The Tony Stark era of the Marvel Cinematic Universe came to a close with Spider-Man: Far From Home. When I reviewed Endgame a month or two back, I expressed hope that this 'epilogue' would share a ton of light on how people adapted after the return of that missing half of the global population after Thanos' snap. And my request was granted!
Far From Home has Peter Parker (Tom Holland) reeling from the loss of his mentor, Tony Stark. A school class trip to Europe just might be the thing Spider-Man needs to get his head back together. Plus, Parker has made big plans to express his love to MJ (Zendaya). However, with a new Avengers-level threat taking aim at Central Europe, it appears that uber-spy Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) has just hijacked Peter's vacation.
Fury introduces Peter to Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal), a superhero from a parallel earth. He claims that Elementals in the form of Earth, Wind, Fire and Water have arrived on our world and seek to devour it. Beck believes that without Spider-Man's help, the lone survivor of his world, now named Mysterio by the press, cannot defeat the final and most powerful Elemental, Fire.
All Peter wants to do is relax and be a kid. Thus, without really having his Uncle Ben around anywhere in the picture, the teenage superhero must decide whether or not if it's true that with great power comes great responsibility.
Far From Home is probably the best Spider-Man film to date. Tom Holland is the perfect Spider-Man. Sadly, he's about the only character here that is pretty true to the comics. That's not to say that I did not like the other characters. Zendaya's version of MJ grew on me compared from the first movie. I think I am okay with her being a little weird. And as much as I like Jacob Batalon's Ned Leeds; he's not the one from the comics. With this in mind, there were a couple of scenes in which I felt like I was watching a Teen Disney TV show and not a superhero spectacular.
Perhaps the most unforgivable representation in the movie is that of Marisa Tomei's Aunt May. I like that she's a more hip and cooler auntie. But I felt like Kevin Feige and company really decided to ramp up her sex appeal to appease the numerous fans who have salivated over her ever since first appearing in Captain America: Civil War. The frequent gratuitous rear end shots of her proves this. In all, it felt unnecessary.
There's another big reveal that is not true to the comics but it's a HUGE spoiler. I'm still on the fence about it. All I will say is that there are 2 extra scenes during the credits and one of them will change everything you thought you knew about the MCU Avengers' origins. Or at least make you question everything.
I didn't realize how long the movie is but honestly, I didn't feel like it was a lengthy movie. There's so much jammed packed action in this film, along with a lot of laughs. But I must admit that during the credits when I saw all the listings for those who worked on the Italy portion of this film, I said to myself, 'That happened months ago!' Meaning, I had forgotten how much distance Spidey and his friends ended up travelling all the way from NYC to Venice, London and other ports of call.
This is the type of film that can only be described as an epic. Lots happen here and for the most part, you will not be disappointed. However, I did start to feel in the last about 5 minutes of this movie that I was watching the ending to Shazam! I'm wondering if DC's family friendly film didn't get producers thinking about a younger target audience.
For one thing, a Ramones song plays during the main wrap-up scene. And then when you have the first credits, you get funny animated illustrations and trick photography like you do at the end of Shazam! DC and Marvel are constantly criticized for when things seem too similar to each other (especially in such a short amount of time) and this is an instance when I point fingers at the House of Ideas stealing some concepts from the House that Superman Built.
Overall, I really loved this movie. But I thought that some instances were too similar to other superhero flicks. Plus, while totally fine with some changes in the characters, one just went over the line. And then there's that shocking twist. I just don't know how I feel about it. I'd love to process it with you here and now, my dear readers. But that would be too much of a spoiler. In a movie in which perception is the key theme, that spoiler is one you must see to believe.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Bizarre adventures continue in this concluding volume to the first Tick anthology series, 'Heroes of the City.'
Arthur's quest to become a superhero in his own right concludes as does Tick's adventure as a sidekick for hire.
Meanwhile, more heroes (and a villain) experience some unusual episodes throughout the Tick Universe.
