This week’s blog is sadly becoming a depressing trend on Some Geek Told Me; yet another titan of the comic book industry has fallen. On the 12th of June, John Romita Sr. passed away in his sleep at his home in New York, aged 93.
Far better writers have already crafted beautiful tributes about Romita Sr. and his art, so I feel strange addressing this topic, however, I’m going to talk about what John Romita Sr. meant to this awkward, comic-loving Kiwi geek.
I have explained this before, but I like comic books. I enjoy them for many different reasons, but one of them is that they helped me to learn how to read when I was young.
There was a tatty old cardboard box under my bed, that was filled with old comics, that I think were donated by various family members and people in the community. The true origin of the box is a mystery to me, to be honest, and I like it that way.
The stories were exciting and outrageous, but it was the art that drew you into the story. The characters had colourful costumes, the backgrounds were detailed, and the drama, oh the drama! I remember reading some shabby, coverless comics with Spider-Man and various other Marvel characters, and I was enthralled with them.
One day I observed that some of the amazing characters looked very similar, like they were drawn by the same person. I discovered later on, that the artist’s name was John Romita Sr. That name didn’t hold any gravity with me, because I didn’t know comic history; I just knew I liked his work.
Time moved on and I learnt more about comics, but also about the people creating them. To me, that Romita guy’s art seemed to be everywhere! I knew that wasn’t the case, it just seemed that way.
And of course, much like millions of other people over the planet, I slowly fell in love with John’s art. It was always so gorgeous. Eventually, I started to understand what a powerhouse John Romita Sr. was for comics.
Even as the somewhat adult that I am, I still get surprised. I’ll be looking at some comic art from whatever decade, and I’ll start to think, “Wait, did Romita Sr. draw this?” I’ll check, and yes, yes he did. My next thought would always be, “How much art did he draw? It’s everywhere! Did he not sleep?!”
The stupid thing is that I’m crying as I’m writing this. I’m grieving about the death of a man that I never met, but has been in my life nonetheless. He created and co-created Wolverine, Mary Jane Watson, Brother Voodoo, Nova, and Luke Cage; along with Bullseye, Hobgoblin, Kingpin, and the Punisher, and many other characters. Who would Daredevil be without Bullseye and the Kingpin? Or Peter without Mary Jane? I have no idea, but it wouldn’t be what we have now.
The only thing left to say about John Romita Sr., is thank you. Your passion and dedication to your art, helped me to love a medium that has possessed my heart and soul. I send condolences to your family, but also gratitude, because you made this big old crazy world, a little bit brighter.
And with that, I’ll leave you. What’s your favourite art drawn by John Romita Sr.? Please let me know.
Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m also on Twitter and Mastodon, where I ramble on about whatever my social media consultant tells me to write about.
Don’t forget to walk your dog; watch a banned movie; go and buy a comic book, and I’ll see you next week.
Carrying on from last week, I’d still like to talk about The Flash. Why? Well, last week I created a non-amusing preview of The Flash movie, which can be found here.
On Wednesday 16th June, I managed to secure a ticket to view an advanced screening of the film. I brought the ticket online; which is something I rarely do. This was strange, because when I arrived at the cinema, I walked inside and brought some food I didn’t really need, then walked straight into the theatre. But get this…not one person stopped me, or asked to see my ticket.
I was sitting in my seat waiting for the trailers, when it occurred to me that I had basically just walked in off the street and sat down in a theatre, without ANYBODY asking about my ticket. My town only has one cinema, so it can be quite lax. It’s truly strange.
The Flash movie poster outside my local cinema
Anyway, you haven’t come here to learn about my local cinema’s protocols; you’re here for the review. Unless you’re lost, and I’m terribly sorry, but I have no idea how to help you.
Three things you need to know before you go on any further:
1.)Please be aware there will be spoilers concerning the movie, so proceed with extreme anxiety and caution.
2.) The aim of my reviews are not to rip apart the subject or trash it. If I liked the subject enough to watch or read it, then I’ll give my honest (possibly biased) opinion.
3.) I’m not a professional critic, so I’m not going to dive into deeper concepts and themes, or the art of filmmaking. I’m just a geek; always have been, and always will be. Hopefully.
Sweet? Ok maybe the best place to start, is by stating whether I liked the film or not, which I did. I really did. Also, I’ll be referring to Barry Allen as two different people; Barry-1 (Barry Allen from 2023) and Barry-2 (Barry Allen from 2013).
