#we need more lighthearted spider interactions with these characters

[danwhobrowses]

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse - Quickfire Review

So I am out of the cinema, and I have thoughts

We've finally reached the sequel to the epic Spider-verse movie, which in itself rewrote the rules on animation while being able to juggle a large cast outside of the Marvel machine.

So let me tell you my experience with the movie

Spoilers for the movie, you've been warned

Okay, this was a lot

It was really good, but it was a lot

I really don't want to speak badly about this movie because it is not at all bad, it's a visual spectacle with many twists and great characters. But I think the plot lost me. The main reason I think it lost me was the crux of 'Canon Events', which I will get more into, but given that last movie was about anyone being a Spider it was irksome that the story is also 'yes but you also have to have the exact same experiences which strips your story of agency'. I also think that the retcon that Peter A would've survived is wrong, and if all Spiders are meant to have the same chain of happening then why is Miles, the anomaly, subject to that rule in a universe where that chain has already happened? Also if he's an anomaly why didn't the universe disappear after a year of him and the Spider from Earth-42 being in this world? In a way it does threaten to lose the heart of what made the first movie so good too.

I also feel like it was two or three movies stitched together, Gwen's story was great, albeit with so much angst, Miles' story in his universe barely got going and Miles vs Spider Society was the main part of the narrative, and while it was woven together well I think the magnitude of it all took me out of it a bit, a lot of the times I felt like it was gonna end and then it went on for another 10-30 minutes, and it is a bad sign when you can feel the length of a movie. Honestly we could've easily gotten away with a Spider-Gwen movie of her own, let it cliffhanger with the cold open we got then have the final interaction with her dad and the infinite amount of colour palettes in this movie with just the Miles stuff going on.

My main character critique is probably the sourness that they did EXACTLY what I feared they would do to Miguel O'Hara. Spider-Man 2099 is my favourite Spider-Man but they really did decuple down on the edginess over the basis of his suit and powers. I mean sure, he has trauma that has killed off the last of his lighthearted value we saw in last-movie's post-credits scene, but most Spiders have trauma, and he did essentially steal another man's life for his own. I think the fact that he puts a ton of pressure on himself to uphold other timelines didn't quite come across so well, because they needed him to take over as the primary antagonist and 'the guy who tells Miles the stuff his mother warns him people may say to him'. Also, Miguel is different from most spiders because he doesn't have his Uncle Ben moment, he was a dick who caught conscience and Alchemax tried to silence him and accidentally gave him spider powers, so that also hinders the 'Canon Events' plot of Uncle Ben and Captain Stacy moments happening. Jessica Drew I struggled to get around to, loved her at the start but then she just started being cold, same can be said for Miles' parents towards Gwen, they picked one thing she couldn't have known they'd dislike and that was their tone towards her for most of their interactions after.

B U T !

Do I intend to watch Beyond the Spider-Verse? Yes! Absolutely.

Because even with the narrative flaws and the irksome nature that some characters are just being cold for little reason and that one of your favourite comics Spider-Man is not represented the same way, there is an extremely good movie in here. The art was amazing, in between all universes, the music was AMAZING, like Gwen vs Vulture just had an amazing soundtrack on its own. And gods all the Easter eggs; game and live action continuity weaved in, Ben Reilly, Unlimited Spidey, Julia Carpenter, adult MayDay Spider, Venom movie shop, even Prowler Donald Glover! There is so much to enjoy and the more you know about the several iterations and media of Spider-Man the more you find to enjoy.

But Hobie (Spider-Punk) stole the fucking show, everything he did was gold, Pavitr was fun but we needed more of him same with Spiderbyte and really Peter B and Miguel, Spot was hilarious too and then terrifying-looking when he reached his full potential, also Penny has an EVA now. The Spiders chase was well done with its clever quips and dynamic use of other spiders, the cold open was also inventive with Renaissance-verse Vulture. And then of course we got a very gripping cliffhanger, I like the squad we have for Gwen to rescue Miles and I can only beg that Lord and Miller manage to tone down and bring Miguel around in a satisfying manner without having to compromise the integrity and heart of the plot as Miles seeks a way to save his father without erasing his universe.

If anything this movie will keep you on your toes, it is stylistic beyond anything you might have seen before, but it can easily get overwhelming. I personally enjoyed as much as Guardians 3, maybe more by a slight margin (the highs are higher but the qualms are greater so hard to tell), but I also feel like it's not better than the first plot-wise just because of that feeling of being overwhelmed. It is worth a watch though for sure.

#spider man #spider man across the spider verse #spider verse #miles morales #miguel o'hara #spider man 2099 #gwen stacy #spider gwen #pavitr prabhakar #hobie brown #spider punk #spider man india #jessica drew #spider woman #the spot #spiderman atsv #across the spiderverse #across the spider verse spoilers #sony marvel #ultimate spider man #peter b parker

[beyond-sorrow-and-grief]

Had this stupid idea last night and had to get it out there... A Friends-style intro for our beloved Spiders from Into the Spider-verse!

You’re welcome. 

#Spider-Man #into the spider verse #spider-man into the spider-verse #miles molares #spider-man noir #gwen stacy #spider-ham #sp//dr #peter parker #sony pictures animation #friends #yes I actually did spend hours working on this stupid thing #we need more lighthearted spider interactions with these characters #peni parker #spider-verse #i'll be there for you #spider-gwen #spider-noir #peter porker #share this around to spread the love for these dorks #peter b parker

[pitviperofdoom]

so do you have any good tma/jonmartin fic recs because I need something to read while I wait for jon's moving castle and your swap au to update 👀

Oh hey, I haven’t done a proper fic rec list for TMA. So! Here goes.

First off, literally anything by @cirrus-grey. There’s a lot there, too varied for me to go into detail about, and it’s all fantastic, so just. Browse. I guarantee you’ll find lots of stuff to like. Special mentions go to Yesterday Is Here, a very lighthearted time travel fix-it fic, and A Matter of Diplomacy, a still-ongoing fantasy AU with Jon as a powerful Witch Lord and Martin as an inexperienced nobleman sent to ask him for aid in a coming war.

The Polish Fic by MadMaudlin. Not actually the title, but the title is in Polish and the fic heavily involves the Polish language so my discord friends and I call it the Polish Fic. We love it. Whenever we need to feel joy for whatever reason we’ll link it in the fic-recs thread again just to remind each other it exists. As far as I can tell it was written between Season 3 and 4, and that’s reflected in the character interactions, but all in all it’s very sweet. Complete.

Hold Tight, Fear Not, and We’ll See Through This Night by @ostentenacity. A Season 5 AU fic, largely written before Season 5 started airing. An apocalypse fic with a very hopeful ending and a surprising amount of soft moments in between all the horror. Complete.

The Reverb in These Holy Halls by @wolftraps. Another excellent time travel fix-it fic. The Archives gets a cat, the Web is actually pretty helpful, and everyone gets the Found Family storyline they deserve. Includes some fantastic supplemental stories, too. Complete.

Family, Found by Dribbledscribbles. Basically the most cathartic fic I’ve ever read, for no other reason than everyone in S4 is confronted with just how cruel and unfair they’re being to Jon, and reconciliations are had by all. Helen is the MVP while still being Helen. Complete.

fell in your opinion when i fell in love with you by Athina_Blaine. Just read this one today and it hurt me and then healed me. Season 1 era JonMartin, can’t tell if spooks are real or it’s a no-spook AU but it’s not that important I guess. Complete.

dustsceawung by @callmearcturus. Everyone and their grandma has recced this one but I guess I’ll hop on the bandwagon and say that it’s a fantastic fic, urban fantasy with a fae twist, featuring fae!Jon and kindhearted-but-clever mortal Martin. Still ongoing.

Illicio and the Two Sugars-verse by @that-one-girl-behind-you. I know you specified Jonmartin but listen, I love Jongerrymartin a lot and I’m going to make that everyone else’s problem. Two Sugars is a full no-spooky AU, and Illicio is an AU in which Gerard Keay is brought back to life by the Beholding and proceeds to bum-rush the Season 4 Archives armed with nothing but emotional intelligence and ink where his blood should be. Both still ongoing.

There Are Monsters In These Woods by DoilySpider. Another fantasy AU, this one more based in dark (and I do mean DARK) fairy tales. It starts off somewhat Beauty-and-the-Beast flavored but quickly takes on a life of its own. Jonmartin is central but the author promises poly romances in the future. Word of warning: this fic is guaranteed to make you want to wrap Jon in blankets with one hand and tear Jonah Magnus limb from limb with the other. Still ongoing.

