Announced just moments ago, both the X Lives and X Deaths of Wolverine now available on Marvel Unlimited
Just when you thought the 29,000 comics available on Marvel Unlimited wasn’t enough, fans have been given a surprising Wolverine-themed gift this morning! As subscribers to the Marvel Unlimited app can now access the critically acclaimed X Lives of Wolverine and X Deaths of Wolverine comics. A 10-part saga that concluded just last month.
In an unprecedented move, Marvel comics has decided to make the series available on their Marvel Unlimited app much earlier than their usually expected release window. With delays usually lasting months-long, the series has been made available after just a single month since it’s last issue. Marking a significant change to Marvel’s modus operandi–though it’s uncertain if this is just for this event or a permanent change of release window.
In the ‘X Lives of Wolverine’ and ‘X Deaths of Wolverine’ series–of which you can see a trailer for above–writer Benjamin Percy, along with artists Joshua Cassara, Federico Vicentini, and Adam Kubert journey across Wolverine’s lifelong history and future. Where, in order to prevent a tragedy of catastrophic proportions, Wolverine must travel to various points in time to prevent the death of a key figure in mutant history: Professor Charles Xavier.
It’s a transformative epic packed with action and suspense! With revelations and exciting developments littered throughout the series not just for Logan but for all of mutant-kind.
Likewise, if readers want even more Wolverine, they can check out the 10-part LIFE OF WOLVERINE Infinity Comic. In the series, fans can explore the history of Wolverine in chronological order!
Marvel Unlimited is a one-stop destination for over 29,000 comics spanning the entire Marvel Universe. The app is available for iPhone®, iPad®, Android devices™ and on web. For more information, please visit marvel.com/unlimited
The new tie-ins mention the upcoming comics crossover for this July.
A.X.E. Judgement Day, the newest line in the Marvel Comics Judgement day crossoversees the Avengers, Eternals, and X-men locked in a deadly conflict. With a more X-men focused line of the story, after the mutant’s new immortality is threatened by the Eternals, everything changes, as a secret about mutantkind and the Deviants comes to light. These comics are promised to be a game-changing event across all of Marvel, kicking off with A.X.E.: Judgement Day this July, which sees the releases of both issues #1 and #2.
The X-Men claim they’re the planets’ new gods. The Eternals know that position is already filled. The Avengers are about to realize exactly how many secrets their so-called friends have kept from them. Years of tension lead to a volcanic eruption as two worlds burn. Who has leaked the X-Men’s secrets to their latest foes? Why is Tony Stark abducting an old friend? And who stands in judgment over the whole world? As the world shakes, an unlikely group of heroes and less-than-heroes gather to find a peaceful solution. Sadly, the best laid plans of man, mutant and Eternal oft go awry…
Gillen will also team up with artist Guiu Vilanova to explore the root of the Eternals’ fury against mutantkind and the schism it’s causing in their society in a three-issue limited series beginning in July titled A.X.E.: DEATH TO THE MUTANTS. The mutants are Deviants. Eternals are coded to correct excess deviation. The mutants are eternal, Mars colonizers, ever-spreading. Eternals know what they should do. Our heroes don’t want to, but can they resist the murderous designs coded into their body as surely as any Sentinel? And if they can’t, can anyone survive the coming judgment?
Afterwards, there are plans to see the series spinoff into various lines listed below:
IMMORTAL X-MEN #5
IMMORTAL X-MEN #5 sees Gillen and artist Michele Bandini write about: Exodus. Born in the 12th century, Bennet du Paris marched forth with a sword in his hand and a shield in his heart to protect what he believes. It’s now the 21st century. What’s changed? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. And the Eternals who dared attack Krakoa are going to discover what that means.
X-FORCE #30
Deadpool joins and Kraven’s mutant hunt begins in Benjamin Percy and Robert Gill’s X-FORCE #30. X-Force has taken some lumps, but a new era begins as old-school X-Forcer Wade Wilson makes his grand return! Well, grand for him, necessary for the team, as X-Force needs all the help it can get in the fallout from the Hellfire Gala and the revelations of A.X.E.: JUDGMENT DAY! Find out why Kraven the Hunter is involved in the start of a landmark storyline titled “The Hunt for X.”
X-MEN #13
Who are the true inheritors of the Earth? The X-Men and Eternals fight over the answer to that question in X-MEN #13 by Gerry Duggan and C.F. Villa. The mutants are the next stage of evolution. Evolution depends on a mutation of genes – the genes of the offspring deviating from their progenitors. Some would call the X-gene EXCESS deviation. Those people are gonna need to be taken down a few pegs.
X-MEN RED #5
And Arakko sees war yet again in X-MEN RED #5 by Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli. No one who is not an Omega-level mutant has ever taken one of the nine seats of the Great Ring. Together, they are the greatest power Arakko has ever known – and it’s nine against one. So, if the nine are losing…what does that say about the one? Judgment Day has come to the Red Planet – and it’s Arakko’s greatest test since X OF SWORDS!
We take a look at the brand new Stranger Things Season 4 Vol. 1 trailer. Premiering on May 27th
Since its premiere in 2016 Stranger Things has been one of Netflix’s greatest hit shows. Season 3 alone had logged in over 600 million user viewer hours of the hit series and in the nearly decade-long history of the network’s original programming, the show’s topped almost every media outlets MUST WATCH lists in the modern era.
Stranger Things has surprisingly lasted for over six years on Netflix. With three seasons–along with a fourth upcoming season that’s being split in two–and a sea of Stranger Fans and even Stranger Conventions having propped up the series, the show has become one of the most talked-about and beloved shows of recent history, and arguably, of all-time.
This 1980s homage to murder mysteries and early science-fiction blockbusters has seen its cast grow up from Dungeons and Dragons-obsessed kids to young adults trying to stop the mind flayer from destroying the universe. We’ve seen the cast grow up in front of our very eyes. It’s launched the careers of almost all of its actors including Millie Bobby Brown, David Harbour, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, and Maya Hawke.
This is why it’s sad but exciting to see it end. Taking place six months after the Battle of Starcourt mall in the season 3 finale, the story will take place in the aftermath of what’s happened to the new separated group while they navigate the awkward moments of high school. It’s here, where a new Mindflayer–featured in the trailer below–presents an upcoming threat. One that potentially might end it all, unless the group can reunite to put a stop to it…
But it all comes down to a now de-powered Eleven.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yQEondeGvKo
The first volume of episodes will launch on May 27th. The second volume launches on July 1st.
Sleepover takes The Endgame to New Places, and Reinvigorates the Series with Some Shocking Events
I’ve been waiting a couple weeks to cover the latest episode of The Endgame, titled Sleepover. And not only is it an tense and exciting episode that totally upends the usually predictable formula of the series, but it’s one that helps me visualize where the story might be going. Plus, thanks to NBC kindly giving us access to this episode in advance, I will be altering my coverage somewhat to avoid any huge spoilers. With that out of the way, let’s talk about Sleepover.
THE ENDGAME — “Sleepover” Episode 107 — Pictured: (l-r) Mark Espinoza as Rogelio Real, Ryan Michelle Bathe as Val — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
Though the episode starts pretty much where last week’s ended, it’s juxtaposed with scenes of someone in the woods outside Fort Totten. They set off an EMP device, and all the lights are turned off, other than some generator lights installed during the Cold War. Understandably, Val thinks this is the latest attack by Snow White, but Elena assures her that’s not the case. As Director Réal starts to try and retrieve his and Val’s weapons from the lockers, the whole picture starts to come into focus. The electronic locks have been shut for most of the facility, meaning they can’t reach the weapon locker nor traipse about the facility with ease. Worse, there’s only a skeleton crew protecting the base, and that’s not nearly enough to deal with the latest problem, nicknamed The Ghost.
The drama isn’t all at Fort Totten. Peekskill is in chaos after someone lit a fire in B wing, and they’re moving all the inmates away from the affected area. Owen and Sergey are very suspicious, since last week the little weasel they poisoned teamed up with a known arsonist. And things don’t improve after all the prisoners are milling around in one place. Owen and Sergey are very much in danger, possibly as much as Val, Elena and Rogelio.
Because Elena is Elena, she starts talking to Val about how it all reminds her of a sleepover, and she has some adorably twisted one-liners. When Val counters she must not have had many friends, Elena tells a story about one named Natalia. She was there for Elena after her pregnancy, and helped her deal with a fussy baby Sofia. It’s the first time we’ve seen the criminal mastermind as anything other than poised and confident, and it does a great job of showing off Baccarin’s acting chops. And like most stories told by her, it serves a purpose that isn’t immediately apparent.
THE ENDGAME — “Sleepover” Episode 107 — Pictured: Morena Baccarin as Elena Federova — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
As for the assault on Fort Totten, the man behind it is the last one in the picture, who conveniently isn’t showing his face. He’s ex CIA and he’s dangerous. He cuts through the skeleton crew like a hot knife through butter, and seems able to get about with supernatural ease. Worse, his career was known for his dangerous wet work in other countries, meaning he has a real chance of killing Elena and anyone else in his way.
One of the most exciting elements of the episode is how it forces some unusual team-ups. Thanks to a faulty lock, both of the captured Snow White lieutenants escape their cells, and I actually was rooting for Louie as he fought with The Ghost. Rogelio steps up and uses his experience as a Marine corpsman to help said lieutenants when one is injured. And Val and Elena actually work shockingly well together, despite Val’s lack of trust in the other woman.
Though the episode is mostly about the assault on Fort Totten and the strange happenings at Peekskill, Doak and Flowers also have a role to play. And as far as Doak, let’s just say my earlier speculation about him becoming a villain in his own right is looking dead on. As for Anthony, he is investigating a cryptic communication sent to Elena about a potato. When he tries asking Val for help deciphering it, he realizes something’s wrong, since the EMP not only shut down power at the Fort, but also all communication, including cell phones.
THE ENDGAME — “Sleepover” Episode 107 — Pictured: Morena Baccarin as Elena Federova — (Photo by: Virginia Sherwood/NBC)
The episode has some chaotic fight scenes, including the weasel riling up the prisoners to make an attempt on Sergey’s life. Val and Elena join forces against The Ghost, and manage to finally put an end to his rampage using some lucky recon and timely use of a landmine. And finally, by the end of the episode we can put a face on the Beloch family, as well as worry how long Réal will remain in charge of the FBI.
Overall, Sleepover was my favorite episode of The Endgame yet, and has me excited again for where the story may take us. Stay tuned to The Workprint for continuing coverage of the latest crime drama from NBC!
Filmocracy hosted an event in support of funding more women’s film festivals. We talk about its importance along with Filmocracy’s festival streaming platform.
For anyone starting out in the film industry, getting on the festival circuit is important. It’s how you stand out amongst a sea of content. It’s where you go to meet and network with fellow industry professionals. Participating or placing in a film festival helps creatives find an agent or a manager or just anyone scouting for talent. Most importantly, festival circuits are the place to go in the hopes of finding distribution for the release of your film. They’re a critical part of the film industry. One that’s severely undervalued, underfunded, and underrepresented.
For every type of film festival, there is usually a distinct call to action and search for a particular type of artist out there. Most of these collaborations seek to represent unique voices, with one of the biggest advocacies of late having been those supporting more women in filmmaking.
Yesterday, Filmocracy held a digital festival in support of these female film festivals. These online showcases feature female-centric film fests from all across the world. A space where audiences could visit online panels and even chat with filmmakers and festival heads in Filmocracy’s unique digital rooms.
Of the nine-film fests selected from across the world, each had a representative share of how their organizations had supported female and non-binary filmmakers in distinctly unique ways.
Whether it be through helping women make movies on their cellular phones (such as the case in Africa), or just showcasing what’s worked for female and non-binary filmmakers in terms of breaking into the industry, there were a lot of resources made available in this event for filmmakers looking for voices, and more importantly, for financiers who might be looking for the next big female director. There were a ton of networking opportunities all throughout the experience.
The 9 Female-Centric film festivals included in the roundtable talk were:
A big highlight of the evening, which I think should be stressed not just for this festival but in general, was that women-led projects and filmmakers still struggle in overcoming androcentric barriers. This included the obsession with the heroes’ journey approach in Hollywood over more emotionally driven films, but also the need for overcoming the Western views of cinema. Since things can be done in completely different ways, as Bollywood or East Asian cinema has showcased. The biggest highlight across the board for each group was the need for better gender parity, as highest-paid directors, and really just directors in general, are still predominantly male.
There was also the stress of increasing visibility, and a desperate need for transparency for funding as both content and marketing play a bigger role than ever before. Toni Williams, the Co-Chair of the Women of African Descent Film Fest, stressed the need for resources for women filmmakers during her talk. “This includes the ability to find funding, access to more production resources, and really, just having more women creatives in the industry across the board.”
During the Expo, where guests could attend separate panels and speak with each Film Festival’s organization, a lot of information was discussed in each group about what each festival had been working on.
This included a showcase of some of each festival’s directors, and also, just engagement with the audience curious about anything regarding their festival. Really, just anything about women trying to gain visibility via the festival circuit. Even someone like myself, who was very much trying to just cover the event in private, ended up talking with some of the leadership at Cinema Femme, as I’m going to likely write about and attend one of their events this year. Which I didn’t intend but that’s sort of the magic of this type of networking.
Some of the biggest discussions by the event’s end were in overcoming imposter syndrome as an up-and-coming female director, the need to learn quickly and adapt, and surprisingly, the generational creative gap. There was a surprising amount of young women filmmakers in the final panel who felt like their generation isn’t properly being written by people who knew their stories. Stressing the unfortunate feelings of feeling unseen while hinting that there is a fix to this – get more women in the film industry that can speak with their own generational voices.
What’s The Platform Like?
Before we talk about the end, let me stress really quickly that the Filmocracy Streaming platform works surprisingly well! I wasn’t sure what to expect because so many organizations have done online formats since the pandemic began, and, having attended BookCon, San Diego Comic-Con, New York Comic Con, and DC FanDome all online in 2020, I must say Filmocracy’s user interface was easily the best application I’ve experienced.
With the main stage, several panel rooms, and places to network and genuinely talk to each other online. This was the most conventional I’ve felt in an online convention. For people like myself who love panels and networking, this was an absolute steal. The platform allowed for this to be a surprisingly encouraging experience that I think is perfect for what they’re trying to do in both being safer than in-person conventions, but also, in being applicable as a cost-saving networking opportunity. There were even some side chat applications that could also feature both video and audio where you can get to know people more independently, as I’d learned with Cinema Femme.
Final Panel Discussion with Quinn Shephard: Girls Make Movies
To conclude the evening was a final panel discussion of the evening. You can read about what it was taken directly off their Eventbrite page:
All the panelists are girls and non-binary persons under 20 who have completed multiple film projects, and received recognition during festivals, film camps, and film programs for youth. We’ll talk about what inspired them and explore the most rewarding and most challenging parts of the process of making a movie as a female or a non-binary person. We’ll discuss the role of filmmaking in today’s world, and how they would like to leverage their artistic visions to create change.
Hosted by Quinn Shephard and Andee Kinzy
At 20 years old, Quinn Shephard wrote, directed, and starred in Blame, which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival–making her the youngest female filmmaker to ever screen a feature there. She is also the writer and director of the upcoming satire feature film Not Okay for Searchlight Pictures and Hulu, starring Zoey Deutch and Dylan O’Brian. Quinn was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay for Blame, and is a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 list maker. She was also a metuchen grad.
Founder and Director of the Girl Improved Film & Television Festival, Andee Kinzy is a multi-hyphenated Renaissance woman who writes, produces, and directs – both in film and youth Shakespeare productions. Her favorite herb is cilantro and she has more curiosity than a cat.
Panelists
Ashleigh Lawless
Ashleigh Lawless is a 19-year-old directing film major at the Los Angeles Film School. She started making movies around her neighborhood at the age of 10 and hasn’t stopped since. Most recently, Ashleigh has had two self-written & directed films complete festival runs, created content for companies like the Boston Bruins and MIT, and has found a love for production and post-production sound mixing.
