Category: Movies

San Diego Comic-Con 2023: Did anything good happen?

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

If you inhabit any of the plethora of areas that count as geek culture, then you would have known one of the largest geek culture events in the world, took place last week. No, I’m not talking about Barbenheimer; though I feel that could be a blog all on its own.

What I’m really talking about, is the 2023 edition of the San Diego Comic-Con. As I’ve stated before, I’m still over 10,000 km away from the event, but one day I’m going to go to it. One day. Now for those of you that don’t know what the San Diego Comic-Con actually is, firstly how is that possible?! I’m joking, nobody is perfect so its fine.

The San Diego Comic-Con is a mega event; if not the mega event that celebrates popular culture. It’s where creators and companies gather to promote and advertise their products to the public, like toys, anime, computer games, manga, books, comics, movies, tv shows, and anything else I haven’t thought of.

We also can’t forget to mention, it’s an amazing opportunity for cosplayers to shine! If I ever went, I would cosplay as a tired broke father, wearing tracksuit pants, a witty t-shirt, and rocking the same haircut he’s had for 20 years. I would clean up with the cosplay awards, so look out!

Apart from the products available for sale at the event, San Diego Comic-Con is famous for the many releases, trailers, and announcements, from companies across genres. I’ll be honest here, I haven’t read or watched every single scrap of information that was released at San Diego Comic-Con. I love popular culture, but I’m not that committed.

In saying that, here’s a question: Did anything good happen? Was there any information about an upcoming product, that I found to be interesting?

You’re in luck, because I’m going to answer that great question! And as I stated last year, let’s establish a few things first:

1.) I have not read or seen, every article or trailer released from San Diego Comic-Con. I can only discuss the things I have knowledge of, but also things I’m actually interested in. I’m still waiting for the release of the Salt and Vinegar biography movie, damn that would be good!

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

Clear as a spider drink? Great, once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more.

Comic-Con in San Diego. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Literature: (Books and Comics)

Giant Robot Hellboy

One of these days, I’m going to write a blog about Big Red, because I’m an enormous Hellboy fan. I’ve been reading and collecting Mike Mignola’s creation for years, so I’m always ready to hear about new content.

So imagine my utter shock, following the announcement of the Giant Robot Hellboy mini-series. I’m not smart enough to even begin to explain how insane this series sounds and looks. Mignola is writing the mini-series, with Duncan Fegredo adding the art. I find it amazing that the duo that gave us some important Hellboy stories like Darkness Calls, The Wild Hunt, The Storm, and The Fury, are giving us another one?!

The first issue is released in October by Dark Horse, and I have already subscribed to it. The covers look phenomenal, so let’s have some good ole Hellboy shenanigans! Can’t wait.

Star Wars: The High Republic

I know I keep saying this, but I really do need to write a Star Wars: The High Republic blog. Phase II of the story finished recently, though I’m still waiting for my copies of Quest for Planet X, Path of Vengeance, and The Edge of Balance: Precedent to finally arrive in my tiny letterbox.

At San Diego Comic-Con information was released concerning the final section, Phase III. These include:

  • Star Wars: The High Republic: Shadows of Starlight (mini-series-Marvel)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic (Marvel)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures (Dark Horse)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic: Escape from Valo (written by Daniel José Older and Alyssa Wong)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic: Defy the Storm (written by Tessa Gratton and Justina Ireland)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic: The Eye of Darkness (written by George Mann)

I’m really enjoying this Star Wars project, so I’m looking forward to reading all of those products.

Knights Vs Samurai

If I understand it correctly, during the Todd McFarlane panel, some new titles were announced through Image Comics. One was a title called Knights Vs Samurai, written by actor David Dastmalchian, and the artist is Federico “Fede” Mele. Apart from the concept of knights and samurai fighting each other, I know little else about it, other than it looks quite interesting.

Movies

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem

The classic story of four mutant turtles growing up to be teenage ninjas is as old as 1984. I had already heard of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, but when I saw the clip, I also watched it with UMC1. He told me it looked crazy and fun, but more importantly, he wanted to go and watch it with me! High praise indeed, that an eight year old boy wants to be seen in public with his father!

The Marvels

I feel terrible for saying this, but I still haven’t seen Thor: Love and Thunder, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, or Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 yet. I know, I suck. Having said that, The Marvels is a film I do want to see, but I need to watch the other four films first.

Television shows

Invincible: Season Two

To save myself some time and effort, I’ll direct you to a previous blog, so you can understand my feelings about Invincible. I’ve seen Season One, and I loved it. I’m curious to see how they handle Angstrom Levy, and how far will they take the story? Will we see Nolan on Thraxa, or at least Oliver?

The first season was released in March 2021, so just like everybody else, I’ve been waiting very patiently for the second season. It should be awesome, especially since fellow Kiwi, Cliff Curtis is involved.

Special Mention

Everything Star Trek

I’m currently riding a Star Trek wave, and I don’t really want to get off it. Announcements and information about Star Trek: Discovery-Season Five, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds-Season Two, and Star Trek: Lower Decks-Season Four were all very welcome. I’ve just finished Star Trek: Picard-Season Three, so I’m ready for some more.

Also, the news of some sort of crossover between the shows seems quite….fascinating.

A ton of other stuff was announced, but these were the main ones that I found interesting. This blog about San Diego Comic Con is smaller than last year, though I’m not sure why. Maybe I’m getting too old, or I’m watching my money more. Who knows?

