The OA, Netflix’s mysterious new supernatural drama is flawed, but worthy of your attention.
Zal Batmanglij and Brit Marling co-created, co-executive produced and co-wrote the eight-part series. Batmanglij also directed every episode.
The OA is a complex and experimental exploration of life and death. From the beginning, the series asks the audience to suspend disbelief and follow along.
The Premise
Marling stars as Prairie Johnson, a young woman who disappeared several years ago. She is reunited with her parents after surviving jumping off a bridge. But she’s changed. When she left home she was blind, but now she can see. Instead of answering to the name Prairie, she insists on being called “The OA.” She has mysterious scars on her back.
The OA forges an unlikely friendship with a group of teen-aged misfits and their teacher. They all gather at an unfinished house where she tells them the story of her life, which began in Russia in 1987.
“I’m going to tell you my story,” The OA tells the group. “And there will come a point when you’ll see why you are here, what you might do together, how you can help people that you’ll never meet. But, you have to pretend to trust me until you actually do.”
Each night, she reveals more of her story, telling the group about her disappearance, what led to her capture and what part they play in her new mission.
Conclusion
The OA is flawed.
Not enough attention is given to some of the characters for the audience to form a deep enough emotional connection to them.
The series, at times, ventures into the absurd (again, you really have to suspend disbelief). And some elements are never fully explained, causing some revelations to fall flat.
But, it’s also intriguing. The show’s many twists and turns keep you engaged enough to wonder how it all fits together.
Earlier today it was reported from The Wrap that Ryan Reynolds would appear as Deadpool alongside Hugh Jackman in Logan. Since that report both Ryan Reynolds and director James Mangold have confronted the rumor.
Reynolds took to twitter to calm fans down and let them know that Wolverine will be a solo adventure, meaning no Deadpool in this one folks.
Director James Mangold then took to twitter to reassure fans that Deadpool will not appear in Logan and even went on to call out The Wrap for the false report.
While it would be amazing to see Deadpool and Wolverine interact, it does make sense for them to be kept separate. The tone of Logan seems to be much grittier than Deadpool and might not suit the comedic fun that is Wade Wilson.
Set in the future of 2024, Wolverine and Professor Charles Xavier must cope with the loss of the X-Men when a corporation lead by Nathaniel Essex is destroying the world leaving it to destruction, with Logan’s healing abilities slowly fading away and Xavier’s Alzheimer’s forcing him to forget. Logan must defeat Nathaniel Essex with the help of a young girl named Laura Kinney, a female clone of Wolverine.
Logan will land in theaters on March 3, 2017.
Are you sad that Deadpool won’t appear in Logan? Let us know in the comments section!
According to The WrapDeadpool star Ryan Reynolds has shot a scene as the merc with a mouth for Logan. This means that fans will get to see Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine share the big screen with Deadpool at least once.
The Wrap is reporting that an insider told them a scene featuring Deadpool will likely be used as an after credits scene in the final film. This could be to set up the Deadpool sequel, or perhaps even a future X-Force movie.
It’s not a massive surprise to hear that Reynolds will appear in Jackman’s final Wolverine movie. Both stars have shown great chemistry on social media and in interviews not to mention that there is an obvious demand from fans to see the pairing happen.
Logan will follow an older Wolverine and Professor X as they protect a young girl named Laura. The film is set in 2024 and as previously reported Mutant births are in decline, but it would make a lot of sense for Deadpool to appear since he is technically immortal.
UPDATE: Both director James Mangold and Ryan Reynolds have shot down this rumour claiming that The Wrap made up the report. Check out their tweets below:
I spent three weeks in December traveling on the opposite side of the world from me in South East Asia. I toured the dense, skyscraper-laden streets of Hong Kong, the rustic shores of Vietnam, the otherworldly landscapes of Thailand, and the phenomenal, modern world of Singapore. It was a beautiful time. But to get to these magical places (and back!) from my high-rise cave in Miami, Florida, required extremely long flights and a two-week cruise traveling aboard the Azamara Journey.
