WHEN WILL THE JOJO PART 5 ANIME COME OUT? PREDICTIONS AND SPECULATIONS

I'm a HUGE fan of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" both the anime and manga. Now that the anime for Part 4 "Diamond is Unbreakable" has just ended there's been one lingering question on my mind...Will we ever get an anime adaptation of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 5: Vento Aureo" or as I'm sure it will be called in North America "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind"? Honestly, I think they question should be "when" and not "if". The anime adaptation for JoJo's Part 5 hasn't been confirmed yet (as of the time I'm writing this) but I feel fairly safe in saying that it will get an anime adaptation sooner than you think. Although, Part 5 is considered one of the lesser parts here in North America, "Golden Wind" is a massively popular story arc in other parts of the world including Japan. Heck! Now that we have better translations and scans of the manga online, Part 5 is slowly gaining a larger English speaking audience than ever before. Even with the horribly translated old scans "Vento Aureo" had its own adoring meme fanbase all over the internet. There's no doubt that Giorno and the Passione gang will be seeing an anime adaptation... but when? My guess would be sometime next year. Let's look over the facts! The anime adaptation of  "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" began in 2012 and so far we haven't had a single year without any new episodes of the series airing in Japan. Season 1 (Phantom Blood & Battle Tendency) aired 26 episodes from 2012 to 2013. Season 2 (Stardust Crusaders) aired 48 episodes from 2014 to 2015. Season 3 (Diamond is Unbreakable) aired 39 episodes during 2016. As the anime gained more and more popularity, David Production has brought more and more money into the budget for the series. The gap between season 1 and season 2 about 12 months (with a slight break during the middle of season 2) while the gap between season 2 and season 3 was only 10 months (with no major breaks at all during season 3). Assuming that David Production will continue to increase their production value and scheduling for Season 4 (AKA Part 5), we can expect to see the first few episodes of "Golden Wind" in October during the Fall anime season or maybe even earlier depending on how many episodes we're getting this season. Season 1 adapted 12 chapters of the manga into 26 episodes, season 2 adapted 16 volumes into a whopping 48 episodes (I'm sensing a little bit of favoritism towards "Stardust Crusaders" here), and season 3 adapted 18 chapters into 39 episodes. You can see that the number of episodes for each season has a lot to do with the popularity of each story arc and in Japan Part 5: Vento Aureo is regarded as one of the high tier story arcs for JoJo's. It's viewed as the high standard of Araki's visual style and international audiences loved Araki's scenic depictions of Italy. For Christ's sake, Hirohiko Araki's artwork was even showcased in France's Louvre Museum! (SPOILERS! Sorry, I shouldn't mention Christ until the JoJo Part 7 discussion.) So given that JoJo Part 5 does have a considerable amount of popularity in Japan and the story arc spans about 17 volumes then it's safe to assume that we'll be getting anywhere from 42 to 48 episodes for the anime adaptation. That's my prediction for 2017! The "Golden Wind" anime will begin broadcasting around September or October for the 2017 Fall anime season and we'll have roughly 42 to 48 episodes for the entire story arc. Will the adaptation be any good? Will North American audiences finally be won over by Part 5? Will the English dub for JoJo's Part 3 & Part 4 ever come out in a timely manner? Find out on the next episode of Dragon Ball Z- Errrr I mean "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure"!
TO BE CONTINUED...

PERSONAL PICKS OF ALL-TIME: "ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN" ISSUES# 1-160

Spider-Man has always had a prominent role in my life. He was one of the very first superheroes introduced to me as a child and some of my earliest memories involve either watching the 90s Spider-Man animated series or playing with Spider-Man action figures. Growing up, I had a huge fascination with superheroes but I didn’t get into reading comic books until about 2005. Sure, I had read a few issues of J. Michael Straczynski’s “Amazing Spider-man” before then but it was “Ultimate Spider-Man” written by Brian Michael Bendis with art by Mark Bagley that seriously got me into reading comics. Specifically, “Ultimate Spider-Man” issues #1-160. 

BACKGROUND
In the year 2000, Marvel Comics publisher Bill Jemas enlisted the talent of Brian Michael Bendis to retell the origins of Spider-man for modern audiences. Prior to this, the 1998 Marvel title ”Spider-Man: Chapter One” had failed spectacularly at updating the origin and was panned by both readers and critics alike. However, the new “Ultimate Spider-Man” series was about to do something very different from ‘Chapter One’. “Ultimate Spider-Man” wasn’t going to retcon the history of the Marvel 616 universe but instead be set in its own universe separate from the main continuity. After the initial success of “Ultimate Spider-Man”, more characters and teams like the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and the Avengers had their own ultimate counterparts and thus the Ultimate Marvel Universe was born! I might get into talking about “The Ultimates”, “Ultimate X-Men”, or “Ultimate Fantastic Four” another time but none of them stood out as well as good ‘ol “Ultimate Spider-Man” did!

