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.

All New Hawkeye #1 - A Review

I must confess to being disappointed in All New Hawkeye #1.  This is not because it is a bad comic - quite the contrary! I had just expected something new to go along with the new title and the new numbering. I had expected something revolutionary akin to when Jeff Lemire took over Green Arrow. Instead I got a serviceable but unremarkable Hawkeyes vs. Hydra story.


Whether by intentional design or by editorial fiat, the writing and art for this issue seem to be aping the styles of Matt Fraction and David Aja. This might not be a bad choice given the acclaim the previous Hawkeye team had won but Lemire and Perez are no green rookies who need to play copycat!  In terms of original content, the best bits of the book are the flashbacks to Clint Barton's childhood, which are largely rendered in a purple haze excepting when the story turns violent and red flows into the coloring.


That is unique.  That is different.  That is what I was expecting when I bought this book. Still, fans of the previous series will probably be relieved that nothing has really changed. And if the worst thing I can say about a comic is that it seemed derivative of one of the best series in recent memory, it must be pretty good.

Hawkeye #14 - A Review

There comes a time with some forms of revolutionary art where one ponders just how revolutionary said art truly is.  You find yourself second-guessing your first impressions, wondering if a unique method of storytelling was merely a mask for the artist's unwillingness to tell a story conventionally.  You start to seriously examine whether or not the artist is taking their work seriously or if they are, in the words of Mel Brooks, "just jerking off."

With Hawkeye #14, it is now clear - Matt Fraction is just jerking off.


Fraction's story here does not read like a comic book.  It reads like a section of a spec script for a movie or the script for a television pilot.  Taken on its own terms as a single comic story, one might guess after reading this issue that that Fraction decided to make a grab for some of that Netflix money and is trying to build the case for a Kate Bishop as Hawkeye series.

It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world, save for two problems.  The first is that Kate is REALLY lousy at her job as a solo hero for hire under Fraction's pen.  When acting as Clint Barton's foil, she is a match for Madame Masque.  Left to her own devices, she can barely manage a campy drug dealer.

The second problem is that Fraction's acknowledgement of his own cliches in the script - while making Kate Bishop seem a perfect role for Ellen Page - does little to excite the reader.  Hell, Kate even complains about never getting to use a bow anymore and it's a legitimate complaint.  I can't remember the last time we saw either Hawkeye using their bow to help people in this series!


If Fraction is writing a film script, Annie Wu is drawing the storyboards.  The artwork of this issue fails to be anything more than inoffensive.  It gets the job done but it's fairly pedestrian and there aren't any sequences in the book that really stand out as exciting or memorable.  Then again, I suppose Wu can't be blamed for not depicting any dynamic moments when Fraction's script is so lacking in action and filled with endless scenes of talking heads.

Hawkeye #13 - A Review

Hawkeye #13 brings decompressed storytelling to a new low.  Remember everything we saw over the last few issues that only related to Clint Barton in the most indirect ways possible, including a story told from the perspective of his dog, Lucky?  Now, after four issues and six months, we finally get to see the events of those issues from our main character's point of view. 


Thankfully, there's enough new material to make the repetitiveness tolerable.  Still, it is frustrating to see a writer of Matt Fraction's talent resorting to art for art's sake in order to pad out a storyline.  This series does not need such trickery.  It needs more straight-forward action and humor. 


At least David Aja and Matt Hollingsworth are back doing that voodoo that they do so well.  Aja's distinctive artwork gives this book an aesthetic all its' own.  Hollingsworth's palette completes the amazing effect.  Every page of this book is Eisner worthy. 

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!  

Hawkeye - Annual #1 - A Review

Sorry, Clint Barton fans! Once again your regularly scheduled comic book has been subverted!  For Hawkeye Annual #1 focuses upon Clint's sidekick/partner/something, Kate Bishop!

This issue is all about Kate striking out on her own in Los Angeles.  Without her mentor.  Without her team.  Without her rich dad.  Sadly, Kate is about to discover how difficult things can be when you're all alone and - suddenly - without resources.  For Madame Masque - whom Kate was not exactly gentle to in Hawkeye #4 & Hawkeye #5 - is out for revenge and has ample power to make Kate's life difficult.    


It's redundant for me to speak of Matt Fraction's writing on this series at this point.  Either you hate his knowingly smart subversion of the classic action movie cliches or you love them.  I love them.  I love how Kate isn't fooled for a moment by Madame Masque's attempts to win her confidence in disguise and is portrayed as being smart and competent enough to cope with a revenge-minded villain far more easily than she is sudden destitution and joblessness. 


I likened Javier Pulido's previous Hawkeye work to the second coming of Jack Kirby.  Seven months later, I stand by that statement, though this issue has little of the dynamic action that usually defines the term Kirbyesque.  Yet there is a smooth simplicity of function to Pulido's artwork that is reminiscent of The King and the book maintains a classic Marvel feel throughout. 

