Tomb Raider (2018)

I love adventure stories.  As a fan of the genre I think we don't get nearly enough good jungle treasure hunt stories these days - the last one that comes readily to my mind is 'Kong: Skull Island' - and not to split hairs but that one didn't really have any treasure hunts in it.  As a fan of the genre the rebooted 'Tomb Raider' movie was my most anticipated movie for this year.  It got to a point where my friends were asking me: "So, are you exited for Avengers: Infinity War?" and I was like - "No, I've used up all the excitement I can spare on Tomb Raider."

So a lot of people who are only familiar with Tomb Raider from the Angelina Jolie movies had a built in prejudice against this movie for not being the Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider.  I wasn't a gamer kid, and I've only really been introduced to the gaming subculture fairly recently when my big brother went and married into a family of gamers - so Angelina Jolie was my introduction to Tomb Raider as well.  I like those movies, but comparing this reboot to those is an apples and oranges type comparison.  It'd be like comparing 'Batman Forever' and 'Batman Begins'.

Like Batman Forever, those early Tomb Raider movies still have a fanbase who look on those movies with rose tinted goggles.  I'm a part of that fanbase, but I watch Angelina Jolie for the same reason I'd watch a big name action star like say, Arnold Schwarzenegger - for a cheesy check-your-brain-at-the-door action movie.  And quite frankly I've loved Alicia Vikander in everything I've seen her in, and she can act circles around Jolie.
  
This particular Tomb Raider movie is kind of an adaption of the recent games 'Tomb Raider (2013)' and 'Rise of the Tomb Raider' smooshed together.  If you're curious as to how it holds up as an adaption, this video is worth a watch.  I've heard a fair bit of criticism from people saying that the movie just kind of copy-pasted elements from the games whilst making a whole bunch of changes to the story.  So, people think it's too loyal and too disloyal an adaption at the same time.  Personally I thought the action set-pieces they adapted from the games - such as the shipwreck and rickety derelict WW2 airplane - were visually stunning and the changes to the story really made things fresh and kept the movie from being predictable.

There have been a lot of different takes of Lara Croft over the years - between Games, Movies, and those late 90's early 2000's comics I was really into in my teen years.  I've built up sort of a head-canon of what sort of character Lara Croft is from these different sources, and I thought it would be fun to see how the Lara of the movie matched my head-canon.  Spoilers for the new movie by the way.

In my opinion one of the defining characteristics of Lara Croft is loss and/or betrayal.  One of reasons she's such a loner is that she doesn't let people get too close because everyone she cares about either dies or ends up betraying her.  This movie deals with Lara dealing with - or rather choosing NOT to deal with - the loss of her Father who disappeared looking for the tomb of Himiko seven years prior to the beginning of the story.

The other big defining characteristic of the Lara Croft I built up in my head is that she's something of an eccentric thrill-seaker.  She's an obsessive treasure hunter - she's not in it for academic discovery, she's not in it for the money (She's already crazy rich) She's in it for the adrenaline rush.  Remember the part in the 2001 movie where she's bungee jumping from the vaulted ceiling of Croft Manner?  Yeah, she's bored and rich.  

My head canon for Lara Croft is also that she has zero love life.  Why?  A). Because of her trust issues  - like I've mentioned earlier she's been betrayed and hurt before.  Rival Treasure Hunter/Ex-Boyfriend Chase Caver from those 90's comics comes to mind.  B). Because she doesn't have time.  Being the obsessive treasure hunter that she is she's married to her hobby.  I was really happy this movie didn't try to give Lara a love interest.  The 'guy of the week' approach is one of the things I don't like as much about the Angelina Jolie movies.

The new movie subverts this a little bit: She's not rich yet.  She WILL be - the Croft fortune is waiting for her - but she refuses to accept it, just as she refuses to accept that her Father is dead.  As for being a thrill seeking treasure hunter - well she's not a treasure hunter yet.  And while she never bungee jumps from the ceiling, bits of that thrill seeking Lara shine through.  She has multiple athletic pursuits - including archery, boxing, and bike racing.  Backlashes to kid-Lara practicing archery were a particularly nice touch as it foreshadowed her use of the bow later on.

