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thecorteztwins · 5 years

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Fabian Cortez: A Masterlist of Marvel’s Worst Man or Mutant

@sammysdewysensitiveeyes Heya! Sorry this took a bit. I have a LOT of Fabian comics to go through. I want to rec the ones really worth reading in terms of content, whether quantity (a lot of him) or quality (he’s important, scummy, or funny in some way) I also wanted to describe what the actual content inside them is, so you can decide for yourself if it’s up your alley or not for what you’re looking for. So under the cut I’m going to list you every piece of Fabian Cortez content worth having! Complete with pictures! Try not to drool, ladies!

I’ll start with his 616 issues. X-Men (second series) #1: Fabian arrives! First thing he does is use the fact that his sister was nigh-fatally shot defending him to MANIPULATE MAGNETO WITH HER APPARENT DEATH while conveniently not mentioning he can heal her and she’ll be fine. Also introduces the term “flatscan” hooray! X-Men (second series) #2: Magneto shows up to save the Acolytes from the bullshit they got themselves into. Scolds Fabian on the way home after. Quality bits include that when Magneto arrives to collect his stupid followers, Fabian grins RIGHT AT THE GODDAMN CAMERA like he fucking KNOWS. Also, THIS HAPPENS

FUCKING FABIAN I SWEAR TO GOD HE’S SO GROSS also this is when she calls him Magneto’s “pet boy” which I am never ever letting go of X-Men (second series) #3: Fabian betrays Magneto and the other Acolytes, leaving them to die! So what’s the humorous content? Well, they’re spying on a napping Xavier, and Fabian is all “What are you doing, old man?” pondering-like, and Magneto goes “Sleeping?” and idk I find that fucking hilarious. Magneto and Fabian hold hands while Fabian tells him “Let me take you to your quarters” RAWR

X-Factor #92: Fabian’s first interaction with Pietro! He’s pulled together this massive fucking Acolytes attack on a government facility, exposed their secret Sentinel project to X-Factor, put an alien parasite in Val Cooper (which she vomits up in this issue) to control her...ALL TO TALK TO PIETRO!!! Yeah. Also he makes a girl kneel between her knees and creepy-touches her hair, then PULLS it while snarling about how Pietro will be his. So. Yeah. The Uncanny X-Men #300: This happens

Moira also whispers to Neophyte (a teenage boy Acolyte) about how she’s seen how he looks at Fabian when no one is watching. She actually is referring to how she can tell Neo knows Fabian is lying about everything, but still. Neo also quotes some shit about how “Lord Cortez was with our savior a the moment of his death. Magnus has entrusted him” that you just fucking KNOW Fabian is the one who said this you KNOW he’s been preaching this shit to his new Acolytes. Meanwhile, the Gamesmaster TROLLS THE HELL OUT OF FABIAN by letting him talk about how “lol yeah I totes killed Magneto” when Gamesmaster knew that Neo was listening. When Fabian calls Gamesmaster out on this “You set me up!”), Gamesmaster is like “lol yup trololol” and his reason is honestly just that it was funny (”Anything to keep the game interesting”) Fabian tries to run away during a fight because of course he does. THEN WE GET THE FAMOUS NAKED TANTRUM!!!

BECAUSE THIS WAS NECESSARY Fun fact, the naked tantrum epilogue is done by a different artist than the rest of the issue. The person who did most of the issue draws the men with heavy black body hair. The person who did the naked epilogue does not. So Fabian goes from having very hairy arms to totally smooth, suggesting he just got a full-body wax during the time between the tantrum and the main story. So there’s that. Also he breaks a window during said tantrum because THAT’S such a smart idea; nothing like glass shards in your urethra! Also jumps on a man (still naked) while he screams about being royalty. God, I love him. The Uncanny X-Men #304: Opens with the Acolytes dogpiling on Fabian because Exodus has revealed he’s full of shit and the one who killed Magneto. He is STILL trying to give them orders---specifically, the female ones! Oh, Fabian! Exodus, rather than killing him, teleports him away, claiming that Magneto doesn’t want him executed but to suffer slowly “a victim of someone else’s legacy” This was probably meant to foreshadow that Fabian had the Legacy virus, since that plot was just starting at this time, but that never happened so it just comes off like Magneto, being an egomaniac himself, knew that just fading into obscurity would be the perfect punishment for someone like Fabs. Avengers #368 (Bloodties Part I of V): Starts with Fabian holding little Luna above the flames of Genosha and monologuing to her. SHE’S A BABY, FABIAN. SHE CAN’T UNDERSTAND YOU. WHY DO YOU LOVE YOUR OWN VOICE SO MUCH. It is kinda cute (if you ignore the whole “city on fire” thing) that she’s wrapped up in his cloak and appears to be smiling and snuggling him while he rambles. Maybe she thinks he’s telling her a story, idk. All I know is Luna is the only person in this whole damn series who has ever liked Fabian at all and that’s because she’s a literal toddler (infant?) who doesn’t know what’s going on. Issue also ends with Fabian and Luna. He and his forces have murdered the entire government of Genosha and now he’s proclaimed himself the new Chief in State of the nation. He addresses the people from a broadcast inside the state citadel, with a worried-looking Luna on his knee, surrounded by the corpses of the former government. I personally don’t think he looks good on TV. Not good for humorous content, but is worth it if you also want to see him actually seeming scary; it’s gonna be the last time he does it. X-Men (second series) #26: Fabian holds a very confused baby Luna as he gives a big dumb ranty speech to the Genoshans. Also shows up to flash thigh at Pietro like this:

