After having the worst episode of the series so far, Gundam Build Divers needs to kick the plot into high gear if they want to prepare for the finale. Do they succeed or is it more wasted potential?
Summary
The secret of Sarah is revealed and the Build DIvers will have no choice but to deal with the truth.
Review
SPOILER WARNING
So Sarah’s secret is finally revealed. It’s best if the information is actually heard so the spoiler will not be the discussing Sarah’s origin. Instead, it is how the the reveal becomes the true turning point for the ending of the series.
In the course of the episode, the administrators of the GBN become aware Sarah is the cause of all the recent disasters which have been taken place since the Break Decals were stopped. Instead of handling it internally they decide to let the entire network know she is the problem, essentially making her public enemy number one. This means the rest of the series will be dedicated to the Build Divers having to find a way to defend Sarah against the entire network. Congratulations Gundam Build Divers. You finally found what you were missing: Stakes.
The best part of the original Gundam Build Fighters was the battles actually had consequences. This dynamic was lost in the later series Gundam Build Fighters Try. By adding ramifications to the team’s fight, it makes the battles moving forward much more essential and adds to the anticipation.
Gundam Build Divers has taken a powerful step to recover and actually make the series worth watching. Don’t lose the momentum moving forward. All it needs to is have intense battle for the rest of the series and wrap up with an incredible ending.
Gundam Build Divers is Streaming on The GundamInfo YouTube Channel.
This week’s Wonder Woman #53 written by Steve Orlando sees the end of the current arc, ‘Enemy of Both Sides’. The super busy scribe was able to take a break and talk to us at Monkeys Fighting Robots once again about all things Wonder Woman #53, Hypertime, and a even Jack Kirby!
‘Wonder Woman’ #53
MFR: Steve once again thanks for talking to us. Steve Orlando: My pleasure! I’ll take any excuse to talk comics.
We talked about the last issue (Wonder Woman #52) recently, but for those who are jumping in with this one, can you tell us again what’s going on in ‘Enemy of Both Sides’? Absolutely! Wonder Woman 52 saw Diana, Aztek, and Artemis infiltrate an extradimensional pyramid to rescue a lost Amazon hero. But when they got to the center, they found not a prisoner, but a sentry. They found Atalanta, Diana’s great-aunt, and a culture hero to the Bana-Mighdall, who for decades had been fighting to hold back an invasion from Thirteen Heavens, home of Aztek’s greatest enemy, Tezcatlipoca.
As we join Issue 53, our heroes have decided to take the fight to Thirteen Heavens and cross over into the Sphere of the Gods, where Tezcatlipoca’s terror armies are preparing to raze our world.
Also when we last spoke you said Aztek was one of the coolest characters for you. In this issue, you focus a lot more on Aztek’s enemy, Tezcatlipoca. What makes the Shadow King so dangerous? What makes him interesting to write? You’ll see more about what makes Tezcatlipoca and the gods of Thirteen Heavens unique in this issue (hint: it involves how they see the world, versus how mortals see it). Tezcatlipoca, the Shadow God, is one of the great cyclical builders and destroyers of myth. He is utterly demeaning to humanity, made of matter that is so holy its mere contact with mortal flesh is corrosive. I find him so interesting because so much of our world’s creation narrative is cyclical. And Tezcatlipoca plays on that, tellsAztek that he and Quetzalcoatl, Aztek’s patron, trade places as creator and destroyer, hero and villain, every cycle of creation. He uses lies and insecurities to invalidate Aztek’s mission, and in doing so he pays tribute to many of the great gods of world myth, who often occupy oppositional roles, housing grand philosophical contradictions. Right now, Tezcatlipoca is a mad colonizing god who enslaves the very dead flesh of his victims, but who’s to say, in the world before this one, the roles weren’t reversed? Who’s to say anything we think is true and real from our small mortal perception is really what it seems.
I feel a strong Kirby vibe crackling through this arc. Was Kirby on your mind when writing ‘Enemy of Both Sides’? King[Kirby]is always in my mind – his constant output and creativity are one of the driving forces in my life, as I wrote about a bit in the backmatter to my issue of Kamandi Challenge. I think we often talk about paying homage in art styles, but I think the true homage to King[Kirby]is to force as much raw creativity and love of comics into every page. And with The Enemy of Both Sides, with every superhero story I help tell, I try to do that to the best of my ability. He’s always in my mind, one of the angels on my shoulder along with Tarpe, Rutu, Morrison, Ostrander, Bulgakov, and Abramovic.