According to my research, in every version of the Tomb Raider canon since the 1999 comic 'Saga of the Medusa Mask' Lara Croft has been an orphan.  Makes sense that that started in the comics - ask any Batman fan, all the best comic book characters are rich orphans.  This was written into the 2001 movie 'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' and was adopted into canon in the games as well starting with 2006's 'Tomb Raider: Legend'.  So as a Tomb Raider fan when you hear this new movie is about Lara Croft searching for her missing father you know from the get-go Lord Richard Croft is dead.  So when Lara finds him living like a modern day Ben Gunn on the island it was quite a plot twist.  On the other hand, it makes Lord Croft's inevitable demise a little predicable.  Because we've got to maintain that status quo of orphan Lara.  Also, this ties back into that Lara dealing with loss story-line.

I really like that the entire end game of a movie called Tomb Raider is that people want to raid a tomb.  Thinking back on the previous movies, I don't think Angelina Jolie's Lara Croft raided a single tomb.  A couple lost temples maybe, but she's not 'Lara Croft: Temple Raider' now is she?

Like Indiana Jones, the Tomb Raider movies often deal with the supernatural.  And this is the other way this movie subverts our expectations.  Himiko - the mummy in the tomb that everybody is so keen on raiding - is just a dead lady.  There's nothing supernatural about her in this version.  Bwuuu?  What's going on here?  This is a change from the source material.  In the 2013 game, Himiko was an undead queen with the mystical ability to control the weather.  This is why the waters in the devil's triangle are so treacherous, and is the whole reason Lara got shipwrecked in the first place.  I get why fans are upset about this change.  It's a cool idea (Although one has to ask, what about all the shipwrecks and plane crashes in the Bermuda triangle, hmm? What's causing those, hmm?) so I can see why people wouldn't like the change.  I thought it worked well, and like I said a non-supernatural explanation subverted my expectations.  

And remember what I said about Lara being defined by loss and betrayal?  There's a last minute stinger suggesting that somebody close to her is the leader of the shadowy organization Trinity - y'know the guys looking for Himiko's tomb - and Lara will presumably become that obsessive treasure hunter we know and love in an attempt to take down Trinity.

I've heard people complain that this was just a paint-by-the-numbers adventure movie and I really didn't think that was the case.  This was a fun jungle romp that subverted my expectations while more or less staying true to the character I picture when I think of Lara Croft.  And it temporarily satisfied my desire for more adventure movies.  Seriously Hollywood, more adventure movies?

-Geekboy.

Geekboy's Movie Poster Collection: Part 1

So I just spent the last two weeks doing a massive remodel of my bedroom.  Throwing Spackle around, repainting, building new shelves, tearing out old carpet, and rearranging my furniture.  I decided I wanted some new wall art to go with the new paint job.  I'd found a dealer on Ebay who specializes in the reproduction of vintage posters at reasonable prices, and I'd been drooling over them for a while.  I finally took the plunge and purchased some of my favorites.

First up we have the 1941 Republic serial 'Jungle Girl'.  If you know me you know that this is my all time favorite serial, so picking up this one was an obvious move.

As this dealer also had the 1942 follow up, 'Perils of Nyoka,' I bought it as well so I'd have a complete set.

Third we have 1949's 'King of the Rocketmen'.  This is the first of four Republic serials to feature the Rocketman suit - the others being 'Radar men from the Moon' (1952) 'Zombies of the Stratosphere' (1952) and 'Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe' (1953).  Each of the Rocketman serials uses a significant amount of stock footage from the previous installments, so watching them back to back can get pretty redundant.

Fun fact: The Rocketman serials are the primary source of inspiration for Dave Steven's comicbook hero 'The Rocketeer'.

George Lucas also named one of the Clone Troopers from Star Wars 'Commander Cody' as a tribute to the character from 'Radar Men' and 'Sky Marshal'.

And finally we have the 1968 science fiction film 'The Green Slime'.  This is kind of the odd one out in a collection for Cliffhanger Serial posters, but it's an awesome poster and I wanted it, okay?

It may be an awesome poster, but the movie that goes with it is slightly less awesome.  It does have a rocking theme song though - give a listen here:

 -Geekboy.

On Free Comics...