The Timeline of Theseus by Applea. Sort of a time travel fix it au, complicated by the fact that Jon got slingshotted so far back that he’s a child again, with his memories of the future apocalypse suppressed. But he’s still a fully realized Archive which catches Elias’s attention, and let me tell you Elias is hilariously unprepared to deal with an avatar child, much less an avatar child who is also Jonathan Sims at the age of eight. Do you want to see Elias repeatedly but also realistically dunked on by a third-grader? Read this fic. Still ongoing.

where there’s a will, we make a way by @bubonickitten. Time travel fix it au! Are you sensing a trend yet? After Martin’s unspecified death in the fearpocalypse, Jon finds a way to go back in time through the rift at Hill Top Road, but only makes it as far back as his coma. There’s not much more to say about it since it only started recently, but I’m very excited to see where this one goes.

thresholds also by @bubonickitten, two fics taking place in Season 3-ish. Basically Elias forces Jon to Know exactly what Mr. Spider did to his childhood bully, and Jon does not take it well. First fic is all hurt, second is more comfort when Martin helps him out of a panic and Jon opens up about his childhood encounter. Complete.

nor any more youth or age than there is now by Ravenesta. A gentle teacher!Jon fic, post-159, no apocalypse. Complete.

carry it with you if you want to survive by freudiancascade. Season 3 Jon&Gerry ghost friendship Pacific Northwest book-hunting ace buddy roadtrip. If that seems like a lot of concepts to pile into one fic, well, Jongerry friendship is fertile territory. This one’s beautifully written and hurt me in the best way possible. No clue if the author plans on continuing it, but I don’t mind too much because the single whopping 14k chapter feels complete on its own.

#the magnus archives #tma #tma fic #fic recs #zannolin

[olwolo]

C!techno and deadpool omg yes!! that really makes sense lmao I feel like u really like the morally gray characters as well, right? The comics would explain that as well hahahah but man 😔 can't wait for ur quackity design to change again because of techno 😔 but yeah I love techno's character a lot. he was talking about making something once like explaining his backstory and stuff like thag but mostly he wanted to do a lighthearted content and YEAH maybe his character does some arson from time to time but I really think cc!techno really went for what he wanted with c!techno tbh. It's nice that wilbur in the beginning and anyone else just let him do his thing (aka when wilbur went 'techno wouldn't let me write him any other way' lol), the humor is just really refreshing to the plot plus c!techno is actually the coolest dude ever. Personality traits and all that! But I've always been biased with funny and strong asf characters (easy to guess my favourite jjk character here lol) so yeah, c!techno is a really cool dude, love him! I've watched that last live multiple times now and I still can't get over it lmao I'm actually so excited for the next one PLEASE let me have my syndicate break in at some point PLEEEASE!! And the training arc 👉👈 saw mr minecraft talk about it, while building (almost as if it was used already) but hopefully the way they reacted to it on techno's bday was a warning that there are still more to come. Sunrise duo my beloved let's get this PLEASE!!

And since I mentioned sunrise duo OLWOLO THE NEW SKETCHES YOU POSTED HLMG SO GOOD. I love them man omg like I love ur mumza so much too, the young Phil being in love is the sweetest thing ever (so is ur new post) and THE SUNRISE DUO and and bench trio omg I've been fed so well, you went for all my weakness ! I love ! We will never be able yo repay u ig :( 🧨

yeaa i tend to enjoy morally grey characters the most!! and techno's character is just so much fun! when the majority of proper lore streams are serious and angsty (which i enjoy) techno's are such a nice change of pace with the specific humor while still being in character and i love it. and i totally get you with liking the funny and strong characters because i'm the same dhsjk and god i can't wait for future developments regarding the syndicate!! i got attached to this funky book club and i need more content. maybe a brief training arc before a break in? please?

and aaah!! the friendship between c!niki and c!techno is something i hold dear to my heart so i'm glad you enjoyed the sketches!! i just constantly think about their canon interactions djksl and i actually have a little headcanon behind that sketch of mumza and phil! i really like to include flowers in my designs when i can so because of its association with death and the belief that it protects the dead i incorporated spider lilies into my godess of death!mumza design so when she travels through overworld she leaves a trail of spider lilies behind for some time. so that sketch is a young c!phil coming across the path of flowers and just following it cause i think it's cute hdsgj

#replies

[winteriron-trash]

Spider-Man: Far From Home Compliment Sandwich

So I just saw S:FFF and I have... feelings. But since I’ve been really critical of the MCU lately despite claiming to be a big Marvel fan, I thought I should be nice and give the movie a nice compliment sandwich to prove that I still like Marvel. 

Good: The intro scene with the really crappy slideshow clearly made by an incompetent teenager was on point to teenage editing capability and fucking hilarious. It did a good job of setting the tone of the movie after the Dark and Serious intro with Fury and Hill

Good: Calling the Snap, “the Blip” is fucking hilarious and I love how meme-ish everyone is with it, which is probably the most realistic thing about this movie

Good: Peter’s suitcase with the “BFP” initials were a great subtle shout out, I liked that.

Bad: I think the other guy who had a crush on MJ kinda added nothing to the plot and did nothing for the conflict of Peter’s relationship with MJ. He just really seemed pointless and salty and his addition was only an annoying attempt at drama.

Bad: Oh. My. God. Can we like, not milk Tony Stark? I’m a #1 Tony Stark stan, but I feel like when your runtime loses at least fifteen minutes when you cut out every reference to him, there’s a problem. We make jokes about Spider-Man movies just being Iron Man movies, but this literally felt like Iron Man 6. Stop, and let the MCU move on.

Bad: I get that Mysterio was obviously going to be the villain the whole time, we been knew about that, but did the reveal have to be so cheap? Like, you had that cliche ass fade away of the scene, and Mysterio even had that awful Cliche Evil Villian Smile. Could you not have done it better? Like, we all knew Bucky was the WS, but the reveal was still shocking because it was shocking to the characters. This was just stupid.

Bad: And speaking of Mysterio, why the fuck would you get rid of his powers, just to give another cheap tie into Tony? It made no sense and you managed to ruin a great Spider-Man villain by making him an obsessive smart guy.

Bad: You teased the multiverse, and you didn’t follow through? Leave me alone with that nonsense. What could’ve been the coolest plot device of the whole movie was thrown away as a “wild idea”. Fuck that nonsense.

Bad: No, I’m not done about Mysterio. Why did you kill him off? That just didn’t even feel right at all, I hate it.

Bad: Where. The. Fuck. Were. The. Avengers. Why is Doctor Strange unavailable? Where’s Sam? Bucky? Wanda, even?What the fuck.

Bad: If the elemental villains were just illusions, how was Peter able to interact with the one by touching it and grabbing onto it, but the other he just entered? Maybe I missed something but seems fishy. 

Bad: Still not done with Mysterio. He was a bad villain and just a copy of so many villains we’ve seen before in the MCU. It was like you took everything that made Vulture interesting and just ran with what was left. He was an unstable psychopath with access to some dangerous tech and a cult of followers. We’ve heard this story before.

Bad: No seriously, where the fuck were the Avengers

Bad: I feel like Peter figured out what was going on way too easily? Like, he saw that it was just a projection and then everything was put together? Idk, that felt really fast and cheap

Bad: So many of the cool scenes from the trailer were just... not there and I feel cheated. The most iconic, Sider-Man feeling lines of the trailer were cut and honestly Marvel, this is getting stupid. A few seconds that end up getting cut is fine, but half of your trailer wasn’t in the movie. What’s the point of even having a trailer?

The end credits scene. No. Having Spider-Man being seen as a villain to the public is nothing new and fine if we want to believe that, but revealing his identity? No. I hate it. It doesn’t make sense to the story of Spider-Man and is now a loose thread we won’t find out the repercussions of for at least a few movies, all just for the shock value. 

Bad: Why did the “Peter tingle” only work at certain points? It was never really explained what brought it back and felt kinda stupid as a way for Peter to win the final boss battle super easily.

Bad: What. The. Fuck. Was with the other end credit scene? Why are the Skrulls back? Are we to assume that Fury and Hill were never even on Earth throughout the whole thing? Fucking why? Why was he on a spaceship with Skrulls? It’s not suspense, it just flat out doesn’t make sense. Fury wasn’t even Fury, so how did he know things like Happy’s “code”? It makes no sense.

Bad/Good/Confusing?: Okay, is Peter the next Iron Man or is he not? The movie couldn’t really seem to decide on that. It kept insisting Peter wasn’t and he was his own thing as Spider-Man, but then literally everything else was screaming that he was and I just can’t tell what they were doing with that. We don’t need a “next Iron Man” and yet the movie seemed to want to shove the idea down our throats. I like that Peter was adamant that he wasn’t the next Iron Man because he shouldn’t be, but at the same time, the movie seemed to contradict that idea? I’m really lost on that whole deal.

Good: Okay, “Peter tingle” is funny, I’ll admit that

Good: MJ was fucking amazing and I love her. Her finding out Peter is Spider-Man was so refreshing from the secret identity trope, and she did have the cool moment with the flail taking out the drone. She’s just a really great character and I liked her a lot.

Good: I love Ned. That’s all.

Good: Flash was annoying but in a good way? Like, I thought he was over the top in Homecoming, but he was actually kinda amusing and seemed like a realistic character in this movie. 

