WandaVision, “Previously On”, Review!

Last episode had a revealation, in all of the strangeness, the boys staying over at Agnes’ house, we had Wanda going to her house.  Agnes says they are playing in the basement and Wanda walks down there.  She finds that the basement is dark with vines and a book that made me immediately think Darkhold!  This was a dangerous magical artifact that was was first seen in Marvel Spotlight #4 (1972) and also appeared in season four of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and season three of Runaways. Agnes introduces herself as Agatha Harkness!  She stares and sends purple energy around Wanda’s eyes, the Power Stone, that was found by the Guardians of the Galaxy?  Agatha transforms herself from witch to 50’s housewife, we get the new theme song and intro to her show, Agatha All Along!  She uses her purple magic during Wanda and Vision’s magic show, then a zap to the neighbor, Herb, trimming the hedges.  When Pietro shows up at Wanda’s door, we see his back is covered with purple energy and Agatha having a picnic using her magic on the lawn.  She is also behind the camera filming Wanda, then says she killed Sparky with a witch’s laugh!       

We don't get Monica, Darcy, and Jimmy in this episode, but that's okay.  The Marvel Studio logo shifts into purple, the color of Agatha's powers, and we get a cloaked figure holding a torch leading three others in Salem, Massachusetts, 1693.  Agatha is being taken by two women, pleading, to a stake.  It is set up to look like the Salem Witch Trials, but these are witches taking Agatha.  Her arms are bound magically behind the stake.  A woman says that Agatha betrayed her coven.  The witches start chanting, their hands glow blue, Agatha tries pleading again… to her mother (Kate Forbes)!  The blue is the color of the Space Stone (Tesseract).  She is blasted by all of the witches and screams!  Her throat turns red and transforms the blasts into purple.  It seems like this magic doesn't come from the Infinity Stone, but draws on energy like them.  Agatha taps into power like the Reality Stone (Aether) and turns the blue into the purple of the Power Stone.  

The witches start aging and now they scream.  Agatha feels her power.  Her mother blasts her, but Agatha frees herself from the binding spell and sends all of the witches down.  Her mother is flying now and with a blue energy crown blasts her a final time.  The energy transforms into purple, aging her mother, who drops down, gruesome.  Agatha takes the brooch from her mother’s corpse and flies away.  In the present, Agatha is petting her bunny from the magic show, Señor Scratchy, and sees Wanda’s eyes flash red.  Wanda tries to form a hex, but nothing happens, instead Agatha binds and lifts her off the ground! Agatha points out the protective spell in the runes around the room.  She tells Wanda she wanted her to reveal herself and was close with “fake Pietro.”  Hahn, whom fans (that I formerly dub WandaVisionaries) suddenly love, revels in her villainy.  Agatha plucks a bug from a shelf and casts a spell on it to send to Wanda.  She is impressed that Wanda casts spells that transform Westview and its residents.  Agatha turns the bug into a small bird before sending it to be fed by Señor Scratchy.  

She wants to know how Wanda created Westview.  Agatha tears out a strand of hair from Wanda, uh-oh, power over her.  She sends the hair into a door.  Wanda refuses to go along and then Agatha lets her hear her kids, Tommy and Billy, pleading.  They enter a room and Wanda sees her mother, Iryna (Ilana Kohanchi).  She greets her husband, Olek (Daniyar), who has brought back a suitcase of sitcom DVDs he wants to sell.  Young Pietro (Joshua Begelman) wants them to speak in English.  Agatha pushes Wanda forward to be transformed to her younger self (Sophia Gaidarova).  Oleg finds Wanda’s DVD pick behind a curtain.  He shows his daughter a collection of the Dick Van Dyke Show.  Wanda is excited to see her favorite show with her brother.  She is entranced by Mary Tyler Moore.  The bedroom and kitchen is what saw in Wanda’s house!  The flashback is suddenly broken by a thunderbolt!  

We see Wanda suddenly on the floor of an apartment devasted by an explosion.  Pietro takes her away.  A Stark Industries bomb falls down in front of them, they are trapped, this is an intense scene of war refugees.  I don’t see how anyone could love Iron Man after this moment.  A television plays the Dick Van Dyke sitcom next to the bomb.  Wanda tries to reach out with her hand and is yanked back into adult Wanda.   Agatha asks if she used a probability hex on the bomb.  Wanda says they were trapped with the defective bomb for two days.  Agatha wants to learn more.  Another door with a Hydra symbol opens.  She is forcing Wanda to confront her traumas.  Wanda walks forward and we see her as a refugee entering a room with the Loki staff.  She says her name and that she is a volunteer.  The Hydra scientists behind the wall take notes.  The Mind Stone lifts from Loki’s staff.  It shifts into a yellow color and flares with power.  