Happy Free Comic Book Day everyone!  If you have a local comic shop I hope you took advantage of the free stuff/sales/artist meet ups.  I also hope you didn't have to stand in line for too long.  In years past I remember feeling like I was trapped in an elevator with about 60 other people, but this year the crowds weren't too bad.  I don't know if this was because of the rainy weather or if the cashiers have speedy checkout lines down to a science after so many years of experience.  Possibly a combination of the two.

My local store had their first ever costume contest!  I didn't participate.  Found out about the contest too late to whip anything together.  I considered making a black mask and going as Man Without Fear/Netflix Season One Daredevil, but ultimately decided 'Nope.'  I enjoyed seeing others in costume, however.  Present and accounted for were DC comics 'Bombshells' Wonder Woman, The Riddler, Han Solo, and a family of T-Rex and Godzilla.

As well as my free comics, I picked up 'Wolf Moon' by Cullen Bunn of 'The Sixth Gun' and 'Harrow County' fame, and the first two volumes of the Steampunk series 'Lady Mechanika'.

The free comics and sales are nice, but the best part of the experience - and this is coming from a super reclusive introvert - is rubbing shoulders (perhaps literally) with like-minded nerds.  In the year since last FCBD I'd forgotten the sense of energy radiating from the community.  If you missed this year, be sure to catch it the first Saturday of May next year.

-Geekboy.

Why You Should Read: Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D.

Hey, Happy New Year.  Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.  Personally my Christmas was so merry I spent most of last week recovering.  You may have noticed I took a week off from posting, and I think I needed the break.  I could have easily given myself THIS week off too.  I don't know about you guys, but taking two weeks off from something you do every week can easily turn into three weeks.  You get the picture right?  If I don't post right here and now I'd probably never post again.  So this is me.  Writing a blog post.

Today I'd like to talk about what I think is THE BEST SILVER AGE SCIENCE FICTION COMIC OF ALL TIME.  Now, I'm not really a comic expert or historian.  I can only compare this to the few other silver age books on my shelf.  I'm talking about the original 'Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D.' series created by Russ Manning in 1963 and published by Gold Key Comics.

Welcome to the year 4000 A.D.  The place is the continent sized city North AM.  Humanity has become soft as benevolent Robots do all the work in the future.  These robots take cues from Isaac Asimov's rules of robotics (never harm humans or allow humans to come to harm, and so on).  Unfortunately some of the robots follow the rules of robotics better than others.  Some have been corrupted and reject their programming.  Humanity has grown too weak to fight against these evil robots.  Enter Magnus, an individual who has been raised separately from the rest of society by one of the first and few remaining GOOD robots.  He has trained all his life and has gained a superhuman strength.  In addition he has a cyborg implant in his brain so he listen in to the telepathic speech of the robots.

Magnus is joined on his crusade by Leeja Clane and her father Senator Clane.  Leeja is very much a product of her time, but I feel like she's a bit less of a cardboard cutout than most comic book heroines of the silver age.

Although each issue is basically in the monster of the week format, the people of North AM are all 'Oh look, there's a new robot threat! Who will save us?' and Magnus is like, 'I will! Watch me punch robots in the face!' there is a greater sense of continuity than most comics that I've read from the same time period.  For example: In the first issue of Magnus and Leeja come across a group of people who have been captured by evil robots.  The captives are put in stasis and their brains are used to power a supercomputer.  These individuals reappear in a later issue, and because their brains were all connected for so long they developed powerful telepathic abilities.

As well as having a loose sense of continuity the world building in 'Magnus Robot Fighter' is pretty well thought out.  For example: As North Am is a continent sized city the book answers questions like 'How do these people grow food?'  Answer: They have underwater farms!

One thing 'Magnus' has going for him over other silver age comics like 'Adam Strange' for example, is that the stories take time to breathe.  The average Adam Strange story is only 10 to 15 pages long.  The Magnus comics are all 27 pages in length.  Magnus, although it's a bit cheesy when viewed through a modern lens, is also a much harder science fiction then other silver age comics I've read.  While Magnus is asking what would happen if machines one day became masters over their creators 'Adam Strange' features aliens who suck people up with Vacuum Cleaners.