Good: Ned and Betty were cute together, and I’m actually not mad at how they had them break up but remain on good terms. It felt like an accurate depiction of high school relationships versus the typical dramatic shit we usually see in movies. They were just really cute and I hope to see more of Betty in future movies. 

Good: The fight scenes with the illusions, especially at the end where Peter relies completely on Spider Sense were really fucking cool. That whole visual was trippy and I loved it. 

Good: Okay, the scene where Peter has to take his clothes off for the lady agent and Brad walks in was kinda funny and I’m sad the lady agent was never to be seen again. I want her back. 

Good: Fine, I’ll admit it, J. Jonah Jameson at the end credits scene was hilarious and it was exciting to see him made into an established character to bring the Spider-Man movies back to their roots. 

Good: Whilst I hate the constant Tony Stark reference, the scene where Peter is building his new suit with all the holograms and Happy puts on AC/DC was probably the best tribute to Tony. It didn’t feel shoved down our throats and it didn’t make it seem like Peter was the new Iron Man, but it still was a cool way of showing how Peter is following in Tony’s footsteps and still his protegee. It just felt really awesome.

Good: Overall, it did feel like a good, cohesive Spider-Man movie. It succeeded where past Spider-Man movies have failed and was an enjoyable movie that was still lighthearted enough to be funny and easy to watch. Even if it does nothing to even try to fit into the MCU and manages to both ignore Endgame and try to explain Endgame at the same time, as a Spider-Man movie, it succeeded in my opinion. For as much criticism as I have, I didn’t leave the theatre feeling cheated or angry at it. I can nitpick things as they relate to the MCU, but as a movie itself, I don’t think I have much to complain about, really.  

See? I tried to be fair, this time. This is just mostly me rambling to get my thoughts out. I’m still ignoring most MCU movies post-Winter Soldier, but I’m trying to be nice this time and not completely hateful.

Also, to prove to yall how small and ignored the theatre I go to is, here’s the packed house for the brand new MCU movie. 

Wow. Don’t know how we even found a seat in this chaos. 

#spiderman far from home spoilers #far from home spoilers #spiderman spoilers #spiderman far from home #shitposting with becca #personal opinions #seriously a lot of this is just my opinion and my uncle and i were even arguing and he liked it a lot more than i did #i didn't hate it #i just don't think it fit into the mcu #it had a lot on it's shoulders to do and it didn't really deliver you know? #that's how i feel about it #good spiderman movie bad mcu movie #also it came out of nowhere and i think should've had a much later release date #i think everyone is still riding the endgame wave and just wasn't ready for a new mcu movie tbh #but anyway #some of this was sarcasm #but i am trying to be nice #i feel like such a hypocrite saying i'm a marvel fan then constantly hating on the mcu and every decision it makes #i like the art #i just think i should be allowed to critique it as well #let me have my cake and eat it too #tbh if i were getting into the mcu now i don't think i would've stuck with it #which i think is a dangerous problem for the mcu rn is it's not friendly to new fans #and pushing away older fans because it's just not try to itself #but that's a whole other can of worms that deserves its own post #also i liked the girl in the hijab that was small but nice #okay i'm done for now

[traincat]

I sent an ask ages ago and I don’t know if it ever went through, so I’m sending it again! Do you have any recs for Dr. Doom content? I feel like everything I see with him features the exact kind of ridiculous drama I’d love to read, but I don’t know where to start.

If you want ridiculous drama, Doom is definitely where it’s at. He’s my favorite Marvel villain and one of my favorite characters because the sheer drama of him is so fun – and also because he can be a really compelling character in his own right. That being said, I’m not sure exactly where I’d recommend someone start reading Doom content. Luckily, I don’t think you need to start in one particular place to start enjoying Doom content; while he has a very compelling origin story, he’s one of those characters who is just easy to get into, especially if you’re looking for the The Drama. He’s a very fun and engaging character to read, and it’s easy to get immersed in his stories. 

First off, I can tell what I would personally recommend against. A lot of people will tell you to read Brubaker’s Books of Doom, which is a six issue miniseries detailing Doom’s life from childhood, his meeting Reed at college, and so on. It’s very … Brubaker. Which I understand is a plus for some people, but not really for me, and his take on Doom is blunter and less elegant than I prefer. It’s definitely more of a book grounded in “supervillain is definitely a supervillain” than elegant but ridiculous Doom-y drama, so if you’re about the theatrics of it all, I’d give it a pass. (There’s also some violence against women in it that for me feels like it wobbles along that line of “we’re showing you this bad guy doing bad things to illustrate what a bad guy he is” and “author really wanted to write this scene so he could write some violence against women” and falls down on the latter.)

But okay! Some Doctor Doom recs, the more dramatic, the better! For starts, I really like some of Doom’s earliest appearances from the Silver Age.

Doctor Doom’s very first appearance is in Fantastic Four #5, when he kidnaps Sue and sends Reed, Ben, and Johnny back in time to capture a pirate treasure for him. Because that’s what you do if you have a time machine: you make your college rival go get pirate treasure. In Fantastic Four #6, Doom attempts to manipulate Namor into doing his bidding. In Fantastic Four #16, Doctor Doom returns, shrinking the Fantastic Four down to miniature size to demonstrate to them how he conquered Sub-Atomica. I’m mostly including this one for this panel, which is one of my Silver Age Doom favorites:

This is also how I feel at parties, Doom. And in Fantastic Four #17, he kidnaps Alicia Masters to use as a hostage against the Fantastic Four. Doom did a lot of kidnapping back in the day.

To skip ahead a few years, in Fantastic Four #142-144, Reed and Medusa attend an alumni meeting at Reed’s college, only to encounter the surprise host:

(In the Before the Fantastic Four: Reed Richards three issue miniseries, Doom offers a similar sentiment when he catches Reed and socialite/fellow genius adventurer Alyssa Moy spying on him from his… nemesis portrait?

“A college reunion.” Truly no one outdramas Victor von Doom.)

I’m not sure it’s worth reading Fantastic Four #196-200 when I’m about to show you the best panel, but if you want context for this, that’s what you should read:

“Why was I FORCED to slay my own clone?” Find out inside! 

In Fantastic Four vs X-Men, a four issue miniseries, following an incident with the X-Men, journals materialize that imply Reed knowingly staged the accident with the cosmic rays to experiment on himself – and on the other three without their knowledge. Meanwhile, Kitty Pryde’s fate may lie in Doom’s hands.

To fast forward to more modern comics, if you’re interested in Doom and Valeria Richards interaction, I’d first start with Claremont’s Fantastic Four run, which is a great run all on its own, but Doom comes into play in the picture starting with Fantastic Four v3 #20 with the appearance of teenaged time-traveler Valeria von Doom, who claims to be the daughter of Sue and Doom. In subsequent issues of the run, Reed would end up trapped in Doom’s armor, with dangerous consequences for his personality. Claremont wrote both this and the above Fantastic Four vs X-Men and has a very interesting take on Doom and Reed as two sides of a coin. 

In Fantastic Four v3 #54, with Reed trapped by an enemy, Sue goes into labor with baby Val and it quickly turns dangerous to both mother and child. Johnny recruits Doom to save their lives and in return Doom names baby Valeria after his childhood love and appoints himself her royal protector. This is the beginning of Doom and Val’s honestly usually very sweet murder uncle and goddaughter bond. (He does kidnap her and torture her entire family in Waid’s run, but murder uncles be like that sometimes. It’s like when a family member ruins Thanksgiving.)

In Hickman’s Fantastic Four run (Fantastic Four #570-588, renumbering to FF volume 1 #1-12, then continuing on simultaneously with Fantastic Four #600-611 and FF #13-23), there’s quite a bit of Doom, including a flashback to Doom, Reed, and Ben’s college days in Fantastic Four #581 and a meeting between Doom and Val in Fantastic Four #583:

Doom’s involvement in Hickman’s run continues in FF #1-12, when Val strikes a deal with him. Reeling after Johnny’s apparent death in the Negative Zone, the newly renamed Future Foundation has to deal with a threat Doom is uniquely equipped to handle: how do you defeat Reed Richards?

Val and Doom’s interactions continue in Robinson’s Fantastic Four run (Fantastic Four v5 #1-14, renumbers to #642-645) when, angry at her parents after the events of the previous run (which is very light on the Doom content), Valeria runs away to Latveria to live with Uncle Doom.

(Fantastic Four v5 #5) Sometimes you end up co-parenting your nemesis’ daughter, and also sometimes your own adopted son is your nemesis’ half-brother, not that anyone involved knows that. (The comic period where this revelation comes out is really not that worth reading, but the fact that Doom accidentally adopted Reed’s half-brother does crack me up every time.) The Fantastic Four family tree is really something.

