A Green Mushroom

I finally got around to watching this movie now that it's out of theaters and wow, I'm super glad I didn't spend the money and time on a theater trip for it. I can't believe this is the movie they came up with from the Batman v Superman source material.  I see why everyone railed against it while it was in theaters. I actually spent a solid two days after watching it sending texts to my friend as I deconstructed it in my mind and found more and more things wrong with the movie. At this point I could either dive into all those points or just warn you away from this one.  I think I'll do the later since this movie doesn't deserve any more of my time than it's already gotten.  Be warned, Batman v Superman is bad.

A friend recommended Lumberjanes to me and it was cheap to pick up the first issue digitally so I gave it a shot. I like the premise enough.  A bunch of girls are at a summer camp and they seem to be involved in some paranormal goings on that no one else is aware of.  It's a cool premise. The problem I had is that not enough actually happened in the first issue to get me invested.  They took the entire issue just to state the premise and then it ended.  There was no hook that made me go pick up the next one. I'm always looking for more comic recommendations but this one just wasn't for me.  Maybe someday I'll give it another shot and dig in a few issues deep.

After the horribleness that was re-watching Thor Dark World, I decided to give the original Thor another shot.  I remembered the main story and how it interacted with the rest of the MCU but I had forgotten most of the plot. Having now re-watched it I have to say Thor is a much better movie than Dark World.  It has a coherent plot and a consistent tone.  It has characters that are interesting and who's motivations are understood.  It's overall a good introduction to Thor. I don't think it's a great movie, but it's somewhere in the middle of the pack for MCU movies.  I was pleasantly surprised to find it better than I remembered.

Oh The Flash, how much I loved your first season. Season 2 has been... I don't want to say bad.  Inconsistent is probably a better word.  There have been really good episodes and interesting plotlines but mostly there have been slow or boring plotlines and episodes that fall flat. After the fantastic episode that was done by Kevin Smith I thought the series was in a great place to finish strong at the end of the season.  Instead there was a an overly convoluted plot that led to the final confrontation of the season.  I couldn't actually believe some of the sentences that the characters were saying with a straight face... and I'm not typically one who has trouble suspending disbelief. I thought the final few episodes were mostly dumb.  I wanted to love them but I just didn't.  I was really sad to see where the series was at the end of this season compared to how much I enjoyed the first season. But then in the last 60 seconds of the season The Fl...

East of West is the last item on my Comics to Check Out list.  It came highly recommended from multiple people. I honestly can see why.  It has a fascinating story with and interesting and deep mythos behind it.  There are secrets to uncover but it explains enough to keep drawing the reader along. And it didn't click with me. This is one of those situations where I can objectively see the good in this but I personally don't really like it. I think it mostly comes down to the setting.  The setting is a cross of multiple genres, but most of them I don't like, especially Westerns.  And it seems like Western is the main genre for the whole series despite the fact that it's mixed with Sci-Fi, Kung-Fu, Civil War, and modern day. So... yeah.  You should probably check this one out if anything I've said has peaked your interest, but I'll be stepping away from it after only reading the first volume.

Secret Wars turned out to be really fun to read.  After checking out some of the side stories that tie into it, like Spider-Verse and Old Man Logan, I thought I would check out the main Secret Wars series. Apparently, over the last few weeks of Marvel binge I've absorbed enough information about the general state of the Marvel universe to actually appreciate this giant crossover. Secret Wars sees the end of all the worlds across all Marvel properties as they slowly crash into each other and are destroyed.  This results in Doom becoming a god and jamming a bunch of sections of different universes together into Battleworld... the last planet in existence. It's a fun setting where they can remix characters and they're not afraid to kill heroes off. I've had a lot of fun tearing through a ton of Marvel comics on Marvel Unlimited lately but I think I'm finally to the point where if I wanted to check up any further I would have to buy comics individually becau...

Continuing with my Marvel Unlimited browsing and reading: Silk This is a spin-off of Amazing Spider-Man and Spider-Verse.  Silk is a female version of Spider-Man who was bitten by the same spider.  Her story is really interesting and doesn't overstay it's welcome.  It also ties into Secret Wars... which many of the modern comics do. Infinity Gauntlet This was a Secret Wars comic about the infinity stones and Nova Corps.  I'm not super familiar with either but I gave it a shot because it looked interesting.  Unfortunately I bounced off of it after less than two issues.  I think it required more background knowledge than I have to actually get into. Amazing Spider-Man I had basically already read the middle 50% of this run of Spider-Man because I read Spider-Verse.  I liked it a lot so I thought I would finish the run by reading the other 25% on each side of what I had already read.  It's very good and I would have read more if it wasn'...