I've yammered on about the story so long I haven't even touched on the artwork!  You can forget about the story, Magnus is worth reading for the art alone.  It fluctuates between highly detailed and minimalism in style.  One panel you'll have an incredible futuristic city skyline in the background and the next you'll have flat color.  I think this is done strategically.  Russ Manning is guiding your focus, either to the incredible world he's created in the detailed panels or to the characters and the action of the fight scenes in the minimal panels.  And of course, every issue features a ton of retro robots, flying cars, and wacky retro futuristic fashion design.

Dark Horse comics has collected the classic 'Magnus Robot Fighter 4000 A.D. in 3 volumes, in both Hardcover and Trade Paperback.  I recommend that you give it a try if you haven't already.  In a way, the question of 'Do we rely to much on technology?' is just as relevant - if not more so - in this digital age.  'Magnus' may be a little cheesy and a little dated, but I personally think it's a few notches above other comics from the same time period.

-Geekboy.

Why You Should Read: The Tooth

The Tooth is a Graphic Novel written by one of my favorites, Cullen Bunn, working in collaboration with writer Shawn Lee and artist Matt Kindt.  This quirky story is a love letter to Horror and Superhero Comics of  a bygone era.

The titular Tooth is a gigantic beast of great strength that can shrink down to the size of a fang and fit in the mouth of a host.  The Tooth forms a symbiotic relationship with his host, in this case our mere mortal of a protagonist named Graham.  Whenever Graham is threatened - which happens quite often over the course of the story - The Tooth springs from his mouth in a Hulk like rage and rips the threat limb from limb.

This may sound pretty straightforward so far, but The Tooth is a comic within a comic.  There are fictional retro-style advertisements and a letters page that alludes to a massive continuity of the character 'The Tooth,' the many hosts that came before Graham, and a Rouges Gallery of Super Villains that we never get to meet within the pages of the Graphic Novel.

I'd like to take a minute to talk about Matt Kindt's art style.  At first glance it seems rather simplistic, almost childlike, but if you take a closer look you can tell Mr. Kindt knows what he's doing.  There are some really strong panel compositions here.  Matt Kindt's loose style really adds to the charm of this book.

As well as paying homage to comics as a storytelling medium, there are several visual nods to Ray Harryhausen (such as a guest appearance of the Mechanical Owl form Clash of the Titans, and Graham mentioning that the Dragon of Ares 'Sounds like something from a Harryhausen movie' the very next page) Which is appropriate as Harryhausen is the one who helped popularized stories about two monsters punching each other in the face.  It's also appropriate since The Tooth's origin is rooted in Greek Mythology.

There's a moment towards the end of the graphic novel that I really like: The Tooth Graham, and his ally Sheriff Turnbull are attacked by a hoard of Vampire women (who are wearing skimpy red dresses and black knee-high boots as a nod to 70's horror comic icon Vampirella) and Graham tries to ward them off by putting two sticks together to form a cross.  He is informed that he doesn't have enough faith to repel a Vampire.  So the Sheriff whips out his badge and drives off the Vampire using his faith in the law.  This is exactly the sort of thing I mentioned before on this blog about symbolism getting lost in modern day Vampire fiction.  It's not the cross that drives away a Vampire, but Faith in what the cross represents.

This book is a ton of fun, and comes from a creative team that clearly loves comics.  I consider The Tooth one of the gems of my collection, and I encourage you to give it a read if you have the chance.  It's quirky and fun and has big monsters punching each other.  You won't regret it.

-Geekboy.

Star Wars vs. Flash Gordon: Cloud City

It's no secret that Star Wars was partially inspired by Flash Gordon.  George Lucas stated in interviews that he was a big fan of the serial 'Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe' as a kid.  Pretty much any Flash Gordon fan will tell you that Cloud City was a visual nod to the flying city of the Hawkmen.  But it goes a little further than the striking visual of a city in the air.  There seem to be parallels in the events that take place on Cloud City, and even parallels of character arcs for Lando Calrissian and King Vultan.

In both stories our heroes are on the run.  Flash, Dale, Dr. Zarkov and Prince Thun are trying to escape from Emperor Ming.  They've been sent as slaves to the flying city but escape when the rocketship transporting the prisoners crashes.  They are later captured by Vultan and Princess Aura, who arrived in Vultan's kingdom ahead of them.

In 'Empire Strikes Back' Han Solo and Princess Leia are of course escaping from the forces of the Empire.  They land in Cloud City for repaired unaware that Boba Fett and Darth Vader have beaten them there.