THE GOOD
“Ultimate Spider-Man” was written by Brian Michael Bendis and features art by Mark Bagley. Bagley was a prolific Spider-Man artist during the 1990s and gave real credibility to this newly established re-telling of Spider-Man. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before… A teenage bookworm gets bitten by a radioactive spider during a science demonstration and suddenly develops spider abilities and through tragedy and heartbreak learns that “With great power, comes great responsibility”. Well “Ultimate Spider-Man” re-imagines and updates that origin (slightly). “Ultimate Spider-Man” makes some notable changes right off the bat when they flesh out and expand the original backstory from “Amazing Fantasy” #15 into a 7-issue arc in “Ultimate Spider-Man”. Instead of a radioactive spider it’s now a genetically engineered spider created by Norman Osborn. Instead of Aunt May and Uncle Ben being Peter’s geriatric relatives, they’re now younger and used to be hippies during the 1970s. Instead of meeting Mary Jane, Gwen Stacy, and Harry Osborn in college, they all attend Midtown High together. We even get an epic showdown between Spider-man and the Green Goblin on to p of the Brooklyn Bridge. Actually, many of the elements from the Spider-Man movies were taken directly from the Ultimate Spider-Man comics (except for the organic web shooters. That’s entirely an invention of the filmmakers). As the series goes on, more divergences from the source material are made. Peter Parker is now the web designer for the Daily Bugle. Villains like Kraven the Hunter, Doctor Octopus, Electro, Hobgoblin, and Venom are all given updated origins (well updated for the early 2000s). Peter Parker even comes out to Mary Jane as Spider-Man. (In fact, throughout Peter’s tenure as Spider-Man people are always finding out that he’s Spider-Man.) I cannot emphasis how much of a teen melodrama the entire series was. Ultimate Peter and MJ’s relationship is still in my personal top 5 comic book romances of all-time. They were just the sweetest and most innocent couple in Marvel comics. However, at one point, Peter Parker and Mary Jane break up (as teenagers do) and Peter starts dating Kitty Pryde of the X-Men. That pairing was interesting at the time but the romance was short lived. The fans all knew that Peter and Mary Jane were eventually going to get back together and within a few months they did. Interpersonal relationships and dating played a big part in “Ultimate Spider-Man” but the series also dealt with heavy themes of death and loss. Early on in the series, we’re introduced to a new and rebellious re-imagining of Gwen Stacy that comes to live with Peter and Aunt May after the death of her father at the hands of a thief wearing a Spider-Man mask. Gwen and Peter living together is actually one of the reasons behind Peter and MJ’s break-up in the first place. Eventually, Gwen and MJ make peace with one another and Gwen also comes to terms with Peter’s secret identity as Spider-Man. Gwen’s character transformed from a moody outsider to being part of the family but in issue # 62 of USM she is unfortunately killed by the Ultimate version of Carnage (a creature created by Curt Connors using the blood of Peter Parker). It was a huge blow to the major cast as they had to collectively deal with the death of a classmate and close friend. Gwen Stacy’s death also touches on another major running theme of USM, the real world implications of a teenager dressing up as a superhero and fighting crime. Peter’s identity is almost never kept a secret from his most dangerous villains and that puts Peter, MJ, and all their classmates at risk. Time and time again their school campus is under siege by super villain attacks. These battles at the school serve as a kind of allegory for public school shootings and still remain relevant to this day. “Ultimate Spider-Man” set out to tell a modern interpretation of Spider-Man and it surpassed everyone’s expectations. Some of the most noteworthy story arcs for the series include: Power and Responsibility, Learning Curve, Double Trouble, Venom, Cats and Kings, Hollywood, Superstars, Ultimate Warriors, The Talk, Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, The New World According to Peter Parker, and The Clone Saga. YES! “Ultimate Spider-Man” has a better Clone Saga than the original continuity. You really need to check out this Clone Saga if you’re currently unimpressed with Dan Slott’s “Clone Conspiracy”. By the way, if you find yourself reading “Ultimate Spider-Man” for the first time don’t be too alarmed once you reach issue #111. Mark Bagley passes on the artist duties to Stuart Immonen and later David Lafuente and Sara Pichelli. Trust me! The art will not detract too many for the storytelling and you will live through it. Mark Bagley does return as the artist for issues # 156-160 and it is glorious! Make sure to look out for the trade paperbacks at your local comic book store or read the issues on Marvel Unlimited if they are still available.

THE BAD

Not everything from the Ultimate Marvel Universe was a massive success. In fact, most of the other titles were weighing down this newly formed continuity. The whole point of Ultimate Marvel was to be more inviting for newer readers who didn’t want to catch up on over 40 years of continuity but, in less than ten years, Ultimate Marvel had become a worse mess than the original Marvel continuity. This problem stems from many factors. The overall darker and edgier tone of the Ultimate Universe and as well as the writers and artists all competing against each other to introduce as many ultimate versions of characters as possible really hurt the universe over time. While some of the re-imaginings such as Venom, Scorpion, and Spider-Man’s clones  all worked out fairly well, in my opinion, others like Omega Red, Deadpool, Galactus, and Silver Surfer were just stinkers. “Ultimate Spider-Man” has some low points as well but never as low as some of the things you’d see in “The Ultimates” or “Ultimate Fantastic Four”. Eventually, Marvel decided to use the crossover event “Ultimatum” as an instrument to clean up the Ultimate Marvel Universe… it didn’t work! Instead, “Ultimatum” killed off almost every single Ultimate version of the characters you knew and loved from the comic (except you barely got to know these ultimate counterparts). Can you imagine the horror of having to watch the Blob eat the Wasp or witness Dormammu strangling Doctor Strange to death? How about Cyclops vaporizing Wolverine to nothingness with his optic blasts? Yeah, that’s all in “Ultimatum”. Needless to say, “Ultimatum” did more harm than good for the Ultimate Universe. Thankfully, the “Ultimate Spider-Man” comics would quickly find their footing once again after “Ultimatum” with the story arc “The New World According to Peter Parker” and the many stories to follow. Like I said, USM may have had some low points throughout its run but the biggest problem it faced was carrying all the baggage of the rest of the Ultimate Universe.

