How big of a Star Wars fan am I? Big enough to use my Republic credits for tickets to a metal music show where grown men cosplayed and played heavy metal versions of Star Wars theme songs and instrumental pieces! Yeah, I’m a nerd!
Galactic Empire is a five-piece band that rocks the galaxy. As noted they primarily play Star Wars themes but with a heavy rock edge. The five members dress up as their own Star Wars characters. We get Dark Vader, a Sith Lord on lead guitar. Don’t forget the Mandalorian drummer, Boba Sett. We get an alien, a bounty hunter, and a trooper to fill out the band…a band that plays the Emperor’s favorite hits!
I personally began listening to them online. They showed up in a music feed as a suggestion, a suggestion where the Force was strong! I read a lot of books with instrumentals playing in the background. When I read a Star Wars book, I play themed music. And Galactic Empire spiced up the mix from the regular orchestral John Williams themes I was playing when visiting a galaxy far far away.
I recently attended a Galactic Empire concert live. I pulled the Between Bride into this wildness who stared with awe and fear as I jammed out to “Cantina Band” a smidge more than a grown man should. I think the first question about going to a Galactic Empire concert is literally, will I fit in? I found the crowd to be nerds like me mostly! Some were Star Wars bounding, some wore Star Wars novelty shirts like me, while others were clearly metal fans. But almost everyone was really there to have a good time. It never felt as overwhelming as a convention, and reminded it most of when I saw Dick Dale playing in a grimy college bar with just a mix of open-minded fans.
Now, here’s my biggest complaint. They did move away from just Star Wars anthems. They played the “Indiana Jones Theme” which they have also released. But they also played “Main Theme” from Pirates of the Caribbean and “The Avengers Main Theme” which were true bangers, and I really want to be able to access recordings of them when reading in other genres. But perhaps, those tunes are the dark side!
The band Galactic Empire is fun. They dress up and don’t take themselves too seriously while making some really fun music. Would I go again, yes! And I really do hope they continue to put out metal versions of some of my favorite Disney themes, including those from other galaxies.
This post contains affiliate
links, which means that Between Disney receives a percentage of sales
purchased through links on this site.
One of my best days as a Disney fan was the company's purchase of Marvel Comics. I have often joked that all Marvel has to do after the LucasFilm addition is buy the Chicago Cubs and they have all of me. To be fair, I would need them to buy a lacrosse team too! The Marvel purchase has re-energized me in my love of comics, and loving history I have been seeking more and more about Marvel's past. Needless to say, the over 450 pages in Marvel Comics: The Untold Story gave me plenty to think about.
Marvel Comics: The Untold Storyby Sean Howe is a history of Marvel Comics from it's creation amongst a world of magazines to the Disney purchase. The story begins with Martin Goodman and his Timely Comics founded in 1939. Goodman liked to change the names of his magazines, comics and companies often, which lead in 1961 to Goodman's comic arm becoming Marvel Comics. It is also in 1961, when Marvel's fortunes were on the rocks that editor-in-chief Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby introduced The Fantastic Four to the public as Marvel's first real superhero comic. With the success of this super team other new creations followed including Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, the Hulk and the super team Avengers. But despite all of the success that this Marvel Age brought the company there were still squabbles over royalties, credit and artistic freedom in the halls of Marvel, which was far from Stan Lee's happy picture of the Marvel Bullpen. With the fortunes of publishing often waning, Lee attempted to lead Marvel into Hollywood attempting to get Marvel characters on television and movies. Due to poor creative and business choices, Marvel would become a target of other companies for purchase, eventually with Disney buying Marvel's impressive character catalog.
Marvel Comics: The Untold Storyis massive. And I have noticed amongst my friends who have read it, no one read it fast. It is dense and full of information, so do not expect to sprint through this very detailed and clear book. This one will take some time, in fact I have been reading it slowly over a few months.
I have never seen Mad Men, but this is how I picture it would be. As the company becomes a critical success in the 1960's men in ties work at drafting tables making heroes come alive. However, there is a seedier darker side where creators vie for attention and struggle to get paid. Some of the saddest portions of this text is reading of the relational damage these men did to each other as they fought to make a dollar as contractors and Marvel sought to stay profitable often by shorting the men who brought them stories. This Mad Men was followed by the drug induced images of the 1970's as Marvel's office included many creators enjoying youth and available drugs to explore.