Paola Perez
Paola Perez is a long-time student filmmaker. She is from Miami, Florida, and started making movies at 6 years old. She has been nationally recognized for her documentary skills by C-SPAN and has founded a film club at her high school. She aims to return love in the movies, while also exploring the nooks and crannies of the human mind.
Kate Saltel
Kate Saltel is a Canadian-American filmmaker and writer from Austin, Texas. Her short experimental film “Metamorphism” was screened at SXSW, NFFTY, and the BFI Future Film Festival during its worldwide festival circuit. She currently studies film and TV production at Loyola Marymount University – writing weekly satire for the Loyolan and sketch comedy for Sorry In Advance.
Michelle Tang
Michelle Tang is a 17-year-old filmmaker from Metuchen, NJ. As a storyteller, she is interested in youth perspectives when facing adverse situations and neurodivergent experiences. Her short film “Hunter” has screened at the DC Independent Film Festival, winning awards from the Barrymore Film Center, the Garden State Film Festival, and Scholastic. She is currently working on a science fiction film with her school’s filmmaking club and writing a screenplay about the psychological effects of the foster care system on a young girl.
Arianna Williams
Arianna Williams is a teen activist and organizer based in NYC. As a photographer and filmmaker, Arianna has dedicated their art to creating spaces and telling stories that are often misrepresented or disregarded in mainstream media. Throughout her work, Arianna explores themes of growth, self-reflection, and the elaborate interconnections between themselves and those around them.
The Take
Filmocracy’s film festivals seem to be a great networking opportunity. I suggest fellow creatives or film makers try them out, especially if you’d like to get involved with or network with the indie film circuit.
I once stole. “Only once.” It was in the second grade. It was from a girl I liked, but I was more interested in her pencils with cool Nintendo toppers. I used that pencil to draw a lot of things and write a lot of things, but to this day, I still remember that. It never felt right. That one pencil got me into art for the first time and writing, but it wasn’t mine to take. No matter how much I flourished from that singular, solitary fusion of lead, wood, and plastic, it wasn’t mine to wrest and my mind was never at rest.
Welcome to the fourth episode of Atlanta (FX) titled “The Big Payback”.
We open in on a white man waiting in line at a coffee shop, drowning his ear canals with NPR. Before him stands a black man, talking on the phone. The white man spots a packet of Madelines and pockets them, surely with the full intent of paying for them. The white barista (Ashlyn Stallings) calls on the said white man to order, unabashedly ignoring the black man ostensibly in front of him.
Though offering his spot, the black man frustratingly blows it off, continuing on his day as if this shit wasn’t anything that novel.
In his car, the white man realizes that he didn’t pay for the treat, but instead of returning it, he brushes the ‘happy accident’ off, eating one as he drives off. The white eats something white and thinks naught of it. He took something that wasn’t his, but hey, they can afford it, right? After all, the company was presumably owned by some white billionaire, right?
I mean petty larceny isn’t a thing when both parties know that they’re both in the black, right?
Meet Marshall Johnson (Justin Bartha). This passive paragon of privilege is tailed by another vehicle all the way to his separated wife, Natalie to pick up their daughter, Katie for school.
On the ride, NPR relays the breaking news that the Tesla Trial had arrived at a landmark decision. A black litigant had won his case against Josh Beckford, an early investor in the brand on account that Mr. Beckford’s relatives had enslaved the plaintiff’s ancestors. This direct correlation between human capital and profit is commensurate to the financials of people like Josh and Oh! the best is yet to come…
Just before dropping her off, Katie (Scarlett Blum) seems to think her mother Natalie (Dahlia Legault) wants to get back with him. Consider it the brightest part of Mr. Johnson’s day, because things are about to go downhill at breakneck speed. He gets a phone call from an unknown number but ignores it.
The same tailing car waits ominously outside the office but that’s nothing compared to what awaits inside…
On the elevator up, the man’s co-worker thinks the watershed moment is ‘unfair’ but there’s bigger fish to choke on, as the office is alight with a rumor that the layoffs being handed down from higher-ups are all because of the Tesla verdict.
Correlation does not imply causation. Are you going on the elevator down (assumedly with a cardboard box in hand)?
Marshall’s coworker Paula (Madison Hatfield) is assuredly anxious. She lets him in on a little secret.
Even if he’s not partaken in any DNA tests if anybody in his family has, the lineage is easily accessible. If he’s won that lineallottery, well, the descendants of his forebears’ slaves have just won the literal lottery.
All the whites in the office are chattering teeth as the blacks are excitedly chattering among themselves.
Marshall shrugs it off with nervous aplomb. In his words, he doesn’t ‘yell fire unless he sees flames’ with ‘no smoke’ on his end. Oh, pobrecito, there will be smoke. SO, so much smoke.
With a woman wailing in front of her pristine BMW, Marshall’s entered a near-fugue state to his car. This is especially true when passing the gas station, observing a black couple fueling up their luxury sports car. Is this some fever dream?
His daughter is eerily quiet in the back seat before shattering the ice, asking ole’ dad if they are racist because a kid at school told accused her of that.
Worriedly, he shuts that notion down, citing that not only did ‘that stuff’ transpire a long time ago but also because of his side being of Austro-Hungarian descent, as his people were enslaved during the Byzantine Empire. He shoots down that flight of fancy by saying demanding compensatory damages would be downright silly. Umm, yeah, my guy. Die on that hill.
Settling down for a meal with his kid, the phone once again buzzes. As before, he ignores it. To be fair, you can only ignore shit for so long before someone leaves a big flaming bag of it on your doorstep.
In this case, it’s in the form of a Served Notice. The cherry on top is the one who put the process into motion: Sheniqua Johnson of the St. Louis Johnsons.
Livestreaming his gobsmacked mug, she catches him up to speed. His family owned her great-great-grandparents for 12 years and it’s high time HE ponies up.
Before he could drag up his slacked jaw from the floor, she enters what is now her house, surveying the layout and though he threatens to call the authorities, they’ve already been notified, courtesy of the new tenant.
Katie bears witness to this and Marshall is without an alibi. At this moment, he probably wishes he were dead to the world rather than being dead to rights.
The next day Paula informs him that besides Willie and Lester, none of the black people came to work. She’s nothing to worry about, being of the Tribe, mostly Ashkenazi Jew, and though he tries to feed her the Byzantine Empire schpiel, she feeds back to him what he and others like him have asserted to most: it was so long ago.
In the bathroom, seeming to wash his hands for an extended period as if he was trying to clean the residual blood off, Marshall comes across a coworker wearing a t-shirt bearing the simple sentiment of “I OWNED SLAVES”.
Tim in accounting got off easy with that penance from the family about to sue him, just wanting him to acknowledge it twice a week.
Marshall’s day is only starting, as Sheniqua’s outside the edifice, megaphone in hand, demanding the $3M she’s owed in light of his surname’s iniquities, and though he pleads with her, dues are dues and the silence will be no longer.
Do you remember realizing that something was your birthright? I don’t, but this would be fucking all holidays wrapped up in one to me!
In the breakroom, Marshall goes to Lester (Exie Booker) for advice on his ‘situation’ and as my man savors Sheniqua’s shouting as if it were a lullaby, he dispenses advice in two simple steps: admit wrongdoing and commence payment.
Things aren’t looking so sunny for Marshall at the moment and even less so when Natalie messages him.
And though he tries to leverage her whiteness, deftly flaunting her Peruvian heritage as proof of being out of the crosshairs, he asserts that she ‘passed’ as white before that gavel came down, but it matters none.
The game is changed, the script is flipped and their marriage is now officially over as her finances cannot take the fallout.
Marshall is now living in a world where nothing makes sense, only left to the only sanctuary that belongs to him, but Lo!
Sheniqua and her family are out on the lawn, camping out and awaiting lawful entry, and before Marshall can even process the sins of his father’s father’s father’s father, he peels out.
Physically exhausted and mentally drained, he sits on the edge of the bed of his newfound home, a nice hotel room. He flickers on the lamp in a daze. Off. On. Dark. Light.
Noticing the complimentary cookie on his nightstand, he opens it only to find it to be a Double Chocolate Chip. Black? Meet the gaping maw of White.
Taking a bite, his tears flow, continuing to consume what is this painful and tasty metaphor.
Hazily treading into the lobby, he notices a fellow white man, Earnest (Tobias Segal), and orders whatever he’s imbibing. “E” just flew in from somewhere else. They conveniently “can’t find his luggage” though, so he’s just enjoying the libation with nothing but the clothes on his back.
The bond they share is only skin deep. Marshall, unaccepting of this new reality is wrought to his core. Earnest simply “doesn’t know.”
He regales that his grandfather told him that the foundation on which his family was built was from the ground up, but it all turned out to be more than just a white lie. ‘Twas a White Lie.
Marshall still feels the blood that nourished the roots of the crops their relatives subsisted on shouldn’t have any bearing on their present ‘situation’. “E” views it differently as he sees the reality for what it is.
That history in fact does have a price and a very steep one at that. In his words: “Confession is not absolution.” Truer words were never spake.
Earnest knows that to the black people of America, slavery isn’t a curious past but rather a painful present. It’s an omnipresent specter they can see in ways others cannot possibly fathom. You can give all the feather dusters you want. Bleach? We got too much of a contact high to see it as pretty.
To “E”, because Natalie and Katie are without Marshall, they can start anew, build anew, untainted without him.
Earnest believes the white man has been set free. What was once in the DARK has been brought into the LIGHT.
“E” excuses himself out to the pool area. I already knew what was coming as “It Never Entered My Mind” by Miles Davis softly ambled softly in the background.
Earnest finds zen. He makes peace with his mind.
It better be, because the pool staff must then observe pieces of his mind splattered all over the area as his watery grave serves as the most beautiful thing in Hiro Murari‘s beautiful mind.
And though Marshall is shocked awake, one of the servers isn’t in the least bit phased, knowing this is only a beginning, not an end.
Remember what I said before about Marshall wanting to be dead to the world rather than dead to rights?
“E” actually had the fucking bandwidth to make good with his maker rather than deal with the reality. He put that bullet where his head was.
Maybe his wealth was finding out the truth. Rather than doling it out, he’d more or less selfishly perish with it…
We cut to the future, where a waiter on a bus driven by a blonde white woman isn’t the new but rather the now.
A manager rallying his team on what to expect for a good night’s work is on deck. There isn’t any ego. Everybody is all hands-on.
Before the huddle breaks, he makes mention of anybody owning a portion of their paycheck to ‘Restitution Taxes’ to momentarily stay behind. Marshall is among those in line among the other white men that will be bestowing a percentage to the law.
It’s 15%, which is pretty hefty compared to the others’ 10%. That hurts, but it’s still a drop in the bucket to what the suffering had to accomplish.
Washing his hands for the day ahead, he’s teased by a Latin waiter.
Though both are cool, the co-worker jokingly threatens Marshall’s salty speech and threatens him into a busboy position. In this new world, jape against minorities may land serious repercussions. The white man isn’t a strawman anymore. He’s just a testament to how the chickens can come home to roost.
As Minnie Ripperton’s “Les Fleurs” fires up, so does dinner service. The kitchen is filled with people of ALL ethnicities. Marshall grabs his first two plates and saunters into the main hall, where minorities of all kinds are being served by whites. This isn’t minatory. It’s exemplary.
It only took one trickle to burst that dam, but DAMN if the rightful balance wasn’t restored.
This episode was a doozie, but a good and very thought-provoking one. When we think Atlanta wants to zig, they zag. This may reflect in reality in zugzwang. We can’t move ahead before catching a little bit of flack on either end, though some pieces need to be moved.
Remember that Blue/Gold dress controversy? This too may lead to much discourse, though in the court of public opinion, this shit couldn’t be more nebulous.
I see this episode as coming out fucking GOLD.
Addendum: I don’t typically cite writers on TV shows I recap and review, but I have to give a HUGE shout-out to Francesca Sloane. She’s a fellow Salvadoran, and I haven’t seen or known any in this industry, so I just want to give out personal props.
Rogue Legacy 2 is headed out of early access and on to PC, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X|S on April 28, 2022. The good news doesn’t stop there!
To celebrate the anticipated launch of Rogue Legacy 2, developer Cellar Door Games have released a brand new animated cinematic and announced the original RogueLegacy will be available for free on the Epic Games store between April 7-13th.
“Our goal for Rogue Legacy 2 was always to make “Rogue Legacy 3” because we didn’t want to settle for just more,” the developers said in a press release. “It had to stay true to the original, but also stand on its own as something new. After nearly four years of development, bringing it to the fans is the final step in this long journey, and we hope they find it as special as we do.”
Rogue Legacy 2 will introduce Heirlooms that will offer a “unique metroidvania feel by permanently giving heroes new abilities.”
A list of key features for Rogue Legacy 2 can be found below:
Every Adventure is Unique: New monsters, new traps, and new layouts await you every time you enter the Kingdom. This is a world where improvisation, and not memorization is the key to success.
Wildly New Classes: No two classes play the same. Hide atop Ivy Canopies as the Ranger, and rain poisoned arrows down onto your foes. Take to the skies as a Dragon Lancer and fly across the skies striking foes at massive speeds. Or sing and dance through your enemies, as the joyous bard, leaving only a trail of bodies behind you. Rogue Legacy 2 supports 15 new classes, with 15 distinct styles of play.
Brand New Style: We’re taking a whole new artistic approach to Rogue Legacy 2. The sequel features 2.5D stylings, with 3D characters against hand-drawn backdrops. The art uses heavy shading and all animations are done using stepping techniques to keep the familiar RL look and feel.
Revamped Biome Generation: We went all-out with biome generation to make each area in RL2 feel completely new. Each biome adopts different “build strategies” to create completely unique yet-still-randomly-generated regions.
True Metroidvania: To really push the metroidvania flair, RL2 introduces heirlooms: special items that permanently give your heroes new abilities that fully reveal the world’s secrets. These are not basic lock-in-key abilities, but powers that fundamentally change how you play. And heirlooms are not simply handed to you. You must prove your worth, provided you can find them.
Traits 2.0: Though fun the first time, the traits in RL1 often wore their welcome later in the game. We’ve now added gold modifiers to entice players to take on new challenges. The more debilitating the trait is (in-game), the bigger the reward. This makes choosing your heirs a meaningful decision every time.
Relics and Resolve: One of the most exciting new features to Rogue Legacy 2 is the ability to pick up Relics, which are unique items that change how your run is played. Gain stat modifiers, complete special challenges, and even gain brand new abilities as you traverse the kingdom. But be careful, the more Relics you obtain the more your resolve is shaken, and all Relics are lost if your hero perishes.
Improved Accessibility: We’ve taken accessibility to the next level with the introduction of House Rules. Toggle contact damage, tweak global damage and health, and even give yourself flight for difficult platform sections. You have complete control over how you want to play the game. We’ve also introduced new mechanics such as Off-shore Banking to give struggling players more ways to succeed.
A Rich Narrative: Not only is the lore to the world of Rogue Legacy greatly expanded in the sequel, but it runs deep. New lore awaits you all the multiple NG’s in. Beating the game once is only the beginning. Learn about the inevitable collapse of a once thriving kingdom, and discover the dark secrets of the ones responsible. And connect and build relationships with the characters you meet along the way.
New Game+ for Days: Your journey has only begun after beating the final boss in RL2. There is a ton more to explore and discover on multiple playthroughs. You must choose how the game gets harder, from unique biome hazards, to special boss fights. The experience keeps changing for near infinite replayability.
More of Everything: Of course we’re also adding more of everything people loved from the original Rogue Legacy. More traits, more spells, more classes, more biomes, more enemies, more equipment, more rooms, more story. More secrets… Just more everything.