Avengers #369 (Bloodties Part V of V): Exodus takes baby Luna from Fabian and kills him effortlessly. Nothing funny here, but if you enjoy the idea of him dying in a sewer, it may be for you! The Uncanny X-Men #307 (Bloodties Part IV of V): Pietro, Jean, Crystal, and Wanda search the Genoshan sewers for Fabian and Luna. There’s a lot of very unintentional humor here. Pietro mistakes HIS OWN WIFE for Fabian in the dark after HEARING HER VOICE, Fabian compliments Pietro on HOW WELL HE SCREAMS FABIAN’S NAME, Fabian teling Wanda and Pietro not to fight over him, Fabian ranting about how his life is in danger AS IF HE EXPECTS ANY OF THEM TO CARE LOL. Also at this point Fabs is having a nervous breakdown in sheer pants-pissing fear of Exodus, so he is REALLY rough-looking. Very unkempt, very unclean, raggedy cape, and the only time we see his hair out of the ponytail. Don’t know if you’re into the whole “grungy crazy-eyes” look but if you are, this is the issue for you! The 1996-1997 Magneto miniseries is full of hilarious Fabian goodness! It also does not actually have Magneto in it. It has Joseph, Magneto’s younger clone, believed by everyone at the time to be a de-aged Magneto with amnesia. It’s four issues and THE ART IS HORRIBLE and they forget Fabian’s ponytail through the whole thing except one issue...but the Fabian fuckery is AMAZING! It’s where he lies to a bird, it’s where he returns from the death no explanation and comes in LEVITATING AND SPARKLING with also no explanation how he’s doing that, where he tells a woman that snow reminds him of himself because he’s SO PURE and then tries to put her in his would-be harem two issues later and SHE BEATS HIM UNCONSCIOUS AND NO ONE QUESTIONS HER WHEN THEY WALK IN ON IT, where they lock him up and he escapes by somehow making A BIG FUCKING HOLE IN THE WALL WHAT THE FUCK and Joseph is just like “eh he’ll die out there” and apparently that’s just fine with everyone (LOOOL), where three Acolytes fight over who gets to kill him....honestly it just goes on and on, it’s great. A+ Fabian material, you must read! Fabian also tries to tutor Joseph on how to be Magneto and all I can think of is the bit in “Anastasia” where Vlad and Dmitri teach Anya about being a princess. Also he tricks “Magneto” into kissing a woman and it makes Exodus cry. So there’s that too. Quicksilver #1: IN JUST ONE SINGLE ISSUE Fabian manages to get a MASSIVE AQUARIUM comically dumped on him because he didn't listen to a woman, literally RAINS on poor Bova and Luna who have NO IDEA why a random wet fuckboy is falling on them from the ceiling screaming, SHOOTS A HORSE FURRY ON ACCIDENT, and then gets scolded like the idiot he is by Exodus. I’m just...in awe. Quicksilver #4-6: MAXIMUS AND FABIAN TEAM UP!! Heroes for Hire & Quicksilver Annual 1998: Pietro is finally ready to lead the Acolytes like Fabian was always pressuring him to!...and Fabian goes “lol nope” when Pietro is like hey go fight this dangerous battle. FABIAN. Exodus and Pietro both think he’s a coward lol. Fabs just takes anyone with him who will go and tries to split XD Magneto Rex #1: Magneto tracks down Fabian to make him serve him again. Involves Fabian saying “I guess I don’t have any choice” while kneeling in front of Magneto and a closeup of Magneto’s hand on his head. So yes. And Magneto even brought along a NEW ponytail douche with him, Pipeline, just to show Fabian he’s not special. X-men (second series) #96: A shirtless Magneto sits up in bed after having a dream about Xavier and yells “Fabian Cortez! Attend me!” Fabian comes running into his room. Also Magneto punches him in the face. Uncanny X-Men #379: At this point everyone knows Fabian is a big fat traitor so he doesn’t even try to hide it, he just openly talks treason to the other Acolytes. Magneto catches him and tosses him into a pillar, he ain’t even surprised. Magneto Dark Seduction #1: Pietro walks in on Fabian sitting in Magneto’s chair when no one is around and yells at him. Magneto Dark Seduction #2: He’s in it but not worth noting. If you want to read the Dark Seduction series as a whole though, you probably should read this just for context’s sake. He does send a goddamn email as “Trojan Horse” though. Seriously. Trojan Horse. FABIAN ARE YOU SERIOUS?! Magneto Dark Seduction #3: Just a couple panels, but Fabian getting a fuck ton of guns pointed at him while he plays innocent!

