his job and protect the city and do what his goal has always been: to protect the city and get the bad guy. He's just going to have to do it in a different way. You're going to have to see him possibly be a little bit more cerebral or figure out a new way to get from a to b. I don't think his moral compass has changed or his code of ethics has changed necessarily. He's smart and he deals with what's in front of him and what's in front of him in this moment is this idea of police reform. As a smart, instinctive creature, he's going to adapt and figure out how to do his job the best way possible in the new environment. It's just a new obstacle for him. Given everything that's going on in the city right now, what kind of research have you been doing to tell these kinds of stories? I read a lot. Went out there a lot. We have a great technical consultant who's a producer with the show, Brian Luce, who's a longtime Chicago policeman so I talked to him a lot. Look, the news is filled right now with what's going on across the country and it's not just in Chicago so I think there's a lot to draw on. We did as much research as we could into this but at the end of the day, it's still a television show, it's fiction, it's not meant to be a documentary on the Chicago police department so we may take liberties at times for dramatic purposes. READ MORE 'Chicago P.D' Star Talks Joining Drama After Sophia Bush's Exit: "Her Presence Is There" Looking broadly at the characters this season, what would you say is the theme of season five? What will we see within the team this year? I think the theme for the season probably is the idea of reform. But in terms of what we'll see week to week and for the season is the characters just immersed in complicated cases with lots of moral and ethical dilemmas along the way in terms of solving cases. I think, again, if possible we're trying to dramatize what's going on in the city and what's going on with the new Chicago Police Department and the idea of reform. It's an interesting time to be a police officer, especially in Chicago but I think also across the country. There's phones everywhere there's cameras everywhere, there's a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking going on among policemen so I think it's a really complicated time to be a cop and I think that hopefully within the construct of our bigger cases, we're feeling that in each episode, that it's really hard to be a cop and how do you do it? How do you get the best results in this sensitive and challenging environment where you've got a bunch of people telling you you're doing it the wrong way? Speaking about the ensemble, there were a couple changes that happened over the summer, the first one being Sophia Bush's exit. Were you involved in those discussions about her exit at all? [I was] not involved. There was some talk of her coming back this season so will she make a return appearance? Or are those talks still happening? It's probably too early. There's nothing specific on the table right now so I don't really have a comment on that right now. Would you say the door is open if she wanted to come back at some point? There's a lot of people involved in these decision above my pay grade that's probably a question for Dick and NBC. At the end of the day, she was a great character and a great actor so I think those are things — to the extent they ever happen — there's a lot of people involved in that decision. How does that impact the rest of the Intelligence Unit? Especially with Voight and Halstead, both of whom she was close to? I think they'll probably handle it differently because they're different characters but I think her absence is definitely something they'll feel. And we'll see it at different times. It's definitely addressed in the season premiere and from time to time, we'll feel it, whenever it feels right for the characters. Sometimes you might not even be talking about it but you might think that's what's going on, for example with Halstead. Her loss will impact him in a meaningful way. Where is he headed this season? Not only were they romantically involved but that was his longtime partner so what's coming up for him in the wake of her exit? He's a really interesting character in that he tries so hard to do the right thing all the time and that's a great character, especially in such a challenging job, to have that kind of compass. I think the loss of Lindsay, in the season premiere, he's involved in a situation that affects him so the combination of those things sort of throws him off balance. It's just seeing a guy trying to deal with some real emotional, personal issues the best way he can, trying to handle it by himself, trying to stay strong in the wake of adversity. We'll see how that plays out for him. He's now partnered with Hailey Upton on the show. How would you describe their dynamic as partners? We're still writing it and watching it and seeing it evolve. I'm hoping it's a great partnership. They look out for each other, is the real dynamic that begins to take place. As the season progresses, I think Halstead will be doing things in a way that's a little different than how he used to, and Hailey will be there to help him and clocking this new behavior. Ultimately, they're there to have each other's back and they're there to protect each other and I think that will be in full focus. READ MORE 'Chicago P.D.': Jon Seda to Return for Season 5 Will there be any new love interests for him this season? Ultimately, there will be some romantic storylines in play among all the characters. I think early in the season, he's still grappling with what happened with Lindsay and he's probably not great dating material early in the season. Maybe as time goes on later in the season, maybe he'll become more a viable romantic interest for somebody. What other pairings are you excited for this season? In the real world in the police department, it's not always that you go out with your quote unquote partner, you