King Vultan tries to add Dale to his harem.  'Empire Strikes Back' tones this down a little bit, but Lando does some non-stop flirting with Leia in front of Han.  What's that classic Cars song?  'Best Friend's Girl?'  Yeah, that's the one.

Both Lando and Vultan are authority figures in their flying cities, but they both bow to the greater authority of the Empire.  In both cases they are willing to turn our heroes over to the villains in the best interest of their city and the people they rule over.

So our heroes are now in the clutches of the villains.  Flash Gordon is tortured by Princess Aura because he has once again chosen Dale over her and she's a woman scorned.  Han Solo is tortured by Darth Vader because...well, dramatic reasons?  He's the bad guy.  Just go with it.

So here the stories deviate a little bit.  Lando's conscience finally gets the better of him.  He's growing more and more uncomfortable with his arrangement with Darth Vader, who has 'Altered the Deal' one time too many.  He and Han Solo had been old friends after all.  So he helps Princess Leia and Chewbacca escape so they can try to rescue Han from Boba Fett.

In Flash Gordon King Vultan and Flash are not old friends.  They are in fact enemies.  So naturally this plays out differently.  Flash and Zarkov escape to try and save Dale from Vultan.  While Flash is doing what he does best - the more active part of going to rescue, Zarkov is doing what he does best - working behind the scenes.  He sabotages the flying city.  It's no longer a flying city.  It's a falling city.

So they make a deal with King Vultan.  Zarkov will fix the flying city IF and WHEN Vultan lets them go.  They don't have a lot of time for negotiating, so naturally Vultan agrees to there terms.  King Vultan is so grateful when Zarkov fixes the city - even though Zarkov broke it in the first place - that he allies himself with our little band of heroes.

So when Ming shows up to take our heroes prisoner again Vultan intervenes.  Rather allow Flash to be taken prisoner he calls for 'The Tournament of Death!'  With friends like these, am-I-right?  So Flash must now fight in an arena for his life and freedom.

The two stories do play out differently, but there are parallels even in the differences.  Lando uses his remaining influence in Cloud City as a last ditch effort to rescue Han, Chewie and Leia.  Vultan uses the traditions of Mongo to give Flash a way to earn freedom for Dale and himself.

The similarities don't end there either.  Lando and Vultan both aid the heroes in battle later on in the story as well.  Lando Calrissian joins the Rebellion and leads the battle against the second Death Star in 'Return of the Jedi'.  King Vultan and his army of Hawkmen becomes one of Flash Gordon's greatest allies in his fight against against Emperor Ming.

As I said, Flash Gordon fans tend to bring up the Hawkmen and Cloud City when they talk about Flash Gordon's influence on Star Wars.  I can definitely see why.

- Geekboy.

Why You Should Read: Pinocchio Vampire Slayer

Welcome to 'Why you should read...' Monster Month edition.

'Pinocchio Vampire Slayer' is a series of all age graphic novels by Dusty Higgins and Van Jensen.  Originally printed in 4 volumes 'Pinocchio Vampire Slayer' 'The Great Puppet Theater' and 'Of Wood and Blood' Part 1 and 2, the series has since been collected as a single volume.

Taking cues from the original fairy tale rather then the Disney adaption, 'Pinocchio Vampire Slayer' is a brilliant mashup.  You can't help but wish you'd come up with the idea of a wisecracking puppet who can mass produce wooden stakes just by lying.  If you HAD come up with it, you'd probably dismiss it as a terrible middle-of-the-night idea and you'd realize it'd never work the next morning.  Dusty Higgins and Van Jensen take this middle-of-the-night idea and run with it, crafting a miniature dark fantasy epic epic.

I called this an all ages story, and that's pretty much true.  It's a little dark, but it's a dark comedy, and there's always a good dose of humor to balance the tension.  The art style is also dark, but it's a quirky dark with a fun energy to it.  Your average 10 - 12 year old should definitely be fine with this book.  There is a high body count however, and this story deals with some pretty heavy themes including loss and coming face to face with - and excepting - your own mortality.  It's the best kind of all ages: kid friendly and entertaining with enough sustenance for adults to enjoy as well.

