Slamfist Media @slamfist-blog - Tumblr Blog

COMMISSION COLLECTION: MONTH 12

Been doing these posts for a full year (although, I may have screwed up the numbering so... who knows). I like showcasing art, that I have received, and honestly, there are times where getting these pieces in has been the only reason I find to smile. It has been a difficult year for me, and frankly... I don't see it getting much better.

But you didn't come here to listen to me complain, you came here to see some art, right?

This month, we have a piece that I specifically requested because I planned to post it on Valentine's day. I am not one to get all romantic, as one does not feel much reason to get romantic when one is single. But, I still find the idea of romance to be an appealing idea. So, I decided to try something of a departure from my norm, and present an odd couple. Some might recall our character Khai. Josh wrote a little bit about him, his character page can be found in a link up above. He is by far our most alien character, on account of the fact that he is an alien. Naturally, he went looking for love, and found it in the Twi'lek Jedi, Aayla Secura. Joe Eisma managed to create a wonderful meeting for the two of them. As usual, I encourage you to head on over to Joe's Patreon page HERE. Become his patron, support his work!

Depending on how things turn out, I should have a rather large group of commissions to drop here next month... I already have one new piece in hand, I should have three or four other pieces, in addition to the monthly Eisma piece!

See you next month!

#Commission #art

COMMISSION COLLECTION: MONTH 11

I've absolutely loved all the commissions I've had done over the last months. It's a wonderful thing working with a great artist consistently, and even though it is just a single image each month, it is still a grand thing. Seeing the various interpretations of our characters, and lately Mr. Eisma's take on more established characters has been something to smile about every month, and I can not express my gratitude for what he has done enough.

This month, I present to you three items. One, will be our latest piece from Joe Eisma, that much is a given. The second item is going to be something a little different, as it is basically the same thing as the original Eisma piece, but with some quick colors added by me (I absolutely suck at it, so feel free to laugh and mock my efforts). The final piece, is an odd mash-up I requested from someone I found online, and can't wait to work with again in some capacity.

Let's begin with the standard, shall we? I continue my efforts to pair up our characters with established characters more familiar to the mainstream world. This month, I take our own Icarus, and set him off in chase of the elusive Spider-Woman of Earth-65, the infamous Spider-Gwen! Why did I set up this particular combination? First off, we have had far too little art done of Icarus. Our previous character artist disappeared shortly after finishing work on Icarus, and I have felt like I failed that particular character bad. Add to that, Icarus' creator has a somewhat unhealthy obsession with Spider-man... Well, I didn't want to see Spider-man in the piece, so, I went with my preferred Spider character. (You should see my collection of Spider-Gwen stuff) As always, I encourage you to go and become Joe's patron over on Patreon! It's worth it for his art, and you get a monthly Morning Glories strip! That alone is worth it! Head on over HERE and consider offering a few bucks per month, won't you?

And, without my usual rambling... Here is my badly-colored version of the above piece! I will mention that the colors for Icarus' outfit were pulled directly from the original character sheet. The colors for Spider-Gwen were based on a statue I had sitting next to the computer.

That was painful, sorry.

The final piece, is from a Russian fellow by the name of Dima Ivanov. I stumbled across an image he did of Scarlet Witch as if she was a member of the Phoenix Five (from the Avengers vs X-men event from a few years back) I loved the image, and wanted my own Wanda as a member of a different group image. Originally, I wanted a Venom-inspired symbiote Wanda. But, Dima was not a fan of Symbiotes so I went with a cross company idea, and decided for "Wanda as a member of one of the Lantern Corps" Below, you can see The Scarlet Lantern! And frankly, I love it too. Check out some more of Dima's art over HERE maybe pick up your own commission while you are there? Also, I totally appreciate that her Lantern logo does not seem to be based on any other Lantern logo... It's as if the Scarlet Lantern Corps is their own entity, and I dig that!

#Commission #art

EDITORIAL: "SPOILERS"

This post comes from a place of anger. Yeah, I am on the path to the dark side... I know. More importantly, if you continue reading this you are on the path to me swearing! Also contained below are spoilers for movies released prior to 2000. If you have not seen "The Sixth Sense", "The Usual Suspects", "Citizen Kane", or "The Empire Strikes Back" and are not familiar with the typical spoilers for those 4 movies, you might want to skip past this post. Otherwise, sit back as I discuss the evil that is... THE SPOILER!

We live in a world, that is pretty much connected to the internet 24/7. News circulates at blinding speeds, often in complete disregard for fact-checking, or journalistic integrity. We live in a more-connected society, then ever before, and knowledge is there for the taking.

But... I'm not here to talk about news.

It is also a world where information about new release movies is released to the public, often months before the movie is released, and again, often without taking a chance to fact check or worry about what people may think. These, are the omnipresent "spoilers" that oftentimes ruin movies for those in society that do not watch movies for their entertainment value, but instead want every single plot point to be a complete mystery.

This ends up begging the question.... What constitutes an ACTUAL spoiler, and when are you just being a whiny bitch?

We also live in a world where prequels are a thing. You know what the problem with a prequel is? You know how it is going to (roughly) end. In Episode 3, you KNEW going in, that Anakin would survive, but be horribly mangled. This was a given, because he showed up in Episodes 4, 5, and 6. In this case, if one were to say, "Anakin survives Episode 3" that would not constitute a spoiler, as it has already been revealed in the long ago year of 1980 (I'd say 1977... but he didn't reveal his relation to Luke until Empire, so... yeah). These are things that are implied by previously existing knowledge. There are things one just KNOWS. Knowledge that one should have going into a film is not a spoiler. If you think otherwise, you're wrong.

Things one should (conceivably) know going into a film includes (but not limited to)

Primary cast of characters

Basic concept of the storyline

Actors and actresses in the film

Why should one know these things? Because those tend to be primary motivators for a person going to see a movie in the first place. In general, one does not plan to go to a movie called "Collateral Beauty" because one thinks, "Hey... That name is cool as shit! I wanna see that." One typically will choose to see it because, the like Will Smith, or Edward Norton, or even Helen Mirren. They might say, "Oh... Helen Mirren playing DEATH? That's pretty awesome!" One might even say, "Will Smith in another Oscar Bait film? Sign me up!"

Similarly, going into Rogue One, you should know certain things. Grand Moff Tarkin has been in charge of the Death Star since 1977. The whole plot of the movie involves stealing the plans for the Death Star, to lead DIRECTLY into Episode 4. Felicity Jones, is fucking awesome.

These are things you know, if you have either watched a Star Wars film, or have seen Felicity Jones. Mentioning these things are not spoilers. They are givens.

So what DOES constitute a spoiler? Giving away plot twists, or vital details about the fate of characters. Such as (and there ARE spoilers for some movies released prior to 2000, so... be prepared)

Bruce Willis' character is dead during Sixth Sense!

Kevin Spacey is Keyser Soze in The Usual Suspects

Darth Vader is Luke's father in Star Wars

Rosebud was a fucking sled in Citizen Kane

There is a vast difference between saying "Tarkin's CG was awful in Rogue One" and saying "Bruce Willis is dead in The Sixth Sense." The former reveals a character that should be assumed to be present in the film. The other reveals a crucial plot point that effectively makes the movie less watchable.

Are we seeing the difference here?

I do my very best, in every aspect of talking about movies to avoid spoilers. If a spoiler is inevitable, I will warn people. The take away from this is... NOTHING I post publicly will be a spoiler, until such time as my statute of limitations has passed. I'm not here to spoil TV shows, or movies, or books (unless commenting on a spoiler.) If I am wanting to talk to people about something like... a certain character's awesome role in "Inhumans vs X-Men" I will first ask you, if you have read it. If you haven't I will then ask if you ever plan on reading it. THEN I will ask if you care about spoilers. This is simply courtesy.

However. If I post, and this is a direct quote from my Facebook wall:

Gah! Tarkin... worst...CGI character.... EVER!