Then, she collapses with the doctors checking on her.  Later, Wanda watches the Brady Bunch in her room, as the scientists go over the recording.  Agatha reveals another door.  We find Wanda at the Avenger’s Compound with Vision, this is disturbing to see their life outside of Westview, they are watching Bryan Cranston (Hal) in Malcolm in the Middle.  She admits to Vision that she wants to see Pietro again.  Vision tries to comfort her in his own loneliness and laughs at the show.  Agatha mentions that Pietro and Vision died and wants to know what Wanda was thinking with Vision gone.  Agatha opens another door to S.W.O.R.D.  Wanda demands to have Vision’s body returned to her, but a security guard refuses.  She is given permission and enters the office of Director Hayward.  He takes her to see the S.W.O.R.D. technicians working on Vision’s body.  Hayward says “He isn’t yours.”  He is of course the villain of the series.  

Wanda sheds a single tear and then shatters the window.  She flies down to the laboratory, Hayward has the S.W.O.R.D. guards stand down, and she checks on Vision, but senses nothing.  Wanda walks away to get into her car.  Next to her is a note.  She drives to Westview, New Jersey, and sees the Westview residents.  Wanda drives up to a house under construction, the note is a property deed, there is the words “To Grow Old In - V", a note from Vision to build a life there.  She falls down crying, unleashes her power, it looks like the red stone is in her chest and she transforms the town into the sitcom 50’s.  Her power rebuilds Vision!  Sitcom Vision in black and white sees Wanda transformed into b&w sitcom wife.  They kiss on the couch to watch tv.  Current Wanda sees the studio lights around the home set.  Agatha claps in the audience seats.  There is a confrontation and Agatha mentions that it is chaos magic.   In the comics, Agatha teaches Wanda how to use the chaos magic that affects probability.   I imagine that after the battle, Agatha takes away her sons to some dimension, they may not be able to walk out of Westview after the bubble bursts, to age them up to Wiccan and Speed.  There is an end credit scene!  This episode of WandaVision is intense, I want to go back to sitcom world!  

Four Mind Stones out of Five!  

#WandaVision, #PreviouslyOn, #IlanaKohanchi, #Daniyar, #JoshuaBegelman, #SophiaGaidarova

Future State: Aquaman #2 Review!

Future State: Aquaman #2 continues and finishes “The Confluence” story by Brandon Thomas and Daniel Sampere.  Aquaman, Jackson Hyde, and Aqualass, Andy Curry, have discovered the Confluence, the dimensional gateway between all oceans including alien worlds.  Last issue, had them traveling to the different seas and encountering the guardian, an island-sized creature.  Aqualass uses her powers to sever her leg and saves Aquaman!  The alien world of Neptune has imprisoned Aquaman for six years, but on an escape attempt he sees “Aquawoman Lives” in bubbles.  Jackson shatters his chains and forms his Waterbearer blades to take on the Neptune guards.  It features a cover by interior artist Sampere with Aquaman and Aquawoman taking on alien sharks and guards.  What is needed in Future State titles is complete stories that hint at countless others.  This is accomplished by Thomas and Sampere.  

The comic opens with a splash page and the caption that it is six years ago when Aquaman escapes the creature called the Great Beast.  We see a ringed planet, stunning colors by Adriano Lucas, and Andy bleeding on an island beach with the caption, “Aqualass Lives”, a perfect mirroring of last issue.  She is unconscious and images of the duo’s last moments come to her.  Andy wakens and hears a voice from the waves.  I’m getting echoes of Moana.  The voices come from glimmerfish out in the alien ocean.  Andy, tearful and weary, cries out for them to help.  She screams for help, sending out waves of her power, it sends out some water that forms a new leg!  The glimmerfish tell her to leave the island.  Andy promises to return the water after she finds her brother.  We get flashes of her training with Jackson, he shows her how to fashion a bow and loose an arrow if her power fails.  Andy tries to make a bow, the string snaps, while the glimmerfish, ocean voice criticize her.  I really like the six years from Andy’s perspective and her training.  

She flashes back to Aquaman calming down alien gunmen.  Andy gathers logs for a raft while trying to work things out with the glimmerfish who call her a Conductor.  The next lesson, Jackson teaches Andy to surprise an opponent with physical attacks.  We see Aquawoman taking the lesson with a right cross to a frog-like pirate.  We have Aquaman trying to have Aqualass control her power in one hand.  She uses this lesson to defy the glimmerfish and their wave.  Aquaman’s lesson is to dig, work hard, and while the glimmerfish want their brother back, Andy defies the jelly-like glimmerfish.  Aquawoman leaves the island and her glimmerfish leg stops talking to her.  She suddenly wakens and is ready to go after Jackson.  The years start to move forward, we have Andy trying to understand how the Confluence works with her glimmerfish leg.  We see ontop of a giant shark flying in a forest past blue apes and other adventures.  On a rocky pad, Aquawoman uses her power to send the bubble message.  Very cool glimpses at some great adventures.  