just go with someone who's there. We've got so many great actors that we'll see a lot of people paired together throughout the season. But I think the Ruzek-Atwater pairing is exciting. There's some interesting stuff going on with those two, again, speaking to what's going on in society. These are two guys with two different perspectives on the world and I think it's great to have those guys together as they're navigating this sort of complicated maze of political and social issues. Antonio and Burgess will be paired together, which will be interesting and exciting. She's new and learning and Antonio's an old pro and watching those two interact will be great. And then, Halstead and Upton, I think, ultimately will be a very interesting partnership. Jon Seda's character is coming back onto the team after moving to the State's Attorney's office so what brings him back into mix? How does that change the dynamic of Intelligence having him back? He comes back in the season premiere. The case we're involved in, there's a need for someone like Antonio, in particular a character that is unknown to the criminal element we're pursuing so Voight reaches out to Antonio and he becomes involved in the case and ultimately, Voight offers him the job and he decides to stay. I think being back with Intelligence and being in the middle of all that excitement; when we're talking amongst the writers, there's a war going on out there and he wants to be part of it. I think he felt like he might have been a little bit on the sidelines more at the State's Attorney's office and he wants to be in the middle of the fire. So that's why he comes back. The idea of why Voight wants him back is with all the oversight and all the eyes watching this unit, a standup, solid, morally unassailable character like Antonio is great for Voight. He's a guy that will keep him in check hopefully. We briefly met Hailey Upton at the end of last season, but what do you think she'll bring to the Unit this season now that she's working there full-time? She's smart, she's pretty fearless, she has a slightly different approach and viewpoint than some of the other characters. She's very pragmatic, she's a combination of street-smart and book-smart and she does it because she loves it. And so she's an interesting character that we're excited to explore week by week by week. Rather than just announcing these are all her attributes, I think we'll see them in focus episode by episode. Give your time on SVU last season, has there been any talk about a major crossover between SVU and P.D.? Those are two shows that have crossed over several times in the past. There's been no talk as of yet, but that doesn't mean there won't be talks down the road. Again, that's one of those things that a lot of people get involved in but I think I'd be excited to do it and we'll see what happens. Season five of Chicago P.D. premieres Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 10 p.m. on NBC. Comment: not here for a Halstead/Upton partnership.
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Batman: Damned is a Trip Through the Darkest Parts of the DC Universe
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Brian Azzarello tells us about the genesis of Batman: Damned, the dawn of DC's Black Label, and how that John Constantine team-up happened.
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When DC’s Black Label imprint was first announced, fans were promised that they would journey to the darkest edges of the DC Universe with some of the most brilliant creators as their guides. Batman: Damned, by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo, kept that promise, delivering one of the most terrifying, challenging, and controversial DC projects in decades. With heart-stopping, fully-painted art by Bermejo, Batman: Damned is a horror mystery tale that sees Bruce Wayne trying to solve the murder of none other than the Joker. Batman enlists the aid of John Constantine (a character that Azzarello is very familiar with) to guide the Dark Knight through the mystical side of the DC Universe, where the Dark Knight must battle magic and demonic forces to solve his most horrific case. It was our pleasure to sit down with Mister Azzarello and discuss how Batman: Damned came to be.
Take us to the genesis of Batman: Damned. How did it come about?
Joker did really well and caught DC off guard that it sold so many copies so quickly. They had nothing like it to follow it with. Will Dennis, who was the editor at the time, and Mark Doyle who was the Vertigo editor and Will’s assistant, they were talking about what we could do next. What makes this Joker book unique? It’s the characters but they look different and they behave a little differently. Why aren’t we doing more of this kind of stuff? So we were talking about it and it was called “Jokerverse.” That’s what we were calling it. It then morphed into Black Label because they wanted to bring in more stuff.
Then Warner Bros. said, “No. No more R rated superheroes.” So it just got put on the backburner for a while. Then Jim Lee brought it back out when I was working on something. It was going to be this enormous crossover with Batman and Justice League Dark. I was such a square peg with the story I was telling. It was not fitting in the round hole. Lee Bermejo and I were talking about it and Jim Lee came to us and said, “Why don’t we launch Black Label with this?”
For those living in a Batcave, what’s the elevator pitch for Batman: Damned?
Joker is dead and Batman doesn’t know if he did it. It’s a horror story. It’s not a traditional story. It’s not a traditional Batman story. There’s way more elements of horror. The characters are the supernatural characters of the DC Universe, like John Constantine and Swamp Thing. The monsters.
I’m glad you brought that all up. It must be so much fun to write a Batman versus magic story. Batman is always in control, but with magic, he is out of his element. How does Batman deal with magic in Damned?