He was painful to look at...

This is not a spoiler. I have revealed NO vital information about the movie that isn't readily apparent. If you get all up in arms with me about posting a FUCKING CHARACTER NAME, on my wall... Then the problem is yours. There is no spoiler. Revealing how characters die.... that's a spoiler. Revealing a character exists that one should KNOW exists... that isn't.

Ya got that?

Also, in case you have read this far. Rogue One was actually a decent movie. The CG used to recreate Tarkin, is VERY jarring, and one of the worst parts of the entire film. Hence the reason I mentioned it specifically on my wall. All in all, I would give the movie perhaps a 7 out of 10. And a lot of that is due to my hatred of prequels.

#Editorial

THE COMMISSION COLLECTION: MONTH 10

Almost a year's worth of commissions! And I show no signs of stopping. I've already put in my request for next month, and I have another couple brewing in random places. So, next month should be awesome... But for now, I only have two for this month. I don't have a lot in the way of things to say this month, so... let's start this out with the Eisma art of the month!

This month, I basically just gave Joe two characters, and left it up to him how he wanted to play with them. And, since my theme of late has been putting one of our characters in with an established character from mainstream publisher, this month brings us the epic showdown between Warden and The Punisher! As always, I would recommend you visit Joe's Patreon page HERE. Donate, join in the merriment, and help me get my twice monthly fix of his Patreon exclusive Morning Glories strip! C'mon... you know you want to join in!

The next piece is a matter of some frustration for me... On the one hand, I absolutely love it. It's my favorite character from a small comic called "Rat Queens". The downside, is I lost the artist's business card, so I have no idea who to attribute it to. If you recognize the artist's signature, or their style, let me know so I can fix this! In the meantime, I present to you Betty from Rat Queens, a Smidgen with a heart that is probably 95% drugs and candy... But dammit... ya can't help but love her!

There you go! The art I have for you this month. Next month, I should hopefully have two more pieces. Until then, have a great month, and I hope you enjoyed the art! Also, if you know the artist that drew Betty, please drop me a line in the comments. If you know an artist that might be looking to be commissioned, let me know below as well!

#art #Commission

REVIEW: "MOANA"

So, this was supposed to be part of a double feature for me last week, so that I could watch a horror movie or something this week, but... plans change, and here I am.

It's odd for me sometimes to watch a Disney film. For those that don't know, I got extremely pissed off by their interpretation of "Hercules", and refused to watch their movies for years after that. My boycott lasted all of 5 years, until someone told me to watch Lilo and Stitch. This is not to say there is not some level of resentment that still lingers in my mind.

Why would I waste time with that story? Basically it's a way for me to bring up how serious I can take mythology. Yes, I know I am a filthy, baby-eating atheist, but I still find the stories that shaped the various cultures of the world to be something very much worth time to study. Of the various mythological tropes that appear across cultures, one of the most interesting of the lot is the myth of the trickster. The trickster is found in many forms, Loki, Anansi, Coyote... and most important to this review, Maui.

But, I digress. There is a movie here to discuss first.

Moana tells the story of Moana (Voiced by newcomer Auli'i Cravalho) , the daughter of an island chief (Voiced by Jango Fett/Abin Sur). When her island starts to die, she sets out on an epic journey (But not too epic, the movie only has a 103 minute run time) to find Maui (Voiced by Dwayne Johnson) and return Te Fiti's heart. Accompanying her on this journey, is her faithfully stupid chicken friend Heihei (voiced by Alan Tudyk... because of course he is.).

The movie manages to hit so many familiar beats that frankly, feel almost painfully familiar. Watching it, one could almost take out Moana, and insert Merida and no one would notice the difference. The characters are two different versions of the same archetype, separated only by culture. Both girls represent the rebellious daughter, who wants more than anything to embrace something larger than their perceived destiny. Both have a parent that vehemently insists that they perform the role assigned to them at birth. Both end up seeking that greater destiny that awaits them. Merida ends up finding help from a witch, and has bear sidekicks. Moana gets help on her quest from a demigod that is eager to please his millions (and millions) of fans... and ends up with a chicken sidekick.

The thing that will really set these two apart, is the songs. While, I often find the concept of the movie musical to be... somewhat frustrating. The music doesn't always feel like a natural part of the film, rather it seems tacked on. A gimmick used, rather than an integral part of tale. This film, seems to straddle the line between gimmick and part of the story. The songs also straddle the line between catchy ear worm, and forgettable fluff. Tamatoa's "Shiny" song has some amazingly catchy bits, as does Maui's "Your Welcome". However, "Where You Are" which is essentially the first song that sets the tone of the film, is kind of forgettable.

I honestly like the characters of the movie, and I think that it benefits a lot from the influence of Lin-Manuel Miranda. And honestly, Auli'i Cravalho manages to belt out those tunes like nobody's business. Toss in some anthropomorphic coconuts, and you have a winner. This movie was a great time, and I can't wait to add it to my collection.

RECOMMENDATION: Do you like computer animation? Do you like those catchy Disney Princess songs? Well... what are you waiting for? Go see this film! It's a good time for the kids, and I think it has enough jokes in there that even the parents will find something to enjoy. And there is no song like "Let it Go" that your kids will be singing over and over and over and over and over and over again, until you get the urge to stab things! So, HUZZAH!

IS IT THEATER WORTHY: Frankly, I went to see this as a matinee, and still feel that I got my 9 dollars worth. However, if you are one of those people that absolutely HAS to have popcorn and a beverage to watch a movie, you might feel a little less fulfilled. That is to say, it is definitely worth the price of admission, but I don't think it warrants the concessions.

FINAL THOUGHTS: While it never gains that infectious ear worm that made Frozen the darling of under 10 crowd, and the bane of the rest of humanity, the movie has heart, and manages to deliver a nice independent princess, which is something that is often lacking in these Disney flicks. The voice cast is great, and I applaud Disney's efforts to continue adding diversity to their stable of princesses.

FINAL SCORE: 8 out of 10

TRAILER:

#Movies #Reviews

REVIEW: "FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM."

Wow... It's been a while since I have reviewed a movie. Which is mildly disappointing to me, since I have, by my count, I have seen 16 other movies in theaters this year. However, I have had a request for my thoughts on this particular film, so... here I am! Crystal, this one is for you. Before I begin, there are a few things people should be aware of:

I have a general distaste for the Harry Potter films (although I did find the books to be much more palatable). In general, I find the movies to be middling to fair, rarely rising above a mire of mediocrity, and more often than not, stewing in a sort of amphetamine-driven hyperactivity that is not at all conducive to proper story-telling.

This time of the year leaves me particularly surly, and I find it hard to maintain my... "sunny" disposition.

My plan today was actually to see two movies, Moana and Fantastic Beasts, and then to write up my thoughts on both, to be published on separate days... sadly, my distaste for the music that assaults the ears this time of year, delayed my departure, and my planned double feature was reduced to a single film.

I'm counteracting my grumpiness at the moment with a nice sample of Mussorgsky... Because nothing cheers one up quite like 19th century Russian music, am I right?

So, I entered into this film with almost no expectations whatsoever. As I stated above, I am not particularly enamored to the Potter franchise (which is not to say I do not appreciate their appeal to many). Still, it was a movie I was more than willing to plop down a bit on, because the 1920's aesthetic was appealing. Also, I find Eddie Redmayne to be a rather enjoyable actor to watch, his work in "The Theory of Everything" earned him a lot of good will in my eyes. So, based on the lead actor, and the request of a follower on Facebook, I trudged out to the theater. Frankly, I was rather glad I did.

The film offered up a vision of the Harry Potter universe that had character, and story that was sorely lacking in the original 8 films. Now, before you call for my head on a pike, allow me to qualify that statement.