A new variant cover by Artgerm, is featured in June’s IRON MAN/HELLCAT ANNUAL #1
This June’s Iron Man/Hellcat Annual#1 will be a major turning point for the superhero heroine and her iron-clad paramour. Continuing his work from the pages of Iron Man, writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Ruairí Coleman delivers a story that talks about the character’s history, in a foresighted issue that looks into where her relationship with Iron Man with be going.
Picking up from that jaw-dropping marriage proposal in Iron Man #20, the couple decides to travel to the tech capital of the world: San Francisco, where Patsy meets up with some familiar faces, catches up with old friends, and most importantly, confronts the darkest parts of her past she’d thought was long left behind.
To celebrate this groundbreaking issue, Marvel will debut a collection of variant covers by some of the industry’s most acclaimed artists. Including an original piece by Artgerm.
“Hellcat has one of the most unique—and at times inscrutable—origin stories in Marvel Comics, but also one of my favorites,” Cantwell said during Marvel’s press release. “I love that Patsy got her start in teen romance comics in the 40s and yet was still somehow able to ride the wave into the rise of superheroes, becoming Hellcat. With an epic and circuitous backstory that now spans more than 75 years, I’ve had a blast exploring the rich tapestry that is Patsy—first in IRON MAN, and now with even more depth in this annual.”
IRON MAN/HELLCAT ANNUAL #1 hits the stands on June 1!
Debuting this July, The Avengers and Moon Girl #1 is a one-shot featuring the young super genius’ team-up with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Coming to a Marvel Universe near you, Moon Girl is featuring another one-shot following June’s Miles Morales and Moon Girl#1. Called upon by The Earth’s Mightiest Heroes in order to save the world, this special Summer issue will see Lunella Lafayette join Iron Man, Captain Marvel, and the entire Avenger’s team in Avengers and Moon Girl#1.
The character is so popular that Disney Channel is actually adapting her story for an animated TV series this summer. She is also, arguably, one of the biggest young black women role models in the Marvel Comics Universe. And one of the most prominently used Inhumans featured in the Marvel line of comics today.
As noted in Marvel’s press release, the acclaimed novelist Mohale Mashigo will be joined by artist Diogenes Neves for this latest one-shot. A perfect entry point for readers curious to learn more about the young hero, where in it, Moon Girl goes looking for Devil Dinosaur after having spent last month’s issue scouting with Miles Morales to find her T-Rex. Thankfully, The Avengers can help!
“Writing Moon Girl is a dream come true,” Mashigo said. “Lunella is fun, quirky, smart, and full of energy. I’ve enjoyed seeing her get out of her comfort zone and shine even brighter.”
Making its official debut yesterday, this 4-part Infinity Comic publishing throughout all of April focuses on the White Fox.
Exclusive on the Marvel Unlimited App, White Fox #1 follows the story of the last of the mystical shape-shifting Kumihos. Written by Alyssa Wong and drawn by Bruno Oliveira, with colors by Andres Mossa, this four-part series follows the adventures of Ami Han, known as the White Fox.
A striking tale revolving around the mysterious death of a sword master, in issue #1, White Fox has been running herself ragged to help an old friend and find the truth. Because Seoul has a secret supernatural community – and they’re under attack!
“I have a soft spot for White Fox. She’s the first hero I solo-wrote for Marvel. I’ve always loved shape-shifters and monsters, and a question I’m always asking is, ‘Who gets to be a monster, and who has no choice? Who decides what is monstrous?’ Ami Han is a Kumiho who grew up without a Kumiho community, surrounded only by stories about how her kind is evil, heartless, and vicious. There’s certain grief that comes from that kind of cultural isolation, loss, and external hatred, and it’s something she’s had to grapple with her entire life. I find that deeply compelling and resonant.”
On drawing the series in the Infinity Comic vertical format, artist Bruno Oliveira elaborated, “I can go as long as I want to convey a scene and get a certain feeling, and as you scroll and find out more about a panel… it is always surprising. With this format, we can constantly surprise the reader! The reader can never tell if the next panel is going to be a small square or if it’s going to take 3 “screens” of length to show a beautiful setting or a cool fight scene. I love to be able to surprise readers in that way!”
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Bruno Oliveira
Colorist: Andres Mossa
Editor: Tom Groneman
Summary: Ami Han is White Fox, the last of the mystical shape-shifting Kumiho! After her mother was murdered, Ami forged her own path in fighting injustice. Now another murderer stalks the streets of Seoul’s hidden supernatural community. What revelations about White Fox’s past will the hunt for the killer reveal?
New stories of White Fox are available every Wednesday on Marvel Unlimited.
We get to look at some of the Marvel Stormbreakers variant covers, featuring art of many fan-favorite Marvel locations like Madripoor, Wakanda, and More!
In the latest four Stormbreakers variant covers, we see the latest collection of art produced by some of Marvel’s most elite artists. Where fans can feel like they’ve been transported into the Marvel Universe itself!
In the Stormbreakers Variant covers, we’ve got the advanced society of Wakanda, the dangerous and dangerous jungles of the Savage Land, the criminal underground of the Streets of Madripoor, and the small but fearsome country of Laterveria. Yep, home of the dictator and Marvel Alpha villain: Doctor Doom.
These images are all brought to life in postcard-style by artwork from R.B. Silva, Peach Momoko, Carmen Carnero, and Natacha Bustos. Marvel’s Stormbreakers represents the comic book industry’s most acclaimed and visionary artistic talents.
As told in Marvel’s Press release, though they’ve been proud to uplift Carmen Carnero, R.B. Silva, Natacha Bustos, Peach Momoko, Patrick Gleason, Iban Coello, Joshua Cassara, and Juann Cabal for the past 3 years, Marvel is also looking forward to introducing a new generation of Stormbreaker’s to be introduced later this year!
“Congratulations to the 2020-2022 class of Marvel’s Stormbreakers artists!” Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski said. “The work of all these titanic talents has been and will continue to be absolutely outstanding! I cannot tell you how excited I am to see what comes next for these eight incredible illustrators. And while this celebrated class may be drawing to a close, our Stormbreakers program isn’t going to end here. A new class of industry-shaking talent is just around the corner, and I just can’t wait for you to see who’s next!”
On Sale 5/4
X-FORCE #28 STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER by PEACH MOMOKO – 75960609467702821
X-MEN #11 STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER by CARMEN CARNERO with colors by ROMULO FAJARDO JR. – 75960609999301141
On Sale 5/11
CAPTAIN AMERICA SYMBOL OF TRUTH #1 STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER by NATACHA BUSTOS – 75960620279900131
On Sale 6/8
BLACK PANTHER #7 STORMBREAKERS VARIANT COVER by RB SILVA with colors by DAVID CURIEL – 75960620042900731
Continuing from the X-Men Unlimited comics issues #5-12, this Infinity Comics series following the story of Nature Girl continues with X-Men Unlimited #29! With new issues every Monday!
The ‘X-Men: Green’ story continues with a new anthology that kicked off this past Monday. As noted in Monday’s press release, this 5-issue arc that begins with X-Men Unlimited #29, follows the adventures of Nature Girl, Curse, and The ‘X-Men Green’ team.
After their imprisonment and getaway from Krakoa, the team continues their personal mission to protect the natural world… by eliminating any human threat. So, after taking control of a ship with the mind-controlling Sauron, and with the former police dog Saoirse at their side, the group teams to follow a lead from the Marauders’ Pyro.
Their target? Some poachers are on the hunt for some defenseless whales…
And while their true whereabouts may be unknown to the Quiet Council, how long can Nature Girl and her radical renegades go unnoticed? Especially, once they attract the attention of a certain sea-dwelling sea-lord… fans of Marvel are all-too-familiar with.
You can check out more every Monday on the Marvel Unlimited App to find out more. Details below.
X-MEN UNLIMITED #29
Writer: Karla Pacheco
Artist: Emilio Laiso
Colorist: Rachelle Rosenberg
Editor: Jordan White
The “X-Men: Green” storyline continues! In the first part of its second arc, Nature Girl and Curse, fresh off their escape from Krakoa, commandeer a ship with Sauron (and Saoirse). Now, with, only each other to call a crew, the foursome accepts their mission from the Marauders’ Pyro: stop a pack of whale hunters by any means necessary.
It’s Steven versus Marc and a new set of threads in this week’s episode. Loads of spoilers inside.
The second episode of Moon Knight gives us more answers as to how Marc and Steven’s ability works. Filled with moments of conflict, laughter, and genuine fear: Moon Knight has been a unique journey thus far in that it’s really Marvel’s first real foray into horror. With cults and Gods and boogeyman-like, Khonshus. There’s really just so much to unpack in this episode.
How much of what we see is happening in Steven/Marc’s head versus not, we don’t fully know. But we’re starting to get the picture. Continuing from last week, we do see Marc’s battle with the jackal shows how nobody else seems to see this battle unfold. It’s really the switch between both Steven and Marc that makes this one entertaining. It also serves as an insight into how it looks to the rest of the world, as there’s a lot of D.I.D. conflicts between the two men and goes back and forth rather often in this episode.
You can hear my take with special guests Victor Catano, Karissa Laurel, and Mary Fan on The Workprint Podcast.
What’s surprising: is that we learn how Marc has a bit of a life of his own. This episode sees a full introduction to Layla, Marc’s wife, and possible living tomb raider, with whom, Steven seems absolutely smitten with. We also get an elaboration as to the nature of the Scarab being the compass to find the goddess Ammit and an explanation as to the nature of Khonshu.
To be honest, it’s a LOT of exposition. Though it’s done in clever ways that don’t stall the story progression. If that wasn’t enough, we get even more badass Moon Knight battle scenes, the coolest thing of which, is easily the Mr. Knight costume that Steven’s variant of Moon Knight gets to utilize. Because a pretty snazzy all-white costume of a three-piece suit just looks sublime.
Atop of this, we get clear-cut motivations regarding Ethan Hawke’s Arthur, who was a former avatar for Khonshu as well though now fights to mostly keep the peace. Again, good introduction. As Hawke has done great work in the few moments we get of him on screen.
So it’s a good episode, right? Where is the actual problem?
At six episodes I think the problem is they’re forcing a comic script’s pacing into a tv show format. That there’s definitely a pacing issue within the series. Because there’s a lot to enjoy in Moon Knight, but I have to wonder if episodes would’ve been better had they been divided into two?
That instead of doing 45 to 52 minute-long episodes, the series might have actually worked better if they extended into 22-minute drops of two episodes, giving us more space to digest some of the material would have definitely helped.
Because the problem with Moon Knight isn’t that it’s not working as a series. The writing is hitting the beats and progressing forward in fun ways and the acting is rather excellent. The issue is that we’re supposed to feel conflicted in the Steven versus Marc story arcs; particularly, in the fear that Steven has that Marc’s a stonecold killer. Or a secret agent of Khonshu of sorts.
The problem is though that it doesn’t really work? There are just too many moments of Steven being upset at Marc, but to be honest, we’ve never really developed the time to truly understand why he’s distrustful. That despite all that set up in episode 1, I think this one just tries to do too much in a short runtime. Because Steven versus Marc on who’s in control and whose lives are being ruined? I’m not entirely sold. But I do find this entertaining.
Alopecia areata is a condition that affects 6.8 million people. It isn’t talked about much in the public eye, nor is it considered a disability or a treatable illness. Alopecia is a rare but non-life-threatening autoimmune disorder where the body’s immune system attacks its own hair follicles leading to baldness in random patches, and sometimes, throughout the entire body. It can affect people of any age and there is no cure.
What most people don’t talk about alopecia is that living with the condition can lead to major identity crises. This is caused by the inability to adopt a natural new look, or worse, wake up to see sudden chunks of hair loss. The stigma associated with balding, or the fears of being treated as having something much worse like leukemia, is very common.
Alopecia leads to some pretty severe psychological issues for almost everyone affected. Common mental health problems for those affected include depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation, especially in women, where hairstyle is often seen as a symbol of beauty. Even more so for black women of color, of which, alopecia is much more common.
People with alopecia make a lot of cosmetic changes to their appearance in order to fit in and feel normal. There is a need for wigs, fake eyebrows or hair implants (which often get rejected, mind you). Things that instill a physical feeling of belonging using artificial means, or else drawing ire from others as if something was wrong with you. I know this because I’ve lived with Alopecia Universalis almost my entire life. And just like Jada Pinkett Smith confessed in 2018, I have to admit, it’s really not something easy to talk about.
Now, I pitched this story to every major news outlet and source in the country minutes after the event happened. The truth is, just like always, nobody cared. What happened was that the media gave us a bunch of explainer pieces from doctors and experts, explaining to me my own fucking story. Then out of pity, shared the occasional sob pieces and feel good bits of less than 200 words about how we mattered, until after they were done using us for some explainer click-bait traffic agenda, they proceeded to focus in on exactly what they actually cared about: Will Smith, Chris Rock, and Jada.
We had a moment here to talk with the community regarding people with alopecia. Why this matters, this moment, meant so much to us but then got tossed to the side. Instead, the public obsessed over every take regarding Will Smith slapping Chris Rock over an insult against Jada Pinkett Smith. What was going to happen and what it meant for their respective communities: whether it be the Academy’s take, black culture’s take, the comedian’s take, or just people who suffered from alopecia. It’s been a controversial topic talked about with no end all throughout the week, culminating with Will Smith officially retiring from the academy just days after winning his first Oscar.
People will remember this for how it ended.
But how it began is a different story…
Early reports, conveniently within the first few hours of the event, spoke about Jada’s medical condition but never actually talked about alopecia until the morning after. This, despite it being something Jada Pinkett has openly struggled with for years. That Chris Rock poked fun anyway, is endemic to a lack of knowledge regarding the struggle of people living with this condition. Though there have been some talks about it, overall, it still misses the issue by a mile.
Because despite there being a large number of us with alopecia, there really isn’t that large of a community support network in the public eye. The NAAF, historically a small support structure, has tackled this issue for so long, but was never really given that many resources nor built as big of a reputation. Being bald seems like a lifestyle choice and visibility for people with the condition is poorly seen.
In fact, Jada Pinkett Smith isn’t even the only person in Hollywood with alopecia.
Stars Who Also have Alopecia
You have Anthony Carrigan, who plays NoHo Hank on HBO’s Barry, and whose career is heavily known for playing eccentric villains such as Victor Zsasz on TV.
Matt Lucas, the British actor, and comedian with Alopecia Universalis is known for his oddball science fiction roles on TV series like Doctor Who. Both men have struggled for years in entertainment, finding the only way out, was to embrace it and sort of fulfilled the role–which to be frank, is often a bad guy, eccentric, or oddball joke.
These are powerful people in entertainment with this condition. All of them have had career derailments because of adjusting to this disorder and have had it shape both who they are and what they do.
There are loads of people condemning Will Smith saying that he could have resolved this issue with a civil discussion behind the scenes. But if that hasn’t worked for Jada in 4 years, let alone all of these people in Hollywood, what chance do the rest of us honestly have?
How It’s Always Been Poked Fun At
In terms of comedy, baldness is an easy and semi-safe potshot to take as a comedian. People with this condition have been made fun of for years and more often than you think.
The MAD TV comedian Stephanie Weir with comedian Michael McDonald, had a socially awkward sketch poking fun at people with alopecia on the MAD TV series. SNL has been poking fun at baldness for decades from Brogaine to Bosley Hair Restoration sketches. Most of us with this condition take jokes in stride over years of abuse without honestly saying what truly bothers us: that at some point, especially in the public eye, it absolutely hurts.
Most people think being bald is a public choice without realizing that this is anything but, and alopecia, in many ways, is an inability to control what’s happened to our bodies. We didn’t want this nor ask for this, but it is also not objectively hindering us in obvious ways. So often people with my condition just take the jokes in stride due to poor discourse about an issue no one seems to want to talk about. Let alone, think about.
