Zeus is dead. Grail had been hunting down the children of Zeus to give her father, Darkseid, energy to become a god once more. These attacks lead Wonder Woman to her long-lost twin brother, Jason. Before the two were sacrificed to Darkseid, Zeus stepped in and took on the god from Apokolips. The battle resulted in Darkseid getting his full power from the dying Zeus. When the dust settled, only Diana and her brother were left. The two siblings have finally found one another, with an unsure future ahead. What’s next for the children of Zeus and Hippolyta?
**Spoilers Below**
Story:
This issue’s story is split into two halves. The first half takes place in the past and is centered around a girl named Vanessa Kapatelis. After getting caught in a battle between Wonder Woman and the villain Major Disaster, Vanessa finds herself crippled from the waist down. With Diana coming to visit near daily with her mother, Vanessa begins her rehabilitation. She goes under a special operation that helps fix her nerves and months later she can walk. Unfortunately, in that time she loses her mother and Diana stops visiting. This leads Vanessa to plot vengeance on the woman who abandoned her.
When it comes to the origin story of this arc’s villain, it’s nothing we haven’t heard before. However, the uniqueness about this origin is that it is a part of the Wonder Woman mythos we don’t see. In many story arcs, we watch Wonder Woman go out of her way to take care of those stricken by tragedy. This issue was no different at first, but we soon see someone who ends up with tragedy and Wonder Woman isn’t there. Vanessa feels betrayed and truth be told, I’m sure many would feel the same.
The second half involves Wonder Woman and Jason, specifically about them living together. While Wonder Woman is off saving the day, Jason parties in his sister’s home. When she returns, they have a serious talk about Jason’s future. This is a great next step in the character’s development. His entire life, Jason was left hidden away from the world, allowing him to do generally whatever he wanted. Now that he lives with Diana, a superhero and member of the greatest superhero team on the planet, he must decide what kind of life wants. This promises an interesting character development over the course of the coming arc.
Art:
The art of this issue, to put it in a single word, is a wonder to behold. Emanuela Lupacchino’s pencil work is fantastic, especially with the designs of Diana and Vanessa’s evil alter ego, Silver Swan. Swan’s look is menacing in comparison to her looks of yesteryear, yet still maintains enough of the original to be recognized. The colors of Romulo Fajardo Jr. helps the designs stand out as well. Together the art team has created a beautiful first chapter in this arc.
Conclusion:
While we didn’t get an epilogue of the last arc, we did get a beautiful start to a new one. We have an interesting introduction to a villain rebirthed for the modern era, as well as the promise of character development for our newest brother to the Wonder Woman mythos. Needless to say, I’m excited about this arc. Go pick up this issue and see why.
Diehard fans remember being introduced to R2-D2 in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, thinking there would never be a more beloved android in the series. Little did we know that, with the release of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, a big round funball droid would roll into our lives to supersede R2’s almost 40-year reign, named BB-8. Now, that said, the two do make a great team. I mean, after all, they did combine for completing a map to find Luke Skywalker.
BB-8 actually didn’t have its name until late in production. The folks at LucasFilm, namely Neal Scanlan, recently revealed in an interview with Endor Express the process that went into giving that cute droid its name.
“We work absolutely during the production process with codes for secrecy,” Scanlan said. “We then often have a retrospective phone call and we have a bit of fun playing with ideas and that’s when we get to hear what their real names are.”
He went on to reveal what BB-8 was called during shooting, which was ‘Snow Girl’ or ‘Snow Globe’. He also said it was a very good idea to give it a legit name since it is such an important character. It will be hard for the creators to top a droid in likeability that BB-8 has garnered, but someone will no doubt try, especially with this recent trilogy coming to an end. The Star Wars Universe could be headed in a totally different direction with No. 10 and beyond.
Make sure you go see Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is in theaters now, and check out this exclusive interview with Scanlan about the creatures of Star Wars at Endor Express.
Barry is HBO’s latest dark comedy, featuring Bill Hader as an expert assassin who wants to branch out from his career of hired hits and dabble in some acting. Hilarity ensues.