The original films were rather hindered by a certain narrative that they had to adhere to. The books preceded the films, and precluded those films from seeking their own voice, because they were constrained by the story laid forth by the books. As such, the narrative flow of the movies often ended up jumping from point A to point C without regard for point B in between. They came off, in large part as if they were created solely for the purpose of trying to induce seizures in kids like some forgotten episode of Pokemon. This is a problem further complicated by the fact that there are a lot of potential story threads that needed to be addressed in the films. This forced the movies to jump between threads in a way that often undermined the entire experience.

I am sure there are some that will argue, that Fantastic Beasts was also inspired by a book. But, to the best of my knowledge, the book this film (and the ones that will come after) is based on, wasn't a book that really contained any sort of "narrative flow", rather it was framed as a short textbook outlining a series of magical beasts as envisioned by the character of Newt Scamander. As such, there is no predetermined path for the movie to follow, other than to allow for the continued existence of the protagonist himself.

This freedom allows the film to find its own voice, divorced from the literary constraints of the preceding films. This fact alone, combined with the acting talents of the primary cast deliver a fun, and often times funny, foray into the world envisioned by J.K. Rowling.

Eddie Redmayne infuses the character of Newt Scamander with a very relatable sort of awkwardness, that makes the character extremely likable. His bumbling-ness seems to be so very genuine, I couldn't help but see a little of myself in him. While I don't much care to see myself in anything, I do find that that made the whole experience much more personal. Add to that, the character of Kowalski, with his hatred for his job, and his belief that the job itself is killing him slowly, and you have two characters that speak to me as a person more than I think any characters ever have.

The creatures add certain levels of personality, even with their non-vocal roles, that makes them endearing characters in their own rights. My only complaint there, is that they often seemed to be out of place. That is to say, they often seemed more fake than regular CG critters, made especially obvious with Newt and Frank's interaction toward the end of the movie. Not only did Frank appear to be fake, but the way Newt touched him felt off, and not at all authentic. It led to a very abrupt disconnect with the film, at a key point in the narrative.

Also somewhat off-putting was the accents. Here, I am not talking about Newt... no, I'm talking about Queenie and Tina. These sisters, who I would assume grew up together had very different accents. A little work to match up their accents a bit would have helped to sell the familial bond.

All in all, the film was rather enjoyable, and helped to distract me for the entirety of the 133 minute run time. At no point in the film did I stop to think "Man, I could be at home playing video games, or doing something else." This was definitely one of the two best CGI-heavy, magic-based movies I have seen this month.

RECOMMENDATIONS: Do you like Harry Potter? Does that itch for a fantasy film in the back of your head still need a little scratch? Do you need a serious break from the existential nightmare that is reality? Then I think this movie is just what you need!

IS IT THEATER WORTHY: With the expansive visuals, this one plays out wonderfully on the big screen. I would highly recommend seeing it if you haven't already.

FINAL THOUGHTS: A movie set in a universe I don't particularly care for, is generally not a recipe for a good time. However, I found this film to be quite enjoyable, and the little nods to the greater film universe are rather nice, too. Overall, a good time, spoiled only by a few elements.

FINAL SCORE: 8 out of 10

TRAILER:

#Reviews #Movies

THE COMMISSION COLLECTION: MONTH 9

This is kind of awesome to think about, 9 monthly increments of this. This will constitute over a dozen unique pieces of art, by I think 9 different artists. I don't even want to think about how much money this represents. There have been a number of different styles, all of them amazing in their own way. As of right now, I see no signs of stopping, and am honestly already looking towards next year... Pondering ideas to keep things interesting for the foreseeable future. I also plan on including Joe Eisma's commissions, until he either gets tired of me, or I run out of money to throw in his general direction! It's also amazing to think that Joe is the only artist I've featured that I have not had an opportunity to shake hands with. Hopefully, he'll make it to one of the conventions near me some day, and I can fix that. On to the art that is the only reason you guys are looking at this right now! This month, I am featuring the work of Adam Fields, Joe Eisma, Rico Renzi, and Kevlen Goodner. The overwhelming theme of this month is.... Sketch Covers. I'd like to start this one of with Rico. I ran across Rico at the Cincy Comic Convention, where he was seated near the rest of the Spider-Gwen Team. It is worth noting, that Spider-Gwen is one of my favorite new characters to pop up in the last couple of years and I have several little Spider-Gwen bits floating around my house and office. Rico is the guy that brings the colors to Spider-Gwen, and Squirrel Girl. Check him out over HERE. And if you run into him at a convention, say hello! He's a great guy.

Shall we continue on the Cincy Comic Con commissions? This next artist is actually, a friend of a friend, who I friended on Facebook something like a year ago... And oddly, he is one of the people that is allowed to post to this website. I'm talking about my friend Adam Fields. You might not recognize the name yet, but I think that might only be a matter of time. He is currently working on his own comic, and if I remember correctly, he plans on releasing the first issue next year... If you're reading this, Adam... Correct me if I'm wrong. You can check out more of his stuff HERE. And if you are in the Cincinnati/Dayton area, it is a strong possibility you can find him at a convention nearby... I swear he posts another convention appearance every other weekend. Either way, lets keep the Gwen train going, with his interpretation of Gwenpool!

This next piece makes me feel bad. Not because I don't like it, but because I screwed up, and forgot to get the artist's card, or something to go with the commission, and have been trying to figure out who drew it since last month. Finally, I can say with at least 90% certainty, that this is the art of Kevlen Goodner. The sad thing is, he has three mutual friends on Facebook, so this should have been easy for me. Another piece from the Cincy Comic Con, and the only one of these I commissioned for a friend (who also happens to be one of the minds behind Slamfist Media.) And, if I remember to, I'll actually deliver this one to the intended recipient in the next few days... You can find Kevlen on Facebook over HERE ... But I don't see a website for him. If you see him at a convention, say hi and have some fun geeking out with him. He's good people. Without further rambling.... Check out his Iron Fist!

And, last but not least, is the latest (not really... I already have next month's commission in hand, but you have to wait to see it.) from Joe Eisma! Joe is on Patreon, and I firmly encourage you to go there and back him, because I want more of his Morning Glories side story! And the best way to get more, is to get more people donating to him... So Back him on Patreon HERE, so I can get my fix! He is also currently working on Archie, and just recently had his first issue released! Check that out. Furthermore, since I always plug Morning Glories, go demand that your local Comic Shop stock the 10th Morning Glories trade, which Amazon says will be available December 20th (Totally getting it as a birthday present for myself!) This month, I asked him to do something a little more light-hearted than normal (partially because one of the Slamfist Team suggested it...) So, below you have Black Panther and our character Ghost singing the classic song, "Ebony and Ivory"

I look forward to sharing more next month... Because honestly, I really want to share the last piece from the Cincinnati Comic Expo.

#art #Commission

THE COMMISSION COLLECTION: MONTH 8

Today, I post the haul from the last month. There is art by Joe Eisma, Chris Ehnot, Taylor Sterry, J. Adam Farster, and Allison Weyda. Wow... that's a mouthful, isn't it? And would you look at that? All those names up there can be clicked to take you to more information about the artist! I'm saving pieces from Adam Fields, Rico Renzi, and two other artists, whose names I have misplaced... Seriously, I am awful at keeping business cards with commissions. But, 5 pieces of art is still pretty awesome, right? I will post some of the other stuff next month. So you can have another big art dump! I apologize, though... several of these images are photos taken with my phone. Actually, almost all of them are. Only one (the Eisma piece) is digital native. Sorry about that. Also, you might notice a general theme, only one of the pieces breaks that theme, but it was too awesome NOT to include. First up, the inspiration for this whole series, the man that has gotten the most commissions from me in a long while. Honestly, he is quickly approaching the most, depending on how you count. Yes, I am talking about the wonderful Mr. Joe Eisma. Once again I encourage you to back him on Patreon. Once again, the link is HERE. This month, I decided to go a little extravagant. I decided to mash up my favorite original character, with two of my favorite current Marvel characters. So, enjoy a good dose of Pendra, and Thor (the Jane Foster one) being controlled by Scarlet Witch. Check this out, and then go back him.