One of the recommendations I got from listeners was to check out the Spider-Verse storyline in secret wars.  I did, and I liked the premise a lot. Basically, a bunch of spider-men and spider-women (and a spider-pig) come together from different universes and team up to defeat a big bad.  The secret wars storyline was a quick 5 issues but I saw more Spider-Verse runs listed in Marvel Unlimited and after looking at them I quickly realized there was a massive storyline from multiple spider-man comic runs that all link up. I thought I would sample some of the more interesting looking ones but what actually happened is that I read the entire storyline, just a bit out of order.  I read all the Spider-Verse storyline issues for: Amazing Spider-Man Spider-Verse Spider-Verse Team Up Edge of Spider-Verse Spider-Gwen Spider-Woman Scarlet Spiders Spider-man 2099 There might have actually been 1 or 2 more series that contributed that I'm forgetting.  But all ...

I've had my Marvel Unlimited subscription for awhile since I got a really good deal on a year long sub, but I haven't checked in and browsed much until lately.  Here's a quick sampling of what I've been checking out: Civil War Civil War was very comic booky... and not in a good way.  I didn't enjoy it since it was so over the top and it couldn't go more than 2 pages without trying to reveal a new hero in the fight or have someone switch sides.  I know it was a big thing at the time, and now I'm glad I know the source material for the upcoming movie, but I don't think this storyline holds up. Old Man Logan I didn't realize what Secret Wars was until like half way through this series.  But it's a short 6 comic run.  Secret Wars is basically a bunch of alternate universe earths that have all been jammed together into one planet somehow via the power of Doom.  It sounds dumb, but it lets the writers do mini storylines in any universe setti...

After really enjoying Rising Stars  on @professorbeej's recommendation I picked up Midnight Nation  which is another comic series by the same author. This comic is much darker and grounded more in the real world.  It's about what happens when people fall through the cracks and how the world can feel like a completely different place at night compared to during the day. I liked all that about the series and I also liked that it had a story to tell and then wrapped up.  It's not a long drawn out series.  It's only twelve comics in total and I grabbed them as a set from Comixology . The only thing I didn't really like were the religious overtones (and undertones for that matter) which ended up tying into the main story.  It wasn't too heavy handed or focused on any one real world religion but it still felt like a bit of a cop out in an otherwise unique world. If you're in a dark and broody mood and want a comic series to match, check out Midnight ...

On the recommendation of my friend @professorbeej I checked out Rising Stars .  I had been talking to him about the things I like and dislike in comics and that I've had trouble finding ones that click with me. This recommendation was right up my Alley. Rising Stars sees an event happen over a small town which causes all the babies currently in utero to gain super powers once they're little kids.  So, one generation from one small town are all the super heroes the world will ever have. It's about their lives and how they impact the world... and each other. It has a story to tell, it tells it, and then it wraps up.  I wish that more comics would do this instead of trying to drag out series forever. I can easily recommend Rising Stars to you.  I grabbed it on Comixology in three volumes that make up 24 comics total.  Check it out if it sounds like your type of comic!

One of the recommendations I got from a few people after the comic podcast was to check out the first two runs of The Ultimates comics. It turns out these are fantastic. The Ultimates is definitely a huge source of inspiration for the Marvel Cinematic Universe version of The Avengers.  The Ultimates is the start of it's own separate universe from the main Marvel comics so they're not burdened with all the history of all the characters.  It gets to assemble it's own Avengers for the very first time and it does a great job. The pacing of the story is fast and I love that about it.  Every issue moves multiple storylines forward which is something very few comics can say. I don't really want to spoil anything about the plot because it's so good. My main takeaway is that this is going to go into my back pocket as a recommendation for people who ask me what comics they should check out.  I think most people will like The Ultimates and The Ultimates 2.

This book hooked me.  I started it not really expecting much and ended up finishing it over the course of one weekend. It's a biography but it's mostly about his history of creation in media.  It doesn't focus much on his childhood, and it's all the better for it.  Instead, it's broken down by what he was working on and when that happened.  There are multiple chapters devoted to some of the longer works, like Buffy, but it covers all of his film, video, TV, and comics up through The Avengers and prepping for Age of Ultron. The book gives lots more context for his work and it's made me appreciate things I already liked, but in a new light.  I have to admit, as soon as I finished it I re-watched Dr. Horrible.  It's probably my favorite made for the internet thing ever. Mostly, it just makes me excited to see what his next project will be.  I understand Joss Whedon as a creator so much more now and I'm definitely already interested in all  ...

You never know where you're going to be exposed to a new way of thinking. Earlier this week I mentioned that in finally sampling 90ish comics from last year's free comic book day I found two series that inspired me to actually pay money and pick up more comics.  One of those was Wayward. Wayward is about supernatural occurrences happening in modern day Japan while most of the people are none the wiser.  It has relatable characters, fun powers, and an engaging story. The thing I like most about it is the section in the back of every issue that has a short essay on a facet of Japanese culture.  It's honestly the thing I look forward to the most in each issue. It's often an essay explaining the Japanese mythological origin for a character or group encountered in that week's comic.  But sometimes it's simply about the structure of day-to-day life in Japan.  I find both unbelievably fascinating. I love being exposed to new culture and finding out about ...

