August 8, 2023

Does The Origin Story Need ALL The Stakes?

The following video, which being from The Critical Drinker obviously has quite a bit of swearing and drinking, is not posted to be the article, but something he said here did lead to the article. You can watch it if you want but my point will be clear with or without it. I just like being thorough.

One of the modern issues with Hollywood’s overblown budget that Drinker touches upon is how big and epic every superhero movie has to be, with the effects to match–which is a problem considering that the situation at Marvel Studios has gotten so bad for the VFX artists that they decided to unionize just to keep their sanity with all the last-minute changes that take time to implement. Script changes, someone in the upper levels or money people demanding a change so they feel better about themselves because “they’re helping” (spoilers: they’re really not) or making their kid happy or something, and all the work and money that goes into it is definitely a problem.

You know what would keep all those effects a bit less obtrusive? Maybe don’t put all your stakes in the first movie. You know you’re making a series, so does the origin need to be that important? If it’s an origin story does it need to be for all the marbles if you already want a second movie and beyond? It’s a symptom of a larger issue I’ve mentioned before, that every story needs to be the most epic thing ever, a problem that’s afflicted comics as well as Hollywood recently so of course the comic-inspired (not really adapted) movies would suffer the same mistake, but they do it right out of the box.

So that’s what I’m here to answer: does the first movie need to be as huge as it is? Short answer: No. Long answer: read on.

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Posted by on August 8, 2023 in Comic Spotlight, Movie Spotlight, Television Spotlight and tagged .

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August 8, 2023

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Incredible Hulk (2011) #1

“Hulk learn fingerpainting.”

The Incredible Hulk #1 (again)

Marvel Comics (December, 2011)

“Hulk Asunder” part 1

WRITER: Jason Aaron

PENCILERS: Marc Silvestri & Michael Brossard

INKERS: Joe Weems V, Rick Basaldua, & Sal Regla

COLORIST: Sunny Gho

LETTERER: Ed Dukeshire

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Jake Thomas

EDITOR: Mark Paniccia

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Posted by on August 8, 2023 in Marvel Spotlight, Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , , , , , .

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August 8, 2023

BW’s Daily Video> Being Bigger Than Comic History

Catch more from Comics By Perch on YouTube

Posted by on August 8, 2023 in Comic Spotlight and tagged , , .

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August 7, 2023

Chapter By Chapter> Batman: Knightfall part 2 chapter 13

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 read-along book club.

PART 2: KNIGHTQUEST

We’re over halfway through the novel and seven chapters away from part 3. I don’t know how far along we are in the corresponding comics though. Last time it was all Bruce and Alfred trying to do the detective part of being Batman. I like how Bruce isn’t simply being kept down. There’s no crisis of faith, even with the concerns that he might never be able to be Batman again. He’s still doing what he feels is right, and not leaving rescuing his friends to the authorities even though he’s injured. Bruce doesn’t give up being who he is even when dealing with restrictions. It’s a quality that makes him a hero. I’m not getting that he’s doing it out of obsession but because…it’s what he does. He helps when nobody else can.

We have a decent length chapter this week so let’s just get to it. Plus we’re nearing that point in a Chapter By Chapter series where I’m starting to run out of stuff to say to pad out the homepage listing.

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Posted by on August 7, 2023 in Batman: Knightfall, DC Spotlight and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , .

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August 7, 2023

“Yesterday’s” Comic> Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5

Are they even old enough to be in a bar?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5

Mirage Studios (October…maybe November, 1985)

This is from the first printing so the reprint’s back-up story isn’t in this release, nor was in the colorized Volume 2 trade from First Publishing that I own. Also, the Turtle fandom wiki has retroactively given this story the title “Teaming Up With Fugitoid”.

WRITERS/ARTISTS: Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird

LETTERER: Steve Lavigne

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Posted by on August 7, 2023 in Yesterday's Comics and tagged , , .

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August 7, 2023

BW’s Daily Video Set> The History Of Pink Fluffy Unicorns Dancing On Rainbows

You may have seen this video. YouTube recommended the daylights out of it before I finally watched the darn thing, so I assume it was big for awhile.

Catch more from Fluffle Puff on YouTube

I’m not sure what’s stranger: that the artist’s OC spent too long in the dryer, that she’s in a lesbian relationship with Luna (yes, I know SOME of the characters, though admittedly I don’t know if Luna was ever depicted as gay), that it looks so close to the art style of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic that not hiring her is a mistake, that she dances on Rainbow Dash at one point (I remember watching a few other videos and this OC is a few apples shy of an orchard)…or that Dan from Dan Vs, a totally unrelated show I barely know, makes a cameo and prepares to introduce Pinkie Pie to his happy little bullets and yet the bit somehow works despite keeping Dan in his show’s art style and the other characters in theirs. As for the song, you want to see the original?

That’s Andrew Huang, and in this follow-up made six years later he goes over what minor change led to this silly little ditty and the impact it had on his life.

Catch more from Andrew Huang on YouTube

It’s amazing what connects with an audience. That’s why you really can’t create something to be popular. Make something good and it will find an audience. No demographic chart or marketing gimmick can make up for that. It’s also fascinating how a small change makes a huge difference. You can let that get out of hand and worry yourself to death as a creator but that may be another reason the devil is in the details. A minor change can make something good into something amazing.

Posted by on August 7, 2023 in Animation Spotlight, Music Spotlight, Streaming Spotlight and tagged , , , .

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August 6, 2023

Jake & Leon #567> Hat Get

Sometimes I wonder if Fizzbin is just messing with them.

I’m hoping that title is a lost meme and not just something from an avatar on a forum I used to be part of.

Over at The Clutter Reports this week I updated Comics For Sale section of the site with a list that isn’t 10 miles long. I just made categories and gave them their own subpage. You can check out the listings here, if you’re curious. At some point I’d consider making it a full-on store but I have a lot to learn about setting one up on WordPress before I try.

This week at the Spotlight we continue the Chapter By Chapter review of Batman: Knightfall, the novelization. My missing a comic post this week allowed me to delay the last physical comic review (not counting turtles and hedgehogs in lead roles) but this week should be the last of that and I don’t know what to do with my Fridays after that. Plus whatever else I come up with this week. I have the makings of an interesting discussion on origins rolling around my head at the moment. Have a great week, everyone!

Posted by on August 6, 2023 in Jake & Leon and tagged , , , .

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