A few thoughts about San Diego Comic-Con

Last year I said Warner Bros. won San Diego Comic-Con thanks to all the trailers they showed. Heck, had Warners only showed the first “Wonder Woman” last year, I think they still would have won.

This year however, I’m giving Marvel the win. This is not because I didn’t like what WB did, but because Marvel gave us a new “Thor: Ragnarok” trailer, some much-needed “Captain Marvel” movie news, and even some “Ant-Man and the Wasp” casting announcements. So kudos to you Marvel, you win San Diego Comic-Con 2017.

There were of course a ton of news to come out of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con. So many news items come out at the same time, that it’s rather easy to miss some of them. I’m not going to comment on everything, that would take far too long and my wifey keeps telling me to pack for our vacation. But here are a few thoughts I had on this year’s SDCC:

• “Thor: Ragnarok” looks like a lot of fun!
• Michelle Pfeiffer playing Janet Van Dyne? Hell yeah.
• Thanks to his enthusiasm, Jason Momoa has won me over.
• Vincent Price’s voice gave me nightmares as a kid, and even as an adult. Thanks a lot “Stranger Things.”
• Because of the “Westworld” teaser, I have been humming Sammy Davis Jr. all morning.

• The Kingsman panel was cool and all, but I think 20th Century Fox blew a big chance by not featuring anything else on Thursday.
• “Wynonna Earp” got renewed!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
• I appreciate that SYFY does a nightly show live from the convention, but it would be nice if they featured something about comic books, and not just tv and film.
• The second trailer for “Justice League” was awesome. I think there was more humor in the trailer, than in any of the other Zack Snyder DCEU movies combined. Now I’m really excited to see the movie.
• The first thing I thought of when I saw the Justice League poster was…

Bismillah! No we will not let you go – let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go – let him go
Bismillah! We will not let you go let me go
Will not let you go let me go (never)
Never let you go let me go
Never let me go ooo
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh mama mia, mama mia, mama mia let me go
Beelzebub has a devil put aside for me

 

I really like podcasts (again): The Shazam/Isis Podcast

I didn’t start collecting comics until the late 1980’s, but I liked superheroes from an early age. In fact, some of my earliest memories of superheroes are of my cousin and I watching the live action “Shazam!” tv show on Saturday mornings.

I was a little kid then, so I had no idea the show I was watching was actually made in the mid 1970’s. Even if I’d known that I don’t think it would have mattered to me. The show was new to me, and that was all that I cared about. Plus, you know: superheroes!

Another thing I remember from back then was that the tv station would play “Shazam!” for a few weeks, and then switch over to the “The Secrets of Isis” tv show for a couple of weeks. I knew the shows were related because Shazam made a couple of appearances on Isis, but I didn’t get to see the shows back to back like kids in the 70’s did.

Why do I bring this up?

Because I wasn’t aware there was something called “The Shazam!/Isis Hour” until I listened to The Shazam/Isis Podcast hosted by John S. Drew and Richard F. Lee.

This podcast features two life long fans of the television shows discussing each episode in detail. John and Richard go through the episode’s plot, the guest stars, the moral of the story, and they even play audio clips from the show. There’s even some episodes featuring interviews with the stars of the shows, those are definitely worth listening too!

Over the last few week’s I’ve been making my way through all the great episodes John and Richard have put together. Some of my favorites Isis episodes so far include “Bigfoot,” “The Lights of Mystery Mountain,” and the Joanna Pang Atkins interview. For Shazam, some of my favorites are “Fool’s Gold,” “Double Trouble,” and “The Treasure.”

The Shazam/Isis Podcast has not only brought back a ton of Saturday morning memories, but it has also taught me a lot about two tv shows I loved as a kid. If you were ever a fan of either Shazam! or Isis, you should be listening to The Shazam/Isis Podcast.

Sense8 season 2 review

Possible spoilers ahead!

“Sense8” season 2 picks up not long after the Christmas special, as the eight main sensates — characters psychically connected to each other — are still hiding from Whispers (Terrence Mann) and the mysterious organization known only BPO. That cat-and-mouse game that started in season one, escalates in season 2 in all sorts of unexpected ways.

Season 2 also expands on the elements introduced in season 1, including the importance of the sensates relationships with one another. These relationships are not only fleshed out, but become essential to every episode of the new season. The core 8 are now more like a team than a group of strangers, they see to each other when things are good and when they are bad. They also help each other out throughout the season, sometimes with hilarious results.

