Superman and Lois, “Into Oblivion”, Review!

 Last ep. re:cap: Jonathan takes the fall for the possession of the X-K drug!  Sarah meets with Aubrey whom she kissed in summer camp.  John Henry was out of action seriously damaged by Bizarro in “The Inverse Method” which aired February 1st (a lifetime ago?)!  We see one year ago on Earth-TUD22, John Henry flashes back to spending time with his daughter.  She wakens to an alarm.  The A.I. Hedy (Daisy Tormé) used by John Henry notes an anamoly that is going to destroy the Earth.  She pursues her father in an escape pod when the power goes out.  In current time, we have Natalie checking on her father in the hospital room.  He is cleared to return and says he wants to spend time with his “two girls.”  He does not recognizing this worlds’ Lois who walked in with Clark! 

Natalie asks the doctor about what happened with her father and wants another brain scan.   She leaves Clark and Lois not happy.  This episode is in part Natalie’s story with the flashbacks.  At the home, an awkward conversation with Kyle and Lana who are apart.  He wants to know about her preparation for the mayoral debate.  Sarah walks in wondering about her parents’ relationship, he wants to take his daughter to breakfast.  Lois and Clark return home, he is not ready to talk with Jonathan and they roshambo, I’ve always heard it as Rock Paper Scissors.  Of course, Clark loses and meets with his sons at the kitchen table.  He also wants Jordan there in case he makes the same mistake!  Clark mentions that the parents are calling not wanting their kids to be around Jonathan.  Clark tells him that football season is cancelled. He asks again about who had the X-K drugs and hears the warning from Sam Lane.  

SUPERMAN AND LOIS - - “Into Oblivion” - - TYLER HOECHLIN, WOLE PARKS, TAYLER BUCK - - Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

He speeds away, Lois tells Jonathan that he has to go to online school and work at the Brit & Dunn store.  Jordan gets a message from Sarah to talk.   In her office, Ally talks to Anderson about the pendant.  He says he has two of the pendants.  She hopes to ascend, but Anderson is confused.  Ally has Anderson transferred to the other world to contact her other shadow self.  Anderson says that Ally’s other self told her to ascend now.  Jonathan says to Lois that he thinks his father hates him.  Lois gets a call from Crissy that Ally is going to give her a ride.  A van pulls up with a mysterious man who takes her phone before she gets in.  Crissy is stunned that the people inside are in hazmat suits.  At school, Sarah tells Jordan about Aubrey, they are “just friends.”  She wants them to hang out and he hears the warning signal.  He watches a man (Kenny Wood-Schatz) harrassing Candice about money.  Maybe Jordan uncovers who is supplying the X-K.  

At the DoD, Sam Lane tells Superman that Anderson is missing.  He mentions the apology from General Hardcastle.  He is on temporary duty, opens a safe, and sees the pendant is missing.  At the mines, a soldier is tossed by super powered Anderson, Ally is there in a Hazmat team along with Crissy.  At the Kent home, Clark tells Lois about the missing pendant.  Lois and Sam get a call from Lucy.  Crissy sees the glow on Ally’s glove as they enter the tunnel.  Clark returns, no Lucy, and they put the connections together.  The tunnel opens to a cavern with circles of blue energy and a red sun.  Lucy floats up followed by others.  Crissy follows them with Ally watching them.  They start to scream in pain.  Crissy is about to be taken in , Anderson takes a hit of X-K.  Superman at the last moment grabs hold of Crissy.  Anderson floats up with the pendant and enters the vortex.  

SUPERMAN AND LOIS - - “Into Oblivion” - - EMMANUELLE CHRIQUI, ERIK VALDEZ - - Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW -- (C) 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Crissy is tearfully stunned that Superman only saved three of them.  At the mines, Crissy explains what happened to Superman in the back of a hospital van.  Sam Lane wants to know if he saw Lucy.  He gets a warning, he missed taking John Henry back, Sam Lane says he will take care of Ally.  Clark returns home to find John Henry and Natalie who is angry at him.  She is upset that her father will share the same fate as her mother.  Natalie worries about the A.I.  that puts her in suspended animation until a solution can be found.  At the store, Jonathan is mopping the floor as Jordan tells his brother about what happened at school.  Lana has a conversation with Kyle about how the mayor will use their relationship in debates.  In the DoD interrogation room, Ally with a bruised face, is questioned by Sam Lane.  He wants to know about the names of the seven missing people.  She brings up Lucy pushing him.  

Lois watches and then goes into the room to see her father shaking Ally.  She smiles at Lois.  Sam Lane is angry that Lucy died to Lois.  At the Cushing home, Kyle goes over the questions with his wife.  Clark talks with Sam Lane and then hears something at Lucy’s apartment.  He appears as Superman there and sees Lois.  She wants to find out what happened to her sister.  At the store, Jonathan talks to Candice about what his brother heard and walks her out.  They walk in the night street and she tells him that she loves him.  Headlights appears from a car.  The tough guy, Mickey Jeroux, takes a hit of X-K. Is he behind everything?, forcing Candice to work for him?  Jordan is walking up tot he cafe to see Sarah and Aubrey.  Jordan hears the warning signal about his brother.  His life is complicated without saving Jonathan.  Mickey pushes around Candice.  Jonathan throws his car keys.  Jeremy knocks him down the street.  Superman and Lois is filled with dramatic moments, but there are so many, it is difficult to invest in one or two or three.  

