Month: August 2024

We Didn’t Start the Fire: 1953

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn History, Music, People, Politics

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen, one of the world’s worst ideas is back for another month. No, it’s not Some Geek Told Me’s The Tour of the Solar System. That hurt by the way. It’s Some Geek Told Me‘s We Didn’t Start the Fire’s historical references.

If you missed the previous entries of this colossal mistake, they include:

I’ve been behind with writing the 1953 references to Billy Joel’s song, because the weather here has been terrible, and I’ve been trying to stay dry and warm in winter, so I’m fighting a losing battle.

Anyway, without any more time wasting; because that’s a striker’s or centre forward’s job, let’s dissect the We Didn’t Start the Fire’s historical references for 1953.

Can’t wait.

Credit: Tavern Trove/Jacob Ruppert, Inc.

1953

Joseph Stalin:

This entry on the list is not one of the most well-liked people who have ever lived. Born Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin, though known to the world as Stalin, was the brutal ruler of the Soviet Union from 1924-1953.

Stalin is a contentious figure in world history. He helped bring about the end of Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich, with the Soviet Union accounting for between 20-27 million people killed during the Second World War, the greatest death toll from any country. The bulk of these deaths came from fighting Nazi Germany.

However, before the war started, Stalin signed a non-aggression pact known as the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact with Hitler. The pact was a plan for Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union to carve up Europe for themselves. And just like every villain team-up ever, there was betrayal when Nazi Germany invaded the Soviet Union in 1941, breaking the pact.

Viewed and regarded in the same shitty category as Hitler, Stalin seemed to look at Hitler’s crimes against humanity and said, “Hold my vodka.”

Through his leadership and regime known as Stalinism, some of Stalin’s crimes include, but not all: creating the Gulag system; the Great Famine; Collectivization, Dekulakization and Special Settlements; the Great Purge; Order No. 227; punishing Soviet prisoners of war; and refusing to punish Soviet soldiers’ war crimes.

Stalin’s direct actions like imprisonment and executions, but also his negligence, paranoia, and incompetency, caused the deaths of between 7-20 million Soviet citizens. When he died on 5th March 1953, people worldwide celebrated, after he was in power for 29 years.

Credit: The New York Times

Malenkov:

After Stalin died, there was a power vacuum that many people were trying to fill. The (un)lucky winner of that contest was Georgy Malenkov. Things did not go easily for Malenkov, because only after one week as leader, he was forced to give up control of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

After some time, Malenkov and Nikita Khrushchev, the party’s First Secretary, entered a power struggle over the leadership of the Soviet Union. History tells us that Malenkov lost and was removed from power, with Khrushchev becoming the new leader. Malenkov lasted only 186 days in power.

A modern equivalent would be Ex-British Prime Minister, Liz Truss, who only lasted 50 days as leader and failed to outlast a lettuce.

Official portrait of Georgy Malenkov, 1953. Credit: Dutch National Archives.

Nasser:

Nasser refers to Gamal Abdel Nasser Hussein, otherwise known as Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser was an Egyptian army officer, who along with Mohamed Naguib, led the 1952 Egyptian revolution, against the United Kingdom, and deposed the monarch, King Farouk I.

In 1953, Egypt was declared a republic, with Naguib becoming Egypt’s first president. Eventually, Nasser placed Naguib under house arrest and became the de facto leader of Egypt, until his election in 1956. He served as Egypt’s second president until he died in 1970.

In contemporary times, we only need to look at Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán, Cuba’s Raúl Castro, or Eritrea’s Isaias Afwerki.

President Gamal Abdul Nasser in Cairo. (Keystone / Getty Images)

Prokofiev:

On 5th March 1953, (the same day Stalin died) Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev died at the age of 61. He had composed seven operas, seven symphonies, eight ballets, five piano concertos, two violin concertos, a cello concerto, a symphony concerto for cello and orchestra, and nine completed piano sonatas.

Some of his most beloved works were The Love for Three Oranges, the suite Lieutenant Kijé, the ballet Romeo and Juliet, and the eternal favourite, Peter and the Wolf.

For a modern composer, well, I don’t want to start a fight with anybody. If you want to choose someone for yourself, be my guest because we are blessed to live in a world full of amazing composers, and to choose one over another seems criminal, at least to me.