After Robinson’s run, we hit Secret Wars (2015), which is technically a Doom comic, but it’s also a pretty major Marvel event. Still, if Doom being the God King of the cobbled together remains of multiple realities in the shattered multiverse is of interest to you, it might be worth checking out. After that, there’s Bendis’ Infamous Iron Man series, which is – well, it’s very Bendis, but I do really like the first 10 issues of it. (It has 12 issues total. The last two issues are a major letdown considering everything that had been set up before that point.) Back on his native freshly restored Earth, Doctor Doom contemplates his history – as both a villain and a God – and decides he might as well try being a superhero. Ben Grimm has some other ideas.

(Infamous Iron Man #3)

My most recent rec is for Zdarsky’s Marvel Two-In-One (2017) series, which, like Infamous Iron Man, does fall down at the end, especially in regards to its Doom plot. (If all you’re reading for is Doom, he vanishes from the book as of issue #7.) But the Doom content before that is good, and it’s an interesting look at Doom’s interactions with both Ben and Johnny -- especially since, up until this point, Doom and Johnny have had very little in the ways of conversations with each other without Reed or Sue around. When Ben takes Johnny on an as far as he knows futile trip through the multiverse to try and keep Johnny from hurting himself in his grief, Doom decides to follow them.

(Marvel Two-In-One (2017) #7)

A more lighthearted rec -- although it’s not entirely Doom-focused as a series -- is for Superior Foes of Spider-Man, a series dedicated to a gang of D-List Spider-Man villains who band together to pull of the ultimate heist.

(Superior Foes of Spider-Man #5)

That being said, these recs are all very Fantastic Four focused -- I’m going to point you @rizahmad‘s way for more variety! 

#lurkersguide #*replies #long post/ #traincat talks comics #comic recs #victor von doom

[wadey-wilson]

I see you saw Captain Marvel. what's your opinion on the movie? i kinda liked it, but I feel like i haven't got a strong opinion yet :/

since i don’t know how to write reviews, i’ll just… here goes.

ok so, the movie wasn’t as bad as i expected it to be, and it necessarily wasn’t as Great as i wanted it to be. i say it wasn’t as bad because i always go to a theater with the half ‘how bad can it be’ and half ‘i hope it’ll be good’ kind of an attitude. 7/10 for me. i feel like upon rewatching it i’d give it a 7,5/10.

and now hear out my logic before you go after me or something, because i can explain, okay. it’ll be messy, so i’ll just… do it in points

- music - some of it worked, some of it didn’t. i felt like the need to be 90s-like overwhelmed the directors/producers, and some of the songs weren’t put in the moment they should’ve been, or were put in a wrong way (say, Come As You Are). but it worked for the most part, no big complaints on my side.

- editing - it worked for like 90% of the movie. sometimes the editing was so quick that i couldn’t tell what was going on. but even the badly edited moments are light years ahead from the TASM movies.

- the make up was just… amazing. the fact that the skrulls looked so good makes you wonder why fox got lazy on their make up with like one fucking person. mcu literally paints like half of their characters, even wade wilson in fox looks just wonderful, and then you have raven who looks more and more like shit with every movie she appears in.skrulls looked almost breathtaking, i was really amazed by the job the make up artists did, huge kudos to them. the fact that talos expressed his emotions so well under the prosthetic was just… wow. kree looked very good, the glowing on carol look very nice, and the cgi on nick fury was just freaking groundbreaking - at some point you just couldn’t believe this guy is like 70yo in real life. when the cgi is so good you don’t even notice it, then you know that the artist reached their goal.

- i liked the world building. i understood the cosmic stuff for the most part. i knew who, why, when, and what for. the movie had a lot to say in not so much time, yet it still kinda managed to no overwhelm me with the information.

- i adored the interactions. characters were playing off each other really well. the buddy cop relationship between carol and fury was undoubtedly one of the best parts of the movie.

- the pacing was great. some of the marvel movies or movies in general really feel like they want to be 8 hours long, and this movie doesn’t have that problem. you don’t really notice the time passing, the scenes don’t drag, there’s no focusing on such bullshit like obligatory/forced hetero relationships, too long conversations, or too long action scenes, and before you know it the movie ends - that’s how you know the pacing was fine. (compare it to AMATW and how it dragged. seriously, i needed breaks while watching ant-man and the wasp. i couldn’t sit and watch this whole movie. thank god i didn’t go to the cinema for that because i’d probably annoy everyone with pee breaks every 3 minutes. but that’s an opinion, don’t @ me, we can have different opinions about different movies and still live a good life.)

- i really, really enjoyed the way the movie mixed everything. you have the kree, you have skrulls, you have humans, shield, the air force, some flashbacks, and the movie doesn’t feel like a frankenstein kind of a creature. take TASM 2 for example where it feels like you’re watching 9 different movies put in 1 movie despite the action taking place in one freaking city. i felt like it was all tied together very well in captain marvel, and i think it may be because the main character took you on the journey and showed you everything from her perspective, and it worked.

- the humor was so good. you had to get used to carol’s snarky comments or how she brushes off everything with jokes, and then some dry-like kind of humor came in, and then some real humor came in, and even if some jokes didn’t land, it still felt like that person would actually say it.

- i like the twist with mar-vell [*‘everything has to be like in the comics’ people screeching in the background*]. i like how the skrull were done - i really, really felt for the skrulls (that moment when talos rubbed his face against his wife… my eyes watered.)

- goose the cat. that’s it. he won my heart.

- and as i mentioned before - the movie also undercuts these superhero-landing tropes - we’ve seen that before, it’s not so impressive anymore, AND we’re gonna see it dialled to 11 in endgame.

- now hear me out and don’t @ me - brie larson does not have the MCU-like charisma… YET. just yet. she’s on a good ground. you know she likes that role, it shows she likes that role, she wants to play it, she wants to be that character.

mcu charisma is what i like to call the kind of a vibe that the mcu actors give off when playing their roles. you know nobody could replace tony stark, you know nobody could play steve rogers the same way evans does, you watch tom holland and forget it’s tom holland, you see a peter parker, you look at rhodes and forget there’s an actor underneath. i didn’t feel that with brie larson just yet in like 1/3 of the movie. i could see her acting, see her having fun and knowing what she’d like to do.

and i’m NOT saying it’s her fault she doesn’t have that charisma yet. i think the fault’s in the writing and the directing. carol danvers did not have enough ‘me’ screentime. again, don’t @ me, i do not criticize the acting or the actress, or the movie. it’s about how her character was written into the story. because it felt just like that - she was written into the story, instead of the story being written around her, despite her being the main character. and it was a glaring problem that wasn’t really a problem you cared about - and that was because the lines delivery was great, the movie was funny, well-paced, well-acted, the action was good, the music for the most part was good, the cgi aged well. so you didn’t really notice that lack of ‘is she the charcter yet, has she become the character yet?’ thing.

but then again, i didn’t feel for steve rogers up until the end of the movie where he crashed the ship. i didn’t feel for thor in any other movies than the avengers, ragnarok, and then endgame. i still don’t feel for sam wilson EVEN THOUGH i like the character (he certainly has more depth than black widow in one movie than she has in all the movies, and it’s the writers’ fault, not scarlett’s). i have never felt for black widow - she has no character for me. she’s better now than she was in im2, but i still don’t like her as a character, and that is because i have… nothing… to like. she’s snarky and bland for me. and it’s a shame because then you see shuri or pepper potts, or okoye, or even aunt may and you can tell they have a lot of depth despite being given not so much time on the screen. and then natasha shows up and like, ugh. *spider-man noir voice* who are you again?

some of the mcu actors hit off with the character charisma the moment they show up on the screen, some of them take their time, and it’s ok. it’s absolutely ok for brie larson to not BE carol danvers yet.

we’re yet to see her in endgame and in other movies, so i’m more than certain she she’ll become a captain marvel.

i feel like she’ll kind of have this thor complex - boring (yet carol is way way way way better in her movie that thor was in thor 1 and 2, don’t @ me, i really don’t like thor 1 & 2) in the origin movie, but wackier and ultiple times more interesting as it goes on. she also has this stephen strange complex - she needs more characterization the way doctor strange did. strange was a prodigy in almost everything he did job-wise but was disconnected with his emotional side, and i kinda feel the same for carol danvers.

she will be good, i feel it, i believe in it, give her time. even though i liked her in the movie, she still lacks some depth. that’s not to say she has no depth, no, she has a lot of it. she just hasn’t been able to show it yet.

overall, given that it was a first movie with such huge budget for those indie movie directors, i think they managed. yes, the movie is a bit scattered, and it lacks a bit of depth, but it ties into the mcu very well, it’s entertaining, the humor is good, and the action is good.

7/10. lighthearted and entertaining, even if a bit choppy. we can discuss.

#captain marvel #captain marvel review #captain marvel spoilers

[monday--vibes]

Far From Home: It’s Certainly no Homecoming

When I went to the theatre last night to watch Far From Home yesterday, I was optimistic. I knew the movie wasn’t going to touch on all the ramifications of 3.6 billion people suddenly reappearing—Spider-Man is far too light-hearted a movie for such a heavy subject—but I’d made my peace with that fact. Plus, everyone’s been going on about great the movie is. So… yeah. Optimistic.