Four Crystals out of Five!  

#SupermanAndLois, #IntoOblivion, #TylerHoechlin, #ElizabethTulloch, #JordanElsass, #AlexGarfin, #WoleParks, #TaylerBuck, #DylanWalsh, #SofiaHasmik, #IndeNavarrette, #DjoulietAmara, #RyaKihlstedt, #IanBohen, #KennyWoodSchatz. 

Re:tro Re:view - Wonder Woman #782!

Last issue, in November of 2021!, Wonder Woman has returned from the Afterworlds to normal life in Washington, D.C.  She is catching up with Etta Candy while Dr. Edgar Cizko has been promoting his new book!  Wonder Woman meets with Deadman in New England  and on her flight back she sees the Glass Wonder Women!  The cover by Terry Dodson has Wonder Woman falling backwards as a number of glass duplicates pursue her in the air!  “Through A Glass Darkly Part Two”, continues with the creative team of artist Marcio Takara and writers, Michael W. Conrad and Becky Cloonan.  Diana looks out of the airplane’s window over the Atlantic Ocean, startling Boston Brand, Deadman in shades, and hurries off with her bag in her hand.  Boston stares out the window.  

Deadman shouts a warning to the other passengers.  The crazy eyed Glass Wonder Women approach the aircraft and tear off the door.  They enter the cabin with the air rushing in to teh screams of passengers.  Boston calmly sits a passenger in his seat.  A Glass Wonder Woman says, “I am Wonder Woman” to him.  Boston’s fist shatters the duplicate’s head. A passenger holds onto a chair rest to stop herself from being pulled out into the sky!  The Glass Wonder Women overwhelm Boston as the pink glass particles fly around.  He is struck down as the Glass Wonder Women surround the jet.  The loop of the Lasso of Truth flies out in close-up.  The real Wonder Woman, in an almost full panel size, sends out the lasso while shattering a duplicate with her elbow!  

Boston takes the distraction to break another Glass Wonder Woman with his fist.  Wonder Woman takes hold of the passenger and breaks another Glass Wonder Woman.  The others turn to her.  She uses the Lasso of Truth as a whip destroying more of imposter Wonder Women.  Boston wonders about their nature, but Wonder Woman says they are just “cheap clones” as she flies out.  She heads back destroying the Glass Wonder Women and lifts the airplane!  Later, we get an Iceland reporter who mentions the emergency landing of Flight 623, the mystery of what happened and that none of the passengers remember what happened.  They got a little Men in Black (1997) neuralizer treatment from Deadman!  Diana discusses this with Boston later in a hotel room and suspects Cizko.  

The duo was headed to Sweden to uncover the mystery of Diana’s sword, Gram, that recieved from Siegfried in the Afterworlds.  Boston joins Wonder Woman’s adventure.  She says their location won’t be a danger with the Glass Wonder Women.  It must be some tracking device on Diana, his book?, she also brings up that her mother wants her to return to Themyscira.  Plus, she hadn’t called Steve Trevor.  Before she goes to sleep, Diana tells Boston that they are going to Uppsala, a city near Stockholm, Sweden.  The next morning in Sweden, they are enjoying a nice breakfast ouside of a cafe, and Diana relates a story about Siegfried to Boston.  She gets a voice mail from Steve Trevor and goes to answer him.  In the early morning in Washington, D.C., Steve gets her call.  He groggily gets her call, but only picks up that Diana is in Sweden before the call ends.  

Next, we get the hidden broadcast of Cizko joking to a studio audience on camera.  He mentions about the “other planes of existence”, like the Afterworlds he entered?  Cizko contacts the spirit of Matthias Knutzen, it all seems like a fake televangelist.  He channels another spirit, concentrates, and the camera is distorted.  This pulls back from the television to Etta Candy who is wakened by a telephone call.  Steve Trevor has called her to watch the program about the Glass Wonder Women.  Etta takes on the investigation into their origin.  At Vallsgärde Gravfält, Sweden, a snowy landscape which was the site of ancient Swedish kings, impressive research Conrad and Cloonan!  Boston finds that he is freezing, Wonder Woman has a coat, scarf, and a white, traditional Swedish headwear.  He mentions that he is literally freezing since he possessed a corpse!  Wonder Woman gives him her coat.  Boston has detected Siegfried’s “vibrations” which is strong because he had unfinished business.