However, my wife added that John Williams is the cat’s pyjamas.

Sergei Prokofiev. Credit: Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Rockefeller:

Winthrop and Barbara Rockefeller were married on 14th February 1948. Winthrop was part of the wealthy and famous Rockefeller dynasty, being John D. Rockefeller’s grandson, and John D. Rockefeller Jr.’s son. Not to be outdone, Barbara was also a successful Hollywood actress. Barbara gave birth to their son, Winthrop Paul “Win” Rockefeller, on 17th September 1948.

Fast forward to two years later, the happy couple were estranged. By 1953, divorce proceedings had started, with both parties haggling over a settlement. This was a very publicised celebrity divorce and was a constant story in the news cycle. By 1954, they had finally divorced, with Barbara receiving a $5.5 million settlement, which was a record for the time.

Three of the biggest publicised celebrity divorces in recent times would be Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; Ye (Kanye West) and Kim Kardashian; and Johnny Depp and Amber Heard. There are others, but come on, I need to sleep.

Winthrop Rockefeller and Barbara Sears Rockefeller walk together at the wedding, 1948. Credit: University of Arkansas at Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture

Campanella: 

Making the 1953 list is our first and only sportsperson, Roy Campanella. Campanella was a baseball player, who mainly played as a catcher. He started his Major League Baseball career in 1948, when he played for the Brooklyn Dodgers, until his early retirement in 1957 from a car accident.

In 1953, Campanella won the National League’s Most Valuable Player Award for the second time, after winning it in 1951, and for a third time in 1955. Campanella won the World Series in 1955 and was also inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969.

Selecting a contemporary equivalent is difficult for me because even though I follow baseball to a certain extent, I don’t know it well enough to choose a player. I’m a rugby, cricket, football, and rugby league supporter, so baseball is not really in my wheelhouse. However, any followers and subscribers of New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website, who are also baseball fans, please let me know your opinions on the matter.

Roy Campanella. Credit: Dodger Blue

Communist Bloc:  

You may recall that during the 1950s, the Cold War had started, and 1953 was a flashpoint for Europe. “The Communist Bloc” refers to the Eastern Bloc, or the Soviet Bloc; which was a term given to the countries that were Communist states.

In the case of the song, we are looking at the 1953 East German uprising. This happened when construction workers rose in protest against government demands to increase productivity. The protests soon spread across East Germany, with people starting to demand better living standards and resisting the Sovietization way of life in East Germany.

At the height of the protests, one million people were on the streets, demanding more from the ruling government and the Socialist Unity Party. The main protest lasted only about two days before The Kasernierte Volkspolizei (a militarised police force) and Soviet forces rolled in and violently crushed the protests with tank support.

This was only three months after Stalin’s death, so the government wanted to stop the protests as quickly as possible. At least 125 people were killed during the crackdown.

A modern example of the 1953 East German Uprising; even though it’s not that modern, would be the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests and massacre.

Soviet tanks in East Berlin broke up the crowds, and mass arrests followed in their wake. Credit: Pinterest

So for 1953, we covered a dictator’s death and his successor’s removal, an Egyptian political icon, a composer’s death, a celebrity divorce, a baseball player, and a failed uprising. 1953 was busy, but wait until we discuss 1954! Wow!

So, that’s it for another week. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch the Paralympics Games1 and I’ll see you next week, when we check in on the Coalition of Chaos.

1 Seriously, go and watch the Paralympics Games. They deserve all the attention and support.

To follow the news or not to follow the news? That is the question.

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn People, Social Media

Over three years, I’ve amassed a delightful collection of topics on New Zealand’s 5th least favourite website. I’ve ranted about science, comics, books, movies, and Christmas. I’ve even discussed particle accelerators and my socks.

I sometimes use levity, or at least I try to when I’m discussing topics. But today’s topic is quite different because I have a question. As usual, some much-needed context is required for me to translate what I’m trying to discuss.

A few days ago, my wife read an article about a horror story in Palestine. When I saw her after work, she asked if I had heard of the story, to which I hadn’t. She then explained the story but also mentioned that she read about it in the morning, and for the entire day, she hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it.

She also explained how reading the article made her feel awful and that it had affected her deeply. When she finished talking about the article, she said she was torn about whether she was better off learning about the story or not.