Of course, one of the key players in all of this is Stan Lee. Lee wrote the stories, mostly or kinda. He created the Marvel method where he provided artists with outlines, allowed them to draw and then added text afterwards. And he hired and fired the staff. I know that there is much debate about how creative Lee actually was during the Marvel Age and if he rode on the coattails of others like Kirby. And it saddens me to read in these pages of the arguments between the two over creative credit. So as one reads of Lee's move from New York to California to seek Marvel's Hollywood fortune, it comes as no surprise that he abandoned the world of monthly creators to go somewhere that isolated him from the office politics of the New York office. I do feel that Howe portrays Lee correctly, as someone who is not a devil and may have mixed his facts sometimes. But it also appears that he often attempted to give credit to his creative partners and was as upset as them if stories were too Lee-centric. Another aspect I had not considered about Lee was the impact that the work for hire rules had on him. While Marvel paid him well as the face of the company, he also had surrendered royalties to his greatest creations to the company while producing them for Marvel's titles.
One aspect that I found intriguing was the long progression to get Marvel comics into film. Lee efforted for years as Marvel stories were in development hell. And he had become familiar with Marvel movies dying before they could enter production. I think today we have become some used to the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, that we would not even think to consider that it did almost never happen.
I did find myself laughing as one sales director is quoted as saying, "Marvel is not Disney (Howe, 385)." They most definitely are now! Over a decade later they would be. Marvel in that late 90s began to experiment with harder edgier titles like Alias about Jessica Jones. Creators amped up the violence and adult situations attempting to bring in adult paying audiences. I have found it interesting in my own looks at Disney to consider that it is a family entertainment company where Marvel is based on the popularity of action violence. And in many ways while Disney today attempts to use Marvel to bring in young boy audiences, it is the one arm of the company that appears to be able to provide the most edge.
Marvel Comics: The Untold Storyis a must have for Disney fans who want to know more about all arms of the company and Marvel fans. The tales found within its pages are not as black and white as the color comics that Marvel produces. But it is a story of intrigue and men under pressure that many will be able to enjoy.
I really do not watch a lot of online videos. But when I do, "How It Should Of Ended" comes to the top of my list.
These videos, which have spoilers, poke fun at some of our favorite movie and their plot holes. So they are silly but also thoughtful. In honor of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.here is a selection of Marvel Cinematic Universe videos.
I love this Iron Man 3video which compares Iron Man 3 to The Incredibles. And we find out how the Avengers move on after the events of the film.
And in The Avengersedition Batman and Superman compare themselves to the Marvel team.
This bonus scene for The Avengersshows the softer side of the alien invaders in the Battle of New York.
I am a Disney fan, Marvel fan, superhero fan and a heretic.
Contrary to other reviews you may have read already, let me say Iron Man 3 is a good movie but not the greatest superhero comic movie ever. It is not as good as The Avengers, Iron Man 2,or Iron Man (my personal ranking, yes I did put 2 before 1). It is fun and enjoyable though at times (the front) it kind of drags and I have plenty of concerns that brought me out of the movie the first time I watched it. Maybe my expectations were too high!
In the third installment of the Iron Man series, an emotionally maturing Tony Stark, played brilliantly by Robert Downey Jr., is dealing, and not well, with the emotional ramifications of the battle for New York in The Avengers. While emotionally at his wit’s end he enters into a confrontation with the terrorist The Mandarin who is attempting to reeducate the American President. Tony becomes embroiled into this confrontation after one of The Mandarin’s Extermis soldiers hurts someone close to Tony. After a strike on his home, Stark must determine how to defeat the demons of his past, find The Mandarin’s lair, protect those he loves and defend the United States’ government in this Mousey Movie:
Team Work: Where is Captain America? I assume that Thor is not in the neighborhood but where is Captain America? Shouldn’t Captain America face a challenge against the United States and its leader? Is he not the most natural of Tony’s friends, he has a flag on his chest, to at least fight for the American way of life? Where is S.H.I.E.L.D. and Nick Fury? Tony Stark is at least loosely affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D., so should we not expect Nick Fury (who never shows up) to at least send someone like Coulson’s replacement over to the Stark Ranch after an air strike against it. But nope, no S.H.I.E.L.D. Tony Stark is part of a wider world, so where is everybody?
The Real World: To me a hallmark of the Iron Man films has been cementing Tony Stark to the real world. So I wondered how The Mandarin played by Ben Kingsley would be handled. The Mandarin is a traditional Asian Iron Man villain powered by ten rings that are either magical or alien depending on the story arc you are reading. He is very non-real world. But I do applaud the fresh and realistic take they give to the Mandarin. He is portrayed in a way that should not be offensive to any culture. And he easily could exist in our world. Since Thor brought us Gods and The Avengers brought us aliens I thought maybe they would take an imaginary leap with The Mandarin. Instead, they followed their past and stayed in our world and I really liked it. And Kingsley was brilliant in his portrayal of this classic villain.