During all this traveling there was plenty of downtime, so I caught up on A LOT of movies. I broke down all 19 movies I watched into fun, bite-sized thoughts along with pictures of where the MFR Logo was seen!
The Adventure Begins!
Kubo and the Two Strings
The Good: Beautifully animated with a simple but effective, comic-of-age story mixed with heavy dose of myth.
The Bad: If I were to critique something it would be the simplicity of the adventure, but that’s sort of the point. And the “universe” could expand into bigger and better adventures.
The Ugly: This would be the best movie I’d see for a long time. Not a bad thing, but it was rough traveling thanks to some of these movies.
Suicide Squad
The Good: Margot Robbie’s Harley Quinn was fun. Will Smith being a little more subdued.
The Bad: Everything. Firstly, it doesn’t make much sense at this point in the DCU. Where Marvel has built up to doing something like this, DC hasn’t earned it.
The Ugly: Director David Ayers forgot that lighting exists in movies for a reason.
Star Trek Beyond
The Good: The cast is still fun, and traveling around the galaxy never looked so pretty.
The Bad: The cast says and does things that just make no sense. Once again, the villain is a good actor (Idris FREAKIN’ Elba) wasted on an uninspired character.
The Ugly: Simon Pegg. Not as Scottie, but for someone who is a Star Trek fan I think Pegg should be ashamed of himself. It just moves even further away from the spirit of Star Trek.
X-Men Apocalypse
The Good: Singer’s style is still fun, Quicksilver scene is a little too much but still impressive, and it’s got plenty of destruction porn.
The Bad: Sorry if I get repetitive, but the villain. Apocalypse looks weird, and he’s about as interesting as Ultron.
The Ugly: I’m assuming ‘apocalypse’ in the title is to describe what’s happening to this once consistent series.
Independence Day: Resurgence
The Good: The original ID$ was dumb fun. That’s the good here, that the original movie is still easily available.
The Bad: They decided to make a sequel and chose to be lazy. Rebooting ID4 in this age of cinematic universes is a good idea, but the execution was wholly uninspired.
The Ugly: You could watch the movie on mute and create your dialogue and make it more interesting. Maybe even add a drinking game element to it because why not?
Hong Kong
Top of the Peak Tram high above Hong Kong
Captain America: Civil War
The Good: The Russo Brothers do Michael Bay 100x better than Michael Bay. Their action scenes are clean, easily to follow, and very cool.
The Bad: Yet ANOTHER revenge villain with a convoluted plan that relies on the heroes traveling to the right place at the right time.
The Ugly: The plot and character motivations seemed developed by 12-year-olds using a free scriptwriting app.
Spectre
The Good: It’s a Bond movie with gadgets, girls, and ’explosions. Probably won’t be your favorite but it isn’t worst I’ve seen.
The Bad: It’s kind of boring. The villain and the twist involving him aren’t all that surprising or threatening.
The Ugly: Bond-by-the-numbers and lacking any ‘oomph’ and all the world traveling never feels tacked on.
Jason Bourne
The Good: ‘Splosions, action, and the fact that I’m not much of a Bourne fan, to begin with. So, my thoughts are mostly uninformed.
The Bad: Wildly straight forward and the once innovative action feels uninteresting because every movie does it.
The Ugly: Matt Damon’s scowl and that Bourne isn’t considered a comic book movie since he can seemingly take endless amounts of punishment and make cars much more durable than they should be.
Vietnam
Ho-Chi-Minh City, formerly known as Saigon.
Nerve
The Good: Pleasant surprise. Well-acted, briskly paced, and cleverly directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman.
The Bad: It’s kind of an episode of Black Mirror made a little longer. But that’s not so bad.
The Ugly: Like an episode of Black Mirror, the ugly truth always comes at the end. For Nerve, it’s the final punch of the plot when it reveals who the real ugly antagonists are.
Lights Out
The Good: Congratulations to director David F. Sandberg for turning his two-minute short film of the same name into a chance to make a five-million dollar version with the same concept.
The Bad: It’s not great, but at the same time it’s not a bad starting point for a monster/horror franchise with an interesting new kind of shadow creature. If they can make sequels to the dreadful Paranormal Activity, why not this?