There are also a ton of literary and historical references in this series.  As well as all of the references to the original Pinocchio, The Great Puppet Theater performs both 'Hamlet' and 'The Merchant of Venice' and Shakespeare buffs should find these bits hilarious.

--- Spoilers ahead ---

As for historical references, Vlad the Impaler - inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula - plays a role in the series.  Higgins and Jensen masterfully intertwine the bloodthirsty actions of Vlad Tepes and the origin of Pinocchio.

This book also mashes up several genres.  As well as being a fun horror comedy, 'Pinocchio Vampire Slayer' has plenty of swashbuckling action - such as the ship battle in volume two - and some light steampunk elements, like the hot air balloon and Bird Man in volume three.

There are also some pretty creative and gripping cliffhangers between volumes.  For example, at the worse possible time Pinocchio is turned into a very mortal real boy.

'Pinocchio Vampire Slayer' is a fun comic that I think everyone can enjoy, and it deals with some pretty important themes.  That might not win you a ton of awards like a dark and edgy adult graphic novel, but in my opinion it's the best kind of comic.  I definitely recommend you check this one out.

-Geekboy.

Why You Should Read: The Tick

The Tick.  A character created by a by young Ben Edlund, a fan of superhero comics during the 1980s, which was one of the most influential decades for superhero comics.

The 80s gave us creators like Frank Miller and Allan Moore, who pushed the envelope of what was and wasn't acceptable to depict in comics.  These individuals thumbed their noses at the Comics Code Authority and all the regulations that made sure comics stayed squeaky clean and kid friendly.  So much of what is going on in comics and superhero movies now is a result of the 80s.

Early issues of Ben Edlund's original run of 'The Tick' walk a line between affectionate parody that outright mockery of the darker and edgier comics of the time.  At one point the Tick declares: "I'm a SUPERHERO!  I don't want to STOP crime!  I just want to FIGHT it!"  These were funny and relevant when they were written, and in a post Christopher Nolan society where people are still throwing around buzzwords like 'Grounded' and 'Gritty' in relation to superheroes 'The Tick' is still as funny and relevant as ever.

The increase of violence and the brooding nature of heroes in superhero comics is parodied.  The Tick spends a lot of time standing on rooftops and narrating his own adventures in third person Film Noir dialog.

"He stands...like some sort of pagan god or deposed tyrant.  Staring out over over the city he's sworn to...to stare out over..."

"Blood covers the city like a big red afghan..."

As a Daredevil fan I particularly enjoy issues #3 through #5:  'Night of a Million Zillion Ninja,' 'A Big Fight' and 'Early Morning of a Million Zillion Ninjas'.  This story arc introduces Oedipus, a thinly veiled Elektra parody.  The Tick joins Oedipus, her old guy mentor Shing, and Paul the Samurai in their battle against the incompetent Ninja forces of darkness.  "Ninjas aren't dangerous.  They're more afraid of you than you are of them..."  This story arc also introduces the Tick's sidekick Arthur.

Superman and transparent Superhero disguises are also mocked.  The Tick dons a hypnotic tie over his costume in order to convince the general public that he to is an ordinary citizen rather than a nigh-invincible superhero.

One thing about The Tick, the original issues do have a bit of salty language, so it's not as kid friendly as it may seem.  I picked up a reprint of the first issue on Free Comic Book Day a few years back, and they altered a lot of the dialog to make it appropriate for all ages.  It must have been a little shocking for parents who went out and bought the comic for their kids afterwords.  It's mostly just PG-13 language though, no F-words or anything, but I do feel like it's something you should be warned about.

Probably my favorite thing about The Tick is how quotable it is.  "Speak up Amigo, I can barely hear you over the roar of this yawning abyss!"  It's a bit like 'The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra' or 'Galaxy Quest' for me that way.  There is no wrong time to quote The Tick.

"Spooooooon!"

Villain Cameos in Marvel Movies

'Captain America: Civil War' is undoubtedly a 5 star superhero movie.  They had a lot of story elements to juggle: resolution for the Winter Soldier story-line, bringing the conflict between Cap and Iron Man to a head, and introducing new characters like Black Panther and the latest version of Spiderman.  But the movie in no way feels overstuffed, and each character has a moment in the spotlight.  I loved all the stuff with Falcon, Spiderman and Antman are both hilarious, and I really want to see more of Scarlet Witch now - I wasn't crazy about her in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'.  The main themes of the story - standing your ground on moral issues, dangers of conformity, the futility of revenge - are really strong.