They find a rune stone, almost a full page illustration, and then Diana returns his sword to the runestone.  Some epic lighting from the sky by colorist Tamra Bonvillain!  The Glass Wonder Women leads to the introduction of a new villain!  “What Lies Beneath Part 2” by Vita Ayala and Skylar Patridge continues the story of the Bana-Mighdall Amazons before the current Trial of the Amazons!  Queen Faruka discusses with Queen Atalanta, sister to Hippolyta, the Amazons of Themysicra.  They are immortal while the Bana-Mighdall can die.  This is before The Becoming.  At the current time, a manticore, a massive, winged lion, tears into the Amazons.  It is about to kill two Amazons when a giant axe flies and severs the beast’s paw!  It is the warrior, Artemis, who leads the attack!  Overlooking the battle, Queen Atalanta knows the origin of the manticore. It was from Themysicra!  Wonder Woman #782 has some international fun and action with Diana taking on a new villain!  

Four Lassos of Truth out of Five!  

#WonderWoman, #ThroughAGlassDarkly, #MichaelWConrad, #BeckyCloonan, #MarcioTakara, #WhatLiesBeneath, #VitaAyala, #SkylarPatridge  

The Phantom of the Opera Graphic Novel Review!

The Phantom of the Opera is here!, in graphic novel form, visualizing the spectacle of the Broaway musical! It is a hardcover graphic novel from Titan Comics based on the libretto by Andrew Lloyd Webber, Charles Hart, and Richard Stilgoe. The musical is based on the  1910 novel by Gaston Leroux. It opened on Broadway in 1988, won the Tony Award for Best Musical that year, and is the longest running show with performances going on today! There was a film adaptation in 2004 that had Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine. It is adapted by Cavan Scott writes Star Wars: The High Republic for Marvel Comics. The artist and colorist, José María Belroy, who worked on Rivers of London: Monday, Monday for Titan Comics.

We have Beroy’s cover which has the Phantom with his half-mask having his hands puppeteer-like over his ingenue, Christine. There is also the Phantom paddeling Christine in his boat through a mysterious green mist.  We see the red curtain in the title page and then the Phantom’s glove pulls back the curtain before we get to the story. It is “Paris, 1905”, a rainy day with the setting sun clouds turning orange to the grey of the street. The rain has the Parisians take cover with umbrellas as a carriage charges from the public auction at the Paris Opéra house. It later becomes the Palais Garnier. We hear the auctioneer selling off items until he gets to Lot 665 where we see a balcony view of the auction. The auctioneer is center stage with a few people in the audience.  

He describes it as a musical box with monkey playing cymbals.  We see the music box in color that was found in “the Vaults of the Theater.”  It is sold to the elderly Victomte de Chagny.  He remarks that the music box is like she describes it.  The auctioneer continues with Lot 666, the chandelier that figures into the incident of the Phantom of the Opera.  It is fitted with electric light and raises to the ceiling revealing the opera house in its heyday in full color!  This was epic to see in the musical.  We go back 30 years to 1881, on stage is a production of the fictional Hannibal opera.  Belroy captures the spectacle and his characters are simple, almost cartoony, but expressive.  Three men interrupt the rehearsal including the lead, Signor Piangi, a heavy set singer dressed in the finery of the Carthaginian general.  

Also, the strict ballet mistress, Madame Giry.  The men move to the side of the stage as the ballet dancers perform.  One of the gentlemen asks about one dancer, Meg, the daughter of Madame Giry.  The ballet mistress hits her cane startling another dancer, Christine Daaé.  The bearded gentleman asks if she is related to the violinist and the man in the fur-lined coat says she is his daughter.  There is a pause so the elderly man in the coat walks out, he is the former owner of the theater.  He introduces everyone to Monsieur Firmin and Monsieur Andre.  The lead soprano, Carlotta, is greeted by them.  The plump diva starts to sing for them and we see in the rafters hands working the stage ropes! The curtain crashes down on the stage scattering everyone.  The last owner is angry at the chief of the flies, a burly Buquet who says he wasn’t there and blames the ghost.  

Carlotta and Piangi angrily leave the stage. Madame Giry presents the new owners with a message from the opera ghost. She tells them that he demans his seat in Box Five to be left for him and to be paid twenty thousand francs. It also notes that their new patron, Vicomte de Cagny, could help with the payment. Giry points out Carlotta’s understudy, Christine, and that she has been well trained. Christine, in a series of panels, starts out singing shyly, and then gets the confidence to burst out in song.  This shifts to the full audience applauding her including in a box to the side, the young, dashing, Vicomte de Cagny who also recognizes her. Later, we see Christine with her roses as Meg catches up to her and asks her secret. We see in closeup of the Phantom in his half-mask, impressive. Meg asks about her tutor and Christine replies that her father had told her about an angel and believes he is her tutor.  

