Gotta Eat! Thanksgiving

"Behold! Beta Ray Thor, harbinger of cosmic justice and butter!"

Ah Thanksgiving, the mightiest of holidays as there's no gifts or religion required, only those you care about and you're expected to gorge and be gay (as in merry, do better). All my years of Food Network watching has prepared me well for the day as the turkey came out quite well once again. Since I don't brine or baste, I go with herb butter under and on top of the skin, a little trick one Tyler Florence taught me. Taking fresh thyme, rosemary and sage, I mashed the aromatic greens bits into some softened butter. From there, just run your hand gently under the skin to separate it from the meat and plop in bits of your fancy butter then coat the skin with it along with salt and pepper.

This year I got a bird just under 13 pounds after realizing 16 was too Damme big for only a handful of people like last year. I used chunks of carrots, onion, celery and apples as a roasting tray to keep the bird off the bottom and having it steam. Of course rinsing and patting the turkey dry is key so your butter and seasonings don't simply slide off. For the cavity it was a poultry blend of herbs along with some onion and apple. Genius struck as I realized I had a pack of uncured bacon in the freezer and used it to protect the breast instead of a tin foil tent. In hindsight I should have latticed the strips to form a blanket as simply draping the strips across the top and front resulted in many slices slipping off. No matter, the skin was nice and crisp, the meat juicy and moist.

Side dish wise I never get too crazy, mashed cauliflower along with some instant stuffing and mashed potatoes does the job. I was quite disappointed that Food Network was not showing Thanksgiving themed shows and specials all day but Jean-Claude Van Damme's drunk dancing in Kickboxer followed by snake punching in Hard Target saved the day. Hope you had a great one and are enjoying the leftovers!

Summer Cinema: Avengers Age of Ultron

It's not technically summer but according to Hollywood, it sure as heck is as Avengers: Age of Ultron hit theaters last night to the tune of $27 million bucks and an anticipated $200 + million weekend. After a surprisingly substantial happy hour at P.F. Changs, we joined the legions of graphic tee clad movie goers for a 7:00 PM showing in 3D. Trailers for Batman Vs Superman, Jurassic World, Ant-Man and Tomorrow Land got us going even though there were 3D trailers mixed in with no warning, come on Arclight!

Age of Ultron opens up at Baron Von Strucker's secret castle lair out in the woods where he's used Loki's alien powered scepter to enhance European twins Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. Now Wanda (Scarlett Witch in the comics) can do crazy stuff with her mind while Pietro (Quicksilver) is super fast. The Avengers (Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Black Widow, The Hulk and Hawkeye) have been looking high and low for the scepter and finally retrieve it but not before they're all mind jacked by Wanda. They have individual visions of their past and futures, not all of them sunny. Back in NYC, science bros Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to unlock the power of the scepter before it's returned to Asgard. They're also working on some artificial intelligence to create a "suit of armor" for the world which goes haywire and becomes Ultron, a huge robot with a twisted sense of humor who wants to destroy the Avengers and then the world. Lots of banter, action, hero team up smash moves, a little romance and world trotting follows. It was nice to see all of the characters getting things to do (Hawkeye becomes a much more central character) and there's some nice bromance between Cap and Thor and even Iron Man. New characters The Scarlett Witch, Quicksilver and The Vision are used to various degrees, basically there to fill a function and add some special f/x mayhem.

I had conflicted feelings watching Avengers, it was big and entertaining but it just wasn't that engrossing? Between the non-stop quips and jokes, as is Marvel's style to provide laughs but also cuts any tension, then the random stopovers and realizations (they get beat up then go to a farm house a la Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Splinterrrrrr!) or the ending where they fight a bunch of Ultron Storm Troopers and...direct civilian pedestrian traffic. Hmmmm. Thor goes on a random side mission while Quicksilver was used to much more effectively in X-Men: Days of Future Past. There's something very unheroic about a gearing up scene where a guy grabs a pair of Adidas sneakers..."Do you know karate? You do karate, man?" Double hmmm. We also get an Asian character! Who doesn't do much then goes away...Anyways, I was also pulled out of the movie by the absolutely sub-par 3D non-experience the Arclight provided. Their glasses are heavy and bulky and it was so dark with the glasses on I literally kept flipping them up to see people on screen with actual skin and flesh tones instead of a gray haze. Just another reminder that Hollywood hasn't figured it out. I'd like to see the flick again on a bigger screen and in 2D.

