Comics Corner - The Immortal Hulk (2018 - Present)

Comics Corner - The Immortal Hulk (2018 - Present)

One comic that has been garnering a lot of praise recently is Marvel's latest take on the Hulk, aptly titled The Immortal Hulk.  This is partly a fresh approach, but it also serves to turn back the clock to the days when everyone's favorite green behemoth first hit the scene.  Once upon a when, the Hulk was more of a monster that men feared who only became a hero when greater threats arose--sort of like Godzilla in the flicks where he gets to play the good guy.

Writer Al Ewing has certainly cast the Hulk as a creature to be feared in this stellar run, and he has conjured up some wicked threats to pit against the titular character.  Joe Bennett has done a gnarly job of translating Ewing's vision to the medium.  Combine their fiendish efforts, and this book somehow manages to give me the Hulk I crave while seemingly paying homage to the grotesque delights of John Carpenter's The Thing, or perhaps some of Sam Raimi's work when he's in "paint the screen red with blood" mode.  Then there's the icing on the cake: the covers from Alex Ross, who is always impeccable, but has taken things up a notch with these diabolical visions of everyone's favorite raging jade goliath.

With Marvel being known and loved the world over for its playful sense of humor, I feel that people probably underestimate what I and other fans mean when we refer to this as a horror comic featuring the Hulk.  It's not a typical Hulk book with him facing off against a few beasties with red eyes, it runs much, much darker than that.  The Hulk himself is a tortured creature, and he has been dismembered, corrupted, and even taken to hell in the fourteen issues of this title released to date.  He has faced off against some deeply malevolent foes, and the pages have dripped with sinister imagery.  Is it on the same level as Alan Moore's legendary take on Swamp Thing so far as plunging a beloved entity into the very depths of the macabre is concerned?  That's a good question.  Maybe it hasn't gone quite that far, but then again, maybe it has.

It hasn't been as surreal as Moore's work with DC's green force of nature, though it has paused to ask some very profound questions and there have been some metaphysics in play.  I like the way the supernatural elements have been portrayed in a straightforward manner--it's quite unique, somewhat akin to marrying high adventure to the sort of body horror that David Cronenberg is famous for.  Seriously, I'll stand by that.  I have always enjoyed the Hulk, but this direction caters directly to my sensibilities, and I will join the choir in hailing it as perhaps Marvel's finest offering in 2018 and 2019.

In short, if you dig comics, and you like the Hulk, you may well be intrigued.  If you dig horror and you like material with some serious oomph, you too may enjoy this title.  And if you dig the Hulk, you have love for comic books, and you're a horror fanatic like yours truly, this is looking like "can't miss" territory, isn't it?  While there are a lot of good books out there these days, and the last couple of years have been really kind to horror lovers (Elvira, Gravetrancers, Blackwood, Justice League Dark, and The Spider King are among my recent favorites), this is probably the title I look forward to most on my pull list these days.  The hype is real, my friends.  Long live The Immortal Hulk.

Final Grade: A

Short Attention Span Review - Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Short Attention Span Review - Avengers: Infinity War (2018)

Having seen this masterpiece three times now, to include two showings at the theater, I feel that I am not rushing to judgment when I declare Avengers: Infinity War to be the best comic book movie of all time.  This is an instant classic, peeps, and it stands as one of the greatest cinematic achievements I have ever had the privilege of enjoying.  This is undoubtedly the biggest such spectacle ever presented on film, but with the superhero genre, in particular, we have often seen that too many ingredients spoil the dish.  That's not the case here, and this stands as the perfect culmination of everything we've seen from Marvel since they took the reins and established their cinematic universe.  Virtually everyone is on board, and everyone is given a worthy role.  Seeing these characters pair up and watching them spar with one another and the biggest bad ever seen in a motion picture is an absolute joy.  The script is flawless, with the feature displaying incredible depth and showcasing some of the best action setpieces we've ever seen, yet still managing to deliver an abundance of humor and several massive emotional beats along the way.  It's impossible to pick a standout as everyone brings their A-game and the Russo brothers make such marvelous (forgive me) use of all their talents.  I will say that the moment when the Guardians of the Galaxy hit the scene puts a tremendous smile on my face, and I do a fist pump every time grizzled Cap enters the fray.  But there's so much more--I also delight in Thor's MVP role in the proceedings, and you just can't oversell Josh Brolin's artistry in creating one of the most imposing and relatable villains imaginable.  I also loved seeing Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and Okoye join forces, and that gut-wrenching climax is the stuff of legend.  Marvel has given a new generation an Empire Strikes Back experience times ten, though thankfully modern audiences won't have to wait three whole years to see the good guys rise from the ashes.  Marvel keeps raising the bar with their movies, but it is hard to imagine anyone topping this feast for the senses.  Like everyone else, I can't wait for the sequel, and even though I've just watched Avengers: Infinity War for the third time, I can't wait to watch it again either.  Best comic book movie ever.  Word life.