This led me to the question, how does someone watch or read the news and not feel overwhelmed and negative about the world?

Image by Pixelkult from Pixabay

I’m not an expert on this, but it seems a rather important question.

Hundreds of years ago, and depending on where you lived, when an event occurred in your country, you may have heard about it after a few days, through the newspaper, or weeks or months later if there were none. For international news, it could have taken longer to learn about it.

It’s a little different nowadays. You can watch the live results of your general election while eating dinner at the table; you can watch the verdict of a high-profile trial while riding public transport; or even watch villages and cities get attacked in real-time, during your lunch break.

Through the internet, this connection to the world is in the palm of our hands. This connectivity is a double-edged sword, as both information and misinformation can spread rapidly.

The news can be inspiring and positive while instilling different amounts of hope in us. But what about the opposite? What if all the news you read and watch is negative? Inflation, rape, genocide, government corruption, drug scandals, climate change, cancer, wars, house prices, riots, racism, prejudice, gaslighting, well, the list could go on and on.

When is it time to stop watching the news? People complain that the world is going to shit, and it’s obvious through news coverage. Right? But in my humble opinion, I think it isn’t.

The world has always been a mixture of good, bad, and everything in between. There’s always been strife, wars, and chaos throughout history.

When the Black Death was ravaging Western Europe, people would have thought the world was going to shit.

When the conquistadors plundered and murdered their way through the New World, people would have thought the world was going to shit.

When Imperial Japan invaded China, people would have thought the world was going to shit.

Injustice, cruelty, and evil have always been with us. The difference is our access to these events in real-time. So are we better off not knowing about racism in New Zealand, a new school shooting in the United States, or gang rapes in India? Are we better off not knowing about the increasing dangers of climate change? Are we better off not knowing about the daily death counts in Palestine, Yemen, Ukraine, Myanmar, Sudan, or the Democratic Republic of the Congo?

I can’t answer those questions for you, but I know and understand the desire not to follow the news. Some of it is awful, whether it’s local, national, or international. It’s enough to make you crawl up into a ball and stay in bed. Who wants to be thinking about children starving, hospitals being bombed, and billionaires running in elections, when you can’t pay rent or the mortgage?

Sometimes reading, listening and watching the news is truly horrific and terrifying. However, from my perspective, there’s something worse than following the news; and it’s not following it.

Listening and following the news means a substantial amount to me. It means that I’m not living in ignorance about events, even if they are halfway around the planet, and I can’t do anything other than educate people about them.

You may feel helpless and overwhelmed when you learn about truly horrible news, but you’re not alone. It may seem that you are, but you’re not. Because you have these negative feelings, it proves two things; one is that it shows you have compassion and empathy; it shows your humanity, even if it doesn’t look like it.

The second point is that if you feel upset or outraged by a particular news story, chances are that people around the world, or even someone you know may feel the same way. It’s okay to allow yourself to feel angry because your anger is a gift. It really is.

Anger can bring about social reforms and real changes in your community, country, and the world. It really can.

If your council was screwing over veterans in your region, would you want to know?

If your local politician was targeting minorities and blaming them for your country’s problems, would you want to know?

If your government was cutting funding to the disabled people of your country, and giving that money to landlords as tax breaks, would you want to know?

There’s a phrase that I’ve always liked:

An entire ocean can only sink a ship if the ocean gets inside it. And just like the ship, you can only sink into despair, if you let the negativity of the world inside you. Don’t let it.

I feel it’s important to follow the news, regardless of how it makes you feel. If it makes you happy, then smile. If it makes you sad, then cry. If it makes you angry, then rage. Accept the feelings and experience them, because, strangely, it confirms that you’re still alive and that you matter.

Sorry, but I’ve ranted on far too long. I hope this helps someone like it helped me to talk about it.

Anyway, it’s time for me to go. Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, watch an Asterix movie, and I’ll see you next week because we’re visiting 1953.

Tour of the Solar System: Uranus

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Science

It’s been awhile between innings, but it’s back! The worst tour in the Solar System, about the Solar System has returned, with another well-intended love letter towards the topic. The tension is almost unbearable, but you must wait a little longer before the magic begins anew.