We get Aquaman swimming sending messages to some carnivorous fish.  A Neptune soldier tries to blast them with a cannon.  We get a red panel with some chomping noises.  The battle continues with Neptune soldiers swallowed up by a whale-like fish.  Then, Aquman fights with some guards.  A guard manages to electrocute Aquaman with a spear.  Then, a splash page of Aquawoman shattering a dome sending water down as we see a closeup of Aquaman, very cinematic.  Aquaman uses his power to hold back Andy’s wave.  He tells her how long he has been imprisoned and this makes Andy angry, the faceless masks of the guards look like uh-oh expressions.  She shatters their helmets, but Jackson calms her down.  They leave and we get a two page spread, epic, Aquawoman and Aquaman swimming to the surface surrounded by the alien sea creatures of Neptune.  The duo gets to the surface and Jackson tries to have Andy release her control of the sea creatures.  We see a closeup of Jackson’s intense face.  Then, an extreme close-up of Andy’s eyes as we see she realizes what she has done.  I can’t wait to read more of Aquawoman and Jackson Hyde.  What is needed in the Aquaman titles is the expansiveness of the ocean, plus the alien worlds like what is promised in the upcoming Avatar sequels.  A very strong ending to Future State: Aquaman!  

Five Waterbearers out of Five!  

#FutureState, #Aquaman, #AdrianoLucas, #Aquawoman, #JacksonHyde, #AndyCurry  

Superman & Lois, “Pilot”, Review!

Superman & Lois takes the famous supehero couple into dramatic territory trying to raise their twin sons!  The series is being developed by Greg Berlanti and Todd Helbing, he is the executive producer and writer for The Flash.  The magic of the show is the cinematography is by Gavin Struthers who worked on The Witcher and Downton Abbey.  What is impressive is getting that country sunlight streaming into Smallville.  Of course there was a show that featured the couple, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  They were also married in the Smallville episode, “Finale, Part 2” (2011).  In the comic, they married in Superman: The Wedding Album (1996), which matched with a Lois & Clark episode.  

The series features Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch as the leads.  He was known for the show Teen Wolf.   Hoechlin entered the Arrowverse with the Supergirl episode, “The Adventures of Supergirl” (2016) and was recently in the Crisis on Infinite Earths episodes with Elizabeth Tulloch.  Her Arrowverse debut was in The Flash, “Elseworlds, Part 1” (2018).  Tulloch was also in the series Grimm.  During the Crisis, they were in Argo City from “Elseworlds, Part 3” (2018) to protect Lois, and send their son, Jonathan, in a pod before Argo City’s destruction.  Lois and Clark had a child in Convergence: Superman #2 (2015) named Jonathan Samuel Kent, he is aged up to a teenager and eventually becomes Superboy.  Harbinger brings Superman and Lois to Earth-38.  Lois recovered Jonathan.  The merging of Earths changed the timeline resulting in the couple having another son.  

The show opens with the landing of baby Kal-El to Smallville as Clark relates to his landing as a child, found by the Kents, and growing up in Smallville.  In a walk in the town, Clark’s father, Jonathan (Fred Henderson) gets a heart attack, simliar to Superman: The Movie (1978).  Clark moves to Metropolis and saves a kid from a car falling from a freeway.  He has the black chest shield similar to the early comics shield and seen in the Max Fleischer cartoons.  He is thanked by the kid and flies away.  Clark starts at the Daily Planet and meets Lois Lane.  He reveals his identity outside of a wheat field in Smallville.  Clark proposes and kisses Lois taking her up to the clouds.  They marry, and Clark explains that they had twins.  There is Jonathan and also Jordan, no connection to the comics.  The twin boys concept has already been explored in WandaVision.  Clark smiles as young Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) throws a football snapping a tire rope.  Jordan (Alex Garfin) is busy writing by himself.  The teenage Jordan is comforted by his mother and Clark says he suffers from social anxiety disorder.  

SUPERMAN - - “Pilot” - - TYLER HOECHLIN, ELIZABETH TULLOCH - - Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW -- © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Night, there is an accident at a factory and General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh) activates a signal hoping for Superman.  I recognize Walsh from the action movie Congo (1995).  This is the best version of the character I've seen, other portrayals just have him as a harsh, strict military leader.  He flies and then lands in a reactor.  Superman sees a breach in the reactor and seals it with heatvision and then sucks up water in a nearby latke freezing it into an iceberg chunk to be carried to the reactor.  An interesting super feat.  Chips of the iceberg and streams of water pour down as a technician says the reactor has cooled.  The effects are really good, Hoechlin can handle the Superman action, but this is a dramatic show.  Superman lands and meets with the general.  Superman flies back to his home in Smallville and Lois tells him that Jordan missed therapy.  Jonathan is zoom chatting with a girl, Eliza (Coral Humphrey), and Clark walks in to hear he made varsity football.  Jordan is busy playing video games, in this case, Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe (2008).  He is playing Raiden vs. Superman.  Clark brings up therapy and said he was in Wichita.  Jordan is not really interested in starting freshman year of high school.  