Paneled Goods: The 80's Avengers

Starting on my stack of comics from this past weekend's CalComicCon, first up were some early 80's adventures with Marvel's The Avengers.  These bad boys hailed from 1982, '83 and an annual from '84.  Boy howdy did they not disappoint.  #224's from October of '82's cover proclaimed it to be "The most offbeat Avengers tale - Ever!" and hoo boy were they not lying.  If there's anything I enjoy, it's a super hero comic book issue focused on some romantic sub-plot.  Remember when Captain America aka Steve Rogers went on a date with Diamondback aka Rachel Leighton? Here, Dr. Hank Pym aka Ant-Man, Yellow Jacket and Goliath has been imprisoned, set up by the maniacal Egg Head to steal Adamantium from the government.  Former wife and current leader of The Avengers Janet Van Dyne aka The Wasp is now one of society's most popular bachelorettes hitting the social scene trying to forget about her bi-polar, abusive husband.  Apparently Avengers walk around in full costume all the time so Janet has no idea Iron Man is actually playboy billionaire inventor Tony Stark underneath and the two begin dating.  Stark doesn't know how to tell Janet that he's actually Iron Man and ya know, friend and partner to her incarcerated husband!  But the two hit the gala scene, play games at the fair, fly to Jamaica (Tony Stark is yoked!) and are all lovey dovey until Captain America tells Stark to stop messing with their bro's wife and if there's nothing wrong with moving on, why hasn't he told Janet his true identity?

Meanwhile, new Ant-Man Scott Lang tries to convince Pym to bust out with him but the good doctor won't have it and make things worse.  Back at Avengers HQ, Thor tells Stark it's OK to be cruel to Pym if he's bringing happiness to Janet.  But when Tony reveals his true identity, The Wasp wants nothing to do with him anymore.  Phew!  Brought to you by Jim Shooter, Alan Zelenetz, Mark Bright, Brett Breeding, janice Chiang, Christie Schelle and Mark Gruenwald.  February of '83's #228 sees Hank Pym on trial with Egghead further complicating things by enlisting villains Tiger Shark, Beetle, Moonstone, The Shocker and Radioactive Man to attack the courthouse and making it look like Pym is one of them.  I was shocked, SHOCKED, to see Tiger Shark hurl a racial slur at the Asian Radioactive Man but I guess we still weren't out of the "Slap a Jap" era that Superman lived in...30 years prior.  Of course the writers are smart enough to ensure that such a remark doesn't go unnoticed and Tiger Shark quickly backs down when Radioactive Man shows off his powers that would f@ck Tiger Shark's racist @$$ up!  Avengers She-Hulk, Hawkeye, Thor, Wasp and Captain America mix it up with the super powered foes but not before they abscond with Pym.  I'm always on the lookout for ads featuring Marvel Heroes like those great Hostess ones where Spider-Man and Cap outsmart crooks by tempting them with Twinkies and other fine treats.  This issue we get Spider-Man foiling some diamond thieves with the Magic Snake Puzzle, a green contraption that unfolds and has 23 trillion possible configurations!  Eh...not as cool as Fruit Pies or a branded backpack from a cheese company. Roger Stern, Al Milgrom, Brett Breeding, Jim Novak, Christie Scheele, Mark Gruenwald and Jim Shooter on the case here.

Lastly was Avengers Annual # 13 from '84 featuring Marvel maestros Steve Ditko & John Bryne on art!  After Captain America stops The Fixer from breaking into a government installation, The Avengers are put on guard patrol as the joint houses many a project Dr. Bruce Banner aka The Incredible Hulk was working on before he went bye-bye in Hulk #300.  Scientific minds Douglas Arthur Cartland, Henry "Hank" Pym, Hank McCoy aka The Beast and Reed Richards aka Mr. Fantastic are invited down to check out Banner's work.  But the world's foremost genetic engineer, Arnim Zola (and dude with a robot body and giant face on his chest), has other plans as he uses some pink gunk to turn a sample of the Hulk's purple pants into mindless but strong clones that descend on the complex!  While Cap, Thor, Beast, She-Hulk and Wasp battle the army of Hulks, Richards and Pym have been ensnared in Zola's organic blanket of "bio-construct".  The two minds figure a major systemic shock would loosen up the blob so Captain Marvel lays hands on Zola and delivers a bolt of pure electrical force to set them free.  What a crazy issue, just action and weird sh!t all day with plenty of cameos thus making the plus sized Annual worth the $1.00 cover price.  Stern still scripts with Joe Rosen lettering and K. Feduniewicz coloring.

