Movies

Kung Fu Fighters and Jungle Lords: Neal Adams’ Other Job

July 14, 2020 // 4 Comments

So I used to wonder why there weren’t more Neal Adams comics. I mean… He has a respectable body of work, don’t get me wrong. But for a guy who pretty much ruled comics art in the 70s, you’d think there would be more actual complete comics. While there’s tons of Adams covers, his interior work is more rare, and I used to wonder why that was. The answer, in part, lies with this image I posted a couple of days ago on Dork Forty social media: That was done for the [...]

Funnybooks and YouTubes

May 19, 2020 // 0 Comments

So the day job’s still kicking my ass this week, and that means it’s time for another collection of random stuff. Since I did still images last week, I thought I might direct your attention to some of them fancy MOVIN’ pictures this time out. All funnybook related, of course… First up, I’d like to direct your attention to the 2000 AD THRILLCAST! This week, they’re interviewing quite the murderer’s row of British comics artists: Brian Bolland, Dave [...]

FILM WARS: Before the Star Wars Saga Ends, We Rank What Has Come Before

December 3, 2019 // 0 Comments

So this one’s got a pretty convoluted origin. I started writing it a year and a half ago, after witnessing an insane on-line fan-rage argument over The Last Jedi, months after it came out. I got pretty far into my rankings, but abandoned it for… reasons I don’t remember. It’s been sitting on my hard drive ever since, though, waiting for me to come back to it. Which I did this week, after seeing Knives Out, the new murder mystery flick from Rian Johnson, director of Last [...]

Outrageous Ridiculousness: Godzilla is Truly the King

June 4, 2019 // 0 Comments

Godzilla: King of the Monsters Written and Directed by Michael Dougherty Starring: Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, King Ghidora, and That Kid From Stranger Things So holy crap. This movie is more fun than it has any right to be. WAY more fun. It’s like, on their third try at Godzilla, the scales finally fell from Hollywood’s eyes, and they figured out what makes these films work. Which is to say… Monsters. But not just monsters. They’ve gotten the tone right, too, and that [...]

Super, But Not Great: A Look at Brightburn

May 28, 2019 // 0 Comments

So I went to the movies this weekend. I don’t go as much as I used to, in part because I’m a picky bastard, and the local multiplexes mostly show big-budget crowd pleasers of a kind I’ve gotten tired of. But some things do pique my interest. Such as the funnybook-adjacent horror flick I went to see this week… Brightburn I wanted to see this film based on the premise alone: it’s the Superman origin, told as a horror movie. That’s a great idea, and one [...]

Because I Can’t Stop Thinking About Star Wars, No Matter How Hard I Try

April 19, 2019 // 0 Comments

So here’s my new Star Wars Fan Theory: Rey is not a Real Girl, but is in fact Anakin 2.0. Eh? Eh? Whattaya think? To be honest, I came up with this idea as a joke, just to annoy my prequel-hating friends (which is to say… ALL of my friends). But then it started making sense to me. Sense enough that I decided to write it up real fast. So hear me out… Going back to our Prequel lore, we know that Anakin Skywalker was a virgin birth. His mother reveals that to Qui-Gon Jin in [...]

Funnybooks on Film: It’s Crazy, But It Just Might Work!

March 12, 2019 // 2 Comments

So I don’t know if you guys were aware of this, but there are people out there who actually adapt funnybooks into movies and TV shows. I know, right? I was shocked, too, when I heard. Now, the whole idea sounds crazy to me. But comics are a visual medium by nature, so you never know. Maybe it’ll work. And that’s why I decided to sample a couple: that new Captain Marvel movie that’s out in theaters, and the TV adaptation of Gerard Way and Gabriel Ba’s Umbrella [...]

The Importance of Being the Panther

February 20, 2018 // 0 Comments

So I went to see that Black Panther movie. As long-time readers may remember, this is not the norm for me. I won’t go into my full Kirby Rant ™ right now (if you want to read it, go here). But in short, I don’t like the way Marvel Comics treated Jack Kirby when he was alive, so I choose not to support their efforts at making millions of dollars off his work on the big screen. The whole thing makes me quite angry, to be honest. “Disgusted” wouldn’t be an inaccurate word [...]

Star Treks and Stray Bullets: The Joys of Damn Fine Pulp Writing

September 12, 2017 // 1 Comment

So it’s going to be kind of an uneven column this week. I’m coming off a long weekend today, after a long busy stretch at my day job (nerd farming is fun, but it don’t pay the bills). And as is my habit on such occasions, I did absolutely nothing, except entertain myself with whatever presented itself at any given moment. All that nothing kept me from getting any writing done (as nothing usually does), but at least the entertainment gives me something to write about now. [...]

Serious Fun: Wonder Woman is Super Heroes Done Right

June 6, 2017 // 1 Comment

So I went to see the Wonder Woman movie. And it was good. Well, that was easy! Guess I’ll knock off early and go read some funnybooks! Or… Maybe not. Seriously, Wonder Woman really is good. Damn fine super hero storytelling. It hits all the right notes and accentuates the things that make the character unique. It’s fun, but takes itself seriously enough to wrestle with big ideas. It’s got a charismatic lead who’s good enough to take on an iconic role and make it [...]