Kids and Animals: Kingsley was good, but Ty Simpkins stole the show for me. Who? Exactly! This fresh faced youngster plays a boy named Harley. Harley like Stark is mechanical and an emotional hot mess. If anyone can put the cocky superhero into his place it is Harley. Disney, sign this kid onto a long-term contract. We need to see him in future films as a sidekick to the millionaire, a protégé one might say. With Coulson out of the picture, until the T.V. show premiers at least, I officially identify Harley as my new favorite Marvel Cinematic Universe original character.
Tear Jerker: Everyone who has seen the trailers knows that Tony’s home is attacked and his hall of armor is devastated. I used to be sad about this when I saw the first trailers. But I must have come to terms with it, because I was sad but the armor loss did not upset me. But I had forgot there were other items in the garage that I've become emotionally attached to. So despite seeing this scene over and over again I was still left with a sense of loss.
Other People’s Property: Punisher, Ghost Rider, Daredevil and Blade are all officially back in the Disney/Marvel family. And it is clear that Disney is concerned with staking claims to their property, intellectual property that is. Along with the return of the Marvel lost children, Kevin Feige has announced that Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch are planned to be featured in The Avengers 2. This is interesting since Disney does not have movie rights to their daddy Magneto, who is in the X-Men films. And you have to wonder if they can even stay they are mutants? But the move does block these mutant siblings from being used in the non-Disney Marvel movies. Another addition in the second Avengers film is AIM as Aldrich Killian’s think tank. And Roxxon is mentioned as a company within the Disney Cinematic Universe before it could show up in a Spider-Man film. The most interesting marking of the Disney territory is War Machine being re-branded as Iron Patriot. I prefer the War Machine name, especially since Rhodey has never been Iron Patriot. Oh, and Iron Patriot is a villain, a re-purposed Iron Man suit worn by Spider-Man villain Norman Osborn. Is it possible that Marvel and Disney made this name change now to keep an Iron Man-like armor from showing up in the Spider-Man films? Honestly, I have a hard time believing that Sony could include Iron Patriot in their plans without Marvel approval. When all the intellectual dust settles, I wish War Machine was still War Machine!
Business Casual: This is a small thing, but it took me out of the movie. Don Cheadle’s Colonel James Rhodes the pilot of Iron Patriot is an Air Force officer. So his uniform when on patrol in the Iron Patriot armor is a polo and jeans that one can buy in any men’s section. Should he not have some sort of Battle Dress Uniform or other sanctioned and logoed military outfit when on official patrol, and not an outfit I could buy in every department store’s men’s section? I guess it does make CosPlay easier! I just keep thinking that Walt Disney demanded that Imagineers be true to details because even if we did not know why something was off we would still feel it. I felt it!
Action Jackson: The action sequences are really good, especially the attack on the Stark mansion and the battle finale. The Between Kid saw it with me the second time and I am pretty sure there was no blinking during both of these sequences. And despite having seen the movie once before, I still felt pulled into Tony’s struggles as his house was destroyed around him. The second time I paid to see the film in IMAX 3D, which usually I dislike. But for Iron Man 3 I really enjoyed the feeling of broken glass flying at me or ashes floating throughout the room.
Grow Up: I do believe the storyline shows growth for three of our main characters. Tony Stark clearly now cares for someone beyond himself, Pepper Potts. Potts, portrayed by Gwyneth Paltrow, is definitely in charge of Stark Industries and comfortable with that role. She says no and yes on her authority and not Tony’s. In fact, Pepper comes off as a very strong figure in the board room, her romantic relationship, and even on the battlefield filled with villains and heroes. And Happy Hogan , played by Jon Favreau, no longer drives Tony or Pepper around but heads all of Stark security. It is nice to see these original three have not been stuck in place.
False Ending: I really feel like they are trying to give Iron Man 3 a Dark Knight Rises ending where the trilogy of Iron Man films are all wrapped up in a neat little package. But everyone, and I mean everyone to the youngest child knows, knows that regardless of the ending tying up of plot points that Tony Stark and Iron Man will return in The Avengers 2. In fact, the ending could literally end the Iron Man saga, and the Between Tween asked if there would ever be another Iron Man movie. After the post-credit scene we are told Tony Stark will be back and all the emotional work that the ending built up is out the window with a title card. I really felt like they fully do not understand the bigger picture. If this was the true end of a trilogy I would be satisfied. But that is not the situation. In the end, this ending is just misdirection to me. I should not I have debated heavily with a friend about this point, but I still have not been convinced it was the ending we needed.