Now on to some Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos!  Awwwooo!

(Pre) Grudgement Day: Captain America Three

It was reported today that Robert Downey, Jr. is in final negotiations to join the cast of upcoming Marvel sequel, Captain America Three.  It's rumored that the role would only require a few weeks work but RDJ requested his part be expanded upon in the threequel that will tackle the comic book inspired Civil War.  In Marvel's cash grab mini-series, Iron Man and Captain America find themselves on opposite sides of a new Superhero Registration Act that requires all costumed heroes to reveal their identities and work for the government at their beck and call.  Of course Cap thinks this imposes on his and society's civil liberties and refuses while ol' Shell Head attempts to put him in his place.  We've already seen Cap-Iron friction in The Avengers so looks like we'll see a few rounds between the two in 2016.

On paper, it makes sense, RDJ has been coy about a fourth Iron Man up until now and in my opinion, has shitty villains cinematically speaking.  In part One he faced a bigger version of himself, in part Two he fought a bigger version of himself and a bunch of drones then in Three he took on a Mortal Kombat style, fire breathing villain in lieu of comic staple The Mandarin.  So shoving him into Cap Three gives audiences more of the character, adds some heat to the project and gives RDJ another fat payday without being center stage and not having to work the entire production.  This rubs me the wrong way because I honestly don't feel like Captain America has gotten to be the star of either movie in his own franchise.

Let's rewind a few years.  At seven years old, my mom bought me a copy of Roger Stern and John Bryne's collected run of Captain America: War and Remembrance.  That spectacular 9 issue run forever ingrained Cap in my brain as my favorite hero.  I've long been annoyed by the fact that writers portray him as some flag waving, boring, football playing meathead.  The guy was a sickly youth in the Depression that took to books and art then lost both parents at a young age.  That doesn't make you a jock douchebag, that makes you sensitive and complicated.  When his body catches up to his mind and ideals thanks to a bath of vita-radiation and shot of Super Soldier Serum, Steve Rogers becomes the embodiment of the man who can stand up and fight back.  Not because he's told to, because he wants to and now has the power to do so.  With every heart breaking event that happens to him, the passing of his mother, watching his best friend die, fighting in World War II, losing 50 years of his life in suspended animation, etc, Cap never loses the ability to learn from his experience and move on.  Never becoming jaded or cynical, his resolve is resolute.  He's not some flag waving propaganda tool, when a KKK like group demonstrates in Central Park, Cap doesn't automatically go after them, it may pain him but it's their right to speak their mind in a legal, non-violent fashion.  If they were to get out of line, he'd also be the first one to punch them back into shape.

So it's really frustrating that Cap can't even star in his own film.  Sure, sure, I liked the use of Peggy Carter, the Howling Commandos, Bucky, whoever Tommy Lee Jones played, the Red Skull, Arnim Zola and Howard Stark in the first film but part Two was literally the SHIELD movie.  It's like Cap has to be the place holder of the Marvel Movie Universe.  Want to know what happens after The Avengers?  Here ya go.  Think there should be a Black Widow movie?  This is a nice warm up.  Gotta keep the struggling television show relevant?  Ok we'll just go ahead and destroy the whole thing while hanging out with Robyn, Robert Redford and Samuel L. Jackson's Nick Fury.  Correct me if I'm wrong but pretty sure Iron Man only teamed up with a little kid for 20 minutes while that annoying blonde love interest showed up for a few scenes along with Don Cheadle's War Machine in their third installment.  Then in Thor Two, Loki had a part to play but was far from close to stealing the show or runtime from the God of Thunder.  Heck, they even got some family drama and light love triangle stuff in.