Paul the Samurai takes on a new partner and investigates the sudden deforestation of a wooded area. It turns out Paul Bunyan is real and his girlfriend Babe, the Blue Ox, has left him for being too wild (don't worry, the relationship isn't as bizarre as you think). Bunyan has decided to finally settle down and it's up to our resident Samurai to bring Paul and Babe back together or the entire forest is going to be nothing but stumps!
Next, a news reporter is on the trail of the Man-Eating Cow. Starting to look like the Channel 6 fool, the anchor decides to set a trap for the hungry bovine. Will the newscaster get her cow? Or will she become 'Bessie's' next snack?
Adding a criminal element to this series, the mysterious Red Eye ventures down a lonely highway looking for his next victim. For a comedy anthology, this was pretty creepy. But I must say, I would love to see NEC craft a Red Eye horror series. I think it would be freakin' awesome!
Lastly, we've got a tale of the Crazy Blue Rocket. The story of this poor delusional superhero is rather tragic. While The Tick is pretty delusional, he's not such a tragic character. But I think it's because Tick is just nuts and always has. Crazy Blue Rocket has experienced a terrible trauma. He was once a respected hero of the city. For some reason, something caused him to lose his mind. In all, this story was just heartbreaking.
The Tick and Arthur storyline plus the Crazy Blue Rocket were all new-to-me. But I know that I have read those other hero stories before. But for the life of me, I can't recall where. I wanna say that I had read them in previous Free Comic Book Day comics. But those books were supposed to be of all-new material. Have I been lied too?
A good close to this 6-issue mini-series. However, I could have done without that very sad Crazy Blue Rocket tale. And really, where I have read those stories before hand???
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.
A rift has formed between The Tick and Arthur. Feeling unappreciated as the Robin to Tick's Robin, Arthur takes off to become a hero in his own right. Meanwhile, Tick tries to learn what it's like to be a lowly sidekick.
'Heroes of the City' was NEC's attempt to broaden the scope of The Tick's universe. Before this series, you only had a handful of heroes other that Tick and Arthur such as Paul the Samurai, Man-eating Cow and the unhinged Barry. With this anthology series, that all begins to change and I'm really glad that the publisher decided to take that gamble!
Featuring the talents of Clay and Susan Griffith, Sean Wang, Tak Toyoshima and many more. This is not just a collection of new and hilarious heroes but also some of the best Tick talent ever!
There was one aspect that didn't exactly reflect The Tick at it's best- the butt-kicking cheerleader, Myndi. The idea was that her 3-part story was going to produce into a spin-off. However, Myndi's pompon-ladened exploits were considered too absurd, too low-brow, that the supposed series never saw the light of day. If not mistaken, I don't think we ever see Myndi ever again after Heroes of the City.
I thought Myndi was funny. Maybe not as funny as Tick and Arthur's tale. But good for a laugh or two. I for one hated the ending that for many Tick fans was the equivalent of the death of Poochy on The Simpsons. I will have to say this: if NEC had really wanted to spawn a Myndi series, they really shouldn't have included that twist ending in issue #3.
While 'Heroes of the City' is considered a mix bag of delight for most Tick fans, I see it's importance. It sent The Tick into the 21st century. Those crazy superheroes we see in those Free Comic Book Day releases, despite not debuting here, do indeed get their start thanks in very large part to this anthology!
Much needed insanity for a rough week. Many thanks for the laughs!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.
Some weeks there’s so much great stuff that you can’t contain it in one review! I wish that was the case for this week’s Family Comic Friday Extra. Instead, life got in the way and I got behind on my comic book readings. But that’s okay. Because there’s still time to jump on the bandwagon of what is a candidate for my pick for all-ages comic book of the year: Canto!
Canto #1
Written by David M. Booher
Art by Drew Zucker
Published by IDW Publishing
Pages: 32
Retail: $3.99
Canto’s people are slaves. Their hearts have been replaced with clocks. Not allowed to have a name or fall in love nor own possessions, our hero’s people are reduced to little more than replaceable parts of a bigger machine of servitude and cruelty. See, for when the time stops on the clocks of these slaves, they are thrown into a furnace to power and warm the domiciles of the enslavers.
