Re:tro Re:view - Assassin’s Apprentice #2!

The next part of the comic book adaptation of Robin Hobb’s fantasy novel has an orphan boy who is the forgotten son of Prince Chivalry. He has found companionship with the castle’s dogs and he finds that he can understand their thoughts! The cover by Anna Steinbauer has the boy who will become Taker and dog lashing out with blue, misty energy! It features a script by Jody Houser and art by Ryan Kelly. We are told about Taker who made Buckkeep the First Duchy as an Outislander. 

This is taken word for word from the text at the beginning of the novel’s second chapter. He enters that same castle as a young boy on horseback with Burrich loyal to Prince Chivalry. I like the contrast of the historical record and reality. The novel does mention Chivalry’s hawk which is left out of the comic. Burrich tells another boy, Cob, to take Taker to the kitchens for a meal. Fitz is the name Burrich uses for Taker. Cob isn’t identified in the comic, this is what the novel is for and a great read, and we see the thoughts of Nosy, the boy’s puppy. I still love the color and misty texture of the animal thoughts by colorist Jordie Bellaire.  

Cob explains about the crowds of people is because of the feast for Prince Verity and Regal. He goes to find some food and tells the boy to stay like a dog. The boy sits against a wall with Nosy, but soon gets the attention of a man carrying a keg. The man has blonde hair here, but he is gray haired in the novel. Also, the impression I got was the boy looked up to see his boots instead of walking out of a crowd. The man’s stubborn curiosity draws a crowd and he asks for his name. We get the thoughts of Nosy about being a defenseless puppy. 

The description in the book is the same, but has Hob having Nosy showing his belly and wagging his tail, love the doggy detail. The man leans closer to repeat his question. A closeup as the boy, shouts, “No!” This is stronger to see visually than the novel plus there is the blue wisps that fling outwards! It knocks the man backwards and Cob watches as the boy runs away. Love the panel of young Taker running with the puppy’s fearful expression. Nosy takes him to safety under a wooden outbuilding. In the novel, it was where he was whelped by a vixen. I love seeing the artwork and text bringing the story to life. 

They find Burrich at night and he takes them to his room saying that Chivalry’s abdication may also bring him down. Taker the boy sees a plate of food and shares some with Nosy before both start to nod off. The next day, they start to wander into the streets, a puppet show makes a joke of Prince Chivalry “sowing a neighbor’s fields”, it is great to see the puppet show and dialogue which was just described in the book. Also, the laughter of the audience swirls in thick, green mist around Taker and the dog. They leave the crowd behind and also walk from Buckkeep. I like the bridge showing Taker leaving the building and ships to find beggar kids engaged in a fight. 

The novel had Taker joining the group to explore the town and the comic has an older girl, Nosebleed in a fist fight with a boy named Dirk. She is faster and the other kids goad them on. Taker walks up, Dirk calls him Newboy, but he is startled by the barking of Nosy, “danger. Protect. protect.” It is great to get into dog thoughts. He is mocked by Nosebleed and the others for being a coward. She has Taker join them. They wander into town and he is impressed at what they have picked up in their wanderings. Nosebleed and Taker are at the sea shore when she is shouted at as Molly by a girl named Kittne. Molly is warned about her drunk father. He appears and strikes her! 

Molly’s father is angry that he woke up and found that she didn’t make what he thinks is enough candles for the castle. Taker senses “sweat” and “beer” on him from Nosy. The father takes up a stick of driftwood and is about to hit his daughter. In desperation, Taker sends out his power that throws him down! Molly is concerned about her father, sadly co-dependent, saying that she deserves his punishment. The novel had him grabbing for his chest and twitching. Inducing a heart attack? Still, he recovers and they take him from the beach. The Springfest passes in the novel and Burrich’s attention is on his work and dealing with his wounded leg. In the summer, Taker learns the streets; running messages, stealing, and understanding people. 

Taker in the novel was accompanied by Molly and also a boy named Kerry. He attempt to steal some sausages, but unfortunately runs into Burrich! Taker is ordered back home and he complies. It is much later in the night when Burrich enters, a little drunk, to say he is worried about Taker’s “blood of kings” hanging around beggar children. He calls for Fitz and Nosy growls with a cloudy green circle warning of “trouble” around them. Burrich takes up a dog whip which is confusing to Taker until Burrich explains that it is to punish dogs for not following orders. Nosy growls and Burrich is weary since he would never hurt an animal, but realizes that the dog shares Taker’s thoughts. He explains that this is the “old Wit”, “the power of the beast blood”! An interesting corruption of a bond like The Beastmaster (1982)! The power is too cool and I would take it!  Assassin’s Apprentice #2 reveals some of the powers of the boy Taker and his destiny!  

Five Scents out of Five! 

#AssassinsApprentice, #RobinHobb, #JodyHouser, #RyanKelly, #Taker, #Burrich, #Nosy, #Cob, #Molly, #PrinceChivalry, #Buckkeep  

Re:tro Re:view - Lord of the Jungle #3!

Lord of the Jungle #3 continues the story of the older Tarzan and his time as Lord of the Jungle, finding new allies and danger! Dynamite’s series, Lord of the Jungle, parts the back story of Tarzan, and also brings in a 1950’s narrative of his revenge! We saw his beginnings raised by his ape-like Mangani mother, Kala, when Tarzan has lost his parents. In the second issue, there is also Bouanga, a childhood friend, who has now found Tarzan on his path to revenge. 