THE LEGACY
From the first moment Peter suited up as Spider-Man, he’s faced personal hardships, losses, and death itself. In multiple team-ups, he’s been told by older superheroes to just give up because the risks are too high. Ultimate Nick Fury makes numerous cameo appearances in the series to talk Peter out of being Spider-Man and tells him that superhero stuff is for the 18+ crowd. However, Peter’s sense of duty and responsibility wont’ allow him to give up and he continues to carry on his mission as Spider-Man. This leads into “Ultimate Spider-Man” issue #160, where Peter Parker faces his rogues gallery for the last time. In one final showdown, Spider-Man must defend his home and his loved ones from the Green Goblin and the Sinister Six. It is a totally heart-shattering moment to see Spider-Man give his last breath in the arms of Mary Jane Watson and it’s probably one of the most effective deaths in comic book history. Remember when I listed off all those noteworthy USM story arcs? Just go ahead and add “The Death of Spider-Man” to that list. It’s the major turning point for the series. Seeing such a young superhero give his life to protect his aunt, his girlfriend, and everyone he’s ever cared about was truly an amazing end to Ultimate Peter Parker’s story. Issues 1-160 of “Ultimate Spider-Man” will always stand out to me as one of the best Spider-Man stories ever published by Marvel Comics. The crossovers with the X-Men, the Ultimates, and Fantastic Four were a delight. Peter Parker’s friendships with other young superheroes like Johnny Storm, Kitty Pryde, and Bobby Drake lead to one of the best superhero Brady Bunch families of all-time. Brian Michael Bendis and his self aware meta-humor made for some brilliant dialogue and Easter egg references (there are loads of Easter eggs during the “Hollywood” story arc that parodies the second Tobey Maguire Spider-Man movie). Bendis and Bagley’s 111-issue run together still holds the record for longest consecutive comic book creative duo in history. Bendis was also the only writer for “Ultimate Spider-Man” during the title’s entire run and still writes for Miles Morales’s Spider-Man title to this day. Did I forget to mention Miles Morales? Peter Parker’s Spider-Man was eventually succeeded by the now-popular Miles Morales and although it was an extremely controversial decision at the time, whenever most people think of Ultimate Spider-Man they think of Miles Morales. Miles was so popular that he even had a crossover with the 616-continuity Spider-Man in “Spider-Men” and featured heavily in the 2014 storyline “Spiderverse”. I thoroughly enjoyed Miles Morales and his version of Spider-Man but I’m much more nostalgic for Peter Parker’s Ultimate Spider-Man. After all, it was the first series that really pulled me into the world of reading comics book. I cannot thank Brian Michael Bendis enough for this series because he has created an entirely new mythos for the Spider-Man character and any Spidey fan worth their weight in web fluid should read this remarkable series. Thank you!

"Champions" (Marvel Comics) Review/Recommendation

We’re nearing the end of 2016 and I thought I might take this time to talk about one of my favorite ongoing Marvel comic books of the year, “Champions” written by Mark Waid with art by Humberto Ramos. Marvel Comics has been suffering from an identity crisis lately (not to be confused with DC’s event, “Identity Crisis”). They can’t decide whether they’re a comic book publisher that wants to cater to new readers, casual readers, or hardcore fans. All-New All-Different Marvel only lasted about 12 months before Marvel Comics re-launched all their titles again with Marvel NOW (for the second time). Marvel readers are struggling to stay invested in all their favorite characters and titles when their stories are constantly being interrupted by crossover events and company-wide rebranding. In the aftermath of a very disappointing Civil War II crossover, a number of Marvel fans have decided to give it a rest for a while and that is honestly a shame because they’re missing out on one of the company’s most promising new titles. “Champions” is spinning out of the events of “All-New All-Different Avengers” & “Civil War II” and features the Marvel universe’s younger superheroes: Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan), Nova (Sam Alexander), Spider-Man (Miles Morales), Totally Awesome Hulk (Amadeus Cho), Viv Vision (daughter of the Vision), and young Cyclops. Our young heroes are completely fed up with the Avengers fighting each other every few issues and they want to actually make a difference in the world. The Champions are here to handle issues that the Avengers and Ultimates are too busy to focus on. They are millennials who want to use their superpowers to deal with social issues like human trafficking and gender apartheid in the Middle East. It’s a modern team utilizing social media and hashtags without being too in-your-face about it. The Champions are a team with a lot of heart and the series has a charm about it that been missing for most comic books in Marvel’s line-up. 