Again, good not great. Iron Man 3 does have things we expect and need including the Stan Lee cameo and the post credit scene. Actually the post credit scene was not what I expected, or still believe needed, but was probably one of the best to date. If you are reading this blog, you will probably see Iron Man 3, if you have not already. I recommend sitting back, relaxing and do not look critically. Because when I took that strategy it was a much better movie.
It was an easy sale to get me to pick up Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Prelude #1. I got it for free for The Marvel Comics App. I like free, free is good. I like Iron Man,Iron Man 2, and The Avengers, they are good. So clearly, I was destined to enjoy this as I prepared to see Iron Man 3, which I will have seen by the time of posting and assume I will have thought was good. Sadly, despite my excitement, I was found wanting in this issue.
Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Prelude #1 is written by Christos Gage and Will Corona Pilgrim with pencils by Steve Kurth. The tale intertwines itself amongst the events of Iron Man 2 and The Avengers. The real main character is Rhodey (James Rhodes) as he follows the leads to track down a terrorist named The Ten Rings, which has supplied terrorists with weapons globally. You will also remember them as Tony Stark’s kidnappers in Iron Man. The issue ends with a cliffhanger as Rhodey in his War Machine armor may have gotten too close to The Ten Rings!
Okay, so I do really enjoy the tie-ins to several Avenger Initiative movies. This issue, for example, does an excellent job at explaining why War Machine did not join the Avengers in New York. And it addresses that Rhodey stole his first armor and shows Stark handing over an updated armor to Rhodes. We also see a glimpse of my beloved Agent Coulson in the background. Additionally, The Ten Rings is a clear foreshadowing of Iron Man 3 and the Mandarin. So I do feel like those who are only fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe could pick up this issue and instantly understand all of the background without comics. Co-writer Pilgrim served as a researcher for Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, so he knows this version of the Marvel universe.
But, I do have two criticisms. First, they did not go all in. Rhodey looks like a buff handsome super hero, which is noticeably different than Don Cheadle's more unstated body type. Instead, he does look like the Rhodey from the comics. And even though Iron Man is in the title, this is really a War Machine issue and I wish that either this was highlighted in the title or that Stark had less of a supporting role. Second, I wish they would have given me the full story in a single comic. The purpose of this comic is to make me more excited about a movie that I am already planning to see (or will have actually seen when you read this!). This title did not change my impression either way, so charging me $2.99 for the second half or $7.99 for a print version with the whole 40-some pages seems like overkill. Especially since the story did not have enough action for me to choose to purchase the next half. I already know that Rhodey makes it to the movie!
Sadly, I did feel a lack of excitement for Marvel’s Iron Man 3 Prelude #1. I felt very vanilla about it. It is the type of story I would expect kids who devour movie tie-ins to enjoy. But adults will probably not find the strands of a story that will get them excited
I am honestly not a fan of Rataouille, but you have to admit that the rat can mix up some ingredients and come up with a good finished product!
Remy's voice, Patton Oswalt, will appear on the NBC show Parks and Recreation. For his scene he was asked to improv a filibuster scene, and was allowed to use any topic he wanted. His improved speech is the craziest pitch you may find for Star Wars Episode VII! And like the rat, he mixes some of my favorite things together!
What I love about this is Disney's two major hero franchises, Marvel and Star Wars, are both mentioned. I mean there is part of me that would love to see Han Solo and Tony Stark together. And part of me that would be horrified.
Some moments get a lot of hype. In 2012, Peter Parker “died” within the main Marvel universe. In early 2013 Damian Wayne the current Robin in the DC universe was killed. I apologize if I spoiled something for you, but both of these story arcs led to major news coverage in the mainstream media. Yet, I heard nothing of something I believe is a major shift in the Marvel universe from 2011. Marvel released a miniseries titled Battle Scars written by Christ Yost, Cullen Bunn, and Matt Fraction. Seriously you may have never heard of this series, but you need to Disney fans, because its conclusion the Marvel print world and Marvel Cinematic Universe were reconciled. Because at the end, Nick Fury in the print world was African American and stylized after Samuel L. Jackson!