Anyway, that’s it for today. What announcements from San Diego Comic-Con were you interested in? Please let me know. I’m off to watch the second episode of Good Omens 2, so don’t forget to walk your dog, read a banned book, go watch some FIFA Women’s World Cup football, and I’ll see you next week.

Movie Review: The Flash

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics, Movies

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.

Movie Preview: The Flash

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Comics, Movies1 Comment

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.

The Entertainment differences between my Wife and I

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

I want to talk about my wife. Why? Considering she’s the only other adult in my house, we do have a lot in common. I mean, we did get married, so we must actually like each other. We both enjoy various pop culture franchises like Doctor Who, Star Wars, Harry Potter, and the list could go on and on.

We both love reading and eating pizza, as well as sharing a hatred of housework. We’re also in agreement that something very strange is happening with our local corner shop, because the hours they’re open are truly bizarre.

There are many other similarities between us, but they are not as interesting as the differences concerning entertainment.

If you can break it all down, there are two major differences between us. The first is…it’s still difficult to acknowledge this publicly, but my wife enjoys Sour Cream and Chives. I know what you’re thinking; how did a Salt and Vinegar-loving and Sour Cream and Chives-hating guy like myself, end up being married to a Sour Cream and Chives-loving and Salt and Vinegar-hating woman? No one is perfect or infallible; except God, Chuck Norris, and Sir David Attenborough.

One day I’ll write about a pair of star-crossed lovers, meeting over a packet of Chicken chips, but today is not this day.

Image by JayMantri from Pixabay

The second major difference is the consumption of entertainment; such as novels, movies, and tv shows. Let’s start with movies, shall we? I enjoy movies, either watching them at home or at the cinema; because everybody loves watching a movie in the dark with 100 other random people, while eating overpriced food.

The way I view movies can easily fall into two groups: movies I’ve seen before and movies I’ve never seen. There are a lot of movies that I would love to see again, whether they are one of my favourites, or if they are part of a series with a new addition coming out, so I want to familiarise myself with the plot and characters again. That sounds fair, right?

On the other hand that is not holding a lightsabre, there are new movies that I want to see; which to be honest is the majority of the two. Do I want to see every new movie that’s released? No, that’s insane, plus I would be broke. I just want to see some particular new movies, for whatever particular odd reason.

Ok, but what about my wife? She’s like me, that she can enjoy rewatching a favourite movie. This is something that she likes and is comfortable with. She knows the actors, the director, the plot, and the genre, so she knows what to expect. Again, that sounds fair, right?

With new movies, we do have a problem though. My wife does not like watching new movies; mainly ones she knows next to nothing about. She will happily watch a new movie at the cinema or at home, with pre-existing characters that she knows and loves. But ask her to watch a movie where she doesn’t know the characters or the plot? Hell, no. She will not watch it.

There is a loophole to this law: my wife will watch a new movie with characters she has never seen before, if…and only if, she has read the book that the movie is based on. That way, she is guaranteed to know various things about the plot and characters. You can’t expect her to watch a movie that she knows nothing about, can you?

So when it comes time for the two of us to sit and actually watch a movie together, there is a lot of discussion and negotiating involved.

Books are also treated the same way for both of us; to a point. I will reread my favourite books, but my main focus is reading new material. I have said this before, but my reading pile is reproducing asexually because it’s grown to five piles which are now sitting on my set of drawers. I have to apologise to them daily for not reading them fast enough; I have a Star Wars book that’s been sitting there for three years and counting.

Would you like to know where my wife’s reading pile lives? Those books are sitting next to the other books on the shelves, that she has already read! When my wife finishes reading a series, “What should I read next?” would be the next question. If you’re thinking, “You should read a book you’ve never read before”, then you don’t know my wife.

She will simply look through the shelves and select a book series that she has already read 100 times before, and start reading. Why you ask? It’s the same reason as the movies; she already knows the plot and characters; it’s familiar and that means the books are something that she is going to like, because…she has already liked and read them before!

I feel she’s my own personal mogwai, that comes with pop culture rules. There are exceptions to her book law: my wife does not like reading a stand-alone book, that is not part of any series. The biggest reason for this is that if she ever reads and likes the book, where does she go from there? There’s no sequel or prequel, it’s just the end. So would my wife commit her time and energy to a single book? It could go either way.

“Hang on, Scott. If your wife only ever reads books she has already read, then how does she read anything new?” That’s a great question. My wife will only read a new book if it’s based on a movie that she has already seen, or it’s a series of books that has been entirely published; like Twilight, Fifty Shades of Gray, or Harry Potter. This way, she can read the first book right through to the final book, without having to wait for the next book to be published. That’s torture for her, waiting for something to be published or released.

Also if it’s similar to something she already enjoys, like The Hunger Games, then reading the Divergent series is in the same wheelhouse, and it also fits in with her book reading criteria. I’ve known her for 10.5 years, so I understand her logic.

With television shows, you can pretty well guess where this is headed, and you are sort of right. TV shows are divided into four groups; shows that we both watch together, shows that I watch by myself, shows that she watches by herself, and shows neither of us watches.

We both tend to watch tv shows that are based on things that we have already seen, or at least read about; whether it’s a book or a comic. There are exceptions to this of course, like comedies or science-fiction. We’ve learned that if we want to watch a new tv show, we need to mention it to the other person. 90% of the time, the other spouse doesn’t want to watch it and that’s ok; however, with the other 10%, the answer is yes, which is strange, to say the least.