Now that the group is aware of the danger presented by BPO, season 2 opens the series up to more action, especially when it comes to Hand-to-hand combat. Of course much of it comes courtesy Sun’s (Doona Bae) storyline, which finds her still confined to prison at the start of the season. But many others get in on the fun as well.

One of the things that makes the combat scenes in “Sense8” so epic, is the show’s editing. This is where the idea that the eight sensates can not only communicate but in some ways inhabit one another leads to some brilliantly edited sequences, and no just when it comes to combat. You truly believe these characters are one and the same.

This season’s plots explore Will (Brian J. Smith) and Riley’s (Tuppence Middleton) relationship, which was cool because we got to see a more independent side of Riley. Another relationship explored was the one between Wolfgang (Max Riemelt) and Kala (Tina Desai), who finally admit they love each other.

Season 2 pairs up other characters in fun ways too, Lito (Miguel Angel Silvestre) and Sun have opposite personalities, but they actually have some similarities and it was fun to see them interact with each other more, especially when Lito is depressed.

Meanwhile, Nomi (Jamie Clayton) has really grown since season 1. To me she’s the heart of the group and now the Oracle of the Sense8, this lead to some exciting collaborate during some of the season’s most tense moments. And Nomi’s relationship with Freema Agyeman as Amanita “Neets” Caplan, continues to be one of the series’ highlights, and I’m glad they gave her a much more prominent role in the show.

At the end of the day, I thought “Sense8” season 2 was better than the first season because it moved the story forward by leaps and bounds. It also gave each character a full arc, for example: Capheus becomes a celebrity in Nairobi; Kala’s uncertainty over her arranged marriage took some surprising turns, and Lito deals with what coming out publicly means for his career as an action star.

What I love best about “Sense8.” are the cast and what they each bring to their characters. I truly believe these people care for each other, and they never judge one an other. These relationships are the glue that holds this show together, and the positivity of human connection and acceptance shines through. I jut hope Netflix realizes what it has here, and renews “Sense8” for another season.

“Sense8” season 2 score: A

Doctor Who: The Pilot review

Possible spoilers ahead!

Finally, after nearly a year and a half without a proper season, “Doctor Who” returned last weekend with the season 10 premier, “The Pilot.”

The new season has its work cut out for it: this is the final season for Peter Capaldi and
producer Steven Moffat. This means the end season 10 will introduce us to a new incarnation of the Doctor. If that wasn’t enough, “The Pilot” also introduced the Doctor’s new companion, Bill Potts (Pearl Mackie).

The addition of a new companion is never easy, but I thought this episode did a great job introducing viewers to Bill Potts. In just one episode we got to know her background, what she does for a living now, and that behind her humourous demeanor lies a smart and tough lady.

About a year ago, the BBC released a sort of mini trailer featuring Pearl Mackie asking the Doctor what a Dalek was. From that clip alone, I thought her character was going to be almost slapstick next to the Doctor. But I’m happy to say I was completely wrong. Pearl Mackie carries much of the episode, and she was terrific.

I also liked that Bill is quirky enough that she stands out from previous companions. She’s very likable, and I think her and Peter Capaldi are going to have some great adventures together.

Their first adventure takes place mostly at a University where the Doctor has been lecturing undercover for years. The Doctor seems quite happy there, and in his office he even has two photos on his desk, one of River Song and one of his granddaughter Susan.

As the season starts we don’t know why he’s there, but he later reveals, “I am here for a reason. I am in disguise. I have promises to keep. No one can know about me.” What exactly he is talking about, we don’t know. However, some of it appears to involve a vault that he and his assistant Nardole (Matt Lucas) are trying to either access, or safeguard.

After two Christmas specials to his name, Nardole is upgraded to full-time companion, a valet of sorts to the Doctor. The character didn’t excite me too much in the Christmas Specials, but in “The Pilot,” Nardole really stood out. He has some great one liners, and he seemed genuinely concerned for Bill.

The creature we meet in this episode wasn’t exactly evil, so much as misunderstood. And unless I missed it, we don’t even know what to call the liquefied, sentient shape-shifting, time-traveling goo that appears first as a puddle which incorrectly reflected a person’s image. But I did like how they incorporated the character of Heather (Stephanie Hyam), a restless soul who found the ultimate escape.

Whatever this season’s big mystery is wasn’t revealed in this episode. But I’m okay with that because it was refreshing to have a stand alone episode. For once, I felt “Doctor Who” gave us a complete story in one night, and that’s a very good thing. And it was nice to see the Doctor having some fun again, even if he sometimes looks like a penguin with his ass on fire. All in all, “The Pilot” was a fun start to what I hope will be a classic “Doctor Who” season.