Let’s discuss some of the things I liked. The first thing was actually something that had appeared in Zack Snyder’s Justice League. In this film, Barry-1 saves Iris West from a car accident. From this interaction, the viewer could possibly think that Barry-1 and Iris are complete strangers. It’s a cool scene, but it has Barry-1 creepily touching Iris’ hair.
Fast forward1 to The Flash, you learn that Barry and Iris actually know each other from university, and Iris says that she thought she saw Barry-1 a few years ago; obviously referencing the car accident. For the sake of continuity, I thought that was a subtle, but clever move.
I know I’m about to go off-topic here, but please stay with me. Like any superhero or supervillain, The Flash has a few weaknesses. One of them is food; or more precisely, his metabolism. Since he runs at ridiculous speeds, his body burns through thousands of calories, because his body is working harder and faster.
To compensate for this, Barry-1, or any Flash, has an extremely fast metabolism. This requires him to eat a huge amount of food, to get the calories he needs to feed his metabolism. Superman needs sunlight, Aquaman needs water, and The Flash needs food.
Because of this, it made me smile watching Barry-1 and Barry-2, trying to eat as much as they could, whenever they could throughout the movie. The vendor machine scene was so on point, it made me laugh. Actually, the whole “baby shower” scene was exactly what I would expect to see in a Flash movie.
And speaking of Barry-1 and Barry-2, I thought Ezra Miller did a phenomenal job at playing two different versions of Barry Allen. Yes, the special effects and editing played their own part to be sure, but Miller really sold the viewer the idea that there were two Barrys. Barry-1 and Barry-2 were similar, but they were still different. I loved how Barry-2’s laugh reinforced the concept that he was younger than Barry-1.
The interactions and dialogue between Barry-1 and Barry-2 were impressive, especially during their training sequences and in the Batman cave.
Barry-1’s costume and lightning were great; especially the scene with the Flash Ring. I only noticed the ring, when Barry-1 was having breakfast with his parents; if he was wearing it before that, I didn’t notice it. Though to be fair, my wife has mentioned that I’m not very observant, so I’m not surprised.
Time travel is part of The Flash’s mythos, along with phasing through objects. Seeing both Barry-1 and Barry-2 phase was unexpected but quite welcome. That also reminded me, I thought the film was really funny. Because Barry (any version) is a little awkward, it provided some hilarious material, that otherwise wouldn’t exist.
Moving onto Batman, we got maybe 15 minutes with Ben Affleck in three-four scenes, so he’s only in the first act. However, the big drawcard was, of course, Michael Keaton. My theory of him being Thomas Wayne was of course destroyed, after one scene.
The fight scene at the prison was impressive, but I was thinking, “This guy would be in his mid 60’s to early 70’s, could he really be doing this fighting without some type of super-armored suit?” Though in fairness, he is Batman. I think the trope of a retired warrior, coming back for one more fight has been done before, but never with a Batwing. It was nostalgic to have Keaton back as Batman, whether for good or for ill.
As for Sasha Calle’s Kara Zor-El, I feel just like everybody else in saying that we needed more screen time for her. I really hope that’s not the last we see of her.
There’s other stuff that I liked as well, like the soundtrack, casting, and practical effects, among others. However, I do need to discuss the things that I didn’t like.
I was approaching this movie with the idea that linear time travel was the standard model for time travel in the movie; but not only did Barry-1 travel back in time and alter the past, which of course changed the future; but Barry-1 was also in another universe, because of multiverse mischief. To me, it sort of made Barry-1’s action worse, because he was screwing up other universes as well.
I thought the CGI was great throughout the film, but there were three scenes where the CGI looked odd. I realise the baby shower scene and Kara Zor-El’s first fight were mainly viewed in slow motion, to really emphasise how speedsters view and experience the world. I get that and understand it, but the babies looked quite strange, and the Russian guards looked even stranger, as Kara was kicking their collective arses.
The other scene was within the Speed Force, where Barry-1 and Barry-2 could run to and insert themselves into the timeline. The concept was cool, but I feel that it looked weird, with CGI characters moving and changing.
This of course brings us to the cameos. I know the backlash Rogue One: A Star Wars Story received for bringing back 1977’s Carrie Fisher, but also that Fisher died the same month the movie was released. Having said that, the amount of people discussing the wisdom about Christopher Reeve’s resurrection is important. Do film companies have the legal right to resurrect a deceased actor’s appearance? Do they have to consult with the actor’s family? I have no idea.
I have to admit, it was amazing to see Reeve and Supergirl (Helen Slater) standing next to each other, which was something that never happened in the films.