The Ugly: The film-school-rookie ending. Yeesh.
Thailand
The Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand
The Legend Of Tarzan
The Good: Skarsgard was a great choice, it moves along quickly, and you get Samuel L. Jackson playing Samuel L. Jackson or the anti-Morgan Freeman.
The Bad: The flashback sequences are disjointed, and the ending set-piece is borderline silly.
The Ugly: There must be some unwritten rule about making a Tarzan movie roughly every ten years. And this law dictates that the picture is average at best. The Legend of Tarzan fulfills this universal cinematic requirement entirely.
Now You See Me 2
The Good: A fun and lighthearted adventure where magic is real-ish if you go along with the pseudo-science explanations.
The Bad: Morgan Freeman playing Morgan Freeman or the anti-Samuel L. Jackson. I don’t think either actor tries very hard anymore.
The Ugly: My face while watching it because I’ve never watched the first movie or even heard of this series. I was utterly perplexed for the entire time.
Singapore
S.E.A Aquarium in Singapore
Ben-Hur
The Good: Director Timur Bekmambotov delivers a handful of great eye-candy.
The Bad: Remaking one of cinema’s all-time classics is always ugly business.
The Ugly: Aside from some visuals, the film is as lifeless as the stone tablets once used to record ancient stories.
The Secret Life of Pets
The Good: Cute, family friendly film with candy-coated computer animation.
The Bad: It wants to be Toy Story with pets but doesn’t ever get close. One moment it’s smart and the next it’s thoughtlessly moving ahead.
The Ugly: Listening to funny people like Louis C.K. and Kevin Hart try to make it work in something that is just not suited for what makes them great at what they do.
Traveling Back To The U.S.A
So long, London!
Keanu
The Good: I love me some Key and Peele and they do their thing here with gusto.
The Bad: The plot is ridiculous but somehow still works thanks a consistent flow of comedy and action.
The Ugly: I watched this one the day after George Michael passed away and the film took a little of that weight with its love for the late pop star.
Don’t Breathe
The Good: Pleasantly surprised by this thriller which didn’t quite go as I expected. Whether you like his take on Evil Dead or not, Fede Alvarez is an inventive director with a great eye and sense of cinema. I look forward to more of his work.
The Bad: How long will it take for this series to turn into a dried up cash cow where the blind antagonist is somehow driving a car in a chase scene?
The Ugly: It’s a bit of a reach as far as the suspension of disbelief goes. The blind antagonist is an adept shooter or has superhuman hearing like Daredevil.
The Conjuring 2
The Good: I consider the first Conjuring one of the better horror films of the 21st century. Conjuring 2 changes it up a bit in some very good ways.
The Bad: The last 20 minutes of the film tails off a bit in the same ways as the first Insidious.
The Ugly: The demonic villain here is pretty hideous and might be standing at the foot of your bed while you sleep.
Morgan
The Good: The concept, an assassin is sent to a remote lab to kill a genetically modified human designed as a weapon, is solid.
The Bad: The pacing, plot, and writing are lackluster. The team of scientist thing in an isolated location is a trope that needs good writing and acting to work well. It doesn’t come together here.
The Ugly: Kate Mara plays the world’s worst assassin. How bad is she? Mara gets her ass handed to her throughout the flick and the “surprise twist” makes it worse.
For The Love Of Spock
The Good: If you love Spock, Star Trek, or any part of Leonard Nimoy’s very extensive career as an actor and director you will love this. Directed by Nimoy’s son, Adam Nimoy, the documentary is a beautiful tribute that shows many aspects of the man from Vulcan.
The Bad: Being reminded that Leonard Nimoy is traveling within a new universe.
The Ugly: Watching Leonard Nimoy in the hilarious hobbit song video.
Never Has A Superhero Film Divided The Masses Like ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’
I’ve spent the better half of 2016 defending ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.’ The crusade isn’t easy, but it became fun. The whole debate makes me wonder, do I like the film because I notoriously love “bad” movies or is it pretty great?
In the end, I settled on the latter.