Here is the trailer:
BARRY is a dark comedy starring Bill Hader as a depressed, low-rent hitman from the Midwest. Lonely and dissatisfied in his life, he reluctantly travels to Los Angeles to execute a hit on an aspiring actor. Barry follows his “mark” into an acting class and ends up finding an accepting community in a group of eager hopefuls within the LA theater scene. He wants to start a new life as an actor, but his criminal past won’t let him walk away — can he find a way to balance both worlds?
It looks fun, Bill Hader looks great as usual. Hopefully this is a hit for Hader, who is one of the more underrated recent SNL alums. Nothing has stuck yet, outside of his IFC work with Fred Armisen, but this has the most potential so far.
Aside from Hader, Barry also stars Stephen Root, Sarah Goldberg, Glenn Fleshler, Anthony Carrigan and Henry Winkler. Barry is also Hader’s directorial debut; it will be here March 25 on HBO.
The Commuter could easily be joked away as TAKEN 22, the latest Liam Neeson action hero film to kick off the new year. But that’s not the case, not exactly. Genre director Jaume Collet-Serra puts together a film that could stand toe-to-toe with those great action films of the 90s.
The plot is simple; good guy, bad guy, and a train. That’s all you need to know; the characters and the tone are what stand out here.
In the first five minutes, Collet-Serra builds Neeson’s character, Michael MacCauley, in a few unique ways. The family is not perfect, there are ups and downs; Collet-Serra directs Neeson into a blue-collar corner, and he nails the aesthetic. MacCauley is just a hardworking guy trying to pay for his kid’s college.
The mystery on this train is more compelling than last fall’s big-budget adaptation of Murder on the Orient Express. The Commuter echoes the plot devices of the better Die Hard movies; as matter of fact, all the writers of the film had to do was switch out Michael MacCauley for John McClane and this could be that notorious sixth Die Hard film. In a world of superheroes and world building franchises, it was refreshing to get back to action basics (Side note: Bruce Willis is 63, Neeson is 66. Hollywood desperately needs to find younger action heroes).
Action films from the 90s are great fun despite their obvious flaws, and the same goes for The Commuter. Less would have been more when it comes to the CGI exteriors and climax which seems to exist solely on a computer screen; but when you have a team of super nerds at a computer, NO ONE WANTS TO MAKE A REALISTIC TRAIN WRECK! But the extravagance of the climax invokes a little too much Broken Arrow, and should have stuck with its Strangers on a Train inspired suspense. Or, if we’re talking 90s nostalgia, perhaps the Gene Hackman/Anne Archer remake of Narrow Margin would be a more apt comparison.
Back from its mid-season break, Star Trek: Discovery had a comparably strong showing on January 7th. Longtime Trek fans were treated to another tip of the hat to franchise history, viewers got to see actors playing against established type, and the U.S.S. Discovery lost its Chief Medical Officer. This was a high-stakes episode, as you might expect from a mid-season premiere, and, although some revelations were hinted at, we viewers are almost as stuck in the weeds of supposition after Despite Yourself as we were before the break.
Star Trek: Discovery – Despite Yourself – Gabe Lorca and the Reflections
One pre-break rumour was confirmed on the 7th: Discovery is stranded in a parallel universe. And, the parallel universe that the ship and crew are stuck in bears a striking resemblance to the Mirror Universe featured in previous iterations of Star Trek dating back to the original series. The key indicator of Discovery’s whereabouts is the dominance of the brutal Terran Empire, an oppressive and racist regime that subjugates every planet its tentacles touch. The Terran Empire acts as a polar opposite to Star Trek’s familiar United Federation of Planets that helps govern its member worlds fairly and respectfully.
One fan rumour that has yet to be confirmed is that Captain Lorca is actually from the Mirror Universe. The records that Burnham finds show that, following an unsuccessful assassination attempt by the Mirror Universe’s version of Michael Burnham, Lorca went missing. So, it’s possible that Lorca escaped his assassination by hopping realities, out of the Mirror Universe and into what Trek fans call the prime universe. Considering Lorca’s recently revealed mental instability and sometimes questionable morals, it makes this reviewer wonder …
Star Trek: Discovery – Despite Yourself – The Kiss of Death
Fans and the media made a pretty big deal out of Dr. Culber and Lt. Stamets’s onscreen smooch. My critique that Discovery’s creative team should have developed this relationship by first developing the characters into people that viewers know and like, or at least know, now seems like a moot point. Instead of developing Culber in any meaningful way, Discovery instead used him as cannon fodder so that the show could pursue a double, or possibly a triple, agent story-line.