Final Grade: A+

Brolin's work as Thanos is amazing, and the unlikely decision to make him the true star of the picture makes Avengers: Infinity War the greatest comic book movie ever made.

Top 10 Marvel Movies

So, this list doesn't simply refer to the movies that Marvel has produced, but I'm also including any movie featuring a Marvel comic book character.  X-Men are welcome here, as well as Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, and Blade.  I am excluding Conan, but that's pretty much it, and I think it makes sense to leave Robert E. Howard's beloved barbarian out of the mix.  Additionally, I'm not looking at box office results or other people's reviews.  These are my personal favorites and I'm sure that many people will see things differently.  I'm aware that I'm pretty heavy on the new stuff when we get to the top of the list, but I think that Marvel has recently upped the ante in a big way.  I'll also point out that if I felt that the Daredevil series on Netflix was eligible for consideration, it would surely own a spot on this list.  Please check that show out if you haven't already done so.

Verily, I say unto thee, these are my Top 10 Marvel Movies:

10 - Blade (1998)
I think a lot of people have forgotten about Blade.  This movie was a big hit and it totally rocks.  When I hear people talk about how either the X-Men or Iron Man started this current comic book movies craze, I wonder if they've seen Wesley Snipes killing it as Marvel's premiere vampire slayer.

9 - Spider-Man (2002)
I'm a big fan of Sam Raimi's work with your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.  More on that later.  Like many, I wish it would have been possible to utilize the Green Goblin's classic look from the comics, but Willem Dafoe was amazing in the role despite a clunky outfit.  Great story, great effects--great movie!

8 - Iron Man (2008)
Hello there, Robert Downey Jr., welcome to the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This perfect exercise in casting brought these movies to another level.  Having Jeff Bridges along for the ride was a pretty good call as well.  Fun, quirky, and action-packed, this one definitely paved the way for the movies sitting at the top of my list.

7 - X2: X-Men United (2003)
X-Men was cool.  X2 is amazing.  I love the villains, I love the script, and despite numerous attempts to do more with the character, this is the best representation of Wolverine that we've seen on the screen to date. 

6 -Spider-Man 2 (2004)
It is entirely possible that the big brawl pitting Spidey against Doc Ock atop a moving train is still the finest fight scene that we've seen in any comics-inspired film, but that's not the only reason I put this one on my list.  The story is first-rate, the acting is spectacular, and this is one of Raimi's best features.  That's high praise.

5 - X-Men: First Class (2011)
Incredibly cool, riveting, and witty, this is the best X-Men movie we've gotten thus far.  I know that a lot of you enjoyed X-Men: Days of Future Past a lot more than I did (don't get me wrong, I liked it a lot) but it just didn't do as much for me as this thought-provoking and ass-kicking thrill ride. 
Bonus points: Michael Fassbender is superb.  I love Magneto's storyline in this film.  Ian McKellan was also incredible in the role, but Fassbender absolutely steals the show in First Class.

4 - The Avengers (2012)
If you didn't experience a nerdgasm while watching Earth's Mightest Heroes join forces in 2012, you're not a true nerd.  At the time, I thought there was no way that Marvel could top this magnificent blockbuster.

3 - Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)
Then we got this splendid thriller.  The plot is wicked, the action is relentless, and somehow Marvel found a way to improve upon The Avengers.  This feat grows even more impressive when you consider that they managed to do so with Captain America front and center.  I love Cap, but I thought that his first film wasn't one of Marvel's elite productions.  It was good, but it wasn't in the same league as many of their other efforts.  Then they brought in the Winter Soldier and blessed us with this gem.