THE GOOD
“Champions” is a breath of fresh air for Marvel Comics. This series delivers on the promise of last year’s All-New All-Different Marvel. The team features a cast of new and different characters that have only been in Marvel continuity for less than a few years now and to see them all together for the first time is exciting. The roster carries over the three youngest members of the ANAD Avengers but also adds some newcomers. Ms. Marvel, Nova, and Spider-man are all disillusioned by their experiences as Avengers during "Civil War II" and decide to splinter off into their own team. They are later joined by Totally Awesome Hulk and Viv Vison in the very first issue. The team’s initial debut and mission statement is simple; they’re out to stop the bad guys but they’re going to do things the right way. Unlike their older counterparts, the Champions want to actually fight for justice instead of fighting each other. They even gain large amount of support on social media after stopping a group of human traffickers and adopt the hashtag: #Champions. This hashtag serves as their bat-signal for the following issues. We even get some hints at future team members like Scott Summers, Riri Williams, the all-new versions of Falcon and Wasp, and Moon Girl & Devil Dinosaur. As the second issue picks up, we see the newly formed Champions on a camping trip to get to know each other little better. If they’re going to work together as a team then they’ll have to know each other on a personal level as well as learn each other’ powers. Most teenage superhero teams really shine when it comes to their character interactions and “Champions” is no exception. The second issue is all about the characters’ personalities playing off each other and getting a feeling for the team’s dynamics. This is also when young Cyclops is introduced to the group. (If you haven’t been keeping up with Marvel continuity lately then you probably didn’t know that the younger versions of the original X-Men team have been brought to the present day in attempted to change the current state of the X-Men team. Needless to say, it didn’t work very well and now younger versions of Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman, and Angel are stranded in the present day. This is the younger Cyclops who’s trying make a name for himself in the present day and live outside the shadow of his evil future self. Comics, am I right?) Cyclops was inspired by Ms. Marvel’s public speech during the Champions’ fist mission and wants to join the team to make a difference. The issue ends with a scandalous romance that I won’t spoil here but it’s 100% pure superhero soap opera drama. Issue 3 deals with the Champions on a mission to step in and give aid to the oppressed women in a Middle Eastern village. I'm usually wary of when a superhero comic book deals with a topic like gender apartheid but "Champions" handled it quite well. Instead of the superheroes saving the day, it was the women of the village fighting for their human rights and winning. The Champions were more-or-less just there for support. The comic even acknowledges that the issue is too large to solve all at once but it's this small victory for these women that makes all the difference for them. It sounds cheesy but it works in the context of the story. The third issue's secondary storyline has the team arguing over who should be the leader of the team. Amadeus Cho believes ge should be the leader because he's the 8th smartest person on the planet, Ms Marvel thinks she should lead the Champions because she's the one that brought the whole group together in the first place, and Cyclops is confident that he can lead the group after his years of experience as leader of the X-Men. Before everyone can come to a consensus, the third issue ends in classic comic book fashion with a cliffhanger. While you can find most of the main cast in their own Marvel titles, "Champions" is the only comic book where you can read about all these characters in one place. It's the interactions amongst the team that makes these superheroes more relatable. You have the jock, the brainy girl, the nerds, the goofball, and the outcast all teaming up to save the world. It's like "The Breakfast Club" but with superpowers. One of the perks of Marvel's shared universe is the team-ups and "Champions" is currently one of the best!


THE BAD

I’m going to cut straight to the chase. The art is the most distracting part of this series. Humberto Ramos’s art for “Champions” is all over the place. Sure, the team looks alright in their costumes but underneath the masks everyone looks kind of ugly. Amadeus Cho is probably the best example of how janky the art can be at times. In his hulk form, Amadeus looks like a wrinkly old man and in his human form he looks nothing like his appearance in other Marvel comics. Some of this might be due to the fact that most of the characters are relatively new to Marvel continuity and Ramos might not be too familiar with drawing them. His Miles Morales Spider-Man looks pretty great but that’s probably because of his years of illustrating “Amazing Spider-Man”.  I’m sure the art will improve over time or at the very least readers will get used to it after a few issues. Honestly, I think I’m over exaggerating how bad the art is and you’ll have to judge it for yourself. For me the art is the book’s greatest weakness but it’s something I can overcome to enjoy the character interactions and story.

THE PLEAD

It’s been awhile since we’ve had a Marvel series centered on teenage superheroes that’s lasted longer than two or three volumes. The only exception I can think of is Brian Michael Bendis’s “All-New X-men” series running from 2013 to 2015. Even Keieron Gillen’s run on “Young Avengers” only lasted 15 issues. For some reason, excellent titles like “She-Hulk”, “Young Avenegrs”, and “Nova” are all cancelled too soon and that is due to poor sales. “Champions” is also at risk of an early cancellation due to low sales figures. Marvel has been promoting the release of “Champions” since the summer of 2016 but unlike other teams they’ve been trying to force down our throats, (The Inhumans, for example) the Champions are actually a team worth reading about. The series is only on its third issue so now is the perfect time to jump in on the title. There’s not 75 years of back-story and continuity to the characters so it’s an easy pick for new readers but it’s also got a lot of fun interactions that Marvel comics are known for and that older fans can enjoy. I can’t recommend this comic book highly enough! Don't wait until the trade paperback comes out. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE! Show Marvel that “Champions” is a title worth publishing and pick up the first three issues today! 