Steve, I also gotta give another shout out to the art team! This issue vibrates with energy. What did you think when you laid eyes on some of these pages? Working with ACO and Hugo is always a privilege, and you can see why! These are folks that are pushing the boundaries of comics storytelling and never sacrificing propulsive energy in the meantime. They’re incredible, and seeing pages from them is genuinely surprising, it’s energizing for all the reasons comics is a great form. That’s the gift of real collaboration, you risk a bit, loosening up a script, but the reward is so great it’s an easy risk to take.
You kinda drop a bombshell here by revealing that the ‘Gods of Thirteen Heavens’ are Gods in Hypertime. What about the concept of hypertime made you want to bring it in? I recently heard Grant Morrison talking about Hypertime, last fall, and I think it was a perfect fit for the themes of perception we’re playing within the story. Diana admits her shock in part one at not sensing the pyramid without Aztek’s help, and the story in general puts forth the concept that because of our human limitations, when we encounter gods, we’re really seeing the tip of the iceberg. We can’t conceive, can’t endure the rest of the aspect. To keep us sane, our body adjusts what we see.
And as Grant talked about Hypertime and how, for someone outside of it, time can be seen at once, like a flat plane in a way seen from above, I began to think about what the god side of Aztek’s war would look like. The best way for a mortal hero to fight a god who exists at all moments at once is with a legacy that extends forever. That, to me, is why the generational aspect of Aztek is so strong.
You seem to be having a blast writing these three powerful women. Anything in this issue a favorite moment for you? I loved Artemis saying “This is perfect!” in the heat of battle. I love the moments that cast their reactions in quick succession, such as the reveal of Atalanta in Issue 52: “My god. My hero. My aunt.” I also do love Artemis’s ribbing of Aztek, which I think is a little bit of the tough older sibling, a little bit of a crush maybe too? Maybe she doesn’t know even, but Artemis has been a genuine surprise and blast to work with. The growth between her and Diana through this story is what I’m most proud of.
I do also always love a good Wonder Woman “HOLA!” (*See it above!)
Okay, now the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger and a shocker. So without spoiling much, can you tell us what is awaiting Diana when her invisible jet returns to the camp of the Bana-Mighdall in Qurac? A collision of the past and the future! Can heroes ever really return home? The outside world changes you – Diana knows it, Artemis is realizing it, and Atalanta is maybe regretting it. Everything will come to a head at Bana-Mighdall, as the armies of Qurac wait at the door…but who’s really engineering this conflict?
Any interest in writing Aztek more? Have we seen the last of her in Wonder Woman? I would LOVE to work with her more, or even see someone else pick up the baton and go ever more wild with Aztek’s story! Always interested- while she might have stepped out of Wonder Woman, who knows where she’ll show up next?
Melissa McCarthy gives you a behind the scenes conversation about THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS.
About the film: No Sesame. All Street. THE HAPPYTIME MURDERS is a filthy comedy set in the underbelly of Los Angeles where puppets and humans coexist. Two clashing detectives with a shared secret, one human (Melissa McCarthy) and one puppet, are forced to work together again to solve the brutal murders of the former cast of a beloved classic puppet television show.
The film is directed by Brian Henson from a screenplay by Todd Berger and stars Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph, Joel McHale and Elizabeth Banks.
In honor of BlacKkKlansman getting great reviews, and praising Spike Lee’s direction, people praising the film as “His best ever”, to which I have to ask, “Was it the film that established Lee’s footprint on the cinematic landscape, garnered Oscar nominations, and established a new wave of African-American directors, unseen since the Blaxploitation era of the 70s?” No, so Do the Right Thing still stands as the flagbearer of his directorial career; and since I’m the site’s catalog title critic, I’m here to ask: “Is Do the Right Thing still a great movie almost 30 years later?” The answer is a resounding Yes.
I’m not going to do a plot analysis, so I’ll do what a real film critic and talk about what works. First off, this is a film of with a directorial vision, Lee’s directorial style in Do The RightThing, is undeniably unique; several times, the film eschews the 180 degrees rule, for POV shots, a unique concept that works as: a, talking to a character, or b: talking to the audience.