I'd be interested to see Cap going on an actual solo journey with familiar faces popping up along the way.  If we're talking comics, remember the time Cap shot a guy at the airport then gave up being Captain America when the Government tried to make him their lackey?  Steve goes underground, ends up fighting crime under a new moniker while the government enlists a mentally unstable, roided out patriot named John Walker who goes crazy and Steve has to take the mantle back, with his fists.  In the comics, former partners The Falcon and Bucky assume the Cap mantle and there's already fans clamoring for that.  Why is Cap the only hero in the Marvel Movie U that you could replace as an actor or character?  Fans would shit a brick if tomorrow we found out RDJ was being replaced by Zac Efron or if Liam Hemsworth picked up the hammer for Thor Three, I'm sure we'd all notice.  While DC's big blue boy scout, Superman, one of the most uninteresting characters out there due to his god like power but constant exploited weakness, Cap just can't seem to get no respeck as writers and creators keep treating him like a one note superhero when he is a whole lot more.

And where the heck is the Got Dammed Infinity Gauntlet already?!

Paneled Goods: Sunday w/ Thor, Howling Commandos and Captain America

Sunday morning started off with a short stack of comics procured from Long Beach Comic Con.  Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos issue 98 from May of 1972 caught my eye as the cover touted a comic book version of "men on a mission" flick The Dirty Dozen.  Costing a cool .20 cents 40 years ago, I paid a not bad $1.00 for the well read copy.  Co-creator of Ghost Rider Gary Friedrich handled writing duties while 10 year series regular Dick Ayers lays down his fantastic pencils.  After a previous mission lands Sgt. Nick Fury in the hospital, second in command Timothy Aloysius "Dum Dum" Dugan is put in charge of whipping a group of military rejects and prisoners into shape for a top secret commando mission.  With the help of regular Howling Commandos Dino Manelli, the handsome Hollywood actor and London's ascot and beret wearing Percival Pinkerton, the trio have two weeks to whip their motley crew into some semblance of soldiers.  With names like Hoss Cosgrove, Ace Hamilton, Hillbilly Wagner, Bullseye Miller, Snakeye Simpson and Howard Shigeta, all ethnicities are covered with backgrounds in professional wrestling, martial arts, country-western singing, sharp shooting and charges like manslaughter, drug running, intoxication, stealing and assaulting an officer among them.

Since it's a one issue adventure, we get a flashback to the operation where Fury is injured, Dugan's lack of confidence taking command, his Commando's psyching him up, training the rotten eggs and the final mission of capturing a German detachment for interrogation in just 21 pages.  Pick up any modern comic and see if half that much happens...a quick and entertaining read, I'm surprised they were able to pack so many characters and action into so little space.  But that's the beauty of old school comics, it's just go go go.  Contained in this puppy were several ads about working out, one featuring Mr. Olympia himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger!  Back in the 70's The Oak was making a living selling mail order workout materials before transitioning to films.

Captain America # 259 hails from July of 1981 with pencils by one of my favorite artists of all time, Mike Zeck and written by David Michelinie.  Costing .50 cents 30 years ago, again, I picked up this issue for a buck.  The cover of Cap fighting Doc Ock was just too good to pass up.  My collection from this era is pretty complete but I don't recall reading this issue.  Looking super yoked, Steve Rogers can't sleep one night and decides to get in some breakfast eggs before heading out to deliver some drawings as a commercial artist and a work out at Avengers Mansion.  Feeling like he's being tailed, Cap changes into a sweet black turtleneck and blue leisure-ish suit.  After rapping with Jarvis at Avengers HQ, getting swole and showering, Cap is given a letter from a soldier he met in World War II, Ray Coulson, a motorcycle riding courier.  Now an older man, Coulson needs Caps help as his son John has flown the coop and joined a motorcycle gang.  Turns out things weren't so good at home after Mrs. Coulson passed away.  Cap tracks son John down not to take him back but simply deliver an apology on behalf of his father who was trying his best.  Too bad The Huns are a bunch of punks with a Nazi flag hanging in their hideout and look to test Cap to a show of strength before letting him speak to John.  It's all interrupted when Spider-Man villain Doc Ock shows up, wanting to nab Cap's shield to study it's composition and strengthen his mechanical arms.  Of course nobody messes with Cap's shield so he goes about a whuppin' Doc's ass and winning the respeck of the violent biker gang.  John decides to come home to patch things up with pop and as a thank you, gives Cap a custom made motorcycle as a thank you.  This leads to many an adventure on the road in later issues where Cap travels the badlands in a souped up van that can launch out his bike.  In this issue we get an awesome advertisement for Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes where Spider-Man uses the sweet treats to trap a robber because nobody can resist Hostess Cupcakes and milk! 

