All posts filed under: Our Thoughts

Black Superman; Powerful or Pandering?

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SO, it has been officially announced that the JJ Abrams Superman project will indeed be a reboot. The screenplay will be written by comic book writer, journalist, and novelist Ta-Nehisi Coates and Abrams will be on as producer. No word yet if he will take the director’s chair as well but time will time. The confirmation of the reboot means that Henry Cavill has officially lost the role (should have done the damn cameo in Shazam, sir!) and the Man of Steel moving forward will likely be played by a black actor. This is sure to create some reactions in the community so let’s break it down; is this a poweful move or is this just a studio attempt to pander? 1: Cavill: To get started we need to address the death we saw coming. We know that Abrams was on the fence with the idea of moving forward with Snyder’s Superman, Henry Cavill. My prediction was that the studio would first wait and see how the Snyder Cut performed on HBOMax before making the …

The Concept of the Soul in Current Nerd Fiction

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Let’s get existential for a bit! One particular thing that has stood out to me lately is the emphasis on the concept of the human soul across “nerd” fiction. My first encounter with the idea came with Jonathan Hickman’s House of X/Power of X miniseries, followed by Ernest Cline’s follow-up Ready Player Two, and most recently the latest installment into the Sword Art Online franchise. I wanted to take a look at the three versions and discuss the science fiction approaches to the idea of the soul. X-Men: In this miniseries we learn that mutants have not only struck a deal with the living island of Krakoa to form a new home for their kind, but have also approached innovative uses of their abilities to basically create immortality. By taking five mutants with powers of healing/regeneration, time acceleration, egg creation, reality warping, and snychronization, mutants have learned to hatch identical physical copies of their bodies. Cerebro, the famous mutant detection machine of Xavier, is now used as a psyche backup system to store the thoughts, …

‘WandaVision’ and the Laws of Magic

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We are just one week away from the FINALE of the WandaVision limited series over on Disney+. Yes, as of right now, the show focusing on Wanda Maximoff and Vision is said to be a ‘one and done.’ Thought it is worth noting that when it comes to Kevin Feige we should never say never, it’s also good practice to not get our hopes up either. Regardless, there is a ton to discuss from this weeks episode and I wanted to focus on the magical elements that have been introduced. Before this episode confirmed the presence of magic in Westfield the only presence of real magic in the MCU was in 2016’s Doctor Strange. Episode eight showed us the history of Agatha Harkniss and IMPORTANT retcons(?) to Wanda Maximoff. The new details have built her up not only as one of the most powerful characters in the MCU but one of the most exciting to follow. 1: It was Wanda all along: Age of Ultron provided the background information to the Maximoff twins; we learned …

Snyder’s ‘Justice League’ Trailer Breakdown

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So! At long last we have our second official trailer for the Zack Snyder’s Justice League. I wanted to take a little time to break it down and go over some of the highlights so, let’s get to it. Snyder Stop Spoiling Your Stuff!: The trailer looks fantastic, but I have to comment on Snyder’s fan status that is equal to the public. He is just so excited that everyone is going to be seeing this and he’s so happy to see DC fans geek out that he just CANNOT stop spoiling his own goods. He did this back in 2016 with his BvS trailer by revealing the Doomsday third act appearance and by giving fans the money shot of the trinity standing together. THAT kind of footage is stuff you save for the big screening! The lead up to this trailer is no different. In the past week he gave us that new shot of Darkseid that revealed the appearance of Granny Goodness, he gave us those money shots of Superman and Cyborg, and …

‘Light of the Jedi’;Worthy Start for a New Era of Star Wars

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Star Wars fans have long been awaiting the launch of the new High Republic materials launching for 2021. The first of the list, Light of the Jedi, hit its release on January 5 and since then has climbed up the New York Times best seller list. Despite its great performance in stores does the title deliver on its content? Let’s break it down. THE BAD I usually like to start reviews by kicking off with the positive. However, I only have one real complaint for this title. Therefore, let’s get these minor whines out of the way so we can dig into what makes this book special and what it means for the future. This Room Too Crowded: It’s a little tough to keep up with all these characters! Light of the Jedi is trying to set up a new time period, a new economic and political landscape, a ton of new characters, and a new evil force in the galaxy while delivering its plot. The book does try to embark on too much but …

‘Black Leopard Red Wolf’ Live-Action Project for Amazon; How Will it Work?