Hawkeye #12 - A Review

For the third month in a row, Hawkeye focuses on someone besides Clint Barton.  And for the second time in as many months, Francesco Francavilla replaces David Aja as the book's artist.  And for the first time in this book's run, I find myself wishing it was a more typical superhero title.



Matt Fraction tells a different kind of story here, focusing on Clint Barton's older brother Barney and his run in with the gangsters terrorizing Clint's neighborhood.  A number of flashback scenes are intercut into the narrative, showing the two brothers as children and how Barney began teaching Clint the skills he would use as Hawkeye.  We also see how this story ties in to the adventures of Clint Barton's dog from last month, which itself tied into the Kate Bishop story in Issue #10.  Perhaps this will pay off eventually but the whole affair seems like so much padding to me at this point, as we tread water until Clint finally confronts his enemies.


Thankfully, the artwork of Francesco Francavilla is far more effective this time around than in Issue #10.  The panel placement seems far more natural and the story is much easier to follow.  There's also far less splash-pages than in Francavilla's last outing - a change that plays far better to Francavilla's strengths.

In the end, even a lackluster issue of Hawkeye is not that bad and this remains one of the best books on the market.  I just think it will be better read in the trade-paperback collections than the monthly books given the slow pace Fraction has adopted in recent months.

Hawkeye #11 - A Review

This month's issue of Hawkeye, like last month's issue, sees Matt Fraction and David Aja playing with the idea of how graphic fiction works.  However, this issue is very different from Hawkeye #10, which played with stories being told through multiple viewpoints, with ideas being introduced out of sequence.  This month's issue, by contrast, is told entirely from the perspective of Lucky a.k.a. Pizza Dog a.k.a. Arrow a.k.a. Hawkeye's Dog.



The only story I can think of that has attempted to tell this kind of story in quite the same way is the episode of The Simpsons where Bart took his dog to obedience school and we were treated to a dog's eye view of the world, with everything rendered in black and white and all human language depicted as a series of drones except for certain key words. The language is treated in a similar fashion here but Lucky's perspective is further augmented by pictograms depicting what Lucky smells and hears that the humans around him miss.  It turns out they miss a lot and Lucky has a run-in with his former owners in the Pottsylvanian Mafia trying to investigate a murder that occurred right under Clint Barton's nose.  


This is, to put it simply, a brilliant idea and it is very well-executed graphically and textually.  I imagine dog lovers - even those who aren't usually comic readers - might get a kick out of this story, just for the novelty value.  The one flaw?  The final scene, which would really have benefited from having the full dialogue that Matt Fraction writes so well.  What happens is clear but I really want to know the exact words that are said!

A-Kon 24 Cosplay Photos - Part Four

The Scarlet Witch.   

The TARDIS from Doctor Who.   

Yvonna Lynn of Charisma +2 as Steampunk Black Cat.   

Sailor Scouts Saturn, Neptune, Uranus, Venus and Mercury.   

Carmen Sandiego   

Cammy from Street Fighter.   

Amber Sweet and Graverobber from REPO! The Genetic Opera.   

Hawkeye.   

Aela The Huntress from Skyrim.   

Elizabeth and Booker from Bioshock Infinite.   

Henchman 21 & 24 from The Venture Bros.   

Dallas Comic Con ~ The Other Pictures

I didn't mean to sit on these for so long, but I did want to wait for official permission from the photographers before I shared these pictures with you all.  Note that I'm not sharing every single picture I was later tagged in on Facebook - just the few that I thought were unique enough to be of interest.



Prince Eric with Black Canary and Green Arrow. Photo by Sarah Muller.   
Hawkeye vs. Green Arrow.  Hawkeye portrayed by Brendan Spano.  Photo by Vicki
 

Green Arrow vs. The Joker.  Photo by Jonathan Nguyen


Green Arrow with Boxing Glove Arrow.  Photo by Jonathan Nguyen.

Green Arrow and Black Canary also made the gallery of photos for the local ABC affiliate.  My thanks again to Lill Miss Whovian for being my Pretty Bird for the day.  If you're on Facebook, go check out her page. 

Dallas Comic Con 2013 - Sunday, Part Three

And now, the last of the last day's pictures...


Dallas Fan Girl as a crossplay Hawkeye.   

Raven from Teen Titans.

Lara Croft from the recent Tomb Raider reboot.    
Mrs. Incredible.    
An interesting trio: Black Widow, Black Canary and crossplay Comedian.
I'd met the Black Canary the day before, when she was a crossplay Hawkeye.
She was disappointed I wasn't Green Arrow for another day.    
Crossplay Loki.    
Rainbow Brite.
 Black Widow and crossplay Captain America.  
 Aqualad vs. Deathstroke.  This won't end well.    
Crossplay Eleventh Doctor.   

Thanks again to everyone who posed and to the staff of Dallas Comic Con and The Irving Convention Center!