Clark finds that he missed a call from his mother!  Martha Kent (Michele Scarabelli), Martha!, says she saw him on the news.  Scarabelli was Susan Francisco, the mom, in the sci fi show, Alien Nation (1989).  She reminds him of the importance of family.  The next morning, Clark gives Jonathan some eggs for breakfast.  He mocks his brother for his clothes.  Jonathan of course has Superman’s confidence, but Jordan has his loneliness and being an alien.  The boys leave for their ride.  Lois worries about Jonathan and Clark says Tess at the Fortress has found that he doesn’t have powers.  Clark says that he has to keep his fourteen year old sons in the dark to keep his identity and them safe.  They enter the Daily Planet offices from an elevator still discussing family problems.  Clark is fired by owner, Morgan Edge, and gets a call from his mother.  He hears Dr. Frye and Clark leaves at super speed to the Smallville farm.  Dr. Frye (Chy Liu) informs him that Martha suffered a stroke and Clark cries at her passing.  A dramatic moment to start the show.  

The sun sets at the funeral of Martha Kent and we get the flashback of his father’s funeral in the rain.  Lois hugs Clark.  Jonathan mentions Sarah Cushing to Jordan.  Clark and Lois meets with Lana Lang Cushing (Emmanuelle Chriqui), her husband Kyle Cushing (Erik Valdenz), a firefighter, and teen daughter, Sarah (Inde Navarette).  Chriqui was Sloan in Entourage.  Navarette was in the Netflix drama, 13 Reasons Why.  The boys mention the barn which is forbidden to them.  At the kitchen, Lana mentions to Lois and Clark that she works at a bank.  Kyle brings up Morgan Edge opening business at Smallville.  He is brusque and mentions some kind of business with Lana.  Sarah walks with the boys in the barn.  She asks for Jordan’s phone and brings up a bonfire party.  Jonathan spots the router and Jordan goes up the hayloft to it.  Clark is worried talking to Lois, he heard flying to Smallville, that Martha wanted him to come home.  Jordan is balancing himself trying to reach the router, he connects it, and falls.  Some pipes start to roll and Jonathan throws himself to cover his brother! 

SUPERMAN - - “Pilot” - - JORDAN ELSASS, ALEX GARFIN - - Photo: Dean Buscher/The CW -- © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Sarah runs for help and Clark runs to the barn.  He sees the boys with heat vision and then pulls off a pipe from them.  A doctor says they had concussions, but are fine.  Jonathan says he missed practice.  He is jealous of Sarah’s attention to his brother.  Jordan seems like the Clark of Smallville, conflicted and dealing with his powers.  Clark is on the porch and Lois tells him that Jonathan’s powers protected them.  His super hearing picks up her father.  General Lane shows security camera footage from the nuclear plant.  There is a mysterious man and some Kryptonian writing, “You are not a hero, Kal-El.”  Lois wants Clark to stay not leave as Superman.  It unusual that days are spent without Superman, no dangers around the world, is there other heroes to help out?  General Lane brings up his warning to his daughter that she married Superman.  At the bank, Lana explains that Martha took out a second mortgage on the farm to help other families in Smallville.  She calls her “Superwoman.”  Lana offers them to buy the farm to save it. 

The boys enter the barn to see what happened with the accident.  Jordan finds that there is a door on the floor of the barn and uses a crowbar to open it.  They use flashlights to search the cellar.  They find a covered object, the Kryptonian capsule.  I think it would be taken to the Fortress to protect it.  Jordan reaches out to it and an orange crystal floats to his hand.  No monitoring system, camera, alert to Clark?  He drives Lois in a truck to the farm.  Lois suspects that there is something wrong with the loans.  Jordan is angry at his father with the crystal and Clark’s secrets.  He reveals the truth.  Jordan doesn’t believe his father is Superman.  Clark takes off his glasses and lifts up the truck and then flies with it.  Jordan is angry over the lies.  Clark says he was worried about their powers.  His sons walk away.  He hears a problem with the nuclear plant and Lois sends him as Superman.  The mysterious villain is there hidden by the nuclear facility.  Superman takes on this armored villain who knows all about him.  Jordan meets Sarah at the bonfire party at a quarry.  He becomes bullied along with his brother from her boyfriend and others.  These conflicts have consequences and some changes.  The series is not reliant on a single superhero story or simple, super villain conflicts, it is centered around a family, which works great as a drama.  Superman & Lois is a dramatic series with some superhero action!   

Four Kryptonite Crystals out of Five! 

#SupermanandLois, #TylerHoechlin, #ElizabethTulloch, #AlexGarfin, #JordanElsass     

Flora & Ulysses Review!