What I ended up watching was, frankly, a disappointment.

Now, don’t get me wrong—I love Spidey. Always have. And I think that both the MCU and Tom Holland have bought a lot of great things to the character and to the franchise. Holland’s Spider-Man is great both with and without the mask on, and he’s such a awkwardly charming character that you can’t help but root for him.

Homecoming, to me, is probably the definitive ­Spider-Man movie (sorry, Raimi fans). The characters are great, the pacing is good, the writing is tight, the villain is sympathetic. The serious moments know how be serious and the light moments know how to be light. The central theme—Peter learning how to be Spider-Man instead of using Spider-Man to try to impress Tony Stark—is clear without absolutely beating you over the head with it.

So… why am I so disappointed in Far From Home? 

(Lots of spoilers. Read at your own risk.)

I spent way too much time thinking about it, and this is what I think it boils down to:

1. The movie’s too convoluted.

In the first act, we’re introduced to Beck and the Elementals, which means sense considering they’re the movie’s antagonists. But we also (seemingly unrelatedly) are introduced to the idea of a bunch of post-Snapped, recently revived kids going to Europe for two weeks. Then there’s Happy’s romance with May, Peter’s romance with MJ, Ned’s romance with Betty, Peter’s romantic rivalry with Brad, and Peter not wanting to Spider-Man. That’s… too much. ‘Nuff said.

And then there’s Beck’s plan, which is also way too convoluted.

One of the reasons why Toomes’ plans worked is for a few main reasons—they were simple, the uncertainties could be controlled, and it was clear that Toomes and his men had been doing this for a while. And even then, throwing one rogue element in there—in the form of Spider-Man—completely messed things up.

Toomes’ rationale is good, too. It started as a way to take back what’s “his” and get back at someone like Tony Stark, who screwed him out of a contract at what must have been a time of high unemployment in New York (how many ruined office buildings were there?). And, while that theme stays constant, it’s clear that this rationale has shifted over time; Toomes has gotten maybe a little too comfortable with the money he makes by weapons dealing. It’s a simple rationale: money is a powerful, relatable motivator.

Beck’s plan, on the other hand, relies almost entirely on just so many uncertainties. He hopefully tricks Fury, and hopefully keeps tricking Fury. Peter is hopefully is such a state that he’s not quite thinking straight so that Mysterio can hopefully gain Peter’s trust. Then, Peter will hopefully give Mysterio EDITH, which was one of the last things that Stark ever gave him.

It’s clear that part of the rationale here is revenge on Stark, but that falls flat for a couple of reasons—one, it’s kind of been done in Homecoming already; two, Stark’s not even there to defend himself anymore. We, the audience, want to dismiss this rationale because it goes against everything we know about Stark’s character, and we can’t even get Stark’s own rebuttal.

The second rational, even worse, is “we want the world to pay attention to us!”

… There are easier ways to do that, dude.

2. Mysterio isn’t developed. (Like, at all.)

Admittedly, the MCU’s weakest point is developing its villains—just think about Dormamu in Doctor Strange or Ronan the Accuser in Guardians of the Galaxy. They’re evil because the plot needs a bad guy. Full stop.

Even Toomes didn’t get all that much character development, really. But he’s such a grounded, every-man character that I would argue he doesn’t necessarily need all that development. It’s also what makes him a sympathetic villain—we’ve all been in situations where we’re stuck between making a bad/easier decision and a good/hard decision. We all have families that we want to care for and be capable of caring for. We can, at some almost visceral level, understand Toomes’ motivations just like we can understand Peter’s.

However, because we don’t know very much about the world Mysterio (says he) comes from, we can’t relate on a personal level. We don’t know if Mysterio’s even a particularly outstanding person on his world, since he was one of many who supposedly fought the Elementals. He just shows up, and everyone trusts him implicitly, but there’s no reason for that to happen.

And, while Peter might be desperate to have someone else to help him shoulder the burden of Spider-Manning, and might be looking for a replacement for Stark, we see almost no meaningful interactions between the two characters. So it feels completely out of left field when Peter decides to trust him with a multi-billion-dollar orbital defense system, despite Peter knowing just how incredibly powerful it is and, presumably, what could happen if said system falls into less-than-superhero hands.

3. There’s no suspense.

I’m just going to give one example/comparison here. Let’s look at the Big Reveal.

We learned about Toomes being the villain pretty early on in the movie; we learn about Mysterio being the antagonist pretty early into the movie, too. And yet, again, Toomes works where Mysterio doesn’t.

In Toomes’ case, this works because the reveal of Toomes’ character being the Vulture isn’t the Big Reveal—nor is it supposed to be. The big “oh shit!” moment is when we find out that the Vulture is Liz’s dad, which we find out the same time as Peter does, when Peter’s already clearly nervous, and when that shitty string of bad luck that’s been following Peter throughout the movie seems to be turning around.

We’re already emotionally invested in the moment—because we want things to turn around for Peter, because it’s such a relatable moment, and because Holland’s emoting so well—that this reveal of Liz’s dad being the Vulture just works.

Then, of course, there’s absolutely amazing car scene between Peter and Toomes, which gives the reveal the weight it deserves, reveals Toomes’ motivation, and gives Peter that final hard choice: do the right thing and stop Toomes even though the man’s threatened his and May’s lives; or keep his head down, act like the kid he is, and pretend that he doesn’t know about the Vulture?

In Far From Home, the Big Reveal seems to be when Peter finds out that Mysterio is the antagonist—but since the audience already knows that, it doesn’t carry all that much emotional weight. 

The Big Reveal happens to Peter, but not because of him, which weakens the moment. And above that, when it does happen, Beck isn’t there to defend himself. For the exactly same reason Beck’s motivation doesn’t work—he’s making accusations and wants revenge against someone who isn’t there—the Big Reveal doesn’t work, either.

Finally, any tension that does build up in that scene immediately gets killed because of the pacing. After all, as soon as they find out about Mysterio, Peter and MJ rush back to the hotel, and the we have all that time dedicated to awkward exchanges between Peter and MJ, and MJ and Ned. Then we have Peter trying to get to Berlin… and then we have the first altercation between Mysterio and Spider-Man. It’s the equivalent scene to the car scene from Homecoming, but it just comes way too late.

4. The entire movie’s a fucking tease.

This, I think, is what I’m most disappointed in.

Homecoming was a lighthearted movie—there’s no doubt about it. But it knew when to be serious, knew when to cut the tension, and knew how to get the audience emotionally involved.

There are so many moments in Far From Home that could have been—and, frankly, should have been—explored more fully. Peter trying so desperately to try to connect with this new mentor figure is one. The absolutely, viceral betrayal he must have felt as soon as he fould out that Beck was the antagonist is another. (Don’t forget: He compared Beck to Stark, of all people, in that bar scene.) Then there’s the realization that, out of everyone, he still has one adult he can rely on for Spider-Manning—Happy.  

There’s also the train scene, which is a real, physical embodiment of Peter’s emotional pain, that just gets swept aside by happy footballers and a helpful street vendor.

Then there’s that great scene between Peter and Happy in the plane… that, honestly, is a pretty great scene. I love it. Holland and Favreau both bring their A-game. It’s touching, and emotional, and we finally really get to see what Peter’s been fighting with this whole movie. But even that scene is couched by two pretty goofy lines (the whole “adult films” bit beforehand; Happy’s startled, stammering “no, I mean, like, what’re you going do right now?” after) that mitigate the whole thing.

Final Verdict:

I know I just spent a lot of time shitting on the movie, but I don’t want anyone to think that it’s a movie that I actively hate. I don’t hate it—honestly. And I acknowledge that this movie had a lot of questions to answer because of Endgame.

There are a lot of great points in the movie, and the actors do a great job. There’s great chemistry between Holland and Zendaya, and between Holland and Gyllenhaal. The movie opens up some good, interesting questions about Spider-Man’s future and about the MCU as a whole.

But, at the end of the day, good actors are just a piece of what makes a movie great. And maybe, it just wasn’t a good idea to try to tack a light-hearted, mindless action flick onto the aftermath of something as heavy as Endgame. It just… doesn’t seem to work.