Although the biggest shock in “Despite Yourself” was probably Lt. Tyler murdering Dr. Culber, viewers also got a hint about what might be going on between Tyler and L’Rell. Tyler’s true motivations remain a mystery, but he appears to be some kind of Klingon sleeper agent in the middle of an existential crisis. Whether he’s a brainwashed Tyler, a surgically altered Klingon, or something else entirely remains to be seen.
My pet theory, based largely on Tyler’s pronunciation of Klingon, is that he’s actually a surgically altered T’Kuvma who somehow survived his encounter with the business end of Burnham’s phaser set to kill. Based on the fact that we know L’Rell and the albino Klingon Voq are working together, though, it’s probably more likely that Tyler is a surgically altered Voq.
Star Trek: Discovery – Despite Yourself – “I got top marks at the Vulcan Murder Academy.”
This brings me to another point: for all of her play-acting at advanced morality, Burnham has quite a violent streak. Burnham’s personal murder victim list includes Rejac (the Klingon Torchbearer), T’Kuvma (probably), and most recently the Mirror Universe version of one of her shipmates from the U.S.S. Discovery, Danby Connor.
I understand that the stakes are high in this episode: Lorca’s pep talk to his crew immediately before transporting to the I.S.S. Shenzhou drove home that the Mirror Universe is full of baddies. But, surely Burnham could have at least tried using the old Vulcan neck pinch prior to stabbing Connor to death during their turbolift ride.
Would not killing Connor have blown her cover? I guess that’s possible, but it seems to me that a Starfleet officer, even a disgraced mutineer, should be able to preserve lives without blowing her cover. Sure, Burnham murders Connor in an attempt to defend her own life, but you don’t stab a mad dog to death because it bites you. You treat the dog, which is exactly what Captain Kirk did when he encountered mirror-Spock back in the original Mirror Universe episode “Mirror, Mirror.” Kirk’s parting words are incendiary and hopeful: “In every revolution, there’s one man with a vision.”
Star Trek: Discovery – Despite Yourself – Spock the Reformer
This incendiary hope catches on in the Mirror Universe. After rising through the ranks to become the Commander in Chief of the Terran Empire, Mirror-Spock uses his influence to reform Terran tyranny, laying the groundwork for a successful dissolution of the Empire.
In subsequent Mirror Universe episodes, which I grant are set long after the events portrayed in “Despite Yourself,” Mirror Universe inhabitants are depicted as regular people, with admittedly heightened personalities, who were born into brutally oppressive surroundings. In other words, the inhabitants of the Mirror Universe aren’t evil; they’re products of their environment.
All this to say that when Burnham murdered mirror-Connor, the crime wasn’t somehow lessened by the fact that she killed mirror-Connor and not Connor-prime. Mirror-Connor is just a different version of Burnham’s crew mate, and he should be offered the same level of mercy and sympathy that any inhabitant of the prime timeline is. Burnham’s bloodthirsty outburst was surprising and dramatic but not in keeping with her professed moral superiority or that of the Federation.
Star Trek: Discovery – Despite Yourself – Commander Frakes
Narrative idiosyncracies notwithstanding, this was a fun episode to watch. It featured lots of action and plot development. I take my prosthetic forehead ridges off for Cmdr. William Thomas Thelonius Riker himself, Jonathan Frakes, who directed this entertaining chapter of Discovery’s first season. Unlike some early episodes that barely stayed afloat, I’m thinking “Magic to Make the Sanest Man Go Mad” which managed a whimpering cross over the finish line after 45 minutes of ill-conceived execution, “Despite Yourself” proved capable of weaving disparate plot elements together in a meaningful and entertaining way.
Let’s hope Mr. Frakes can direct a few more. His dedication to the source material mixed with his sense of drama combine to make great episodes. I’d also really like to see him reprise the dashing role I remember him for, but time and money will tell if Trek fans get to see that.