Very frustratingly. A lot of it he ignores. Some of this stuff... a character like Batman, if he can’t fit it in a box, he tends to just turn away from it. That’s the way we play it.
What are some of your horror influences that may have colored Damned?
Oh, I don’t know. I don’t know if I have any. I tend to be more interested in the cosmic kind of horror. What we were trying to do with it, this was more 1970s Italian style horror, maybe. Ken Russell kind of stuff. It’s a bit more unsettling rather than monstrous.
How did it feel to return to John Constantine and what were your goals for the character in Damned?
We needed someone who was in control. Why not use the guy who pretends he’s always in control, but he never really is? It was great to go back to that character, honestly. When we were doing it, Lee and I were both like, “Why hasn’t this happened before?” John Constantine works so well with a character like Batman, you know? It was great.
read more: The Secrets of DC's New Superman/Batman Team
It was late in the game when we decided that John was going to be the narrator. That was a decision I made because during my run on Hellblazer, there was no narrator. That was intentional because I wanted John to be mysterious. John is the type of character that works best when you don’t know what’s in his head because he’s a con man. For 140 issues before I did it, the book was always narrated by him. I wanted to pull John back to what he was when he first appeared in Swamp Thing when Alan Moore first wrote him. That was my approach there. This time, it’s like, all right, I want to get in this guy’s head because I think he has a lot of interesting things to say and think. So, to be able to comment on what was going on, when he narrated he was not talking about himself, he was talking about Batman.
Your Demon is note perfect yet very different. What appeals to you about this character and what role does he play in the book?
He’s an entertainer (laughs). That was one of those things where Lee and I were like, “Let’s update this character.” He’s a rhymer? Okay, he’s a rhymer so he’s going to be an MC. Let’s put him in nightclub. Let’s not make him look too demonic; let’s make him look like he’s maybe human.
read more: The Batman Who Laughs and the Culmination of 10 Years of DC Stories
It was similar with what we did with Riddler in Joker where we sort of reinvent him by saying, “Okay, who is this guy? He’s very smart. He can figure out puzzles. He has a cane. Why does he have a cane? Well, let’s make one his legs shorter than the other.” It’s just approaching these characters with a real world destination in mind.
This is one of a number of stunning collaborations with you and Lee Bermejo. Talk about Lee’s unique talents and how his style pushes you as a writer. I was stunned by the spread he did of Gotham City. It felt like you could fall in.
That spread you’re talking about? Originally, it was conceived of being full of reports of what the Joker was doing. Joker was going crazy all over the city, a sighting here, a sighting there. It was going to be very dense with text. I got that page and I was like, “I’m not going to ruin this page.” We just put one word on it. That’s how Lee communicates what needs to be communicated. I didn’t need to say something. We have a great relationship. I work most closely with him than any of my collaborators.
Even Eduardo Risso?
Yeah, Eduardo is just like, “Give me the script and leave me alone.”
Did Lee contribute story ideas? Because his We Are Robin was freakin’ awesome.
We pretty much plotted it all together verbally before I wrote anything down. He was instrumental in the story.
What keeps drawing you back to Batman?
I don’t think I’m ever going back again (laughs). Batman is, as long as you don’t mess with the core of him, Batman fits into different kinds of stories. I think he’s one of those characters where the circumstances around him can be updated all the time. Batman is not of an era. Superman for example, Superman is of an era. Truth, justice, and the American way is a very particular place in time. It doesn’t mean the same thing now as it did then. But the myth of Batman, it’s adaptable. It’s so primal that it’s not going to change.
In many ways, throughout Damned, you focus on Batman’s vulnerabilities. To you, what makes Batman vulnerable?
To me? To me what makes Batman vulnerable is hubris. That’s what makes him vulnerable, the fact that he thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room. Put him in a situation where the walls are constantly shifting, and the floor is falling and he can’t get his bearings. That’s what Damned is. By the end of this story, the whole thing hinges on his denial of the truth, of what he did.
Talk about kicking off DC’s Black Label, the imprint that has now supplanted Vertigo?
I don’t think DC could have had a better launch than what it got with Damned. They might not like it, but everyone knew what Black Label was the next day.
What does it feel like to be the creator that kicked off Black Label, kind of like Alan Moore and guys like Neil Gaiman kicked off Vertigo?
I haven’t even considered that. It’s some heady company to be in, if I’m in. I don’t think so, man. What’s really great is that it did well. I think that we proved that these types of stories can be told and they can be told to a really wide readership. Your book was selling better than the regular Batman title at twice the price point. I hope they see, like, there are readers for this type of material. I think they do. Look at the packaging they put the hardcover in. This book, the hardcover collection, it’s beautifully put together. It is not for kids.
