Captain America: Civil War - A Spoiler-Free Review

I know I'm going to upset a lot of people with these comments, so let's get it over with.

On the whole, I'd place Civil War on-par with Batman V. Superman.

Now, I see you Marvel Zombies are readying your pitchforks and torches, so let me explain why.

Basically, Civil War has the exact same over-riding problems Batman V. Superman did.

It's primarily concerned with offering fan-service and making references to the comics at the expense of a cohesive story. It requires some characters to act in a blatantly illogical fashion in order for the plot to work. The villain's evil plan is entirely dependent upon coincidences that should be entirely beyond their control that are never adequately explained. And - much like Age of Ultron before it - Civil War seemed like it was more concerned with setting up upcoming movies than it was in telling its own stories. As Batman V. Superman left us more excited about Wonder Woman, so too does Civil War leave us more excited about Black Panther and Spider-Man: Homecoming.

Now with that being said, did I like the movie?

Yes!


Technically, the film is far from perfect.. The first hour drags a bit. There's some incredibly cheap CGI. And a lot of the fight scenes are filmed WAY too close and the jump-cuts went by so fast I thought for a moment the projector was running at a too-fast frame-rate.

But THE fight scene - you know the one I mean - THAT fight scene is perfect.

The acting is great across the board. Tom Holland in particular is impressive and not just because he is easily the most comics-accurate Spider-Man we've ever seen in a live-action work.

Overall, I'd give it a 6 out of 10. Good. Not great. Better than Age of Ultron. Not as good as Winter Soldier.

Oh, and one more thing - stick around through ALL the credits. There's two sequences to look out for.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - A Spoiler-Free Review

When the first Avengers movie came out three years ago, I was in the midst of a boycott of all things Marvel following Spider-Man: One More Day. I relented only because of my love of Joss Whedon's writing.  Afterward, I agreed to limit my boycott to Spider-Man related materials, since it wasn't fair for me to punish myself by avoiding the works of creators I liked in the name of proving a point against a single publisher.

I mention this because the thing that astonished me most about The Avengers was how accessible it was. Despite my not having seen Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger or anything after the first Iron Man movie, I was still able to follow the plot without any issues.  Whedon took care to introduce all the players and relate all the information we needed quickly and subtly.



Age of Ultron doesn't manage the same feat. How can it?! At this point, The Marvel Cinematic Universe is fast becoming as complex as the comic books that inspired it and to miss one movie is to lose a piece of the puzzle. In this respect, it is a weaker film than its predecessor because it cannot stand on its own merits.

That being said, it does have a lot of merits and the good far outweighs the bad.  In fact, I'd say it does improve upon the first film in one respect by giving Hawkeye and Black Widow some much needed definition. Ironically, the newer heroes don't get that much development in comparison but that may be rectified by the longer director's-cut that has already been promised for the Blu-Ray release.

This is a Joss Whedon movie, so you should all know what to expect: witty dialogue and lots of humor amidst the action. Unfortunately, a lot of the best moments have already been spoiled by the trailers but there are some good moments that aren't. One of these involves the greatest Stan Lee cameo yet and I shan't say a word beyond that.

Well, I will say one thing.  There is a mid-credits scene to wait around for.  There isn't anything at the end of the credits, apart from a note that The Avengers Will Return.

In the end, the best thing I can say about Age of Ultron is this. I had a royally bad day before I went into the movie theater.  Two hours later, I had forgotten my troubles. And once I remembered them on the drive home they didn't seem quite so worrisome.

This movie lightened my heart at a time when I needed a pick me up. And when you get right down to it, isn't that the mark of all good escapist fiction? I think it is.  And Age of Ultron is very good escapist fiction.

Dallas Comic Con 2014 - ALL THE PICTURES! - Part One

Usually when I write a con report, I talk about the lay out, the experience, the things I did and the people I met.  Given the sheer number of pictures I took this time around, that isn't going to be very practical and I said everything I wanted to say about the con experience already in my first article about DCC 2014.

So what I'm going to do is go through all the pictures and tag as many I can per update.  I'll do five such postings per day until I get through them all.  Whenever possible, I'll link the websites of the cosplayers and other people who are involved.  Please feel free to speak up if I miss something or someone and I'll correct it ASAP.

Clear?  Good.  Now, my journey through DCC... in pictures!



A family of Browncoats as Wash, Kaylee, River and Jayne.


Green Arrow and Black Canary. 


War Machine in his Iron Patriot rig. This little hero chased me down & returned my bow when, in my haste to get through registration, I set it down and forgot it.  And they say there's no heroes...


"FEED ME!" - Seymour and Audrey II from Little Shop of Horrors. 


Black Widow and Doctor Strange.

Another Black Canary and Green Arrow.  You'd think there was a convention of them...


Deadpool: You know, everyone keeps confusing me with you?
Deathstroke: Ditto.



Female Scruffy from the Futurama episode Neutopia.