Magneto: Dark Seduction #4: Fabian stares at a woman’s ass while negotiating with her for his release. He never notices the floating head of Sinister behind him because of said staring. He complains about the means of escape she gives him not being good enough, and then is killed by Magneto. So the last two things he does in his life is stare at a woman’s butt and be an entitled brat. HE DIED AS HE LIVED! X-Men ‘92 is indeed great! The thing to remember is, there are TWO X-Men ‘92 series. The first series is part of the 2015 Secret Wars and is four issues. The next series, which spanned 10 issues from 2016 to 2017, is not. The one with Fabian content is the second one. However, he is NOT in every issue, and not every issue he’s in will have Quality Fabness. X-Men ‘92 #2: His first appearance in these pages, in which he immediately shows us YUP, IT’S HIM by proclaiming himself THE SUPREME MUTANT:

X-Men ‘92 #6: Features Fabian undercover as a roadie in Lila Cheney’s band. This is where he fools all the X-Men here as security by him just wearing a goddamn baseball cap. Also features THIS FUCKING FACE:

X-Men ‘92 #7: The first page doesn’t have Fabian, but it does have someone talking about him! He’s one of The Toadies, the band that Lila was playing with, and a real-life grunge band that got to cameo in these issues! He refers to Fabian as “that weird roadie with the ponytail” which is priceless enough, but also says that the band “chased him to the parking lot but lost him” That’s right, Fabian was CHASED THROUGH A CONCERT PARKING LOT BY A GRUNGE BAND! And it was off-screen! This is both FANTASTIC because it happened and a HUGE LOSS that we didn’t get to see it. Later in the issue, Fabian himself does show up being HIMSELF and we get this:

Because we needed that angle of him, I guess. Thanks artists. And then we get him...being himself. X-Men ‘92 #9: It only has one Fabian panel but OH MY GOD WHAT A PANEL

X-Men ‘92 #10: Includes these wonderful moments/faces!

That time Fabian Cortez just kind of randomly photobomber the Summers-Grey-Xavier family photo Seriously, Charles is basically Scott’s father, and to a degree Jean’s as well, Cassandra Nova is his twin sister, and Cable is the son of Scott and Jean’s clone and then there’s Fabian who has no connection to any of these people who isn’t even on the same SIDE yet has just RUN IN THERE AND INTO THE FUCKING CENTER NO LESS FABIAN

Now let’s go one more, X-Men Forever! I don’t consider it great Fabian content, there’s really no comedy beyond how much Claremont clearly hates this guy, but given his presence in it, I’ll list his appearances and let you decide if it’s something you’d want to have a look at. Like X-Men ‘92, X-Men Forever takes place in an alternate timeline. It branches off right after X-Men #3, when Fabian murdered Magneto. Also like X-Men ‘92, it’s the second series to be called this. The first one is by Fabian Niceiza and there is no Cortez content. The one you want is the X-men Forever written by Chris Claremont and his beautiful, beautiful hate-on for Fabian. X-Men Forever #1: Fabian fights the X-Men. Not anything really noteworthy as funny or scummy or specifically “Fabian” here. Some of them debate killing him once they knock him out, as the X-Men all kinda become especially “fuck this guy” in X-Men Forever towards Fabian even though he’s done MUCH less shit in this universe. Why? Claremont hates him, that’s why. But yeah probably not worth it if you’re looking for a “Fabian being Fabian” fix. Is worth it is you always wanted his flat ass in khakis though!

Also the Phoenix knocks him on his ass when he manhandles Jean

And he does what he does best!