Canto is different from the rest. For one, he has a name. Then there’s the fact that Canto is in love with another; a little girl made of tin. He even gifts her tiny shiny pebbles as a token of his love. When the slavers do discover the secrets of Canto, they seek to make an example of someone who dares to buckle their repressive system. In another act of love, the girl throws herself at the villains and her clock is severely damaged.
In order to save the one he loves and hopefully overthrow his oppressors, Canto must embarked on a solo journey. One that promises action, thrills and possibly an unlocked secret or two!
Canto is visually stunning! Skybreaker’s Drew Zucker did a phenomenal job on these pages. I’m itching to discover what Canto and his people really look like underneath those helmets!
While Drew Zucker blew me away with his vision of this far off land, he couldn’t have done it without writer David M. Booher (Powerless). He does something that only a very few can and that is to create not just an entire world but a whole universe. Though we only witness a tiny portion of Canto’s world, through Booher’s narrative, I feel like there are distant planets teeming with life somewhere in our hero’s galaxy.
I absolutely loved this opening chapter. It was so fanciful. Canto is supposed to be inspired by the Wizard of Oz and the fantasy works of Jim Henson. Yet this book really was unlike anything I have ever read before. I only hated that it ended too soon! Thankfully, I won’t have to wait long as issue #2 is set to debut later this month!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.
Canto #1 currently available in print at a comic book store near you as well as certain digital formats.
For this week’s Family Comic Friday, we venture to a wondrous land of unusual creatures and even more bizarre activities. Welcome to Beanworld. It’s an all-ages title that might not be everyone’s cup of tea. Love it or hate it; Beanworld is definitely a title that you’ll never forget!
Beanworld Omnibus Volume 2Written and Illustrated by Larry Marder
Published by Dark Horse Comics
Pages: 448
Retail: $24.99
Larry Marder’s Beanworld has been a favorite of comic book readers young and old for nearly 35-years. It’s the story of the Beans, a tiny tribe of artists, musicians and heroic soldiers who hunt for food for the rest of the tribe. The Beans are supposed to be the hero of the story as they must steal from the Hoi-Polloi Ring Herd; a group of gamblers who use the Beans’ food for bargaining chips. But as I see the pain and fear that the Beans bring to the Hoi-Polloi during these food runs, I think that the Beans are more bullies than braves!
This wasn’t the only part of the Beanworld story that I had issue with. A large portion of this story is flat out confusing. Thankfully, this omnibus contains a Who’s Who list of characters and terms as well as a map of Beanworld. It’s quite handy when the characters constantly speak in both riddle and tons of made-up jargon.
I also feel that this book just keeps going around in circles. On day one, it’s determined that conditions are right to go on a hunt. Then on day two, it’s play time. This continues for over 200 pages with slight interludes that also seem repetitive. This volume is 448 pages long. But I’m sorry folks, after 250 pages, I couldn’t that the monotony anymore. I also couldn’t take the headache of it all.
Storyline issues aside, Beanworld is visually stunning. In it’s black and white and the inks are super clean. I liked the art very much. I just couldn’t take the entire snake eating its tail-like plot for so long.
One thing I cannot complain about this book is it’s retail price. $24.99 for almost 450 pages?! That’s an amazing deal.
Another aspect I appreciated was that despite being the second Beanworld omnibus, you don’t have to have read volume 1 first! Some of that is because of all the glossary additions at the beginning of the edition. But some is thanks in very large part to Marder devoting the first 30 or so pages of the first story to a full introduction of the Beanworld cast.
Folks, I’m going to be honest here. Just because I had issues with the book, you and the young reader in your life might just fall in love with Beanworld! Art is subjective. I’m giving my opinion on a work of art. It’s up to you to decide if you follow my advice or not. Most times, I employ you to listen to me. But since there are aspects of folklore, world mythology and abstract thought that I am not really all that familiar with, I am going to suggest that you take my review with a grain of salt. I very well just might not have gotten the whole concept behind Beanworld. But that doesn’t mean your family won’t get it.
And if you do, feel free to drop me a line in the comment section explaining just what it is I missed!