In the past, Tarzan faced hunters led by a man named Shaw, Kala is killed by the hunters. The cover of Lord of the Jungle #3 is by John Burns which has Tarzan, underwater, raising his fists, one with his knife. He is above the jaws of Gimla, the Mangani word for crocodile! It is night with a building in 1950’s Africa protected by guards. The story is by Dan Jurgens with Benito Gallego as artist. The narrator, Bouanga, says he has known all inds of men, some that are evil. We see a man in a dark suit, just the eye holes showing his face like a ninja, incredible colors by Francesco Segala, he just blends with the darkness. 

The man violently knocks out the guards before the guard dog starts to bark! Bouanga notes his friend. The stealthy man calms the dog down and gives a treat. There is of course kindness to animals compared to the guards. He leaps up, an incredible James Bond-like fet to reach the upper floor. The man enters a room of antiquities and removes his mask to find the item he is going to steal, it is the older, grey-haired Tarzan. 

The panel storytelling is great having medium shots and then larger panels of Tarzan’s face in mask and unmasked. This flashes back to Bouanga as a young man forced to work with Lt. Henry Carson. He says Lt. Carson is one of the “decent men” under Colonel Shaw. They go to set a lion trap for Shaw. Carson says Shaw is a tyrant. Shaw has decided to kill animals for trophies instead of the Treasures of the Mist. They hear a growl, a lion roars as Carson tells Bouanga to run, and it leaps on him! 

Then, we get a splash page to have Tarzan leaping in shouting, “Numa Dan-Do!” Numa I knew as “lion” and realized that he is saying “stop”! I’m surprised that Tarzan would save a hunter, but he also defends the weak. The lion has its jaws open, but turns to Tarzan. Then, the two jungle combatants face each other, Tarzan with his knife. He repeats his warning, Bouanga is stunned as Tarzan has leaped on the lion and then brings his knife down. The red panels of violence are perfect. Bouanga notes that Tarzan did not revel in the death of Numa. 

They introduce themselves, but Bouanga doesn’t understand Tarzan. He picks up the wounded Carson had Bouanga follows him. At his parent’s cabin, Tarzan puts the healing leaves on Carson and we get Bouanga and later Carson teaching Tarzan English. The novel, Tarzan of the Apes (1912), Tarzan learned to speak English on his travels to find Jane. Again, I like this change with two men learning about his past through his father’s diary and the photo of Lord Greystoke and Alice Greystoke. I also love the splashes of grey in the panels that make me think of the Gold Key Tarzan comics! 

Lt. Carson recovers and they start back to Colonel Shaw whom he expects to take Tarzan to England. They explain to Tarzan that his grandparents might be alive and Tarzan pauses to wonder that Kala is not his mother! Carson says it is miracle that Kala raised him and that she was his adoptive guardian. They find Shaw with his hunters, two of the Mangani are in cages, others are howling in the branches of a tree! Tarzan starts to call Shaw a killer. Bouanga realizes what happened. Carson tries to explain Tarzan’s life, but Shaw scoff at him. 

Tarzan goes to the cage and shouts to “Free them!” Shaw refuses, Tarzan brings along his Mangani brothers to free the prisoners, the hunters ready their rifles. Tarzan is faster and knocks them down. Tarzan faces Shaw, both combatants are in red!, Shaw draws his pistol. Carson calms them down. Shaw realizes that Tarzan is a Greystoke and valuable. He points to his men that are ready to kill on his orders. Shaw tries to make a deal to free the Mangani for his real objective! Lord of the Apes #3 weaves a new backstory, Tarzan’s revenge, and the promise of more adventure!  

Five Journals out of Five! 

#LordOfTheJungle, #DanJurgens, #BenitoGallego, #Tarzan, #Bouanga, #LtCarson, #ColonelShaw, #TreasuresOfTheMist 

Disney Mirrorverse Review!

Disney Mirrorverse is the latest mobile fighting game with Disney characters actings as Guardians against the shadowy Fractured! The game is by Kabam and it was first released on June 23, 2022. The company also published with Disney Interactive Studios, Star Wars: Uprising, which picked up the Anoat Sector after Return of the Jedi (1983). There were past Disney games like the incredible Square Enix Kingdom Hearts series. This game has Kingdom Hearts-like character designs, but with combat enhancements like armor and weapons. 

Disney Infinity was an interactive game that used action figures. It begins with the collision of two stars of light and darkness. This created the Mirrorverse with two mirrors, the Stellar Mirror and the Dark Mirror. The magic of these worlds has made Disney and Pixar characters similar, but different. We can get them combat oriented and slightly change their look, but the original characters stay the same. The Stellar Mirror is attacked, but protected by Mickey Mouse -  Stellar Sorcerer, he has the Sorcerer’s Apprentice hat, but it is yellow with scarf, white robes, and yellow gloves. Mickey has a levitating crystal which he taps into to send out electical blasts. The enemies are strange, armored creatures glowing purple. 