Now that the collection is out, how would you like Damned to be remembered as it becomes DC’s next evergreen Batman book in the vein of Killing Joke, Long Halloween, and Son of the Demon?
Oh, I don’t know. It’s so soon. I never think about that sort of stuff, the big picture. But the way this ends, it ties into some evergreen books. It was our way of creating some non-canon.
Any hints and clues to what might be next for you and Lee at DC?
Lee and I don’t have a project at DC at the moment. I’m doing Birds of Prey.
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Interview Marc Buxton
Sep 10, 2019
DC Entertainment
Batman
from Books https://ift.tt/2ZSpQwT
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Lee Hunter’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/LeeHunt54019537/status/1155260243275845634
Like Big Cat Weekend, the goal of this past weekend was to get a number of top targets on campus in order to lay the groundwork for future booms. Mission accomplished.
This week is a unique week on the recruiting trail. For much of July and all of August, it’s the dead period in recruiting which means that prospects and coaching staffs can not have any face to face contact. But from July 25th to July 31st, there is a quiet period which allows recruits to have face to face contact only on a college campus. That has lead to the majority of programs throwing very large recruiting events in hopes of getting their top targets on campus one more time before fall camp begins.
Starting in 2016, Auburn has taken advantage of this time period by throwing a picnic/bbq event at the end of each July. It’s almost like a second Big Cat Weekend though its focus is a bit more split between this class and future ones. It’s proven to be successful thus far. This year it looks likely to have the same results.
The Tigers landed one commit and sure sounds like a few more could pop in the coming weeks. Like Big Cat Weekend, the goal of this event isn’t necessarily to land same day commits. Instead, it’s to forge strong bonds not only between their top targets and the coaching staff but also allow current commits and future targets to bond as well. Often times, it’s the connection between fellow prospects that ends up mattering just as much as the relationships with the coaching staff.
Here’s a rundown of who made the trip and updates on their recruitments.
Auburn Commits
4* LB Trenton Simpson
4* LB Wesley Steiner
4* WR Kobe Hudson
4* WR Ze’Vian Capers
4* WR JJ Evans
4* LB Cameron Riley
3* OG Tate Johnson
3* OG Avery Jernigan
3* OT Jeremiah Wright
3* QB Chayill Garnett
3* OT Jonathan Buskey
All but four Auburn commits made it to campus this past weekend and it doesn’t appear that any of the four showed up at other events. Last year, George Pickens spurned Auburn’s event for Georgia’s, something that in hindsight proved more important than I realized at the time so I was playing close attention to see if something similar went down this year. Thankfully, that doesn’t appear to be the case and even more importantly, the majority of Auburn’s top ranked commits made the trip to help the staff recruit.
The biggest news from this group is obviously Wright’s commitment. He’s someone JB Grimes has wanted for a long time and Auburn is reportedly thrilled they could get him on board before the season. He gives Auburn 6 offensive line commits which could mean they are done at that position. However, they will reportedly continue to pursue some JUCO OT talent and don’t be surprised if they host some more OL official visitors during the season.
@CoachGusMalzahn @AUBRecruiting @GabrielWade10 @KennyDillingham @LevornH WAR EAGLE pic.twitter.com/7okyrPyDFX
— thatjeremiah77 (@thatjeremiah771) July 27, 2019
2020 Targets
4* RB Tank Bigsby
4* WR EJ Williams
4* DB Ladarius Tennison
4* CB Marco Domio (JUCO)
4* CB Kendall Dennis
4* DB Brian George (JUCO)
3* DL/Buck Rashad Whitehead
3* DE Bradyn Swinson
K Evan McGuire
One of the bigger storylines this weekend was tracking where Tank Bigsby would visit. There was confidence that he would be on the Plains but with Tank anything is possible. Well the nation’s #7 running back elected to head to Auburn over Athens and even more importantly returned Sunday to talk with the staff. This is turning into an AU alum showdown between Carnell Williams and Dell McGee. Can Caddy land his first big boom as an assistant? That possibility feels MUCH more realistic than it did just a few weeks ago.
The other big time offensive target to visit was Phenix City native EJ Williams. He was close to being an AU commit following this event last year but his recruitment absolutely exploded during the fall and now Auburn has been playing catch up. The good news is he stated Auburn had moved up to #2 on his list following the visit. The bad news is Clemson continues to lead and with a decision coming at the end of August, it’s hard to see this one going Auburn’s way. Luckily, the Tigers already have a very strong WR class committed so Williams is more of a “really nice to have” than a necessity.