“The Pilot” finals score: A

“Doctor Who” airs Saturdays at 9 p.m. on BBC America.

 

Iron Fist Review

Spoilers ahead!

Since 2015, “Daredevil,” “Jessica Jones,” and “Luke Cage” have wowed Netflix audiences with their mix of superheroes and street level drama. But something else these shows have in common is the fact that the series always start strong, then sag in the middle, and then finish strong.

That however, is not the case with the latest Marvel/Netflix show, “Iron Fist.” The story of Danny Rand sags from its opening scene, with only a few strong along the way. The series is more of a family drama instead of being a show about martial arts. “Iron Fist” has more exposition than any of the other Netflix shows, so much it makes some of the episodes rather dull.

The first couple of episodes deal Danny Rand’s homecoming, but he spends most of the time trying to convince others he is who he says he is. What made things worse for me was the fact that there didn’t seem to be a reason for Danny’s return. This could have been solved with single line of dialogue, instead, several episodes in, people are still asking Danny what he’s doing back in New York after he presumably died in the Himalayas along with his mother and father 15 years ago. And after more episodes go by, he still doesn’t have a good answer for them.

Eventually Danny Rand shifts his focus to reclaiming his namesake by trying to take back his dad’s company. But even that doesn’t make sense, because the character of Danny has already established he doesn’t care about money or the power that would come if he gets the company back. By the way, Rand Enterprises is a really generic company, I’m still not sure what they do.

In the comic, Danny Rand is very sure of himself, both as the Iron Fist and in business. In the Netflix show, Finn Jones plays Danny as a naïve, angry teenager who doesn’t know what he wants, and gets ticked off whenever someone stands up to him. Naïve is one thing the comic version of Danny Rand never was.

To make matter worse, Finn Jones looks terrible in action. He’s clearly bad at martial arts so most of his action sequences are quick cuts so we don’t see the faults. His first fight with security guards looks like a dance routine and not a true fight. None of the action in the early episodes are up to the caliber of previous Netflix Marvel shows.

The flaws in Finn Jones are made even clearer when we meet Jessica Henwick’s Colleen Wing, a Dojo owner who becomes Danny’s love interest. Let me be clear here: Jessica Henwick is the highlight of “Iron Fist.” She is not only the more compelling character but she has also knows who she is and what she wants.

Plus, unlike Danny Rand, Colleen Wing knows her martial arts, so when she is requires to, she use her fighting skills and steals the scenes and the entire show. Quite frankly, everything in this show would have better had they just made Jessica Henwick the star.

Other cast member include: Tom Pelphrey as Ward Meachum. Jessica Stroup as Joy Meachum, David Wenham as Harold Meachum. The two guys love to chew the scenery, and are a little too flamboyant at times. Jessica Stroup is cute, but I’m not sure her character was needed. Also, she took her family “reunion” a little to calmly I thought. In that situation, I would have been a little freaked out.

On the bright side, Rosario Dawson is back as Claire Temple, and she brings some much-needed laughs and heart to the proceedings. Too bad she was only in a handful of episodes and not the entire season.

When it comes right down to it, “Iron Fist” feels like a wasted opportunity. This series had all the potential in the world, and it could have been the next great martial arts saga. But because of weak writing, and a lackluster lead, most of the good stuff in the show, comes crashing down.

“iRon Fist” final score: C

The only reason it gets a grade that high is because of Jessica Henwick.

5 Underrated Iron Fist Stories

We’re only a couple of days away from the premier of “Iron fist,” the latest Marvel/Netflix show. With that in mind, I thought this would be a good time to talk about some underrated comics starring good old Danny Rand.

Some of my choices are probably buried deep in the dollar bins at your local comic shop. But to be clear: the comics listed below are by no means necessary to enjoy “Iron Fist” this weekend. These are just good comic stories you might enjoy before or after seeing the show. Got it? good, and away we go:

Immortal Iron Fist #1-6 (2007) “The Last Iron Fist Story”

You really can’t go wrong with anything written by Ed Brubaker and Matt Fraction, they’re just great writers. But their Iron Fist run from nearly a decade ago, was a thing of beauty.

To kick off a brand new series, the writers, along with artist David Aja and Travel Foreman, introduced a character named Orson Randall. It turned out he was Iron Fist before Danny Rand even heard of the name.

Personal issues led Randall to give up the Iron Fist mantle long ago, but he senses something is coming, and realizes he needs to tell Danny of his legacy as the possessor of this heroic power.