Also the Jay Garrick (the original Flash) cameo was interesting, which was Teddy Sears, from The Flash tv series. The problem is when Sears was playing Jay Garrick, he was doing it in disguise, because his real identity was Hunter Zolomon, a supervillain speedster.
Tangled up with all of the cameos, there was the multiverse collapsing, which birthed a new timeline (I think). This has resulted in the DCEU ending, and paving the way for the DCU.
I have a lot of questions because of this:
Where does Blue Beetle and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom fit into the ongoing story?
Is the world Barry-1 returned to the new rebooted world, or some sort of bubble universe?
Is Supergirl dead in all realities?
Is George Clooney the new (old) Batman?
Will Ezra Miller stay on as the Flash, or will he recast?
Do Heatwave, Captain Cold, Mirror Master, and the Reverse Flash exist?
To be honest, I could bring a lot of shame to myself by continuing to list questions, so I’ll stop.
All and all, I liked The Flash. It’s not perfect, but I was happy with what I saw; even if it’s $17.00 a ticket. Thanks, inflation and GST2, you suck.
I’ve said this before, but if you want to read a new book, listen to new music, or possibly watch a new tv show or movie, just do it. That way, you can make your own mind up about it, then you’ll know.
I enjoy writing reviews, but I’m terrible at them. Sorry!
Have you seen The Flash? Please let me know what you thought of it.
Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Remember to walk your dog; read a banned book; avoid destroying the space-time continuum, and I’ll see you next week.
1 That’s a very deliberate pun.
2 One day I’ll write about GST, if I’m feeling angry enough.
I want to talk about the Flash. Why? I’ve reviewed a few things on this dysfunctional blog before; though not as many as I should. I’m looking at you Star Trek! However, as any attentive geek knows, The Flash opens this week in cinemas, and I’m planning on watching it.
I decided to talk to the different staff that work here at Some Geek Told Me, about possibly writing a movie preview. Upon having a meeting with the scriptwriter, editor, social media consultant, freelance fashion writer1, marketing director, finance officer2, and chief good ideas officer3; a vote was taken, with the winning result being 1-0. Hence this is my first preview.
Captain Cold and The Flash in another classic fight.
So why preview The Flash? This could be a shock to some of you, so please make sure you’re sitting down, but…I’m a geek. And just like I Fight Dragons said, the Geeks will inherit the Earth. Maybe.
I’ve always liked The Flash, the fastest man alive! I mean, he’s not called The Slow, is he? Whether it’s Jay, Barry, Wally, Bart, and many others, the Flash is so iconic. The costume, the lightning, the speed. I know the physics behind the Speed Force and the Flash’s abilities are bonkers, but he’s such a cool character.
Also how good are Flash Facts?!
Do you remember the movie, Daddy Day Care, with the kid that wore a Flash costume? One of the best scenes of the movie was the discussion of The Flash’s rogues gallery.4 It’s still funny as hell to me.
I’m going to stop gushing about the Scarlet Speedster, so I won’t even mention the amazing Flash hoodie that I have. Anyway, all of this blubbering brings us to the hot topic of today’s blog: The Flash movie.
Before I begin, there are two things I wouldn’t be discussing: 1.) Grant Gustin’s Flash or 2.) Ezra Miller’s shenanigans off the screen. These things are for other people to debate about, and I don’t get paid enough to discuss them.
So how do you write a preview?
Ironically, I’ve decided the best way is to propose a question and create an answer.
Am I looking forward to watching The Flash?
Well yes, obviously. I’ve purchased my ticket for an advanced screening on Wednesday 15th June at 6pm. Right in the centre at the back row, with all of the other extremely cool people.
What is the movie about?
Easy, the Flash. Next question. Seriously though, to the best of my understanding, the movie is based on the now-famous 2011 mini-series Flashpoint, by Geoff Johns, Andy Kubert, and others. This has Barry Allen travelling back through time to save his mother, but by doing this…I’ll let the Reverse Flash explain it better.
” You were like a bullet through a windshield. You shattered history. The lives of the people closest to you were put on a broken path. You changed time like an amateur! This is your fault, Barry. This hell is your creation. You traded the life of your mother for the rest of the world!”
Of course, they’re making some changes, namely swapping the role of Subject One, which was Kal-El, to Kara Zor-El (Sasha Calle).
What can we expect?
To be honest, I really don’t know; though we are allowed to speculate. How much time will Ben Affleck, either as Bruce Wayne or Batman, have on the screen? 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 50 minutes?