It’s been hard to get a handle on Auburn’s top DB targets this cycle and even harder to know who might actually be favoring the Tigers. That picture got a lot more clear this weekend. All four DB prospects that visited are absolute takes for the Tigers and there’s a chance all four might now be favoring Auburn. Two are JUCO prospects Marco Domio and Brian George. Both have already used official visits to the Plains and could be closing in on a decision. Interestingly, EJ Williams was only one of two uncommitted prospects to visit Auburn for both Big Cat Weekend and the War Eagle Picnic. The other? The nation’s #2 JUCO cornerback Brian George. Jason Caldwell also reports that Domio’s flight was cancelled which could have meant taking the much shorter drive to College Station but his family instead elected to drive 10 hours to the Plains. The JUCO prospects also reportedly spent a lot of time together during the event. Auburn very well could have to replace both starting cornerbacks next season. Signing two of the top three JUCO recruits this cycle sure ain’t a bad way of going about filling that hole.
As for prep targets LaDarrius Tennison and Kendall Dennis, both have been reported in the past as having Auburn as a top school. But you really can’t start taking players’ interest seriously until they start taking multiple visits to campus. The fact both elected to travel to Auburn for this weekend is big news. Getting Domio, George, Tennison and Dennis in this year’s class would be huge for Auburn. The other name to continue to track is 4* CB Ethan Pouncey. Chances are good at least three from that group will be Auburn Tigers next season.
2021 Targets
5* DB Ga’Quincy McKinstry
5* DT Lee Hunter
4* WR Jaquez Smith
4* WR Julian Nixon
4* WR Dacari Collins
3* LB Chaz Chambliss
3* QB Aaron McLaughlin
3* DT Isaac Washington
3* WR Jackson Meeks
3* OL JT Pennington
This weekend wasn’t just about locking down some top 2020 targets, it was also about getting a jump start on the 2021 class. The recruiting cycles kick into gear so much earlier with the new early signing period. That’s why Auburn really split their focus of this event between finishing out their current class and getting a foundation in place for the next one. It sounds like they made signifiant progress on both.
It’s believed that Kenny Dillingham’s cryptic tweets on Saturday evening about a 2nd possible commit were in regards to Alpharetta, GA native Aaron McLaughlin. The 6’4” 225 lb gunslinger camped (along with 3* Will Crowder) with the Tigers on Friday and it sounds like he impressed both Gus Malzahn and Kenny Dillingham. So much so that the Tigers are hoping to get him on board very soon. It’s interesting that Auburn might go so hard after a pro style QB given Auburn’s recent focus on dual threat prospects the past few classes, but supposedly McLaughlin showed enough mobility during camp to make the coaching staff feel good about him being able to run the whole offense. One thing is for sure though this dude can throw the football.
McLaughlin might not be the only future 2021 boom. Lee Hunter has long favored the Tigers so much so that when asked about his top schools his answer was “Auburn, Auburn, Auburn, Auburn”. The Eight Mile, AL native is a 247 Composite 5* already and expected to be one of the top prospects in the country next season. Landing Hunter would be a massive early boom for this 2021 class. He reminds me a lot of Derrick Brown at this point in his career and I don’t say that lightly.
Hunter wasn’t the only instate 5* on campus. The man they call Kool-Aid, Ga’Quincy McKinstry, was back on campus again this weekend. Ranked as the nation’s #15 overall prospect in the 2021 class, McKinstry has long been a frequent visitor to the Plains. But this trip was a bit different as it wasn’t only Gus Malzahn that wanted to meet with him. Bruce Pearl stopped by and let McKinstry know that he also has an offer to play basketball for the Tigers.
#AG2G Truly Blessed & Honored ‼️To Receive An Basketball ⭕️ffer From Auburn University... I WILL HAVE THE CHANCE TO PLAY BOTH SPORTS #WAREAGLE @coachbarber @CoachFlanigan pic.twitter.com/Jcaq6Xprul
— GaQuincy McKinstry™ (@GaQMcK1) July 28, 2019
You don’t see many kids play both football and basketball in college but Auburn is willing to let McKinstry do both. This is going to be one of the most hotly contested recruitments in the state next cycle. It will be interesting to see if Alabama follows Auburn’s lead and gives Kool-Aid a chance to be a dual sport athlete at the next level.
Finally, file the name Isaac Washington away. Visiting from Pilot Mountain, NC, Washington appears to be an early top target for Rodney Garner. He left the Plains with the Tigers on top. Don’t be surprised if his name quickly climbs the prospect rankings over the next year.