For those silly sausages that have missed the previous entries, fear not, for I have a list:

1.) Meet the Family

2.) The Sun

3.) Planets vs. Dwarf planets

4.) Mercury

5.) Venus

6.) Earth

7.) The Moon

8.) Mars

9.) The Asteroid Belt

10.) Ceres

11.) Jupiter

12.) The Galilean moons

13.) Saturn

14.) Titan

15.) The Moons of Saturn

Believe it or not, not everybody appreciates the amount of effort and time it takes to create a masterpiece of scientific communication.

Take The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society for an example; no please, take them. In commenting on my blog about The Moons of Saturn in a media statement, The New Zealand Sour Cream and Chives Preservation Society said:

“Six moons. This terrible excuse of a New Zealander forced us to read and learn about six different moons of Saturn. Hey moron, news flash, people don’t care about stuff like this. We already have a moon! When is this human skidmark going to get a hint and stop with this crap?! The hardworking and honest people of New Zealand are getting tired of this vacuous human hedgehog telling us things, we don’t want to know. Someone call a taxi for him and take him home.”

I think I’m beginning to get under their skin. Good times.

After visiting the Moons of Saturn, the next stop on the tour is every 10-year-old’s favourite joke and planet: Uranus! Ladies and gentlemen, please make sure your seat is forward and tray tables are in their full upright position. Make sure your seat belt is securely fastened and all carry-on luggage is stowed underneath the seat in front of you or the overhead bins, because we’re going to Uranus!

Uranus sports a faint ring system. (Image credit: X-ray: NASA/CXO/University College London/W. Dunn et al; Optical: W.M. Keck Observatory)

Let’s start the lecture with Uranus’ name. The most common way to pronounce it is:

Yuor-ray-nuhs or U-ran-us

It’s been the butt1 of jokes for years, in every school around the world. However, if you want to sound like a true geek or nerd, then have to pronounce it as:

Yoor-e-nes or Ur-an-us

Trust me, it’s for the best.

Uranus is a planet that’s overshadowed by Jupiter’s size and Saturn’s rings, like two overachieving older siblings. It’s an odd world, but that just makes it even better.

Uranus is the seventh planet from the Sun and the third largest planet in the Solar System. It’s also the third Gas Giant or Outer Planet, as well as being about 4.5 billion years old, which puts it slightly older than some of my running t-shirts.

The name Uranus does come not from some graffiti on a public toilet wall, but from somewhere else. Usually, the answer to this question would be Roman mythology. I mean, as the tour has progressed, we’ve met Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn; all named from Roman mythology.

But Uranus is different because its name comes from Greek mythology. Uranus or Caelus in Roman mythology, was the father of Cronus (Saturn), and grandfather to Zeus (Jupiter), as well as being the great-grandfather of Ares (Mars).

Unlike the other planets we have met on the tour, Uranus was the first planet to be discovered by mathematical prediction and telescope. I told you Uranus was odd, but it’s still cool. Throughout history, people have been able to see Uranus with the naked eye, but assumed it was a star.

To my understanding, the German astronomer Johann Elert Bode, predicted Uranus’ existence after making some observations but also made the mistake of thinking it was a star. However, that changed on 13th March 1781, when William Herschel (Frederick William Herschel) discovered it with his homemade reflecting telescope.

Herschel initially thought it could have been a comet, but more astronomers started to observe it. Upon greater reflection, this wandering light was deemed to be a planet in 1783. Because Herschel discovered it, he claimed dibs on the name and suggested Georgium Sidus or George’s Star, after his patron, King George III. This did not prove to be successful.

It was Bode, who in 1782, floated the name, Uranus, taken from the pages of Greek mythology. It was a hard sell, but eventually, Uranus was decided a better name than Georgium Sidus. It wasn’t until 1850, when the last supporters of Georgium Sidus, the HM Nautical Almanac Office, finally caved, and started referring to it as Uranus.

Since it’s a gas giant and the third largest planet in the Solar System, Uranus is larger than Earth. Uranus has a diameter of 51,118 km, which means Uranus could fit about 63 Earths inside it.

Can you imagine your doctor explaining the reason you feel crap, is because you have 63 Earth-sized planets inside you? I’d rather not imagine the condition of the toilet.