The first Guardian is summoned - Rapunzel - Illuminated Warrior who wields the deadly golden pan! She has golden armor, pink dress, and her hair tied to her waist! The line up for Guardians is awesome; Tron - World Network Enforcer, Kermit the Frog - Singing Swamp King, and Maui - Living Legend glowing with yellow power! The different Guardians have Roles, shown by different colored symbols; Melee, Tank, Ranged, and Support. Merida, of course, is Ranged with her bow. There are heroes like Tiana - Luminous Alchemist and villains such as Maleficent - Draconic Mage!  The downside is that my phone flashes through the information on Guardians and I crank up the volume and hear nothing. 

You move to the enemy and hit the red sword button to unleash a series of attacks! It shatters the enemy into purple shards. Rapunzel goes into bashing the bad guy across a rocky terrain. This moves to two opponents who who has a ranged attack. You tap the attack button and hold it to use your special attack, Rising Sunshot, that can also heal if she is low on HP. The enemy counter attacks will set a red ring which you must withdraw from to avoid damage. There is some coordination to move in, attack, and then dash away including moving around the battlefield. Mickey appears to heal Rapunzel. 

Once you test out the fighting system, it is time to level up. Mickey mentions he has a Star Crystal to bring in more Guardians. You throw the crystal into the Stellar Mirror, a swirling purple portal, then chose from three Guardians; Hercules, Mulan, and Ariel, all Melee Guardians. The next Guardian I chose was of course Ariel - Royal Champion of Atlantica. She floats with her mermaid tail with white armor, crown, and glowing trident. “Chapter 1 - Into the Woods” has a map of a city with a bridge crossing a river to a forest. The levels are around the forest with splotches of the black-purple darkness. 

Your first adventure is to fight near the Snuggly Duckling which is near the home of Rapunzel. Mickey sends Guardians through the Stellar Mirror to the Forest’s Edge and also contacts them through the mirror. The Fractured look like the animal henchmen in Robin Hood (1973). Defeating the Fractured gets you XP Motes, three swirling fires that levels up your Guardian. Rapunzel wonders about the dark version of herself. Mickey says that they only know that the villains “fracture into pieces”, so Rapunzel dubs them the Fractured! Next, you are met by Jack Sparrow! 

His ship is lost and he acts as an advisor thinking the Fractured are looking for buried treasure. He’s funny, I like him as a commentator than a potential Guardian. I wish this game was ported to the arcades. The Fractured Scar is there. You fight him in the next battle. He sinks into a dark portal to reappear to fight you! There are new Guardians added and it takes some time to build to Goofy and Minnie. There is some merch like Disney pins, action figures from McFarlane Toys, and upcoming is the Mirrorverse: Pure of Heart novel by Delilah S. Dawson! Disney Mirrorverse is fun, it feels like endless gameplay and unlocking some great powers against the Fractured! 

Five Star Crystals out of Five! 

#DisneyMirrorverse, #Kabam, #StellarMirror, #MickeyMouseStellarSorcerer, #Guardian, #RapunzelIlluminatedWarrior, #StarCrystal, #ArielRoyalChampionOfAtlantica, #Fractured, #JackSparrow, #MirrorversePureOfHeart, #DelilahSDawson  

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth Review!

The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth features beautiful, Tolkien inspired artwork and the latest powerful cards to use in your Magic: The Gathering (MtG) games. The latest MtG set is The Lord of the Rings: Tales of Middle-Earth. It is part of Universes Beyond; the film and tv franchises out of the MtG worlds. The game cards are from Wizards of the Coast. Check out more at: https://magic.wizards.com/en/products/the-lord-of-the-rings-tales-of-middle-earth. 

The Universes Beyond are not Standard, so not considered to be part of the official Type II MtG play. They include the Secret Lairs and upcoming Warhammer 40,000 and Doctor Who releases. The pre-release tournaments were held on June 16-22. So now they are on sale. The pre-release box. The box has Sauron with a black sword and a hand of fire. The back has rings of fire with Frodo reaching out for The Ring and then a corrupted version, black skin, and glowing eye. This is above a shadowy version of Mordor with Gollum reaching out to Sam and Frodo walking towards Mount Doom. 

You have to use the tear strip that opens the box and inside are large good (the West?) and evil (Mordor) tokens. On the flaps are Ring and +1/+1 circular tokens.  The outside part of the box opens to four panels with the far left having Gandalf’s saying, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo…” The center panel has a painting of a Hobbit hole. Inside is a reddish-brown box with the Frodo/dark Frodo painting that has the cards and spindown counter. The counter is basically a black, grey-flecked twenty-sided die. It has 6 draft booster packs, a "Traditional Foil year-stamped card from the pre-release cards", I got a Lobelia Sackville-Baggins card, (a black card?, in a way it makes sense), but a swamp Hobbit? They are called Halflings to get the non-LoTR connection in Magic. 

Also in the plastic is Bilbo, Retired Burglar, a multi-colored card. "The Ring" card, it has a tear-off part. Then, a full-bleed (all art) card of a Hobbit house with a garden by Lixin Yin. The game basically is two or more players put together decks from cards found in packs or boxes. The strategy is to build a deck to take on your opponents and not be without the right card at the right time! You draw seven cards to make your hand and then play a land like forests or swamps to generate mana (tap or turn the card to the side). This can be used to bring down creatures or to cast spells (Instant or Sorcery). Some cards have mana costs at the top of cards; a number, any kind of mana, or a mana color. 