Really great day at Auburn University yesterday one of the best days of my life thank you @coachg76 & @CoachGusMalzahn for everything can’t wait to be back. #WAREAGLE pic.twitter.com/LIQQfUQ4A9
— isaac (@isaacw_74) July 28, 2019
2022
OL Lucas Taylor
QB MJ Morris
DT Dominick James
DB Andre Stewart
DB Khamauri Rogers
I will admit that even my obsessiveness over recruiting hasn’t lead me to watch much 2022 film but there was a bit of news from this list. Khamauri Rogers left the Plains with an offer in hand. Given Auburn’s recent success in the state of Mississippi and Rogers having Marcus Woodson has his position coach, I think he’s a name to track over the next couple of cycles. I am guessing we will see him on campus more in the future.
Blessed to receive an offer from Auburn University #WarEagle pic.twitter.com/A6u6RKuZvB
— 1 (@Khamauri1k) July 27, 2019
War Eagle!
from College and Magnolia - All Posts https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2019/7/29/2506604/auburn-football-recruiting-war-eagle-picnic-tank-bigsby-ej-williams-jeremiah-wright-aaron-mclaughlin
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help businesses just like yours.
We looked at 777 Million Facebook posts to find the most
engaging pages, brands, and videos for 2018.
Facebook reach continues to drop across the board for
businesses. Everyone is clamoring to unlock the “secrets”
to successful content on Facebook. Study after study has proven
that one of the most significant factors in Facebook’s ranking
algorithm is engagement.
If your Facebook posts get more engagement, they’re going to
be more highly favored in the algorithm, thereby increasing your
reach. Increased organic reach means you have to spend fewer ad
dollars to reach your target audience.
So how can you craft posts that generate engagement?
In this article, we’ll reveal our findings
and then give you some actionable steps to gather insights
specific to your business.
You’ll learn:
The best type of Facebook
post
The best time to post on
Facebook
The best day to post on
Facebook
Optimal length for
Facebook video
The most common
reactions to Facebook videos
What motivates people
to engage with Facebook posts
The most engaging
Facebook pages of the year
How to analyze Facebook
posts for your industry and competitors
Key Findings: General Post Insights
Below you’ll find the highlights of our data analysis. Each
section is broken down by some of the most important questions
marketers have been asking about Facebook engagement.
Remember that what works for the majority of posts is a useful
starting point, but there’s no substitute for testing and
measuring your own results. Brian Peters, Strategic
Partnerships Manager for Buffer, summarizes this well:
Over the years, we’ve learned that the best way to reach our
audiences on Facebook is to study the data, experiment constantly,
be open to learning, and take a growth mindset.
–Brian Peters, Bufferapp.com
What Type of Post Gets the Most
Facebook Engagement?
As with previous years, the most engaging type of Facebook post
in 2018 is video. It’s not even a close call — video dominates
based on average engagement rate.
Video dominance isn’t surprising, says Jenn Hermann,
award-winning Instagram blogger at Jenn’s Trends.
“At the beginning of 2018, Facebook announced they wanted to
focus on ‘meaningful interactions.’ And video, when viewed
for any significant duration of time, is considered to be
meaningful,” Jenn says.
“It means someone has stopped what they were otherwise doing
to watch that piece of content. It’s deliberate and intentional.
And it usually results in comments and/or shares with others –
thereby adding to the level of meaningfulness. So, it’s not
surprising that video continues to get better engagement over other
post types.”
You can see that engagement clearly below.
Video posts get at least 59% more engagement than other
post types. Although photos are widely accepted by
marketers to be one of the most successful post types, video
outperformed photos by 73%.
It’s clear that if you want the greatest potential Facebook
engagement, you should be investing in video content. We will talk
in more depth about video later in this article. (You can skip to it right now if
you’d like).
If you are overwhelmed by the thought of creating video for
Facebook, it’s good to remember that engagement is the goal, not
necessarily quantity.
Mari Smith, Facebook Marketing Expert, makes a strong case for
thinking on multiple levels about engagement.
“Rather than increasing the volume of your Facebook posts to
try and get more reach and engagement,” Mari says. “Instead,
publish fewer posts and focus on the ROI of each individual post.
My recommended content type ratio for 2019 is 70% video posts, 20%
image posts and 10% link posts. Video and image posts can still
include links and CTAs.”
“Plus, keep in mind that all engagement doesn’t have to be
public,” Mari says. “Integrate a Messenger chatbot on your Facebook page and
encourage your audience to message you on both Facebook and
Instagram in organic and paid posts. It takes 7 to 13+ touches to
generate a viable sales lead, so let your automated messaging take
care of several of those touches for you.”