The beginning of a great shot; when the camera moved in, to show the intimacy of the conversation.
Mind you; this leads to Lee’s cinematic sins, every director has them, some more obvious than others. Lee’s core cinematic sin is the lack of subtlety; his films are loud and outspoken, filled with a revolutionary zeal; that is both infectious and disquieting. My thoughts on cinematic sins is a relatively simple one: it only becomes a problem if it affects the quality of the film. Thankfully, that core sin didn’t bring down Do The Right Thing.
This brings us to the acting, which is excellent. Character actors like Danny Aiello, the late Ossie Davis, John Turturro, and the late Ruby Dee, put on great performances, even actors that I had never heard were putting on phenomenal performances (one of the biggest surprises was the late Bill Nunn as Radio Raheem, a character who says little, yet carries massive plot importance). The film also featured pre-fame appearances of Giancarlo Esposito (pre-Breaking Bad), a pre-Nick Fury (and pre-Jules Winfield) Samuel L. Jackson, and even Nunn was pre-fame (he’d later be cast as Robbie Robertson in the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films). Of course, I’m leaving out the main character: Lee himself; he is quite good in his performance. Generally, I would be criticizing a director starring in a film he directed if his performance was terrible, yet Lee portrays Mookie (and the film itself) with a sense of honesty and fairness. So, when events hit the fan, it’s represented in a surprisingly accurate manner.
One of the many Greek choruses in Do the Right Thing
One final thing of note was the use of Greek choruses. Lee uses at least two different Greek choruses during the film; the three African-American gentlemen commenting on the actions and Samuel L. Jackson’s DJ character; both serve this important dramatic purpose. Why did I bring this up? One, you don’t see many Greek choruses in cinema nowadays, let alone two in the same film.
In conclusion, Do the Right Thing, is still a great film. Even though parts of the film have dated, the film more than makes up for it, in strong writing, brilliant performances, and a unique directorial effort by Lee. In short, Do the Right Thing, was the film that Lee needed to put his mark on the medium.
The teenage super genius Riri Williams is ready to step into the spotlight, courtesy of the creative team of Dr. Eve L. Ewing and Kevin Libranda, who will both launch Ironheart #1 this fall.
This is the first opportunity for Ironheart to step out from under Iron Man’s shadow. Now that he is back, she must realize who she wants to be. She has a lot on her plate right from the start in this series as she must face decisions in returning to finish her education at M.I.T., whether she wants to be a superhero or a super genius or whether she just wants a normal life.
“Ironheart symbolizes what happens when you combine incredible strength and might with a sense of love, care and a true desire for justice,” said Ewing. “Not just punishment or showing off or short-term solutions, but real justice. Not to be corny or overly literal, but that’s what it means to combine the power represented by ‘iron’ with the moral compass represented by ‘heart’. Riri’s identity and the place where she comes from means she sometimes has a different perspective than some of her peers on how to deal with people who are doing wrong. There’s a reason she doesn’t just go around blasting everybody to high heaven because, to be real, she definitely could do that if she wanted. But she’s a very tender person at her core, and she doesn’t just want to be a senseless weapon.”
Ironheart #1 goes on sale on Wednesday, Nov. 7. Keep it here and at marvel.com for updates.
Click HERE for the complete Q&A with Eve L. Ewing on the upcoming series and for exclusive looks at some of the variant covers that will drop with the first issue.
Netflix Monday morning released the first trailer for Outlaw King starring Chris Pine and directed by David Mackenzie.
The film will debut as the opening night film at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6 and hit Netflix on November 9.
Outlaw King stars Pine, Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Florence Pugh, Billy Howle, Tony Curran, Stephen Dillane, James Cosmo, and Sam Spruell. Bash Doran, James MacInnes, and Mackenzie worked on the screenplay.
About the movie: OUTLAW KING tells the untold, true story of Robert the Bruce who transforms from defeated nobleman to outlaw hero during the oppressive occupation of medieval Scotland by Edward I of England. Despite grave consequences, Robert seizes the Scottish crown and rallies an impassioned group of men to fight back against the mighty army of the tyrannical King and his volatile son, the Prince of Wales.