So what can we make of this? If anything, I like reading and watching new material, whereas my wife enjoys immersing herself in familiar content. We are both living with the opposite version of ourselves in terms of entertainment consumption, but nobody is perfect. Except God, Chuck Norris, and Sir David Attenborough.

That’s it for another rant and another week. Thanks once again for reading, following, and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Remember to walk your dog; read a banned book; remember the answer is 42; and I’ll see you next week.

Happy Star Wars Day 2023!

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Books, Comics, Movies, Television1 Comment

It’s time to celebrate one of the most important days on the Geek calendar. Today is the 4th May; Star Wars Day! Now to say Star Wars Day isn’t a big deal to our family, is a massive understatement. The love for Star Wars in strong in my family. I have it, my wife has it, and our children have it.

From movies, books, comics, toys, board games, cosplay, and tv shows, we love Star Wars. I mean I did get married on Star Wars Day, as well as give UMC2, a Star Wars name. That is next level commitment.

Image by tookapic from Pixabay

Because of this special day, I’d like to share two of our favourite Star Wars books. First is UMC2’s pride and joy; Star Wars: The Secret Life of Droids. He loves this book, and quite often retells information about IG-88, Pit droids, Crab droids, Probe droids, and every other droid, to some unfortunate people at the supermarket.

The second book is Star Wars: Alien Archive. This was given to me as a birthday gift, which contains information and illustrations about the various alien species in the Star Wars universe. I’m not ashamed to admit it, but this book has been quite helpful with reading other Star Wars content. Nice.

And to end this short and zealous blog, I’d like to talk about Power droids, aka Gonk droids. All four of us love Power droids. I mean, who wouldn’t? Anyway, some very creative people, produced a fan film about everybody’s favourite walking battery; it’s awesome. If Disney actually made a real movie or tv show about Power droids, we would all watch it.

Do you celebrate Star Wars Day? Please let me know what you do. That’s it for this special blog, and I’ll see you on Saturday for the second special geek blog. May the Force be with you. Always.

Alternative Disney Princesses

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

I want to talk about Disney Princesses. Why? The concept of a Disney Princess is an interesting one to me; I mean, what is a Disney Princess? And do I have a favourite?

To answer the second question first, I don’t have a favourite princess, because why would I? Having said that, the geek in me thinks Belle is ok. The reason being, that she reads for pleasure. She’s just like my wife, if Belle read Twilight, Fifty Shades of Grey, The Hunger Games, Harry Potter, The All Souls Trilogy, or The Witcher.

To the best of my understanding, there are 12 official Disney Princesses, with one being confirmed, but not officially added. They are:

1.) Snow White (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: 1937)

2.) Cinderella (Cinderella: 1950)

3.) Aurora (Sleeping Beauty: 1959)

4.) Ariel (The Little Mermaid: 1989)

5.) Belle (Beauty and the Beast: 1991)

6.) Jasmine (Aladdin: 1992)

7.) Pocahontas (Pocahontas: 1995)

8.) Mulan (Mulan: 1998)

9.) Tiana (The Princess and the Frog: 2009)

10.) Rapunzel (Tangled: 2010)

11.) Merida (Brave: 2012)

12.) Moana (Moana: 2016)

and to be added:

13.) Raya (Raya and the Last Dragon: 2021)

So let’s answer the most pressing question, what is a Disney Princess?

That’s a difficult question, because the answer is vague; again, to the best of my understanding. I’m not a Disney Princess expert, because if I was, I would have made a job out it.

  • A Disney Princess is the main female protagonist in an animated Disney/Pixar film.
  • She can not be introduced in a sequel.
  • A Disney Princess does not always have to be royalty; she has just to perform some heroic and brave deeds.
  • Being a great singer or having an animal sidekick, are also not prerequisites to be a Disney Princess; but it does help.

Also Elsa and Anna from Frozen, are not Disney Princesses. This is because of the crazy concept, that they are too popular being the faces of the Frozen franchise. The Disney Princesses label brings in billions of dollars for the company, through different degrees of merchandise; it’s a global brand.

It’s about this time that you’ve thinking, “Ok Scott, thanks for the history lesson, but what’s your point?”

Image by Washington S. Seguro Ton from Pixabay

Relax young grasshopper, this is my point. Over the years, Disney has purchased many different companies, across multimedia enterprises. Some of their many acquisitions include:

  • Saban Entertainment
  • The Jim Henson Company
  • Pixar
  • Marvel Entertainment (Marvel)
  • Lucasfilm (Star Wars)
  • 21st Century Fox
  • Hulu

Because Disney has purchased these companies, their catalogues of characters now belong to Disney. You can probably see where I’m going with this.

Given the range of these female characters, Disney could have a completely new group of Disney Princesses, aimed for everybody; not just young girls. And all they have to do is follow this criteria:

  • A Disney Princess could be any female character, that is the main or supporting protagonist in a movie or tv show, that is made by or owned by Disney.
  • The medium can be live action or animated.
  • An antagonist can qualify, if they go on a redemptive arc.
  • Members of the LGBTIQA+ and remakes of movies/ tv shows count.
  • Her martial status, as well as whether she was born in royalty is irrelevant; she just has to be heroic.

There are hundreds of possible new princesses to choose from, but I can’t list them all. Seriously, I just can’t. And with that, may I present the list of the best Alternative Disney Princesses, or ADP.