"ROGUE ONE: A STAR WARS STORY" REVIEW

I predict that some audiences will be more blown away by “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” than they were with ‘The Force Awakens’. While Episode VII felt like an updated version of ‘A New Hope’, “Rogue One” feels like something entirely new for the Star Wars movies. FINALLY! We have a Star Wars movie that actually feels like a war movie. It’s also the first Star Wars film to not focus on the Jedi, Sith, or the Skywalker family. This is Lucasfim and Disney’s little experiment to see if movie-going audiences are willing to see more Star Wars stories in-between the saga films and maybe even beyond those. So what’s the deal here? Does the movie live up to the hype? Is it worth Disney’s $4 billion purchase of Lucasfilm? Will our ragtag team of Rebels be able to steal the plans to the Death Star? Let’s find out! 

THE GOOD:
The good news! “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story” is easily the best Star Wars prequel ever.  Also, the best Star Wars spin-off movie if you count the CGI ‘Clone Wars’ movie and “The Ewok Adventures”. Forget everything you knew from the old cannon. Disney is completely re-writing the history of the construction of the Death Star and the mission to steal the Death Star plans. I would say that is for the better because this movie is totally worth washing away decades of expanded material. I know that sounds like blasphemy but it’s true! (Sorry, Mara Jade!) This isn’t just a movie; it’s a Star Wars experience! “Rogue One” is set just moment before ‘A New Hope’ and aesthetically the film looks like it came straight out of 1977. Everything from the sets, wardrobe, and technology used by the Rebellion and Imperial armies look like it’s from the original trilogy. In some cases, they might even look dirtier and grimier than they did in Episodes IV through VI. We’ve never seen such a gritty side to the Rebel alliance before. They almost seem like galactic terrorists instead of the freedom fighters we’ve perceived them to be in the originals. The action sequences are heavy on the CGI but that doesn’t change the true grit of these aerial dog fights, back alley brawls, and beach storming scenes. Don’t even get me started on the film’s final third act and the actual heist of the Death Star plans. We all knew it was coming and it’s why we’re even watching this movie and damn is it nothing but exciting and heart-wrenching from that point onward. Jyn Erso, Saw Gerrera, Chirrut Imwe, and K-2SO are the real standout characters of the film. Forget C-3PO, R2-D2, and BB-8! Get me an action figure of K-2SO because he steals the show. Imagine all the sass of C-3PO but remove the posh and replace it with unfiltered honesty. He’s probably one of my favorite new additions to Star Wars cannon in recent years. I highly recommend getting a group of your closest friends, finding the largest screen in your local area, and watching “Rogue One” all together. Treat yourself because this is the environment you want to surround yourself in while enjoying a Star Wars movie.

THE BAD:
I love this film but it’s not without flaws. After thinking about it for awhile, I do have some minor gripes and complaints. I didn’t notice this until my fiancé pointed it out but I can’t remember a majority of the character’s names. Well the new characters anyway. Names like Chirrut Imwe and Baze Malbus are not very memorable at all. Jyn Erso and Galen Erso are names that even kids on the playground will be able to remember because they’re said every five minutes in the movie but everyone else is largely ignored. I can see why the filmmakers chose to give the main cast such throwaway names though. These characters are literally in the background of the Star Wars universe and Star Wars has a history are giving silly, ridiculous names to their background characters. Real names like Luke and Ben are reserved for the important characters! Another complaint comes from the first act of the movie. We spend about 30 minutes introducing our 6 main cast members in a disjointed mess. Probably a result of the re-shoots but the movie doesn’t start getting legs until we actually land oh Jedha. Cassian Andor A.K.A. Mexican Han Solo (I’m calling him that because he is literally a Mexican version of Han Solo and I’m Mexican so I can say stuff like that) isn’t very interesting as a lead character. All of his traits are stolen wholesale from Han Solo. I also had a problem with Jyn Erso. I didn't hate her but she's just not as likable as Leia or Rey. I'm excited to see what happens to Rey in Episode VIII but I didn't feel anything for Jyn until the very end of this movie. The score for the film isn’t terribly great. It sounds like it’s trying to be the original John Williams score and evoke the feeling of Star Wars but it’s not on the same level. Certain actors and characters are brought to life (or brought back to life) using CGI and while we are getting closer to perfecting this technology it still can’t get passed the uncanny valley yet. I couldn’t really tell you more without getting into spoilers.