X-Men Forever #5: A shackled Fabian is dumped into the middle of nowhere into the hands of a mysterious group. Just one page, nothing funny or shitty here, not worth it for what you’re looking for I don’t think. X- Men Forever #19: We get to see what happened to Fabian! He’s in the clutches of the Consortium, an anti-mutant organization, and he’s a tortured emaciated wreck. I don’t even like seeing him like this, man. I love him getting what he deserves but oh man this is rough. There is one kinda funny bit where, when they discover him, he asks if they came to mock him. I think this is funny just because it speaks to his egocentric mindset even in this state; yes, Fabian, they busted into a super dangerous top-secret facility just to make fun of YOU! X-Men Forever #20: . He can’t even stand up, he has to be carried out of there. He gets shot during his own rescue, but lives (for a bit) through it, long enough to give the X-Men some info about who’s behind this operation. This is not funny Fabian content at all, so you might not want it. X-Men Forever #21: Fabian passed away during the night after his rescue. Claremont is sure to state in the yellow boxes that “Nobody misses him. Nobody mourns.” We do get to see his dead body and Jean does a sort of psychic autopsy in which she extracts further info from his deceased brain. Again, this isn’t funny Fabian content, it’s not even really Fabian content at all, would not recommend. We come back to the fun with “X-Men: The Animated Series” from the 1990s! Fabian appears in “Sanctuary: Part !”, “Sanctuary:Part II”, and “The Fifth Horseman.” All of them are pretty great! And gave us MY FAVORITE SCREENSHOTS OF ALL FLIPPIN’ TIME! xD THE HOLOGRAM HAREM!

#xmen #x men #fabian cortez #issue list #masterpost #a fabsterlist

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recentanimenews · 4 years

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The Life and Death of Dragonball Evolution

In the fall of 1998, just a few months before Kids' WB gained a record-breaking hit with Pokemon, Cartoon Network made their own landmark anime acquisition: Dragon Ball Z. For a series that would soon become synonymous with the medium of anime itself in America, Dragon Ball Z hadn't exactly had a smooth time making a name for itself in the states. Its first dub had run for two seasons and then been canceled as broadcast syndication companies just didn't seem too thrilled about it and others wanted to focus their attention elsewhere, leaving Goku homeless — a Saiyan without a channel.

Cartoon Network began to air reruns on weekdays and ordered more episodes to be dubbed due to their success. Soon Dragon Ball Z began to make a splash in the home video market, breaking the Top 10 in video sales at times. In the span of a few years, Dragon Ball Z went from seemingly being a lost cause to a household name, as for many, Dragon Ball Z wasn't just another anime series. It WAS anime. And this, like with anything that becomes popular in the entertainment world, attracted some outside attention.

$100 million worth of attention, to be exact.

What followed would lead to one of the most infamous anime adaptations ever: Dragonball Evolution, a movie that remains decried by anime fans and its own filmmakers to this day. Its story is not a simple one, but one that deserves to be told.

Part 1: Big Screen Dreams

In March 2002, Twentieth Century Fox announced that they'd gathered the rights to make a live-action version of Dragon Ball Z, one that they planned to spend $100 million on. Now, Fox was no stranger to big action blockbusters based on comics. In 2000, they'd released X-Men, which gathered solid reviews and made nearly $300 million worldwide. Along with Blade, this signaled a comeback tour for superhero films, a genre that seemed in dire need of a reboot after the immense critical failure of 1997's Batman & Robin.

Fox had big franchise plans for X-Men and began formulating the same for Dragonball — along with plans for other Shonen Jump series. And to show that they intended on making something that lived up to the grandeur of the work it was based on, they enlisted Dragonball creator Akira Toriyama as creative consultant, with Toriyama saying, "I have always drawn my manga with the desire to create something unique to comics ... But recent movies have surprised us by entering such territory that used to belong only to comics with wonderful technology and wisdom."

But while a promise of a $100 million smash would seem to indicate a quick push forward, it wasn't to be. In fact, over two years went by before a screenwriter was announced. Ben Ramsey, who had written The Big Hit for Sony and was now working on adapting Luke Cage for them (this film would never end up being made), signed on to write Dragon Ball Z.

This was long before Disney and Marvel began to gather all of their heroes under one Mickey Mouse shaped umbrella, by the way. Just a few years earlier, Marvel had declared bankruptcy and then offered EVERY property they had to Sony for only $25 million (To put that in perspective, Robert Downey Jr. would be paid $50 million just to be in the first Avengers.) Sony wasn't interested, of course. They usually only have eyes for Spider-Man.

Ramsey was paid half a million for the script — of which the original version seems to attempt to flesh out the world of Dragonball. Krillin was there (for a little bit), and so was Pilaf, the Ox King, Oolong, and many others. In fact, a bunch of the more fantastical elements from the original Dragonball series at least made cameo appearances, even if their roles and designs seemed to be drastically altered for a live-action film.

