Tag: super-heroes

Happy Friday – May 25th 2018

Happy Friday – May 25th 2018

Published by Maximilian Gray on May 25, 2018

Hey folks,

I thought I ‘d try a weekly update post.

First up – GDPR – This site is now GDPR compliant. That’s what that banner is about at the bottom. Here’s the privacy page for those of you who want to protect yourself from victimization at the hands of my cookies.

Alvin Baylor Lives!

I got my edited manuscript back. It’s time to review changes and notes. I’ve got one scene to polish up and add to the book and it has occurred to me that my page count has already changed significantly. This will lead to a change in the spine width of the paperback. The final artwork is not done yet so I’m hoping this is an easy adjustment. I had already anticipated differing specs from multiple POD vendors, but did not expect formatting to add 30 pages! Live and learn. The final cover sketch before painting is posted above.

Kill Night

I’ve got a rough outline for my next novel about urban terror. The first act has been plotted in detail. I hope to finish the rest up and get to typing next week. I will be juggling the start of this project with the completion of ABL. This book will not be sci-fi. It’s sort of Death Wish meets Street Trash. I intend it to be stunningly low brow, yet intelligent. We’ll see how that plan works out.

Black Panther review

I watched this again last night. I wrote a review that I never shared because it felt like shouting in a crowded room. Anyway, two thumbs up from me. Everything I liked the first time, I liked better the second and everything I disliked stopped bothering me. I have one critique – the fight scenes look like spaghetti. When you have a hero who fights with his fists – you use a stuntman for the action, not cgi. Where Avengers: Infinty War fails, this film shines and vice-versa. This was the brains of Marvel’s Phase 3 and I think it will become a classic. If you have super-hero™ fatigue this is the anti-dote.

Cobra Kai review

I was pretty impressed by the first two episodes of YouTube’s Karate Kid relaunch. It’s got great characters despite a low budget production value. It seems Johnny Lawrence is the protagonist this time out. I can’t wait for YouTube:Red to fail so I can watch all the episodes. Just like with CBS’ Star Trek: Discovery – I’m not subbing to any damn app.

Steve Ditko

I continue to track down new and old Ditko comic books. I’m fascinated by Mr. A, his objectivist philosophy hero. Stunningly original work. I haven’t seen anyone be this brave with their beliefs since 1960’s underground comix.

That’s all I got for now. May you all have a lovely memorial day free from the strictures of employment or mourning.

Max

‘Black Lightning’ connects, but can it strike twice?

‘Black Lightning’ connects, but can it strike twice?

Published by Maximilian Gray on January 17, 2018

The CW’s new super-hero TV series Black Lightning is off to a good start. The first episode, “The Resurrection” was standout fare for the network. The show features the same affection for the source material as the other DC shows, but this one manages a unique tone and message that elevates it. The neon lighting bolts emblazoned across this hero’s chest may look like a gas station sign, but all that super-heroic cheese is balanced with mature themes.

A different flavor of super-hero wish fulfillment.

Black Lightning is an evolution of the super-hero on TV. The tropes of the genre are now familiar to the general public. It’s nice to see that utilized to push the storytelling into new territory. We meet Jefferson Pierce many years after he’s hung up his costume. He’s a school principal and father. He worries about his kids. He’s got grey hair. This isn’t an origin story, it’s more of a coming out of retirement story. That alone was refreshing. It made it easier to cheer when the heroics started.

Talking heads and social commentary.

The CW/DC shows are hybrid adaptations. They’re part loving tribute to the comics, part network house-style. Their scripts feature too many scenes of ladies-talking-in-rooms for my taste. That is not a part of DC comic books, unless the ladies in question are wearing masks and discussing battle plans. Black Lightning avoids this in favor of a better hang-up.

The show is laden with the dread and anger of the contemporary African-American experience. The first episode features altercations with police, local drug dealers and youngsters being seduced to crime. The melodrama is actually relevant to the hero’s experience instead of being a distraction. Comparisons to Marvel’s Luke Cage on Netflix are unavoidable, but judging by first episodes, this show has more potential to deliver both on the heroics and the drama. While some of the dialogue was mundane, the performances were believable and the action and FX solid. I am eager to see where the story goes.

Gray Matter Factoids

Black Lightning was created in 1977 by Tony Isabella for DC Comics. He was DC’s first African-American super-hero and the first to star in his own title. He has been a reserve member of the Justice League and one of Batman’s Outsiders.

Sinbad was the first to play the character in live action on SNL. Jimmy Olsen turned him away from Superman’s funeral because he’d never heard of him.

Meh-tacular – A ‘Wonder Woman’ Review

Meh-tacular – A ‘Wonder Woman’ Review

Published by Maximilian Gray on September 3, 2017

I finally saw Wonder Woman. It’s OK.