‘Batman v Superman‘ could be one of the best comic book movies of all time. Before you click away, let me defend myself a little.
Below, I will break down all the points that make me believe Zack Snyder’s polarizing 2016 DC Extended Universe movie is a masterpiece!
The Story & Themes:
The lack of morality within the characters leads to an interesting discussion of good vs. evil. Both Batman and Superman are “heroes” but blur the lines of what a superhero should be. Can you do seemingly bad things for the sake of good? That’s one of the most poignant themes of ‘Batman v Superman.’
Never before have we seen such a morose Superman. Clark Kent (Henry Cavill) either spends his time sadly doing good things or cuddling up to Lois Lane (Amy Adams) in a bathtub. Everything comic book fans have come to know and love about the character shifts. ‘Batman v Superman‘ explores what happens when the boy scout Superman of the 1970’s has to live in the cynical 2016. Every time Superman tries to do good things, people question him. The media is continuously shown in the film to be harshly divided on how they feel. The Senate even gets involved after he makes a move that affects foreign affairs.
The things Superman once believed in get tested like never before.
This is a reflection of our times and American pop culture. Instead of the overwhelming fanfare, Superman once got, it’s replaced with the martyrdom of a hero. It’s the delicate cycle of fame, and it never stops until it’s too late.
It isn’t until death that people see how amazing he is. Especially Batman.
Bruce Wayne (Ben Affleck) realized that Superman was a hero and a human during the infamous Martha scene, but after Superman’s death, he began to blame himself. Does that an excuse him for killing bad guys in this film? No, but I believe it sets in motion what will be an epic redemption arc for Batman.
More so than any character, Batman works in 2016. Bruce Wayne’s swagger allows him to blend while he still manages to be Batman. This dual personality fits into the landscape of today’s society. There’s something thought-provoking about seeing the public persona of a celebrity used as a front to hide darkness. Bruce Wayne has been doing it for years and the times have finally caught up with him.
The Stylistic Choices of Zack Snyder:
During ‘Batman v Superman,’ there’s the Zack Snyder trademarks including slow-motion and snap zooms. Using both in his hyper-stylized universe never takes away from the viewing experience. I remember in film school that zooms are taught to be an amateur or dated move. It seems like Snyder knows how to use them. There’s something progressive on how he teams with his cinematographer Larry Fong that translates to visual storytelling. The behind-the-camera choices made in the film are there to push the story forward and still be entertaining to look at.
Another signature Zack Snyder technique is the use of color within the movie. There’s a complexity to how Snyder and Fong bring color to the forefront of ‘Batman v Superman.’ The beauty of their work goes down to how both Batman and Superman are filmed. Most, if not all, of Batman’s scenes, are dark and grim. On the other hand, Superman is much brighter. Those filming choices change as the characters grow. By the end of the film, we see Batman fully illuminated while Superman is last seen shrouded in darkness. Cliched but there’s thought behind it.
Throughout the film, there is also references to classic works of art. Snyder sneaks in nods to 18th-century paintings like Gustave Doré’s “Paradise Lost“ and Cleon Peterson’s “A Balance of Terror.” Rarely is there this level of art-minded filmmaking mixed into the world of superhero movies. Sometimes you can have style and substance.
The Comic Book Movie Black Sheep:
‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice‘ reminds me of that weird cousin you have in your family that talks about conspiracies and loves being the downer. Unlike the super cool older brother that is Christopher Nolan’s Batman films, it doesn’t seem to match up. And then putting it next to cheery youthful Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, ‘Batman v Superman‘ looks like an emo teenager.
But that adds to the charm. It’s firmly in the middle as something you will take too seriously and not seriously enough. It has heavy dramatic tones and political messages but isn’t afraid of comic book campiness.
I think a great physical example of this film is the black sheep of the superhero movie family is the character of Lex Luthor (Jessie Eisenberg). The over-the-top, neurotic, millennial Lex Luthor feels ripped right out of Silicon Valley. I talked about fitting into 2016, but the character of Lex is dramatically changed to work in 2016. The villains of today aren’t these big hulking bullies but the repressed weirdos who can finally take out their revenge on “God.”
