I’m not a huge fan of the franchise mind you so I could have missed it, but I haven’t heard of a Pokémon movie hitting theaters in years, at least in the US. But it appears The Power Of Us (as opposed to “The Power Of One”, the subtitle for Pokémon The Move 2000) will get a limited theatrical run.
Disney/Lucasfilm has released the casting list for the upcoming ninth main story of the Star Wars Saga. (This is not counting side movies like Rogue One or Solo or the various TV shows…although Clone Wars is coming back.) This new installment sees J.J. Abrams return to the director’s seat with Chris Terrio joining him in the screenwriting. Last I heard this will be Abrams’ last installment with the now controversial Rian Johnson taking up the next one. And given what little knowledge he’s shown about the lore this might be a problem.
There’s also the problem that Johnson tied up so many of the story arcs and plot threads of this trilogy in The Last Jedi, meaning Abrams and Terrio have a lot of retconning to do if they’re going to tell their story. It’s a bit karma-esque since Abrams ignored what George Lucas had wanted to do with episodes seven through nine, but it means problems ahead that they’re going to have to undo. Note that there will be spoilers for the The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi if you were waiting until the trilogy is done or something before watching. I know how some folks like their binge watching.
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Just another day in the Marvel universe.
Avengers volume 3 #12
Marvel Comics (January, 1999)
“Old Entanglements”
WRITER: Kurt Busiek
PENCILER: George Perez
INKERS: Al Vey & Bob Wiacek
COLORIST: Tom Smith
LETTERING: Comicraft
EDITOR: Tom Brevoort
Oct 14, 1947 – Jul 29, 2018
During the 1980s, when I was still watching pro wrestling regularly, Nikolai Volkoff–the wrestling persona of Josip Nikolai Peruzović–terrorized the World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE) with his Russian pride (Peruzović was actually Yugoslavian) and horrible singing of the Soviet National Anthem. Over the weekend he passed away at 70 years old. Volkoff was often the enemy of “Real American” Hulk Hogan and teamed with fellow America-hater The Iron Shiek, both appearing as enemies in the CBS cartoon Hulk Hogan’s Rock And Wrestling, and and later tag-teamed with fellow Soviet Boris Zukhoff. He was a great villain and a great entertainer in the squared circle. My condolences to his family and friends.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: today’s superhero comic writers have no idea how to use death in their stories. They find a character nobody uses, kill him or her off for the shock of “stuff is really hitting the fan now”, and move on without a second thought. This story arc trilogy however did it right, even if it did add to the list of characters who don’t know how to stay dead, which admittedly is something else modern comic writers (and editors) can’t seem to stop themselves from doing.
When Superman died, it wasn’t just some shock death out of nowhere. He went down in an epic battle to save the city he loved and the innocent being he swore to protect as well as his fellow heroes. After his death people didn’t move on. There was a funeral. His supporting cast were shown grieving the loss of someone close to them or taking advantage of his passing. There was emotion, there was weight. Dang it Superman’s death meant something. Compare that to, say, the time they killed Firestorm with a surprise sword to the chest. Death became such a joke that Grant Morrison lampshaded it early in his JLA run. I wouldn’t see death handled with any kind of caring as a writer again until Love & Capes, a romantic sitcom comic that happens to involve superheroes, killed off Windstar.
Now we reach the third and final arc in this storyline, and it did something else events fail to do: create characters that actually last. One villain is still one of Superman’s enemies. One hero is still one of his best allies. One was wiped out because writers and editors had a “better idea” but he’s still beloved. One hero didn’t stand the test of time but did do some good while he was around, so they didn’t completely bypass the problem. Still, three out of four isn’t bad. And it all starts here, the final section of this book.
“We’re going to need a bigger bug zapper.”
Flash/Green Lantern: Faster Friends part 2
FINAL ISSUE
DC Comics (1997)
“End Run”
WRITERS: Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn
PENCILER: Val Semeiks
INKER: Chip Wallace
COLORIST: Ian Laughlin
SEPARATIONS: Android Images
COVER ART: Dave Johnson
LETTERER: Albert DeGuzman
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Jason Hernandez-Rosenblatt
EDITOR: Paul Kupperberg
After 25 years the comics incarnation of The Simpsons, which featured numerous titles (including my favorite, Radioactive Man) will be ending. Does it have something to do with Disney buying 20th Century Fox? Will they relaunch the comic using Marvel (or IDW, since they seem to be doing more with Disney’s properties than Marvel is)? Only time will tell. And how will affect Bongo in the long run since it’s basically what started the company? I think they still have Futurama and Life In Hell, Groening’s other creations, but even the Spongebob Squarepants comic is taking a break. Or are they just ending the main title but continuing the spinoff stuff? If I hear anything I’ll let you know.
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