It’s the same for Michael Keaton’s Batman because they are billing him as one of the main characters. How much screen time will he have? This also begs the question, will Keaton be playing someone safe like Bruce Wayne, or will we have a twist with him playing Thomas Wayne instead, like in Flashpoint? I personally think it would be great if he’s Thomas Wayne.
I also know Miller is playing two versions of Barry Allen; one with super speed and one without. But just like in the comics, Barry doesn’t have his super speed in the new timeline, so he needs to get some, in the most painful way possible. Maybe the second Barry will gain super speed that same way, because in the various trailers, both versions of Barry have super speed.
With the cameos (if any), will Grant Gustin, Henry Cavill, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, or Diana Gadot, make an appearance? I have no idea, that information is above my paygrade. In saying that, I read that Nicholas Cage is appearing as Superman from the Multiverse, though that could be a red herring or a red speedster?!
Of the antagonists, Barry is the chief villain, because going back in time to save his mother, is an act of an unselfish man, making a selfish choice, that has brutal consequences for everybody. Obviously, Barry tries to correct this mistake, but I think he runs into two very fast problems: Michael Shannon and Antje Traue have returned from Man of Steel, in the forms of General Zod and Faora-Ul, respectably.
There’s also the theory the geek community is presenting, which is that the second Barry Allen; the one that potentially gains super speed in the movie, will become some sort of Dark Flash. Possibly developing into the Reverse Flash?5
Do I have have concerns?
Of course, I do; I have concerns with every comic book movie.
Will the plot make sense?
Will they be trying to pack too much content into the 144 minute runtime?
Will Barry be rebooting the DCEU, the same way he rebooted the DC timeline in Flashpoint?
Will they try to make Supergirl the new Superman, or let her have her own identity?
What if there are some continuity errors?
Will Supergirl’s introduction be rushed?
Do we believe the hype about the film, or is it over blown?
Will the dialogue be witty or corny, or both?
How will the CGI hold up?
How large of a role will Iris West (Kiersey Clemons) and Barry’s parents play?
Will we get a Flash Fact?
Ultimately I don’t know what the movie will be like. I’ve tried harder than a dog bin-diving for food, to avoid reading reviews about the movie. However, as I said before, I’m going to an advanced screening on Wednesday. My plan is to write a review of it, but I’m not sure what to do about, you know…spoilers!
I forgot to mention, did you like the photo? The Flash and Captain Cold belong to UMC2, and he was not impressed that the Flash spent some time in the freezer.
Anyway, I’ll be back next week for The Flash review. Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Remember to walk your dog; read a banned book; stay away from hyper-intelligent telepathic gorillas, and I’ll see you next week, because I’ll be back in a flash.
1 Just between us, that guy is useless.
2 He’s worse than the freelance fashion writer.
3 Forget the other two, it’s a miracle this guy still has a job.
4 Apart from Spider-Man and Batman, I think The Flash has the best rogues gallery.
5 On a side note, the Reverse Flash has one of the best names in all of comicdom.
Welcome, welcome, welcome, to the worst tour of the Solar System you will ever experience. I’m probably overestimating the ridiculousness of it, but I’m pretty sure Brian May, Michelle Thaller, Bill Nye, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Brian Cox, or Becky Smethurst, would not want to purchase a ticket.
This is our fifth stop in our tour of the Solar System, with the previous four being Meet the Family, the Sun, Planets vs. Dwarf planets, and Mercury. Since the last stop was everybody’s favourite small planet that has a transition metal element named after itself, the next stop is somewhere that does a very good impression of Hell: Venus.
There are many different things I’d like to discuss about Venus, and I mean a lot, but I have to concentrate on the most interesting/weird information, purely for two reasons. Firstly because there is just too much information to talk about; and secondly, a Galapagos giant tortoise can write faster than me, so I just don’t have the time. Though a DeLorean with a functioning flux capacitor would help.
Just like Mercury, Venus derives its name from Roman mythology, in the form of the goddess of love, sex, beauty, and other things I can’t really relate to. Venus is around 4.5 billion years old, give or take a few hundred million years, which is roughly like the other terrestrial planets. Venus also has two more things in common with Mercury; it has no natural satellites (moons) or rings. Sorry, Beyoncé.
Venus’ size is slightly smaller than Earth’s, which is why some people call it Earth’s twin. They are similar because Venus has a diameter close to 12,100 km, with Earth’s diameter being 12,756 km; which means Venus would lose at an arm wrestle with Earth, but not by much.
Just like the majority of objects in our Solar System, Venus orbits the Sun. The orbital range is 107,477,000 km (66,783,112 miles) to 108,939,000 km (67,691,556 miles), which is only a difference of 1.46 million km. The average distance from Venus to the Sun is around 108,208,000 km (67,237,334 miles), and if you’ve been paying attention, this means Venus is the second closest planet to our local natural fusion factory.