#mcu #spiderman #ffh #spider-man far from home #ffh spoilers #critique

[thearabkhaleesi]

AVENGERS: INFINITY WAR - NO SPOILER REVIEW

Avengers: Infinity War is the culmination of all the MCU movies, where we see the Avengers & superheroes from other parts of the Galaxy, joining forces to stop the mighty Thanos from taking all the Infinity stones & destroying the universe.☄️I was truly blown away by Infinity War. It exceeded my high expectations, & I think it’s absolutely incredible.The movie tells an epic, action packed story that it is the perfect culmination that the MCU movies have been building towards for a decade, & well worth the wait.Almost every character got an equal amount of screen time & their chance to shine, & it was all done in excellent service to the story. You get to see fun interactions between very different MCU characters, they all go on their own journeys together, & it all makes sense. There were definitely few parts that I thought were rushed & should've been expanded upon more, but I won't mention them because they're spoilers.The Russo Brothers & the screenwriters made very bold decisions, weren’t afraid to experiment & finally took the dark, risky take on the MCU that I was waiting for, & they did it so well that made perfect sense in context of the story & the overall state of the MCU; it’s endgame, & they embraced that, but also included the right amount of lighthearted, funny moments that it needed. I have to applaud & give props to them for pulling this off the way they did.Without spoiling, in my opinion the characters that stood out most in the film were: Thanos, DOCTOR STRANGE, Thor, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Starlord, Gamora, Spider-Man.The movie won’t fail to excite you whether you’re a Marvel fan, or not a fan at all. If you’re a huge fan like me, it’s impossible not to leave the cinema feeling flabbergasted, excited, & emotional. If you’re a casual fan or not at all, you’ll still have a good time & understand (almost) everything.Whatever the case, I can guarantee you’ll have a good time & be on the edge of your seats throughout the whole movie.Infinity War will go down in the MCU as an emotional, epic, turning point in the franchise that perfectly unites our heroes & will DEFINITELY leave you wanting more.9.5⭐️

#avengers #infinity war #marvel #mcu #avengers infinity war #review #movie review #doctor strange #Iron Man #spiderman #starlord #thanos

[daresplaining]

I loved the recent ask you guys answered about Matt as a lawyer and ethics. I'm a recent law school graduate and big DD fan, so my question is: What are some of your guys' favorite moments from Matt in the courtroom in the comics? They could be ones you think are his best work, silly, dramatic, insightful, made an impact, etc. I'd just love to hear some more about his legal work and find some future issues to read. Thanks! :)

    Thank you, and congratulations on your graduation! Neither of us have law degrees, so we can’t actually vouch for the accuracy of the legal antics portrayed in DD, but here are a few of our favorite law-centered stories.   

Matt on the Legal Rights of Aliens (Daredevil vol. 1 #28)

Matt: “Only the law stands between justice and total anarchy–! And that law must offer equitable protection to all– regardless of race, creed, or color… Now, in this age of space exploration, we may need a fourth qualification… with regard to planet of origin, as well!”

    Not a whole trial, but this is a funny early issue detailing Matt’s thoughts concerning the legal rights of extraterrestrials. In his defense… that’s actually a legitimate topic of conversation in the Marvel Universe. This scene was gently mocked fifty years later, in Daredevil vol. 3 #30:

Matt: “It… wasn’t completely serious.”

Ru’Ach: “It seemed heartfelt.”

Matt: “I can’t swear I was entirely sober, even.”

Matt Defends the Black Widow (Daredevil vol. 1 #83)

Natasha: “Once I was a spy– they’ll use that against me, too. All my life I’ve been afraid, Mr. Murdock– first of my Soviet masters– then of a strange curse– and now, when it seemed I’d found a country at last– where I could feel safe– everything’s come crumbling down!”

Matt: “Believe me, Natasha. I understand your fear– and I won’t let it happen– I promise you.”

    This is one of a series of issues from around the same time, which all strike at similar themes: Matt defending those neglected by the system. This could describe most of his career, but the similarity of these early cases is what has led us to group them together. The above example comes from Matt’s earliest interactions with Natasha Romanov, who later becomes his partner/girlfriend, and remains one of his closest superhero friends. The Scorpion is seemingly killed while fighting Natasha, and bystanders claim that she was responsible. As a Soviet emigre and reformed spy, Natasha is so sure she will be convicted based on her background and cultural biases that she tries to run. But Matt convinces her to go to court and trust in the system, and manages to prove her innocence.

    The other, similar stories from this era that we’ll point you toward are Matt’s defense of blind war veteran Willie Lincoln in Daredevil vol. 1 #47, and his defense of Bruce Banner/Hulk in Incredible Hulk vol. 1 #152-153. They explore many of the same themes, and are equally good.

Matt v. His Childhood (Daredevil vol. 1 #203. Not digitized)

Foggy: “Tell me what’s going on here! Stymie Schmidt is guilty as sin and you know it!”

Matt: “He still deserves a decent defense. A lot of what I am today is due to that man. I own him more than you’ll ever know. This may be my one chance to pay him back.”

    This isn’t a full-on legal story, but it’s a fascinating character study and another look how Matt’s emotions can interfere with his ethics. When one of his childhood bullies comes to Nelson and Murdock for legal help, Matt agrees to take the case himself… but Foggy soon realizes that his friend is planning to lose on purpose, for revenge. This is not the only time Matt’s past trauma comes back to haunt him in this way, but it is by far his worst reaction to it.  

Karen Page v. Mr. Fear (Daredevil vol. 1 #375)

Matt: “Let’s get some reasonable doubt in this joint.”

Karen: “Matt? Matt? What happened to your face?”

Matt: “Cut myself shaving, of course… That’s what the invincible, cocksure hero is supposed to say, isn’t it?” 

    DD vol. 1 #375 is the final issue of Joe Kelly’s phenomenal run, and is one of our absolute favorite issues of Daredevil. The story arc leading up to it details Karen’s attempts to deal with an increasingly violent stalker. When he ends up dead thanks to some supervillain meddling, she becomes the prime suspect and is put on trial for murder. Way too emotionally close to the situation for obvious reasons, the issue follows Matt’s frantic attempts to win a case that seems more and more unwinnable the harder he fights, all while attempting to take down the supervillain responsible. It’s a powerful story, and a great look at the point of contact between Matt’s legal and extralegal careers.      

Playing to the Camera (Daredevil vol. 2 #20-25)

Matt: “Foggy, meet Samuel Griggs. Mr. Griggs wants to sue Daredevil.”

    We mentioned this magical arc in the other post, but it always merits more attention. Matt and Foggy are hired to sue Daredevil for some property damage that Matt knows he didn’t cause. He accepts the case (against Foggy’s wishes) in order to keep the situation under control. Chaos, ethics violations, and a massive superhero law-based comedy of errors ensue. This arc isn’t afraid to take itself less than seriously, which makes it a hilarious read and by far the most lighthearted part of volume 2.

The Trial of the White Tiger (Daredevil vol. 2 #38-40)

Matt: “Sitting in judgment over a total stranger. There is no larger burden that we as a society will put on ourselves. But I can ease that burden for you… because Hector is innocent of the crime he is accused of.” 

    Luke and Danny talk Matt into helping one of their close friends– Hector Ayala, the original White Tiger– who has been charged with murder. Knowing Hector is innocent, Matt agrees to represent him, despite the danger this association will present to his already vulnerable secret identity. This is a courtroom drama, pure and simple, in which all of Matt’s skill as a lawyer can’t prevent his case from imploding.      

   (Flash Fact!: Barry Allen (the Flash) has a cameo in this story. Don’t tell DC.)  

The Spartacus Gambit (Amazing Spider-Man: Extra!)

Matt: “I’m trying to keep your mask on and get you out of the civil suit. It’s going to take a little more than what I’ve got planned to get the criminal charges against you dropped.”

Peter: “What do you have planned?”

Matt: “If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

    This is a great little story, in which Matt defends his buddy Peter Parker in court. He is his typical smug self, which we always enjoy, and he comes up with a creative argument to reduce Peter’s charges. It hits a lot of the same superhero legal issues covered in “Playing to the Camera”, but it’s still a fun read. This issue runs parallel to Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 #587, so we recommend reading that as well, for context.

Leopold York v. Foggy Nelson (Daredevil vol. 3 #12)

Matt: “Welcome to the mock trial in the case of Leopold York v. Foggy Nelson. […] Professor, will you be defending yourself?”

    It isn’t an actual trial, but this flashback to the origins of Matt and Foggy’s partnership is too fantastic not to mention. Foggy is accused of plagiarism by a spiteful professor attempting to get him kicked out of law school. Knowing it’s a frame-up, Matt insists on fighting back, and forces the professor into a trial-like situation in order to argue the truth out of him. It’s a nice glimpse at Matt and Foggy’s early friendship, and a testament to why they make such a good legal team.

Supreme (Daredevil vol. 5 #21-25)    

    The arc that just ended was a great law-based story, enhanced by the fact that the current writer, Charles Soule, is also a lawyer. Matt attempts to craft a new law that would allow masked superheroes to testify in court without revealing their identities. Wilson Fisk and the supervillain community at large take issue with this. Soule mixes legalese with physical action in clever ways (e.g. Matt’s metaphorical brawl with the Supreme Court, shown above), brings in Jen Walters and Fisk’s badass lawyer Mr. Legal, and generally celebrates the heck out of the intersection between superheroics and legal work. This may be our favorite law-based DD story yet.  

#madqueenofhellskitchen #Daredevil #Matt Murdock #Asks #Recommendations list

[recentanimenews]

Peter's Fall 2018 Anime Premiere Recommendations

It feels like only yesterday I was writing this article for the winter season and I’m already giving my recommendations for the final season of the year. 2018 has been another great anime and fall looks to be ready to close it out in style with some returning fan favorite series like JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure: Golden Wind, Golden Kamuy, Sword Art Online Alicization, and Fairy Tail, but there are a ton of new series that are already showing a ton of promise.