Next up, I'd like to move on to Taylor Sterry. I ran into her while roaming around at the Cincinnati Comic Con (not to be confused with the Cincinnati Comic Expo). I was immediately taken with her fun art style, and since I was on a specific character kick, I decided to get Taylor's take on Scarlet Witch. So here you go, check it out... then check out her site HERE. What? Did you expect me to plug the artists only at the beginning? I hope you'll agree that the more whimsical style is quite fun. A great commission, and a wonderful addition to my Wanda Wall.

J. Adam Farster comes next. This one also comes from the Cincinnati Comic Con. I walked past the table twice, before I decided. I wanted to see his take on my favorite character. So once more, I present to you a Scarlet Witch. This time, an interpretation of her most recent costume. Check out his art over HERE, and if you ever run across him, commission him! He's got a fun style. If I had more money at the time, I might have gone back for a second commission.

The order of these commissions is rather random. I'm honestly posting them in the order I had them in my folder after cropping and whatnot. The next piece, breaks the pattern briefly, because It doesn't involve the Scarlet Witch at all! When I found Allison Weyda's table at the Cincinnati Comic Expo (Yep... moved on to the Expo this time... or as I like to call it, a multi-day Panic Attack!) I decided to do my favorite type of commission. I call this, "Artist's Delight". I present the artist with my binder of original characters, and let them choose the one that speaks to them. Allison chose Starstruck (coincidentally, I am retiring Starstruck and Sync from the binder for a little while). Frankly, I think her style for the character was perfect. And I can't wait to get it framed and up on the wall! Check out Allison's work over HERE.

The last piece I'm showcasing this month, is the last piece I received. The idea was conceived after the doors shut Friday night of the Comic Expo. It fermented in my head for the night, and while standing in line to wait for Stan Lee, I decided to go for it. I left the line, and ended up at the table of Chris Ehnot. Chris' work might be best recognized for what he has done for Zenescope, and for this particular commission, his style looked perfect! So, I approached him with the idea of witch vs witch. In this case, Scarlet Witch vs Dark Willow (from Buffy the Vampire Slayer). I had a friend pick it up Sunday afternoon, and got it back roughly one week after the idea was initially conceived. I think it was worth the wait. HERE's a link to Chris' page on DeviantArt, since his SITE seems a little off on my computer. But feel free to check it out, too!

Wow. Can you believe all of that? And that is only about half of the month's commissions. Next year, I am instituting a brand new commission system. I call it "Jars". I will be bringing 2 jars to every convention. Depending on the per-character price of commissions, they will either draw 1 or 2 names from the character jar, and one name from the activity jar. And here is where my readers can have some fun... Give me suggestions for what characters should be added to the character jar. Give me ideas for the activities to be added into the activity jar. Keep in mind, that these activities must be strictly of the PG-13 or lower variety. Nothing excessively violent nor pornographic. But... use your imaginations, have fun... Leave your ideas below!

#Commission #art

THE COMMISSION COLLECTION: MONTH 7

If you've been paying attention, you might have noticed I am somewhat enamored with the artistic stylings of a specific artist. If you haven't noticed, I think you need to take a moment, and look over the last 7 months of Commission Collection posts. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Yes, once again, it is time to unveil another awesome piece of art from Mr. Joe Eisma. And as always, I encourage anyone reading this to check out his Patreon page HERE. Check it out, become his patron, throw money in his general direction, pile upon him with all the praise and adulation you can muster. Mostly though... become his patron. He's a great guy, and a wonderful artist.

A little more background material, shall we?

Over the previous six months, I have laid out for you Mr. Eisma's interpretation of the key characters in our Supara universe. Now that those are out of the way, I thought perhaps it was time to try something that might be a little more familiar to anyone reading this. While I love our Supara characters, I think that the general audience is not familiar with them off hand. This is due in large part to the fact that we are still working on the book, so no one has read it. With that in mind, I came up with a series I refer to as "Supara Team-Up". The basic premise, is to take a character you might already be familiar with, and team them up with a Supara character that, in my opinion, would be a good personality match. This month, I went with two characters, that I find surprisingly similar, despite their power sets being completely different. Both characters are kind of fangirlish. Both characters took up the mantle of a character they idolized. Both characters seem peppy and cheerful, but will kick your ass if the need arises.

This month, I present to you our own Starstruck, teaming up with Marvel's own, Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan).

#Supara #Comics #Commission #art

The State of the WWE

Hello Wrestling Fans! Welcome to my little corner of the universe. I am the hostest with the mostest, the king of all kings, the one man band, the…the…..

Sorry, got a little carried away there. But I finally get to talk about one of the things I love most on this earth: professional wrestling!

Today we are going to discuss the state of affairs in the biggest promotion of them all, World Wrestling Entertainment. From the current rosters to the storylines, get ready to explores the best and worst things about the WWE.

The State of the Rosters

Some of you who may not have been following the E for a while may be shocked/relieved/upset that they have recently reintroduced the Brand Split. Back in 2002-2003 then they first introduced the split, everyone was excited about what splitting the rosters and letting some of the lesser used talent really show what they could do. Like normal there were some great (Shelton Benjamin, Eddie Guerrero, Christian), some not so great (Chavo Guerrero, Mark Henry, Mark Jindrak) and some that were really bad (The Dicks, Rico, Chuck Palumbo) uses of talent during the time of the original split. Eventually, it got to the point about 5 years ago that they basically abandoned the idea and make everyone share the same roster. At that point, we eventually got the same issue that led to the current split. Too many superstars, to many titles, too many stories, to be showcase on tv without some kind of compromise. So now, we have new brand split. So far its been pretty good, with some hiccups, but not bad.

On RAW, you have the show headlined by “The Man” Seth Rollins and new main roster call-up “The Demon” Finn Balor, Roman Reigns, Rusev, Cesaro, Sami Zayn, and Kevin Owens. The Tag Team division consists of The New Day, The Club (Gallows and Anderson), Enzo & Cass, and….that’s about it. The real meat of the Tag Division is on Smackdown with call-ups American Alpha (Jason Jordan and Chad Gable), The Vaudvillians (Aiden English & Simon Gotch), the Hype Bros (Zack Ryder), the Usos, and Breezango (Tyler Breeze & Fandango). RAW is also the exclusive home of the Cruiserweight Divison, which will most likely consist of call-ups from NXT and the Cruiserweight Classic bracket, but has yet to debut. The WWE Women’s championship is also on RAW, and while you have Charlotte Flair and Sasha Banks, you don’t have much else besides Dana Brooke and Emma (who is injured) and Summer Rae and Paige (whose grown stagnant). The other half of the Women’s Division is on Smackdown with Becky Lynch and Natalya, and other potential stars in Naomi and Carmella. Then you also have Eva Marie, but I won’t get into that now.

Now onto the Championships. The WWE World Championship (formally the WWE World Heavyweight Championship) and the Intercontinental Championship are on Smackdown, two of the WWE’s most prestigous titles. RAW has the WWE Womens Championship and the World Tag Team Championship and the United States Championship. We also learned that The E is creating a new ‘world’ championship for RAW to combat the main title being on Smackdown: the WWE “Universal” Championship. I’m not trying to be mean, but this sounds stupid. Not the idea of having a second world title, that makes sense. The name of it sounds stupid. But if they can have Seth or Finn treat the title and make it a big deal, then I won’t really care. There is also talk of Smackdown getting their own Womens and Tag titles. The only problem I see is that you run into the “too many belts” problem. Too many titles, too many contenders, and then you have too many storylines trying to go on at once. The key to this brand split is finding balance. Maybe let the tag titles and the womens title float shows, have cross promotional matches to decide contenders, etc. Leave the two world and two secondary titles as brand exclusive. That’s my two cents on that.