What It’s Like Having Alopecia
I’ve had Alopecia Universalis since I was 10 months old. As a result, I have always felt like an outsider. Not a Filpino, not an Asian American, not a suburban middle-class New Jerseyian, but as a bald kid trying to be his friendliest, hoping that no one says anything about how I am visibly and very blatantly different looking than everyone else.
Thankfully, my childhood was in the 1990s, when Michael Jordan chose to shave his head and made this look a lot more acceptable for men. But for women, there really hasn’t been that sort of cultural acceptance. The community for people with alopecia is pretty fragmented and there is very little open discourse about how this condition can devastate your life. You see people like Bill Maher say it’s lucky that we just have this disorder compared to something more serious. Let me tell you what it’s been like living like this my entire life.
I’ve been bullied, made fun of, and questioned as to if I was dying my entire life. I didn’t get to try out different hairstyles in my teens. I didn’t get to experiment with different looks or fit in social cliques or circles. Alopecia sort of kills that sense of progressive growth in puberty. It’s hard to fit in when everyone’s changing and you more-or-less just look the same.
When you have alopecia, you trust the people that do accept you, and then you find it really hard to fit in or feel a sense of belonging. Your identity is just utterly fucked from the moment it happens until the rest of your life really.
I’ve gotten into fights over the way I look. Once, at a bar, I was asked to stop looking at someone in the face because my lack of eyebrows made them feel uncomfortable. Not a little fight mind you, but over three drinks in, ready to toss haymakers outside kind of fight. Do you know how hard it is not to look somebody in the face when you’re talking to them? I’m pretty certain that under different circumstances this would have been considered a hate crime.
I’ve had things thrown at the back of my head for being bald. My high school bully used to play games of slap-head every day in gym class, which is exactly what it sounds like. One day, he spit a piece of gum at the back of my head as a joke, until I, rightfully so, took that same piece of gum and shoved it directly into his own hair. This is the cruel world that we live in. I took all of these insults in stride for a lifetime because who was I going to confide in or talk to about this?
The only organization that showed any sort of alopecia sympathy I’d encountered in my lifetime was in my 20s. They were a group of white fellow-bald alopecians who’d asked me if I were one of them. And if I was, then maybe I’d like to talk in private. Which was sort of my first red flag. You’d be shocked to hear who these people were.
They were skinheads. A group of white men and women who had alopecia too. I met them in my university of all places. They thought I was white (I’ve been confused as every background you can imagine, from Black, Indian, white, to Asian thanks to not having hair, and depending on how much time I spend outside, having too light or too tan of a skin tone) and asked for me to attend a rally. Because that’s what it’s like for all of us. We’re not the color of our skin, we’re just the bald-headed freaks in a world that doesn’t want to address that it’s an issue.
Why It Matters
Now, to be fair, every case of alopecia is different. I think the media was right in talking to women of color with Jada’s condition and giving light to the struggle of black women losing their hair along with their identity in the process. I just wish there was more said about this outrage and why, I personally think it’s warranted. I mean, even now I still get anxious when people ask me about it over 30 years later, so I have no idea how you expect actors to handle it. Whose job it is to operate in the public eye.
Having alopecia is living in a world where everybody pities you because they think you have cancer. Your image is concealed all the time whether it be through wigs, make-up, or glasses. Nothing about you feels natural. And people spend loads of money and chunks of their entire lives hiding the fact that they have alopecia.
For Chris Rock to just openly draw attention and make a bald joke at someone who openly struggled about it? If I could, yeah, I would have slapped him myself. And I love both Chris Rock and Will Smith and their bodies of work.
I’m tired of everyone making light of people with my condition for what everyone thinks is just a minor issue. Unless people honestly speak out about what it’s like having alopecia in droves, nothing is going to change. Discourse about this topic from Jada or Viola Davis has not done enough regarding awareness of this issue.
I’d ask anyone else out there who’s lived a troubling lifetime with this disorder, such as myself, to speak up about it. Let people know what it’s honestly like: which is… rough.
For a Judd Apatow comedy movie made about making a movie during the pandemic… the comedy seems in poor taste.
The Bubble is a Netflix original movie directed by Judd Apatow starring Karen Gillan and an ensemble of A-list actors, such as Keegan-Michael Key, Leslie Mann, David Duchovny,Pedro Pascal, and Samson Kayo. It is a parody of Covid-19 lockdown conditions, where a group of actors are forced to live in an isolated pandemic bubble together and are driven to the edge due to isolation, human neediness, and the desire to escape their oppressive Hollywood film shoot. That despite being paid millions, the actors are meant to be the victims due to the unruly demands of a Hollywood studio that seeks to profit off yet another unwarranted franchise sequel.
In The Bubble, Karen Gillian plays Carol Cobb, an actress returning to the Cliff Beasts franchise that made her career. This is after doing a distasteful move called Jerusalem Rising, in which, she made a career-ending portrayal of a character so far removed from her own nationality that it offended both Palestinians and Jews.
She returns back to the Cliff Beats franchise in an effort to revive the films that made her career, and at the same time, reunite with her more than upset at her cast members, who’d never really forgiven her for leaving. The group is forced to live under bubble-like lockdown conditions to keep safety covid protocols and the movie is a parody documentary told much in the style of Tropic Thunder.
What works for ‘The Bubble’ is that it delivers on the promise of its premise in that it makes a lot of uncomfortable commentary about lockdown conditions, the need for human connection, sex, drugs, and weed. Because… why not? It’s the entertainment industry.
Perhaps more importantly, The Bubble villanizes a recurring Hollywood franchises’ studio sequel model–a parody of what’s likely the Jurassic Park franchise–poking fun at a tone-deaf of the pandemically privileged Hollywood, without ever looking at itself: as being just as guilty of this entitlement.
At best, the Meta-comedy works as a critical self-take on celebrity self-indulgence inflated by its own grandiose set of importance. For a movie that’s meant to be a parody documentary about a throwaway action film in the story; it’s ironic that this is also, as a Netflix film, very much a throwaway comedy. And while it’s filled with silly gags, obscene moments of shock, and stellar performances of its cast, there’s just one glaring issue that bombs the film:
It belittles the dangers of Covid-19. Nobody seems to die from the disease. The biggest antagonist of the movie seems to be the bubble itself.
Where ‘The Bubble’ then fails as a film then, is that honestly, nobody wanted a pandemic-themed parody as a form of entertainment right now. Not while we are barely past the latest wave back in January, with historic Omicron waves just behind us and, as many such as myself fear: the possibility of another wave right in front of us soon to come thanks to Omicron stealth variant cases on the rise worldwide.
Now, this is not to say that you couldn’t poke fun at the pandemic. I think Mythic Quest did a fantastic job of it. I think, with some distance and some actual signs of hope, then yes there can be a pandemic-themed movie or event again. But now is not that time. Not with the country divided with what the past few years have even meant, and especially, not through the voices of some privileged Hollywood actors who’d never really lost much due to the pandemic in the first place.
That said, let’s focus on the positives.
The actors in this movie are stellar. Everyone does their part well, including Iris Apatow, who plays a social media influencer-driven celebrity that does everything she can to upkeep her public image, or else be shunned by her mother/agent. Part of me wants to argue that the entire reason this movie was made was to help launch Iris’ career, but she does a great job in her role as a Gen-Z’er where I can’t really say this was outright nepotism. There are enough laughs and moments of awkwardness where Iris Apatow delivers outside of her family’s reputation. the Apatow family is pretty powerful in Hollywood.
I also think Karen Gillian plays a decent every woman you’re supposed to understand, but not sympathize with, in terms of beginning to age Hollywood actress doing all she can in the prime of her career before the industry, unceremoniously, ages her out.
Mann and Duchovny have a fun Hollywood couple relationship with multiple levels of complicated, Keegan Michael-Key is a fun fake-positive health guru, and easily the best performer: Pedro Pascal, fills in what likely was going to be the James Franco role in that he’s a hyper attractive sex addict looking for vices of indulgence, but is only able to find: romantic love in Annika (Maria Bakalova, who is stellar again, just as she was in Borat 2).
There are moments of funny in the movie. I think when the actors are given room to play into their roles, meaning their arguing, improving lines, and working together: the film works. Surprisingly really liked Duchovney and Leslie Mann. Absolutely loved Karen Gillian as the lead. What doesn’t work, however, is the actor’s progress with their own individual story beats, as the jokes don’t hit well, and in so many ways, these ‘character arcs’ are just a means of forcing the plot forward and raising ‘stakes’ that feel entirely forced?
This movie is fun seeing the actors play off each other but horrible when it comes to deriving any sense of meaning from their struggles.
Again, the problem is that they antagonize quarantine without ever showcasing the cost of breaking it. And, if we’re going to rip the band-aid off entirely if you’re doing a covid-19 movie? You probably should have killed a few people from Covid-19 in the story? Or at least, talked about the riots or race issues or government overthrow. Really, just highlight, any of the innumerable amounts of bad things that have happened in two years that revolved around the pandemic and could’ve easily been poked fun at.
Instead, we’re supposed to empathize with overpaid celebrities about getting to work in a dream industry? All while watching them live in a luxury hotel, do drugs, bang each other, get served whatever they want, and crack jokes?
But you know… we’ll throw a TikTok reference so you know it’s a movie for the youth.
Every Friday features adorable new Infinity Comics based on your favorite animals from Marvel. Here are 5 you had no idea about.
Since the launch of the Marvel Infinity Comics line in the Fall of 2021 Marvel has gone out of its way to deliver exclusive content on its Marvel Unlimited App. From podcasts to vertical comics, to special events, and even, short comic adaptations: there’s something special for every Marvel fan out there. Including some specials featuring some of your favorite Marvel critters.
These critter comics are adorable little shorts made by some of the most talented artists and writers in Marvel. They often feature little dialogue and reading them is sort of like watching adorable cat videos but set within the Marvel universe. Atop of all this, each one of these stories is centered on a trending topic featured in Marvel. They’re adorably heartwarming reads with new issues for your Friday evenings.
Here are five comics about Marvel animals exclusively on the Marvel Unlimited App.
ALLIGATOR LOKI
Yes, that’s right, we’re beginning with Alligator Loki. Written by Alyssa Wong, with art from Bob Quinn and colors by Pete Pantazis, Alligator Loki features the adventures of this reptilian god of mischief and his misadventures with his brother, Thor.
In issue #1 of Alligator Loki, we see the brothers bond in an Amusement Park. In issue #2, we see Alligator Loki attempt to steal Mjolnir. There really isn’t much else to say except that the colors are vibrant in these stories and the storyline: is hilarious, as it’s mostly thus far been Thor and an Alligator Loki bonding.
Writer: Alyssa Wong
Artist: Bob Quinn
Colorist: Pete Pantazis
Editor: Katelyn Gregorowicz
Description: For his entire life, Thor has only known one brother, Loki. Known to all as conniving, sneaky, and cunning! But a new Loki is ready to take his place. He may be smaller, he may be cuter, and… an alligator?! But don’t be deceived, Alligator Loki has all the same attributes as his human counterpart and is ready to get into some trouble!
So far they’ve only released 2 issues out of this 12-part series. So you can check it out now and follow along, Fridays.
MARVEL MEOW
Hitting that demographic paw on the nose! Marvel Meow, written and drawn by Japanese artist Nao Fuji, features the misadventures of some of your favorite Marvel superheroes’… cats. Yes, their cats. Along with the mischief that they get into together.
In Marvel Meow issue #1, we find out what happens when Black Widow, Winter Soldier, and Carol Danvers leave their cats alone together in an apartment while the heroes go off to save the world. Because what can go wrong when two cats and Flerken spend an entire afternoon in an apartment together? (Everything… everything can go… so horribly wrong.) In Marvel Meow issue #2, Spider-Man gets recruited to catsit for the team but runs into cat problems of his own: Black Cat and her own thieving little kitty.
Writer & Artist: Nao Fuji
Editor: Caitlin O’Connell
Description: Marvel’s most Pawsome characters take on their toughest challenge yet: cat sitting. In Issue #1, Black Widow and the Winter Soldier need a safe place for their cats while they go on a mission. Spending time with Captain Marvel’s pet Flerken is the perfect solution… right?
Like Alligator Loki, we’re only 2 issues in out of this 10-part series, with issue #3 available on April 1st! So it’s not too late to start reading them right Meow.
LUCKY THE PIZZA DOG
This one was a one-off issue that was released around the same time as its Disney+ Hawkeye show. Created, colored, and drawn by artist Jason Loo and edited by Caitlin O’Connell, Lucky Delivers followed the story of Lucky The Pizza Dog, a short about everyone’s favorite—well at least the Hawkeyes’—best buddy. A brief short about an one-eyed crime-fighting dog that loves eating pizza and his adventure in saving said delivery person of his beloved pizza.
Jolt, the dog who played Lucky for the Hawkeye TV series, even has his own Instagram (see above). This little holiday comic arrived just before Kate Bishop’s small-screen debut, this is one comic meant for only the best of boys that you’re not going to want to miss.
Writer Jordan Blum had this to say during its original run (as taken from Marvel’s press release): “It has been an absolute blast to work with Alberto and to explore the Marvel Universe through the digital eyes of the Spider-Bots. Being a life-long Spider-Man fan and a father of two, I leapt at the chance to create all-ages stories for both longtime Marvel Zombies and new readers alike who are ready to thwip their first web!”
Artist Alberto Alburquerque added, “It is such a great experience to get to work on this project from every aspect. It allows me to experiment with a new format, gives me the chance to work with Jordan, and it’s an opportunity to draw some of the characters I’ve always wanted to draw. I hope the readers get as surprised and entertained as I do with every issue!”
Writer: Jordan Blum
Artist: Alberto Alburquerque
Color Artist: Dono Sanchez-Almara
Editor: Edward Devin Lewis
Description: For most of his crime-fighting career, the one and only Amazing Spider-Man has worked on his own – but some jobs are too big even for a wall-crawling, web-slinging wonder like Spidey to handle by himself! Luckily, he’s got a team of technological wonders called the SPIDER-BOTS, who’re equipped with some of the most cutting-edge tech this side of Avengers Tower (and GREAT battery life) and by his side, ready to stop trouble in its tracks across the Marvel Universe!
IT’S JEFF!
Of course, we can’t end before talking about the one that started it all in Jeff The Landshark! Jeff is a pet shark that kind of operates like a pet dog despite being a Shark. A master of both land and sea, whose 12-issue run took the comics world by storm, there was a lot to love about IT’S JEFF!
All Images Credited: Marvel Unlimited
The comic featured a good amount of easter eggs, callbacks, and homages to classic comics such as the Peanuts, as Jeff, much like Snoopy, can’t actually speak. In the Infinity run of the comics Jeff was living with Kate Bishop.
The storylines are filled with funny concepts about a shark wanting to fit in. So I can’t stress just how much of a feel-good fun series this is as Jeff mostly just wants to make friends.
The artwork is laugh-out-loud phenomenal. With fun ideas such as Marvel superhero pool parties to Snow Days sledding with Captain’s shield, Thanksgiving nom-noms, and really, just all the fun little adventures a Landshark, whom everyone is afraid will bite, can do.
If that’s not enough, you’ll also see a lot of Avengers or Squirrel Girl or Miles Morales cameos and cosplays of characters out of their usual costumes, and in either seasonal or issue-themed attire. If you like Marvel design work and a lot of hilarity: this comic is for you.
Writer: Kelly Thompson
Artist: G Gurihiru
Like These? Then Check Out Marvel Unlimited!
And that’s all 5. See something you like? These comics are exclusive to the Marvel Unlimited app, which hosts the Marvel Infinite line along with a library of over 29,000 comics. All featuring the most up-to-date comic runs of what’s out there and trending in the latest Marvel movies and Disney+ series.
The Calm Mindfulness App has partnered with Peacock to create a sounds from The Office soundscape.