The handy table to put down cards is the battlefield. Used or lost cards go to a pile called the graveyard. Creatures have values on the bottom of the card; Power, how much damage it causes, and Toughness, its defense against attacks. Your creatures can attack the opponent’s creatures or the player who has 20 life. There are multiple ways to defeat an opponent, certain cards have win conditions, run down a player’s life, or cards. The basic part of Magic: The Gathering is that it is easy to play, but experience is needed to master, especially with new sets dropping every few months! The different lands generate different kinds of mana, plains (white), and islands (blue). 

You can also use themed decks featuring dragons, angels, vampires, or any of the MtG creatures or card styles. There are no dragons, like Smaug, in this set focused on Lord of the Rings. The rarity of the cards are in the middle of the card; common (black), uncommon (silver), rare (gold), and mythic rare (bronze, looks red to me). Some of the classic creatures are Shivan Dragon, Serra Angel, and Sengir Vampire. Below the card mechanics is flavor text which details the card in the MtG world or in this case, Middle-Earth, so text from the LoTR books. I wonder if there will eventually be a Magic: The Gathering film. A recent set was Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, which adapted the popular Dungeons and Dragons setting, that was also in the latest Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. 

There was a special set, Secret Lair, that had cards from the movie characters. I took a look at the Tales of Middle-Earth Prerelease Kit with 6 packs. The cards, I think as a Lord of the Rings collectible, at least some of the cards I would say is a must for LoTR fans. The biggest part of such cards is familiar characters. There are multiple versions of characters; Gandalf, Friend of the Shire (uncommon), Gandalf the Grey (rare), Gandalf, White Rider (rare), Gandalf, Westward Voyager (rare), and Gandalf the White (mythic rare). I have not seen most of the Fellowship. So a nice assortment of rarities and artwork with also full bleed variants (like the Meriadoc Brandybuck in the picture). If your hope is to get a particular card or character, there are Commander Decks. 

The Enchantment-Saga cards have lore counters each turn that activates abilities. My favorite is Tale of Tinúviel because of the Beren and Luthien story. This set has a strange grayish-black color for black cards, and grayish-white for white cards. I like all black and all white cards to distinguish the colors. The majority of cards follow the LoTR story and characters. I do like the “Ring tempts you” mechanic, if you get such a card effect, then you chose a creature to become Ring-bearer. It has abilities each temptation like “Whenever your Ring-bearer attacks, draw a card, then discard a card.” Very LoTR. Other cards like Ithilien Kingfisher seem like a stretch to fit the MtG mechanics. Magic: The Gathering cards use all depend on the player, but there are some sets with weak cards, Tales of Middle-Earth has a good mix. A strong set.  

Five Rings out of Five! 

#MagicTheGathering, #LordOfTheRings, #TalesOfMiddleEarth, #UniversesBeyond, #WizardsOfTheCoast, #BilboRetiredBurglar, #LixinYin, #AdventuresInTheForgottenRealms, #SecretLairs, #GandalfTheWhite, #MeriadocBrandybuck, #TaleOfTinuviel, #RingTempsYou 

Secret Invasion, “Resurrection”, Review!

Secret Invasion is a thriller show with the involvement of the shapeshifting Skrull and Nick Fury! The show was created by show runner, Kyle Bradstreet, who also the cyber thriller series, Mr. Robot. There is eerie music as we have the setting, “Moscow, Present Day”, on a screen of black. Everett Ross (Martin Freeman) is heard on his mobile replies that he will be there. We last saw Freeman in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). He is in a tunnel, throws his phone to the side, and has his gun ready. We see Ross walking up steps as a man (Richard Dormer) says to “imagine a world where information can’t be trusted.” 

Dormer was Beric Dondarrion in Game of Thrones. Then, as Ross goes to a street and slips into a building, the voice notes that we can only trust the people close to us, and what if they were “someone else.” Also, that the people are not human!  This captures the premise of the show based on the 2008-2009 limited series by Brian Michael Bendis and Leinil Francis Yu. It reminds me of the sci fi movie, Invaders from Mars (1953) which freaked me out when I was young. 

There are news clipping, a screen of computers, and questions on a wall like a conspiracy theorist. Ross asks Agent Prescod (Dormer) what he is saying and Prescod notes “five global terrorists strikes.” Prescod seems wild and says that there is some people behind this war.  Then, he adds, Skrulls. These are the green aliens with pointy ears that first showed up in Captain Marvel (2019). In the comics, they debuted in Fantastic Four #2 (1962)! Prescod says it started when the Skrulls first came to Earth 30 years ago! Ross says that there is only a “handful” of Skrulls on Earth as Prescod continues his rant. He continues that their liasion is Nick Fury. 

Then, Ross says that he is on the space station, S.A.B.E.R., and needs evidence if he contacts Fury. The best part of introducing the main character of a spy-type story is to talk about him or her before seeing the person. Presod takes a iPad that projects a hologram to show Ross. After looking at the hologram, Ross says he will take it to Fury. Prescod tackles him! Skrull! This of course make me re-think the character and his time in Wakanda in the Black Panther films. Was that Everett Ross or did a Skrull replace him? To respect the character, he should be replaced after the last film. Still, we have not seen the body if Ross is killed, just his duplicate body. 