The State of the Storylines

The storylines concerning the WWE Superstars these days range from really good to really, really…not bad, but…boring? The current storyline with Seth Rollins and Finn Balor is great, if not slightly underwhelming, the Rusev/Reigns fued over the US Championship is surprisingly good, Dean Ambrose v. Dolph Ziggler is also surprisingly good. The rest of the mid and lower card feuds leave a lot to be desired unfortunately.

Rollins/Balor has been sensational because of the sudden, although very warranted, rise of Finn Balor from NXT. Other than the Shield (consisting of Reigns, Rollins, and Ambrose), no one has shot through to the spotlight like that of the man formerly know as Prince Devitt. The vingettes featuring Seth and Finn are short and sweet and get straight to the point.

Roman Reigns versus Rusev has been very aggressive, which is the way to go with these two massive behemoths. Yes you can let them talk, but it is way more entertaining to watch them beat the tar out of each other week in and week out.

Ziggler and Ambrose have had a nice steady build up that is just waiting to boil over, as we’ve seen Dolph get increasingly aggressive against the WWE World Champion, trying to show that while he’s been stagnant as a performer for the last few years, he is still one of the BEST talents on either roster, willing to do whatever the company wants to do, and it’s good to see him finally rewarded for all that work and struggle. They’ve also written Dean Ambrose incredibly well, making him feel more like an tweener (not heel/not face) champ than a straight babyface, and that fits Dean’s character perfectly. You don’t want him to be bad or cocky, but its so fun to watch.

The mid and lower card are areas that need a lot of improvement. The Tag Division is stagnant on both shows, although Smackdown is doing its damndest to lit it on fire with the acquisition of American Alpha to the blue brand. The Intercontinental title feud is boring and not really worth watching, even though The Miz has (and is) the best heel in the company outside of Kevin Owens and Chris Jericho on RAW. The E has failed to really give The Miz’s opponent, Apollo Crews, much character building since being called to the main roster this year. I’m hoping for more on that front as I am a huge fan of both competitiors and want more from them. The Women’s Championship story is perfectly serviceable on RAW with Sasha Banks and Charlotte, but Smackdown’s stories have been abysmal. I can’t get excited about Becky versus Natalya for the billionth time, nor am I a big fan of the rest of the Smackdown female competitors. There is a lot of potential with Becky Lynch, Carmella, and Alexa Bliss, but they need to captialize on it soon, before it gets too far gone.

The Brock Lesnar/Randy Orton storyline is…meh. I am a fan of Orton’s, and have been for a long time and its nice to see him smile and be almost his actual self in the ring and on the mic, instead of the boring 12-time champ he’s been in the last 3 or so years. I’m honestly over Brock Lesnar at this point, and I have been slowly lowering my expectations more and more. All it is anymore is german suplex, german suplex, german suplex, F-5. Say what you will about Cena’s Five Moves of Doom, but that stuff is a snoozefest. Plus it seems he’s only in it for a paycheck, and the fact that Vince McMahon pretty much lets him come and go as he please, even though he hasn’t really earned it, like someone of The Undertaker’s reputation. During his first run in WWE, he was amazing. He was a fast, agile big guy who could mat wrestle with the best of the best. He left once back in 04 when he felt he could do other stuff better, so why do you let him do whatever the hell he wants? For the drawing power? Not worth all the bulls*** we have to deal with from him. Especially when other competitors call him out on it and they are the ones to get heat about backstage. I’m done and over it, and have been for over a decade.

John Cena and AJ Styles have been gold since the rivalry started. I applaud for John for finally realizing that he has to be able to put over the other talent in the company and that he can’t do everything. He has to pass the torch eventually. And AJ’s work since he came to WWE has been amazing. His feud with Jericho was really good (don’t understand the Jericho win at ‘Mania though). His material with the Club and John Cena has been, no pun intended, phenomenal, and he has shown that he can hold his own on the mic with the best of them, which is something that others have criticized him for in the past. It shows they know how to write him good material, and he will do his best to deliver. The last two years have been a great year for Cena showing that he actually can wrestle, between his matches with Rollins and Styles. This feud is good, and if rumors are true, Styles will come out on top, which is probably the best call for it.

The State of Everything Else in the WWE

The WWE Network is growing strong. It is quickly becoming the main source of PPV income for the company, and I’m glad that’s the case. I would much rather pay $120 a year to not only watch pay-per-views live when they air, but to watch them on demand whenever I want to, as long as I want to. Plus the extensive video library of not only WWE, but WCW, ECW, AWA, and Smokey Mountain Wrestling is awe-inducing, and you can really spend all your time on the network watching archive footage and not realize how much time you’ve actually spent there. The network originals are pretty good. Camp WWE, Table for 3, and the Stone Cold Podcast are easily the best entries, with Road Trip and Swerved being completely servicable. The best things on the network are, hands down, NXT weekly programming and specials and the Cruiserweight Classic. NXT gives you that indie show feel with big budget production, and makes the superstars matter more than the sponsers and the tie-ins and that merchandise. It also allows us to get a glimpse of how great the future of the main roster can really be. The Cruiserweight Classic is by far the best hour of television on the Network. The matches are phenomenal, with both the in-ring showcases and the commentary by the best WWE has to offer, Daniel Bryan and Mauro Ranello. They really allow you get the emotion one should feel when watching some of the BEST wrestlers on the planet. Key highlights are Kota Ibushi versus Cedric Alexander (a match of the year candidate) and Tomasso Ciampa versus his best friend and tag team partner Johnny (Wrestling) Gargano. The first match for the spectacle and the second for the raw emotion.

Overall, the WWE has a good product coming out right now, with a an almost unlimited amount of upside. The Cruiserweight Classic is quickly stealing the show, with the stars of NXT not far behind, and people like Sami Zayn, Kevin Owens, Finn Balor, Aj Styles and the former Shield mates looking to sneak and an really steal the show(s). To finish this article, I am looking for feedback. Below I will list my WWE Match of the Year candidates and I want your input on where they rank so far. In a year many calling the Year of Matches, there must be a winner. I will list a preliminary winner after feedback, and then we will update it after each of the Big 4 shows starting with Summerslam, then Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, and Wrestlemania. Leave your comments below, and tell me what you think! Until next time, Peace!

Match of the Year Candidates (WWE)

Kota Ibushi vs. Cedric Alexander – CWC Round 2

Tomasso Ciampa vs. Johnny Gargano – CWC Round 1

Intercontinental Championship Fatal 4-Way – Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens vs. Cesaro vs. The Miz (c) – Payback 2016

Sami Zayn vs. Kevin Owens – Battleground 2016

Sami Zayn vs. Shinsuke Nakamura – NXT Takeover: Dallas 2016

Finn Balor vs. Samoa Joe – NXT Takeover: The End 2016

Womens Championship Triple Threat – Sasha Banks vs. Becky Lynch vs. Charlotte – Wrestlemania 32

#Wrestling #WWE

An Introduction (that should have been first?)

Hello, Ladies and Gents

First off, I really, REALLY appreciate you all coming to read my stuff like this. I know you don’t have to, but I still want to say thank you for doing so.

While I was going over topics to talk about here, I realized something. I realized that I had not really introduced myself on here like I should have. I know a lot of you that are reading these early posts are friends of mine and that you probably already know all this information (and thanks for listening to me babble on BTW), but this is for those of you who don’t know me really. To get things started, here’s the nitty gritty on ol’ CNB (CAUTION: I may get a little deep and emotional here)…

My name is Brandon, I’m 28 years old, and I like to talk (when I get to know you…). I love video games, sci-fi and fantasy movies/television, card and board games, writing, and sports of different varieties. I have a sister and a brother (who passed away 5 years ago), a loving mom whom I don’t give enough credit in raising me, and a lot of aunts and uncles and cousins who made my life growing up just a little bit easier than it could’ve been. I grew up in a single-parent household, and I have been the man of the house for most of my pre-teen-to-adult life. It wasn’t easy, but it had to be done and I wasn’t going to rely on someone else to come in and do it. I have some amazing uncles and aunts (one who has passed away) that did everything they could to help me along and make me a better person and take care of the ones closest to me. I am also the oldest child in my immediate family, so there is some (almost implied) responsibility that I also had to take on. My childhood wasn’t easy, but I’m glad it wasn’t because it help make me the (hopefully) responsible and awesome adult I am today.