Giry sends her daughter away to practice and gives her a note. We see Christine read about “Little Lotte.” She is surprised by Raoul de Cagny and asks her to go with him to supper.  Christine says her father is dead, but the Angel of Music is strict.  Raoul runs off to get his hat and Christine hears the angry voice of the Phantom! His anger blows out the candles fading the room’s red into blue. Then, we see the Phantom’s compelling voice drawing Christine with mist and a bright mirror. Next, we see a full page of the Phantom revealed in the mirror with Christine reflected in it! He takes her hand, in closeup, and Raoul tries to open the door, he bursts in and finds that the note is blank. We see behind the mirror, a corridor lit by skeletons holding blue flame. A splash page has the Phantom taking Christine down steps in an almost M.C. Relativity layout. He sings to her the signature song, “Music of the Night.”  This is an impressive adaptation of the musical and story, a tale of obsession, romance, and supernatural terror!  

Five Masks out of Five!  

#PhantomOfTheOpera, #CavanScott, #JoseMariaBeroy, #AndrewLloydWebber, #GastonLeroux, #ThePhantom,#ChristineDaae, #Raoul

Librarium of Geek Veritas: Before the Batman Review!

The Batman covers the second year of Bruce Wayne’s war on crime, Before the Batman: An Original Movie Novel, covers the years leading up to that noir tale. The hardcover book by author, David Lewman, is a hard cover novel for young readers. Lewman is an author who who wrote the novelization of Sing 2 (2021) and also wrote for animated shows. The grade level is 3 - 7, but of course can be enjoyed by Bat fans of any age. In fact, if the target audience is young readers, then this complicates anticipation for the movie since it features a serial killer and other adult content. The novel is only 144 pages which makes for a fast read, but while it may be based on the Matt Reeves and Peter Craig script, the back story may be only worked out by Lewman. Bruce begins the novel saying that he lived at Wayne Manor until age six when his father moved them to Wayne Tower.  

Thomas Wayne turned over the mansion to an orphanage. This may be a connection I didn’t make watching the movie, the same orphanage where he tracks The Ridder? If so, then this novel may explain why it was run down, but not how a mansion could be poorly maintained. The orphans look down on the wealthy Waynes and are not tasked with cleaning and fixing up the mansion?  Also, it seems like oversight on the part of Thomas Wayne not to provide maintenance and proper care of the orphans in his will.  hen, Bruce explains at ten years old, Thomas Wayne decides to run for mayor. He holds his announcement at the orphanage and there is a choir made up of the orphans. Slight spoiler for the movie! Young Bruce Wayne feels self-conscious and manages to look at the orphan and a strange one with glasses looks back at him. Seven years later, Bruce returns from boarding school to Wayne Tower where he is seen by Alfred Pennyworth, the butler and ex-British Intelligence officer. 

Bruce notes that his parents were killed, no `pearl scene’, after the mayor announcement. He tells Alfred he has made top marks at school and he had focused on his school work to avoid his classmates. This is actually sudden, Bruce takes up his normal life as a student, there is no period of sadness or anger with the death of Thomas and Martha, Martha!, Wayne. Alfred asks him about his plans for the summer, but Bruce doesn’t have any as long as it doesn’t involve Wayne Industries.  The next morning, Bruce goes to work out and Alfred joins him for martial arts practice which he jokes as “Brucejitsu.”  Alfred had trained in several fighting styles in British intelligence. So we get a clear picture of Bruce’s fight training. Alfred easily takes down Bruce.  Later, Bruce goes to his private space, a train stop from the old underground train that ran through Wayne Tower.  

He studies forensic science taking samples from a park bench. His summer project though is working on his car.  The boy who wore glasses in the choir is Edward Naughton. He is bullied by other orphans who call him “Ed-weird.” Edwards interest is in crossword puzzles. His job is delivering pizzas on his bike. Bruce takes his car out to race Gotham streets, but he is stopped by a police car. Still, the officers recognize him and let him go with a warning which frustrates him. He does catch the officer’s mention of a racetrack. The next day, he drives to the racetrack office, but the two workers again recognize him and send him away since he is underage by a year. He heads out the next night in an army jacket, cap, and work boots. Bruce finds that another car is racing him.

The driver is a girl his age with brown hair.  Her name is Dex short for Dorothy Alexander. She brings up street racing and asks for his name which Bruce says is Paul. He joins the street race with Edward Naughton sabotaging a car. Alfred inspires Bruce not to run away from the death of his parents, but to find "something to run toward." Part two, picks up with Bruce graduating from boarding school and then studying various fields at colleges around the world. He returns to Wayne Tower in his "late twenties" and then stops a mugger. The act inspires him to fight crime, but not recognized as Bruce Wayne. Bruce needs an identity like his anonymous jacket and boots as Paul. Edward has saved enough to become a forensic accountant to find fraud. He has also been collecting greeting cards from garage sales.  

Alfred brings up to Bruce that Salvatore Maroni is arrested and that Carmine Falcone will take his place. Bruce has been working on a suit, armored with plates, that he modifies like his car. He goes out to Gotham streets to find crime and discovers an unusual explosive used by a robber.  Bruce has to discover the source of the explosive and makes an ally from Alfred's contact, Lieutenant Janice Dure. It all ties back to his past, Oswald Cobblepot, Falcone's lieutenant, while Edward tries to eliminate his past. The epilogue features the beginning of The Batman film, but we are left from the book how Bruce Wayne came up with the name The Batman, his partnership with Lt. Jim Gordon, and the first use of the batsignal. Maybe this will be covered in a follow-up book! Before The Batman has a slow beginning, but starts detailing the steps Bruce Wayne has taken to become The Batman!  