Fans of NBC’s The Office rejoice! If you’ve ever wanted to feel like your own assistant to the regional manager, Peacock has partnered with theCalmapp to createThe Office Soundscape. Which is a calming and motivational sound application featuring the relaxing sounds from the Scranton branch office directly taken from the US hit television series. And while, yes, that might sound strange to some folks outside of The Office fandom community, oddly enough, it does work rather well.
Imagine, instead of just posting your favorite Office Friday memes online or leaving an episode on for the millionth time in the backdrop, you could actually feel like you were in the Scranton branch. In an ambiance filled with sounds from the series. Like papers being gently shuffled or Pam answering calls at the receptionist desk phone.
It’s kind of like an ASMR recording but set to the tunes of your favorite Office TV series. A little safe place to feel calm where you can close your mind for a quick break and feel like you’re in the TV series itself. The Office Soundscape is filled with easter eggs, games, and a motivational soundboard taken from moments straight out of the show. This includes a game of Dunderball along with quotes from Dwight, Jim, and Michael themselves.
Available through the Calm app, this guided meditation and sleep story application focuses on mindfulness, finding your zen, and enjoying your living. Rated one of the top apps of 2017 and 2018. Download it now and listen to The Office Soundscape to give it a try. If you want more from the Dunder Mifflin Office, feel free to check out all nine seasons of The Office available now, exclusively on Peacock.
Parties. They are still a thing, right? Ostensibly, in the U.K., they are the toast of the town if you can get your toe in before you can get turned up. With the pack back, we’ll join them on yet another adventure, this time in the confines of one of the most exclusive happenings in London with the third episode of Atlanta titled “The Old Man and the Tree”.
The avenues of an alien land, especially when looking for the weed hook up aren’t as simple as cinema makes it out to be… that is unless you know somebody. Earn (Donald Glover), Al (Brian Tyree Henry), Van (Zazie Beetz), and Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) go into that great unknown, however. Welcome to London.
Approaching something akin to a trap house, the four enter what is to be the best/worst nights of their life.
Earn is met with an estimable person and they are all granted passage. Now, this is Al’s type of joint. He’s in his element. Each one has its own, with Van heading to the bar and Earn heading to find out why this is a thing. Apparently, the invitee is renting a space in this art collective. This dude Tooting is trending, and he’s the biggest artist in the house. Van and Earn agree to meet him.
While others pursue unknown pleasures, Al and Darius are partaking in the known. Namely, grub, baby. As they chomp down on free sustenance, Al is greeted by the owner of the space, Fernando. While Darius breaks off to find a drink and a bathroom, Fernando (Daniel Fathers) shows Al his tree, from which the foundation was built around. Al isn’t allowed to smoke around it, at it’s one of the oldest in London. There’s a special floor for that and we’re only about to go on that path.
This palatial estate was created for inviting creative types to exchange ideas in hopes of changing the world. This isn’t unlike a Dada and surrealist event. Everything counts in small amounts. Right? On the tertiary floor, all can smoke and gamble and that’s good. Al is happy for once. As Darius gets a gin, he runs into what might have been a meet-cute but is met with an even more interesting observer/stalker. It’s Socks. Hey, if it isn’t an alibi, it’s a least a friend for the night.
With Earn and Van scoping out the third floor, the painter’s floor, they are met with TJ (Sheyi Cole). The back of his shirt signifies an expand/close-off thing in Windows. (By the way, his art is shit, but what is art?). His installation is literally a picture of a homeless Santa with his dick hanging out in Supreme gear. Oh, they show it. Supreme’s so fallen off of what it used to be, it can be now used as a joke. Which it is.
Paper Boi is introduced to their third floor along with Bruce (Darrell D’Silva) and Yonathan. After sharing a toke, the buy-in is 20k and you can’t ignore a price like that! As Earn has his ideas about the idiot’s art, Socks has bigger plans in play. The space to be free for all artists isn’t sustainable. Earn knows it. This isn’t an artist commune in the middle of nowhere, where taxes don’t exist. This is London.
All TJ wants is subscriptions. He wants something that is the dumbest thing in the world. Free-living, which is a counterweight for the moment. Up until this point, it’s been about grinding. Making that dough, the pause on paucity. Now, it’s about the opposite? There needs to be a little perspective.
Earn caves in and fucks off, because he knows the money put forth for some asinine thing might pay off. He even cites Doja Cat doing the same thing, so as to throw the scent off. The thing is is he that flash to toss out that cash? While Alfred is yucking it up with Fernando, stories are spake, including a break-in that might have been a ghost. A specter. A shadow person. This goes down pretty quickly with the mention of ghosts jizzing. This isn’t that simple though. Though the table has a simple buy-in, the stakes are higher than he thought.
What was all jokes and japes turned real serious when the guy questioned Alfred about God, the Devil, and his life choices. And though Al won that round with a bon mot and a good hand, the cards may not play in his favor this time. As he attempts to cash out, Darius is having a moment with being iced out at the bar. This is not of his volition. A group believes it’s some racist shit she said to him. He might be fine with being rejected, but he isn’t with being accosted by a group that is using them as their reverse white savior faire.
Al is now Earned 40K for beating the odds, but he’s not going to seem a penny for it because the dude was a chickenshit. Now Al is LIVID. He wants some retribution but it would be at a loss, despite what he’s owed. Earn understands it. TJ’s art blows, but he’s taking advantage of Will. Al readjusts his thinking, figuring that they need to be scamming more. I for one concur.
TJ is on board as well. He wants the rich white person to fund it all. They are down to clown. With Fernando not coming down to show his goddamn face or pay up the pretty penny, Al has no other option. This tour has been stressful enough, but fuck with money and learn the lesson. As Earn observes Van commiserating with other guys at the party, he also sees another side in her. She tosses a waiter in the indoor pool with aplomb. That must be a strong strain.
Earn asks if everything is copacetic and if she’s mad at him. Jeeze, I get why her mother and he were worried about her, and though she swears she’s okay, taking time for herself, she is more than okay.
She realizes that his job, literal job is to take care of people, but she seems to be zen for the moment. She knows that he’s too in his head and needs to take a moment to live IN the moment before tossing a waitress into that same pool with a smile. Though this decamps from her other actions, I’m willing to fuck with this new side of her.
While Darius attends some semblance of a white guilt meeting as produced by his rejection, he is met with something more awkward. The Asian girl he was iced out before. The others proceed to harangue her for just saying no to a dude (them thinking it as racist and being hypersensitive, leaving him to sit simply sit and contemplate. Racism and capitalism are hard to differentiate sometimes. And this ain’t fucking classism. With Fernando cowering in bed and Al knocking on his window and Earn recognizing the First Bank of Cape Town photo with a black man in the back, this party is done. That is before Will approaches him.
The thing is, Earn goes up to bat for TJ, requesting his representation. A manager for 30 percent. Earn will take it for 25 and thus a new person is brought into the fold. Well, another new batter on deck. Earn is introduced to Socks via Darius. He proposes they BookIt! because shit is about to go down and there won’t be any more free pizza.
With Al chopping down Fernando’s fucking tree with a goddamn chainsaw, the piper is paid. We also see that Will’s fiancee is the one that fucked over Darius. A cab will be called, as Al basically steals what’s taken from him and dips with the rest. As they all laugh it off, taking what may or may not be rightfully theirs, they forgot the diamond in that rough- Van.
The funny thing is she’s doing perfectly fine, in a chip shop all on her lonesome. She could give two shits either. Maybe she is finding herself after all!
Everybody has roots. These four are uprooted for their own reasons, but to kill a tree hundreds of years old isn’t a task- it’s a mission. With Al having a chip on his shoulder, that seed will fall into the ground and grow into something bigger, no matter in what land it lands. That is what we call an Aralia spinosa. Earn only may only one place to plant, but it’s back at home. He blossoms and complements, even when not needed. He’s what is considered a Carpinus caroliniana. Van, though still finding herself, is a beautiful soldier through any season, deserving of the title of Betula negra. Darius is ever-changing, the most learned, and henceforth can only have the honor of being of the Trident maple.
Spider-Smasher makes their debut in MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #38, on sale May 4
Part of Miles Morales: Spider-Man #38, the Spider-Smasher is a new hero that’s making its Marvel debut. Created by writer Saladin Ahmed–of Ms. Marvel and Miles Morales acclaim–along with artist Christopher Allen, Spider-Smasher takes Miles on a future dangerous inter-dimensional quest. One that will change everything as it’s soon learned that Spider-Smasher is in actuality… his own badass sister from the future, Billie Morales! AKA Capitán Billie.
As noted in Marvel’s press release, Miles will meet her when he finds himself in the EMPIRE OF THE SPIDER storyline. Which is a timeline where Miles’ evil clone Selim was victorious and rose to power. The only thing standing in the evil Spider-Man’s way Billie Morales, the leader of the rebellion hellbent on stopping her evil clone brother.
“It blows my mind that, not only do I get to draw a chapter in one of the greatest sagas of all time, but I get to add something this significant to the story of one of my favorite characters!” Allen said.
Fans can actually see SPIDER-SMASHER in action now in a series of variant covers for the issue listed below. These include drawings of Allen’s original design sheet for the character. You can see some really interesting design choices, such as some with a new haircut and a large trenchcoat. There is also a noticeable red spider logo in the style of Miles, along with a pair of retractable spider arms attached to her limbs.
MILES MORALES: SPIDER-MAN #38
Written by SALADIN AHMED
Art by CHRISTOPHER ALLEN
Cover by TAURIN CLARKE – 75960609123203811
Design Variant Cover by CHRISTOPHER ALLEN –75960609123203861
Variant Cover by SERGIO DÀVILA – 75960609123203831
Spoiler Variant Cover by SKAN – 75960609123203851
Variant Cover by JEN BARTEL – 75960609123203841
Skrull Variant Cover by ERNANDA SOUZA – 75960609123203821
Writer Gene Luen Yang and artist Marcus To relaunch their Shang-Chi saga this summer with a brand-new #1 refocused on the ten rings.
Despite being one of the best Marvel action movies of all time, Shang-Chi has always had a stigma behind its troublesome history regarding its brand, sourcing back to early depictions of Fu Manchu. As such, Marvel comics and comic creators Gene Luen Yang and Marcus To have worked hard at acknowledging the issue. At the behest of actor Simu Liu, and the actor’s recent refusal to sign any Master of Kung Fu comics due to its racist origins, the comic series will now be re-releasing their comics line. Cutting their run at #13 and debuting as Shang Chi and The Ten Rings #1 beginning on July 20th.
Since Yang began their run in 2020, so much has changed regarding Shang-Chi. This includes a revelatory origin and family backstory, a new Shang-Chi rogues’ gallery, and an overall bigger role in the Marvel Universe. With the incorporation of the ten rings, a power now revealed to rival that energy of the infinity gems, new villains seemed to have taken notice. Causing everyone from Hydra to the Hand to want a part of it in this ever-changing new Shang-Chi story.
The remaining issues continue this story of Shang-Chi fighting off every villain from taking the ten rings from him, as he learns more about their powerful origins and the deep responsibility needed to be its caretaker. The debut issue will also see Shang-Chi in a showdown with Razorfist, more trouble for the Five Weapons Society, and the first appearance of a new foe—RED CANNON!
“It’s been such a joy to work with Marcus To over the last couple of months. He’s a brilliant artist. His characters are vibrant and full of energy, and he’s so good at fight choreography!” Yang said during Marvel’s press release. “We’re all really excited about the new #1! And about bringing in ten of the most powerful items ever into the Marvel Universe!”
“Gene and I are gearing up to give the fans one hell of an action-packed book,” To added. “Shang-Chi is the greatest hand-to-hand combatant in the Marvel Universe, and we’re gonna show it in this story.”
The Jared Leto Vampire movie is not looking good as Morbius’ Tomatometer ranking hints that it’s close to becoming the worst superhero movie of all-time
It’s not for lack of trying. It takes a lot of effort to create any sort of movie. Let alone, one rated so low that it hopefully, becomes somewhat of a guilty pleasure film. Jared Leto has not been very welcome in the superhero community since his portrayal of The Joker in the Snyderverse. His portrayal is without a doubt, one of the weakest when compared to the captivating performances by Heath Ledger and Joaquin Phoenix.
But in Morbius, Leto plays the leading scientist taken from the Spider-Man stories. Whom, after suffering from a rare genetic blood disorder, hopes to save himself by messing around with genetic vampirism in the hopes of finding a cure. Though it works, he becomes a vampire, and the movie’s exploration of finding a cure and satisfying his thirst for blood, makes it seem an awful lot like the original Blade movies. Which is a bad thing given that there have been 20 years of superhero films since.
Morbius has been delayed numerous times due to the difficulties of filming during the pandemic. As to why Sony keeps adapting Spider-Man-related intellectual properties, this actually has more to do with their complex and longstanding Marvel comics contract than it does anything else. Keeping the rights to Spider-Man for Sony means adapting as many spin-offs as possible. Thankfully, the webhead has one of the best galleries of rogues in the superhero universe, arguably second only to Batman.
Still, if Morbius is this bad, one has to wonder if this strategy will prove successful the more unknown Spider-Verse heroes get adapted. I do wonder, why they don’t just make solo movies based on the Spider-Verse IPs though. I’d personally love to watch a Ben Riley, Miles Morales, Spider-Punk, Spider-Man 2077, Spider-Gwen, Gwen-Pool, Silk, or Spider-Noir movie.
THE ENDGAME -- “Judge, Jury and Executioner” Episode 106 -- Pictured: Ryan Michelle Bathe as Val -- (Photo by: NBC)
Corruption Is The Name of the Game In The Latest Endgame
The latest episode of The Endgame:Judge, Jury & Executioner, does a good job of putting the show on a more stable track. It begins immediately after the events of last week, and Val is not happy with Elena. She believes the written address that supposedly shows where Isaac Bigby lives is a mind game and says as much. When Elena smugly counters she’s never been anything but honest with Val, the sign of true friendship, Val bets she could strangle Elena to death before anyone could stop her. I really like this side of Val, and it helps both humanize her and keep her interesting. Plus, it helps show how the death of her mother motivated her rise in the FBI since she was there when she was gunned down.
Just as Val is about to leave, Elena says she’s trying to help exorcise her demons and asks if Val is getting much sleep. Val puts on a brave face, but we quickly see that she’s being dishonest. She has a fake-out nightmare sequence where it looks like she’s awake. But then bullets come tearing through her building, and she screams “mom” as she sees an older woman dead on the ground. Only to wake up and look once more at the address given to her by Elena. She and Anthony scope out the building and see someone living there, though they go by another name. She’s still convinced it could be Bigby, and the fact her mother’s murderer might be alive is tearing her apart.
Meanwhile, the next person on Elena’s list is kidnapped. Her name is Caroline Walsh, and she’s a federal judge already under the protection of the FBI, since she was photographed in the same scene with everybody else Snow White has gone after. And it probably doesn’t hurt she has history with the FBI Director, Rogelio Réal. But none of that saves her from Elena. Once Réal leaves, Snow White makes their move. They knock out the security detail, break into the house, and take Walsh. More interesting is that they have a new face with them, a man named Alfonso who just broke effortlessly out of prison and who was put there by none other than Judge Walsh.
THE ENDGAME — “Judge, Jury and Executioner” Episode 106 — Pictured: Noah Bean as Patrick Doak — (Photo by: NBC)
The main thrust of Judge, Jury & Executioner deals with two concurrent missions. One by Val and Anthony, to investigate the kidnapping and see what they can find. The other involves Doak. And though he’s normally an arrogant, bumbling fool, he finally gets his act together here. He has a plan to liberate the second bank of its hostages and kidnap the Snow White lieutenant holed up there. She’s busily hacking into Federova’s account and transferring millions into cryptocurrency. The FBI has a phantom program watching them, but they’re confident they have the upper hand. So they’re surprised when Doak offers to trade Louie, another Snow White lieutenant and the boyfriend of the woman running that bank, for all the hostages.
