It’s the comic coming to destroy your nostalgia.
Space Ghost #5
DC Comics (May, 2005)
“Venom”
WRITER: Joe Kelly
ARTIST: Ariel Olivetti
LETTERER: Richard Starkings
EDITOR: Joey Cavalieri
We only have so much time in the day, and to devote it to something you already know you’re not going to enjoy when it is not necessary to do so is rather silly. That’s why this is a rather different installment of Finally Watched because I actually didn’t…because a half hour in (with ad breaks) I just couldn’t get into it enough to even do a proper review. That’s how boring The Legend Of The Lone Ranger was, and that makes me sad.
When I was a kid the movie did a tie-in with General Mills cereals, including one of my top 3 cereals, Cheerios. I don’t remember if it was a pack-in or a mail-away promo but you got a poster, a cheap mask, a cheap badge with a rather neat way of staying on without a pin, and a certificate of being one of the Ranger’s buds. I didn’t get the chance to see the movie but always wanted to. A couple of weeks ago it aired on TV, I think on INSP, and my dad and I sat down to watch it…and gave up 30 minutes in. I wanted to finish watching anyway for the sake of the review. I’ve reviewed movies I don’t like but sat through to the end. With my media backlogs and trying to keep my posting schedule on course (when I remember to program the time correctly in the auto-scheduler) I just couldn’t bring myself to do this one, and I hear I’m not missing out.
So no, this isn’t a review of the full movie. Maybe it gets better but when you lose me this early I have to doubt it. Instead, here’s why I couldn’t finally watch The Legend Of The Lone Ranger.
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This remake of Sonic Colors…is a joke I can’t make because I never played it.
Sonic X #25
Archie Comics (December, 2007)
“The Color Sonic”
WRITER; Ian Flynn
PENCILER: Tracy Yardley!
INKER: Terry Austin
COLORIST: Josh Ray
COVER ART: Patrick “Spaz” Spaziante & Ken Hunzeker
LETTERER: John Workman
EDITOR: Mike Pellerito
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Catch more from Casually Comics on YouTube
I posted the following response:
I had to jump forward in my backlog because more people need to see this series and thank you for drawing attention to it. I saw when it originally aired and loved it. The Superman Family Album segments were more enjoyable as Clark’s early years than Smallville for me. Beau Weaver is underrated as Superman, and scores high on the “Clark Kent Factor”. I actually think he played Reeve’s Clark better than Reeve did. It’s not just about the glasses and Weaver might have been as good as Bud Collyer given more time in the role.
I like the merged take on Lex and Michael Bell’s portrayal. It may be my favorite version of Lex, the best of both the mad scientist and evil businessman. The character models are out of the comics, the whole cast worked well together, and it’s just the most fun take on Superman for me. Now if I can just find the DVD when I have the money on me to get it.
If you haven’t seen this version you really should. Bring it back, Tubi!
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“Next time leave the exposition to the narration.”
The way we read comics is important. It’s one of the ways comics can tell a story versus other formats. The thought balloon, for example, is an evolution from the word balloon, a way for the reader to know what’s inside someone’s head without them speaking it out loud for some reason. That makes them look silly. Reading a character’s thoughts is a benefit to the audience, but some reason the caption box has taken over going over the character’s thoughts.
The problem is that the caption used to be the place for narration, whether someone was narrating to another character during a flashback or the third person narrator was filling in information for the reader, once comic creators realized that this wasn’t prose or an audio drama script and you could just show what the characters are doing, that would be clunky if the characters said it. Thus it reduces the “as you know” trope because whatever the reader needs the narrator can fill in.
Instead now the “first person” caption box is where you read the thoughts of the character, under the belief that this is better. However, whatever trade-offs it has I don’t feel is worth it. To set this discussion up I have a video from NerdSync Productions and Scott Niswander, with help from Strip Panel Naked host and comic letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou that goes over the history of the thought balloon and why the switch to captions was made. Then I have my own thoughts because it wouldn’t be a feature article if I didn’t.
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When you have to tell the audience this isn’t another holodeck malfunction story, maybe you’ve overused the gimmick?
Star Trek Unlimited #10
Marvel/Paramount Comics (July, 1998)
“A Piece Of Reaction”
WRITERS: Michael A. Martin & Andy Mangels
PENCILER: Ron Randall
INKER: Art Nichols
COLORIST: Kevin Tinsley
LETTERER: Phil Felix
EDITOR: Tim Tuohy
BW Media Spotlight 