But I have a problem with how they treated one of the villains.

Marvel has villain problems.  Nobody on the internet ever said that before, amiright?

But I'm not talking about the usual complaints of unmemorable villains.  I'm talking about the way Crossbones - a pretty major villain from Cap's rouges gallery - has a brief cameo and is killed off before the twenty minute mark.

I'm not saying that Crossbones should have been the main villain of this movie or anything.  I'm not saying that at all.  A story featuring conflict between Captain America and Iron Man barely has need of a main villain, and the one who is lurking behind the scenes does a fantastic job of being the mastermind and tying all of those revenge themes together.

But to take a villain like Crossbones - whom Marvel had been teasing since 'Captain America: The Winter Soldier' - and then kill him off after only one appearance in costume is disappointing to fans.  It doesn't matter if they were planning to use him more later or not.  They could have if they wanted to, but they can't now because he's dead.

"But Geekboy," you say.  "Villains die and then come back in superhero comics all the time!  Heroes too!"  And that's true. But to the casual movie audience who don't read the comics and don't already know that Crossbones is a big deal IT WOULD BE CHEATING TO BRING HIM BACK.  So it's a lose-lose situation when you turn your villain into a cameo thug and then kill him off.

I can see Marvel's point of view here.  What they're doing is trying to give all the major villains some screentime without overstuffing the movie like fans complained about in superhero movies like 'Spiderman 3' or 'Amazing Spiderman 2'.  And this is a technique that's been working well so far in the Captain America movies.

'Captain America: Winter Soldier' gives fans a scene with Batroc the Leaper in the beginning.  It doesn't feel like a waste that he hasn't appeared again, because a man in a purple costume doing French kickboxing probably couldn't carry a movie as the main villain.

Taking Arnim Zola - a goofy cyborg character from the Silver Age of comics - and turning him into an AI computer worked because fans weren't really expecting Marvel to have Zola in such a serious movie at all.

But then in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' we have Baron Strucker - Nick Fury's nemesis, and one of the head honchos over at Hydra - who is killed off before the halfway point of the movie just like Crossbones.

And you do NOT want to engage a die hard Mandarin fan in conversation about the infamous plot twist in 'Iron Man 3'

It's puzzling to me how Marvel keeps taking villains like Baron Strucker and Crossbones and disposing of them before they have a chance to live up to the potential of the villains they are in the comics.  Especially when fans and critics alike are waiting for a villain who can give pretty-boy Loki a run for his money.  Hopefully Thanos will live up to all the hype when he finally shows up in Avengers 3 and 4.

Perils Of Nyoka (1942)

The 1942 serial "Perils of Nyoka" (Re-released under the title "Nyoka and the Tigermen") is a sequel to the 1941 serial "Jungle Girl".  Sort of.  Except for the part were it really isn't a sequel at all.

This serial stars Kay Aldridge as Nyoka GORDON, whereas Jungle Girl featured Frances Gifford as Nyoka MEREDITH.  Nyoka Meredith's father Dr. John Meredith was murdered in chapter 1 of "Jungle Girl", and "Perils of Nyoka" concerns Nyoka Gordon's search for her father Dr. Henry Gordon.  Nyoka Meredith swings around on vines, and Nyoka Gordon hangs out in the desert with her friendly native Bedouin buddies.  Get the picture?

But "Perils Of Nyoka" is a sequel in spirit.  This serial has plenty on globe trotting adventure, treasure hunting, and death traps.  And for those of us who are fans of people wearing gorilla costumes, Queen Vultura's pet ape Satan appears in almost every chapter.  Some people think that "Perils" is actually a better serial than "Jungle Girl".  I personally prefer Jungle Girl, but "Perils" is in my top 5 favorite cliffhangers.

So.  What's so great about "Perils of Nyoka?"

The Music.  This may be odd thing to talk about in a review of this sort, but I love the opening theme.  In my opinion "Perils" has the best music of any cliffhanger serial.