I have some of the best friends in the world, who check in and make sure I am getting through life okay. They would do anything for me and I would do the same for them, and we all know it. We have (mostly) common interests and geek out about the same things. We can look at something and instantly know if the others would smile, or cry, or die of uncontainable hilarity when we see it. We are there for each other when we are down and out, and celebrate when we reach new highs. We are a fun (if not always politically correct) bunch.

For some not-so-cheery info, I do suffer from clinical depression. It has been something I have been battling for a long while, which I finally decided to do something about and seek professional help. I have always wanted to be more productive with my writing, and getting help has finally given me the drive to hunker down and just start doing it. I will do my best to keep you guys informed if I’m going to be a little light on content when I am going through… things. Anyone with some form of depression knows that there are just days where we can’t function, sometimes even make the effort to get out of bed, and those days will come. They are fewer and farther between, but they still happen, and I will keep you guys in the loop on things going on. Just writing all of this is helping power through some darker thoughts that I have had recently, and my hope is that writing consistently will help with these issues more.

Details on my job are not important. If I know you personally, you know what I do. I like my job, it pays the bills, and still gives me enough free time to do what I want within reason of having an adult job. If I’m lucky, one day I’ll be doing this writing/blogging/video blogging thing as a full-time career. Until then, I’m happy where I’m at. Nuff’ said.

A Few of My Favorite Things: Mac n’ Cheese (homemade, not that box s***), Mass Effect and Red Dead Redemption, professional wrestling (It’s still real to me, damn it…), Magic: The Gathering (see previous post), novelty and graphic T-shirts, not eating Chipotle with a fork (but with the chips), and when my cat tries to lay on my head everytime I sit in my favorite chair…

Okay that last one is a lie.

Sorry I’m rambling…

…

Holy crap its 4am. I’m going to bed. Good night guys, thanks for reading!

MTG Standard: Bant Company? I Think Not!

Hello there, fellow players! Codename Bluebird here with some thoughts on the Standard metagame and a deck tech that I think you will like.

To start off, let’s address the elephant in the room. Bant Company is considered the best deck in the Standard Format right now. Whether that is true remains to be seen, but it is certainly the popular opinion. I’m not going to lie, I played it for a while as well, as I really like the synergy between the Bant colors (White, Blue, And Green). It also helps that there are SO MANY decent utility creatures in Standard that not only fall into Bant colors, but also fall in Collected Company range. Between Sylvan Advocate, Reflector Mage, Duskwatch Recruiter, and Nissa – Vastwood Seer, there is so much tempo (Reflector Mage), Smash-y goodness (Advocate), and creature and land ramp (Nissa and Duskwatch) that it makes one think that the deck is too good to pass up. It didn’t help that new sets Shadows over Innistrad and, especially, Eldritch Moon gave the deck even more gas to go on between the new Thalia – Heretic Cathar and Selfless Spirit and Spell Queller. Those three cards alone have made the deck insanely more powerful.

As proof that the deck is just that good, Magic: The Gathering Hall of Famer and possibly the best ever, Luis Scott-Vargas, piloted the deck to a Top 4 finish at Pro Tour Eldritch Moon in Sydney, Australia. Even though the deck didn’t go all the way (the one that did was a WB Control deck that many dismissed), it still shows the power the deck contains when piloted right. It has the ability to blow opponents out from turn 4 and on, and can grind with the best control and midrange decks out there.

Despite all that, many see the deck as the ‘boogyman’ because its popularity and consistant results have made it, for lack of a better term, oppressive. Not that the deck can’t be beaten, because we know it can, but because there are so few obvious options that can that people are getting frustrated. I know many people who have literally stopped playing Standard because of the fact. I even thought about doing it, until I decided to brew and see what I could come up with. Here are a few thoughts on what I have come up with:

Brew - Jeskai Dragons

So this deck is still in the works of being tweaked, but its my early favorite. As many of my fellow players that know me well enough understand, I love the Jeskai color combination of Red, White, and Blue. Not because of patriotism, but because of the synergies I find in them. I like tempo plays, I like control. When the color combination got a dedicated “tribe” in the Khans of Tarkir block, I jumped for joy. Turn 1 Monastery Swiftspear, turn 2 Seeker of the Way, turn 3 Mantis Rider always made me extremely happy. This deck is very much a different deck, but has many of the same principles. Push the tempo plays, keep the other player off-kilter, and stay on your game plan. That’s usually easier said than done, but the deck has enough ways to deal with different threats that you typically don’t have to worry about something that gets by.

A combination of Fiery Impulse, Draconic Roar, Negate, and Declaration in Stone will deal with early threats and allow you to put your opponent on tilt. The casting cost on these cards help the combination because they have no double colored costs which shouldn’t be hard to hit between the Shivan Reefs and the Battlefield Forges in the deck. Declaration in Stone is one of the best removal cards in standard as it hits new Emarkul, wrecks armies of Sylvan Advocate and tokens, etc. Your usually not worried about Negate mana until turn 3 or 4, so focusing on white and red is typically the line of play. Turn 3 gives us access to two Thalia – Heretic Cathar, three Reflector Mage, and Stasis Snare. These are the tempo plays in the deck that can keep your opponent from getting too far ahead.

Turn 4 you should be able to hit double red or white, and unleash one of four Thunderbreak Regent or Gideon – Ally of Zendikar, to start making a bigger board state. If you have no creature/planeswalker play on turn 4, you should be able to do another tempo play and hold up removal, or have Ojutai’s Command for the other troublesome creature decks, or the huge tempo play of an escalated Collective Defiance. Turn 5 gives you Dragonlord Ojutai, Turn 6 gives you Chandra – Flamecaller. From there, make more tempo plays and start swinging with Chandra tokens, Dragons, or one of your two creature lands in Wandering Fumarole and Needle Spires.

There is some card draw/filtering in Anticipate and Tormenting Voice, of which I favor Anticpate a little better in this deck as there isn’t a way to get cards out of your graveyard very well. Thinking of running two Jace – Vryn’s Prodigy to help with that, but it doesn’t feel like it wants to fit in the deck. There is not a lot of countermagic in the deck because in the current meta, removal seems to outweigh permission because of all the different creature decks running around. I mainly run Negate because of turn 4 Collected Company or throwing off ramp in emerge decks and planeswalker/removal in the few control decks running around. The sleeper in the deck I feel is Collective defiance, which is perfectly serviceable on turn 3 with any of its three modes, great on turn 4, and insane on turn 5 when you can make your opponent discard, kill a big creature like Avacyn or Sylvan Advocate, and Lightning Bolt their face at the same time.

The sideboard I am still working on, but seems okay. Another Collective Defiance if the matchup seems like it can support it, another Declaration in Stone, two Rending Volley and a Roast are the mainstays. There are couple of cards that I have added to try and help against Emrakul decks, like Subjugator Angel which is good for me on either turn of a Emrakul mindslave, and Summary Dismissal which is stops Emrakul’s triggered ability and all other spells and abilities on the stack if it resolves.

Overall, I really like the deck. It seems to have game against some of the best decks around, and I look forward to testing. From what I’ve seen, with some tweaking, it can be very very good. View the deck list below and give me some of your thoughts!