Are you excited for Outlaw King? Do you think Netflix is pushing for an award? Comment below with your thoughts.
Lil’ Donnie: Executive Privilege knocks Trump and his cronies down a peg, chronicling the “adventures” of the worst president in United States history.
Executive Privilege collects the first 125 strips of Mike Norton’s Rueben Award-nominated webcomic.
You’re probably thinking, “Ugh, I’m so tired of Trump and Trump-based comedy.” It’s understandable. But Lil’ Donnie is the exception to the rule. Norton has described the series as him “screaming into the void.” He is (like many people) infuriated by Trump and company, and this comic strip was his way of “[getting] off his ass” and doing something.” Whatever money he makes at conventions gets donated to organizations that try to counteract the damage Trump is doing.
Each strip tackles something specific that’s been in the news, but with an absurd or surreal twist. A minor twist, at that. That’s probably the funniest thing about Lil’ Donnie – how true-to-life it is despite its absurdity (I’m actually not sure if that’s the funniest thing or the scariest).
Norton admits that the comic is petty, but it’s cathartic to create, and it’s cathartic to read. That’s what sets it apart from the late night monologues and Alec Baldwin impressions that we’ve all grown tired of. Lil’ Donnie channels our collective anger better. It’s not just being silly or stating a punch line. It doesn’t dance around the issues. It takes direct aim at specific people and things and exposes their idiocy. Reading it is like saying “f*ck you” to Trump, which again is admittedly childish, but it also feels good.
The art is what really sells Lil’ Donnie. Norton does little things, like draw Trump’s hands tiny and make Sean Spicer’s suit too big. The window in the Oval Office constantly shows the outside world as being on fire. It tickles you, and makes the biting commentary taste so much sweeter.
Watch us speak with Norton about Lil’ Donnie:
Look, is Lil’ Donnie going to solve all of society’s ills? No. Is it going to humiliate Trump into resigning? God, I hope so, but probably not. But it provides momentary relief, and it’s comforting to see that there are still sane people out there that see the truth.
The world needs art like Lil’ Donnie. It’s so important to support work that keeps those in power in check – especially when those in power are trying to stomp out free speech at every turn. And while it won’t change any Trump supporters’ minds, Lil’ Donnie is a constant reminder to the rest of us that what’s going on in America isn’t normal, and that we shouldn’t stand for it.
Lil’ Donnie: Executive Privilege is out this week from Image Comics. Pick it up and scream into the void with Mike Norton.
Preacher hurtles headlong towards a bloody season 3 climax in the grimly comic, action-packed “Schwanzkopf”.
Preacher Feature is a weekly look into the AMC show Preacher based on the comic book of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon. In this column, Josh Versalle gives a breakdown of the events from the show (including how they relate to the comics), and speculates as to what’s going on and what might be coming up. That means SPOILERS are bound to follow, so if you haven’t watched the episode yet, turn back now.
Looking to get caught up on last week’s action? Look no further.
With only one more episode coming this season, it’s no surprise this episode was filled with excitement, blood, and outrageous action. “Schwanzkopf” is definitely not for the squeamish, as director Kevin Hooks leans fully into the often hilarious violence that is such a staple of Preacher.
The Long Bus Ride to Hell
Tulip confronts Sydney (the Angel of Death) to get back the briefcase full of souls she worked so hard to steal from Japan. Tulip may be a hard-hearted sonofabitch, but she’s not completely without mercy. Instead of letting Featherstone be dragged to to Hell in her place, Tulip says that Featherstone isn’t the one Satan is seeking. This act of kindness costs her, though, as blissfully naive Eugene calls out to Tulip by name and she gets dragged onto the bus while Jody grabs the souls for Marie.
After a couple of failed escape attempts (accompanied by some delightful diagrams), Tulip goads the Saint of Killers into lashing out at her. His punch sends her flying headfirst into a window, but that window cracks, allowing the possibility of escape. Hitler kicks out the window, but at that very moment his buddy Hal rides in to rescue him, upending the bus with a Nazi tank. Tulip ends up barely conscious on the floor, with Hell’s minions on one side and a pack of Nazis on the other.