Flora & Ulysses, based on the Newberry award winning book by Kate DiMillio, is a fun, family comedy with superheroes at its heart.  It is directed by Lena Khan who also directed the comedy The Tiger Hunter (2016) with Danny Pudi.  The screenplay is by Brad Copeland, the writer of Spies in Disguise (2019).  The regular Disney castle is transformed into the four color printing of early comic books.  As we are introduced to the Silver Surfer, looks like John Buscema art, this is by the narrator Flora (Belle in the book) Buckman (Matilda Lawler).  The actress was in the horror film Evil (2019).  Then, we get a look at the Jack Kirby Silver Surfer, Flora has a funny comment on the super hero.  Lastly, is Incandesto, the superhero created by her father.  It seems like an unknown hero put next to comic legends would put him in the shadow, nope, Incandesto shines!  This is fun intro into superheroes, but Flora’s conclusion is “they never show up in the real world.”  She drops a stack of comics, Green Lantern is at the top, Flora has a resolute face as she gets the attention of the shop owner, named Stanlee(!) played by Bobby Moynihan.  He drops his Duck Tales comic to deal with Flora, very funny since he voices Louie in the Duck Tales cartoon!  Moynihan as a comic shop owner is perfect!     

She insists they are in mint condition and in protective sleeves.  I admire her understanding of comics as collector items.  He goes through the collection and Flora notices she accidentally put in a copy of Incandesto!  Stanlee offers $30, really the few comics I saw, it would be $3, she is not happy with the offer.  He says he was to watch over a game tournament with a castle on a table.  Flora steps back so Stanlee can rethink his offer, she bumps over a comics rack, it strikes the castle and game!, Flora takes the offer.  The mishaps happen throughout the movie, but this one is kinda shocking to me.  Flora rides her bike, she sees family together, and calls herself a “cynic.”  This mostly comes from her book, Terrible Things Can Happen to You.  She doesn’t believe in superheroes and sees in her imagination, Incandesto (Darien Martin) running next to her.  He flies off and Flora gets hit in the head by a soccer ball knocking her into the grass.  Later, Flora is reading the Incandesto comic in her upstairs room, when her mother reminds her to read the stack of books.  Her mother, Phyllis Buckman (Alyson Hannigan) is a romance novelist.  Hannigan is of course known for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, but recently is voicing Claire Clancey in the Disney cartoon show, Fancy Nancy. The rapport between this family is funny.  

Phyllis takes Flora down to see her new old typewriter to replace her computer.  She needs inspiration for her new novel.  Still, the typewriter has a faulty “J” key.  Flora looks at covers of her mother’s books, a funny one is Sense and Sensuality, she flashes back with her family together including father, George (Ben Schwartz).  He voices Dewey Duck on Duck Tales and was Jean-Ralphio in Parks and Recreation.  Flora notes at the water park flashback that her mother could write about love because they were happy together.  She notes in the current time, that her dad moved out and that caused the writer’s block for her mom. Clever line, “dad was her J key.”  Flora hears the cry for help from her neighbor, Tootie (Nancy Robertson), and sees from the window that her robot vacuum is out of control in the yard.  Flora races to help, the vaccuum is blocked, but states, “Evolving”, AI!  The vacuum takes off and rams into a tree knocking off a squirrel.  It identifes the squirrel as “Trash” and sucks it up!  Flora removes the squirrel and fades away.  She gives him squirrel cpr, um, I hope kids don’t get the notion of interacting with squirrels or want one as a pet.  The squirrel revives and sees the smiling face of Flora.       

   

She takes him home in the vaccum box, the Ulysses 2000, and sees her father’s art supplies on the street.  Flora takes them in and sees her father’s other heroes, Mighty Condor (Victoria Katongo), and Shobo (Kyle Strauts), and of course Incandesto.  I would actually like to see a movie or tv mini-series about these characters.  Flora recounts the origin story with her dad unable to find a publisher, self-publish!, and gives up on his comics career and leaves family and home.  George now has a job at an office goods store, binders keepers, with an annoying boss, Chad (Jesse Reid). Flora pretends to be a helpful customer, but Chad knows she is George’s daughter.  She explains that she saved Ulysses’ life and gets some trail mix.  Flora mentions she has found an online publisher, but George has given up his comics career. She returns home and says that she saw her father.  Phyllis says she needs to see her Jack and Rose statue, her romance writer trophy!  Flora checks on Ulysses and goes over Incandesto’s origin story, he was a janitor named Alfred Slipper, until he fell into a vat of chemicals.  She thinks Ulysses might be a superhero.  