As for Val, she starts to see something isn’t right about the Walsh kidnapping. She keeps finding clues and breadcrumbs that lead her to suspect something wasn’t kosher in the Alfonso case she oversaw. Val is also haunted by memories of her mother, who taught her that lying is not only wrong, but leads bit by bit to corruption. Which, incidentally, is what Elena’s latest note tells her – to follow the corruption.
THE ENDGAME — “Judge, Jury and Executioner” Episode 106 — Pictured: (l-r) Mark Espinoza as Rogelio Real, Morena Baccarin as Elena Federova — (Photo by: NBC)
Réal isn’t happy at all during the episode. He outright threatens Elena at one point, telling her not to underestimate him. Elena says he started as an honest man, but who knows how quickly that can change. She also implies that Caroline Walsh isn’t as trustworthy as Réal wants to believe. Something he can’t wrap his head around, at least until Val starts putting the pieces together.
Doak brings Louie into the FBI van and offers some incentive before the hostage operation. He says if there’s no funny business, he’ll give him the wedding ring they found, which is meant for his girlfriend. Then they move on to the bank, and at first, it’s going well. Then Louie’s girlfriend peeks her head out the door and nearly gets shot. In the confusion, the hostages getaway but Louie reunites with his lady love. When the FBI goes in guns blazing, they find a hole that allowed Snow White to escape. Worse yet, the wedding ring, Doak’s leverage, is missing. Somehow Louie palmed it when he wasn’t looking.
THE ENDGAME — “Judge, Jury and Executioner ” Episode 106 — Pictured: Karl Joseph Co as Louie — (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)
Sergey and Owen are having some problems as well. The man they put in the infirmary with eye drops last week, Horek, is up and talking. Sergey pretends to still be friendly with him but tells Owen he should have allowed him to kill the man. And to complicate matters further, there are only a few days before their big operation happens, and the ferret-faced weasel man has teamed up with a serial arsonist for muscle.
Val and Anthony finally find where the judge is being held hostage by Alfonso, on the heels of discovering that Alfonso is an innocent man. Even more egregious, the judge apparently has been doing the work of the sinister Beloch family, putting away innocents to hide crimes committed by the Belochs. She finally confesses to her captor, right before they both fly out the window. Somehow they both landed safely on a skylight, and the man escaped. When Réal comes and asks Walsh how long she’s been dirty, she tries to be evasive first, and then threatens she’ll take his job. Furious and disappointed, Réal tells his men to put her in cuffs.
THE ENDGAME — “Judge, Jury and Executioner ” Episode 106 — Pictured: (l-r) Ryan Czerwonko playing Horek, Costa Ronin as Sergey Vodianov — (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)
Doak finally does something right near the end of Judge, Jury & Executioner. It looks like Louie and his girlfriend have escaped, and are boarding an airplane when he appears behind them. Turns out, he had the foresight to put a tracker on the wedding ring, and he manages to take them both into his custody. Granted, he misses Alfonso hiding on the same plane, but I don’t mind an innocent man escaping.
THE ENDGAME — “Judge, Jury and Executioner ” Episode 106 — Pictured: Ryan Michelle Bathe as Val — (Photo by: Zach Dilgard/NBC)
Val finally discovers the courage to confront Bigby, but he refuses to admit his identity. After a long and tearful discussion about how wonderful her mother was, Val is about to leave when Bigby gets his nightly delivery. He lights up, and then starts choking to death. Turns out, Elena laced his cigarette with cocaine, and it was a fatal dose. Val is angry and confronting her, when the lights in Fort Totten suddenly go out. It looks like the Beloch family is making a move to take out Elena, but we’ll have to wait a couple weeks for the resolution. Be sure and check back then for our coverage of the second half of this episode of The Endgame.
In the pilot episode of Moon Knight, we see the wondrous range of Oscar Isaac’s acting chops in an episode set up for what may be a promising season.
Moon Knight is not meant for kids. You should watch with this set expectation. With the bringing on of the grittier Netflix Marvel original series of Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, The Defenders, and Iron Fist, it was obvious how Disney+ was pivoting more towards some adult comics territory. Looking for that older demographic. Especially, with the changing of their logins where you now have to verify your age before viewing, and rightfully so, as I don’t think it would be appropriate to have my 4-year-nephew stumble upon a superhero series where Oscar Isaac blacks out and wakes up covered in blood.
What works for Moon Knight is that it centers on the collapsing world around Steven Grant, who is a small-time giftshop retailer at a museum. Steven oddly knows quite a bit about history. His life is not all that interesting and he’s a very shy and quiet introvert. Someone who constantly calls his mother (whom we never hear) to update her. An eccentric that is doing odd things like putting sand around his bed and blacking out for periods of time.
On the outside, it seems like Steven’s life is collapsing and he’s losing all control. Upon deeper look, one has to question if there ever really was any sort of control–as we’re entering entirely unfamiliar territory, both as a Marvel superhero, but also, as a genre on the whole for Marvel’s MCU.
Again, this is going to be gritty. We’re sold on that. The problem is that I’m not sure that Disney is. These cutaways, which I really hope serve as more substantiative rather than convenient plot skipping devices, highlight two things in the pilot:
That Steven Grant is not fully in control.
That whatever is in control seems incredibly violent and leaves Grant in moments of confusion.
Let’s break down the rest below in our Moon Knight episode 1 Review.
Moon Knight is complicated. Set in London, the socially awkward Steven Grant is a small-time gift shop goods seller who is stepped all-over upon via his boss and is awkwardly looking forward to things like dates and phone calls updating his mom. How much of this is real or accurate, I think we don’t really know, as there are really just a lot of convenient information gaps pretty early on into the series. Making everything that you see: from the point of view of an unreliable narrator.
Soon into the pilot we see gaps in Steven’s memory. He does things like sleepwalking, where he’ll wake up in the middle of a strange place, mistake his Goldfish for a different fish, and worse: he’ll hear voices. That’s sort of the big thing about this series, as for those who’ve read Moon Knight: the big confusing selling point is that this is a hero with dissociative identities. What people used to call: multiple personality disorder.
Moon Knight has almost always had three alters in the comics, and in the pilot, we start to see Oscar Isaac unconsciously become one of them when he’s asleep. Atop this, there are talks of different Gods and Deities, 2 of whom, seem to be conveniently missing either from the record or from the museum’s artifact, as showcased early on in the series (making me wonder if Mark/Steven are the 2 referenced themsevles?)
Steven Grant seems to also be living as a man named Mark, who is, from what the pilot is implying, likely an alter as well. Atop of this, while sleepwalking, Steven transforms into what we believe to be Moon Knight. A character semi-based on some ancient Egyptian Gods backstory of sorts, though for right now, seems to be convenient forward-moving blackout moments filled with loads of implied violence and gaps of fill-in-the-blank yourselves backstory.
My biggest fear is if the series leans too far into comedy as I don’t think this should try and be a joking series. I’m also terrified about Konshu, the voice in Steven’s head played by F. Murray Abraham, and if this will turn D.I.D. into a buddy comedy in the style of Venom. Because right now? I do find him funny, as was the show’s bit about Avatar. I just worry if gone too far in this direction, will it hurt the more adult-themed Marvel comics adaptations?
So Moon Knight is about an Egyptian-themed superhero/badass that might be an alter of Steven Grant. An awkward nobody that hears an odd dictating voice known as Khonshu, who perhaps, has always been like this from the beginning as we’re not entirely certain? Regardless, he blacks out and gets violent, that’s sort of Moon Knight’s shpeal thus far.
Saffron Hocking, who’s had an underrated career in the TV series Top Boy and White Gold, plays Dylan. Who is implied to be the love interest in the show, and in the short time she’s available on-screen, is the only thing that’s a positive driving force in Steven’s life. Where she goes will be intriguing as she’s credited in every episode in the series.
Ethan Hawke was a surprise casting call as Arthur Harrow but absolutely nails it as this strange occult leader. At first, it seemed like he was your prototypical bad guy. But then, when we see how the scale tattoos work, he seems to also serve as an interesting plot device that’ll incorporate more of this strange mythos into the series.
Though in the end, this is really the Oscar Isaac show. As not only does the actor carry the series, but he showcases a good deal of range. Both in his awkward reservedness, but also, in his ability to be someone else entirely. Someone we don’t fully know but see at odds with strangely: himself.
It’s a good start but reception overall has been mixed. I hear the pilot is better than the subsequent episodes (I was not given screeners); which has me worried. But I’ll cover this one from beginning to end anyway. The use of soundtrack in this was pretty epic and I actually loved every single musical choice; a feature in Marvel that I haven’t felt since Luke Cage Season 1. It also makes sense because music is a major part of the tone-setting in this as mental illness, particularly in people with auditory hallucinations, is a big thing.
If you’ve never seen Moon Knight, then yes, this satisfactorily works… though more as an Oscar Isaac showcasing his acting abilities story than a superhero series. The setting is weird. The violence is going to be bloody. Here’s to hoping it’s a solid ride.
Moon Knight is available every Wednesday on Disney+
Bad dreams aren’t always nightmares. They psychologically hold a mirror to us and what we harbor—our loves, our hates, our desires, and our fears. However, the truth is many a time stranger than fiction, especially when you’re a stranger in a strange land. The reality of the situation one may find themselves in may feel closer to a fever dream; a discernable difference between slumber and waking life isn’t so crystal clear. Welcome to the second episode of Atlanta (FX) titled “Sinterklaas Is Coming to Town”.
As Earn (Donald Glover) wakes up next to a different woman in a luxury suite he couldn’t afford in the States. Europe may be causing the kid to be more in line with adulting, right?
With his phone blowing up, from Swiss Air reminding him of Van’s arrival to Al needing 20K to Darius bragging about consuming a persimmon tasting like avocado, the crew is all waiting on their boy. In a mad scramble, he asks his one-night stand where his underwear and belt are.
Though the romantic notion that a change of scenery can inspire growth may be true for some, it’s not a flip o’ the switch for others.
Fela Kuti’s “Shakara” sets the stage perfectly, as Earn’s a hot mess. He’s still in Copenhagen with Darius (LaKeith Stanfield) in Amersterdam and Al in the clink. Van’s touched down in Amsterdam, so Earn implores Darius to pick her up just before the cell quits on him. The dude should count his lucky stars at least his friends haven’t yet.
At the airport, just before Earn can make it through security check, he suffers one last indignity, as lifting his hands will only drop trou, but he’s already cutting it too close anyway. Without a choice, up they go and down they fall. Hey, in Europe, it’s nothing they haven’t seen before. In fact, in some parts, if you’ve dressed a hair too much, you’re overdressed. “Maiysha” by Miles Davis sets the tone for a more lighthearted plot to follow.
Van (Zazie Beetz) worriedly waits around at the airport terminal, but lo—a playful and most likely very high Darius jumps out from a white van as if to present her with a chariot. Since Earn hooked them up with a driver for the day, the first thing on Darius’ agenda is to find Van some new digs since the airline lost hers.
Slicing a swath through the silence, Darius catches up with Van with some small talk. It turns out her daughter Lottie is good, but she doesn’t plan to have another with Earn as she now has a boyfriend. We also learn Darius can’t procreate, as his balls were crushed as a kid. He takes it in stride.
With Molly Lewis’ jazz-drenched “Oceanic Feeling” among a beautiful top-down view of Earn’s cab ride through the streets of Amsterdam, Earn arrives at the club and approaches event promotor Dirk (Matteo Simoni), who is smiling ear-to-ear. With the concert sold out, Dirk lobs out one suggestion. It includes Paper Boi dressing up in a ridiculous get-up that the Bard himself would don. Since Paper Boi is a lyricist, the ‘writer’ angle would make sense, but Oh! I can hazard a guess.
After he demands the taxi driver be paid by Dirk, all seems good for the moment. The only thing not accounted for from Helsinki is the laptop containing all the music. Earn assures the laptop will be taken care of, but he also requests an advance for the concert to the tune of 20K, to which Dirk without question gives him. Look at Earn, making money moves with confidence!
Before Earn leaves, Dirk assures him that Amsterdam is great and that they tolerate people, “not like in America.” Hmm. If you have to state it…
At one of the boutiques, Darius apologizes to Van for bringing up Earn. Van changes her tune by inviting Darius to ask her something of substance. After querying why she came to Europe, she confesses after not getting a job she was up for, a trip abroad may help her find a path.
Speaking of, in finding a coat that suits her, Van discovers an address in the pocket. Darius feels a frisson of excitement, instructing them to follow it, ensuring that’s it’s her destiny. She’s down, so off on their journey they go!
Though locked up, Al (Brian Tyree Henry) is put up somewhere nice. He gets a goddamn menu for food, including the real Coca-Cola. He even has his own audience before the concert, with a throng of cheering fans outside chanting “Free Paper Boi”.
Before he can get comfortable in his “cell” which is about as close to comfort as you can get, including a desk, two windows, and a pretty sweet bathroom setup, the bail’s been paid. Shit, I’ve resided in college dorms more prison-adjacent than that!
He’s treated like a fucking king in there, so he’s going to make Earn wait, wanting his lunch and nap, which includes an ambient noise lamp, for Chrissake.
Van and Darius roll up to the address, where Feena (Anniek Pheifer) is only too happy they are on time. Van introduces Darius as the photographer and before either can surmise what will come of it, out spills a group encased in white robes. Hey, when on an adventure, if there’s no time to call into question what’s happening, there’s no sense in tapping out either!
At the police station, Earn waits. After blowing his nose, he’s met with a garbage receptacle in the form of a human hand, attached to a human arm, attached to a burly police officer. That, combined earlier with Earn sneezing at the venue and everybody saying ‘gezondheid’ in unison, and Al’s holding cell, the Dutch seem like hospitality was infused in their bloodstream since birth.
Al exits, and Earn sneezes once again to the chorus of ‘gesundheit’. Maybe the guy’s just fucking allergic to kindness.
Paper Boi, not Al emerges, asking for that 20K. Bail was super cheap, but before Earn could take action, his cousin takes a fistful and makes it rain on his adoring fans before continuing on down the road. They pass a white dude with a red cape and miter, a big pillowy beard, white as snow, and spectacles pushed down along the bridge of his nose walking with his bike. The true surprise comes in the form of a baby in blackface in a seat on his bicycle, waving to Paper Boi and Earn. That is the true spectacle.
Approaching their driver (Ruben van der Meer), they are informed of Zwarte Piet (Black Pete) or as he puts it something “for the children,” being a long tradition passed down for generations. His explanation for the offensive sight was ‘coal from falling down the chimney, helping St. Nicholas’. Yeah, I wouldn’t buy it either. I’d much rather call it a reskin on something very racist/plain ignorance.
In the van, Darius and Van sit quietly, trapped amid nothing but white and white, clothed in white. They approach their destination. As the rest continue on, Van, and Dar are adorned with white scarves. Upon heading up, they are greeted with calming music and crying onlookers. They’ve stumbled on a funeral.
With Darius convinced the deceased on the bed is Tupac, he’s asked by what I would assume is the funeral director to take pictures of the living with the deceased while Van sits and stares out of the window until she makes conversation with his Death Doula (Elisa van Riessen). She’s there to help the bereaved let the person go. Think of them, as an intermediary between life and ultimate release.
It turns out this gentleman isn’t dead but dying. Death Doulas work with, not against hospice or funeral directors and complement all involved, especially the mourning. They facilitate the transition from one world to the next, as an on-hand therapist.
This might be the medicine Vanessa needs right now. She opens up more calmly than she had in a long time to this perfect stranger who actually isn’t a stranger at all in the optics of it.
Before fully opening up about her increased panic attacks, she chooses to toe the line. The Death Doula does see Darius but more than see, she feels him. She’s glad she’s with “someone that could comfort” her and though Van asserts Darius is not her boyfriend and she’s not even supposed to be there, being aimless and all, the Death Doula assures her that she’s exactly where she needs to be.