The mother lode would be contained in the first volume of Walter Simonson's run as writer/artist on Thor.  Starting with #337 from 1983, these newly collected and cleaned up issues are phenomenal.  The cover touting a showdown between Thor and alien Beta Ray Bill brings you in right away.  Basically, Thor is living on earth to learn humility and protect the realm.  When he's not the hulking blonde god of Thunder, he's walking around as alter ego Donald Blake.  With the tap of his walking stick, Blake can transform into Thor.  Head of S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury shows up in his flying car to ask Thor to check out something other worldly and we're off and running.  Thor inspects a seemingly empty space vessel and awakens Beta Ray Bill, a monstrous, horse faced, orange skinned alien.  The two duke it out, ending with Bill being able to heft Thor's magical hammer Mjolnir, which can only be done by a handful of peeps like dad Odin or pure of heart Captain America.  Ruler of Valhalla Odin calls Bill and Thor back to the astral kingdom then pits them against each other in a duel to the death inside a volcano to determine who shall be worthy of carrying on the mantle of the royal Asgardian warrior. 

Man, this was just too good.  Simonson's art is crisp, detailed and exciting.  The colorization is vibrant and looks brand new.  We get sorrow, strength and determination from Beta Ray Bill's sad origins of being the last of his planet's kind, selected through trial and combat to be their savior and being subjected to numerous physical and psychological experiments.  Odin is truly the O.G. here as his power and reach seem limitless, decreeing this and that, making deals for his son and Bill.  We get Thor's supporting cast of mischievous brother Loki playing tricks on Thor's lusting partner in combat, Sif, who gets to kick all kinds of ass to prove her mettle and keep boredom at bay.  Beta Ray Bill looks like some kind of monster but ends up being an honorable creature saddened by the loss of everyone he knew.  Proving again that sometimes, the beast can be the beauty...or Beta Ray Thor!

Gotta Drank! Top of the Hyatt

Taking a stroll over to the Hyatt to the fulfillment room, I stumbled across a Dammaged Goods jam, sky high drinking and dining!  Located on the 40th floor of the Hyatt next to the Marriott next to the Convention Center is the aptly named, Top of the Hyatt, where you can snack on small bites like chips with dip or duck filled spring rolls.  They had a Long Island Iced Tea style concoction named after Marvel's Thor as a special as well as pages on pages of spirits and wine.  It's a great view from the top of San Diego's sprawling downtown streets, parks, marina, waterfront and boats as well as a nice place to take a break and recharge my phone before I headed back to the exhibition floor and evening panels.

Vernal Viewing: Captain America Double Feature

My local AMC hosted a Captain America double feature with The First Avenger and new sequel The Winter Soldier.  It started at 5:30 PM so there was just enough time to grab some grub and even better that we wouldn't be getting out at 2:30 AM.  With our event exclusive lanyards and posters secured, it was time to settle in for 2011's First Avenger.  I can't recall the last time I watched this was but it's always been my favorite film from Marvel and has much higher repeat viewing value than Iron Man, Iron Man Two, Thor, The Avengers, etc.  Watching it on the big screen, it still played in all it's rock'em, sock'em, World War Two, sci-fi tinged pulp action adventure glory that reminds us even the little guy can make a difference...as long as you have the will and a suped up, Olympian level body bestowed upon you via a top secret military experiment involving serums and vita-ray bombardment.  The flick moves fast, the jokes work and I totally forgot Tommy Lee Jones was in here and steals every scene.  The 3D effects were surprisingly noticeable this time around and people were still ducking in their seats when Cap's vibranium shield seemingly comes flying at you.

After a quick break, it was time for trailers.  So many trailers!  I think there were around 7, advertising summer fare like Amazing Spider-Man 2, Godzilla, Maleficent,  Guardians of the Galaxy and more.  Then it was time for The Winter Soldier, which has been garnering great word of mouth from early screenings and already opened to $75 million at the International Box Office.  Picking up some time after The Avengers, Steve Rogers aka Captain America is working for S.H.I.E.L.D. in Washington, D.C. with his old pal Nick Fury (Not Laurence Fishburne's Samuel L. Jackson).  When Cap objects to Fury's hidden agenda of preparing punishment before the crime, things start rolling and all of a sudden we're not sure who to trust.  Throw in vicious mystery gunman The Winter Soldier,  Cap's longtime comic book partner Sam Wilson aka The Falcon (Pain & Gain's Anthony Mackie), The Black Widow (ScarJo), UFC champ Georges St. Pierre as Batroc "zee leeper!", then a few other mystery villains and you've got yourself a modern action thriller steeped in comic book lore for the masses.  Of course it's partially based on the recent run of Cap comics but I never got through those because the first issues I read were boring and the art was uninspiring.  It also seemed to take some inspiration from the 80's mini-series, Nick Fury VS S.H.I.E.L.D. where the stalwart chief and secret agent finds himself wounded, hunted and not knowing who's really after him and which of his trusted colleagues is who they really say they are.