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It is quite the coincidence that on the day I finish Marlon James’ Black Leopard Red Wolf the news is announced that Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society signs an exclusive deal with Amazon Studios! As some may know, Michael B. Jordan purchased the rights to the first installment of James’ Dark Star Trilogy back in 2019 one day after the book was published! By the terms of this deal, should the book be adapted into a series, its home is confirmed to be Amazon’s streaming service. Amazon is home to some critic and fan hits such as The Marvelous Miss Mazel, The Boys, and Fleabag. The question is, would a fantasy fiction novel such as Black Leopard Red Wolf fit into the streaming service and if so, how would it be adapted for the visual medium? 1: Unapologetically LGBT: Those who have read the novel, if you pushed on through the unique pacing within the first hundred pages, know that this is one of the best depictions of LGBTQ characters in fiction ever. How do …

The X-Men Vote; Ten Candidates Ranked

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As all fans of Krakoa are aware we recently had the opportunity to vote, from a selection of ten mutants, on which lucky character would make the rank of X-Man on Hickman’s upcoming assembled team. Now, this is exciting for many reasons. First, I don’t think fans have gotten to vote on something comic related since deciding if Jason Todd lived or died? No? Second, the Hickman age of the X-books has been great fun and, if he is to continue to work specifically on the X-Men title, I’m excited to see which mutants he brings together and what story he develops in the new ongoing book. Not all of the options excited me! My salty breakdown will depict such, but there were several contestants that made the final decision tough so let’s get started. 10. Srong Guy: No. 9. Banshee: He’s a character that I feel doesn’t get enough credit, especially considering he was there for the original fight against Krakoa, the battle of the M’kraan crystal, and just a prominent member of the …

Evan Peters’ Character on ‘WandaVision’; Who is he Really?

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WandaVision continues to escalate week to week with episode five being no exception. As always, this is going to be filled with a ton of spoilers so, if you haven’t seen the latest episode, you have been warned! A TON went down this week but the biggest reveal would have to be those final seconds where Evan Peters (Pietro from the Fox X-Men movies) steps through the door and Wanda receives him as her brother. In other words, as Darcy so easily put it, Pietro has been recast! Or has he? Sorry folks, but as much as Twitter has been aflame with the idea that this is the first hint of the anticipated multiverse in the MCU there is no doubt it is not the situation. A: The Rules of Wanda’s Powers: Thanks to Monica and team we have been given a better idea as to how Wanda’s reality warping powers seem to operate in the MCU. Monica’s 70’s attire and the truth of Vision’s corpse serve as our best examples; Wanda cannot create anything …

‘Bridgerton’ (Spoiler) Review; Everything is Great Except Those Two

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Bridgerton is a new series on Netflix which essentially is Gossip Girl meets Pride & Prejudice; sold. Sign me up. Here is the good and the bad of this month’s latest guilty pleasure. THE GOOD Eloise Keep Giving no F****: She smokes in secret, she doesn’t give a s*** at the dinner table, she lacks chill when gossip is dropping, and her desire to be free and live her life as she pleases are just the tip of the iceberg of what make Eloise the best Bridgerton of all. Claudia Jessie steals the show in just about every scene she’s in-even if she doesn’t have any lines. I found her charming, entertaining, and a real delight to see on screen. Her devotion to her friend and the dichotomy of her naive yet realistic view of the world were absolutely fantastic. I will say, she is no Harriot the Spy! The girl was guessing everyone and their mother except for the real Lady Whistledown, but it’s ok! I have to say I often wished her story …

‘Batgirl Beyond’…?

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It has been known for several months that both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck are set to appear in the upcoming Flash movie. The movie will serve as a farewell to Affleck’s version of the character and pave the way for a new actor to take on the role. To clarify, this will be the new Batman for HBOMax as Robert Pattinson has his own trilogy in the works over on the big screen. As of today the word on the street is that the new Bruce Wayne is actually a returning face with Michael Keaton once again taking on the iconic cowl; or will he? Rumors online have been stating that he would return as the billionaire but would not be on “active duty.” Instead, he would be a futuristic mentor looking after a new hero patroling the streets of Gotham. Yes, one would assume that what we are getting is live-action Batman Beyond; the popular animated classic that has held a cult following over the last couple of decades. However, it would appear …