2 - Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)
Last week, Marvel hit us with their second Avengers movie, and they somehow crafted a sequel that was bigger and better than the first one.  This is officially the first Marvel movie that I watched twice on opening day.  I've watched several of these flicks more than once in the theater, but this one was so awesome that I went back for a second helping. 
Bonus points: the second time out I got to enjoy Avengers: Age of Ultron in IMAX 3-D.  Holy wow.

1 - Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
When this film was first announced, I was curious.  When they named James Gunn as director, I figured it would be pretty cool.  Yet I never expected it to emerge as Marvel's coolest cinematic offering.  Truthfully, Guardians of the Galaxy is about as entertaining as movies get.  It's energetic and joyous, and it somehow topped everything else on this list while drawing from an obscure property. 

. . .

Please feel free to chime in on my choices and offer up your own.

Short Attention Span Review - Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015)

Marvel continues to kick DC's ass on the big screen with Avengers: Age of Ultron, a massive spectacle that is thoroughly entertaining from start to finish.  I'm more of a Marvel guy than a DC guy, but I'm also a comic book fanboy at large, so I'm excited when any superhero makes an appearance in theaters.  I liked Man of Steel and Nolan's Batman trilogy was damn impressive.  Yet Marvel annihilated DC's best film adaptations with the first Avengers movie, and they have somehow managed to produce a sequel that is even bigger and better.  First off, I love Loki and Tom Hiddleston has been one of the Marvel cinematic universe's coolest discoveries.  Yet Loki is a trickster and he has never been the supreme badass that Ultron is.  In truth, it is quite possible that Ultron has been the most daunting villain that the Avengers have ever faced in the comics, and they've squared off against Galactus, Thanos, Dr. Doom, and any other Marvel villain worthy of a showdown with the Earth's mightiest heroes.  Accordingly, though the movie version of Ultron is a CGI creation, he towers over most villains of the cinema, largely due to James Spader's fantastic voice work.  I remember thinking that nabbing Spader for such a gig was a good thing when I first heard about it, but it's better than that, it's a great thing.  It's a perfect thing.  Spader kills it and the story allows Ultron to be as menacing and as intriguing as he should be.  Of course, everyone fares well in this picture and that's a tremendous credit to Joss Whedon's screenplay and his fantastic work at the helm.  It must be supremely difficult to take so many significant characters and try and come up with an arc for each of them and ensure that everyone gets to shine when it's time for the good guys and the bad guys to throw down.  That's exactly what Whedon has managed to do, however, as I found myself thoroughly invested in everyone's story and utterly thrilled at all the marvelous action taking place.  This truly is an Avengers movie; it's a team effort where every hero and villain is integral to the epic story which unfolds in remarkable fashion.  Maybe Iron Man plays a bigger role than anyone else, or maybe it's actually Hawkeye who benefits the most from the fantastic script.  Of course, it could be the Black Widow, or the Hulk, or Cap, or--you get the point, right?  Oh, and then there's Iron Man donning his Hulkbuster armor to go mano a mano with the big green guy.  Wow.  And the big finale?  Double wow.  Avengers: Age of Ultron is just a marvelous movie with a magnificent cast, a great director, sensational effects, and a wonderful villain squaring off against the greatest band of comic book heroes we'll ever see together on the big screen.  Go see this one as soon as you possibly can.

Final Grade: A+

Ultron is the supreme badass that he should be and it is amazing that
James Spader was able to do so much for the part with his voice.

Damn you, Marvel! Damn you, DC! + Serioius Questions About Silly Shit

 It's not easy being a comic book fan, particularly if you're me.  Look, I don't know why, but I tell you this: if I really love a title, it is officially on the chopping block.  Don't believe me?  Just ask the green She-Hulk, the Thunderbolts, the red She-Hulk, or Hawkeye, among others.  Now, Marvel is apparently ready to pull the plug on my favorite title and their most underrated hero, Iron Fist (again), and DC is poised to do likewise with what may very well be my second favorite title (and the only book of theirs that I follow), Swamp Thing.  Bonus points: Spider-Man (my favorite superhero) is finally going to get involved in the film side of the Marvel universe and there are reports that his skin color is about to change.  Let me repeat: it's not easy being a comic book fan, particularly if you're me. 

No Iron Fist title?  Why?  This run has been marked by a gripping story paired with the most sensational art gracing the shelves of your favorite comic shop in 2014 and 2015, both courtesy of Kaare Andrews.  If this title truly ends with issue #12, we riot--or something.  Bitch and moan, most likely.