The trade paperback Battle Scars collects all six issues written by Yost, Bunn and Fraction and illustrated by Scot Eaton. The story follows U.S. Army Ranger Marcus Johnson, whose mother an “innocent” school teacher is killed while his is serving overseas. When Johnson returns for her funeral he discovers that he has a bounty on his head and some of the world’s most dangers assassins including Taskmaster and Deadpool are looking to collect, dead or alive. Though put under the protection of S.H.I.E.L.D., Johnson escapes their custody to solve the mystery of why someone killed his mother, targeted him, and the identity of his father who he never knew. While on this journey, he is assisted by a fellow Ranger named Cheese. The two ordinary men bring their training and friendship into a world of superheroes and super villains. By the time the action packed story concludes, the image of Nick Fury is reconciled with the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
I enjoyed this story. I did not pick up the trade thinking I would need to think deeply. What I was hoping for was escapist adventure, and the creators delivered that in spades. This story is full of action. It is really fast paced. And you come to sympathize with Marcus as you want to help him uncover the mystery around him. Because I had seen much of the plot in internet searches earlier I was spoiled to some key point story points and reveals. But I still wanted to keep up with Johnson as he uncovered the mystery surrounding his life. Additionally, I really liked the character of Cheese. Though he lacks flash, his skill and loyalty shine throughout the story.
Again, minor spoilers, at the end of this issue S.H.I.E.L.D. gains two key agents. The first Nick Fury Jr., is an African-American with an eye patch and movie matching scars. If anything the biggest difference between this Fury and the movie version is a Captain America stylized uniform, a gift from Cap himself. Additionally this Nick Fury Jr. is a field commander not the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. This role is continued into the Secret Avengers series which launched in 2013. The other agent is Phil Coulson, suit and all. The writers make it clear that this version of Coulson is a highly trained fighter, who is as expected a Captain America fanboy. We get glimpses of Coulson in this book in the midst of fire fights and the reader understands he is a man of action. I like how he is depicted here more than Secret Avengers where he seemed more like a salesman than a hero to me. I would say if the Marvel Cinematic Universe was able to develop the Fury/Coulson back story that we find in Battle Scars, Coulson’s final act in The Avengers would have even more impact!
Fury and Coulson, Together for the First Time!
Marvel has reconciled itself. No longer is the Nick Fury of the Marvel print world an old crusty Caucasian. He is now an African-American, who looks like a younger version of Samuel L. Jackson. I think this is a good move for Marvel as it may help bring movie fans to the comics. I just don’t understand why more was not made of this as help spread the word, Agent Coulson is in the comics!
Marvel and Disney have an interesting situation on their hands. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is widely popular, and in 2008, Samuel L. Jackson began to firmly establish himself as Nick Fury in Iron Man. Anyone who has only been exposed to this second level Marvel character, on the big screen, can only visualize Fury as Jackson. So for those who explore comics because they enjoyed the Avenger Initiative may be surprised when the stumble upon Fury in print. Yes, Nick Fury in the Ultimate Universe is stylized to look like Jackson, but in the mainline Marvel Universe, Earth 616, super spy Nick Fury is a gruff Caucasian man. In this universe Fury is more along the lines of Clint Eastwood than Samuel L. Jackson. And though this is a comic universe where things can be changed with a brush stroke and a few lines of story, his ethnicity is a little harder to change since Fury has been Caucasian since 1963. So how does one reconcile Marvel history with the expectations of those who have only seen the movies? I believe Marvel thinks they have found their solution in Secret Avengers.
With issue 1 in February 2013, Secret Avengers caught my attention for two reasons. First, it advertised that Agent Phil Coulson was featured. I am a big Coulson fan! Second, it would feature an African-American Nick Fury. The full cast of the title includes S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill, Hawkeye and Black Widow. With 4 members of The Avengers cast, this title is clearly reaching out to fans of the movies. And then adding an African-American Nick Fury completes the attempt to bring movie audiences to a print title. And honestly, though Avengers is in the title, this really is a S.H.I.E.L.D. book. But I personally feel the title choice was to help readers coming from the Cinematic Universe, as they are not yet familiar with Avenger ID cards, an Avengers mansion or self-governing superheroes not backed by S.H.I.E.L.D. But the Avengers label is likely needed to help lead new readers to the concept that this title is related to the movie franchise. Another link to the movies is Hawkeye’s costume, which is far from his traditional over the top purple costume.
As the story opens in Secret Avengers #1, Hawkeye is being taken captive in a foreign land, on a mission that Hawkeye has no knowledge of, in an undisclosed location. This leads to a series of flashbacks where Coulson recruits Hawkeye and Black Widow to serve as Black Ops agents for S.H.I.E.L.D. The duo is introduced to their new field commander, an African-American Nick Fury dressed in a Captain America inspired uniform. The team hits the ground attempting to capture a dealer in black magic before his skills can be used to strike a vital title in the United States. Throughout the book we learn there are secrets upon secrets ranging from why Hawkeye and Black Widow took this assignment to what S.H.I.E.L.D.’s full motivation for using these former Avengers. The story provides hints to action that could happen in future issues and the secrets that can be revealed but the main story is fully resolved in this introductory issue.