Ramsey seemed like a good fit for a Dragonball film. He's a big fan of martial arts movies like Enter the Dragon and actors like Bruce Lee and Sonny Chiba. He'd also eventually direct martial artist/actor Michael Jai White in the supremely underrated underground fight flick Blood and Bone. And a few years later, Dragonball would gain a man with plenty of credentials in the world of martial arts cinema: Stephen Chow.

Most people know Chow from the martial arts parody films he directed like Kung Fu Hustle and Shaolin Soccer, films that, while funny, also display a deep love for and knowledge of martial arts flicks. It had all come after starring in copious Hong Kong action and comedy films in the '90s, and considering the tone of Dragonball, Chow seemed uniquely suited to oversee such a project. But Chow would not be directing it, as he preferred to only direct things that he had created.

Chow would sit in the producer's role and instead, 20th Century Fox would hand the directing duties to James Wong, who was fresh off of Final Destination 3. He'd also directed the first Final Destination and the Jet Li sci-fi/action film The One, but admitted that he wasn't very familiar with Dragonball at the start. He dug the script, but only became truly enthusiastic about the prospect of the movie after being sent some of Toriyama's manga, which he considered "amazing." In fact, before reading the manga, he revealed that he didn't know "what to do with this thing."

He also wanted to "incorporate some hip hop or dance moves" into the fight scenes of the film, finding that they made things more fun. That claim remains questionable.

The actors were also set around this time, with 25-year-old Justin Chatwin playing the 18-year-old Goku, James Marsters of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame playing Goku's enemy/rival Piccolo, and the legendary Chow Yun-Fat playing Master Roshi. And then finally, in November 2007, five-and-a-half years after Fox's original statement, the beginning of Dragonball's filming was announced. Immediately, something seemed off.

Part 2: The Hero's Journey

In the Variety announcement article, it explained that while Ben Ramsey wrote an earlier draft, James Wong would be directing a script that he wrote. Now, this is not uncommon in Hollywood. Plenty of directors take a sort of editing stab at their screenwriter's material. What makes it odd, though, is that in the end, Wong would not be credited for the script that he "penned." Instead, the credit would go entirely back to Ramsey when the film was released, a film that was not yet called "Dragonball Evolution," just simply "Dragonball."

And where would they shoot Dragonball? Durango, Mexico, with Durango meeting the crew's needs in terms of resources while the film's production provided many jobs for the city. This might seem odd, but Durango was no stranger to Hollywood productions. John Wayne's The Sons of Katie Elder had been shot there, and so had Clark Gable's The Tall Men. It was also known for the filming of Buck and the Preacher, the debut directing job of Sydney Poitier, the first African American man to win the Academy Award for Best Actor. But those highlights had been decades ago and Durango was looking to reinvent itself as a prominent hub for cinema.

The Durango Film Commission was also extremely generous with presenting itself as a location option, stating that it would pick up important members of the production in a Lear Jet and offer them a helicopter for production at "no cost." While a backlot would be built for exterior scenes, most of the film would be shot in an abandoned Jeans Trousers factory, turned into a 1,000-foot long filmmaking facility for Dragonball.

The process of actually filming Dragonball was rough, though. Marsters required a four-hour make-up job for Piccolo and if he didn't cool off between takes, he'd sweat the make-up and prosthetics off. The harsh desert winds damaged multiple set-pieces and Wong would tell Newsarama, "It didn't seem like we had an easy day on this movie at all," and that he wasn't sure what certain special effects-heavy sequences would end up looking like.

Regardless, the actors would remain optimistic. A few months after filming began, Marsters told TVGuide that Dragonball was "the coolest television cartoon of the last 50,000 years," had a "Shakespearean sense of good and evil," and that he was told that the film would cost "about $100 million." He lamented that the female characters in the original series "aren't drawn well," but "we're going to fix that in the movie."

Chatwin, who'd appeared a few years earlier in Stephen Spielberg's War of the Worlds remake (where Dragon Ball toys can be seen in his character's bedroom) would compare Goku to Luke Skywalker. Chow Yun-Fat would say that he enjoyed working on the film, as did many of the other actors. Late in 2008, with the release of its first trailer, Dragonball was quietly renamed Dragonball Evolution, hinting that we wouldn't quite be getting the full Dragonball story, but rather a chunk of it. And in a few months, this hint would turn into a promise.

Part 3: Ya' Gotta Wait Until The Next Episode For It To Get Good

With the American release date just weeks away, a new round of press would center on one specific theme: Don't worry, it gets better in the next movie.