At dinner, Phyllis tells her daughter that the newspaper is going to interview her about her next book.   Night, Ulysses scampers down the stairs, he sees the typewriter and begins typing.  In the morning, Phyllis points out that the page that writes he is a “squirtel.”  Flora is amazed that Ulysses can understand her.  She has some comics still around and wonders at Ulysses’ purpose.  He wants to be his sidekick. At the door is the neighbor, Mrs. Tickham,with some turnovers and her nephew, William (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth).  He was in the mini-series, The Haunting of Bly Manor.  William is “hysterically blind” from stress and his clumsiness is kinda funny.  Phyllis notices Ulysses on the Jack and Rose statue!  Outside, Flora warns Ulysses and William finds her talking to the squirrel.  She admist that Ulysses is a superhero.  George has arrived, he has an awkward meeting with Phyllis, she wants him to take away the squirrel.  Flora is not happy.  On the car ride, Flora says Ulysses is a superhero, George takes them to the Donut Diner.  They are served by Rita (Kate Minnucii) and she sees Ulysses and his powers are revealed!  This chaos bring the attention of the animal control officer, Miller (Danny Pudi).  He is having fun in this part, goofy physical comedy.  Flora & Ulysses is a silly, funny movie with quirky characters and a family that has to be brought together all inspired by a superhero squirrel!  

Four J Keys out of Five! 

#Flora&Ulysses, #LenaKhan, #MatildaLawler, #AlysonHannigan, #BenSchwartz, #BenjaminEvanAinsworth, #DannyPudi

Strolling through the (Theme) Park One Day: Star Wars Trading Post!

Star Wars Trading Post has moved from the former Wonderground Gallery (which has now returned!) to the former Rainforest Cafe, now open from February 19th.  I heard stories of four hour waits so I went early to Downtown Disney, 8 a.m.  I was second in line.  By 9 a.m. the queue went down to the street.  I headed straight to Star Wars Trading Post, there was a queue with social distancing markers, but I followed them to the entrance and was let right in.  I heard that there was a virtual queue that was hours later.  I would recommend going early if you can.  There is some theming with antennae, netting, and Rey’s speeder outside.  Several areas inside continue the theming with a screen, a console with buttons, cables, and some boxes.  Right inside is a ticket dispenser if you want to go to the lightsaber table.  There you can see an opened box with a training remote replica.  To the right is a replica closed hover pram with Baby Yoda stuffies in a box.  To the right is Droid Depot merch, figures and Astromech Personality Chips, and to the left is Savi’s Workshop merch, shirts, pins and patches.  

In the center of the store is Galaxy’s Edge merch, shirts and ornaments.  Continue on past the registers is Imperial and First Order gear, towards the end of the store is Baby Yoda merch, and the left rear wall is all of the Creature Stall beasties, I did see a display of Dianogas, kinda cool.  In a corner is some Imperial and bounty hunter shirts.  Sorry no food items, no Ronto Wraps or Blue Milk.  A little walk from there is the Lego Store, outside is a Lego statue of Chewbacca.  Continuing on, we will enter Disney’s California Adventure, Buena Vista Street.  The Red Car Trolley has been moved right next to the entrance.  The open gate next to the waterfall is where you can get a good look at the back of Avengers Campus and get some popcorn and drinks.  Heading left is Hollywood Land, past Award Weiners, is the Sunset Showcase Theater.  This is at Mickey’s PhilharMagic.  The marquee features WandaVision.  Once you queue up, you can head in for a WandaVision photo op. There are stacks of televisions from different eras.  You set your cellphone or camera in a slot in the back of the televisions.  Set timer and take the photo op on a couch right out of WandaVision!  There is some good reasons to make a visit to Downtown Disney!  

#StarWarsTradingPost, #DowntownDisney, #BuenaVistaStreet, #WandaVision   

WandaVision, “Breaking the Fourth Wall”, Review!

Last episode, we had Vision trying to understand the nature of the Westview reality, and he broke the barrier!  This started to revert him back with pieces of himself flying back to Westview, he was dying!  Billy sensed this and warned his mother.  Pietro joked about Vision’s death so Wanda blasted him!  Her solution was to extend the bubble, this transformed S.W.O.R.D. into a Westview circus complete with clowns, and swallowed up Darcy Lewis!  The circus might be Wanda's contempt for S.W.O.R.D.  Fan speculation is that her action may have transformed people into mutants!  Hayward managed to escape in a jeep as well as Monica and Jimmy.  Wanda wakes up, she used her powers to a maximum.  This looks like some kind of 90’s tv show.  She confesses to the camera and goes back to the events of the night.  S.W.O.R.D. agents are screaming trying to escape the Westview anamoly.  

Billy and Tommy enter her room to tell their mom that their game is “freaking out”, transforming into games from different eras in seconds.  Expanding Westview may have broken her control.  Still, Wanda is tired and stays in bed.  Billy says his head “feels weird.”   Wanda’s confession is that she will stay all by herself for a day.  She throws back the covers and we see that she is in her Scarlet Witch costume!  The kids are arguing over the remote as Wanda comes down stairs in her blue, flannel sleep robe and sweat pants.  She goes to the kitchen for some Westview almond milk and Sugar Snaps cereal.  A carton of milk suddenly appears, there’s a missing photo of kid that is unclear, and after she pours a bowl for her cereal, it transforms into a milk bottle!  She see a new intro, all orchestra, no pop song and it is now the Wanda show, with Vision added at the end.  At the S.W.O.R.D. base outside of Westview, Hayward is told of their status and that WandaVision has gone off the air.  He wants a “launch” that day. This will put Westview, especially Wanda in danger, finale!   