Four Crossword Puzzles out of Five!  

#BeforeTheBatman, #DavidLewman, #BruceWayne, #AlfredPennyworth, #WayneTower, #Dex, #JaniceDure, #EdwardNaughton, #OswaldCobblepot, #JimGordon.       

 

Turning Red Review!

Turning Red features a Chinese-Canadian girl who undergoes funny, magical girl transformations as she grows up with her circle of friends and family!   This is the first feature for Pixar directed by Domee Shi.  She was also known for directing the charming and heartfelt Pixar short, Bao.  Shi also shares co-screenplay and story credit with Julia Cho who was executive story editor for the dramatic series, Big Love.  The other story writer is Sarah Streitcher who created and wrote the Amazon Prime series, The Wilds.   The setting is in 2002, which is when Domee Shi was 13, so the movie is semi-autobiographical.  The animated film is currently streaming on Disney+ and in limited theatrical release.  We are introduced to 13 year old Meilin Lee (Rosalie Chiang) whom we see in a series of photos in a family album including one with Toronto’s CN Tower that dominates the skyline.  Rosalie Chiang starred in two 2017 episodes of the comedy series, Clique Wars.  

She narrates that the most important thing is to “honor your parents.”  Mei becomes animated and notes that it could happen that she might “forget to honor yourself.” The music by Ludwig Göransson shifts from traditional Chinese music to contemporary hip hop as Mei introduces herself on the streets of Toronto.  She is confidant and funny, but still a little awkward and the music features the flute which is Mei’s school instrument.  A very funny credit scene has Mei posing around the credits.  She bursts into her school, Lester P. Pearson Middle School, with her flute case in her mouth, she gives out the call to assemble her Besties.  First up in the trio of friends is  Miriam (Ava Morse), who has braces and wears a cap. Morse voiced Ava in the animated film, Ron's Gone Wrong (2021).  Mei calls her “Mir.”  Then, there is the low key, glasses wearing Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan). The actress starred as the lead in the comedy drama series, Never Have I Ever.  

Very funny she is reading the vampire novel, Nightfall.  Lastly, is Abby, a short girl with headband and purple overalls, (Hyein Park).  She is a burst of energy and a funny character.  This is Park's first acting role, but she worked as a storyboard artist in Soul (2020).  They have their group gesture, wiggling their fingers in four directions.  Mei speaks to the camera about her top grades in grade eight.  We got reactions from a school counselor and some students.  Mei snatches away a basketball thrown by Tyler (Tristan Allerick Chen) and then tries to shoot, but the ball bounces into the street to be flattened!  Chen provided voices in the puppet action series, The Barbarian and the Troll.  The Besties start to walk home and pass the Daisy Mart convenience store.  Mei walks ahead, when she is dragged by Miriam to sneak to the Daisy Mart window.  The other girls look in wonder at the kid clerk, Devon, they take the stack pile on top of each other, funny!  

He turns with his bucket hat looking bored.  Abby says her mother cuts his hair at the salon and she tells the others, his hair is soft.   Mei is uninterested and instead shows them the “real men” in Tween Beat magazine, the references are funny!  This cover features the boy band, 4*Town.  She opens the magazine and blinds them with the 4*Town glare!  Jesse (Finneas O'Connell) who went to art school.  O'Connell wrote songs for his sister, Billie Eilish, including the 4*Town songs. There is Tae Young (Grayson Villanueva) who rescues injured doves!  Villanueva is a music producer and directed the video, "Into the Unknown" from Frozen 2 (2020), Robaire (Jordan Fisher) who speaks French. Fisher sung a rendition of "You're Welcome" for Moana (2016).  The other members, Aaron T. (Topher Ngo) and Aaron Z. (Josh Levi) just wave from a table.  We hear their song, “True Love” as we see the dream sequences.  

Mei reminds them that they are 4*Townies and goes into an epic pose sending out her power from on top of a mountain with 4*Town around her.  Priya remarks that their concert tickets are too expensive. Mei sees the Chinatown tram and the Besties plead with her to go karaoking.  They have the anime starry eyes!   She tells her friends that it is cleaning day again.  Miriam has her pass the Gauntlet first, a dance test with the Besties singing to 4*Town’s hit, “Nobody Like U.”  Mei has passed the test and Miriam gives her a burned CD of 4*Town’s Australian tour.  They smile and wave as Mei smiles to them from the tram, but then have tired expressions  as Priya says she is brainwashed!  She hustles over to a Lee Family Temple and says hi to two red panda statues she calls Bart and Lisa!  Mei passes Mr. Gao (James Hong) playing chess. Hong voices Mr. Ping in the animated show, Kung Fu Panda: Legends of Awesome.  Mr. Gao becomes important later in the movie.  