He chokes him with a cord around his neck until shot. Ross picks himself up and walks down an alley and he is followed. He calls for an extract. In her car, Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) touches her rearview mirror to pull up a map showing a metro station. Smulders last played Hill in Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019). Ross starts to run as the pursuing man shouts at him in Russian. The chase goes into a building and up floors that light up windows. They reach the rooftop and Ross tries to leap across, but falls into the street. Bleeding, he struggles to crawl forward as Hill runs up to him from her car. 

She draws her gun on the man who holds up his hands and transforms into the Skrull, Talos, played by Ben Mendelsohn. The actor last played the character in Captain Marvel. She asks what he is doing and Talos says he was chasing Ross. The agent dies and transforms into a Skrull. Talos says he’s one of “them.” Then, we get the twisting, painterly title sequence of the destruction of the Skrull homeworld, Skrullos, Nick Fury, and the brief shifting of human faces to Skrulls. A dark forest is suddenly illuminated by a beam of light. We see the blurry, then distorted form step out, it is Nicky Fury (Samuel L. Jackson). He has been missing from the live action MCU since Spider-Man: Far From Home. This is a great extraterrestrial intro for Fury. 

He turns, no eyepatch, just the blinded eye from the cat-like Flerken, Goose, in Captain Marvel. Fury sees the approach of a car, he stumbles painfully, a wound in his leg?, over to be welcomed by Maria Hill. She takes him to a house and tells Fury to go upstairs to meet with Talos. He is tending to a plant with large petals with a glowing blue interior. Talos tells him that it is a Skrull sky plant. We see something alien like the Skrulls changed, but thriving on Earth. Talos explains that Soren had planted it. Soren was Talos’ wife whom we saw in Captain Marvel. 

Fury apologizes over her death and Talos says she worried that the events would return him to Earth. He asks about Gravik. Talos mentions that after the Blip, Fury disappeared as well as Carol Danvers and Gi’ah, his daughter. He explains that she was angry at not finding a home, this is the refugee story in fictional terms, and Talos was removed from the Council. Hill debriefs Fury on a hologram device showing Gravik (Kingsley Ben-Adir). The actor starred in the crime series, Peaky Blinders. Hill continues saying Skrulls are immune to radiation and the young Skrulls have used unofficial nuclear plants as bases. Gravik’s location is unknown. 

Hill explains that the Ross imposter was looking for a dirty bomb and she tells Fury that Prescod was checking on a group called the AAR (Americans Against Russia). Fury asks if Gravik was trying to start a war. Hill explains that weapons were stolen in Kazakhstan the day Prescod was killed. Both Hill and Talos are somber at the debriefing. Talos says if Gravik’s plan succeeds, the human species will die, Fury stands up, upset at the news! He says he is going for a walk. Washington, D.C., James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) reports to the president, Ritson (Dermot Mulroney), about Nick Fury. Cheadle was last in the MCU in the premiere, “New World Order” (2021) of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier. 

A great connection to two MCU series! Mulroney is in this year’s bio drama, Shooting Stars, based on the young LeBron James. I think Mulroney makes an excellent president figure. The last president we saw was Matthew Ellis (William Sadler) in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. episode, “Laws of Nature” (2016). President Ritson is surprised that Fury left S.A.B.E.R. building the best aerospace defense. Rhodes says there was a message between Hill and Fury, but says without communications, they are considered AWOL (Absent Without Leave)! Fury is walking the Moscow streets at night, suddenly two agents throw a sack over his head, and forced him into a van! 

In the darkness he is greeted by the voice of a woman played by Olivia Colman! The Academy Award as well as BAFTA Award winning actress played Miss Havisham in this year’s Great Expectations mini-series. This is Sonya Falsworth, MI6 agent, a new character, but the last name Falsworth has a connection to James Montgomery Falsworth (JJ Feild) in Captain America: The First Avenger (2011). As she pours a drink for him, Fury activates a device on the eye of an owl figurine. She seems very polite, but I sense she is also deadly running in the same circles as Fury. He knew that walking the streets that eventually he would be brought to Sonya. 

Fury says he’s come to stop the Skrull rebellion. Sonya brings up that he knew Gravik. Then, it becomes a back and forth with Fury asking him about the Kazakhstan heist, she counters with he doesn’t know what was stolen shows he changed after being taken out by Thanos! He brings up an alliance, but she says Fury should have noticed her men “a mile away” and rejects him. He leaves and we get a closeup of the owl’s eye. Next, it shifts to “312 km Southwest of Moscow”, around 193 miles. A man (Samuel Adewunmi) wearing a Russian Trooper hat walks up to a fence guarded by soldiers. He says he wants to go home. A car pulls up and out of it is the imposing woman in pink jacket played by Emilia Clarke. The actress is in this year’s sci fi romance, The Pod Generation. 

She tells him to take his “natural form.” He removes his hat shifting into his Skrull shape. The gates are opened and she welcomes him to New Skrullos. She drives him and the man says his name is Beto. The mysterious woman asks Beto when was the last time he had food, but he doesn’t know. She lowers the glove compartment and he is stunned to see a blue petaled fruit. The young woman says they only grow Skrull produce. They drive up to an abandoned nuclear plant surrounded by a forest. There are men outside, Skrull kids play outside, she takes him inside a building and says there are 500 Skrulls in the compound. 