The Villains.  Queen Vultura is up there with great serial villains like Ming the Merciless and Fu Manchu.  Visually she is memorable, and, dare I say iconic?  She assassinates people with her poison ring, she masquerades first as Nyoka and later as a native sun goddess, and she has a legion of arabs and her afore mentioned pet gorilla at her command.  Actress Lorna Gray has also appeared as the heroine in serials such as Captain America (1944) and Daughter of Don Q (1946) but she really shines as this native Femme Fatale.




The Action.  While most serials have a brawling fistfight every chapter in which the heroes break all the  furniture in a room, this serial shakes it up with a swashbuckling swordfight in chapter 1.  We also get breaking suspension bridges, spike traps, human sacrifice, ect. ect.  My favorite chapter endings include a pit-and-the-pendulum style sacrificial altar, where the altar lifts to meet the pendulum rather than the pendulum descending, and a trap where cave winds threaten to blow our heroes out of a tunnel and over the edge of a cliff.

Why do I feel this serial is slightly weaker that "Jungle Girl?"

Our Heroine.  This Nyoka doesn't lead the action the same way Nyoka Meredith did in "Jungle Girl".  She gets knocked out pretty much every time she's in a fight, and is rescued by her boyfriend Larry (Played by the future Lone Ranger Clayton Moore) or her dog Fang, far more often than she escapes herself or bails out the guys when they get into trouble.

Fang is basically like Lassie in this story, to the point where are Nyoka is constantly locking the helpful canine in his cage or tying off his leash just so she can get into trouble easier!

The Globe Trotting.  Yep, one of the things that makes this serial great is also one of the things that weakens it.  After awhile all the trap filled lost temples our heroes need to explore in order to find the next clue on their treasure hunt start to feel a little redundant.  And then in the final chapter their quest takes them right back to where they started.  So, all of that traveling feels a little pointless.  Would it have helped if this serial was 12 chapters instead of 15?  Maybe.

But those aren't good reasons to NOT watch this serial.  If you love a good action adventure romp, go check this out ASAP.




Fawcett Comics published an adaption of this serial, which led to the Golden Age comic series "Nyoka the Jungle Girl".  Most of these comics are now public domain and can be read for free here.

Why You Should Read: Harrow County

I've been a fan of Cullen Bunn  for a couple of years now.  If that name rings a bell, you may have heard it from the fantastic ongoing title "The Sixth Gun" from ONI press.  Earlier this year I picked up volume one of "Harrow County" from my local comic shop, and I was just gifted volume two for my Birthday.  Harrow County is published by Dark Horse Comics, written by Cullen Bunn, and illustrated by Sixth Gun guest artist Tyler Crook.

If I had to describe Harrow County, I would say that it's a bit like artist Norman Rockwell tried his hand at writing Lovecraftian horror, or perhaps H.P Lovecraft was attempting to paint Americana.  This is a tale of horror that takes place in a quaint backwoods American town.

Brief disclaimer: If horror isn't your cup of tea, you may not want to read this.  It does have some freaky gross stuff, including disembodied human skin, the owner of afore mentioned skin, and a individual who is shown consuming raw maggot infested meat.  If that ISN'T a turn off, however, this may be the book for you.

I'm not really sure how to give a synopsis of the story so far without delving into some mild spoilers, but I also can't do the book justice without delving into the story.  So, if you really really hate spoilers, just take my word for it that this book is awesome and stop reading now.

Still here?

Okay.

Our heroine is Emmy, a young woman coming of age and developing strange otherworldly powers.  She soon discovers that she is the direct descendant of Hester Beck, a very evil woman dabbling in witchcraft, who had been lynched by the townsfolk years before.  The townspeople aren't too keen on the prospect of another witch in town, so naturally Emmy's life is in danger when her abilities are discovered.

After a time the townsfolk grow a fear and respect for Emmy, even though she tries to make it clear that she is nothing like Hester Beck.  She is uncomfortable with gifts and peace offerings, and flat out refuses to use her powers for evil, as shown when one of the villagers asks her to place a hex on somebody he doesn't like.

And that's what I love about the story so far.  The first two volumes are a great picture of how we don't have to be defined by our past, our roots, or the evil we may be born into.  It's so encouraging to see an upright individual who chooses good when everyone expects them to be bad.  And we can all make that choice.  Let's all be an Emmy.