THE SPOILERS:
SPOILERS AHEAD! Don’t read any further if you haven’t seen the movie yet (or keep reading if you don’t care about spoilers). Here we go… THE DEATH STAR EXPLODES!!! Not in this movie though. This whole movie is a lead-up to ‘A New Hope’ and literally ends with Princess Leia flying away in the Tantive IV. The CGI face of young Carrie Fisher over the face of an actual actress but it is still Princess Leia. Peter Cushing’s Grand Moff Tarkin is also brought back using this technology. Cushing passed away more than two decades away but thanks to some computer wizardry his character is back and has even more screen time than in ‘A New Hope’. Like I said, the technology isn’t perfect but we’re getting there. It was better (and far less distracting) than trying to pass off another actor as Tarkin. Speaking of Tarkin, Darth Vader is back as well and he makes the most epic cameo in the movie. TWICE! For the first time in cinematic history we get to see Vader’s castle on Mustafar! The fortress set up the atmosphere perfectly for Darth Vader’s introduction. He even gets to choke out an Imperial officer for his insolence. Feels like the good ‘ol days, right? You can say goodbye to the prequels Vader crying out “NOOOOOO!” at the end of ‘Revenge of the Sith’. O.G. VADER IS BACK!!! At one point, we get a glimpse of Vader in a bacta tank and even that is frightening. If you’re a fan of hallway fight scenes then you’ll love Darth Vader’s second appearance. I can’t even call it a fight scene because it’s more like a massacre. It’s a dark and scary moment where Vader is using noting more than the force and his lightsaber to mow down helpless Rebels in a moment that you wish could be in the prequels. That scene only is worth a second viewing in theaters Sadly, Darth Vader couldn't be anywhere near that beach scene at the end of the movie. HE HATES SAND! It's coarse! It's rough and irritating! And it gets everywhere! [Side-note: I really wish that Disney would let Lucasfilm release a standalone R-rated Darth Vader movie. He's already considered a horror icon by some fans and his last scene in "Rogue One" demonstrates that. He could easily carry an entire film by hunting down surviving Jedi or rebellious factions.] Back on track, we get some neat cameos from C-3PO & R2-D2 and the “I don’t’ like you either” guy shows up with his Walrus Man friend. There are loads of references to the expanded universe with mentions of kyber crystals and Jedha and plenty of foreshadowing for character who will be in Episode IV. Our main cast on the other hand… they won’t be in Episode IV. Heck, they won’t even be in Rogue Two. Each member of the Rogue One squadron dies a tragic and heartbreaking death. (Take that all you internet theorist who thought this movie was going to tie-in with the sequel trilogy!) You had a feeling that these characters weren’t going to make it out alive at the end of their mission since they don’t appear in the original trilogy but you still had hope. The ending to ‘Empire’ was bleak but this ending is so much darker in tone. After our “heroes” succeed in their mission they still meet an unfortunate fate at the hands of the Empire. Their roles in the Star Wars universe were small but the impact that had on the Rebellion is massive. Jyn Erso, Cassian Andor, K-2SO, and the others are the most unlikely Star Wars heroes since a farm boy, a smuggler, a princess, and two droids… or is it the other way around? Prequels are always so confusing!

FINAL VERDICT:
In the terms of ranking the Star Wars movies (IMO), “Rogue One” places somewhere above ‘Return of the Jedi’ but just below ‘The Empire Strikes Back’. Only time will tell if I’ll personally enjoy this film more than ‘A New Hope’ or ‘The Force Awakens’. It’s more than just a placeholder until Episode VIII comes out next holiday season. “Rogue One” is not a saga film but it definitely sets the bar very high for Episodes VIII & IX. It’s lifted my hopes for 2018’s Han Solo movie and any other Star Wars spin-offs Disney is planning to release from now until the end of time. Don’t wait miss your chance to see “Rogue One” in theaters because this is one not to be missed! 

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" trailer breakdown

THE “SPIDER-MAN: HOMECOMING” TRAILERS ARE HERE!!! That’s right! We got two new Spider-Man trailers last night. It’s time to take a look at both of these trailers and break them down piece by piece. Only a few days in and I’m already selling out by over-analyzing and speculating over two short trailers for a superhero movie. I normally wouldn’t do something like this but it’s Spider-Man! Let’s get started!

U.S. trailer:
trailer here-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9DwoQ7HWvI 
The trailer opens with a few shots of NYC and a bunch of bank robbers using tech to rob an ATM. The tech might be an invention of The Tinkerer. A long time Spider-Man villain who’s rumored to be in the film. (In the comics, The Tinkerer is actually an alien but I don’t know if they’ll go that far for the MCU adaptation.) It’s worth noting that the bank robbers are wearing cheap store bought Avengers masks to conceal their identities, similar to a scene from the comics.

This scene was also depicted in a leaked Lego set from earlier this month. Before Spider-Man gets the drop on these thugs, he adjusts himself ever so slightly for optimal cool factor… leaning up against a wall! Something any teenage boy would do if he was capable of stopping an armed robbery with very little effort. We move from this action-packed scenario to a much more mundane high school setting. This is contrasting the duality of Peter Parker’s secret identity. MGMT’s “Time to Pretend” plays over this high school montage and gives us the feeling of an American Indie teen movie. We even see that Midtown High’s homecoming dance is coming soon hence the title “Spider-Man:  Homecoming” HA! Clever! Peter Parker and his friend Ned Leeds (the Hobgoblin in the “AMS” comics) are seen sitting in the cafeteria ogling over Liz Allen (Peter Parker’s high school crush from the comics). The two are interrupted by Zendaya’s character in the film. Zendaya is credited as playing Michelle Gonzales but rumors and fan speculation would suggest that her character is actually a variation on Mary Jane Watson. Maybe her initials will spell MJ like Michelle [insert a name that starts with a J here]. Who knows! Isn’t it fun to speculate? 

Now we transition to an awkdorable exchange between RDJ’s Tony Stark and Tom Holland’s Peter Parker. Their screen time together in “Captain America: Civil War” was fantastic and I can’t wait to see what kind of impact Tony Stark’s mentorship will have on our young Peter Parker.