She says if Beto wants to be a warrior, then Gravik will let him leave the compound. The warriors have to stay in their human “shells” so they will not be easily identified. Also, a good way to save on effects. She tells him to stay from a guarded room and he asks what is inside and she replies, “Victory.” There are people in metal platforms with blue devices sending energy to their temples. The young woman stands by the side of a leader, Pagon (Killian Scott), he calls up a Skrull warrior, Brogan (Ben Peel), who swears his dedication to be “home in my own skin.” 

Pagon then orders his shell, the human to duplicate, one of the Americans Against Russia! He has Brogan shift into the form of the human. I would think he could perfectly match another by taking a sample of his DNA, like blood. Then, Pagon slams the man into the cage, the electricity begins hitting his temple! He asks Brogan to take his mind. Brogan touches his fingers to the man’s forehead stealing his memories! The Skrull woman watches all of it. On the next level from a window is a shadowy form, Gravik! 

The owl’s eye records a meeting of Sonya Falsworth. A hologram of them is projected in the kitchen with Fury, Hill, and Talos watching. She mentions that there are five specialist who could build a bomb and points out Vasily Poprishchin, who has an art gallery. Falsworth wants to see if a Skrull contact will lead them to their base. Fury says Falsworth will have agents there and tells Talos that he can’t have mercy with Falsworth involved. This will involve Nick Fury with Talos and Maria Hill to stop the Skrull woman and uncover a stunning secret! Secret Invasion sows the seeds of the refugee Skrulls trying to feed the tensions of humans to destroy the Earth for a new homeland with Nick Fury there to stop them!

Five Skrull Sky Plants out of Five! 

#SecretInvasion, #Resurrection, #KyleBradstreet, #SamuelLJackson, #CobieSmulders, #DonCheadle, #OliviaColman, #EmiliaClarke, #KillianScott, #BenPeel, #KingsleyBenAdir, #DermotMulroney, #SamulAdewunmi, #RichardDormer

Sanjulián’s Queens of the Lost World #1 Review!

Sanjulián’s Queen of the Lost World #1 slashes open a sword and sorcery world right out of the Spanish artist’s work! Sanjulián is a noted fantasy artist who worked in comic books like the Warren Publishing magazine such as Eerie, and fantasy novel covers like Conan: The Flame Knife (1981). Opus Comics is the publisher and also the company of another fantasy artist master's comic book, Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer. 

It is written by Leah Moore, the daughter of comic scribe, Alan Moore, and John Reppion. They are the husband and wife writing team that adapted Bram Stoker in the Compete Dracula (2009) limited series. The artwork is by Silvia Califano who also worked on the Elvira in Horrorland (2022) series. It is based on Sanjulián’s painting Dragon Queen.  This is an adult comic in content, but has no labels so be warned. The regular cover is by Ariel Olivetti which has the swordswoman carrying a small dragon cage below a blue background with a queen and dragon. 

A variant cover has Sanjulián painting, Warrior, of a dark-haired woman in a metal bikini with bronze shield and sword held in a gauntlet while a saber-tooth tiger prowls and pterosaurs fly above them! The story begins in a small panoramic panel of the Midnight Forest. Two brothers complain about the thorns and come across the smoking corpse of a large tusk-boar, in the foreground is the glowing eyes of an owl, impressive. 

Then, we get a large panel of a woman holding a sword to one of the warrior’s neck. She wears a gold headpiece with a red gem. The pencils are dark and detailed with some great expressions. One of the brothers nervously says they were sent by the Dragon Queen looking for The Huntress. She is presented a letter with the royal seal and agrees to see the Dragon Queen. The owl flies over the night forest below the moon. This shifts to the Forsaken Plains with a rider struggling with her horse in the rain. She wears a horned skull helmet. 

A zombie hand reaches out for the horse, another large panel of the horse rearing as lightning strikes down, and zombie hands reach upwards! This is a scene right out of Army of Darkness (1992)! She falls into the muddy ground and the zombie hands pull her under! It shifts to daytime where we have three dragons flying from the sun. We are told by an unknown narrator that the dragons were the rulers while ape-people were in the swamps. 

We see the spires of an elaborate castle within a mountain crater and a city built around it. Incredible design. The balance of power shifted in the Age of Kings with humans taming the dragons. I like the little dragons, about the size of a puppy, being tended by uniformed keepers in circular nests in a wall. This is the Eyrie castle. A woman, the Dragon Queen, in sheer blue clothes and gold ornaments is surrounded by some green smoke and she runs in tears. This moves to a bearded advisor in red robes, Grand Vizier Senex. The small number of characters reminds me of the sword and sorcery movies of the 80’s!

He has a little dragon climbing on his shoulders. Senex tells her about message about the Aegyptian queen’s armies and the Scorpion Queen’s Catacombs. Another setting for a comic book? The Dragon Queen admits that she left the chamber of Terra Drac and the green-herb has not helped her. I love that this Dragon Queen reminds me of the Mother of Dragons, Daenerys Targaryen in Game of Thrones, but the Dragon Queen is very much more swords and sorcery. 

In the Ossus Catacombs, the woman, Furia the Warrior, uses her sword to tear down the hordes of the undead. Love the names! She searches for the necromancer that controlled them. At the armory in Terra Drac, Busca, the Huntress is met by the Dragon Queen and Grand Vizier. The Dragon Queen asks Busca if she can find anything. She replies that only if she is paid. Senex is stunned that she holds the legendary sword, Vastator Tenebrarum, Destroyer of Darkness. She sees the spider-like, undead creature that she killed with the sword. 