Secret Avengers is part of the Marvel NOW! reboot, restructure, reset, or whatever "re" word you want to use. Basically this is a good opportunity to reconcile the print and the cinematic world. And since other changes are occurring, now is the time to bring an African-American Nick Fury into Marvel mainstream with the least disruption. I do understand that Nick Fury is already modeled after Jackson in the Ultimate universe, but I can see how cinema fans want their preferred Fury in the main universe and not a secondary, though exciting, Marvel storyline. At the same time, they also make it clear that this Fury is not the same one that has been around since 1963, a move which should satisfy long-term fans.
Baby Variant Cover - Pointing Out this Team is Low on Powers
Of course it is Fury and Coulson that I laid down my money for. This young and new Nick Fury is modeled after Jackson. He also is a character with unclear motives, much like the movie version. The biggest difference is this Fury is fighting and leading in the field while the Jackson version is largely directing from the bridge of the Helicarrier. I do have a lot of questions about this Fury. It appears that I can find answers to some of these questions in a title called Battle Scars which concluded before Secret Avengers. That series also introduces Coulson to the Marvel mainline universe. I have to admit that I did really enjoy Hawkeye’s reaction to this new Nick Fury! Hawkeye and Fury discuss if the name Nick Fury and James Bond are actually code names for agents and not specific people. It kind of cracks me up to watch a Marvel character attempt to reconcile Bond canon which is far from as complicated as Marvel fictional history. I must admit that I have not warmed up to this version of Coulson. I have seen an animated version of Coulson in Ultimate Spider-Man which is part comic relief straight man and part action hero. This Coulson in this single issue is, well, a used car salesman. I feel like the Coulson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a straight up guy. This guy on the other hand feels a little slimy as he plays let’s make a deal.
The graphics are, in my opinion, solid in this issue. They really help set the stage for a tale that it more spy story than superhero epic. The settings are dark and filled with the back alley type settings you would expect from a black ops team. Sadly, unless the images are super cutting edge, I really do not take full notice of them until they are distracting from the story.
From the business side, I can see why Marvel and Disney both want Secret Avengers. In this title, Marvel brings the movies and Marvel tradition together in a way that could bring new readers to print, paper or digital. I found Secret Avengers #1 a solid endeavor. But with limited money, and new Dole Whip shirts to buy, I will probably wait to borrow the collected trades of this series instead of following it month to month.
I have been a fairly outspoken supporter of Andrew Stantons’ 2012 John Carter. The marketing campaign stole some of my excitement before I saw the film, but the finished product pushed itself into my top five movies of 2012. I am someone who would love a sequel and further exploration of Barsoom. And it is because of the movie that I picked up the original A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs and found myself entranced by a really well developed world in the midst of romantic adventure. I would say due to the film, I am a new convert to Barsoom, and I think there are others like me.
Michael D. Sellers however is part of the pre-movie fan base. For Sellers, awaiting John Carter, was a dream come true where his beloved franchise would finally get its proper due on the big screen. Sellers may have found the final product on the screen satisfactory, but the support given it by Disney was a clear disappointment. For a movie that was budgeted to be a tentpole movie for Disney, the movie was never given the support its $250 million budget should have warranted. The fact that this blockbuster in waiting became either invisible or misunderstood by the potential audience largely led to the label as Disney’s Ishtar.
Sellers in John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood examines the historical development of the film from the Edgar Rice Boroughs decision to write his first short story to the home video release of John Carter. He examines the multiple attempts to bring Barsoom, or Mars, to the big screen including failed efforts by Disney and Paramount. With the Pixar acquisition of Disney just finalized and the John Carter rights being released from Paramount, Carter fan and director Andrew Stanton suggested that Disney studio head Dick Cook pursue the franchise. Cook wishing to please a key member of the Pixar team and a proven director agreed to purchase the rights, despite an earlier Disney failed attempt to develop a Carter film. Stanton, who became a John Carter fan through the 1970s Marvel comics, diligently worked with fellow Carter fans and a supportive producing staff to bring the century old story to a modern audience while staying under the enormous budget. But with the replacement of Cook by Rich Ross, the corporate enthusiasm for Stanton’s first live action release ended. Ross would never give his full support to this project green lighted under the old regime. Ross’ newly hired marketing head, MT Carney, a new voice in movie marketing, was focused on a backlog of projects releasing before John Carter and departmental reorganization. These priorities were placed before the marketing of the potential tentpole film. Additionally, Carney’s research led Disney to remove the phrase “of Mars”, a change that generally meant much of the potential audience was not aware the film was a science-fiction offering. And Disney CEO Bob Iger, while not actively sabotaging the film was interested in acquiring LucasFilm, a desire which could have been hindered by a successful film. The lack of enthusiasm, and marketing, lead the movie to underperformed and be labeled a failure by Disney within ten days of release and before entering the world’s two largest film markets (China and Japan). Sellers finishes his story by discussing a real win for John Carter, being ranked number one in DVD sales upon release. He closes by discussing the possibility of future Carter moviesand the circumstances under which a sequel could be made. And Sellers reviews the various personalities in the real life story of John Carter’s failure and identifies their role in the movie’s bust label.