Uranus and its happy siblings all orbit the Sun. And just like the others, Uranus has an elliptical orbit, so at its perihelion, the distance from Uranus from the Sun is about 2.5 billion km; and at its aphelion is 3 billion km, with 6.80 km/s being the average orbital speed. It takes sunlight roughly, 2 hours and 40 minutes to travel from the Sun to Uranus, which is the length of Once Upon A Time in Hollywood.

With its rotation and axial tilt…well, remember that I said Uranus is odd? I wasn’t lying. One day on Uranus takes about 17 hours, which is the length it takes for Uranus to complete one rotation on its axis. If you thought one Uranian day was short, its year is next level.

It takes Uranus 84 Earth years to complete one orbit of the Sun. 84 years! Let that sink in. The last time Uranus was roughly in its present location in time and space – at the time of this blog being published – the Second World War was raging across the world. The Battle of Britain was being fought, the Hundred Regiments Offensive was starting, The Blitz was just around the corner, and Bugs Bunny had just made his official debut.

Most of the planets in the Solar System rotate East to West, with Venus having a retrograde orbit, so it spins West to East. Uranus is watching this and says, “Hold my beer.” Uranus doesn’t rotate East to West, but even though technically, Uranus has a retrograde orbit, it’s not the same as Venus.

Uranus’ equator is almost at a right angle, relative to its orbit, with a tilt of 97.77 degrees. Imagine Saturn with its beautiful rings, rotating parallel to the Solar System’s plane, like it does now. Now imagine that someone pushes the planet over, so its rings are not horizontal, but vertical. That’s Uranus!

Scientists believe that deep into Uranus’ past, another object must have collided with it, with enough force and energy, to knock the planet over, and start spinning it in the most asinine way possible. Because of this outrageous tilt, Uranus has the most extreme seasons in our family of planets. Each of Uranus’ poles gets about 42 years of darkness, then 42 years of sunlight, and back again.

Can you imagine 42 years of winter? Not even House Stark or the North could imagine that horror. For comparison, Earth’s tilt is only 23.5 degrees.

This brings us to Uranus’ temperatures, because this charming little oddball, is the coldest planet in our family. Yes, even though Uranus is over 2 billion km away from the Sun, it’s the crazy arse tilt that allows it to take the crown. Temperatures on Uranus have been recorded at -224℃, which is colder than my bathroom in winter.

Added to the fact that Uranus’ atmosphere has a mixture of hydrogen, helium, methane, hydrogen deuteride, hydrogen sulfide, methane hydrate, ammonia, water ice, and ammonium hydrosulfide, reinforces the concept that because Uranus is a gas giant, it is also an ice planet. Compared to Uranus, Hoth is a tropical destination.

I’m running out of time, but there’s so much more to discuss about Uranus, but the two most important things left are its rings and moons. There are only four ringed planets in the Solar System; Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Like Saturn, Uranus’ rings can be divided into groups. It has 13 rings, with the first nine being narrow inner rings, then two dusty-like rings, and then two outer rings. Because scientists are amazing at naming cosmic objects, the rings moving away from Uranus are: Zeta, 6, 5, 4, Alpha, Beta, Eta, Gamma, Delta, Lambda, Epsilon, Nu, and Mu. This awards Uranus the honour of having the second most complex ring system in the Solar System.

As for its moons, Uranus has 28 confirmed moons. And to continue the notion of Uranus being odd, the names of its moons are not derived from Roman or Greek mythology like other moons, but rather characters from the works of William Shakespeare and Alexander Pope.

I’ll talk more about Uranus’ moons next time on the tour, because they deserve their own blog post. I wanted to write more about our strange older sibling, but I’ve been watching too much of the Olympics, sorry.

And with that, this week’s lecture is over. What is your favourite fact about Uranus? As always, please let me know. I still hope you’re enjoying the Tour. I know the view is terrible, but at least the ticket is free!

Thanks again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. I’m still on Twitter and Mastodon, trying to sound less of a geek, but utterly failing. Drop in and say hello, if you feel like it.

Please don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep pressuring your politicians for a ceasefire in Palestine, and I’ll see you next week.

Slava Ukraini!

1 Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.