She sees her mother Ming (Sandra Oh) praying in front of the picture of a female ancestor.  Sandra Oh voiced another role as Virana in Raya and the Last Dragon (2021).  She calls her daughter, Mei Mei, and worried that she was ten minutes late, tiger mom.  They pray together for Sun Yee, the first guardian of the red pandas. Mother and daughter have the same gestures and work together to clean the temple with brooms.  They chase away teens spray painting the temple wall.  Then, Ming leads a tour of the oldest temple in Toronto, and explains about Sun Yee who defended “creatures of the forest.”  Mei slides out in a Red Panda costume, foreshadowing.  They finish the tour as evening starts to fall and back at the house, Mei’s father, Jin (Orion Lee) prepares a dinner in closeup and slow motion.  Orion Lee, he was in the drama First Cow (2019).  Ming and Mei catch a Cantonese soap opera on the couch together.  Mei brings Jin a tray of bao which I can’t help think references the short film.  

On television, there is a commercial of 4*Town’s North American tour. Ming is unimpressed and notes that 4*Town has five members, funny!  Mei says other kids like them and Ming says that Miriam is odd.   We see some of Mei’s trophies as she listens to “Nobody Like U” on her headphones.  She is working on her homework and sketches in the margin, Devon.  Mei starts to find him attractive drawing Devon.  Mei takes off her headphones and the sketch Devon winks at her!  Silently, Mei takes the notebook and then rolls under her bed.  She finds that she has sketched Devon holding her.  Mei starts to sweat and then hears her mother call for her.  Ming has brought her daughter a tray of sliced fruit as she nervously sweats.  She notices the notebook under the bed and then sees pages of Devon and Mei that shocks her.  Ming recognizes the Daisy Mart clerk and heads off.  She races in her car with Mei to the Daisy Mart.  

Walking in with an angry expression, Mei notices Tyler there, and wants to know what Tyler has done to her daughter.  Devon doesn’t recognize her so Tyler points her out. Ming wants to report him to the police and he says he’s seventeen.  Ming in slow motion drops the notebook pages!  One has Devon as a merboy!  The other kids sees the pages and mock her.  Social death!  Ming thinks she did Mei a favor, but doesn't actually talk with her daughter.  Mei screams into a pillow in her room and blames herself.  We get several reactions of Mei dealing with the situation that is very funny.  There is the family temple at night and a wind blows out the candles in front of Sun Yee’s picture.  The storm rages as Mei has a red filtered dream!  Devon Merboy flaps around and flowers have the faces of 4*Town, surreal, nightmarish, and also funny!  

She wakes up in the morning as her mother prepares breakfast.  Mei wearily walks to the bathroom now with an eight foot tall red panda body!  This red panda has the roundish body of the statues.  Magical girl transformations is an anime device.  Mei yawns, sees her face in the mirror, and screams!  Ming asks her daughter if the red peony bloomed as Jin walks backwards.  Mei hides her red panda body behind the shower curtain and shouts at her mother which is her first act of defiance, but understandable with her red panda transformation.  Ming is offended, but she has brought in medicine, a water bottle, and pads.  There are some who critizes the female puberty changes, but the kids in the audience I saw in a screening didn’t have a problem, I think it’s the adults.  Shi said in the Disney+ documentary Embrace the Panda: Making Turning Red, “metaphor for magical puberty.” 

Ming is about to pull back the shower curtain, but has to run smelling her porridge is burning.  Mei sneaks into her room and tries to sleep, calming down, parts of red panda poofs away.  It is the kawaii version of the Hulk.  She uses two brushes to comb her fur and in a pink poof transforms back to girl form with red hair.  Mei has to adjust to the crazy middle school life in her new red panda form.  Also, she is set on trying to find a way to go to the 4*Town concert at the SkyDome (now the Rogers Centre).  There is a ceremony that will transform Mei back to girl form that also involves Ming's mother, Grandma (Wai Ching Ho).  The actress plays the leader of the Hand, Madame Gao, in the Daredevil series.  Mei has to come to an understanding with her mother and the family secret.  The movie is filled with laughs from start to finish, not certain moments or scenes.  Turning Red is a hilarious, anime/Pixar fusion, catchy music, with a theme of identity and destiny, and embarrassment with life changes!   

Five+ Combs out of Five! 

#TurningRed, #DomeeShi, #RosaleeChiang, #SandraOh, #OrionLee, #AvaMorse, #MaitreyiRamakrishnan, #HyeinPark, #4Town, #JordanFisher, #FinneasOConnell, #GraysonVillanueva, #AddisonChandler, #JamesHong, #WaiChingHo    

Captain Carter #1 Review!

Captain Carter #1 brings the animated MCU character to comics with action and great nods to British superhero comics!  We saw Captain Carter, Peggy Carter transformed by the Super Soldier formula, in the first episode of the animated series, “What If… Captain Carter Were The First Avenger?” (2021).  The Marvel Comics issue has Jamie McKelvie as writer and cover artist.  He collaborated with Kieron Gillen on the second volume of Young Avengers.  Marika Cresta provides the art.  She was one of the artists for Strikeforce #4 (2020).  The cover features Captain Carter in her Union Jack uniform and shield bursting through headlines.  It is interesting to see if this is a new version of the character and it is not labeled as What If...? which now has Miles Morales as the lead character. 