We have Busca asking why the Dragon Queen would need her. A large panel has the Dragon Queen on a throne of a dragon, she has a leopard cape, red bikini, and a dragon on her lap. The artwork is stunning enough to pick up the comic book. The Dragon Queen needs The Huntress to be secret and on her own for the quest. The object she says already belongs to the Dragon Queen. A lost egg of the dragon? Busca asks for a new things and we see a panel of a golden shield and armor. Furia is attacked again by a skeleton which she shatters, but then is um, held by an undead creature in robes, covered in a blue spectral glow. 

He wants her as a champion. At the chamber of Magna Mater, which translates to Great Mother, is the chained, massive dragon in a two page spread. She rests as the Dragon Queen enters and walks over to her head. We see inserts of the dragon opening her eye like a way of communicating. The Dragon Queen can’t help her or understand Magna Mater, but a way rests with Busca! It is two women warriors, one sided with darkness and the other has the hope of saving the queendom and dragons! Queens of the Lost World has powerful women in a sword and sorcery world with fantastic visuals of Sanjulián!  

Five Swords out of Five! 

#QueensOfTheLostWorld, #Sanjulian, #LeahMoore, #JohnReppion, #SilviaCalifano, #Busca, #Huntress, #Furia, #DragonQueen, #Senex 

Strolling Through the (Theme) Park One Day: Fiesta Village at Knott’s!

The summer has arrived for Knott’s Berry Farm with the reopening of Fiesta Village and Ghost Town Alive! Fiesta Village has just opened on May 26th is lively with a new energy at every corner! It features the update of the classic roller coaster, MonteZOOMa: Forbidden Fortress, many areas for shows and characters, with new restaurants like Casa California and Baja Taqueria. One of the new food items is the Carne Asada Fries! The Fiesta Mercado section has the look of historic Olvera Street. At night is the Calle Celebración. I saw the Bob Barker Marionettes at Fiesta Plaza, not to be missed. Plus, there was Sally and Lucy characters dressed up for the new Fiesta Village!  The summer has the return of Ghost Town Alive! which also opened on May 26th. 

                                                                                          Viva Fiesta Village at Knott’s Berry Farm, author’s photo. 

It appears that the town of Calico this Founder’s Day has Mayor Howell turned up missing!  New mayors are elected every hour after they complete five good deeds! Then, there is the retirement of the sheriff! You can find all of the happenings in the Calico Gazette or ask around to the good people of Ghost Town. The Mad Bucks and the Mayfields are rustlin’ up some trouble in town. There is also the return of Miss Cameo Kate’s Western Burle-Q Revue at the Bird Cage Theater. I picked up a package from the Assay Office to deliver to the Post Office. It is great to take part of the fun of all of the characters. I always make a visit to the Livery Horse Stable. There was the horses, Dave and Rocky, both retiring from the Butterfield Stagecoach. Also, there was poor Brutus who a guest slapped when he was out in Ghost Town, what a jack ass! Give some love to Brutus if you stop by the stable. There is some great fun for responsible guests at Knott’s Berry Farm. Don’t miss it! 

#KnottsBerryFarm, #FiestaVillage, #MonteZOOMaForbiddenFortress, #CasaCalifornia, #BajaTaqueria, #FiestaMercado, #CalleCelebracion, #BobBarkerMarionettes, #GhostTownAlive, #MissCameoKatesWesternBurleQRevue, #BirdCageTheater, #LiveryHorseStable, #Dave, #Rocky, #Brutus 

The Flash Review!

The Flash is a fun superhero movie dealing with consequences, family, and a multiverse of heroes at stake! It is directed by Andy Muschietti and he previously directed the Stephen King adaptations; It (2017) and It: Chapter Two (2019). It is written by Christina Hodson who also wrote Birds of Prey (2020) and Joby Harold who co-wrote Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. It is interesting that the CW Flash series has run down at the same time that this film has finally reached theaters. The Speed Force crackles around logos. There is a closeup as Barry Allen (Ezra Miller), in a suit, enters a coffee shop. Miller reprised his part as Credence Barebone in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022). 

Barry Allen here has all of the awkwardness from Zack Snyder’s Justice League (2021), but he has an arc here developing as a person and a superhero. He orders a sandwich which the barista takes some time getting made while he is late for work. Barry gets a call from Alfred (Jeremy Irons) who was also from Zack Snyder’s Justice League. Alfred like that film acts as a coordinator, the tech guy, who works from Batman’s computer. I would have liked Barbara Gordon, Batgirl, to be the organizer as she was in the comics as Oracle. He mentions that other members of the team are busy. Barry activates his Flash Ring which ejects his costume and he changes into The Flash. He is about to make his run, it is a twisted ready-to-run move like a combination of a weightlifter muscle pose, sprinter, and ballet dancer.

He sees some kids who are awed by The Flash as a superhero and asks for a half-eaten candy bar. It is thrown to him, but doesn’t quite make it as he moves through the Speed Force! The Flash in the Speed Force has some interesting effects that stands out from the films and televison show. In Gotham City, an ambulance collapses in a sinkhole endangering a hospital.  On the Batcycle, Batman (Ben Affleck) is pursuing a Humvee of armed robbers. Affleck plays Phil Knight in this year’s real life drama, Air. Alfred contacts Barry about the gas and water pipes in the hospital basement and The Flash goes to tie them up to prevent an explosion. 