San Diego Comic-Con 2024: What projects are coming to a screen or store near you?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Comics, Movies, Television

This is the third year I’ve done this, but I like making fun mistakes. It’s that time of the year to discuss one of the biggest geek events on the planet: no, it’s not me wearing my Batman socks and my Iron Man t-shirt, at the same time. However cool and brave that event is, it pales compared to San Diego Comic-Con.

I’ve never been to it, mainly because it’s over 10,000 km away and I can’t afford to go; like ever. But that doesn’t mean I still can’t enjoy it, right? Right?!

San Diego Comic-Con is the opportunity for some of the world’s leading entertainment companies to showcase their upcoming products, whether toys, anime, computer games, manga, books, comics, movies, or TV shows, to the ticket-paying fans, and the rest of the world.

Standing in line for hours to meet an idol, overpriced food, cool tote bags, and cosplaying, what’s more to love?! Information, that’s what; specifically trailers, panels, and media statements.

After going through the list of upcoming projects, like a dog bin-diving, who is searching for a disgusting tissue, I have found some things that interest me. I have said this before about San Diego Comic-Con, but I haven’t read or watched every single scrap of information that was released. Tragic, but true.

So, what projects are coming to a cinema or store near you? Well, it’s a concoction, stranger than Dr Jekyll’s elixir. As always, with nearly every one of my posts, there are some rules. Of course, there are.

1.) I have not read or seen, every article or trailer released from San Diego Comic-Con. I can only discuss the things I know of, but also things I’m interested in. However, I will not be picking up a copy of The Bloody Beetroot #1, thank you very much.

2.) Just because a product is on my list, doesn’t mean I’ll get to see, or purchase it. Quite simply, if something has landed on this list, it has my attention; regardless if I watch or purchase it.

3.) I have included some information and trailers that were released, just before San Diego Comic-Con. This is because I’m the chief shareholder in the company. That sounds very fair.

Before I go on, I realise the world is a crazy place, and not everything that happens is positive. I’m aware of this, which is why this nonsense blog exists. Cool bananas?

Ok, I’m not here to shag spiders, so let’s do this!

Image: Michael Buckner/Variety via Getty Images

Literature: (Books and Comics)

With the comics selection, the biggest projects that sparked my interest were from DC and Marvel. I’m not saying other companies have nothing of interest to me, but as I have said before, I can only talk about projects that I know of.

Absolute Universe

Yes, Marvel already did this with the Ultimate Universe, so over 20 years later, it’s DC’s turn. I don’t know all the details, but it seems they have reimagined key heroes like Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman in a new universe.

Bruce has no money or Batcave, Clark has no family, and Diana is the last of the Amazons. The concept is simple, but the designs for the characters are impressive. There are more Absolute titles coming, like The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter.

I don’t know if I’ll buy any of these titles, but they look interesting, and sometimes that’s half the battle.

Credit: DC Comics

Star Wars

I need to remember to write about Star Wars: The High Republic. It’s been another year, and I still haven’t done it, so I’m sorry about that. We’re approaching the halfway point of the third and final phase of the project, but my love for Star Wars remains strong.

Information concerning Star Wars literature include:

Star Wars: The Acolyte: Wayseeker (novel)

Star Wars: The High Republic: Fear of the Jedi (limited series-Marvel)

Star Wars: Battle of Jakku: Insurgency Rising (limited series-Marvel)

Star Wars: The High Republic: Edge of Balance: Premonition (manga-Viz Media)

Credit: Marvel Comics

Here’s a quick update about the project that I discussed about last year’s Comic-Con. Knights Vs Samurai, is finally getting released in September, and I’m looking forward to it.

Credit: Image Comics

Movies:

Star Trek: Section 31

Technically, this is a television movie, but let’s not split hairs too much.1 Like any geek, I love Star Trek, and this spin-off from Star Trek: Discovery seems intriguing. Michelle Yeoh’s Philippa Georgiou was a stand-out character in the series, who eventually went on her own growth and development arc. Granted, I’m not entirely sure when the film is set in the timeline, but it’s enough to grab my attention.

It’s going to be on a streaming service, like nearly everything else, so I just hope I’ll be able to see it. Maybe finding a magic lamp will help.

Hellboy: The Crooked Man

Any long-time followers of this vanity project will know my love for Anung un Rama, aka Hellboy. I’ve been slowly going bankrupt for years, reading and collecting Hellboy comics; which led me to read the classic Hellboy: The Crooked Man mini-series, when it came out in 2008.