Back to school as we get a few more Easter eggs in the trailer. Howard Stark (Tony’s father) can seen on a mural at Midtown High as well as a photo of Bruce Banner, among other real-life historical scientists, in Peter’s science class. Who knew turning yourself into an enormous green rage monster would put you alongside Sir Isaac Newton?

Then we have a quick scene of Peter watching footage of himself in the airport fight during ‘Civil War’. This is possibly footage documented by Peter himself and hinting at a career of taking spidey pics for the Daily Bugle. Now we get a bunch of Star Wars Easter eggs when Peter wall crawls in on Ned and his massive collection of Star Wars toys. An X-wing, AT-AT, a few action figures, and even a Lego Death Star can be seen in the room. Oh, and Ned finds out that Peter is actually Spider-Man. Maybe their dynamic in the film will be similar to Miles Morales and Ganke Lee from the “Ultimate Spider-Man” comics. Who knows! Pure speculation!  

Now for our frightening first look at Michael Keaton’s the Vulture in all his bird man glory!

 Nope.

 A little closer.

THERE WE GO!!! Tom Holland has once described the Vulture as something straight out a horror movie and Tony Stark even backs this up in the trailer by calling him “a flying monster guy”. Tony Stark tries to persuade Peter away from dealing with the Vulture himself but you know that good of Spidey responsibility won’t let him look the other way. Peter does a little speech about wanting to prove himself to everyone and we get our first demonstration of the web wings in action. Spider-Man’s armpit webbing has been a classic part of the costume since the 1960s Steve Ditko era. It fit in well with the old school Spider-Man tone that this movie is trying to pull off. 

We also get a very menacing threat from Michael Keaton’s Vulture saying “Don’t mess with me because I will kill you and everyone you love”. It’s always scary to be threatened by Batman regardless of which comic book universe it is. I don’t think it’s specifically directed to Spider-Man but probably one of the Vulture’s cronies. Maybe even Donald Glover’s character that we also see in the trailer standing next to a criminal with a high-tech gun. Maybe Donald Glover could be playing master thief, Aaron Davis (Miles Morales's uncle in the Ultimate universe). Didi anyone else notice that this guy's jacket looks a lot like the Shocker's suit?

We actually see a bunch of similar high-tech weapons in this trailer. Vulture can be seen firing an energy gun inside a New York ferry splitting it in half. There’s a nice homage to the train scene from “Spider-Man 2” while Peter is trying to keep the whole ferry from collapsing. 

Speaking a tech, Spider-Man seems to be missing his upgraded spidey suit and to his hoodie and jeans look from before ‘Civil War’. Maybe hinting that Tony Stark will take the suit away from him at one point in the film for disobeying his orders or maybe the suit become severely damaged in  previous fight. The trailer ends with an epic fly-by with Iron Man and Spider-Man triumphantly swinging through the city. It’s an image straight out of the comics. 

International trailer:
trailer here-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41dUp3kK-0w
A lot of the same scenes are kept in this trailer with a few bonus shots thrown in the middle. The most noticeable difference in the trailers would probably be the tone. While the U.S. trailer is going for a more high school approach the international trailer is all business and action. International audiences don’t want to see American kids in high school! They want to see violence!!! The trailer kicks off with segments from the famous airport scene in ‘Civil War’. You have to keep reminding audiences that all these movies are connected. Cut to the same adorkable scene between Tony Stark and Peter Parker from the first trailer. This time with some added dialogue and the harsh reminder that Spider-Man isn’t an official member of the Avengers yet. Maybe in a few years when ‘Infinity war’ comes around, kid. We get the same bank heist from the first trailer but with some bits taken out. We get a better look at the tech that might eventually be used by the Shocker. His appearance in the film has been rumored and him set photos have also leaked. Like I said, it’s a lot of the same footage but put together with a much heavier focus on action rather than the high school stuff.

final thoughts:
THE HYPE IS REAL!!!! I’ve seen these trailers so many times and they get better every time. I tend to lean more towards liking the U.S. domestic trailer though. Something about the soundtrack just gets me excited to watch a Spider-Man high school comedy. Hopefully, we’ll see things we haven’t seen in any other Spider-man movie before and avoid all the things we’ve seen way too many times in the previous films. 4 out 5 Spider-Man movies end with a funeral scene. 5 out of 5 Spider-Man movies feature a villain that Peter has personal ties to but suddenly goes insane. 1 out of 5 Spider-Man movies contain very embarrassing dancing scenes with Peter Parker. Tom Holland’s background in theater should mean that his dance moves are much better than Tobey Maguire’s but you never know.  With all things considered, I can’t wait until “Spider-Man: Homecoming” comes to theaters on July 7^th, 2017.

"Yoga Hosers" (2016) Review

Kevin Smith has certainly had a very interesting career. He’s been behind the camera, in front of the camera, on stage for Q&A nights, and behind the microphone as a podcaster. Kevin Smith’s film career kicked off more than 20 years ago and over the course of twelve films he’s made a name for himself. That name might vary depending on who you ask but through it all Smith has maintained a loyal cult following. Kevin Smith’s latest film, 'Yoga Hosers', might change all of that for some fans. NOW HOLD ON! I have to confess that I am a huge Kevin Smith fan. From the early years of ‘Clerks’ and ‘Chasing Amy’ to his recent podcasts and directorial duties on the CW. The man is living every fanboy’s dream of talking about comic books and nonsense for a living. However, his two most recent films, ‘Tusk’ and ‘Yoga Hosers’, seem to be getting a lot of hate from both fans and critics alike. I thought I might take some time to check out one of these films for myself. Seeing as "Yoga Hosers" is now available on Netflix and I already have a subscription so let’s start there.