When Spawn (Image Comics) creator Todd McFarlane announced in July of 2017 that he would both write and direct the 2019 reboot, fans of the character, everywhere, rejoiced. It was about time. This was supposed to happen in 1998 with a sequel to 1997’s Spawn film. Though, ‘97 did give us a pretty cool animated series for the character, via HBO. We are not alone in saying we want this movie to succeed. What is both intriguing and exciting is that McFarlane seems determined to portray the character how he wrote him, a comic book antihero. He has been dishing on the upcoming project over the last year and, needless to say, it has increasingly built our collective interest and anticipation for this film.
This is NOT a superhero story!
McFarlane says that this is not a superhero story, but rather, a supernatural thriller.
“We just signed off on the script, and are going into budgeting,” McFarlane said. “It will be dark and heavy, serious, R-rated. It won’t be a superhero movie. I don’t think most people would categorize it as that. It will be a supernatural thriller, like a lot of good creep movies. The only thing in the movie that’s fantastic is Spawn, and anything else is otherwise normal.”
In fact, he has not only promised this film to be a ‘hard R-rating’, but also compares the character to Jaws, because he won’t speak!?
“We don’t want to muddy the waters. It’s R-rated,” Stated McFarlane. “Not like ‘Deadpool’, where there was just a couple ‘F-bombs’ and a naked butt. Not like ‘Logan’ either. We’re talking trauma, true trauma, as serious as possible.”
“Spawn doesn’t say a word the entire movie, and it’s the same way with ‘Jaws’, McFarlane proclaimed. “It’s about the sheriff and the people, chasing the ghost. The lead role isn’t Spawn, the lead role is a cop, like Sheriff Brody. I think we can hook a fairly significant actor that we want. Unlike a superhero movie, we wouldn’t need an actor to put on prosthetics or go to the gym. We just need him to act.”
This is NOT an origin story!
This film is going to just dive right into Spawn’s awesome Story. Fans know his origin and are going to come to the theater to watch it regardless. The great thing about this project is, it is going to appeal to both horror and gore fans as well.
“To me, this story is my way of saying Spawn’s been around for 25 years,” McFarlane said. “He’s been evolving for 25 years. This is where he’s at now. I can’t do the same story over and over.”
Alright, fine. Here’s a brief origin for you, in case you didn’t know. He was born Albert Francis Simmons in Detroit, Mich., as the second of three brothers. He was a gifted officer in the USMC and even attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After his military service, he joined the U.S. Secret Service and, eventually, ended up at the CIA. He was recruited by Jason Wynn, the CIA Director, with whom he started to argue with regularly on not seeing eye-to-eye on missions. He set up the U.S. Security Group, an elite task force that dealt in domestic and foreign situations. Upon not willing to comply to Wynn’s rules, Simmons sought to resign. Wynn caught wind of this and had him murdered in Operation Knightstrike by a fellow mercenary named Bruce Stinson (aka Chapel). After dying, he arranges a deal with a being named ‘Malebolgia’. He agrees to become the ‘Hellspawn’ and lead Hell’s army for a chance to see his wife and daughter one last time. He chooses not to go back to Hell and instead wanders the world as Spawn.
Check out this great story from Screen Rant on why a McFarlane and Blumhouse partnership for this movie is perfect.
Also, peep McFarlane’s entire interview(s) transcripts right here: The Playlist and AZ Central.
Lastly, get excited, because he might pull a ‘Stan Lee’ and appear in the movie as well.
Are you excited for this film? What do you hope to see when McFarlane’s creation hits the silver screen? Tell us what you think in the comments section below.
As the world deals with the aftermath of the invasion, Yu and his team face punishment and…his mom?
Writing
Writer Greg Pek obviously had a mission in mind when he was writing this issue. He wanted to show how there was more story to tell with these characters now with the series now ongoing. The usual methods are put into place: more world building, consequences to the first arc, and additional characters are introduced to help showcase there is more to explore in the world of Mech Cadet Yu.
An interesting aspect which is introduced is the clean up crew. More media involving giant monsters needs to focus on the aftermath from the initial attacks. In this moment it’s made painfully obvious these are the Cadets and robots which were not meant for combat duty. The animosity towards Yu and his team who are there as part of disciplinary action make it clear they don’t take too kindly for their presence. All of which is handled in a very subtle way.