Final Thoughts:
If you are firmly against ‘Batman v Superman,’ then I was never going to change your mind. But if you were ever on the fence about it, my hope is this op-ed would help show you a different side to the film.
The movie isn’t perfect, but that’s the beauty of it to me. They were never going for a seamless piece; it needed to be a little rough around the edges. Other brands worry about streamlined movies, but this showed that the DCEU isn’t afraid to get messy. Will Zack Snyder give into the critical & fan demands for ‘Justice League‘ or will the film continue this engrossing world he’s started?
Whether you love or hate Zack Snyder’s ‘Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice,’ let me know how you feel in the comments!
Spider-Man is one of the three most recognizable superheroes in history, responsible for turning legions of kids to comic books. He’s an institution. So fans were understandably upset when the flagship Amazing Spider-Man title strayed so far from what makes Peter Parker a compelling figure. While sometimes entertaining, the book never truly feels right. It doesn’t hit home like a Spider-Man book should. Luckily, veteran Spider-scribe Gerry Conway is delivering everything fans want in an alternate universe tale, Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows.
Renew Your Vows originated as a mini-series during 2015’s Secret Wars event; Conway’s new ongoing series begins where the mini leaves off. It takes place in a universe where “One More Day” never happened. Peter and Mary Jane are still married, and they even have a daughter, Annie. Long story short, Annie has genetic spider-abilities, and Mary Jane has tech that siphons off some of her husband’s power. The Parkers are now a family of supers.
That’s a pretty big change to Spider-Man lore. Now, many will defend the current Amazing Spider-Man by saying that people who don’t like it just don’t like change. Renew Your Vows proves that isn’t the case. Conway shows that it’s possible to tell new and fresh Spidey stories and still maintain a familiar feel.
Peter Parker is an everyman. He deals with everyday problems, like juggling a personal life with work (and superheroing). RYV captures that concept perfectly. RYV Pete isn’t a tech billionaire running his own company like he currently is in ASM. He doesn’t have employees or robots to help lighten the load. He’s just a man trying to do his best out in the world every day and get home to his family. Issue one actually starts with him webslinging through the city, stopping to fight crime, and reciting his grocery list to himself the whole time. That’s Spider-Man to a T.
Plus, if anything, Conway has brought the webhead to his natural place in 2016. He has a family now, probably much like the fans that grew up reading his stories. He’s helping them get through adulthood just like he helped them get through adolescence. Teens today have Miles Morales to be their Spider-Man; adults should get to keep Peter.
The key to writing Peter Parker is to make him relatable. Amazing Spider-Man simply isn’t getting that job done. For those of us that want to laugh with Pete, cry with him, and learn something of value from him, Renew Your Vows is the best book on the market.
A piece of action-packed concept art for the upcoming Kong: Skull Island has been released by Empire Magazine. Check it out below.
“Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures’ “Kong: Skull Island” reimagines the origin of the mythic Kong in a compelling, original adventure from director Jordan Vogt-Roberts. In the film, a diverse team of explorers is brought together to venture deep into an uncharted island in the Pacific—as beautiful as it is treacherous—unaware that they’re crossing into the domain of the mythic Kong.”
The film is directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts and features Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Toby Kebbel, and John C. Reilly.
Kong: Skull Island arrives in theaters on March 10, 2017.
As far as films developed from video game properties go, Assassin’s Creed is a solid entry.
It’s faithful to the source material while re-imagining its signature visuals in a manner more befitting a big budget film. The parkour-style chases, martial arts action, and the series’s labyrinthine mythology are all here, as well.
In short, fans of the popular game series shouldn’t be too disappointed with what they get.
For other audiences, however, Assassin’s Creed comes up short of satisfying entertainment. It’s just too uneven, with certain elements working well while others fall flat.
What’s it about?
Michael Fassbender (X-Men: Apocalypse) plays Callum Lynch, a convicted murderer seemingly living out his last days on death row. Haunted by a horror he witnessed as a child, Cal’s been adrift his whole life, and so has no qualms about that life finally ending.