Marsters had signed for three movies but wanted to make five, or even seven since "my character only really gets interesting in the second film." Chatwin said "there's so much we haven't shown yet," and seemed to describe the first film as mostly exposition, but still worth watching. Chatwin also noted that the sequel would dive more into Dragon Ball Z territory and that there was a script for a second film already written, but he'd only heard about it and hadn't read it yet.

On April 9, 2009, one day before the United States release, an interview with director Wong on Telecinco news gave an even more sobering look at the film. He talked about working on "three or four" drafts, though there was already a script by Ramsey, and that "In the world of 'Dragon Ball' anything is possible and there were many fantastic elements that I wanted to include in the film, but we couldn't really afford it." This quote would come after the reveal that, despite the multiple claims of a $100 million budget beforehand, the budget actually came in at half that, totaling $50 million.

Wong seemed interested in making sure the film was grounded enough to get non-fans into the series, fearing that fantastical elements would confuse or drive them away. He mentioned getting rid of a "talking animal" character (probably Oolong or the shapeshifting squirrel-esque creature Puar) from an earlier script draft, and that while the manga had unlimited freedom, the movie had to be limited due to "the time we had and for the budget." He also said that he didn't really pay attention to any internet criticism and that he'd be happy to do another Dragonball film if it was the sequel "that we all want."

The film had premiered in Japan the previous month, with Chatwin describing a plan to have him explode out of a giant ball at the Japanese premiere as silly at first, but eventually pretty cool. He also recalled being confused by the Japanese audience's silent reception of it, eventually rectifying it as the response of a "more respectful" culture. His take on the budget? "Dragonball was a $120 million film."

But despite efforts like a tie-in PSP video game and a Shonen Jump Dragonball Evolution posterzine released by VIZ Media, nothing could stop the tide that was about to hit the film. It made less than $10 million in the United States (the 2018 anime film Dragon Ball Super: Broly would make over twice as much) and the reviews were overwhelmingly negative. Critics called it "uninspired," "cliche-ridden" and a "surreal mess," among many, many other things.

So what happened? Well, to answer that, we have to look at what didn't happen ...

Part 4: "A Strange Confidence"

"I was told it was a $100 million picture, and Stephen Chow would be producing. I get down to Mexico, it's a $30 million picture. No one's met Stephen Chow, he's only on paper. Aaaand I got no stuntman."

That was James Marsters' response to a question about Dragonball Evolution at Monster Mania 2009, just four months after the release of the film. Nine years later, he'd say that he was told the film had a $120 million budget at first and that both he and Chow Yun-Fat had gone to Mexico excited to work with Stephen Chow. But Stephen Chow wasn't there, leaving Marsters and Chow Yun-Fat "fooled" and "cursing in the desert."

So where was Stephen Chow? Well, a few days after the American release, the reason for Chow's disappearance from anything to do with Dragonball Evolution, from the production to the promotion, was revealed: No one had let him do his job. "Except for giving a few suggestions, I did not have an actual role," he told a reporter during a phone interview. "It's true that they did not accept my decisions," he added.

And what of Akira Toriyama's role as a "creative consultant?" He'd found that the script didn't make the best use of the characters and their world, "so I cautioned them, and suggested changes; but in spite of that, they seemed to have a strange confidence, and didn't really listen to me." He'd also claim to be "upset" about it.

Ben Ramsey, who'd taken a lot of flack for being credited with the screenplay, initially said in a 2010 interview "Go talk to the director about that one! That's his vision, not mine" However, in 2016, he'd issue an apology for the film's script, calling the experience of writing for such a reviled film "gut-wrenching," and receiving the hate mail "heartbreaking." He admitted to writing the project for the money, rather than as a fan, and didn't blame "anyone for Dragonball but myself."

And when it comes to creating films that he's actually passionate about? "That's the only work I do now."

For more of my Crunchyroll Deep Dives, click here to read Licensing of the Monsters: How Pokemon Ignited An Anime Arms Race

Daniel Dockery is a Senior Staff Writer for Crunchyroll. Follow him on Twitter!

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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billyagogo · 4 years

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'The Last Dance' proves why Michael Jordan's the only athlete who could ever be loved as both hero and villain - CBS Sports

New Post has been published on https://newsprofixpro.com/moxie/2020/05/12/the-last-dance-proves-why-michael-jordans-the-only-athlete-who-could-ever-be-loved-as-both-hero-and-villain-cbs-sports/

'The Last Dance' proves why Michael Jordan's the only athlete who could ever be loved as both hero and villain - CBS Sports