Having watched every single premiere so far I have, as usual, found a bunch of gems among the many anime getting their start this season. Here are my top 5 recommendations for fall 2018 based entirely on their first episode!

Run With the Wind

I wasn’t sure what to expect from this series that came into the season with so little fanfare but wow was it visually stunning. I tend to have a soft spot for sports series--it’s keeping me around that’s the hard part--but even beyond my personal proclivities, every single moment of the episode felt so beautifully orchestrated, even fitting in some awesome animation in between a considerable number of character introductions. A penniless thief who relies on his speed for quick getaways finding himself the newest member an all-male dorm about to be coerced by one of their members into running an insane marathon is certainly a strange premise. I don’t want to set expectations too high, but I’m getting some major A Place Further than the Universe vibes.

ZOMBIE LAND SAGA

The production committee played things super close to the chest in advance of this anime, giving out almost zero information about the show beyond some key art, title, and the insane ramblings of its lead voice actor Mamoru Miyano. What might normally be considered a bad business move feels like genius now. Coming into this show cold is probably the perfect way to experience it, which puts me in a rough spot sharing why it’s so good. Read on only if you don’t mind spoilers or, just trust me on this one, and watch it. It’s got all the makings of an idol anime except for the unfortunate death of the lead which leads to her pursuing her passion posthumously and necessitates a musical genre shift to death metal. It’s crazy funny, defies your expectations multiple times, and I still have no idea what to expect next.

SSSS.GRIDMAN

The first thing I thought when watching Gridman for the first time was “this doesn’t feel anything like a TRIGGER anime,” which might be a dealbreaker for a lot of people, but stick with me. I eventually did see a bit of that TRIGGER glimmer in the character designs and their interactions, but much of the first episode felt very muted and atmospheric. A lot of time was given to unnerving shots of urban decay matched alongside dialogue from the main characters that was decidedly pessimistic and the silhouette of a massive kaiju standing over the city. Then the episode finishes with a massive tokusatsu-style battle with all the kids coming together and using their unique talents to save the day. It was a huge shift, but the transition felt so natural and… right? I’m not usually a tokusatsu fan and TRIGGER has talked up the new techniques they’re going to be experimenting with on this anime, so I feel like I’m in for a lot more surprises.

That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime

Before I talk about this show, I want you to know I’m super burnt out on isekai anime. I felt like the only two I could still have any hope of looking forward to are anything Re:ZERO forever and the upcoming So I’m a Spider, So What? Basically the last thing I expected was to end up putting this anime in my top 5 recommendations, but here we are. Normally the first thing that happens to the main character after they’re taken to another world is they do something really impressive to show off how great they are and set the tone. Our newly born slime coming across a dragon who, locked in a cave for 300 years, was starved for company, resulting in some tsundere interactions where it tried to keep the main character around while maintaining its dignity, did two great things. It took the focus off the main character to indicate the author had things they wanted to do with the world itself and showed a really wicked sense of humor--the PC in the bathtub being a perfect punchline.

RADIANT

There are so many reasons to be excited about this show as the first anime adaptation of a widely read shonen manga originally published in French. The success of this  show could mean all sorts of things for the future of the Japanese manga and anime markets and I’m pretty damn excited, especially because the manga is good! Master scenario writer Makoto Uezu seems to be speeding toward to good parts as he cut a lot of fat off the first chapters and so far the animation looks to be doing some serious justice to Valente’s awesome art. As we’re headed into the first real fight, there’s not too much to report back on yet, so recommending this might be cheating a bit, but everything shows a ton of promise. For example, Romi Park plays the gruff, one-armed mentor. That alone would have me waiting in line for this anime.

Short Shout-out: Skull-face Bookseller Honda-san

Including this because there are always a few short anime each season that are criminally underwatched and, well, Honda-san was just that good. This easily digestible comedy short has a pretty self descriptive title, Honda works at a bookstore and is a skeleton. This may seem out of the ordinary but none of the customers seem too surprised and many of his coworkers are monster of some type so I guess we’re just supposed to accept it. Having to explain to a bewildered dad what “yaoi” means and figure out communication with foreigners looking to buy shonen manga and BL, on the other hand, feels like a very believable problem for his line of work and the comedic timing is perfect.

Those are my top 5--or 6--recommendations for the season, but they’re far from the only great premieres these past two weeks. For those looking for lighthearted laughs, Anima Yell!, Between the Sky and the Sea, and Ms. Vampire who lives in my neighborhood. all had great premieres. RErideD - Derrida, who leaps through time and Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai both made strong showings with some supernatural mystery. For those who want more fights need look no further than Hinomaru Sumo and DOUBLE DECKER! DOUG & KIRILL.

As always, I hope this list helped you find some new anime to fall in love with and, if I didn’t give your favorite shows the love it deserves, leave a comment to let others know! You might help someone else find their favorite anime of the season!

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Peter Fobian is an Associate Features Editor for Crunchyroll, author of Monthly Mangaka Spotlight, writer for Anime Academy, and contributor at Anime Feminist. You can follow him on Twitter @PeterFobian.

By: [email protected]

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Best Games of the Midyear 2018

We are already half of the way through 2018, and there have been some amazing games already released. The Shacknews staff has joined forces to put together a list of the best games to be released so far in 2018. This list is not presented in any particular order, but these are games that Shackers should pay attention to going into our Shacknews Game of the Year deliberations at the end of 2018. Please take a look at the best games of the midyear 2018.

God of War

There was something cynical about the idea of "Let's take Kratos and give him a kid." It's something that easily could have been a shallow gimmick.

Instead, God of War ushering Kratos into single fatherhood allowed Sony Santa Monica to completely reinvent the character without forsaking his past. If anything, Kratos owned up to his past and confronted some of his most problematic elements. He never ran away from what he did, but he imparted the lesson to his son that everyone should strive to be better people. "Don't be sorry, be better."

This is all in addition to one of the most satisfying open worlds of 2018 and amazingly crisp 3D combat. And while the violence wasn't quite as visceral and gory as past God of War games, it's still as impactful as its ever been. God of War is a triumph in every way. -Ozzie Mejia

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire

Obsidian upped the ante with the sequel to their epic fantasy RPG Pillars of Eternity with its sequel, Deadfire, and I can’t get enough of it. The base experience has been improved on various levels, one example being the more streamlined party. The expansion into a new space also opened the game up to sea combat that reflects the games pen-and-paper RPG roots. Just like the first game, you’ll often find yourself knee deep in interesting side quests and task, some arguably more interesting than the main quest. Nevertheless, you’ll constantly be inspired to see what's around the next corner. -Charles Singletary

Dragon Ball FighterZ

I feel like everyone knew Dragon Ball FighterZ was going to be good, but it must’ve been hiding its true power level for when it launched. DBFZ is one of the most approachable fighting games to be made in years. Yet, underneath that inviting surface is an intricate and nuanced combat system that has enchanted the hardcore fighting scene as well. It doesn’t hurt that Dragon Ball is such a recognizable franchise with a cast of characters perfect for a brawler like this. Arc System Works did a fantastic job of making all of the game’s art and animated sequences look as good as the current Dragon Ball Super anime. Dragon Ball FighterZ is definitely the birth of a brand-new fighting game dynasty and I doubt we’ll see its final form any time soon. -Blake Morse

Runner3

The latest rhythmic platformer from Choice Provisions hits a lot of high points: it's lightweight and lighthearted enough to provide a potent distraction from more heavy-handed titles, and yet it presents delightfully addictive action that's perfectly suited to both short and marathon gaming sessions. Runner3 is the ultimate evolution of one of the most absurd rhythm games on the market, topping off its tight gameplay and outrageous humor with loads of unlockables, special features, hidden characters, and more. -Kevin Tucker

Conan Exiles

Thank you so very much @shacknews for 9/10 "A battle to the death with 6 naked cannibals and a giant tiger is hands down the best gaming experience I’ve had in 2018. This game is the current high water mark in open-world survival and the biggest surprise of 2018 for me so far. "

— CONAN EXILES (@ConanExiles) June 7, 2018

While it is rough around the edges and prone to the bugs and frustrations common to the survival genre, Conan Exiles manages to stand above the pack with its satisfying combat, an expansive crafting recipe progression, and lively open-world. For people who liked Minecraft, but found the adventuring aspect to be woefully under cooked, Conan Exiles provides a land full of cannibals, crocodiles, spider caves, ice temples, and creepy dungeons that offer excitement beyond building out your base. Group play and a willingness to go along with silly business is strongly encouraged. Additionally, if game quality was judged by the amount of reproductive organs on display, Conan Exiles would have a Metacritic score of two billion. -Chris Jarrard

