No, really, when did Sparky gain the power to fly?
The Blue Beetle #17
Holyoke Publishing (December, 1942)
At this point I’m starting to have the same issue I have as we get closer to the end of a book review for Chapter By Chapter. I’m running out of ways to fill space. That’s another problem with reviewing anthologies. Usually I can do the credits, even if we’re getting two or three stories an issue, tell you which story we’re on, and it’s all good. Here we have three Blue Beetle stories, the next part of the Likkity Split story (God help me), V-Man, and another Spark Stevens (God help me again). I don’t have any real trivia, anything else will be said in the review, but because on the homepage I want to have some space before the “continue reading” button I need to say something. So what I get is rambling, which thankfully I’m done with for this installment. Let’s get to the reviews.
This intro does not appear in the two episodes, the two part “Adventures Of A Normal Man”, that aired on Adult Swim last night. It might have been added in for HBO Max or the Adult Swim app, on demand, and on their website. but that’s not the version I watched. I’ll bring up again someday as part of the Many Intros Of Superman some time in the future. The show will air Thursdays at Midnight on Adult Swim, be on HBO Max, now just called Max, and repeated Saturdays on the Toonami block, so it may end up on Toonami’s site as well. Originally it was going to be on regular Cartoon Network, and it does look like a kid show (the word “murder” comes up a couple of times in episode two but nothing is objectionable for kids beyond that) but for some reason they changed their mind, and Williams Street, who handles the Adult Swim and Toonami blocks, saved it for at least one airing. Whether or not we get a second season depends on how well it does…and if it is worth having a second season.
Of course, despite my misgivings, I had to watch and review My Adventures With Superman. We’re talking about my number one favorite superhero since childhood, so I’m rather defensive of how he’s portrayed. I’ve seen many live-action and animated version over the years as well as the various main and side comic continuities…aka the source material. Superman means a lot to me and so far all of those sources are failing my favorite superhero. The comics have done some horrible things to him lately I don’t want to bring up, Zack Snyder gave us a dark, brooding Superman even Batman fans think is wrong, and I haven’t watched the direct-to-video movies due to lack of money so I haven’t see a decent Superman since Justice League Action…and that suffered from using the New 52 Superman.
To properly judge this show both on its own merits and as an adaptation of Superman and friends I’m going to format this in the form of the good, the bad, and the…eh. The good is everything I like about the show and obviously the bad is the opposite. I’ll look at both the adaptation and on its own. I did admit Man Of Steel was a good superhero movie but a terrible Superman movie, so this still has a chance to have positive things said about it. As for the eh, that’s the stuff I’m rather neutral on but are worth bringing up on both angles.
Adult Swim’s YouTube channel, at least as of this writing, only has part one but it should give you some idea what I’m talking about if you haven’t checked the show out yourself. Watch, and then read the review.
With so many adaptations being under the control of people who care more about their story than a proper adaptation, it’s refreshing when a director wants to be faithful to the source material. While neither of the Haunted Mansion movies are really in my interest, hearing the director of the new version say he wanted to be faithful to the ride’s story, as there actually is a tale attached to the events seen in the ride from what I hear, is rather amazing and I wish more adaptation creators had the same thought. If someone adapting a ride can treat what came before as a template why not someone adapting a book, comic, game, or nostalgic property?
Is that title overdoing it? Maybe, but it’s not necessarily clickbait either. Look at recent history.
The Banana Splits are turned into Five Nights At Freddy’s by having the costumes come to life and kill people because they’re mad their show’s canceled. (Make sure the Banana Splits movie you show your kids is the one where they turn into cartoon characters to save a young friend and not the slasher movie.)
Dora The Explorer gets her own movie and it’s about how she falsely believes she’s a TV/game character so everyone thinks she’s gone crazy.
As soon as the original A.A. Milne version of Winnie The Pooh goes into public domain we get a slasher movie where a guy in a Pooh costume goes psycho.
That’s not counting the other kids properties made into adult properties like Transformers or GI Joe.
Now add Barney the purple dinosaur to the list. Apparently Mattel, the same people who approved a Barbie movie that ignores previous Barbie media in favor of what appears to be a cynical take on Barbie’s world versus “reality”, are ready to put out an “A24-type” take on Barney and presumably his three young dino friends. Because as we all know Barney doesn’t get enough abuse from the over-preschool crowd who want to show you how adult they are by trashing a show for little kids.
Why can’t I see some GOOD news about adapting a kids property anymore?
Technically there is swearing in this. Which should have been obvious from the title. However, the heavy modern stuff is censored so it’s more ye ol’ swearing.
BW Media Spotlight 