Wayne and Garth?  Excellent! 


Batgirl


Dr. Henry Jones Sr. was handing out discount passes for the Indiana Jones And The Adventure Of Archaeology exhibit currently at the Fort Worth Museum of Science & History until August 10th.


All the kids love Deathstroke.  It's kind of disturbing...


Yet another Black Canary and Green Arrow.  In this case, it's me with Chelphie Cosplay.

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - A Spoiler Free Review And Some Thematic Ramblings

THE SHORT, SWEET REVIEW

It is good! In fact, I think it's a better film than The Avengers. It should definitely be seen on the big screen, if possible. And you don't have to have seen the first Captain America movie or The Avengers to enjoy it.

THE LONGER, MORE DETAILED BUT STILL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

Despite being loosely based on the Captain America comics by Ed Brubaker baring the same name, The Winter Soldier features very little of that mysterious figure.  In many ways the movie isn't even about the character of Captain America!  Indeed, this movie made me consider how little character there is to the Captain America we see on screen and how that is the only real flaw with this film.

Now don't think for a moment I'm disrespecting Steve Rogers!  I'm just saying that most of the writers who have handled the character over the years have not made a distinction between Captain America as a symbol and the man under the mask.  Thankfully, Captain America is one of the few characters I can think of who can be written as a symbol and still be a compelling presence.  But take away the suit and what is left of Steve Rogers?

It's a fair question and it is one that Iron Man 3 addressed (successfully, in my opinion) in regards to Tony Stark.  This question is briefly addressed in the movie when Steve briefly ponders what he would do with his life if he were to quit SHIELD.  And he doesn't have an answer!  It isn't something that occurred to him until someone points out that he doesn't have to stay in service with an employer he disagrees with, as Steve vents over his concerns that SHIELD has become obsessed with achieving security by sacrificing freedom.

That conflict - Freedom Versus Security - is the emotional center of the film and Rogers' internal conflict is never referenced again.  It is Rogers' purpose in this story to exist as Captain America: The Symbol rather than as Steve Rogers: The Man.  Given that, I can understand why Chris Evans has announced his intention to retire from acting once his obligations to play Captain America are met.  Playing Steve Rogers is a blast, I'm sure, but it isn't much of a challenge.

It should be noted that Evans gets some great moments early on as we see how Steve Rogers is adjusting to the modern world and find out, in most respects, he isn't.  Sure, he's surfing the Internet and compiling a list of pop-culture he needs to catch up on... but there's really nothing that defines his life and who he is apart from his work.  Those concerns are quickly shelved as we get on with the plot of the movie but those same conflicts - Freedom vs. Security and who you are under your mask - is explored more fully in the film's real hero - Black Widow.

Yes, you read that right.  Black Widow is the main hero of this movie, at least in terms of which characters undergo a hero's journey and actually change as a result of the events of the story.  Black Widow is shaped as she considers the question of what is more valuable - Freedom or Security - and how like Steve, there is no real "her" outside of her work.  The difference is, in Natasha's case, that her lack of self seems to have been an intentional choice and she is fully aware that there isn't anyone under her mask.

Natasha also - in contrast to Steve - is changed by the conflict between idealism and reality.  In fact - and I say this knowing full well I will draw fire from ever Whedonite out there - this movie does a far better job of establishing Black Widow as a character than The Avengers did.  And Scarlett Johansson rocks the role.  For that matter, Nick Fury develops as a character as the story progresses and Samuel L. Jackson gets what is easily the best action scene in the movie.

Steve Rogers doesn't really change.  Then again, the movie doesn't really need to have Steve Rogers undergo another hero's journey.  He's already a hero.  And part of the hero's journey requires the hero pass on what he has learned.  In that case, Steve Rogers exists to be the catalyst of change in others rather than changing himself.

That being said, the movie works as a straight action film and a political thriller.  The performances are all grand and there's a lot of nods to the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the previous movies.  Yet this movie is still accessible to any new viewers who might not have seen the earlier films.  A Captain America display in The Smithsonian Museum provides all the exposition you need as well as one of the few moments that hints at any depth to Steve Rogers' character.

Bottom Line: See This Movie!

All-Con 2014 - Day Two

Friday was my least-busy day this year at All-Con.  I had only one panel I was running myself and only one major event to worry about attending.  Given the more casual nature of the day, I opted for a casual costume - one I improvised after considering what I could possibly do on short notice with my beard trimmed into a goatee. 

And then it hit me.  It would be easy enough to get a blue shirt and red shorts.  I already did the voice quite well.  And it didn't take much effort to fashion a sign out of cardboard and a lanyard so I could be recognized at a distance.  For many years, I've been so the go-to guy for comics news and trivia for many people.  It seemed fitting then that I should be The Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons.