Hunt: Showdown

Hunt: Showdown is still in early access, but the development team will likely have a full release done by the end of the year. If things continue to improve on the current pace, gamers could end up with one of the best blends of various genres to date. Hunt mixes PvE and PvP into one experience, taking elements from horror, battle royale, and survival and layering wonderful art design on top. It’s a very challenging game and the developers need to find a way to strike the perfect balance for player progression. If they do, watch this one climb the popularity charts swiftly. -Charles Singletary

Monster Hunter: World

It is a rare creature indeed that gets me to come back to it again and again in the wild world of gaming. But, I just can’t quit Monster Hunter World. I’ve put close to 200 hours into the game and I’m showing no signs of stopping. It takes everything that has always been intriguing about the Monster Hunter series and gives it all a tune-up for current-gen gamers. There’s so many nuances to the world that’s been built and I find myself discovering new details about its biology and the way the creatures interact with it. The fact that Monster Hunter World is consistently putting out new and completely free content for its millions of players doesn’t hurt either.  -Blake Morse

Pit People

The Behemoth continues to show just how versatile it can be by leaping into the real-time strategy genre. Pit People is an exquisite strategy game that pushes the genre, while also retaining The Behemoth's unique humor. Outside of the core cast, it's a test of putting together the best roster of wacky characters with their own unique functions on the battlefield. While the gameplay is solid on its own, it's the writing that makes Pit People a real treat, making it one of the funniest games of the year, as well as one of the best strategy games of 2018 so far. -Ozzie Mejia

Mario Tennis Aces

I've been waiting quite a while for a new entry in the Mario Tennis series, so a new adventure on Nintendo Switch with a story mode tickled me pink. I was thrilled to find that it took everything I love about playing tennis with Mario and his friends and expanded on it even further with new special moves, strategic plays, and an exciting roster of characters to choose from. It's some of the most fun I've had on my Switch, and even when it frustrates me, I still find myself going back to it every time I pick the system up off of its dock. This is tennis done right, and a sincere love letter from Nintendo to fans of its arcade sports titles. I'm actually thinking about playing a few matches now, after having written this. -Brittany Vincent

Subnautica

Subnautica is game about exploring uncharted waters, both literally and metaphorically. Coming to understand the events of the game, from the player's catastrophic arrival at Planet 4546B to the mysteries behind the the Alterra Corporation's exploration efforts, primarily involves surviving in increasingly dangerous scenarios. It's a fantastic experience that manages to be both entrancing and terrifying: the notion of being underwater and having a limited supply of oxygen stays at the front of the player's mind, and diving deeper involves making special considerations with regard to food, water, power, and even personal defense. In return for their efforts, the player will be able to slowly piece together the events of the Aurora's crash and learn the surprising history behind the planet's previous outposts. -Kevin Tucker

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Warhorse Studios focused on historical accuracy and minute detail in its pursuit of creating a medieval sim with Kingdom Come: Deliverance. A second hand tug-of-war between a historian and one of the game’s developers poked holes in that accuracy, but the gameplay experience is undeniable. Kingdom Come, like a few others that will be a part of the GOTY discussion, had some significant technical issues at launch. When it worked, though, it delivered big. I’ve rarely been as immersed in an RPG’s world as I was with KCD and I’m excited to explore it more.

P.S. I do not count the save system as technical issue. It was a design choice that just didn’t go over well. -Charles Singletary

Sushi Stirker: The Way of Sushido

Finally, a game that combines my passion for combat puzzlers with my obsession with raw fish. If I had one major gripe with Nintendo’s Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido it would be that it makes me hunger for the delectable, yet costly, dish. Beyond that though, Sushi Striker really impressed me with its clever twist on Pokemon collecting and puzzle fighting. Throw in some quality anime sequences and you’ve got a tasty combination. It may have ended up being more of a sleeper hit, but it’s still a hit nonetheless and definitely worth checking out if you missed out on it during its initial launch, which was somewhat lost in the E3 mire. -Blake Morse

Detroit: Become Human

Quantic Dream's best and most riveting adventure hooked me with its brief demo ahead of its official release, and I haven't been able to get enough of it since. Connor, Kara, and Markus switch off throughout a sprawling narrative that explores various themes, and by the end I couldn't choose a favorite, as each character had grown so significantly throughout the course of the story. I laughed, I cried, and I longed for more time with the entire case (especially Connor) when the end credits rolled. Despite watching alternate paths play out on YouTube, I've gone back to see what my decisions could have wrought if I had chosen differently from time to time. It's an excellent and unique tale, with nothing else out there like it on PlayStation 4, and well worth playing, even if you're one of those sad individuals who still thinks it's "cool" to talk about David Cage's "bad writing." -Britany Vincent

Laser League

Some of the best games are the ones that don't opt for any crazy gimmickry and focus more on basic ideas. Laser League is such a simple idea on paper. It's two teams in an arena battling it out by avoiding killer lasers. It's a simplistic premise, but one that's wildly fun and builds on top of its foundation with individual classes and power-ups. Its futuristic aesthetic is the icing on the cake. -Ozzie Mejia

Sea of Thieves

Rare’s brand new IP, Sea of Thieves, has deeply divided the gaming world with one side being unenthused by the content on offer and the other falling deeply in love with the experience – and we here at Shacknews are of the latter group. There’s something so pure about the world of Sea of Thieves, from the aesthetic and color palette to the way it feels sailing across the waters, all of it evokes a sense of journey and adventure.

Outside of the launch window, Rare has continued to support the game through regular, weekly patches, bi-weekly events, and free major content drops for all players. After speaking with the developers at E3 and after seeing how they continue to interact with the playerbase, there’s a real sense of dedication to the community. If you’re yet to dive into this world, now might be the best time, especially as we approach the release of Cursed Sails and Forsaken Shores, the next two major content updates for Sea of Thieves coming in July and September. -Sam Chandler

Vampyr

“Vampyr only got a 7 out of 10. How is it in the conversation for GOTY?” I see the gears turning, reader. I wrote the review myself and even suggested in the conclusion that it would be in the conversation despite the score, so let’s get right to it. Despite its technical shortcomings, Vampyr is a very entertaining game. The combat, ambiance, music, community management, and more all lend to a vampiric power-fantasy that has been sorely missing in gaming for a while. The duality of the main character is a well crafted platform for the experience too, giving players power as healer and killer while tying that into the development of the game’s playable areas. It likely won’t win the big award, but Vampyr is a very solid game that you don’t want to miss. -Charles Singletary

Fortnite

Epic Games has struck video game gold with this game. Fortnite may be the greatest pivot in the history of video games as the Early Access Save the World mode didn' take the world by storm. After clearly taking inspiration from the wildly successful PUBG, Epic brought the Battle Royale mode to their game and gave it the old Unreal polish. The game is available on pretty much every platform and is making truck tons of money for Epic Games in the process. Fortnite's developers have done a great job of keeping the game fresh with new emotes, limited-time-modes, and special events like meteors and rocket launches. Fortnite is here to stay and it certainly deserves recognition as one of the best games of the midyear. -Asif Khan

Celeste

Celeste feels like a journey of growth in more ways than one. It's about persistance, progression, and the pursuit of one's goals, even in the face of their own demons. It's a punishing platformer and one that revels in players' death counts, which skyrocket into the hundreds and thousands, but it's one that encourages players to keep trying, both with its narrative and its forgiving checkpoint system. Speaking of its narrative, it's one that's impactful to anyone who's ever doubted themselves or found themselves dealing with bouts of depression or panic attacks. It's a very human story, set atop a mountain that dabbles in the supernatural.

And beyond Madeline's quest to personal fulfillment, players can also see the progression of creator Matt Thorson's own journey, as he starts to hit his own peak of level designing potential. He's come a long way from TowerFall and it's a satisfying journey to witness. -Ozzie Mejia

Overload

From the creators of the classic PC game Descent, comes a worthy spiritual successor to the space shooter. Overload gives players six degrees of freedom along with great level design and a fine polish that this genre has been missing for decades. I loved Descent back in the day, and Overload has recaptured the excitement from the new series. Improvements to level and weapon design is immediately noticeable and the game is so dang pretty, there are times when I get killed just looking around. Overload is one of the biggest surprise games of 2018 so far and anyone on the fence about this game should give it a try. -Asif Khan

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit 

The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, though only a short prequel and introduction to what we'll eventually see in Life is Strange 2, is an exemplary piece of storytelling. The tale of young Chris, who's fully into pretending he's a superhero, is as heartwarming as it is deeply emotional. The seemingly lighthearted story peppers in a cautionary tale of child abuse as well as the struggles people face after losing their partners and jobs one right after another. It's a fantastic foundation to build Life is Strange 2 on, and it kept me glued to my seat the entire time I explored Chris's home and got to know him as well as my own little brother. I wanted to protect him from all harm and give him something to look forward to, so I hope he plays a massive role in the next game from Dontnod Entertainment, as he's too precious of a character to give up on. -Brittany Vincent

There you have it, folks. Our list of the best games to be released in the first half of 2018. What games did you think should be on our list? Let us know in the comments section.

Best Games of the Midyear 2018 published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/