John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is probably one of the best corporate history titles I have read since Disney War. Sellers does an excellent of job of trying to understand the politics of Disney and why decisions were made. And I think it is fair. For example, as a hardcore Burroughs fan it would be easy for him to paint a picture of Carney that is, well, evil. Many have lambasted her efforts in marketing the film including the decision to remove “of Mars”. Instead Sellers attempts to paint a picture where readers can understand what Carney had to overcome and the competing priorities of her short lived Disney posting. One can understand the pressures and blind spots that Carney was not able to overcome. Still he is honest in showing how the social media campaign failed, and was lacking, for this expert in new media. Additionally, he could have painted Iger as a villain killing the Carter film. Instead, Sellers explains Iger’s acquisition strategy, making it clear why he may have lacked excitement for a film that could have hindered his ability to bring Star Wars fully into the Disney family. Additionally, Sellers deeply analyses the Disney marketing strategy for the film including its poor poor results, especially when compared to The Avengers and The Hunger Games.
Sellers as an author is not just analyzing this story but is also part of it. Sellers was a proactive member of the Burroughs fan community who attempted to move the needle in support of the film. He discusses how he built the fan site www.thejohncarterfiles.com and edited his own fan trailer, one that Andrew Stanton declared was the only trailer that got the movie. Sellers is realistic about the obstacles that a John Carter film had to overcome and looked to the fan community to help Disney overcome them. For example, the number of Burroughs fans had declined severally and the Barsoom stories were a century old. So it did not have an active fan base as vocal as more recentThe Hunger Games to bolster the film and other films such as Star Wars and Avatar had strip-mined the film of key story elements. Sellers as a character in the book had sought to convince Disney and the fan base that the fan community should be actively seeking new members and explaining that John Carter was the inspiration for many popular movies, not a cheap carbon copy of them. Sellers’ attempts were not supported on many sides. While Stanton may have supported his fan trailer, Disney was not interested in seeking inroads with fans. And even the fan community spoke with negative voices expressing concerns about Stanton’s movie and story changes. Some did not see as Sellers predicted that the movie could bring new fans to the Burroughs’ library, like myself. John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is a fair, factual and enlightening assessment of what went wrong with the development, marketing and release of John Carter. The book is well written and clear, and has a personal touch as Sellers enters the story describing his own efforts to support a movie sight unseen. Sellers closes with the belief that there could still be life in the Carter franchise, just not with Disney, and for fellow Carter fans I hope he is right. John Carter and the Gods of Hollywood is a tragedy, showing us the blockbuster that could have been and how the efforts, or lack of, made it one of the most ridiculed movies of 2012.
Honestly, we had a fantastic superhero summer.And I really applaud Marvel and Disney for providing us The Avengers, which was action packed and super super fun.But with The Dark Knight Rises, behind usand not finding time to watch Looperyet, the latest James Bond offering of Skyfall was all that I had to look forward to in future live action offerings.
And then Marvel released the first trailer for Iron Man 3!Building on The Avengersand its recent home video release, well I got excited again.
What did you think?Things explode a lot, including things I do not really want to see destroyed.Tony mentions New York, a clear reference to The Avengers and how it changed him.He clearly is not mentally doing well when Iron Man 3 opens.I do question how his friend Captain America or at least a few random S.H.I.E.L.D. agents do not show up when someone blows up Tony Stark’s mansion!But maybe that will be explained in the movie, or maybe they will be there.I am not sure about Ben Kingsley as The Mandarin yet.He does look super creepy, give that guy a nice refreshing shower.
Thank you Marvel and Disney for getting me excited for May 3, 2013, and giving me a reason to get excited for live action again!I just hope this installment is as Mousey as Iron Man and Iron Man 2.