WELL! "Yoga Hosers" certainly is a bizarre movie. The story of how the film was made is far more interesting than the actual movie itself. If you have the opportunity then you should definitely listen to Kevin Smith talk about all the behind-the-scenes on his podcasts. In fact, I recommend looking it up before watching the movie because it’ll give you a much better feeling of where this absurd film came from in the first place. Kevin Smith can spin quite the yarn about his film-making process. This is a very personal piece for Smith and it clearly shows. Now for the “plot”?…

The movie stars Harley Quinn Smith and Lily-Rose Depp as two teenage girls working at a convenience store in Manitoba, Canada. The two girls are named Colleen M. and Colleen C. respectively. These clerks are quintessential millennials with their faces in their phones and zero respect for authority figures (besides, maybe their yoga instructor). Smith has once described the film as “Clueless meets Gremlins”. The gremlins of this creature feature come in the form of pint-sized Nazi bratwursts called “Bratzis”. They are the creations of a mad Canadian Nazi scientist from back in the 1940s. Through a series of random events, these two teenage yoga hosers have awoken the Bratzis and their Nazi master from cryogenic sleep and must now deal with the consequences. They are not alone though. Johnny Depp reprises his role from “Tusk” as Guy LaPointe and aids the Colleens in their strange monster hunt. Of course, wacky hi-jinks ensue.

Kevin Smith’s major defense for the film is that it’s meant to be nothing more than a goofy kid’s movie. I can see that as a valid argument from the director. Art is completely subjective and there are genuine moments in the movie where I can see young teens enjoying the campiness of it all. Maybe even younger children could unironically love the movie. To me this seems more like Kevin Smith’s home videos with himself, Johnny Depp, and their two daughters. It’s a very small film with a budget of only $5 million but it only grossed $39,585 at the U.S. domestic box office. No major loss for a big studio but quite a lot of money to put forward for a family man and his kooky kid’s movie. I respect what Kevin Smith has been attempting with his “True North” trilogy. He’s just trying to make the movies that he’s always wanted to see on the big screen but knows that nobody else will ever make. That’s a noble cause but these movies just aren’t my cup of tea. There's a bit of meta-humor towards the end of the film involving the attempted murder of all the world's critics that I found funny coming from Kevin Smith. ”Yoga Hosers” has fun moments and the celebrity impressions from Ralph Garman are delightful but I couldn’t enjoy the movie all the way through. Like I said, the behind-the-scenes of the film is much more interesting than the actual movie itself. If you’re still a fan of the movie then that‘s great! Enjoy the movie and enjoy all of Kevin Smith's bizarre upcoming projects. I’ll just be sitting here and waiting for him to finish developing ‘Clerks 3’  and ‘Mallrats: The Series’. On second thought, I'm still looking forward to "Moose Jaws". It's "Jaws" but with a moose instead of a shark!!!

"Spider-Man: Homecoming" teaser trailer coming soon!

Teaser trailer teaser here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbLP_SmhtuM
IT’S ALMOST HERE! The first official teaser trailer for “Spider-Man: Homecoming” will be coming out tomorrow night during “Jimmy Kimmel Live". The teaser for the teaser trailer was released online today and although I despise teasers for teasers I absolutely loved this 17-second clip from Sony and Marvel. I’m a HUGE Spider-Man fan and have been ever since I was just a small child. I couldn’t be more excited to see Tom Holland make his solo debut in the MCU as our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. He won’t be alone though. Looks like Tony Stark and Happy Hogan will be joining in on the adventure too. I don’t want to speculate too much but it looks like the released clip takes place during the events of “Captain America: Civil War”. Notice the slight shittiness of Tom Holland’s spidey suit when Happy Hogan first walks in. Did I almost forget to mention the newest upgrade to Spider-Man’s suit? ARMPIT WEBBING! That s right, the web wings are in full use for this teaser and our hero is definitely going to need all the help he can get when he goes up against the Vulture next summer. “Spider-Man: Homecoming” will be released July 7^th, 2017. 

Introduction to my blog

This blog will primarily focus on my interests in comic books, movies, television, and other related media. I set up this blog back in September but haven't really done anything with it yet. My apologies. Since we're getting closer to the end of the year and nothing new or majorly important is coming out until "Rogue One" then I thought we might take this time to look back at 2016. Sure, 2016 might have been a rough one for us all but it was a very exciting year in terms of comic books and their expanded materials. Everything from Marvel's shared cinematic universe to DC Comic's Rebirth re-launch. In the coming days and weeks I'll be posting my thoughts, opinions, and reviews about this year's biggest blockbusters and events. As we head  into next year, get ready for some potential podcasts, commentaries, and videos about all things geek culture. I'm very excited to share all these things with a new audience. This is really just the beginning.