But he gets a surprise when instead of dying, he wakes up in a scientific compound in Madrid, Spain. His “rescuer” is Dr. Sophia Rikken (Marion Cotillard, Allied), who spins for him a tale almost impossible to believe.
Dr. Rikken needs to access memories stored in Cal’s genetic code, memories of an ancestor who lived over 500 years ago, Aguilar de Nerha. Using a device she invented, Cal can relive Aguilar’s experiences to help her and her organization, Abstergo, find a relic lost to the ages.
For Dr. Rikken, the relic represents a chance at nothing less than an end to human aggression. But for her father, Dr. Alan Rikken (Jeremy Irons), the CEO of Abstergo, it’s so much more.
The Rikkens and Abstergo, as it turns out, are part of the ancient order of the Knights Templar. Templars for centuries have sought ways to bring order to the world through subjugation and control.
The Templars only true opposition are the Assassins. Bound by their creed to preserve mankind’s freedom, generations of Assassins have fought the Templars at every turn.
Cal’s ancestor, Aguilar, was an Assassin. His memories of the relic are the keys to the Templars’s final victory.
But those memories also represent answers to questions Cal has had his entire life, missing pieces of a puzzle he didn’t even know existed. Once unlocked, the memories put him on a path to a new destiny, and show him at last who the architects of his lifelong pain have been all along.
Series fans should enjoy it
To those who’ve played the games, Assassin’s Creed the film truly is the game’s world and mythology brought to life. Signature elements from game play, from the modern technology to the stylized weapons and physical feats the Assassins perform, it’s all here.
Further, some of those elements, in particular the technology used to access genetic memory, have been re-imagined. Everything looks bigger and more dramatic, in particular Callum’s adventures in the past while connected to the Animus.
It’s clear the film’s producers and its star wanted to create something fans would delight in, and for the most part, they’re successful. The “Easter eggs” from the games included in the film’s production and costume design alone should inspire knowing smiles among the faithful.
But just like adapting anything else, fidelity to source material doesn’t necessarily make for a strong overall film. You still have to tell a good story and tell it well from start to finish, and that’s where Assassin’s Creed misses the mark.
Woefully uneven
Ironically, what keeps Assassin’s Creed from sticking the landing is the time-jumping, going back and forth between Spain in 1492 and the present day. The scenes set in the past thrill with strong action choreography and compelling visuals. Costumes and production design during these sequences are also the most interesting in the film.
The 21st century scenes, meanwhile, are all dimly lit and cast in the same overused bluish filter that’s come to signify futuristic incarceration and corporate oppression in recent sci-fi cinema. It’s a cinematic shorthand that panders to audience expectations; thus, these scenes feel the laziest in terms of craft.
Plus, these scenes tend to get bogged down in exposition and somnambulent line deliveries. It’s during these sequences that the film’s oh-so-acclaimed cast looks and sounds the most like they’re slumming.
That is, with the exception of Fassbender. As the one character in the film who appears in both time frames, he delivers lethal intensity in the present day scenes while capably handling the physicality and presence demanded by his sequences as Aguilar.
But Fassbender’s efforts alone aren’t enough to lift Assassin’s Creed beyond mediocrity for casual audiences. As good as he is, you’re likely to walk away only liking certain parts of the film, rather than the cohesive whole.
Worth seeing?
Fans of the Assassin’s Creed games should put aside any trepidation caused by past bungled film adaptations of video games and give the film a try. At the very least, it’s worth catching all those nods to the games in the production design, and seeing Fassbender along with the others playing Assassins bring that aspect of the game to life.
For anyone else, however, Assassin’s Creed simply isn’t worth the leap of faith, at least not at the box office price. If you’re curious about it, wait for it on video.
In the meantime, you can perhaps try one of the games.
Assassin’s Creed
Starring Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Michael K. Williams. Directed by Justin Kurzel.
Running Time: 116 minutes
Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, thematic elements and brief strong language.
Born on December 28, 1922, Lee grew up in New York City. After graduating high school, he began working for Timely comics, eventually moving from office work and normal tasks to writing his own comics.