The greatest trick Michael Jordan ever pulled was becoming a villain right in front of our eyes — and looking like a hero while doing it. That’s the essence of what has to be acknowledged as the most enjoyable and enlightening Jordan interview excerpt we’ve seen so far from “The Last Dance,” which is now eight episodes deep into its 10-episode run. On Sunday night, millions saw the clip that’s going to birth two or three more everlasting M.J. memes. The Gary Payton reaction clip. Near the end of Episode 8, director Jason Hehir once more pulls a move that has served this documentary-as-cultural-event so well. Hehir hands Jordan a tablet for him to watch interview subjects speak about him, in the present day, with Jordan getting the benefit of being afforded a last word on whomever it is he’s provided to roast or rebel against. I am here to tell you that Michael Jordan reacting to Gary Payton talking about Michael Jordan is as pure a look into the mind of M.J. as you’ll ever get of the man — at least away from his greatness and killer instinct so often laid bare on the basketball court.

Payton is one of the best defenders in NBA history. He was as good of a trashtalker as Jordan could claim to be, and in fact Payton did a great job guarding and harassing 23 in the ’96 Finals. Payton was the Defensive Player of the Year in 1995-96, and he helped Seattle sidestep infamy by dodging a presumed sweep at the hands of the 72-win Bulls. Loaded up alongside Shawn Kemp, Payton and the Sonics worked to a respectable six-game defeat. Like more than 100 other interview subjects, Payton agreed to have a chat, to reminisce on his team getting worked by Chicago. He could have said a few platitudes, offered up a nice quip of a quote and been done with it. But that’s not the Glove’s style. And so it had to come to this. On Sunday night, Jordan took off the cape, donned a proverbial villain’s mask and ended Payton. There is no coming back from this. Whichever reporters wind up tracking down Payton for a follow-up, well, that will be forgotten about almost immediately anyway. This video is what makes Jordan, and this documentary, so irresistible. You’ve got Payton being so damn sure of himself, saying things would have been different if he guarded Jordan from the outset. Jordan can’t wait for this. The cackling. The big eyes, the raised brow. Jordan busts a gut again when Payton says, “It was a difference with beating him down a little bit.” Then, a beat to take it all in. “The Glove,” Jordan says. Oh, it almost sounds reverential for just a second there. The Glove. One of his contemporaries during the golden years of the NBA.

“I had no problem with the Glove.” As smooth as it is savage in delivery. Like Jordan forgot about this man for two decades before needing to be handed a tablet to remind him of who he played against in June of 1996. Jordan in fact averaged 27.3 points on 41.5 percent shooting against Seattle. It was indisputably his worst Finals; it’s the only time he failed to average north of 30 points and shot worse than 45 percent. Payton does have a case. But the Bulls won the series in six and Jordan was the MVP. That’s all anyone remembers or cares about. The 1995-96 Bulls culminated the most dominant wire-to-wire season in NBA history by winning a championship in Jordan’s first full season back in the league. That’s the legacy, and it’s really what sets the table for the 1997-98 doc to even happen anyway. But that clip is so telling. Of Jordan, but also of us. It’s compelling as hell. Jordan comes off looking like some sort of unhinged supervillain — and we like him even more because of it. He’s laughing at roadkill 24 years in his rearview. With the hand-back of a tablet, Gary Payton and SuperSonics are disposed of. It is affable arrogance, and there isn’t another athlete alive today who can pull it off. Watch it again; you know you want to. Jordan looks more villainesque than at any other point during Episodes 7 and 8, which is notable because Sunday night was supposed to be the night we had to reckon with Jordan’s abusive behavior to teammates. These two episodes were to be what made us feel uncomfortable about all the praise from the prior six. These were supposed to be the two episodes that humanized — and villainized — the greatest basketball player in history.

Instead, the documentary continued to blast Jordan’s legend and likability beyond the stratosphere. Buzzed-about behind-the-scenes footage of Jordan picking fights with (or just plain picking on) teammates were practically muted compared to legends of his alleged abusive behavior. We predictably saw him rag on Scott Burrell and yes, we got firsthand accounts from both Jordan and Steve Kerr recalling when Jordan took a closed right fist directly into Kerr’s eye socket. But even that long-established anecdote was wrapped with a bow on the doc with Kerr proclaiming it was “the best thing I ever did” to further his career and push the Bulls closer together in the infancy of that historic 1995-96 season. Sunday night brought into focus the murder of Jordan’s father, James, and how that set into motion his earth-stopping retirement in the fall of 1993. We learned two things from Jordan in Episode 7: that when the Bulls won the ’93 title, his dad was the only one who really knew he was planning on retiring, and that the final conversation James and Michael Jordan ever had included a father telling his son to chase his dream of playing baseball. James Jordan was next to Michael after the Bulls’ championship-winning nights in 1991, 1992 and 1993. He’s in the photos, soaked in celebration, sitting or standing beside his son in celebration.