JESKAI DRAGONS BREW

Creatures

4 Thunderbreak Regent

3 Reflector Mage

2 Thalia, Heretic Cathar

1 Eldrazi Displacer

2 Dragonlord Ojutai

2 Thopter Engineer

Instants and Sorceries

2 Anticipate

2 Draconic Roar

1 Tormenting Voice

1 Collective Defiance

3 Fiery Impulse

1 Stasis Snare

2 Ojutai’s Command

2 Declaration in Stone

2 Negate

Planeswalkers

2 Gideon, Ally of Zendikar

1 Nahiri, the Harbinger

1 Chandra, Flamecaller

Lands

1 Island

3 Mountain

3 Plains

2 Needle Spires

3 Wandering Fumarole

4 Prairie Stream

4 Battlefield Forge

2 Shivan Reef

4 Evolving Wilds

Sideboard

1 Subjugator Angel

1 Roast

1 Dispel

1 Summary Dismissal

1 Pia and Kiran Nalaar

1 Collective Defiance

2 Rending Volley

1 Goblin Dark-Dwellers

1 Planar Outburst

2 Incendiary Flow

1 Declaration in Stone

#Magic #MTG #Decks

CODENAME BLUEBIRD (AKA BRANDON'S BACK)

New Name, New Blog!

Hey everyone, I know its been a long while since I’ve been on here (lots of stuff going on), but I am actively trying to do more. First thing on the list, reintroduce myself!

My name is Brandon, and I am nerdy guy with a passion for Magic: The Gathering, Video Games, reading, and Professional Wrestling. My blog will have a lot of different articles, planning on set reviews for Magic, episode and special reviews for wrestling, streaming for video games (find me on Twitch at Wintersoldier40!), and just general posts on how I’m doing. I am in the process of setting up a Facebook and Twitter page, I already have my Tumblr set up (codenamebluebird.tumblr.com) so go check it out. I am an avid player of board games and getting into tabletop RPGs, couple of which I plan on talking about in some length on here, ran by my very good friend JLSpaw! Finally, please check out the content on the Slamfist Media page (www.slamfistmedia.com) and take a look at all of our content on the Supara world, its backstory, and our series of commission art from acclaimed comic artist Joe Eisma!

Next step is to see what you guys want from me content-wise. Is there something I missed? Is the niche that I missed that you might want me to explore? Please sound off on the comments below. I look forward to hearing from you!

THE COMMISSION COLLECTION: MONTH 6

So, it's another month, and I have another piece from Joe Eisma to showcase. Again, I encourage anyone who can to support this fine artist, by visiting his Patreon page HERE. The man does great work, and honestly his fee for a monthly commission is incredibly reasonable. Check it out, and if you don't want to commit to that, perhaps consider heading out to your friendly local comic book shop, and picking up the first trade of his comic "Morning Glories". It's a strange, and wonderful series, and I highly recommend it for anyone seeking a change from the standard superhero comics.

Last month, I showed you Elijah and Patrick, in their civilian clothes, today they join the fray in full on superhero attire! I present to you Kinetico and Ghost. Eventually, I'll have full character sheets for these two (I swear this is a goal of mine), and I'll be able to link you to those to let you know more about these characters. For now, just take a moment, and check out the art.

#Commission #art

REVIEW: "SUICIDE SQUAD"

So we meet again, DC Cinematic Universe. It seems like only a few short months since you had me staring at the screen, asking over and over again, "WHY DID YOU SAY THAT NAME?". Now you have returned, bringing along one of my favorite DC characters that was created specifically for an animated TV show that I adored growing up. So, for Harley's sake... I trotted off to see this film.

Despite the vitriol people seem to think I throw at the DC Cinematic Universe unnecessarily, I really do want these films to succeed. I grew up as a huge fan of Superman. Batman The Animated Series was a something that took precedence over all other activities. I resented my older brother when he was taken to the theater to see Batman (1989) and I was left at home. I remember sitting there in stunned silence all those years ago, when I saw Lois Lane holding Superman's dead body, after that fateful melee with Doomsday. So, with that in mind, please know that above all else I WANT DC to do well. Hell, I think the industry NEEDS DC to do well.

Sadly, this is not the film that is going to fix all those problems, but it is a start.

Before you run away thinking this is going to be nothing but me bashing the movie, stop, and give me a chance to explain myself. There is a lot to enjoy here, but ultimately, the problems it faced were close to insurmountable. Please indulge me as I step off the precipice and dive straight into things...

For those that don't know, the Suicide Squad (officially Task Force X) is a group of criminals, assembled by Amanda Waller, to go on a suicide mission. If they succeed, time will be taken off their sentences. If they fail, well... they die. There is more to this arrangement, but I'll let the movie fill that in for you.

That basic premise alone, makes this movie an interesting prospect. We're not going to be faced with heavy moralization that we see in something like Captain America, we are teased with the idea of vicious criminals, being allowed to let loose (in a controlled sort of way) on all manner of things worse than they are. That idea sounds amazing.

In theory, this movie has everything going for it. It has a fun cast, a nice premise, and with Harley Quinn in there, a little bit of humor should be a given.

The actors do a great job of bringing their characters to life. Margot Robbie manages to walk that line between brilliant psychiatrist, and psychopathic lunatic that should underline Harley Quinn's character. Will Smith manages to inject Deadshot with a great sense of humanity, and even manages to make one feel sorry for his character. Viola Davis comes off as the proper type of manipulative bitch that one would expect from Amanda Waller. Cara Delevingne put up an admirable performance as June Moone as well as The Enchantress.

I really wish they had given a little more screen time to Karen Fukuhara, who seemed like a good fit for Katana, but I feel was pushed to the side to make way for more time with Deadshot and Harley.

Arguably, Harley is the most interesting part in the movie. She provides a lot humor, as well as a surprising amount of relatability to this motley crew of miscreants. She can switch from lovesick, to tough as nails psychopath in the blink of an eye, and is quick with a joke. She has some moments of intense weakness that she manages to cover up as soon as she sees someone looking, leaving one to wonder how much of her schtick is just a mask to hide how broken she is inside.

This brings us to some of the major downfalls of this film. I think the fault of this can be laid firmly at David Ayer's feet. As writer and director, I think he tried to cram too much into the movie, leaving some scenes seeming to be mildly ADD, one need only to watch the opening of the film to see what I mean. Character origins are tossed in willy-nilly, and relatively glossed over. Rather than offering up a good connection to the characters, we are offered up brief, blink-and-you'll-miss-it flashes of what got them to this point. Not to mention the climactic battle, that... makes absolutely no sense from a character perspective.

This movie, would have benefited from some lead in. A solo Batman flick to introduce Harley and this incarnation of the Joker to the audience. That would have cut out some of the necessity of introducing them in this film, opening up a lot of opportunity to tighten things up. Some of these characters are somewhat obscure to the average movie-goer, so offering up more time to develop the more obscure characters would have been a great benefit.

Now, for the elephant in the room, Jared Leto's Joker...

As a character, I think he's great. Over-the-top insanity, sociopathic tendencies, as well as that strange relationship with Harley, all spell out a great Joker. However, I can't get past that awful aesthetic. The tattoos and the strange metal teeth, are too jarring, and end up taking me out of the moment, every time he is on screen. Which is a true shame, because he actually is really good in the role.

All in all, the movie was a let down. A mess, that occasionally shines through with moments of brilliance. Ultimately it was more enjoyable than some movies, and is arguably the most enjoyable movie in the DC Cinematic Universe, it still shows that this universe needs some work.

RECOMMENDATION: If you're a fan of Orphan Fight and Man of Hopeless Bleak Despair, this movie will be right up your alley. If you are expecting a tight, focused story... Well, perhaps you might want to look elsewhere.

IS IT THEATER-WORTHY: There are some bombastic scenes that will play well on the big screen, but at the end of the day, the whole thing is underwhelming. It might play well for others on the screen, but for me, The Fresh Prince of Belle Reve and friends are just not worth it.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The film tries to do something great, and at moments, the greatness shines through. But it is all rather, muddied by the sea of mediocrity it is mired in. From the awful look of the Joker, to the over-sexualization of Harley and the Enchantress, the film just fails on a visual level. The story does not hold up well, and might benefit a great deal from a director's cut, that might help explain the mess that was the final battle, but I honestly don't think anything is going to salvage that. It is a good step forward, but shows that DC still has a long way to go if they want to compete with Marvel on this stage.