This entry from Patty Jenkins moves DC’s films up a notch on the positivity scorecard. However, the writing lacks verisimilitude. There’s plenty of dialogue and interactions that seem more anchored in 21st century filmmaking tropes than in Greek Myths or WWI.

That aside, my main gripe is Gal Gadot. She can’t act. She has a nice smile, but she seems like a co-star in her own movie. That’s not Wonder Woman. Physically, she comes from the Michael Keaton school of super-hero performance. The costume looks good, but the physique is lacking. Her role as written is very naive and it muddles the character arc. Wonder Woman of the comics is aggressive, dominant at all times and distrustful of men. She’s a straight-up ass-kicker who learns to soften with experience, rather than a naive girl who hardens as she see’s our world. Here she’s written as strangely confused in a way that panders to the general conception of femininity. Wonder Woman is more aggressive than Batman on the page and she has to learn to trust and respect mankind.

Nonetheless, the film ends her character on the right note. It just gets there in a way that is odd and misplaced for this fan of comic books. It gave me more hope for the DCEU than Man of Steel or Batman V Superman. It’s now up to Joss Whedon to save this cinematic universe with Justice League reshoots.

8 Hours of Pain – ‘The Defenders’ Review

8 Hours of Pain – ‘The Defenders’ Review

Published by Maximilian Gray on August 19, 2017

My binge is OVER!!!

The Defenders is as terrible as this piece of “artwork”.

It’s a talking head show with repetitive scenes and no pacing. They should have cut the episode count in half and used the money to add FX. Luke Cage lifts styrofoam blocks and bends rubber pipes like it’s 1954. Characters with severed parts only have digital limb removal in every third scene. Dolby Vision HDR is used solely to light bottles and to expose Mike Colter while he’s on screen with other actors. The writing is dreadful, the plot is obvious and stupid. The villains are lame. The characters are in a constant state of disbelief despite the fact that this show takes place in a world with Iron Man, The Hulk and Captain America. And there is one super-hero costume.

I thought really hard about something nice to say. So here it is – Elodie Yung, Jessica Henwick, Simone Missick and Deborah Ann Woll all have really beautiful hair. Sorry Krysten Ritter.

Make up your mind, Sony – The ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Review

Make up your mind, Sony – The ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Review

Published by Maximilian Gray on July 21, 2017

Let’s try a new format! Yay!

While you were drinking: Marvel’s Iron Fist, Episodes 1-4

While you were drinking: Marvel’s Iron Fist, Episodes 1-4

Published by Maximilian Gray on March 18, 2017

While you were enjoying St. Patrick’s Day, I was binging MARVEL’S IRON FIST on Netflix. I have four episodes down, so that’s my perspective. It’s based on a 1970’s Marvel comics character who is a mix of Tarzan and Bruce Lee with a dash of Lost Horizon. He can be fun in the comics or he can be a boring martial arts guy. So far the show achieves neither of those. It’s a glacially paced origin story with mild action. It’s either building to something awesome or I’m watching paint dry. Sometimes it’s pretty paint though.

It’s the first Marvel show to debut in DOLBY VISION HDR and it looks phenomenal. There’s a night time street fair in the 1st episode that shows off the expanded color gamut and high contrast. It’s the best looking scene in any Marvel show yet. However, I can’t binge HDR without burning out my eyeballs. The screen pumps out too much light to sit and watch for more than a couple hours. Netflix should take note of this as they offer more HDR programming.

The characters are well written and the cast is solid. I like Finn Jones as Danny Rand/Iron Fist and everyone is believable, but there’s certainly no Vincent D’Onofrio or Mahershala Ali in this group. Also, the tension is so subtle and the story so drawn out that I expect a lot of viewers will tune out. This is a show based on a comic book, but much like Luke Cage, it feels like it wants to forget it’s roots due to budget constraints.

The action is sparse and the choreography is uneven in quality. It’s not on par with the work in Daredevil and that’s shocking for a martial arts based show. It’s partly the choice to keep the fights in accord with the show’s meditative theme. Iron Fist fights with a Tai chi meets Akido vibe most of the time. When he lets loose with a strong style I can glimpse more potential, but the lack of believability is a sin. The fights are cut slowly and the actors look choreographed. That is not acceptable for a show about a kung-fu super-hero. This show needs to evolve into something more imaginative than a character study with fight interludes. It needs more fantasy elements and it needs to open a can of whoop-ass.

***I have completed the show and an expanded review is not necessary. It has no fantasy elements and poor martial arts scenes. The writing is good enough to elevate it above Luke Cage, but Iron Fist will require better action scenes if they want the character to work on screen.

Fan-Fucking-Tastic: The Logan Review