Saturday nights like this are why I don’t go clubbing these days.
JLX Unleashed
Amalgam (DC Comics; June, 1997)
“The Unextinguishable Flame!” (which according to my spell check should be inextinguishable) WRITER: Christopher Priest PENCILER: Oscar Jiminez INKER: Hanibal Rodriguez COLORIST: Patricia Mulvihill LETTERER: Ken Lopez EDITOR: Rubien Diaz
You may recall an old written review I did of The Adventures Of Captain Marvel, my favorite movie serial. I love the thing. It had solid cliffhanger, good effects for the time, and the classic hero. There were some major changes to Billy Batson’s origin story but I still like it.
There’s been complaints lately about Rifftrax going after perceived good movies along with the bad movies they became known for riffing all the way back in Mystery Science Theater 3000, forgetting that even good movies have enough oddities that it makes for a decent riffing target. If it didn’t, Cinema Sins wouldn’t exist. But I do understand the trepidation of seeing something you love in the crossfire of a riff. Which leads to tonight’s posting.
My fellow Reviewers Unknown refugee, Jeff “Writrzblok” Gwinnup, is also a fellow fan of the guy now called by his magic word because Marvel Comics is evil and DC just gave up. Still, knowing few if any of the reviewing community I know of likes serials I was still unsure how this would go. Turns out it went quite well. We’re starting with episode one, because he left the credits in this one and it shows the altered origin of Captain Marvel.
Gigantor missed his train.
Gigantor #2
Antarctic Press (February, 2000)
“Heart Of Steel, Soul Of Iron” STORY/ART: Ben Dunn COLORISTS: Jochen Weltjens, Nathan Lumm, & Lee Duning EDITOR: Doug Dlin
Newsarama has the latest reports from the new Star Wars: The Force Awakens, as well as a trailer that gives the release date. But if you have the same problem I did, an ad banner that takes up the lower third of the bloody video, you’d be better off going to the official Star Wars YouTube posting. Seriously, Newsarama, work on that!
“Stood up for my blind date again.”
Gigantor #1
Antarctic Press (January, 2000)
“The Birth Of The Ironman” STORY/ART: Ben Dunn STORY ASSIST: Fredd Ladd ART ASSISTANCE: Ted Nomura COLORIST: Patrick Thornton COLORING ASSIST: Nathan Lumm & Lee Dunig No letterer or editorial credits
Avatar: The Last Airbender (season 1) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Few media opinions are universally agreed upon, and that includes The Last Airbender, the M. Night Shyamalan adaptation of Nickelodeon’s popular Avatar: The Last Airbender. However, most of the audible voices agree that it was a terrible adaptation if not a terrible film. The story follows the adventures of Aang, the last of the airbender tribe, in a world where some people are able to “bend” one of the four elements, the Avatar able to bend all four. It is the mission of the Avatar to maintain peace between the four bender groups and the regular citizens. Aang is the youngest, with a tough mission ahead of him. It really is a great show and you should check it out. I haven’t had the chance to see The Legend Of Korra, the sequel that follows the next Avatar, but I hear good things about it, although it may drag in the first season as it finds its own identity.
The movie (which I admit for full disclosure I haven’t seen but I’ve seen so many deep examinations I felt like I have) does not get the praise. According to reviews the heart is missing, while the effects are overdone in some areas and underdone in others. It doesn’t help that Shyamalan is trying to compress a full season into a movie, something that never goes well when Japan does it to their anime. However, I don’t think this should be extended to the cast; at least not Aang, played by martial arts enthusiast Noah Ringer, who got the role after his instructor saw both the show and a casting call. At the time, Ringer was shaving his head thanks to a mistake at the hair cutter, but he also had the right personality.
Not that you’d know if you saw the movie. Shyamalan’s take was more serious and lacked the lighthearted moments that balanced the dark ones, making for a more realistic and interesting show. When I saw Ringer interviewed on set for Entertainment Tonight he had the right personality, which made me think the movie would work. In the final product, however, Aang is all serious rather than the fun-loving boy who got serious when he needed to, trying to deal with the desire to be a kid, and the pressure of being the savior of the world. But Ringer was perfect for the part. I can’t find that interview, but this behind-the-scenes video with Ringer shows that he is perfect for the role…if it was written and directed right. Continue reading
“I knew I got up on the wrong side of the recharge chamber this morning!”
Transformers: Generation Two #9
Marvel (July, 1994)
“Swarm” & “Tales From Earth” part 6 WRITER: Simon Furman PENCILER: Manny Galan INKER: Jim Amash COLORIST: Sarra Mossoff LETTERER: Richard Starkings EDITOR: Rob Tokar
The Clutter Reports (my other site) Atop The Fourth Wall Crisis On Earth Prime Lean Into Artcast Bully Says “Comics Oughta Be Fun” Siskoid’s Blog of Geekery
Cartoon Hero’s Lair SF Debris Four Million Years Later