FINAL SCORE: 6 out of 10

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REVIEW QUICKIE: THE KILLING JOKE

I don't want to go too in depth on this, it's not meant to be a full review, this is meant to give my thoughts quickly(ish) and be a fairly quick read... But, I suck at quick... so, bear with me. Also, as this is based on an old graphic novel, I will not be putting in spoiler alerts. I will also strive to avoid any major spoilers, just in case...

I went into "The Killing Joke", admittedly not remembering the entirety of the story. I remember a character I love getting shot, I remember an ending I absolutely hated due to its utter ambiguity. Beyond that, a lot of the details were sketchy. (Note to self: Find copy of The Killing Joke, and reread).

The movie has a great voice cast, and for brief moments, I was transported back to my childhood, listening to two of the actors that helped make the animated series (and subsequent games) so enjoyable. And adding in the prolific Tara Strong to the mix definitely helped. So, suffice to say, I absolutely loved the voices.

The music was also a thing of beauty. Setting the mood perfectly (and after teh movie, they showed a wonderful little documentary about the music... complete with a singing Mark Hamill) Again, wonderful to listen to, at times subtle, other times very in your face, and even an odd Joker Broadway number, that was apparently ripped straight from the pages of the graphic novel! (Seriously, Frank... find your copy of that damn book....)

The thing that I find to be a little off, and completely unnecessary was some sexual tension between Barbara and Bruce. A subplot that I felt undermined the strength of the Batgirl/Barbara Gordon character, Honestly, this had absolutely no purpose... it felt awkward, it is turned into a major plot point, and subsequently discarded, as if it never happened. Unfortunately, that sour taste is left behind, and really taints the remainder of the film.

Ultimately, it was a fairly enjoyable flick, which I feel could have done a lot more to expand on the Batgirl character without going down the route they went... If they absolutely HAD to go this route, they could have added in some Nightwing, since they weren't 100% beholden to the original story...

Ultimately a passable entry into the DC Animated catalog, and I look forward to a repeat view (after rereading the graphic novel) It will soon join my BluRay collection, and after that, perhaps I will come back for a more in-depth review.

TO BUY, OR NOT TO BUY?: That is the question... I honestly believe that having Kevin Conroy, and Mark Hamill return is enough of a reason to buy this. And despite some mishandling (in my opinion) of Batgirl, having a story that at least initially focuses in on her, is a welcome thing. So yeah... Buy this one if you can.

FINAL SCORE: C+ (or perhaps a B-) ... it's kind of close, and I've been going back and forth between the two, on my ride home from the theater.

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REVIEW: "GHOSTBUSTERS (2016)"

In 1984, I was 2 years old, my little brother hadn't been born, and frankly, I don't remember shit from that year. However, there is one thing that was created that year (other than my brother) that had a huge impact on my life. The brainchild of Harold Ramis, and Dan Aykroyd, with some directorial vision from Ivan Reitman, "Ghostbusters" would go on to be one of my favorite films growing up. Hell, 5 years later when the sequel came out, I loved the hell out of that, too. So yes, one could very easily say that "Ghostbusters" is sort of a sacred cow for me. I used to watch the cartoon, play with the action figures... growing up one of my greatest toy dreams was to get that firehouse playset. When I went to New York City several years back, seeing that firehouse was one of the must-do items on my agenda (it was literally above a number of other favorite tourist-y locations. I need to lay this out there, so you understand just how much this franchise means to me on a personal level.

Now, some additional information, a little less happy. I despise Melissa McCarthy (as an actress... never met her personally, she could be a very nice lady), similarly, I can't stand Kristen Wiig (I blame her annoying characters from SNL... Again, she might be a nice person... can't say.) And finally, I believe that Paul Feig's directorial work is a pox on the industry.

I understand that people like these individuals, please, just keep reading before you bombard me with your scorn, and hate mail. Because I'm about to piss off another group of people.

I went to see this based on three things. My admiration for Leslie Jones (who I think is fucking hilarious), and my love of Kate McKinnon (as an actress, not a personal thing... since yet again I don't know her personally). Finally, I went in because... at the end of the day, I can't help but be drawn in by the allure of this beloved childhood memory brought to life for a new generation.

Going into the film, I was a very vocal detractor of the movie. My strong dislike of half the primary cast, as well as the director scared the hell out of me. However, a friend convinced me to go, because... even if it was utter shit, If nothing else, I'd have something to write about.

Now, having let the movie stew in my head for a little while, and with an Ecto Cooler in hand, I am ready to say, that the movie is.... Fairly average.

No, it's not the horrible killer of my childhood that it was made out to be. Nor was it a gut-busting, laugh-a-minute comedy. It was resoundingly middle of the road, an opinion that I am sure is flavored, at least in part, by my dislike of the comedic stylings of two of the primary cast.

There are some good comedic moments scattered throughout, though. As expected, the things that got me the most, were Kate and Leslie, as well as the cameos. Throughout, there are some good nods toward the original movie, that helped to bring the whole thing together.

But first, what didn't work for me.

As is to be expected, I found the performances of Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy to be grating, but not exceptionally so. Essentially the things about them that have annoyed me in the past were just put on full display. Frankly, I think I could have forgiven most of Kristen Wiig's performance if it hadn't been for the fact that she turned into more of a gibbering idiot every time Chris Hemsworth showed up... I get it, they want to show that she finds him attractive, and apparently must emphasize that to an insane degree.

By far the worst thing about this movie, was the Fallout Boy theme song (which I think I only heard a brief bit of in the actual movie). It's grating, and the thought of accidentally hearing it again is enough to keep me away from the soundtrack CD, or honestly from ever seeing this film again. (I kid... a bit. More on that shortly).

Now for the things I actually really enjoyed about this film.

Kate McKinnon was delightful. Not only did she provide the only science-y portion of the three "scientists" in the film, she was also the most high energy character they had. She showed true excitement for what she was doing. On top of all that, she also had one of the most badass scenes in the entire movie. Dual Proton Pistols are awesome!

Leslie Jones managed to play up her role as the "every man" (or I suppose "every woman" might be appropriate here?). She operates well as the regular person in a room of scientists. While I had heard bad things about her role going into this, I was pleasantly surprised at how well she fit into the whole dynamic. Honestly, my only complaint is she was under-utilized. Hopefully she can be used more in a potential sequel?

Chris Hemsworth had one of the best parts that wasn't part of the actual movie itself. It's a during the credits scene, and honestly, it got one of the few laughs I had during the movie's run time.

All in all... there was actually some really enjoyable parts to the movie, and in my mind it was worth the price of admission for Kate McKinnon's role alone.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The movie is, surprisingly enough, worth a viewing. I'd say go in with an open mind, and avoid comparing it directly to the originals. On the most part, it is family friendly, barring a single scene that went on too long involving the middle finger, but barring that, I think this is something the whole family can enjoy.

IS IT THEATER-WORTHY: You know, for me this is always a tough one. I liked it well enough on the big screen, but I think it will play better in a home-theater setting. I'm fairly sure this one will end up in my collection at some point. It might be worthwhile for the 3D, as there appeared to be some good opportunity for 3D in this film, since my head was already hurting, I avoided the 3D.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This is not some magical childhood killer. The movie pays homage to the originals, and managed to incorporate several surviving members of the original cast. There are some borrowed beats, but I think that only helps to add to the nostalgia aspect. Kate and Leslie make this movie, hands down. And Chris Hemsworth, while his character can be grating, offers up some great comedic moments. I'll admit, I am often too hard on Kristen Wiig and Melissa McCarthy, and would recommend that if you are a fan of those two, this movie is definitely for you.

FINAL SCORE: 6 out 10

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