Honorary Alternative Disney Princesses

  • Miss Piggy (The Muppets)
  • Camilla the Chicken (The Muppets)
  • Zoe (Sesame Street)
  • Julia (Sesame Street)
  • Abby Cadabby (Sesame Street)
  • Bo Peep (Toy Story)
  • Shuri (Black Panther)
  • Jessie (Toy Story)
  • Dory (Finding Nemo)
  • Michelle “MJ” Jones-Watson (Spider-Man)
  • Helen Parr (The Incredibles)
  • Violet Parr (The Incredibles)
  • Sadness (Inside Out)
  • Joy (Inside Out)
  • Disgust (Inside Out)
  • Maria Hill (The Avengers)
  • Kamala Khan (Ms. Marvel)
  • Xu Xialing (Shang-Chi)
  • Carol Danvers (Captain Marvel)
  • Wanda Maximoff (The Scarlet Witch)
  • Buttercup (The Princess Bride)
  • Meilin “Mei” Lee (Turning Red)
  • Hope van Dyne (The Wasp)
  • Mantis ((Guardians of the Galaxy)
  • Anastasia “Anya” Romanov (Anastasia)
  • Nakia (Black Panther)
  • Valkyrie (Thor)
  • Yelena Belova (Black Widow)
  • Hera Syndulla (Star Wars: Rebels)
  • Sabine Wren (Star Wars: Rebels)
  • Naru (Prey)

Arse Kicking Alternative Disney Princesses

  • Leia Organa Solo (Star Wars)
  • Asajj Ventress (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
  • Jean Grey (X-Men)
  • Negasonic Teenage Warhead (X-Men)
  • Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy)
  • Lisa Simpson (The Simpsons)
  • Peggy Carter (Captain America)
  • Ahsoka Tano (Star Wars: The Clone Wars)
  • Natasha Romanoff (Black Widow)
  • Mystique (X-Men)
  • Psylocke (X-Men)
  • Kitty Pryde (X-Men)
  • Nebula (Guardians of the Galaxy)
  • Okoye (Black Panther)
  • Rogue (X-Men)
  • Storm (X-Men)
  • Buffy Summers (Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
  • Edna Mode (The Incredibles)
  • Dana Scully (The X-Files)

The Ultimate Alternative Disney Princess

  • Ellen Ripley (Aliens). Basically if Ripley does not become a Disney Princess, then nobody serves that title.

Can you imagine the merchandise for these new Disney Princesses? Naru t-shirts, Sadness socks, Okoye jackets, Camilla the Chicken action figures, and Ripley backpacks? The options are endless.

Do you agree with this list? Did I leave anybody off? Who would be your favourite Alternative Disney Princess? Please let me know.

And that signals the end of another aimless rant into pop culture’s armpit. Thanks once again for reading, following and subscribing to Some Geek Told Me. Remember to walk your dog; watch a banned movie; stay away from John Wick’s dog; and I’ll see you next week.

Are there things to look forward to in 2023?

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

I want to talk about 2023. Why? Um…let’s see. It’s nice to see the back of 2022 and usher in 2023, so Happy New Year! Because we have a brand new year, filled with fear and disappointment, I thought it might be optimistic of me for a change, to discuss what I’m looking forward to this year.

This is not a New Years Resolutions List, because you know, they don’t work. No, these are special events that are happening in 2023. It could be the release of a new movie, tv show, book, sporting event, of just about anything, as long as it is happening in 2023. They are five notes that go with the list.

1.) Just because an event is on the list, does not mean I will get to experience that event in 2023. A book might be released in May, a movie might come out in December, or a tv show will be released on a streaming platform that I don’t currently subscribe to, so I may not read and watch them until 2024. Also I can’t watch every single World Cup match or sports game either; I wish.

2.) Annual events like birthdays, anniversaries, Free Comic Book Day, or annual sporting competitions are special, but they don’t count, because they happen every year.

3.) Sour Cream and Chives being banned is very hopeful, but severely unlikely, so I can’t really put it on the list.

4.) Some dates could be confusing because of time zones differences, but they are subject to change,

5.) Against popular belief, I don’t know everything. There will be information about an event that hasn’t be released yet, that I could be interested in; but if I don’t know about it, I can’t add it to the list.

Right, I’m not here to shag spiders, so let’s do this.

Image by Gordon Johnson from Pixabay

Sport

Cricket

  • ICC Women’s T20 World Cup: 11th February-27th February
  • New Zealand Tour of India: 18th January-1st February
  • England Tour of New Zealand: 16th February-28th February
  • Sri Lanka Tour of New Zealand: 9th March-8th April
  • New Zealand Tour of Pakistan: 13th April-7th May
  • New Zealand Tour of England: 25th August-15th September
  • ICC Men’s World Cup: 10th October-26th November

Football

  • FIFA Women’s World Cup: 20th July-20th August
  • CONCACAF Gold Cup: 24th June-16th July

Side note: The 2023 AFC Asian Cup and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations, have been pushed back to late 2023 to early 2024, with no confirmed dates. Thanks COVID-19 and climate change.

Rugby Union

  • 2023 Rugby World Cup: 8th September-28th October
  • I have no idea about international fixtures, other than the Six Nations and the World Cup.

Rugby League

  • I have no idea about international fixtures or tournaments.

I live in New Zealand, so these are my favourite sports. I’m very sorry.

Movies

  • Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (February)
  • Shazam! Fury of the Gods (March)
  • John Wick: Chapter 4 (March)
  • Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 (May)
  • The Flash (June)
  • Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (June)
  • Oppenheimer (July)
  • The Marvels (July)
  • Blue Beetle (August)
  • Dune: Part Two (November)
  • The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (November)
  • Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom (December)

And for various reasons, I’m a little nervous for this one:

  • Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (June)

I’m painfully aware that out of all of these movies I want to see, only one is not a some type of sequel. Damn you Hollywood!