Was Superman A Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed!recounts anecdotes from the history of popular comic book titles.Author Brian Cronin organizes his book into sections on DC, Marvel and other comic book companies.Within the sections are chapters on popular comic book superheroes such as Batman, Spider-Man and publishers such as Disney.Typically Cronin’s stories follow the origin of key titles and miscellaneous incidents from publishing history.Additionally there are a number of photos and comic art to visually support the tales.
The big question is why should a Disney fan care about this book?First, with Marvel now being a Disney property, after the writing of this book, the history of Marvel will be of interest to general Disney enthusiasts.The print history of two characters found in The Avengers, Captain America and the Incredible Hulk both receive their own full chapters.But for me the Marvel history that I found the most interesting is the role of Stan Lee within the company.Cronin makes it clear that some Marvel colleagues resented Lee while fans celebrated him.Some, including prominent collaborators like Jack Kirby, saw Lee in the limelight as their own contributions were marginalized.Additionally, Lee’s somewhat faulty memory often led to their contributions being ignored by Lee himself.The Marvel Method, outlined by Cronin, developed by Lee also created antagonism.While Lee served as Marvel’s primary writer he could not give full attention to the numerous books he helmed.So instead of pre-writing stories he and the artist would discuss the general story concept.The artist would draw the story they discussed and then Lee would provide the script and narrative to the completed images.Lee would at times take the story in a different direction then the artists envisioned, leading to conflict between Lee and others.In many ways this method paints Lee as an almost Walt Disney figure, coordinating the efforts of many talented people much like Disney did with his animators and Imagineers.
Second, Cronin provides an entire chapter about Disney comics.Though I have not read any of these in depth, I did find the chapter highly interesting.I did not realize that Scrooge McDuck originated in print and not in an animated short or feature.I think most savvy Disney fans would be interested in reading of a storyline suggested by Walt Disney himself around a suicidal Mickey Mouse.Additionally, I enjoyed reading about Disney’s conflicts with Marvel, pre-Disney ownership, over the character Howard the Duck and similarities to Donald Duck.I found the concession of forcing Howard to always wear pants highly amusing.
Finally, Disney is sprinkled throughout the book.The Batman chapter makes references to the use of the Batman theme song to train Dolphins at Epcot.And there is a discussion about how Snow White and the Seven Dwarfsimpacted the budget of the Fleischer Brothers Studio’s Superman shorts.Yes, the impacts of Disney properties are spread throughout this book.
A friend loaned me Was Superman a Spy?because of the Disney chapter.I found the book easy to read, but broken into episodes which at times left the reader wanting to know more about these titles.Of course, some of these titles have had entire books written about them. I would recommend this book to those who want to dip their toes into comic history but not make a deep dive into any one title.But it is far from the definitive work on any of the topics included.
This summer I
saw the movie three times, including twice in the first 24 hours.
There have been
a number of iTunes applications that have been released to promote and support
the movie.But to date I have not
downloaded any of them because I generally do not pay for Apps (I am the only
one in the Between Family with this philosophy).
Recently Marvel
made one of those Avengers applications free for download for a limited
time. The application is designed for iPad and iPod devices.Thor: Son of Asgard is typically, and will likely be again soon,
sold for $2.99.But with a window
of time in which it is free I grabbed it.
In Thor: Son of Asgard, Thor’s brother and
the main villain from Thorand The Avengersis again up to no
good!He has attacked and invaded
Thor’s home of Asgard and Thor must overthrow his brother and his allies to
reclaim his home.
The game play is
a fighting adventure where Thor uses his hammer to defeat Ice Giants, Elves and
more.Thor walks (or runs) through
levels fighting opponents.The game
provides hints on how to defeat new opponents and how to launch new moves.But mostly it’s a lot of Thor Smash, to
steal another hero’s line.
Screenshot from Thor: Son of Asgard
I usually don’t
play games like this.I found that
I could get through the first three levels in around six to seven minutes a piece.I did get defeated in the fourth level
the first time I played it, mostly because I was distracted.
Visually the
game has the right look and feel, it feels like a comic book game.Each segment generally is introduced by
a short video.The scenes show
wide-open landscapes, but the game will stop Thor from walking in some areas to
keep you from wandering away from the game play.
Overall, I
probably would not have downloaded this without it being free at the time I
purchased it.I am anticipating that
I will more game play out of it that I did Fix-It Felix Jr.primarily because the scene does change.But I personally do not tend to play
games for the long-term so I anticipate that I will play it off and on for a
few weeks but eventually replace it with something else, hopefully another free
Avengers app!And honestly it is
The Avengers link that grabbed me as I await its home video release.