I knew a fourth Hellboy movie was being produced, but when I understood it was going to be about The Crooked Man, well, I did my infamous Daddy-Dance in front of my wife; and she just rolled her eyes.

After watching the trailer, I danced again, because the film looks immaculate. Leaning into the horror aspect of Hellboy’s world, goes in step with the ghouls and demons that live there. This is a film I am 100% going to see.

Captain America: Brave New World

Captain America: Brace New World is the MCU’s first film for 2025, wait..2025? Really? I remember going to see Iron Man only a few years ago…oh. Damn.

Anyway, I want to see this film, but just like Loki and the TVA in Deadpool & Wolverine, I haven’t seen The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, surprise, surprise. So basically, will people understand the progression of events in the movie, if they haven’t seen the mini-series?

I have no idea, but I’m keen as a bean to see whether Red Hulk will be intelligent or not. I’ll have to visit The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s Wikipedia page before visiting my local cinema, to get myself up to speed. Will this be enough? Again, I have no idea, but I still would like to see it.

Alien: Romulus

I want to see Alien: Romulus because I’m a fan of the Alien movies. The trailer makes it look dark, claustrophobic, and intense, just like any Alien movie should be.

However, after watching an army of face huggers running around a space station in the trailer, I’ve decided I’m going to watch the movie at home. I don’t want to be scared in public, so I’ll save the pants-peeing and pants-shitting for my living room. I still haven’t had the courage to watch Alien: Covenant yet!

Television shows:

The Penguin

Colin Farrell was unrecognisable as Oswald Cobblepot, aka Penguin in 2022’s The Batman; which was an amazing film. He was fantastic as Cobblepot, and if I understand the plot correctly, the show is set after the first film, but before the second, which is in preproduction.

After Carmine Falcone died in The Batman, Cobblepot is attempting to take over Gotham’s underworld and install himself as the new crime lord. That being the case, I think Batman will only be used in conversations, and not actually appear.

Maybe more of Batman’s Rogue’s gallery will turn up in the mini-series, because Sofia and Alberto Falcone are involved, so they could be setting up a live-action version of The Long Halloween. Who knows? Whatever the case, Farrell looks like he’s bringing the heat and it’s a show that my wife and I will watch together. And who said romance is dead?!

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds: Season 3

Like I said about Star Trek: Section 31, I’ve been enjoying Star Trek: Discovery, but my admiration of the saga, also includes Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. I have to be honest, this show keeps surprising me, and that’s a good thing.

Witnessing these familiar, but also unfamiliar characters has been great, and the cliffhanger for Season 2 was unexpected. Strange New Worlds has helped me to fall in love with Star Trek, all over again. Isn’t that cute and nice?

Superman & Lois: Season 4

Superman & Lois has been a TV show that destroyed my expectations of it. Seriously. These versions of Clark and Lois are wonderful, and I fully believe that Clark and Lois are better together on screen. This show brings out their strengths and highlights that Clark can’t be Superman, without the support of his family; which to me, makes him only stronger.

Add in Season 3’s cliffhanger fight with Doomsday, and I’ve reserved my ticket for the final season. I’m going to miss this show.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Season 2

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power was quite divisive among fans for several reasons. I did watch the first season, so I can understand some of the criticisms, which I’ve discussed before on this magnificent blog.

However, unlike the hundreds, if not thousands of fans that have distanced themselves from the project, I am more than willing to give this show another shot at greatness. Have things improved on the show? I don’t know, but I promise I’m going to watch it. I see that Tom Bombadil is in the show, but I still want Melkor to have a cameo!

Also, this is a special mention about Batman: Caped Crusader. I’m going to write my first preview/review about a television show, and Batman: Caped Crusader gets to be the lucky winner. I’ll talk more about this closer to the time, but I’m optimistic about the show.

Anyway, that’s it for another week. What announcements from San Diego Comic-Con were you interested in? As always, please let me know. Remember to walk your dog, read a banned book, keep watching the Olympics, and I’ll see you next week for the return of the Solar System’s worst tour!

1 Like Vulcans, I embrace technicalities; but not for this section. The double pun is very much intended.