Television

  • The Mandalorian (March)
  • Superman & Lois (March)
  • Loki (Unknown)
  • Secret Invasion (Unknown)
  • Avatar: The Last Airbender (Unknown)
  • Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (Unknown)
  • Invincible (Unknown)
  • Doctor Who (Unknown)
  • Star Trek: Discovery (Unknown)
  • House of the Dragon (Unknown)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (Unknown)

Wow, what a list of superheroes, fantasy and science fiction shows! I’m embarrassed now.

Music

  • I have no idea, I have to start listening to more music created after 2005.

Literature

Manga

  • Sadly, I read six different titles and they’re published sporadically; so I don’t know when they would be released in 2023.

Comics

  • Saga is back in January with #61.
  • Any Locke & Key or The Umbrella Academy mini-series.

Fiction

  • The Nature of Middle-earth (February-paperback)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – The Battle of Jedha (February)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Quest for Planet X (April))
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Cataclysm (April)
  • Star Wars: The High Republic – Path of Vengeance (May)
  • The Fall of Númenor (Unknown-paperback)

Non-Fiction

  • Starry Messenger : Cosmic Perspectives on Civilisation (June)
  • A Brief History of Black Holes : And why nearly everything you know about them is wrong (Present)
  • The Men Who Destroyed Africa (Unknown)

Let’s be honest, shall we? One day I will talk about Star Wars: The High Republic; I purchase too many books; but also, my to-read pile is not getting any smaller. It has grown to three piles now. Because of that, I could continue listing books, but you’re probably already bored with my ramblings anyway, so I won’t add any more.

Random

  • New Zealand General Election (Sometime in mid-late 2023)
  • More news of nuclear fusion discoveries.
  • Any new SpaceX , ESA or NASA launches.
  • New images from the James Webb Space Telescope.
  • Any new species discovered.
  • Any new Count Binface election campaigns.
  • New content from my favourite bloggers and YouTube channels.
  • UMC1 and UMC2 could be playing sport this year, so I’m looking forward to that.

The problem is that I’ll publish this blog and then realise I’ve missed something; as usual. Anyway, is there anything that you think that I’ve missed? What are you looking forward to in 2023? Please let me know.

That’s it for me. Read some banned books, walk your dog, and I’ll see you next week. Thanks for reading!

Who loves Christmas Movies?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

I want to talk about Christmas movies. Why? Over the last few weeks and with Christmas less than a week away, we seem to be drowning in Christmas movies. They’re everywhere, they’re cringey, and they’re terrible, right?

Well, that’s not 100% accurate. Apart from the fact that most Christmas movies are set in the Northern Hemisphere, with winter and snow; which to someone living in the Southern Hemisphere, means it’s not a surprise that I have a problem relating to these movies.

I mean watching an inspiring Christmas movie about people finding love and having a white Christmas, when it’s 28 °C outside my house, is quite surreal. A summer Christmas is where snowmen come to die, after all. Anyway, that topic is for a future blog. Can’t wait for that one!

Image by JamesDeMers from Pixabay

Now let’s get back to today’s rant. Not all Christmas movies suck, some of them I actually like and in some cases, I actually love them.

I thought about what type of Christmas blog I could write about, and this was the best one; though I have been known to being wrong in the past. From time to time.

Below I have a list of 16 Christmas movies, that I have judged worthy enough to be here, based on three easy criteria.

1.) I needed to have seen the movie, whether on television, DVD or at the cinema.

2.) The movie must be some kind of Christmas story, or at least, the story is happening at Christmas. This is regardless of genre.

3.) I need to actually like or love the movie.

I will give you some warnings though; not all of these movies are typical traditional Christmas movies. Also this list contains two stories that have been adapted into four movies; A Christmas Carol with two movies and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! with two movies. These movies still fit within my criteria.

For the sake of simplicity, I have sorted them by order of chronological release, not by awesomeness. However, the final entry is very special to me.

I have included the title and a trailer with each entry, because…I’m a geek. Please enjoy.

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas (1977)

Trading Places (1983)

Die Hard (1988)

Home Alone (1990)

The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992)

(We watch this movie with UMC1 and UMC2, every Christmas Day)

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

The Preacher’s Wife (1996)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)

Elf (2003)

Bad Santa (2003)

Love Actually (2003)

Black Nativity (2013)

Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch (2018)

8-Bit Christmas (2021)

Welcome to the final entry, because in my very humble opinion, this is my favourite Christmas movie. I loved it then and I still love it now. Always.

Scrooged (1988)

So that’s it. What did you think of the list? Do you agree or disagree with any entries? I do realise I haven’t seen every single Christmas movie, so did I omit your favourite Christmas movies? Please let me know.

Since next Sunday is Christmas Day, I’ll be posting a short blog then, and not on the usual Monday. My aim is to spend some extra time with UMC1 and UMC2, so the blog will be smaller. I hope you understand.

Also congratulations to Argentina on winning their third FIFA World Cup. That was a batshit crazy game! Can you imagine the amount of hangovers that country is going to have?!

Anyway, thanks for following, read a banned book, walk your dog and I’ll see you on Christmas Day.

Movie Review: Black Adam-Banal and boring vs Brilliant and beautiful?

On By somegeektoldme@gmail.comIn Movies

I want to talk about Black Adam. Why? Oh this is quite easy! I saw the new movie last weekend, and I thought I would share my unbiased and unsolicited opinion, because why not? 