Perfect Captain America candidate from the 70's Robert Redford shows up as Fury's superior in a nod to his work in Three Days of the Condor.  Harkening back to that era's political thrillers, the moral dilemma of government monitoring its citizens and how far is too far to protect the country, Winter Soldier's story is nothing groundbreaking but is superbly executed.  I thought Thor:  The Dark World was Marvel's most polished production to date with it's ornate set and costume design but Cap 2 definitely has the best action.  The fist and feeticuffs are snappy and well choreographed.  You get more intricate hand to hand combat with lots of flips, spins and visually interesting cues.  Directors Joe and Anthony Russo do a terrific job of showing us Steve's augmented strength as he's kicking dudes across the room, running through walls and getting smacked around but still coming back for more.  Car chases and shootouts are solidly staged and there's out of nowhere shocks and thrills throughout.  I could go on but hey, go see the Damme movie already.  I'm planning to revisit Captain America:  The Winter Soldier this Sunday in regular 2D as I honestly didn't notice much in the post conversion to 3D so it's not worth the surcharge of discomfort.  Apparently the flick did over $10 million in early screenings on Thursday night, putting it ahead of tent poles like Man of Steel, The Hobbit:  Desolation of Smaug, Thor 2 and recent YA franchise starter Divergent.

Vertical take off!

Weird(cool) Panels: Thor

It's always fun to come across a randomly weird issue of mainstream comics.  Whether it's Bruce Banner's bachelor party or Steve "Captain America" Rogers going on a date, these offbeat stories are usually a nice break from the monotony of superhero comics.

In this case, it started in Thor # 364 from I believe 1984 for several issues in which God of Mischief Loki turns Thor into a frog!  But since he's Thor, he's a super frog with enhanced strength.  Roaming the ponds of New York's Central park, Frog Thor comes across Puddlegulp, a frog who is recruiting other amphibians to fight an army of evil rats looking to poison the water supply of NY with all the traps set out for them.  Throw in some sewer crocodiles controlled by a dude with a flute and you get one of the weirdest comic book scenarios I've come across in quite a while.

Damme Saturday: Comics and Moonshine

Saturday:  The seventh day, Nordic for bath day due to the Viking practice of bathing on Saturdays.

Thor:  Norse god associated with thunder and protecting mankind; a Marvel comic book hero created by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Jack Kirby.

Moonshine:  High proof distilled spirit, usually produced illicitly.  Also known as White Lightening.

I don't know how the stars aligned to give me such a pitch perfect early Saturday but after seeing Thor: The Dark World, I reached for a copy of Marvel Visionaries: Walter Simonson's The Mighty Thor, Volume 3 and started reading.  The collection starts as Thor leads an army into Hel to free the captured souls from Midgard (earth) being kept by Hela, Goddess of Death.  After facing down Hela in a one on one showdown and having his face scarred in the process, Thor emerges victorious and heads to earth to clear his mind.  There he gets mixed up with Beta Ray Bill, the Power Pack AND a jerry curled Beyonder to battle the evil Kurse, the super powered lackey of Malekith.

Simonson's art is crisp, detailed and exciting.  Being on a different world, the costumes and colors pop, creating a kick ass blend of medieval fantasy action.  I cracked up when some of Thor's warriors brought back crates of M-16's from Midgard and used them in Hel.  His writing is also commendable as it takes you to a different world of magic mixed with myth.  This is especially cool since most of Marvel's characters are grounded in reality, limitations and problems people could actually have.

The moonshine just seemed appropriate because each issue got crazier than the last.  I remember a story about Rob Liefeld being handed a stack of early Fantastic Four issues to read along with every Beatles album to listen to in the background.  The Beatles went to India and partook in some herbal enlightenment to open up their creative channels.  I can't listen to music while reading and don't do drugs so this 70 proof Apple Pie will just have to do.