Rating: 6 out of 10 stars.
Beanworld Omnibus Volume 2 debuts in print and digital formats on July 16, 2019.
Beanworld Omnibus Volume 2 collects Beanworld Volumes 3, 3.5 (Tales of the Beanworld in black and white), and 4, with a bonus sketchbook section.
This review was concurrently published on Outrightgeekery.com.
DC Comics and the Previews solicits tried to warn me. In order to fully understand Dark Nights: Metal, you had to have read the Dark Days one-shots The Casting and The Forge. But I didn't listen.
If you are reading Metal, STOP! Even if you are only the last page- just stop! You will miss out of so much detail. Things like why is XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX all of a sudden appearing in Gotham City? And why is the reappearance of XXXXXXXXXXXXX such a big deal? Plus, you will fully understand why Batman has been preparing for a war against unimaginable evil!
After reading this volume, if one is still in the dark about the Dark Knight's crusade, then you've got several back issues reprinted here that delves ever so much more deeper into the roots leading to Metal. Going all the wa back to 2008 and Grant Morrison's Final Crisis. Yes, that means DC Comics has been planning out the foundations of this epic miniseries for over 10 years- maybe even longer!
A slew of talent worked on this very much required reading. Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Jim Lee, Andy Kubert and many more! While I love the work these guys have done, I will say that I am looking for some other great DC superstars to be given a chance to steer the ship. And NO- I am not talking about Bendis! I wanna see what Joshua Williamson, Mitch Gerads, Scott Lobdell and Jason Fabok have to offer the world's best superheroes on a much grander scale!
DC has been getting raked over the coals for some very poor sales decisions that have resulted in cancellations, delays, firings, and controversial restructures. Well, no matter how badly the business side of my favorite comic book publisher has been run lately, I cannot fault DC's dedication to crafting the ultimate comic book universe mosaic. Metal and it's component parts has been fun to read. But let's face it, it's time for the DCU to be mapped out for more than just a select few who seemingly have a singular focus.
It's time for the next great age of DC. Thankfully, this is the compass to get us there!
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
by Noel Botham and The Society of Useless Information
My wife has this bit. Some random article of trivia will pop up and she'll say 'That's a useless piece of I wouldn't mind if you removed it permanently." Recently, I worked at a used book store for trade credit. (It's there where I found this book.) Out of that sweet revenge that only a loving husband can provide his dear bride, I got The Book of Useless Information just for her!
But first, I wanted to read it.
Amazingly, this was an addictive read. From interesting facts about species of animals to oddball facts about our founding fathers, I literally could not book this collection of trivia down. That's not to say that I didn't have my issues with it.
First of all, this book is 13 years old. I am quite certain that some of the facts were outdated. Those in particular involve stats about movies, TV and social media. Was there social media in 2006? Maybe I'm thinking computer consumption. But I am sure that AOL is no longer the most used search engine and/or email in the world.
Another thing I had problems with was the 'uselessness' of the data. Some stuff didn't seem that unnecessary to me. Maybe that's because I was a history major. To me all history is relevant. Even dumb stuff about those Kardashians. You never know when somebody is going to hold a gun to your head and only your knowledge of 12th century monarchs is going to save your life. I guess useless info is in the eye of the beholder. With as least 3 other books of useless info out there, I am sure that I'll be a quick judge of those sort of details sometime in the future.
(Plus, while this book has tons of info, I wish that they'd provide more detail. Most of the trivia are single lines of fact. But there were a bunch of instances where I wished to know the how or why behind the what!)
Lastly, on 2 different occasions, the same bit of trivia was reprinted. Poor data collection? Bad proof-reading? Slip-ups on the part of the editor? I don't know why someone felt that I needed to know those bits of info twice in the same book. But somebody goofed.
Even though this wasn't the perfect fact book, I really did enjoy it. I particularly loved the last factoid on the very bottom of page 38. It was so random- so non-sequitur- and so un-PC; I laughed and laughed. Plus, I could not resist sharing the hilarity of it with my wife. Just what was so darn funny? You'll have to read it for yourself to find out.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