Vision wakes up to see the circus at the edge of Westview.  A strong man thinks Vision is a clown and takes him over to the escape artist, Darcy!  Vision says he recognizes Darcy.  She breaks free of the chains keeping her to a truck and walks away.  Wanda asks her kids playing video games if they have seen their father.  Billy brings up Uncle Pete saying about the “re-killing” their dad.  Wanda tells them that he is not their uncle and she tries to laugh at the “meaningless” of life.  There is a bit of sitcom music, but no laugh track, this is the dramadies of the 90’s.  She joins her kids on the couch to watch some t.v.  A knock at the door and Wanda uses her powers to open it to Agnes.  She takes away Billy and Tommy since their mother can barely cope.  Alone, Wanda finds parts of the home switching eras and uses her hex powers to restore the house.  In the confessional, she repeats, “I’m fine” like the Westview residents.  Monica is driving with Jimmy who is going over Darcy’s work hacking into Hayward’s files.  

She found Operation Cataract, the project to bring back Vision, his body was taken by Wanda in S.W.O.R.D. facility.  Hayward is looking to get back his “sentient weapon.”  Monica spots her contacts, two trucks, and Major Goodner (Rachael Thompson) who was loyal to Maria Rambeau. Not really Reed Richards, this character seems more rooted in Monica's past, it may have been presumptive to bring in a character when the script hasn't been finished for the FF movie.  Goodner might be delivering the vehicle, not the astrophysicist.  Maybe the mutant theory is also out, but without a doubt Monica is transformed into a superhero.  Out of a trailer, is the S.W.O.R.D. vehicle, a heavy transport with three massive tires.  Back at the circus, escape artist Darcy is distracted by Vision so he can restore her mind.  She tells Vision his name and he finds that she is important to understanding this world.  The Strong Man tries to stop Darcy from leaving so she punches him!  They drive away in the Funnel of Love truck!  Wanda finds the house is still shifting eras, in the confessional chair, she feels things are out of control and hears the voice of a man off camera!  A commercial about depression has a woman on a bench as it continues with the Nexus pill.  This might refer to the Nexus of All Realities that is connected to Man-Thing. 

At Agnes house, Billy feeds the rabbit, and admits that Agnes is “quiet in the inside.”  Agnes tries to reassure them about Wanda.  Monica is being prepared in what looks like an astronaut suit.  Jimmy sees her off to the mission to find Darcy.  Major Goodner tells Jimmy as Monica enters the vehicle that it is a “heavily armored space rover.”  Um, but how does it protect from a reality altering bubble?   Monica drives the rover across a field and strikes the barrier, but does not get through.  The rover is flipped upwards and starts to take over it.  Jimmy tries to warn Monica over a walkie talkie.  The barrier transforms half of the rover into a van and throws it.  Monica looks at the barrier and Jimmy knows this is dangerous for her to cross over.  She runs to the barrier and is about to push through, we get distortions of her face, this is similar to the movie Contact (1997).  She hears voices from the past including her mother and Jimmy.  Monica forces her way forward, her eyes are now icy blue, and she makes it across in her astronaut suit.  She sees the distortion of the world past the barrier.  Then, her eyes revert to her normal brown eyes.  Monica drops the suit and runs into town.  Darcy is bringing Vision up to speed about what happened in Avengers: Infinity War as they drive in the funnel cake truck.  It seems Wanda is blocking Vision from returning home, maybe she suspects he knows the hard truths that she was keeping from him.  We have the confrontation with Monica and Wanda; Monica tries to help her.  Also, we are getting the dark truth of Agnes!  The power of Agnes looks purple like the Power Stone that was in Guardians of the Galaxy, did Doctor Strange entrust the Infinity Stones to Wanda and "Agnes"? Mid credit scene, a little shocker!  A good episode of WandaVision!        

Three Mind Stones out of Five!  

#WandaVision, #BreakingtheFourthWall, #RachaelThompson, #MajorGoodner

Truth & Justice #1 Review!

Truth & Justice stars Vixen, one of my favorite comics characters and also the Global Guardians, one of my favorite superhero teams!  Truth & Justice is an anthology series that began online at DC Digital.  The issue collects three issues from the digital series, the first arc was available on January, perfect.  For some reason, this comic ties in almost perfectly with the Nubia story in Immortal Wonder Woman.  So let’s step back a bit and go back to Vixen’s first appearance, Action Comics #521 (1981) from the team of Gerry Conway and Curt Swan, she is Mari Jiwe McCabe.  An African woman, she moved to New York City, and became a model.  She returned to Africa and took the Tantu Totem, her family’s legacy, it gave the power of any animal and was crafted by Anansi.  In Justice League of America Annual #2 (1984), by Gerry Conway and Chuck Patton, Vixen joined the team.  The character of Vixen was played by Maisie Richardson-Sellers in Legends of Tomorrow.  

