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Full disclosure before we start. I didn’t really get into Disney’s Recess. I’ve seen a few episodes and I know the basic premise: a group of kids try to have fun despite the strict rules of the principal and one of the teachers. Both sides at times have a good point. The playground at recess, where most of the show takes place, has a silly assortment of cliques from the supposed king, to the kids who like to dig, to the “feral” kindergarteners. The show aired on ABC for six seasons, as part of both Disney’s “One Saturday Morning” block (as well as UPN’s “One Two” block) and ABC Kids. I thought it was okay, but not really my thing.
Still, the adventures of TJ, Spinelli, Vince, Gus, Gretchen, and Mikey were quite popular. Six is a lot of seasons for Saturday morning shows, and it had fans internationally. So it’s not surprising that series creators Paul Germain and Joe Ansolabehere (apparently that IS his last name) would want to do a “next generation” type show. It worked for Star Trek and Saved By The Bell, so why not? Lost Media Busters on X-Twitter apparently found the pitch bible for Recess: Next Bell, and while the original post appears to be taken down for whatever reason, I don’t see any notations that they learned it was fake, so at least for now we’re going on the assumption that this was a real attempt to go back to Third Street School for new adventures with new kids. Even if it isn’t, everything wrong with modern Disney kids shows and writing in general even among acquired properties like Star Wars and Marvel is on display in this pitch, and I’m kind of surprised the same creators worked on it, because my limited exposure says this doesn’t make any sense. I’m hoping any big Recess fans in the readership can explain some of this since this does not look like a good showing for these characters or their replacements.
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“If we hurry, maybe we can escape to Dark Horse before Disney catches us.”
Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures Free Comic Book Day 2024
Dark Horse Comics (May, 2024)
COVER ART: Andy Duggan
“Sky Parade Rescue”
WRITER: Daniel José Older
ARTIST: Andy Duggan
COLORIST: Dan Jackson
LETTERERS: Jimmy Betancourt & Tyler Smith
CREATIVE DIRECTOR: Michael Siglain
SENIOR EDITOR: Robert Simpson
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Grace Ortiss
then a bunch of unnecessary credits for jobs comics didn’t need until recently
Plants Vs. Zombies: “The Origin Of Zomboss!”
WRITER: Paul Tobin
ARTIST: Luisa Russo
COLORIST: Heather Breckel
LETTERER: Steve Dutro
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Chapter By Chapter (usually) features me reading one chapter of the selected book at a time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as a read-along book club.
Okay, we missed some time away from the book due to life but it’s time to see what happens next in our investigation. Then again every time I say that it becomes a character moment chapter, and when I finally just assume it will be character based because the last few have, we get the murder mystery plot. It’s been my only complaint thus far.
Last time we went through two oddly broken up chapters as Kirk goes to T’Pau for a bit of help and they actually get along. That was nice to see.
Look, I’m enjoying the story. I just think the title plot and the plot Lorrah wanted to do should have integrated better. Maybe it’s one of those things I’m noticing more in this format but I do like both plots. Following the events on Vulcan with the relationships would make for a decent Star Trek story on its own, as would the murder plot, and you can weave those together. I’m just not sure the two were integrated as well as they could have. Any other reason to bring the Enterprise here, even sticking with the medical drama (remember, the sequel is a medical drama and I enjoyed it enough to track this book down), would have been enough. We’re in the last quarter of pages so I want to see some more focus on that. Will that happen this chapter? Let’s read and find out.
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“Fine, I’ll call the electrician!”
Hardcase #3
Malibu Comics/Ultraverse (August, 1993)
“Hard Decisions”
WRITER: James Hudnall
PENCILER: Jim Callahan
INKER: Rodney Ramos
COLORIST: Moose Bauman
LETTERER: Tim Eldred
EDITORS: Chris Ulm & Hank Kanalz
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This is my problem with Teen Titans Go!. For a show that’s defends itself as being “for kids”, the writers sure like taking shots at fans of the previous Teen Titans cartoon unhappy with using the same resources in a different art and writing style. (“Teen Titans Go!” comes from the theme song and the title of the previous show’s tie-in comic.) You can be subtle in attacking your critics or people you don’t like. Shakespeare pulled it off, but when Roland Emmerich’s use of a Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert is less subtle (and more on the nose considering how he made “Siskel” the brown noser to Ebert’s mayor, when the actual critics argued often), you’re doing it wrong.
BW’s Daily Video> Setting The Yasuke Record Straight
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For the record, I’d be ignoring this bit of culture war nonsense if they weren’t making and planning fictional works based on this little known historic figure, a trivia footnote in the history of the samurai. This is happening for cultural reasons rather than historic accuracy or good story reasons, so the end product is destined to fail based on recent media failings. It is funny watching the people who complain about cultural appropriation (like in the recent Daily Video where a black girl in a kimono using the word “kawaii” bothered everyone except the Japanese) are now guilty of it with something that actually matters to the Japanese. Apparently they learned nothing from the “black Cleopatra” debacle.
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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on June 4, 2024 in Video Game Spotlight and tagged commentary, gaming versus history, Hollywood versus history, Yasuke.
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