No Swamp Thing?  Jesus, DC, does everything have to be a Batman book?  Seriously, we can produce 718 Batman stories a month, but I can't chill with Swampy?  If Swamp Thing ends at issue #40, we riot--or something.  Yes, probably just more bitching and moaning.

And now for the powder keg: a black Spider-Man?  First off, this could mean that we're getting Miles Morales.  I don't want to see Miles Morales hanging out with the Avengers.  I don't like Miles Morales.  I like Peter Parker.  Peter Parker is Spider-Man.

No, you're not.  Shut the fuck up, Miles Morales.  Grown people are talking.  I like you about as much as I like the Ultimate universe version of Galactus.  Seriously, I'm a Marvel fanboy, and guess how many Ultimate books I follow?  None.  Zero.  Zilch.  I don't like that shit.  I like the originals just fine, and I'd rather read something new than read something that fucks with the original shit.  Which brings us to the the next paragraph, the one that may piss people off.  Maybe it should and maybe it shouldn't.  I honestly don't know.

So, here goes.  What if it isn't Miles Morales?  What if it's just a black Peter Parker?  Am I a racist because I don't really like that idea?  Okay, first off,  I think I'd rather have a black Peter Parker than Miles Morales, but I'm not 100% sure.  It's hard to choose from two things you aren't really keen on with any confidence.  Truthfully, I like the idea of fucking with Peter Parker about as much I like that Ultimate line bullshit.  Do I think that's racist?  No, I don't.  Not even a little bit.  Guess who would be bitching like crazy if they dropped a white Blade on us?  This guy.  White Luke Cage?  Me again.  I don't like the idea of tweaking stuff in that manner--and that would go for race or sex.  Seriously, a male Storm?  I'm not hearing it.  Deadpool as a chick?  Nope.  Black Widow as a dude?  Can that noise.  I wouldn't like any of that shit.

At the end of the day, I don't know if it really makes a difference or not, but I don't like it.  I know that.  I wouldn't like it if they moved Peter from New York to California.  I wouldn't really like it if they made him blonde.  I wouldn't be cool with it if he became an actor instead of a lowly photographer.  I didn't like the Andrew Garfield "cool outsider" approach as much as the Tobey Maguire "straight-up geek" approach because one didn't feel genuine to me and the other was what I grew up reading.  How much does any of this shit really matter?  Could you stay true to all the things that make Spider-Man so entertaining if Peter Parker was a black actor who lived in California?  Shit, I don't know.  If I'm keeping it real, though, I don't want to find out.  Maybe I am being silly.  Maybe it doesn't matter at all, but if you're going to adapt something to the screen, why not be as faithful to the source material as possible.  Is that racist?  Is it pointless?  Again, I don't know.  Who has the definitive answers when it comes to this kind of stuff?

I will also note this as today's blog winds down: you may have noticed that I pointed out that Iron Fist and Swamp Thing are my favorite titles while Spider-Man is my favorite character.  That may seem odd, but it's true.  Why is that?  Well, as much as I love the character of Spider-Man, his popularity has essentially turned his comics into a never-ending series of publicity stunts over the years.  I'm sure that this approach has been very profitable for Marvel, but as much as I love Spidey, it has made it hard for his books to keep up with the freshest material hitting the shelves every month.  I only point that out because it may figure into this whole "black Spider-Man" debate.  It feels distinctly publicity stunt-esque.  Once again, I bet it would make money, but as a fan I'm far more interested in seeing a good movie or reading a good comic than knowing that Marvel made mad loot.  I'm pretty sure Marvel's making mad loot any way it goes.  Seriously, those motherfuckers probably came out okay with the Elektra movie.

As always, maybe I'm wrong, and if I have offended anyone, well, tough shit.  Some of you people offend me with the way you get offended all the time.  We need open conversation in this society a lot more than we need delicate motherfuckers who are always getting offended.  I'm just asking questions.  Are they serious questions?  Perhaps, perhaps not, and if they are serious questions, they're serious questions about silly shit.  If you have the answers (or think that you do), please share them with me.  Would Spider-Man still be Spider-Man if he was a Canadian Mountie (as opposed to a Jamaican Mountie) who lived in Winnipeg?  Does anyone out there really like Miles Morales more than Peter Parker?  Why can't I have my Iron Fist and my Swamp Thing comics? 

Why does Justified have to end?