Next, the Global Guardians were an international team created by E. Nelson Bridwell and Ramona Fradon in Super Friends #7 (1977).  The team formally entered the DC Universe, Super Friends was more a separate, cartoon universe, with DC Comics Presents #46 (1982).  This was by E. Nelson Bridwell with art by Alex Saviuk.  They were sanctioned by the U.N. had their headquarters, the Dome, in Paris.  The team was led by the mysterious Doctor Mist, he showed up in Super Friends #12 (1978), and appeared in the DC Universe with DC Comics Presents #46.  He was played as his character’s real name, Nommo, by Charles  Parnell in “A Feast of Friends” (2014) episode of Constantine.  Truth & Justice #1, “The Pantheon”, is written by Geoffrey Thorne with ChrisCross as penciller.  Thorne is a writer for Future State: Green Lantern and also upcoming is Infinite Frontier #0.  ChrissCross is an artist who worked on Milestone’s Blood Syndicate and also Justice League Odyssey #14 (2019).   

The cover by ChrisCross is from the first issue of the digital comic, it has a large figure of Vixen in her black and yellow uniform, she is surrounded by small figures of herself transforming and racing around her. The comic opens at Lumumba, Africa, there is a fire with a hero named Mokose trying to contact Dr. Mist.  We see him coming to stop after a super speed run, he has a black impala mask, black armor, and camoflague pants.  This is the superhero Impala, the second one, introduced here.  There is gorillas fighting as the fire burns around construction vehicles.  Impala wants to use the Justice Protocol, the situation has gone out of control, and we see a gorilla roaring at him!  Next, we move from a stuffed lion in Capetown, South Africa, part of a photo shoot with Mari Jiwe McCabe.  She has a red head-wrap, robes, and a black and red bikini.  Mari argues that the stuffed lion and jungle set won’t work to Elise, the coordinator.  Then, we get Impala stumbling into the set.  He activates his impala mask to heal himself.  

Charles Mokose says that he is with GGI which is familiar to Mari.  She knows it as the Global Guardians, the “I” must be “international” or “initative.”  Since Dr. Mist shut down his request to bring in the Justice League, another hero named Flint (she is part of Stormwatch), or Vixen.  Elise doesn’t like Mari running off the photo shoot, but she is told Mari’s contract has a Heroics Clause, I really like a legal excuse to walk off a job.  Mari shifts into her Vixen uniform.  Impala runs while Vixen uses the Tantu Totem to fly with wings.  He has outraced her and Mari gets a telepathic message from Dr. Mist including his looming face, green in the projection.  She doesn’t appreciate his “headjacking”, entering her mind.  Dr. Mist explains that the U.N. set an archaelogical team to Gorilla City.  This is the city inhabited by gorillas who are intelligent, like Gorilla Grodd, first appearing in The Flash #106 (May 1959). They are led by Dr. James Krieg.  Vixen notes that Dr. Mist sent Impala as security.  Dr. Mist says that the team uncovered an artifact that could possess anyone, possibly Superman!  We see a close-up of Krieg’s face with glowing red eyes.  

Vixen decides to catch up to Impala flying with horsefly wings!  Mari flies up to Impala, she notes he has a “Idris thing”, very funny!  Impala doesn’t get the reference.  She has Impala help the survivors as she enters the swirling vortex of energy.  Dr. Krieg enters her mind, says his goddess has arrived, and that he is Nyame.  He has been taken over by the Ghanian Lord of the Sky. Vixen slams into Krieg with gorilla strength!  The possessed Dr. Krieg unleashes his power that creates an explosion that worries Impala who is carrying away a man.  This was the end of the first digital issue.  Then, we get Krieg in Nyame god form.  Vixen brings up the Seven God Emblems, one of which Krieg has found.  Again, this reminds me of the artifacts in the Nubia story.  We get other gods in shadowy form, one of which is identified by Krieg as Gilgamesh.  This is the Babylonian hero that was in the Epic of Gilgamesh.  The gods strike Krieg and have him bound in what looks like a gold lasso?  Then, we have the African goddess of storms, Oya, swoop in to take the artifacts.  This conflict ends with Vixen’s Tantu Totem broken, they go after the possessed Krieg, and also get the help of the new Olympian!  Truth & Justice #1 offers some great superhero action and characters plus a bit of African mythology!          

Five Totems out of Five!  

#Truth&Justice, #ThePantheon, #GeoffreyThorne, #ChrisCross