So let’s start at the beginning; Black Adam is the new movie released by Warner Brothers, starring Dwayne Johnson, aka The Rock, as the main character, Teth-Adam/Black Adam.

I’m going to establish a few things first. The movie we’re going to be talking about is not going to win any acting or writing awards, but winning set designs and special effects awards, are definitely on the table. I mean this is a movie about people with superpowers; it’s not an art house or an independent film. This film is designed to rake in hundreds of millions of dollars.

If you have no idea who or what Black Adam is, I’m not sure whether that is an advantage or disadvantage, though it depends on how you view  it. As for me I know the character, though I’m not an expert, but I do know him. My wife asked me who exactly Black Adam was, because she was unsure about seeing the film. The reason was because she was not familiar with the character and to be honest, who could blame her? Maybe me? Just kidding.

The terrible point that I’m making, is that I’ve always viewed Black Adam as a character very similar, if not running parallel to Namor from Marvel. They are both leaders of a country, both are slightly less arrogant than Batman and both have a wobbly moral compass, that is extremely brutal and dangerous.

I don’t write a lot of movie reviews, because as you can see, I’m only a few paragraphs in and I’m only just starting to talk about the movie. However more importantly, it’s rare for me to actually go to the cinema. That’s because sitting in the dark with random strangers, eating whatever food I want, while watching a movie, is something I don’t do enough of.

Image by Igor Ovsyannykov from Pixabay

Anyway, let’s actually get around to discussing the movie, shall we?

Warning, major spoilers ahead. If you haven’t seen the film and you don’t want to know about it, please stop reading now. No, I really mean it. If you do stop reading, you can go and read some of my other blogs, because that would be really handy, even though I don’t get paid.

Let’s start with the Sour Cream and Chives portion of the movie.

When we first meet Teth-Adam, he’s speaking in what I only assume is some type of ancient Arabic language. The next time he speaks and I could be mistaken about this, is when he is in Amon’s bedroom, where he speaks English. I thought this was kind of weird considering Teth-Adam was taken out of the world for around 5,000 years, so how did he learn to speak English? 

I know what you’re about to say. He’s got the wisdom of Solomon; though to be technically correct, Teth-Adam actually has the wisdom of Zehuti. So it is technically possible that Teth-Adam could speak a language he has never spoken before, or the fact that this language had not been invented 5,000 years ago, because of his magical abilities. It is possible, I just would have liked to have see that explained, because it just didn’t quite fit or feel right. Does that make sense to you?

And speaking of 5,000 years, I think it would have been quite fascinating for the viewer to be looking at the world through Teth-Adam’s eyes. I mean he’s over 5,000 years old. Entire civilizations would have risen and fallen, with technology, politics, medicine, philosophy, music and science would have all been developed to modern standards.

However by the end of the film, Black Adam seems to have completely adjusted to his new world. I just feel it would have been a bit of a stretch for that to happen, because he’s got 5,000 years to catch up on, so it’s going to take him a long time to adjust to this new world. Yes, I know he’s got the godly magical abilities and they could possibly help him to adjust, but I feel like the film makers could’ve had a lot of fun with it, but also being serious at the same time. Or maybe Black Adam just didn’t care enough about the world to learn about the last 5,000 years.

I think there’s another thing to consider with Black Adam; he’s a difficult character to relate to or at least like.

I mean is Black Adam the protagonist, or just another antagonist in the film? Is he the villain or the hero, or maybe he’s exactly what he’s supposed to be in the comics: an anti-hero.

The thing is, Batman is an anti-hero as well and people love him; but the character is pretty brutal. The difference with Black Adam, is that the brutality is dialled up to 11. He’s not hiding behind a mask, that’s just who he is and he does not give a damn whether you approve of his methods or not; you’re beneath his attention.

I think this is one of the things that they’re going to have to work really hard on, if they want people to care about the character or at least, care what happens to him. Or maybe they don’t need to. Maybe he’s exactly the way the film makers want him to be, sitting in the middle of a Venn diagram of good and evil.

As for the Justice Society, I would love to have seen them being fleshed out a lot more, but when you have an ensemble cast, everyone is jostling for the spotlight and it would make it extremely difficult for everyone to have their time to shine.

Having said that, I thought Doctor Fate (Pierce Brosnan) was pretty cool. I think he was the very first superhero magician, I had ever read about. From the helmet to his costume, I thought he was awesome. I discovered Doctor Fate, before I discovered Doctor Strange, so when Fate was in full costume for the first time on screen, there was a small part of me that was yelling, “It’s about time!”

I really hope they flesh out Hawkman (Aldis Hodge) as a character, whether it’s through more movies or television shows, because I think he has left us with more questions than answers, which is a positive thing.

Ok, I want bring balance to this review, just like the Force.

I thought the special effects were amazing. I also think they did a great job of mixing practical effects with CGI. The scene where Black Adam was floating down the staircase in the apartment block, was outstanding. I could be wrong about this, but it sure looked like a practical effect!

As for Black Adam himself, I thought it was very brave that DC made this film, basing it on an anti hero/villain. What I mean is the fact that the main character is going out of his way to murder people. He’s not holding back, he’s doing what needs to be done and very similar to Namor.

Black Adam is not Superman or Captain America or Wonder Woman or Black Panther. It was very interesting to see a character like this, to use their abilities in a twisted and demented form of altruism. Some of those death scenes were funny, but some of them were very brutal and gruesome; but that’s the whole point of his character.