Also, the comics universe, 616, is not connected to the MCU.  It is not clear if this is an alternate world since Captain America, Steve Rogers, is in that time period in the comics universe.  We see the headlines on the first page about Carter’s Commandos, “Allied Scientists Create Perfect Solder” and the bottom headline in 1995, “A Nation Remembers” about the 50th anniversary of Captain Carters “heroic last act.”  So we must catch up to that event.  In What If…?, she had been transported by the Tesseract to the modern day.  We see a helicopter, unmoving blades?, flying above the ship, the Lomonosov Ridge, in the Arctic Ocean.  Two personnel in winter jackets, Charles Stephenson who is informed by Craig that they “found her.”  He tells Craig that the ship was looking for oil drilling, the ice has melted, and revealed Baron Von Strucker’s plane!  A scientist is trying to use a blowtorch to cut through the block of ice preserving Captain Carter. 

 

Charles is told Peggy Carter is alive!  The door is opened to reveal the unfrozen Captain Carter with her arms folded.  Charles tells Peggy that he is there as a representative of the Queen’s government.  She is surprised that the queen has taken the throne.  England had George VI as king during her time, he is seen in The King’s Speech (2010).  Peggy tells him that she thought she was in some sort of Hydra trap and took on several soldiers.  The official running the meeting, Bob, says that Captain Carter should go to America.  Charles says she is a British citizen, also she was in a supervisor position for the Strategic Scientific Reserve.  The group starts to argue over the Super Soldier Serum, Captain Carter tries to interrupt, and has to shatter the table!  

This gets their attention and she asks Charles if she is still a British citizen and decides to go home leaving the room.  She tries to adjust to life in London.  I love the grey tones of the citizens with Peggy’s red jacket standing out.  The colorist is Erick Arciniega.  Her hangout is now a retirement home, she finds a new apartment, and finds the food, eating a taco, is better!  I second that, British food is not the most tasty.  She doesn’t understand computers or cell phones and television is nice adjusting to the modern day.  This is more learning than Steve Rogers though we didn’t get his catching up after Captain America: The First Avenger (2011) and The Avengers (2012).  Peggy is wakened by loud music late at night.  So she goes to her upstairs neighbor, Harley, who calls her Margaret.  Her full name is Margaret Elizabeth “Peggy” Carter.  Harley works on her music and promises to use headphones.  

The next day, she meets with Prime Minister Harry Williams at his residence on 10 Downing Street.  He has contacted her to discuss an idea and calls her the “first super hero.”  Williams brings up an American team called the Fantastic Five.  Over counted by one?  If it is the FF, this is most likely the Marvel Universe of the comics.  PM Williams’s idea is to make her Great Britain’s hero again.  He shows her the design of a new uniform based on the variant cover of her poses.  The Union Jack flag runs along her side instead of in the middle of her chest.  There are white stripes under her arms and dark boots are replaced by red boots.  The PM has a new agency, Special Tactical Reserve for International Key Emergencies (S.T.R.I.K.E.).  This group was in the comic magazine, Captain Britain #17 (1977).  

Then, entering the room and introducing herself is Lizzie Braddock in a purple suit with purple hair.  Betsy Braddock made her introduction in Captain Britain #8 (1976) from Chris Claremont and Herb Trimpe.  As a member of S.T.R.I.K.E., she develops psi powers in Mighty World of Marvel #13 (1984).  The villain, Mojo, renamed her Psylocke, in her first U.S. appearance, New Mutants annual #2 (1986).  She joins the X-Men and is transformed into an Asian assassin in Uncanny X-Men #256 (1989) by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee.  This is later explained as switching bodies with the woman named Kwannon.  Lizzie Braddock may not have her telepathic powers and may not be a mutant.  

Peggy tells Harry that she needs time so he gives her the shield and has Lizzie drive Peggy home.  Lizzie tells Peggy that her grandfather, Jacob, was at Oxford with her.  Peggy is taken to the gravestone of her family.  She tells Lizzie that she will take the bus to have a quiet moment, then she cries over her lost family.  She doesn’t seem to have her brother, Brian, also known as Captain Britain!  Peggy thinks of all of the people she has lost when a black car heads towards the bus!  It crashes and Peggy goes into captain mode taking charge of getting the passengers to safety.  Then, she notices gunmen on a motorcycle!  Peggy has shrugged off being a superhero and now has to take up the shield to save the citizens.  Also, she has to find who is behind the bus attack.  Captain Carter #1 has all of the British comics connection down, so the MCU character fits here with all of the action! 

Five Shields out of Five!   