So up until now, Venus seems nice and normal, but what exactly is normal? If we are comparing Venus to other planets or exo-planets, it’s probably normal; however, if we are comparing Venus to Earth,…well, if Earth is Superman living in Metropolis, then Venus is Bizarro living in Arkham Asylum. Honestly, Venus is pretty messed up. You wouldn’t just be swiping left on Venus, you would be calling the police!
Venus is actually closer to Earth than Mars, with an average distance of 41 million km vs 228 million km, respectively. But here’s the thing; even though Venus is closer to Earth, we are preparing and planning to send astronauts to Mars. That’s not an accident, by the way, it’s because we’re not stupid.
Venus is basically like a public bathroom, after an entire rugby team suffering from chronic curry diarrhoea, has been: it’s somewhere you don’t want to go.
Even though Venus is named after a goddess, and is the only planet to do so, let’s discuss why you should NEVER visit Venus.
Venus is actually the hottest planet in the Solar System. Venus has a problem, a very big problem, that humanity has been noticing here on Earth: climate change. Venus has a runaway greenhouse gas effect happening, which has created an apocalyptic problem.
The clouds on Venus are made of extremely thick and poisonous sulfuric acid, which starts at 45-70 km. This of course is only compounded by the thick atmosphere, which is made up of over 90% carbon dioxide. This means the amount of pressure on Venus’ surface is 93 times that of Earth. To put this into perspective, standing on the surface of Venus would be equivalent to being 1 km under the ocean. At this pressure, and without some amazing super-reinforced space suit, your body would be crushed.
Sounds great, doesn’t it? But wait, there’s more horror!
Because the thick atmosphere acts as a blanket, Venus traps excess heat on the surface, which makes the Human Torch look like Olaf from Frozen. Temperatures on the surface can range from 438 °C (820 °F) to 482 °C (900 °F), which is hot enough to melt Tellurium, Zinc and Lead.
Venus was the first planet that humans managed to send spacecraft to and land. This has resulted in several landers and probes over the years, making the 41 million km trek to Venus, but because of the scorching heat and crushing atmospheric pressure, Venus has killed them all. The longest surviving probe on Venus only lasted about 2 hours, before it stopped transmitting.
Mars may be the only planet inhabited by functioning robots, but Venus is the OG; its surface is littered with robotic corpses. Venus is nightmare fuel.
Venus’ orbit and rotation manage to stay in theme with freakiness. Apart from Uranus, Venus is the only other planet that rotates backward on its axis in the Solar System. This is known as retrograde rotation, and it means the Sun rises in the west and sets in the east, which is the total opposite of what happens on Earth.
Venus also rotates painfully slowly on its axis, because one day on Venus equals 243 Earth days. This is the slowest rotation of a planet in the Solar System. Congratulations Venus!! The shenanigans continue because Venus actually orbits the Sun faster than Earth at 225 Earth days. So one Venusian day actually lasts longer than one Venusian year.
There are three last things that I need to mention about Venus, among others, before I depart for my bed.
1.) The surface of Venus is covered with valleys, craters, mountains, and extreme volcanic activity. Its estimated, that 80% of Venus’ surface is covered with volcanic plains. There’s also a mountain on Venus called Maxwell Montes, which is 11 km (36,000 ft) high, and dwarfs Mount Everest at 8.848 km (29,031.7 ft).
2.) Venus appears in the sky as a small bright light, near sunset and dawn. This has led people to give Venus names like “The Morning Star” and “The Evening Star.” This makes Venus the third brightest object in the sky after the Sun and Moon.
3.) Have you ever heard of the Star Light, Star Bright poem?
Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.
Traditionally, if you had a wish and saw the first star in the evening, you could recite this poem, and your wish could come true. The universe has a funny side because, for hundreds of years, people would do this; wishing on the first star of the evening. The issue is that the first star they would wish on wasn’t really a star at all; it was a planet. So if you have ever done this, and the wish didn’t come true, it was because it was Venus.
And with that, I’m done for another week. I hope you’re still enjoying the tour, because the tour guide is rubbish, quite frankly. For next week’s modest blog, I’m going to do something I’ve never done before; no, I’m not doing a Fifty Shades of Grey review. Drum roll please…..I’m going to write a preview! So I hope it works. Maybe.
Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Remember to walk your dog; read a banned book; learn what DVD actually means; and I’ll see you next week.
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