Fall Flicks: Thor: The Dark World

I like to go into movies cold.  If the trailer looks good or it has a cast of actors I like, I'm basically in.  I don't read reviews and don't go for spoilers.  Even as a huge Marvel fan, I want to watch the movie and talk about it after, not read about it then go see it.  I looked up Thor to check the running time and for the first time actually read a synopsis of what I was about to see.  What followed was arguably Marvel's most polished production to date with a great sense of scale and scope levied by some harrowing action spectacle along with excellent performances from a talented cast.

Basically, watching Thor: The Dark World was nuts.  It was like the cinematic child of Lord of the Rings and Star Wars.  Comic book inspired science fiction mixed with myth blended with medieval action extravaganza.  It also goes to show you how ahead of their time cult movies like Highlander and Masters of the Universe were which tried to mix the same elements 30 years ago with less success.  It's cool to see how big and out there the Marvel movie universe has gone and it's gonna get real weird with Guardians of the Galaxy.  Bring on Thanos and the Infinity Gauntlet, please.  My hope is that the climatic showdown has something to do with Thor's hammer Mjolnir where Thor is racing to deliver the final blow, gets knocked out mid-flight, loses Mjolnir only to have it picked up by the only man in the Marvel universe worthy, Captain America, who then destroys some space villain ass with it.

All 3D screenings come with a 5-minute preview of Captain America: The Winter Soldier.  Watching trailers on your laptop doesn't compare to seeing one on the big screen with big sound.  The scene is a nasty bit of business inside an elevator in SHIELD HQ where agents pile in at every stop and try to capture Cap to no avail.  Then some scenes from the trailer played along with some new footage which got me giddy as a school boy.  Hopefully they do a double feature of The First Avenger and The Winter Soldier in April.

Cinema Showdown: DC vs Marvel

Booked my tickets to the Thor/Avengers/Thor:  The Dark World marathon and yesterday watched the Captain America:  The Winter Soldier trailer half a dozen times.  It's a great age to be a comic book and film fan.  Marvel has been knocking it out of the park since they launched their own studio and carefully constructed an interwoven cinematic universe of safe and entertaining if not daring movie fare.  Iron Man, Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Thor have all been given big budget, semi faithful adaptations on the big screen culminating in mega hit, The Avengers.

Meanwhile DC has struggled outside of the Christopher Nolan/Christian Bale Batman universe to capitalize on the thousands of characters at their disposal under Time Warner's vast multinational media network of film, television, print, video games, etc.  Justice League?  Scrapped.  Catwoman?  Please.  Green Lantern?  See ya later Ryan Reynolds.  The casting of Ben Affleck as the new Batman rankled more than a few movie going and comic book reading patrons but hey, never forget that Michael Keaton did a great job.

Why?  Because for Marvel it's all or nothing.  After years of selling off their titles and seeing cheap adaptations like 1990's Captain America (ehhhhh) and 1989's The Punisher (still best adaptation to date!) the stars finally aligned when Fox and Sony put up decent cash and directors for X-Men and Spider-Man in the 2000's, showing audiences that superhero movies could be equally exciting and dramatic.  Marvel Studios was formed to corral the remaining unlicensed characters and voila, 2008's Iron Man hit the mark and now we're moving into Phase II and Phase III of Kevin Fiege's legacy.

It's a different story for DC and Warner Brothers though, WB is only interested in the properties as brands and franchises, fodder for toy and tee-shirt deals and product in the company pipeline.  Harry Potter, Ocean's 11 and Nolan's Batman have run dry while Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit only has two more entries.  That's not a bad thing, they have to run their business.  But how else could you quantify the disjointed efforts of Superman on television, Shaquille O'Neal as Steel, the expensive mess of Green Lantern and Halle Berry as Catwoman?  Oh and it doesn't help they have David S. Goyer as their in house authority, remember when he was handed the keys to his own franchise then drove it into the fucking ground and gave us Blade:  Trinity?  The white-washed, slow motion fest sitcom?  Didn't think so.

Warner Brothers may have started the conversation with Superman and Batman but now they can't keep up because they're making the movies for all the wrong reasons.  How else can you explain Batman's inclusion into the rebooted Superman sequel?  A)  It shows how desperate they are to start their cinematic comic book universe and B)  Shows you how boring Superman is as a character.

Just like the comics, Make Mine Marvel!  With these mash up Hulk credits!