“An example must be made”
When Cassidy told Eccarius he would reveal his terrible secret (that Eccarius was killing the people he turned into vampires in order to increase his unholy power), he expected Ecc to kill him. Instead, Eccarius allowed Cass to tell the rest of Les Enfants du Sang, knowing they wouldn’t believe him. Eccarius has them so devoted to him that they are convinced Cassidy is the evil one. Taking a page out of the James Bond villain playbook, Eccarius stakes Cass to a pool table and leaves him to be killed when the sun’s rays reach him.
With Les Enfants gone and his doom nearly upon him, Cassidy uses his charm and guile to convince Mrs. Rosen (in whose basement this is all taking place) to reach out to Lisa and let her know Cassidy is sorry. We’ll have to wait until next week’s season finale to see if this ploy to expose Eccarius will result in Mrs. Rosen helping Cass to escape, but I’d say there’s a strong chance of it.
“On your knees, Man of God”
Facing the prospect of having Genesis be transferred into the imbecilic Christ-child Humperdoo, Jesse manages to get the better of All-Father and instead sends Genesis into the obese head of the Grail. The power of Genesis is so great that, like Tom Cruise before him, All-Father is obliterated in a shower of gore and the supernatural being is returned to Jesse. If you remember from way back in season two, a part of Jesse’s soul is still missing. As Starr returns, the 1% of Jesse’s previously-extracted soul slips out of the disembodied anus of All-Father and falls to the ground. A comically disgusting race ensues (think Double Dare, but with entrails in place of slime) and Jesse once again prevails. With the last bit of his soul back in place, Jesse has the full power of Genesis and the Word of God at his disposal. Everything’s looking up, right? Of course not. In classic villain style, Starr reveals to Jesse the Grail’s 3-part plan:
Reveal Humperdoo, their tap-dancing Christ, to the world.
Allow the world’s population to either accept him as their savior or not.
Nuke the Earth, allowing the faithful to follow Humperdoo into paradise on Earth, while the non-believers are cursed to the fiery pits of Hell.
Starr threatens that if Jesse won’t play the role of Messiah, the Grail will use Humperdoo instead. Jesse responds with his own threat, saying he’ll kill Humperdoo. What Starr already knows is that Jesse isn’t “that kind of murderer” – he won’t kill an innocent like Humperdoo, even if to leave him alive risks Armageddon. But Jesse comes up with a plan even Starr hadn’t considered – he mixes Humperdoo in with all his clones, then sends them out into the world, so that the Grail won’t know which of these cretins is the genuine article.
Jesse, once again in possession of Genesis, heads into the season finale walking towards Angelville, looking every bit the cowboy heading off to a showdown with evil.
Connections and Easter Eggs
For those of you whose German is a little rusty, “schwanzkopf” is slang for dickhead (technically tail-head, but I think we can safely assume).
Just like the hats from a few weeks ago, the wigs Starr is forced to wear to cover his phallus-shaped head is based on a great visual gag from the comics:
There has been no official word yet from AMC about the status of a fourth season of Preacher. Fans may have to wait until after next week’s season finale before they find out if we’ll get to see Jesse finish his quest to find God.
The Scout Regiment of Attack On Titan seems to be at the end of their rope. Will they find a way to bounce back or will this be the act which seals their fate?
Summary
The fate of the Scout Regiment and Commander Smith are revealed.
SPOILERS WARNING
Review
This has got to be one of the few episodes of Attack On Titan without a single battle scene. There is next to no violence whatsoever. The conspiracy theory plays out in a way which seems planned. Of course it’s a series so of course it was plotted out and planned by someone. Still seems like it goes from the “scouts are sentenced to death” to “the scouts are okay and their are on top” in a matter of seconds.
This is the most optimal way for a group to enact a political take over. With no death, no one is going to come back in later episodes screaming about revenge. Still, it seems like one of the nobles should have at least tried to fight back by pulling a pistol or something. Yeah, they were outnumbered but by the end of it they are backed so far against a wall they have no choice but to surrender. You would think at least one of them would snap and try something rash. This episode is the exact opposite of every change of political dynamic which has ever played out in Game of Thrones.
It’s also very amusing when the fake King finally does say something and reveals himself to be a complete puppet. Like Ben Kingsley from Iron Man 3 levels of total imposter. It’s obvious he wasn’t a King who gave a lot of public speeches.
Not the best episode of Attack On Titan but still offers a lot of good world building. Also it looks like the things are really going to get intense next episode.