Free comic book day is something that happens every year in May.  I've still never gone to a free comic book day in person at a comic book shop, but the last few years Comixology has done free comic book day digitally. When I first started getting into comics it was digitally with Comixology and right around the time of year for free comic book day.  They released a ton of comics for free and I devoured them.  The last two years I've been busy during that time of year but I go "buy" them all digitally for free and download them. I just finally got around to reading through all the free comics from the past two years worth of free comic book day.  I started it on my trip last month and finished them all up within a week or so.  Most of the comics were either an issue one, special issue, or one-off.  They're meant to entice you into picking up more comics from the series and get invested.  Honestly, it's really smart. I read somewhere between 80 an...

I think this is the best thing that the Marvel Cinematic Universe has created so far.  It's so much better than the other shows I've watched, especially compared to DareDevil. Where DareDevil left me frustrated with the pacing problems and inconsistency in quality, Jessica Jones is well paced and interesting the entire way through.  I watched it in two sittings but stopping that first night because I had to go to bed was painful since I was so engrossed in the story. The premise is that Jessica Jones has super powers but doesn't want to be a super hero.  She's super strong and can heal faster than normal people but she mostly just uses her powers in an everyday sort of way while doing her job as a private investigator.  The story is all about her dealing with her powers and confronting her past with the villain Kilgrave, who is played by the amazing David Tennant.  I thought he was good in Doctor Who but he's amazing in Jessica Jones. Kilgrave is a min...

Last week while I was traveling I got some time to dabble in various distractions.  I was away from my main gaming PC and consoles, so I got away from the newest game releases and dug into other things. I listened to a lot of podcasts on the trip.  I even picked up a new one, Rebel Force Radio, which is an awesome Star Wars fan podcast. I got caught up on all the Star Wars comics I've purchased on Comixology.  Then I started picking through the 80+ unread comics that I got for free through Comixology last year on free comic book day.  They were a lot of either one-off or issue #1 and I didn't get through them all yet, but there were a couple that were intriguing and I might actually go purchase some more in those series to see if they hold my interest. I'm basically up to date on playing all the 3DS games I wanted to so I browsed the Nintendo e-shop and realized I had never picked up Pokemon Ruby or Sapphire... they were after my prime time with Pokemon Red/Blu...

I've been watching a lot of Marvel lately and getting into the new Star Wars stuff and it's gotten me thinking about Disney. Disney is a company that has been through some good times and some questionable times.  I feel like the content they were putting out in the 90s when I was a kid was amazing.  Movies like The Lion King, Aladin, Mulan, Hercules, Pocohantas, and so many more came out of that era.  They had hit their stride for classically animated movies and it was great. Then in the 2000s it seems like they faded a bit.  I know they were never in trouble as a company, but their output just wasn't of the same quality as it once was. Recently I feel like they've finally turned this around.  The acquired Pixar and started making amazing animated movies again, although this time CG movies.  Then they started buying licenses like Marvel and Star Wars.  So far they're doing amazing things with the Marvel universe and I'm so excited to see what...

My recent infatuation with the Agent Carter TV show led me to rewatching the two Captain America movies.  They're a mixed bag. The first movie isn't all that great.  I don't think the Marvel movies had hit their stride yet and Chris Evans was still figuring out how to fit into the role of Captain America.  It's also all about World War II and Nazis which has been done to death in so many movies.  It's an entirely predictable movie that is often simply going through the motions so that we can see Captain America's origin story. It has some fun action scenes and it has it's good moments.  But overall Captain America: The First Avenger isn't a movie I'll go back and watch often. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is a much better movie.  It takes place after the first Avengers movie, Chris Evans has hit his stride, Captain America has been brought to the modern times and has finally stopped being naive to the world around him.  It also stars ...

Agent Carter is one of the expanding line of Marvel shows on TV and streaming lately.  It passed me by when it came out last year, but I saw a mention of it recently in an article and decided to check out the show. I had fairly low expectations because both the Agents of Shield and Daredevil shows had lost my attention during their first seasons. Agent Carter blows them out of the water. It's set just after World War II and it follows Agent Carter, the woman who was Captain America's liaison and love interest during Captain America: The First Avenger.  It deals with post-war events, being a woman in that time period, being an agent of the U.S. government, Howard Stark, and so much more. The basic premise to kick off the season is that Howard Stark had a bunch of inventions stolen and the agency that Carter works for is trying to find them and get them back. One of my favorite parts about the show is that it's all about humans in a world that has had superheroe...