The building cracks and we see the a nurse trying to settle her patients, but the building tilts and the window shatters. The Flash goes to rescue them in a bizarre scene rendered in CGi, the patients look like plastic, the scene seems to be the micro-second race to outdo Quicksilver’s race in X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). Barry wears a watch device that tracks his calories so he has to take time to get his carb load. Batman pursues the criminals on a bridge and fires a metal ball that takes out the Humvee, Batman uses his Batarang to catch one of the thieves, Alfred reminds him that a briefcase has a virus that can take out Gotham. They reach the safety of the bridge and The Flash arrives after the rescue. 

At the Central City Research Center, Barry finds that he has missed a meeting and finds his co-workers Patty and Albert, in credits they are Patty Spivot (Saoirse-Monica Jackson), a comics character memorably played by Shantel VanSanten in the tv series, and Albert Desmond (Rudy Mancuso), the character later becomes the villain Doctor Alchemy. At a press conference, their boss takes credit for their work, but Barry’s attention goes to Iris West (Kiersey Clemons). The actress was in the romantic comedy this year, Somebody I Used to Know. She says they “saw each other a few years ago.” A mention of the Zack Snyder’s Justice League moment. 

Iris mentions his father’s appeal the next day which she is covering as a reporter. At his apartment, Barry looks over the security cam footage of a grocery store with his father unidentifed to the camera. He speaks to his father, Henry Allen (Ron Livingston) at Iron Heights prison. Livingston starred in the horror movie, The Conjuring (2013). While they talking, Barry Flashes over to the family home, he flashes back to his younger self, played by Ian Loh. Flash-back, we have Nora Allen (Maribel Verdú), Barry’s mother, making pasta. I didn’t realize Verdú played Mercedes in Pan’ Labyrinth (2006). She is the emotional heart of this film. Nora asks Henry for a can of tomatoes at the grocery store. Then, she dances with Barry. A nice family moment.  

In his room, young Barry hears a scream and then sees his father in the driveway returning from the grocery store. He rushes to the kitchen to find his mother dying! The Flash starts to run. It looks like Miller has his strange run on a disc like the Six Million Dollar Man. Still, he enters a blue field that distorts into what Barry calls a Chrono Bowl, a surreal auditorium of past images. Again, the faces look artificial, maybe the Speed Force looks like Lawnmower Man (1992). Barry pushes his face through the field to see the patient from the rescue. At night, Barry tells Bruce Wayne about being able to go back in time and that he could save his mother and Bruce’s parents. Bruce argues against him to do so which is a major development for his character, “Martha!” 

Iris sees Barry at his apartment and he tries to do a Flash tidy up with funny results! He phases, vibrating his molecules!, through a poster of Raquel Welch (very Shawshank Redemption) to get some beers for them. Barry talks with Iris about the case against his father and says, “Three lives ruined for a can of tomatoes.” This has the Flash enter the Chrono Bowl again, but something knocks him away. Barry sees his house and then his mother at the kitchen. His father asks about his Freshman year at college and then Barry sees his younger self walking up to the house! This is the situation from the Flashpoint, a 2011 crossover storyline from the comics, it was adapted into the animated Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox (2013) and the third season episode of The Flash CW show, “Flashpoint” (2016). 

Original Barry, short hair, meets with Young Barry, long hair, outside and then takes him to his room. He is annoyed at his college self saying, “You don’t stop talking.” So the seriousness of the situation makes Barry reflective of himself to others. The two Barry Allens is interesting, the visual effects are seemless, but Young Barry becomes grating after some time. There is a storm outside and Original Barry finds out from Young Barry that it is September 29th, “the day he got powers”! So Original Barry has to bring Young Barry to the Central City Crime Lab to recreate the accident that made him become the Flash! His origin was explained, but we get to see the lightning and chemicals transform Barry here. It is awkward for both Barrys with the new Flash power. 

Still, they discover that Zod (Michael Shannon) has appeared in Australia. After some time with Young Barry’s roommates, they travel to Wayne Manor, I felt the shivers of remembrance with the hall of different armors to the 1989 Batman! They find a very different Bruce Wayne (Michael Keaton)! It is great to have Keaton back as Batman with a new fighting style and effects. The Batwing is stunning when we first see it. The Barrys have to join with Batman to attempt a rescue of Superman in Siberia. This is a nod to the Red Son storyline in comics. It turns out that this is Supergirl played by Sasha Calle. Both Keaton and Calle are introduced in this later part, but are just memorable with a world made up of very different heroes! There are some surprising CGi cameos and an end credit scene. The Flash has a the fate of a multiverse on the choices of Miller's Barry Allen with Keaton and Calle making a strong trio (quartet with Young Barry)! 

Four Flash Rings out of Five! 

#TheFlash, #AndyMuschietti, #EzraMiller, #MichaelKeaton, #SashaCalle, #MaribelVerdu, #RonLivingston, #BenAffleck, #JeremyIrons, #KierseyClemons, #IanLoh, #SaoirseMonicaJackson, #RudyMancuso, #MichaelShannon