Al brings Earn to his hotel, complete with black-faced bellhops, but comes across women Al knows from the night prior. A few moments later, we find out what transpired while Earn was away. This includes the beginnings of a threesome, one white girl Hedy (Amalie Gissel), one black Ida (Rachel Coutinho). The white woman cites it’s a ‘Happy Sinterklaas’ to her, but after Ida gets offended by the saying, a brawl ensues between both, leaving Al suspended in awkwardness, ultimately spending the night in jail with the girls enjoying breakfast together.
Taking a seat among the wreckage, Earn phones air ambulance transportation to deliver his laptop from Helsinki.
As the congregation gathers ’round, the Death Doula leads them in a round of telling the man that it’s okay to go onto greener pastures, leaving this blue spinning marble onto that great white unknown.
Van volunteers. Holding his hand, she tells him it’s okay, repeating the line as if seeing herself in that bed. Serenity washes over her, only to be interrupted by a loud buzzing. The Death Doula has set the process in motion and what ensues is a countdown to silently loud suffering. It is violently spasmodic but mesmeric. Sometimes letting go isn’t all Sunshine, Lollipops, and Rainbow Bridges.
With Earn getting delivered the laptop in a vessel most reserved for organs, the life of the party is saved—only Paper Boi refuses to go on. One look at the crowd and it’s pretty ostensible. Earn assures Al he’ll handle it so long as he with Darius (clad in clogs) make a discreet exit. Earn’s stepped it up in a big way, going to Dirk, man to man, breaking the news. Maybe he has garnered unforeseen maturity.
What he hasn’t done is take it literally on the chin. Dirk races after him but loses sight in the sea of the painted visages. To bro though, one black face is as good as another and pummels the shit out of the nearest attendee to take out his anger, cryingly asking why he’s making him resort to violence. Hearing that, Earn’s fine with the Ouroboros in the lobby as Auld Lang Syne blasts. Maybe the New Year’s resolution ought to be to gain some cultural perspective for the guy.
After one of the longest days of his life, Earn trundles to the hotel room before coming across Van in a towel getting some ice after having one of the longest days in her life. She’s glowing and bids him good night.
Collapsing on the bed isn’t an option for him though. Al wants some food.
Van may have found her center through Darius and what they’ve experienced, but Earn is SPENT. He deserves a good night’s rest. But hey, I guess a good manager’s work is never done.
This episode was the perfect follow-up to the season opener. We get the band back but in different pairings. We get the feeling of a different culture because we’re experiencing it with them throughout one day. We observe Earn getting off to a bumpy start, and through the morass, he delivers for his cousin in the end. Even hungrier than Alfred, wanting that 300 pieces (which don’t exist). A good manager will move heaven and earth though, and that’s exactly what he’s primed to do. Though he initially shanks it, with all that went down, he at least should get a mulligan.
Bridgerton, you’ve done it again. The second season of the Netflix show follows the love story of eldest Bridgerton sibling Anthony and Miss Kate Sharma, a headstrong and independent woman who challenges the viscount every step of the way resulting in fiery emotions that confound them both. Based on the Bridgerton series of novels by Julia Quinn, this chapter is adapted from The Viscount Who Loved Me.
*****LOTS OF SPOILERS FOR BRIDGERTON SEASON 2 AHEAD
Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) has decided that it’s time to find a wife and his mother the dowager viscountess is more than happy to help him find a suitable match. Except that he views the entire business as a transaction meant to fulfill his familial duty to continue his family line. He has a strict list of qualifications he wants in a wife and arranges interviews with the eligible ladies of the Ton to find his bride.
Enter the Sharma sisters who have come from India with their own agenda in the marital department. Elder sister Kathani “Kate” Sharma (Simone Ashley) who is determined to see her sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran) wed in a true love match. However, she withholds important information from both her sister and stepmother Lady Mary Sheffield Sharma (Shelley Conn). Her mother had been ostracized from society when she had chosen to marry their father and absconded to India. Now they were in the brink of financial ruin and have come to London not only to find Edwina a match but in addition to secure the support of her stepmother’s family, the Sheffields. Kate wants her mother to have monetary security and that would only be possible if Edwina married into a nobleman’s family.
Edwina enters the viscount’s circle and he finds that she embodies the qualities he is looking for in a bride. However, Kate hears him declare to his friends that he isn’t interested love and only sought a lady with a pleasing face, acceptable wit, and genteel manner. This rubs her the wrong way as she only wants the best for her sister.
From the moment that Anthony and Kate meet while horseback riding in episode one, vexations were aplenty. They are both very strong-willed and fiercely loyal to their families putting them above all else, themselves included. In Edwina, the viscount sees the amiable relationship to fulfill his duties, but Kate will try to thwart him at every step of the way. Through this however they are forced to more time together and eventually their intense feelings of dislike morph into love.
As a fan of the novels, I had high expectations of how Kate and Anthony’s story would be brought to life on screen and this season absolutely blew me away. It diverged a bit from the book but done so in very interesting ways that only added to the wonderful complexities of the narrative for both the leads and the supporting characters. For instance, originally Kate and Anthony were caught in a compromising situation and were forced to marry, but this was changed in the series. Having the two decide on their own that they loved each other and wanted to spend their lives together made a larger impact to this viewer because it showed the power of choice despite circumstances.
Speaking of choice, it was such an important theme this season for so many characters. Both Anthony and Kate made choices that they felt were right for their loved ones and they were willing to forgo their own happiness out of their sense of duty. It ends up being Edwina to tell the viscount and her older sister that she was done being told what to do and how her life was going to be like. She was going to live her life for herself and no one else.
Meanwhile Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) were struggling with the limitations of their own choices. Eloise was going through her first season with so much pain and discomfort because she did not want to conform to society’s views of a woman’s purpose being to get married and have children. She ends up meeting a commoner in her continued search to find the identity of Lady Whistledown and develops feelings for him. Things get more complicated when she is seen visiting the printshop by the queen’s footman and the monarch now thinks that she is the gossip monger. Queen Charlotte (Golda Resheuvel) personally tells her to either align herself with the crown or she will reveal to the Ton that Eloise is behind the scandal sheet.
She shares this all with Penelope who is then placed in a difficult spot herself. Miss Featherington wants to help her friend but is uncertain on how to do so. This season she has elicited the help of Madam Delacroix to supply her with more tantalizing gossip as the modiste after she was spotted at the print shop. The two women come to an understanding though and Penelope uses Lady Whistledown to help the other woman regain her customers. Madam Delacroix suggests to Pen that she should write something about Eloise that the other woman would never write about herself to prove to the queen that she could not possibly be the author. At first Penelope says she could never do that but ends up doing so after being unable to find any other way to help.
This decision proves disastrous for their friendship as Eloise eventually puts the puzzle pieces together and confronts Pen. The two have a very heated exchange and it’s uncertain if they will be able to get pass this. Eloise feels horribly betrayed while Penelope says that Lady Whistledown is all she has given her own difficult circumstances.
The most surprising choice of this season though must go to Lady Featherington (Polly Walker). She has always been focused on improving her and her daughters’ standing in the Ton. After the death of Lord Featherington, his heir arrives, and the man appears to be as conniving as her. To protect herself and her girls, she orchestrates a meeting between Prudence and the new Lord Featherington (Rupert Young), accusing him of impropriety with others present. He is forced to propose to Prudence but reveals to her mother that he is in fact broke. Jack had been working on Cressida Cowper to secure her large dowry. Lady Featherington though is tenacious and she devices a scheme to dupe the men of the Ton into investing into Jack’s fake ruby mines in the Americas. As their plan works, he tells her that they need to leave London as it’s the only solution for people will want a return of their investments soon. On the eve of when they are to leave for the new world, Lady Featherington turns the tables on him. In a show of true love for her daughters, she tells him that he clearly doesn’t care about them and so she has had his bags packed so he can depart alone. She’s going to keep a portion of the money so that her family can survive and has had her housekeeper forge his signature on a contract to say that her future grandson will be the heir to their title. Bested, he leaves without further discussion.
As for Benedict (Luke Thompson) and Colin (Luke Newton), they too faced challenging choices. For the brothers it was finding their purpose in life. Benedict took the leap and decided to apply to a prestigious art school to seriously pursue his passion in painting. While he was accepted, he later finds out that Anthony had made a sizable donation and there are those who believe this was a big factor.
Colin in the meantime was stuck in the past for a bit and goes to visit Lady Crane (the former Miss Thompson) who now has two children. She admonishes him for indulging in foolish fantasies and refuses to get dragged back into them. While her marriage to Sir Philip may not be perfect, she’s content in her life and she suggests that he look to those who love and care for him instead of going to her. Lady Crane singles Penelope out as one of those people. This seems to make an impact on him as he confides in Pen more but at this point it seems that he still views her as a very close friend. He does though also realize that he needs to find something to do with his life and was close to investing in the fake ruby mines. It was the interfering of former boxer Will Mondrich that clued him in on the Featherington scheme. While he pretends to trust Pen’s cousin, he secretly investigates and discovers that the rubies are fakes. He even threatens the lord with revealing the truth unless he returns all the money he’s taken from others and leaves the country immediately. Colin as an honorable man brings over patrons to Will’s new club to repay the other man’s kindness.
It was honestly so thrilling to see so many memorable scenes from The Viscount Who Loved Me in live action. Standouts are the Pall Mall game (of course duh), the library scene between Kate and Anthony (be still my heart!), the bee sting, and Kate falling from the horse (though it was a carriage accident in the book). The last two especially really made my insides tense with so much emotion because of the gravity of those two situations.
The bee sting it was such a pivotal moment in the book where Anthony ends up trying to suck the venom from Kate’s neck and they are caught and forced to marry. This was altered in the series, but it was just as powerful because this time Kate realizes how distressed Anthony and even though she doesn’t understand why, she makes him feel her steady heartbeat to calm him down. She of course doesn’t know at this point that his father had died of a bee sting before his very eyes.
In episode seven when Kate is angrily riding her horse in the rain and Anthony goes after her, he witnesses her fall and, in that moment, realizes how much she means to him. In the book the accident makes the viscount admit to himself that he cannot live his life without her. He is terrified though because he’s seen the pain of what losing a loved one is like after his father died. It takes a conversation with Lady Violet for Anthony to understand that it’s better to love and go through the pain of loss than to have never attempted it at all.
Both Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey were just brilliant in their roles and captured their characters so well. Anthony finally crying after hearing that Kate was awake from her coma displayed how much he had been controlling his emotions for so long after losing his father. It took nearly losing Kate for him to be honest with himself and talk to his mother.
For Kate being told by her sister that they need to stop caring about what society thinks and to do what they want is finally what gives her the courage to dance with Anthony in the final episode at the Featherington Ball despite so many judging eyes upon them.
What a fulfilling relief it was when these two kids finally admitted their love for each other after all the drama.
Family, duty, love, and honor were ever-present in season two of Bridgerton and it was glorious. It pulled on the heartstrings and reduced me to a weepy mess at various moments but oh how worth it. For those who are debating whether to watch it or not, just do it! I for one will never hear Wrecking Ball the same way again.
The Batman Marks an Edgy New Era for the Dark Knight
The Batman, the latest movie iteration of the iconic comic book series, is an autopsy. And the body lying cold in the morgue is none other than Gotham City. Don’t mistake me, the city is still vibrant and full of life. But hidden beneath the sewer grates and lurking in dark shadows is a rot that’s slowly strangling the decency and humanity from its inhabitants. And the only detective that can unearth the cause of his city’s woes is none other than the Dark Knight himself.
I did not expect to enjoy The Batman very much. I thought Robert Pattinson was poorly cast after the likes of Christian Bale, and worried the onetime Twilight actor would drop the ball. Thankfully, I couldn’t have been more wrong. While it’s true his pale, lanky frame doesn’t immediately bring to mind the playboy millionaire shown in the comics, he does justice to the part of Wayne’s identity that matters most – the cape-wearing vigilante that is determined to make a difference. Whether it kills him or not.
While it took me about half the nearly 3-hour movie to finally mellow on Pattinson, chafing whenever he hurled a cruel line at his beloved manservant Alfred or stood there staring a bit too long at a suspect or victim, there was a method to his madness. This is a Batman that still contends with the raw pain of his parent’s murder every single day. He’s felt it for the last two years that he’s been fighting crime. He hurts, and channels that hurt into raw fury. When asked who he is by a bunch of clown-faced goons early in the movie, he simply calls himself “vengeance”. And he means it, too. This iteration of Batman is not one that’s content to sit idly by. He’s motivated by his pain and uses fear to paralyze the foes in his way.
Unfortunately for Batman, there are dangerous forces arrayed against him. Worse, they seem to know more about the secrets of Gotham City than he does, including how it’s all tied together. Which brings me to the primary villain in the movie. They call him the Riddler, but this is like no Riddler I’ve ever seen before. Hell, even the sociopathic, murderous Riddler from the Gotham TV series had nothing on this guy. He wears a black gimp mask, uses duct tape to horrifying effect, and leaves bloody clues for the Dark Knight and GCPD to decipher. To put it simply, he’s utterly terrifying, and yet it’s impossible to take your eyes off him.
The other main villain is none other than The Penguin. I didn’t recognize him as Colin Farrell during the movie, but afterwards I looked him up, and was astounded by his acting skills. Even with the elaborate makeup and grotesque skin suit, Farrell creates an accent that expertly hides his Irish twang. He sounds and acts like a mobster, though admittedly one with an appreciation for the finer things in life, like his bar and lounge. He caters to a great deal of different clients, and might even sling something a little extra on the side, for a price.
Though not primary movers and shakers, I feel obligated to spend a little time talking about Alfred and Gordon. This version of Bruce Wayne’s manservant is played by none other than Andy Serkis, who many lovingly remember as the twisted voice of Gollum. Regarding his looks, he still sports a similar hairstyle as Klaue in Black Panther. Thankfully, they mellow him out with more traditional attire, and he even sports a jaunty cane. He does a really good job of bringing Bruce down to earth, or at least trying his very best.
As for Gordon, Jeffrey Wright does another amazing job. While I might prefer some of his more incendiary roles in the past, he brings enough gravitas to the character that I didn’t even care that traditionally Gordon is a white man. Who cares about color when the acting is this superb? He’s almost a partner to Batman and helps him follow leads that only the GCPD can ferret out. My only complaint for both characters is that we don’t get more of them in the movie, but that’s to be expected for side characters.
Now, the biggest surprise in The Batman is the inclusion of an element often used in the comics, but rarely, if ever, in the movies. That element is none other than the mafia presence in Gotham. Mainly the Maronis and Falcones. Sure, they’re not as sexy as the likes of The Joker or Mr. Freeze, but they’re still very active and very dangerous. Especially for a young Batman full of fury but not yet armed with all the experience necessary for his violent calling.
Another pleasant surprise was how much the movie embraced Batman’s role as a detective. They establish early on that he has been working hand and glove with Jim Gordon for a while now, despite the rest of the GCPD not much tolerating it. Their relationship is why Batman is called in by Gordon when the mayor turns up dead as the first of the Riddler’s victims, and follows his bloody breadcrumbs as more and more corpses start piling up.
One of Batman’s coolest toys in the movie are contact lenses that record everything he sees and hears. He wears them on many occasions and even provides some to Selina Kyle at one point. This is a vital, albeit Big Brother-y, crime-fighting tool, and shows that this Bruce Wayne wants to get the facts. And he’ll need all of them, since The Riddler is slowly unraveling the truth of Gotham City murder by murder, and might drown the entire city in a tide of blood and mayhem. While that premise is reminiscent of Heath Ledger’s turn as Joker, the plot still manages to distinguish itself.