Another aspect of the movie I liked, was the use of geo-politics. I’ve heard this example used before and it’s the best one I can think of: One man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter. This example fits exactly into the Black Adam mythos. There is a scene with Adrianna (Sarah Shahi) arguing with the Justice Society.

They are claiming that Black Adam is a villain and a killer, that needs to be stopped. However to Adrianna and the citizens of Kahndaq, Black Adam is a saviour, a liberator, a hero. Who is right and who is wrong? Is it possible that the Justice Society and Adrianna can be right and wrong at the same time?

I thought it was very powerful and meaningful for Adrianna to be pointing out, that after so many years of Intergang controlling Kahndaq and the world not caring about them, it was only until Black Adam appeared, that the world gave a damn about them. I thought that was extremely important and profound; but hey, what do I know?

I could keep talking about this film, but basically it has several good and bad points, just like any other film. To be honest, I liked the film. It’s not perfect, but that’s ok with me. For a superhero movie, I was entertained and that’s one of the biggest compliment I can give.

I know there is a criticism that this movie was only made for comic book fans; but isn’t any adapted film made for old fans, as well as new fans? I mean isn’t the whole point of adapting films to bring in new audiences also? I mean imagine if there was a disclaimer that every time you wanted to see a Harry Potter film, you were only allowed to see it, if you had read the book? Imagine if going to watch a new Stephen King film, you were only allowed to see it, if you had read the book first? It doesn’t work like that and it shouldn’t.

The point of this completely disjointed review about Black Adam, is that you shouldn’t listen to me about the film and don’t listen to anyone else. If you’re curious about the film, go and see it and make your own mind up. It’s the same for any product, whether it’s a movie, TV show, book or music; don’t worry about what everyone else is saying about it, if you’re interested, go and read it or watch it or listen to it. Make your own mind up about it, because that way you’ll know.

And that’s a wrap from me! Thanks for stopping by, now go walk your dog, read some banned books, and I’ll see you next Monday.

San Diego Comic-Con 2022: Was there anything interesting?

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

I want to talk about San Diego Comic-Con, in particular, the 2022 edition. Why? Well for starters I’ve never been. I live over 10,730 km away, so I’m practically next door, but I have yet to drag my broke arse there.

Another thing is that this year was the first one to be held in person, since the 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled, because of everybody’s least favourite virus, COVID-19.

For those of you that already know about the San Diego Comic-Con, congratulations! For those of you that don’t know about it; I’m very sorry, but I’ll give you a quick summary. Don’t panic.

The San Diego Comic-Con is arguably, one of the the largest events; if not the largest, celebrating popular culture on the planet. The event is designed for creators and companies to advertise new products coming up like toys, anime, computer games, manga, books, comics, movies, tv shows and anything else; as well as being able to sell their existing products to the public.

Because of this, it attracts people from all over the world, to help celebrate everything that is pop culture. Oh, I forgot to mention the cosplayers. So many cosplayers!

I think San Diego Comic-Con is usually held over 3-4 days in July, and even though I’m thousands of kilometres away, I can still get excited. This is because of the important reveals, trailers, and announcements.

This year has been no exception, with an avalanche of information released to the public. But is any of it interesting? Being the writer of this blog; and the person to blame for anything that happens here, I’ve decided to breakdown the most interesting things I have discovered from the event.

Let’s establish a few things first:

1.) I have not read or seen, every article or trailer released from San Diego Comic-Con. There’s probably a ton of information I have missed, but I’m only one man against the odds. I can only discuss the things I have knowledge on, but also things I’m actually interested in. Any news about a Sour Cream and Chives themed computer game, will not be mentioned.

2.) Just because a product is on my list, does not mean I’ll actually get to see it or purchase it. There are so many different streaming services, I can’t subscribe to all of them; I would need a higher paying job for that. Simply, if something has landed on this list, it has my attention.

Let’s do it!

Image by Tania Van den Berghen from Pixabay

Literature

Star Wars: The High Republic

I know the High Republic is not for everybody and that some people don’t like it. Having said that, no one is perfect, and I fall in the other camp, because I enjoy this series!

I loved learning about the Phase II reveals, new characters and stories, listening to the creators, but also looking at the amazing novel and comic book covers for the series. I’m invested with this for the long haul, so I was pretty happy to learn new things about Phase II. One day soon, I’ll write a blog about the High Republic and explain it better. Anyway, we are off to a good start!

Batman/Spawn

There was news that DC and Image will be getting together for another Batman/Spawn crossover. I understand that Batman and Spawn alumni artist, Greg Capullo, will have the art duties, with Todd McFarlane as the writer.

Apparently it will be released this December, and I thought these characters would never met again, after their two 1994 meetings. I didn’t see this one coming at all. I’m not sure what to expect from this, apart from the stellar art. I’m quite interested, to be honest.

As for other comic news, um…..nope. I have to admit, nothing else that I’ve heard from Marvel, DC, Image or anybody else, released from Comic-Con actually has me interested in their upcoming comic book projects. It’s quite strange. Just Star Wars: The High Republic and Batman/Spawn. Maybe I’m getting too picky in my old age.

Movies

DCEU: Shazam! Fury of the Gods

The first film, Shazam! was cool. I mean I thought the film makers did a great job balancing Billy’s personal and superhero life. It was also refreshing to see the villain actually survive. What mischief will Doctor Sivana and Mister Mind get up to?!