Artwork
The artwork by Takeshi Miyazawi helps to capture the new expansion to the series. The rough and obviously not ready for the field look of the clean up robots helps to illuminate their lower quality construction. Also, the Chief’s mech shows there are far more design possibilities for the robots in this series than originally thought.
The color work Triona Farrell is up to the usual quality but doesn’t have as much a chance to shine as in previous issues. This is due to the lack of explosions or effects which make her draw attention. No deterioration in quality though.
The lettering by Simon Bowland offers some great emphasis on the dialogue. The sound effects also help to add the extra bit of charm to the book.
Conclusion
Mech Cadet Yu is still a lot of fun and this new issue feels like there is going to be a lot of excitement coming in the future. Don’t let this now ongoing comic pass you by.
You might remember that, back in November of 2017, The Wall Street Journal reported that Nintendo was nearing a deal with Illumination Entertainment, the studio responsible for Despicable Me 1-3 and Minions, to make an animated Mario film.
Nintendo President Tasumi Kimishima has stated on numerous occasions that the gaming giant is closing in on a partner for the film and that an official announcement would follow.
One thing is for sure, the company is serious about making a significant impact in the feature film business. Former Nintendo President Satoru Iwata, who passed away in 2015, hoped for the company to be more aggressive in licensing its IP out to various mediums and had intended to make the jump into feature films.
The world needs a great Super Mario film, especially after the 1993 live-action Super Mario Bros. didn’t quite live up to the hype. One question that remains is whether the eventual animated movie will include more fan-favorite characters, like Luigi and Toad, beyond that of The Big 3 in Mario, Princess Peach and Bowser. Could we maybe see a Mario Kart or even a The Legend of Zelda live-action or animated film(s) down the line as well? Time will tell.
UPDATE: Nintendo has confirmed an upcoming Super Mariofilm (1/31/2018).
From time to time, Hollywood somehow manages to release two similar movies within the same year of each other. There was Armageddon and Deep Impact, Volcano and Dante’s Peak, many many others; and now it appears there is Trust, Danny Boyle’s version of the J. Paul Getty story in which he goes the extra mile and replaces all of Ridley Scott’s All the Money in The World cast with one of his own.
But seriously, this version of the famous kidnapping story has Donald Sutherland in the patriarch role, and given that this is an FX series not a feature, it looks to dive more into the magnate’s luscious lifestyle.
Check out the trailer:
Inspired by actual events, Trust delves into the trials and triumphs of one of America’s wealthiest and unhappiest families, the Gettys. Equal parts family history, dynastic saga and an examination of the corrosive power of money, Trust explores the complexities at the heart of every family, rich or poor.
Told over multiple seasons and spanning the twentieth century, the series begins in 1973 with the kidnapping of John Paul Getty III (Harris Dickinson), an heir to the Getty oil fortune, by the Italian mafia in Rome. His captors banked on a multi-million-dollar ransom. After all, what rich family wouldn’t pay for the return of a loved one? Paul’s grandfather, J. Paul Getty Sr. (Donald Sutherland), an enigmatic oil tycoon and possibly the richest man in the world, is marooned in a Tudor mansion in the English countryside surrounded by a harem of mistresses and a pet lion. He’s busy. Paul’s father, J. Paul Getty Jr. (Michael Esper), is lost in a daze in London and refuses to answer the phone. Only Paul’s mother, Gail Getty (Hilary Swank), is left to negotiate with the increasingly desperate kidnappers. Unfortunately, she’s broke. Trust charts the teenage grandson’s nightmare ordeal at the hands of kidnappers who cannot understand why nobody seems to want their captive back.
Looks interesting, we’ll see what Boyle can do with the TV medium when Trust debuts March 25.
Welcome to the twenty-fifth episode of the Comic Show by Monkeys Fighting Robots! We’re finally back from our holiday hiatus, and we are talking all about Tom King and Mitch Gerads’ Mister Miracle. Issue 6 is out this week, and since it marks the series’ halfway point, why not do a mid-season review?? One of us thinks it’s a near-perfect comic, the other finds it a bit pretentious. Who will win this week’s battle?