If you’re lucky to find the single issues or the trade, I highly recomend you check out the early issues of Immortal Iron Fist.

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Namor the Sub-Mariner #28 (1992) “”Still Alive and Well!”

Namor the Sub-Mariner #28 guest-stars Namorita, Iron Fist, and Misty Knight. This issue was written by John Byrne and Joey Cavalieri, and featured art by Jae Lee and Jeff Albrecht. The story sees Iron Fist testing his skills after months of not using his powers, and Misty Knight receives word that Namorita has found her missing cousin (Namor) who has lost his memory.

Elements of  this story may sound silly today, but this issue of Namor holds a special place in my collection for a number of reasons. The main reasons I’ve held on tot his comic are:

• I bought this issue at my first comic con in March 1993. I decided to buy it, because Jae Lee was the guest of honor at the convention, and he signed the comic for me.
• Not only was this my first Namor comic, but it was also the first time I heard of Iron Fist.

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Iron Fist #1-2 (1996 Mini Series)

Marvel’s mightiest martial arts hero finaly  returns!

Well, for two whole issues at least. Most people probably don’t remember this two issue series from 1996, but I remember this series well. I bought both issues because I was a fan of artist Robert Brown. Whatever happened to him?

Anyways, in this story, Danny Rand faces the greatest challenge of his life as he attempts to recapture his fading power…which has been absorbed by the one man who has defeated him: the Steel Serpent!

The two issues were written by James Felder, with art and covers by Robert Brown and Rey Garcia. and is worth checking out.

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Heroes for Hire #1 (1997) “Heroes and Villains”

By the summer of 1997. I knew little about the Heroes for Hire, so when the new series written by Roger Stern (plot) and John Ostrander (script), and art by Pascual Ferry came out, I quickly scooped it up.

In this comic, the U-Foes break into the Vault and release all of the prisoners, Iron Fist is prompted to re-form the Heroes for Hire with the backing of Jim Hammond and Oracle, Inc. Soon, Iron Fist is joined by Hercules and a new White Tiger (but not Luke Cage) in defusing a hostage situation in the United Nations building. And di I mention the Hulk gets involved?

This was a great series that sadly only lasted 19 or so issues. If you can find any of these comics, check them out! You won’t be disappointed.

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Spider-Man #41-43 (1993-1994) “Storm Warnings”

What can I say? Jae Lee draws a kick-ass Iron Fist. Too bad he never drew an Iron Fist solo book, that would have been cool.

Spider-Man #41-43 were written by Terry Kavanagh, with art and covers by Jae Lee. In “Storm Warnings,” extenuating circumstances set the stage for a battle between the Amazing Spider-Man and Iron Fist.

The only question that remains is: Can these two heroes stop fighting each other long enough to find the true villain behind everything?

You gotta read “Storm Warnings” to find out!

That’s my list of underrated Iron Fist comics you may want to read. There are  some other stories I could mention, but I’m going to wait until “The Defenders” hits Netflix later this year.

 

Meme Time: #3oDaysOfTVShowsChallenge

To quote a blog, the world is a mess. But I don’t need to rule it. Who in their right mind would want that gig? But in these troubling times, it’s good to reflect on what was and what should never be, and what we are watching on our tee vee. So I dug into the archives of the internet and have dragged back into relevance a 2015 twitter meme: #30DaysOfTVShowsChallenge

You’d think since it’s a meme asking a persons opinion on TV shows that there are no wrong answers. You’d be wrong. Playing along on this month long adventure is our beloved leader Maz, the blog ball buster Laneit360, guest commentator Lord Loser, and myself.

Let’s just jump right in, shall we?

Day One: A show that never should have been cancelled?

Maz: “Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom is one of those shows that never got the credit it deserved. It was funny, it had drama, and it made you look twice at the news.

I wish The Newsroom was around now because Aaron Sorkin would have a field day with everything that has been going on in the real world for the last couple of years.”

Yes, art through pain. Way to drag us back to reality, Maz.

Laneit: “In my opinion ESPN’s Playmakers…but since the NFL threatened ESPN they made it go away…”

Ooo! Conspiracies! Tell us more! Oh… that’s all he has to say. Moving on.

Lord Loser: “The Middleman should have never been cancelled. Way too good.”

I can not disagree. That show was pure joy from Day One. (See what I did there?)

But, you’re all wrong. The correct answer is Firefly.

Maz: “Solid choice.”

Laneit: “Yup.”

Lord Loser never likes to admit when I’m right and has chosen silence instead.

Tomorrow we tackle: Day 02 – A show that you wish more people were watching.