My first stop that morning was at a new addition to the All-Con events calendar - The Game Room.  This room gave attendees a chance to try a variety of board and card games.  It was sponsored by local game shop Roll2Play, which is also sponsoring its own upcoming gaming convention - T.A.B.L.E.  I spent the better part of the morning in the convention's Game Room, playing a few games with my friend Wes and demonstrating  Chrononauts and Fluxx to other gamers.


Of course I still had some time for cosplay pictures as I played.


The TARDIS and The Eighth Doctor


Hogun The Grim from The Warriors Three from Thor.


A female assassin from Assassin's Creed.  
Catwoman and Black Widow.   

This Cassandra Cain cosplayer has a web-comic well worth checking out.
I ran into the female assassin a second time and she asked if I could get a picture of her in her new corset.  Since she didn't have a camera of her own, I agreed to take a few pictures for her as she posed with a variety of weapons in front of a mock Stargate set.  Because if being a geek blogger for over a decade has taught me anything, it is that you can never have enough pictures of a heavily armed geek girl on your blog.



 Hood Down

Hood Up


Dual Wield


Amy Pond from Doctor Who
A medieval group of Gothamites - Poison Ivy, Robin, Batman, Bane, Catwoman & Harley


The Second Doctor and Black Cat


Doctor Girlfriend from The Venture Bros.  

I hadn't planned on attending Don't Lose Your Geek Card: The Comic Book Trivia Edition but decided to show up after realizing my schedule allowed me the time this year.  I didn't take part in the game, amusing as it might have been to have played The Comic Book Guy while doing so.  After winning the game for three years running, I decided to retire before I got retired.  Since then, I've befriended the hosts - Cole Houston and Andrew Farmer - and even been a guest on their podcast, Hey Kids Comics!  It was enough for me to sit in, enjoy the comedy and answer most of the questions for everyone after the contestants were buzzed out.


    My night ended the same way my Friday nights have ended at All-Con for the past three years - with United States of Geekdom's screening of Doctor Horrible's Sing Along Blog.  It was an enjoyable evening, as always, and I had a lot of fun riffing on the film with my buddies Rick and Roy from Cult Film Fanatics.  I also got a picture of my friend Beth (of Wilde Designs) in her Captain Hammer cosplay.

Heart of Texas ComicCon 2014 - A Con Report

Heart of Texas ComicCon is a new convention, held in Waco Texas.  Work prevented me from being able to attend on Saturday, but I was able to drive down for the Sunday festivities.  It's the kind of convention I like best - small, intimate and clearly a labor of love. 

The convention staff was great and I should note that they had the most well organized parking lot of any convention held in a community space I've ever attended.  Little details like that can make or break a show and this one was definitely made. I can't wait to see what they do next year!


I premiered a new cosplay for this convention - Slade Wilson from Arrow.  Admittedly, a nice suit and an eye-patch isn't the most complex costume... even if you can dress it up a decent impression of Manu Bennet's voice and accent.  But I'm quite pleased with the result if for no other reason than I think I totally rock a nice suit and eye-patch.


Manu Bennett agreed, for what that's worth.  I got an autographed picture with a nice dedication.


After that, I wander around a bit and said hello to some friends who were also there while taking pictures of the cosplayers and posing for a few myself. I helped Terry Parr of ShoNuff Studios take down his booth, as he decided to leave early due to not feeling well. And I checked in with Michael Champion, as he was in the midst of a new work that I won't spoil but will say looked amazing.

And speaking of looking amazing, time for some cosplay photography!



X-23 and Storm from X-Men


A fencing demonstration by The Shire Of The Emerald Keep.


Black Widow and Jessica Rabbit


A foursome of Sailor Scouts - Mercury, Mars, Moon and Mini-Moon. 


Black Canary 

Lady Annaka Vader as The Sorceress from Masters of the Universe.


Inu Yasha
 
The littlest Sith. Somehow, I think she joined The Dark Side for more than cookies.


Lyndsey Elaine as The White Rabbit.  The Batman villain. Not the Spider-Man villain.


 Glitzy Geek Girl as Black Cat.  This was her first time as a featured guest and her first time running her own table.  She deserves the success, being one of the best cosplayers I know.  Congrats, Anna!

Dallas Fan Days 2013 - Saturday, Part Four

 Ms. Marvel & Black Cat.  

Sailor Uranus, who put up with far too many of my dirty astronomy jokes.  

Black Canary and Green Arrow.  The Green Arrow may look a bit familiar.



My friend Natalie as Mega Man.  

Judge Dredd, caught on camera smiling.  

 Despite the excellent deals Progressive has to offer, Flo cannot cheer Snake Plisken.  

Black Widow at rest.  

Another Green Arrow.  

Captain Kirk, having some trouble with Tribbles.  

Yet another Green Arrow and Black Canary.  I suspect The multiple Doctors are responsible for this...  

My friend Lizzie as The Riddler.



Hawkeye and The Scarlet Witch  

Harry Dresden, seconds before my camera exploded.  Stupid Hexus curse!