It was fun, which is why I’ve been looking forward to the sequel. Bringing more mythology into the franchise with Hespera and Kalypso, will be entertaining. Will it be predictable and a bit corny with Billy’s family? Yes and yes, again, however it will be a lot of fun.

It just makes you want to stand up and shout, “SHAZAM!” Damn, I want to watch the first film again now. How good is bullet immunity?!

Black Adam

Speaking of Shazam!, how about we discuss the Big Red Cheese’s antithesis villain. I have always thought that Teth-Adam is similar to Magneto, Namor, or Ronan the Accuser; a leader or symbol to his people, which means he can and will fight alongside the heroes, as easily as against them. A classic anti-hero.

I’m nervous, but I have high hopes for this film. Having the Rock play Black Adam is a master stroke, and it will also be interesting how the Justice Society will connect with audiences. Doctor Fate was my first introduction to a superhero magician, so hopefully this film will not disappoint. How far will they push things? I have no idea.

We do need to see the Shazam!/Black Adam or Superman/Black Adam fight somewhere in the future. Pretty please? Teth-Adam is the last person on Earth that should have these powers, so let the smackdown begin!

MCU

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever

I liked Black Panther, because at least to me, it brought a lot of political and social issues of living in a superhuman world into the light. Plus I thought Chadwick Boseman was phenomenal as T’Challa. He’s one of the greatest characters Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, ever created together. I’ve always liked T’Challa.

So because of that, I’m nervous about the sequel for three reasons. Firstly, since the original film was such a massive success, there could be a lot pressure to catch lightning in a bottle for a second time. An example of this is Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984. The sequel did not quite hit the mark.

Secondly, I feel it was a mistake not to recast T’Challa. I know they did it to honour Boseman’s memory, but I feel allowing T’Challa to exist in the MCU, would have been a better tribute. Allowing another excellent actor to step into T’Challa’s sneakers, is not something uncommon in superhero films.

And lastly, Namor. I’m always concerned when great villains are not adapted in the best way. Doctor Doom is the best example, with three films behind him, the film makers got it wrong, three times over.

Namor just like Black Adam, he is an anti-hero. His arrogance is only equal to Batman’s, so it will be interesting to see how the film makers translate this; but also for his culture. Obviously there will be some tension/conflict between Wakanda and Atlantis, just like T’Challa and Namor in the comics.

I want this film to work, which is precisely the reason why I’m interested in it. And the Dora Milaje kicking arse helps.

Phase 5 and Phase 6: The Multiverse Saga

This covers Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Marvels, Blade, Captain America: New World Order, Thunderbolts, Fantastic Four, Avengers: The Kang Dynasty, and Avengers: Secret Wars (February 2023-November 2025).

I’m interested in all of these films, but I’ll wait to receive more information about them as the wheel turns, as the world moves on.1 I also do realise there are some MCU tv shows as well, but I’ll talk about them below.

Television shows (streaming)

Disney +

I don’t have Disney +, but if I did, I think my family wouldn’t see me for a few weeks. Without discussing the shows already on the platform, the reveals and trailers from Comic-Con include Andor, She-Hulk, Secret Invasion, Echo, Loki Season 2, Ironheart, Agatha: Coven of Chaos, and I am Groot, sound quite fantastic.

These announcements are awesome and I’m interested in watching all of them…one day I guess. However, there was one reveal that was jaw dropping: Daredevil: Born Again.

I’ve seen Netflix’s Daredevil Season 1 and 2 on DVD, and that show was astounding. I loved it, but I haven’t seen the third season. I’m very impressed that Charlie Cox and the rest of the crew (I think) will be coming back.

Whether the show will be based on the famous Born Again storyline, or a play on words like Spider-Man: Homecoming, I don’t know…but Daredevil is back! I’ve always thought Daredevil was a very underrated character, so I’m stoked that he’s getting more camera time.

The Sandman

If you’re a follower of my blog, you will understand how special this show is to me. I’m actually not going to discuss it too much, other than stating that The Sandman trailer was mind blowing; but also this was the most interesting reveal/trailer/announcement to come out of San Diego Comic-Con.

Meeting the Endless will bring me a lot of happiness, but I also can’t wait for people to meet Desire, because they were woke, before woke was a concept.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power

I understand the Rings of Power are getting some flak from Tolkien super fans over changes to characters, the timeline, and other things. As a Tolkien fan myself, not every fan has to agree on a product’s direction; however, I am ready for this show.

I’m not sure how much of the plot will be taken from The Silmarillion, The Fall of Númenor, The Nature of Middle-Earth or Unfinished Tales, but it looks great. I know it’s set during the Second Age of the Sun, and….I’m so excited for this.

Will we see the Silmarils? Will we see the rise of Sauron? Will we see Angband? Will we see the War of the Last Alliance? Or even better, will Morgoth have a cameo, even in a flashback or prologue? I have no idea!

There are many things that can go right or wrong with this show, but I’m choosing to be positive; I have to. I’m just stunned that the show exists at all. I love the genres of superheroes and science fiction, but throw fantasy in there also, and I’m going to be immersed in geekdom.

I’m not a subscriber to Amazon Prime, but this show is tempting me.

Can I also mention House of the Dragon? This show is one I can actually watch on my streaming platform, so I have to research the Targaryen family tree a lot more, before it starts in a few weeks. Things to do.

Ok that’s it. What reveals from San Diego Comic-Con were you interested in? Please let me know. My dog needs his belly rubbed, so look both ways before you cross the street and I’ll see you next week.

1 Anybody for some Ka?