              

#CaptainCarter, #JamieMcKelvie, #MarikaCresta, #CarterCommandos, #SuperSoldierFormula, #CharlesStephenson, #Harley, #PrimeMinisterHarryWilliams, #LizzieBraddock 

Brzrkr #7 Review!

Brzrkr strikes again with issue #7 getting closer to the truth of his nature with an organization desperate to unlock his power!  The cover by Lee Garbett features B. With a spiked mace and tire iron leaping from a helicopter and explosions!  The creative team continues with Keanu Reeves and Matt Kindt and art by Ron Garney.  It is in the middle of a countdown, B. is plugged in by several tubes, and straining with his glowing blue eyes!  Voices are heard to eager watchers who want to see his power.  We shift back one week, B. is in a blue shirt, he brings in historical documents that he corrected.  It is a study with a Greek statue of Athena, preserved animals, and books and art pieces.  He is speaking to Caldwell, an academic in a suit with glasses and moustache.  Caldwell reminds me a bit of Cain from Sandman, except without the moustache and adding in winged tips of hair.  

Caldwell congratulates B. on his mission with Keever.  B. examines a box from the mission.  Caldwell relates its story moving to 2010 and explains that it turned up at the arms dealer in teh back room.  He was also tracked it to 1944, a storehouse of antiques that Caldwall says was found by soldiers  killing the Nazis guarding it.  Russians attack the Nazi position.  Then, Caldwell rolls back it to 1941 where Nazi gunmen take the box from trucks of civilians.  Then 1700, we see the box hanging from a chain in a Mediterranean marketplace.  Next, 1453, a bearded warrior cuts through enemies wearing the box.  He is part of a cabal that believes in the power of the box, Pandora’s box?, a power connected to B.?  Then, we see a line of camels crossing the Saharan desert, the setting is 750 B.C.  A bearded man in red robes wears the box, this panel reminds me of the lines of Estaban Maroto.  

The cabal took it from this “shadow caravan.”  This moves up to 760 B.C., we see the box attached to a rope.  At the “Nubian capital of Napata”, three men cut their hands in a ritual with the box on a table.  The trip through history continues to 1026 B.C.  A bearded warrior in golden armor wears the box and kills his enemies.  This is the man Caldwell calls the “original owner.” 2299 B.C., we find the Babylonian warrior who owned the box presneting it to his king that he recovered from the battle from the past year.  2300 B.C., a closeup of the elaborate sword, flecks of blood, wielded by B.  The page has B. in a tunic tearing through armies.  His arm is severed by aaother sword.  Caldwell notes that this turned into a religion that worships him. 

The warrior reaches for the severed hand and brings B. the box. This sect through time had wanted to become B.  The organization that is experimenting on him!  The box opens to see the preserved remains of his hand. It was used for various purpose by the sect until the small box carries the greyish pieces of B.’s hand.  A series of vertical panels, Caldwell points out that B.’s DNA is very important and he is asked how he got involved.  We see in black and white flashback, Caldwell asking about his father at work on desk filled with antiquities.  I like the use of color by Bill Crabtree.  The flashbacks continue with Caldwell saying that he was hired by the sect and we see him killing three people working with ancient objects.  He admits the sect uses his knowledge in exchange he has their “resources.”  

Caldwell shows the tracking of everything known and studied about B. To track his movements through the world and time.  It looks like the scan of a half of a brain.  Caldwell tells B. That he is the one who kept knowledge from civilizations that went extinct.  He kept the world going with knowledge.  We see a closeup of B.’s eyes and then a prehistoric time where is swathed in cloth.  On a snowy cliffside, he faces a massive, white saber-tooth tiger!  Caldwell shows B. carvings on a stone circle that he says B. can read.  B. says he wasn’t everywhere.  Caldwell points out that B. was in the Dryas Period, 12,000 years ago!  He wants to know about B.’s civilzation.  He is sitting in his robes with a bloody spear.  There is the corpse of the saber-tooth tiger ripped open with a bird pecking at it.  I’m suspecting the unknown writing is from B.!  

Caldwell asks if it was the Olmecs who may have had telepathy.  He is there with an another man in meditative poses.  B. tells Caldwell that he promised never to talk about it.  Caldwell suspects he is joking.  B. Has not gotten hsi answers and Caldwell tells him about the new protocol, Protocol X.  The protocol will pressure his mind and body.  Caldwell notes that he has perfect memory, but didn’t know his locations.  A bomb drops, we see a plant, and then an explosion, symbolic?  The previous sessions with Diana has unlocked a new power.  Caldwell believes that Protocol X can find his birthplace!  They can’t find the exact location.  B. wants to know why it is called Protocol X.  Caldwell says that “X marks the spot”, joking?  The countdown is running down and looks like the truth will be revealed next issue!  A bit of a gap between issues with last issue on December 15th.  Still, we are ramping up to Brzrkr’s birthplace, the nature of the sect that has been following him, and what will happen when B.’s secret is taken by others!  

Five Protocols out of Five!             

#Brzrkr, #KeanuReeves, #MattKindt, #RonGarney, #ProfessorCaldwell