When thinking about images, keep in mind that sizing them
correctly for each network is a key part of the process. This
guide can help! It has everything you need for sizing images
for different parts of Facebook and other social networks.
What’s the best time to post for
Facebook engagement?
Now, most marketers know that this question is a tough one to
generalize. Every target audience is different, and therefore these
global numbers may not work for you. However, it doesn’t hurt to
look at them and use them as a starting point if you have no other
data.
Posts published between 9pm-11pm EST seem to perform the
best. Try saving some of your best content for those hours
and see how they perform against other hours of the day. Your
audience may be different, so be sure to consider their daily
routines and cater to the times when they may be surfing their
social feeds.
Below is a list of the most optimal times to post based on the
average engagement:
EST time
UTC
time
Engagement
10:00
PM
3:00 AM
346
9:00
PM
2:00
AM
344
11:00
PM
4:00
AM
339
8:00
PM
1:00
AM
326
7:00
PM
12:00 AM
301
PRO TIP:
Another option for narrowing the times that are most
successful in your industry is to find the times that your
competitors get the most engagement. The Facebook Analyzer let’s
you search by page and see peak engagement as well as useful
details about post frequency.
Analysis of Hubspot Facebook Page engagement by time of day.
Facebook Analysis
What is the best day to post on
Facebook?
Again, this may differ depending on your audience. However, the
results could show why your Friday posts haven’t been performing
as well as your Monday posts.
According to this data, Sunday is the
best day to post for Facebook Engagement.
Many businesses take the weekends off and therefore may be
choosing to only post Monday through Friday. According to our data,
that might be a mistake!
Perhaps try taking one of your scheduled Thursday or Friday
posts and moving them to Saturday and Sunday to see how they
perform. You might be surprised at how well they do!
What is the optimal length of a
Facebook text post?
We all know that long-form content is king when it comes to SEO,
but it’s quite the opposite when it comes to Facebook. Brevity is
the clear winner for Facebook posts.
If you want the best chance of engagement,
keep your Facebook posts no longer than 50
characters. This makes sense — Facebook consumption is
extremely passive, and attention spans are short. You need to be
able to grab people’s attention quickly and effectively if you
want to be noticed.
And, as always, test these general findings with your specific
audience and industry.
Key Findings: All About
Video
With Facebook’s big push on video content this past year, we
wanted to have a breakdown of insights gleaned from the top
performing videos of 2018. We’ve analyzed everything from video
length, average interactions, most common interactions, and
performance of video vs. other formats.
What is the optimal length of a Facebook video?
Facebook’s maximum video length is
240 Minutes (4hrs), with a max file size of 4 GB.
However, that doesn’t necessarily mean you need to produce
videos that long.
Our data shows that the optimal length of a Facebook
video is between 3 and 5 minutes.
We pulled data on videos up to 20 minutes long, but everything
after 10 minutes is relatively similar in average engagements.
Now, it’s worth noting that if you break it down in 20-second
intervals (yes, we love data that much) you can see a significant
spike in the 180-200 second range (3:00-3:20 minutes). The average
engagement jumps from 986 to 2,009!
So if you want to be specific, I suppose you could say the
optimal length of a Facebook video is between 3:00 and
3:20.
If your video is longer than three minutes, make sure that you
include CTA’s and brand identification early, before the
four-minute mark.
“Shorter, more frequent bits of video content is how consumers
prefer to share with each other. No wonder that Facebook encourages
us as marketers to do the same,” says Dennis Yu, of Blitzmetrics.
Michael Stelzner from Social Media Examiner tied the same
concept toward the trend to spend less time on Facebook.
Want even more impact from your video posts?
“15-second vertical video is killer since it doesn’t look
like an ad,” Dennis says.
What are the most common
reactions to Facebook videos?
The reaction from Facebook users to different videos provides
great insight for brands who want to create engaging content.
The most common reactions to Facebook Videos this year were:
Emotion
Total Reactions
Percent of Total
LOVE
2,895,106,209
46.80%
HAHA
2,105,689,103
34.10%
WOW
536,956,481
8%
SAD
357,448,688
5.80%
ANGRY
279,137,785
4.50%
Love, as it turns out, is the most powerful emotion, driving 46%
of reactions. Second to love is the “HaHa” reaction, which
would coincide with the success of humorous videos circulating.
What motivates people to
engage with a Facebook post?
The range of emotional reactions to Facebook video makes sense
when you think about the nature of Facebook. It’s a platform
where people connect with their family and friends, often around
shared interests.