Lee stopped working in the comics industry to serve 3 years in the military – from 1942 to 1945.
Following his time in the military, he teamed up with artist Jack Kirby and created the Fantastic Four for Marvel Comics, which was originally Timely Comics. After the success of Fantastic Four, Kirby and Lee created iconic characters such as Hulk, Spider-Man, X-Men, Iron Man, and many others.
Since creating so many characters still popular today, Lee has been actively involved in the films and current pop culture scene; he has made cameos in 28 Marvel films and even has his own convention, Stan Lee’s Los Angeles Comic-Con!
Socialite Violet Paige returns to Gotham City followed by a media frenzy. The heiress of a fortune left to her by a father who died a victim to a suspicious accident, Violet is a social media star, gaining fans and critics alike. But she hasn’t just returned to Gotham to care for her sick mother. Like many of Gotham’s populace, Violet hides a secret life and secret abilities. And as she takes to the streets as the city’s newest vigilante, Mother Panic, she will not only embark on a personal quest, but dive into the world’s infamous underworld, and gain the attention of Gotham’s most famous protector.
Mother Panic #2 “A Work in Progress Part 2”
Written by Jody Houser
Art by Tommy Lee Edwards
Mother Panic created by Gerard Way, Jody Houser and Tommy Lee Edwards Published by DC/Young Animal
Writing
After a solid first issue, Mother Panic #2 jumps right into some major revelations for the titular character. In one of the issue’s best sequences, Violet goes to a Gotham City victims charity ball where many of the attendees are garishly dressed as some of Batman’s most famous rogues. Violet is disgusted by the city’s social elite, and is merely there to continue the murder investigation started in issue one. This is strong writing from Jody Houser (who is also killing it on Faith from Valiant, a completely different book) for three reasons. One, it’s a call back to all the great classic Batman stories where Bruce Wayne used his image as cover. Two, it uses Gotham as a character (a theme I can already see as being a big part of Mother Panic). And three, in Violet’s behavior and observation we get a bigger picture of her and who she is. Houser, along with Young Animal curator Gerard Way, has created a dynamic and relevant young comic book character with an attitude. And scenes like this are a perfect showcase.
Another great, quick scene was the cameo appearance by Kate Kane, aka Batwoman. Her reaction when seeing the costumed Mother Panic in action is not only funny but also kind of meta, as it’s probably what many people were thinking when they first laid eyes on the all-white clad character.
But it’s the story’s end that is the best bit. We get a great action scene as Violet, in costume, catches up with her prey and unleashes a frightening amount of fury and intimidation. But it’s the reason that she doesn’t kill her target that is the issue’s narrative highlight, and it’s a detail best left unspoiled, but it adds even more layers of tragedy to her past and deepens the mystery of the death that befell Violet’s father.
Art
Tommy Lee Edwards (who worked with Mark Millar on the great mini-series 1985 for Marvel Comics) is simply destroying on this title. The line work is sketchy yet defined, giving the book a look that separates it from most of the output from DC. The coloring is also refreshingly handmade looking and almost rough. And when juxtaposed with the use of thick, clean white panel borders and creative layouts, it all gives it a nice and even flow.
The coloring stands out as well. It’s appropriately dark for a tale taking place in Gotham City, yet there are splashes of color in action scenes and solid panel backgrounds that make those moments pop and add to the visual rhythm of the book.
There is also a great use of lettering and font choice, as word balloons and sound effects work great, giving the issue various voices and noises; details like that help bring it all to life.
Mother Panic continues to be one of the best-designed characters in recent comics. Additionally, it’s a thrill to see Edwards draw some established Batman family members, even if it’s just in passing (issue #1 had a Batman cameo). Mother Panic clearly takes place in the main DC universe, yet it still stands with its own identity.
Conclusion
If you have been sitting on getting onboard with any of the Young Animal titles, Mother Panic is probably the best title to get started with. It will give you the unique experience that the comic book line provides, yet it’s accessible enough for mainstream fans. This creative team has introduced a new addition to Gotham’s mythology that I believe could be here to stay. I can’t wait to read issue #3.
Mother Panic #2