Despite the movie’s long runtime, I hardly noticed as the seconds turned into minutes and then hours. It really flew by, mostly because The Batman is action-packed, and has some stunning fight sequences. Bruce isn’t shy, and uses his fists to open doors when his words won’t suffice. And though he refuses to use guns, he has no such compunctions about his grapple gun, which he uses to painful effect on a few goons. He even gets into an amazing chase sequence with The Penguin.
The movie isn’t all action, thankfully. There’s lots of dread and mystery, but we also get more human moments courtesy of Catwoman. Kravitz does a truly admirable job of representing the character, even if her outfit looks more like a knockoff sex suit than an actual costume. Much as I love Anne Hathaway’s portrayal as the feline vixen, I think Kravitz is probably the best live-action Catwoman we’ve seen yet. She’s sultry, nimble, and determined to fight for the people that she loves. She and Pattinson have some real chemistry once they finally start fighting on the same side.
Musically, The Batman is no slouch either. There’s a lot of musical variety, from the haunting notes of Ave Maria to bone-crunching beats and the ominous echo of the Dark Knight’s heavy boots. Visually, this is the first Gotham City that felt like a real, cohesive place, at least to me. Sure, it’s suffering and beset by horrors, but it felt less like a collection of dioramas and more like a place you could actually live.
The movie is a rollercoaster ride from start to finish, and it culminates in one of the most catastrophic sequences I’ve seen in a Batman movie. And just when you think it’s all over, they reveal the true stakes at play, and Batman is forced to make a key choice. By the time the credits roll, I couldn’t wait to see the next movie that’s likely already in production.
Honestly, my earlier assertion isn’t quite accurate. The Batman isn’t an autopsy of Gotham City, but a life-saving operation to remove the cancer lodged in the heart of the city. Bruce might start as an agent of vengeance, but he ends as an agent of hope. Because us humans can’t just live off anger and hatred. We all need something more to sustain us. So I’m glad that’s where the movie ends, since Gotham City will need this renewed Batman to survive what I suspect is coming next, which is no laughing matter.
You can officially stream The Batman on HBO Max starting on April 19th
If you like roguelike-driven card games inspired by trees and Celtic mythology, then you’ll more than likely enjoy Oaken.
Oaken, the tactical roguelike card game fromLaki Studios and publisher Goblinz Publishing, hits early access on Steam and GOG on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. You should play it if you like indie video games, nature, strategy, or fantasy fiction.
The game is set in the mythical kingdom of Oaken, a place filled with magic and set inside the branches of a Great Oaktree. Populated by wisps, seedlings, and wanderers all guided by the spirits of the Great Oak in keeping the peace, this paradise gets disrupted when the Oak’s voice suddenly goes silent and a series of cursed events threaten to destroy everything.
The world of Oaken was inspired by Celtic mythology and even features a folkloric-inspired soundtrack. The player’s adventure begins with an adventure to save the Great Oaktree.
It starts by picking one of the guides, mighty spirits with distinct abilities to aid the hero in battle. There is Aya and her spiky seeds that can inflict damage at the end of every turn and Enju and their miracle cure that strengthens allies each time they heal. There is much to discover and each experience is unique, as a randomly generated world map ensures no run is ever repeated. The hexagonal battlegrounds also provide freedom to move, rotate, and coordinate attacks. Battles feature unique spells, strategic placement, and line of sight management, all to protect the hero at all costs.
Victories advance the game with new branching paths forward. There are also unlockable cards with every battle, where you can, under different circumstances, upgrade units and spells. Excess cards can also be destroyed to create Lumi Dust and improve unit stats, allowing for increased performance on the battlefield.
“We are extremely excited to help bring Oaken to peoples’ computers, as it captures a lot of what Goblinz represents,” said Johann Verbroucht, founder and manager at Goblinz Publishing. “It has magic, tactical battles, deck management, tons of strategy, and it is a lot of fun. We hope players of all ages can enjoy this adventure as much as we do!”
Oaken lands on PC Early Access via Steam and GOG on Tuesday, May 3, 2022. It supports English, Brazilian Portuguese, French, German, Spanish (Europe and Latin America), Japanese, Korean, Russian, Chinese (Simplified and Traditional), and Polish languages.
Definitely check it out or visit the Oaken Discord to learn more.
After an insufferable amount of time, we’ve finally touched down. Atlanta (FX) is back! We’ve all been on tenterhooks and this opener slaps. It slaps thrice, which makes sense as the title is “Three Slaps”.
We open on a gorgeous shot of two people in a boat. At night. A singular, solitary light fares the two gentlemen. There’s only one problem. Gentility isn’t on the table, as the white man waxes philosophically on how the lake, the very buoyant surface they are drifting on was built on a town. A town comprised of Black men.
There are those that are born lucky and there are those that harbor guilt in spite of that and the monologue, amid the black water lapping along the sides of the boat just channels the mood for what is to be on fucked up ride.
It was all a dream.
For Black history month, Loquareeous (Christopher Farrar) is just overtly enthusiastic. His parents are called to the principal’s office because he was acting out in class. Well, not so much acting out as making his aggressions and sadness corporeal in the form of dancing on a desk.
Though the guidance counselor was trying to be his better angel, his parents saw through it.
Three slaps.
His mother (Nicole Lockley) is more than livid for having to make an appearance. His grandfather gives him three slaps as an exclamation point so as not to pull that shit again.
This is in front of Counselor Grier (Lauren Halperin)—a legally employed witness to childhood trauma. Although their tactics may seem militant if not downright abusive, it’s his harsh reality of life. His parents weren’t handed anything easily, and the savings was passed down to him.
Cut to their house. Welfare comes to a knocking at their door and though the kid swears he didn’t tell on his folks, his mother fucking wants him out and implores Child Services to take him away.
Is this supposed to be a teachable moment or just unmitigated assholery? Was he never wanted, or is this a simulacrum of life, and if so, when does the lesson end? It matters none, though, as the poor kid is taken into the custody of the State. In this case, a hippie lesbian couple.
This is his new domicile… along with a lot of other children. The thing is a house is not a home unless it’s lived in and this ain’t lived in for all parties involved. In fact, it’s downright upsetting, as the couple only has black kids as their adopted kinfolk. It’s almost as if they are collectors.
Speaking of collectors, these women haven’t been paying the bills. Never mind that supper time means raw chicken and a few measly vegetables. It’s enough to make anyone pine for a fat, juicy hamburger, which Loquareeous demands. This is part of a bigger picture though. He craves normalcy like he craves actual food. The poor kid is hungry and he’s starving for something. Maybe it’s purpose. Maybe it’s familial. Maybe it’s love. He wants something that was not given to him yet, but being born under punches makes his plight that much more tragic.
Every kid deserves a good childhood, but in his mind, the shambolic nature of the house only makes him lash out. Oh, hate is a strong word, but he deploys it with fervent intent. This is evident when it boils down to their household duties.
I mean, it wouldn’t be a hippie-dippy, lovey-dovey couple if they didn’t grow their own produce. Plus, they have free labor! Yes, they force the kids to work in their garden for no money. They inculcate them with a respect that hard labor bears results (i.e. when you pick for us, we can sell it at the market).
Oh, by the by, at the farmer’s market, they have the kids out with sandwich boards, trying to entice people to their table. Oh, and also, because they don’t want to pronounce Loquareeous, they call the poor boy “Larry”. That is but one step away from “Toby”.
It pains me to spell it out, but these are modern-day slave owners, only with a better alibi.
Yes, he may have a roof over his head, but is it keeping him safe?
Seeing a prime opportunity, Loquareeous races to the one person no black person wants to hug—a cop. He tries to get arrested because anything would be better than another minute with his cracked-up caretakers. He risks death for the sake of a hot meal and something more appetizing—peace of mind.
Literally, anything would be better than these kombucha-making psychopaths, though Amber (Laura Dreyfuss) and Gayle (Jamie Neumann) defuse the situation by offering the lawman some of their tea and, because he’s white and they are too, all is copacetic.
Their wellness check couldn’t come a moment too soon, however. Gayle calls the kid a snitch, but before this could go Midsommar level, Family and Child Services is at their door. Talk about good fortune literally knocking!
Though Gayle is none too pleased about a complaint from the neighbors, she welcomes in the caseworker and is greeted with some repulsive shit. One of the girls is sick and they have no salvo. They’re hippies, über alles, and their modus operandi is to just let nature take its course. I mean, the body course corrects without the need for big pharma, right?
The situation is repulsive and three slaps seem like a goddamn dream compared to what these kids are being put through. Including their ‘dinner’ of fried chicken, which is just basically salmonella.
In his bed, that night, Loquareeous has bad dreams and it makes sense. The house is a horror show.
From seeing his mother’s head in a pickle jar to seeing the head of their dog Popcorn, their dog that eats like a goddamned king on the body of his grandfather (Timothy Tinker Sr.), who administered the three slaps.
Waking up with hunger pangs and ultimately sick, Loquareeous is now on a new journey, with everybody. Call it a family trip to the Grand Canyon. The mere mention of it had my stomach in knots and it didn’t help that there’s nothing more disturbing than seeing a caseworker’s pen and pad next to a bunch of black garbage bags in the early morning hours.
As they all drive in the rain, the kids have an unspoken shorthand for how crazy their ‘parents’ are. They are all victims under the umbrella of ‘white saviors’. The silly thing is that though crazy knows no color or no scent, you can taste it in the air.
It’s night and the van has stopped. We stop because we’ve arrived. Cornpop is set free. So are the kids.. or so we are led to believe. This belies an evil masquerading as clemency. They see their children as lost causes, a novelty to society.
The only plan is sweet release. They can die as a ‘family’.
This is a suicide pact and though Amber isn’t on board with the final denouement, she’s making her peace with fate. They are conscripting souls to an afterlife before having lived one. At least the dog got a chance at another.
What ensues is one of the most beautiful and haunting moments before two people are choosing to go to their maker, backed by the mellifluous and gorgeously morose Jessica Pratt songs. They have one aim in mind, and it just so happens that it’s in that foreboding lake (Whoah. Be gone.).
Fortunately for Loquareeous, self-preservation kicked into high gear, when the getting was good. Unfortunately, the dog went with them, as Loquareeous is a clever kid and isn’t one for leaving a traumatic situation without one last parting gift.
Off the bank, they go and cash out, which funny enough they couldn’t. They just became fodder for the next night’s fishing trip, and for an impoverished couple, ain’t that rich.
Tired and hungry, Loquareeous hoofs it back home. Yes, all throughout the dusk and into the dawn.
He’s welcomed back with that patented cold reception that somehow feels warm. Her whole reason for him going through shit was to crawl before he could walk. The world can be frigid and dismissive, harsh and unforgiving. Though he’s a little iced out, his mom still loves him and that is something earned.
Speaking of which, this happened to be all from Ern’s (Donald Glover) brain, who just had one of the most vivid dreams in television history.
Hey, welcome to Europe, I guess. New surroundings make for new thought processes, and we’re only getting started.
The episode was intense. After four years of laborious patience, we are back. As season openers go, this is easily one of my top five of all time. Based on the story of Devonte Hart, this is a tough watch but required viewing, with the scattered moments of levity serving as a palliative salve on a larger, more sinister issue in the world today.
A sneak peek at some of the art along with Mjolnir’s new look in THOR #24, the giant-sized spectacular arriving April 27
As announced in Marvel’s press release, next month fans are in for a thunderous achievement! The release of THOR #24 will mark 750 total issues and just in time for Thor’s 60th anniversary. The special will be a 74-page epic of momentous occasion, featuring the return of Walter Simonson and Jason Aaron, along with a bunch of Thor’s greatest legends for an anniversary tale celebrating the Thunder God’s legacy.
The main story will continue to be told by Marvel all-star storytellers Donny Cates and Nic Klein and will feature guest contributors adding all-new tales.
In this 750th issue, fans are left picking up the pieces of in the aftermath of “GOD OF HAMMERS,” the latest epic in writer Donny Cates and artist Nic Klein’s hit run on the title. Where, after a scorched-earth victory has cost the God of Thunder both his hammer and his father. All of Asgard mourn over the loss of Odin unaware that the former All-Father lives on in Thor’s newly reforged hammer!
Things fans should look forward to in Thor #24
Writer J. Michael Straczynski and artist Oliver Coipel reunite for a story set during their redefining Thor saga
Legendary comics creator Dan Jurgens writes and draws an incredible Thor and Balder teamup
Comics icon Walter Simonson makes his grand return to Thor, writing and drawing an all-new adventure that explores the origin of his beloved creation, Beta Ray Bill
Al Ewing and Lee Garbett collaborate for the first time since LOKI: AGENT OF ASGARD to bring you an all-new chapter for the god of mischief that leads directly into Ewing’s upcoming DEFENDERS BEYOND series
And prepare for a revelatory tale about Odin that only writer Jason Aaron and artist Das Pastoras can deliver!
You can check out some of the interior pages and Nic Klein’s design sheet for Mjolnir’s new look now and pick up THOR #24 when it arrives on April 27!
A free Netflix and Stage 32 webinar details how to write Sci-Fi screenplays from idea to TV series, via the Netflix way.
Through Stage 32’s EdTech partnership with Netflix, creators are being given worldwide access to webinars on ‘How To Create Television for a global marketplace’. Now in part four of this five-part series, Stage 32 is featuring a free next-level webinar on storytelling from showrunner Mikey Fisher on how to develop compelling sci-fi content for streaming television.
This fourth webinar in this exclusive series begins on Monday, March 28th, and will run from 10 AM to 1 PM PST. You can sign in using the designed software from Stage 32 and you must have a Stage 32 profile to attend. The event will be recorded and uploaded within 24-48 hours after air, though if users attend live online, they’ll be able to ask questions in the Q and A.
In this webinar, Stage 32 welcomes educator Mickey Fisher, TV Creator and Showrunner for CBS’s EXTANT, NBC’s REVERIE, and National Geographic’s MARS. Mickey broke out onto the scene when his contest-winning TV script Extant caught the attention of Steven Spielberg and later became the science fiction series on CBS starring Halle Berry. Mickey has since firmly implanted himself in the world of science fiction television, creating the NBC series Reverie and National Geographic’s Mars. He has also served as a consulting producer on Amazon’s Jack Ryan and a writer and co-executive producer on Guillermo Del Toro’s acclaimed FX horror series The Strain.
The Syllabus For Monday’s Event is as Follows
Case Studies: EXTANT, REVERIE, STRANGER THINGS, DARK, GAME OF THRONES, SQUID GAME, MONEY HEIST (not sci-fi but there are some relevant points), YELLOW JACKETS, THE MANDALORIAN, PEACEMAKER
1) Choosing a Sci-Fi Series Concept
Story Darwinism – 5 questions to ask about your series idea
Starting with a concept / hook
Starting With character
Serialized vs episodic
Finding your voice
Fuel and friction – maximizing your chances for a success (scope, budget)
2) Core Elements of Your Sci-Fi Series
Worldbuilding
Characters (great characters are subconsciously at war with themselves) C) Setting up A,B & C stories
Importance of relationships
Story engine – powering your series through multiple seasons
Tone
Theme / premise
Series logline — your north star
3) “On the Axis” – Planning Character Journeys (pilot, season, series)
External goals and internal obstacles
Setting the stakes – the basic questions of drama
4) The Pilot
The pilot is a contract with the audience
Hooking the audience early
Landing your premise by the end
5) Season One and Beyond
The curse of the “10 hour movie”
Episodic structure, or “the episode where”
Tentpole moments of your season and series
Plot twists
Common pitfalls (such as unearned character turns, tonal shifts)
6) Thinking Globally – common elements of worldwide success stories
7) Owning Every Word
8) Q&A with Mickey
Screenwriters should check out the event to learn how to write some good Science Fiction scripts. You can learn more on www.stage32.com
Marvel Unlimited is a one-stop destination for over 29,000 comics spanning the entire Marvel Universe. The app is available for iPhone®, iPad®, Android devices™ and on web. For more information, please visit marvel.com/unlimited