In 2011, a
study by the New York Times found that people shared
information online for five primary reasons. They are worth quoting
directly here, and we are convinced from our data that they still
apply. People share information online:
to delight others with valuable & entertaining content
to identify and present ourselves to others,
to foster relationships,
for self-fulfillment,
for spreading the word about issues, products & brands
The key to Facebook engagement in any marketing strategy is to
focus on offering value. Mari Smith suggests that the goal should
be to “Edutain” your audience — teaching them something
useful, something that relates to a niche in which you are an
expert, and to do it in an enjoyable way.
It can be easy for us to slip into our marketer mode when we
plan Facebook posts for our brands. But, keeping our consumer
preferences in mind is a powerful way to ensure our posts are
engaging.
Here’s a little test:
Look at your own Facebook home page. What did you share in the
last three months?
If you are like me, you will find personal memories and life
events. And, an occasional funny or helpful link from a brand.
If you are like my husband, you will find personal memories and
life events, with an occasional funny or helpful link AND an
occasional link to a political editorial.
When using Facebook, people are curating an image of themselves.
There’s not much room for boring, unhelpful posts. People want to
highlight their sense of humor and opinions. They want to share
helpful information, and they want to inspire or entertain others.
@susancmoeller
For marketers, a well-developed strategy for Facebook engagement
will include posts of many different types, with various purposes.
Ideally, your Facebook strategy will be fully integrated with your
marketing plan, not just a separate project with unrelated goals.
In other words, you don’t want to post just to get a bigger
Facebook audience. A bigger Facebook audience needs to fit into
your overall marketing plan. For example, you could plan to nurture
your Facebook audience to subscribe to your email list, visit your
site, try your product, etc.
Calls-to-action help clarify for your audience what the next
step should be. They invite the audience to move closer to your
goal for them.
Here’s an explicit call to action from AgoraPulse. It uses the
Sign Up button available from Facebook.
And, this post from TailwindApp offers
value by suggesting that three types of accounts should (and can
be) claimed on Pinterest. The Call to Action doesn’t need to be
any more explicit here because the post itself builds a case for
clicking the link.
Audience nurture for Facebook engagement should also include
posts that are simply helpful. You don’t want to exhaust people
with endless asks for more of their time, attention, or money.
Here’s an example from Mari Smith’s Facebook page. She
posted about a Facebook security breach that may have allowed
unauthorized access to photos from timelines, and she includes some
great advice the types of pictures to avoid posting online.
In an earlier study, we looked at 100 million video posts, to
find the most engaging topics.
These topics are still well represented in the top video posts
of the year.
Pages with the most Facebook Engagement for 2018
So what pages, businesses, and brands generated the most
engagement in 2018? We looked at the top 500 posts and live videos
from this year, and the following pages had the most appearances
throughout the list.
The top 500 posts we’ve analyzed here represent nearly 1
Billion total engagements in 2018.
We’ve included some commentary to help make this list more
actionable for pages of all types.
Top Facebook Pages
First on the list is Strive Masiyiwa, a Public Figure, who
managed to get 34 posts in the top 500. The total engagements
across all posts were a whopping 63,142,841.
Masiyiwa is the CEO of EconetWireless and a philanthropist. His
posts provide a great example of how a C-suite level executive can
create Facebook engagement.
His posts are also an exception to the video first rule. Many of
them are mini-blog posts, and they seem to focus on Masiyima’s
vision for Africa. In this sense, they reflect reason number five
from the New York Times study:
People share content to raise awareness about an issue.
Coming in second was the Funniest Family Moments page–a purely
entertainment driven page. The page managed to have 22 posts in the
top 500, garnering a total of 51,546,121 total engagements.
This page also features babies and animals in many of its
posts.
Most marketers won’t be able to focus on making only funny
videos, but the success of this page is a powerful reminder to keep
entertainment in mind as you craft your Facebook posts.
Next up was Facebook Watch page Jay Shetty whose posts appeared
12 times in the top 500. These posts (all video) totaled up to
32,274,622 engagements.
Jay’s posts align very clearly with the idea of sharing for
self-fulfillment, as well as to foster relationships and share
helpful information about building relationships.
Some of his more successful posts are over the top
emotion-grabbing mini-narratives.
To apply this tactic outside of a self-help arena, remember that
audiences want to connect on an emotional level. Often our stories
provide a business-friendly way to do that.
Here’s an example from Facebook Marketing Expert Andrea
Vahl:
https://d380wq8lfryn3c.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/17205738/emotion-story.mp4
She..
Read more: buzzsumo.com
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