This was juxtaposed against Jordan’s beloved villainy, which was laid out in his sociopathic motivations. Inventing grudges or actions that pushed him to new levels of vengefulness. But the devil of it all is that Jordan balances this by showing how human and fragile he can be. He cares so much, his joy for killing his competition so genuine, that emotion is a finality for every ending in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Each time is catharsis. And it never seems staged, forced or fake. That’s why this documentary is reeling millions in. Jordan gave a damn more than anyone ever gave a damn and losing was death. The end of Episode 8 brings around that ever-familiar image of a stretched-out Jordan on his stomach, in Chicago, crying in solitude after winning Game 6 against Seattle. His father’s been dead for almost three years. You’ve seen this video tens if not hundreds if not thousands of times. But did you ever actually hear it? On Sunday, yes. You can hear the heaves, hear the expulsion of misery and regret, the outpouring of joy and emission of probably three or four other types of emotions that Jordan himself would have trouble articulating to this day. That coming at the end of Episode 8 wraps a ribbon around the even more powerful conclusion to Episode 7, where again we see Jordan as villain as much as we do as hero. But instead of being animated in a comical way, he’s the most emotional we’ve seen him so far in this doc. What a moment. And just before that clip, Jordan’s most intense, clear-eyed quote of this entire thing: “You ask all my teammates? The one thing about Michael Jordan was: He never asked me to do something that he didn’t f—–g do.”

That’s power, that’s intimidation and that’s 100 percent accurate. He was the hero and he was the villain and he was everything you wanted him to be while being nothing no one else could ever be.

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torentialtribute · 5 years

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No sign of Nike and Umbro dominance… Premier League 92-93 kit makers

The Premier League from 1992-93 – the first season after the division of the Football League – It feels like a world away from the glitter and shine of today. Just look at the kits, for example.

Almost every shirt had a full collar, some patterns could at best be described as psychedelic, and some did not even have any sponsors at the front – this was before the era of slippery commercial teams in every club

[bewerken] For example Nike – whose Nike – whose manufacturers have a clearer home feeling than they do. Customers for 2018-19 include Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham – were not involved at all, while Adidas – now the most prominent designer with six kits – had less market share.

Instead, the names were either required to arouse nostalgia among older fans – an age when Umbro was the king and admiral governed the waves – or simply cause confusion. Remember Ribero? What about Brooks Running?

So, after Arsenal recently signed for £ 300 million deal with Adidas, and with Manchester United getting £ 75 million a year from their deal, Sportsmail looks back to 1992, and who was designing that polyester? comics …

The Premier League from 1992-93 feels a world away from the glitz and shine of today.

Gunners fans recently felt a warm urge for nostalgia when their club re-signed with the German

company for the 2019 season, for the first time since 1994. Their set-out yellow with black angle brackets remains iconic in certain parts of North London.

Villa of Ron Atkinson pushed eventual champions Manchester United closer than anyone else, and they were just one of many who wore Umbro comic strips. The British company made the kits for 11 teams in the first Premier League season – exactly half of the division.

The last party to their place in the first Premier League after winning the old two-division play-offs, Blackburn went to the top table as the only team that this Japanese manufacturer wore. Their comics were designed by Asics between 1992 and 1998.

]

Crystal Palace – Bukta / Ribero

The only team that halfway the season of manufacturer had to change, Palace started the season with the wearing of comics by Stockport-based company Bukta – as they had done since 1998 – but in January it changed to Ribero. As manager Steve Coppell hoped it would help prevent relegation, he was disappointed.

Everton, with Matt Jackson (left) and Gary Ablett, avoided all beautiful designs or peculiarities in their choice of manufacturer

Umbro took over from Adidas in 1989 and would continue to design the shirts for the Tractor Boys until 1995, when they relegated from the top flight. The look of the kit, with the shoelace neck, was certainly retro – and in combination with the mustache of John Wark, unforgettable.

Admiral is another elf-joint kit manufacturer – with four Premier League clubs in 1992 – since it was lost against the wind of time, yet at the highest level of English football. They designed the comics of national champions Leeds – from 2018 on, the only English club with a Bury kit designed by Admiral.

Liverpool – Adidas

At the end of the 2018-19 season, the Reds are looking for a new designer when their £ 25 million contract with New Balance expires after seven years. They may seem like the past on inspiration, the Adidas were their manufacturer when the Premier League started.

In the days when you had laughed from Maine Road because you suggested that City would be in two decades of the richest clubs in the world, the club had been equipped with Umbro since 1974. would be a collaboration that lasted until 1997.

The most famous United change kit ever came to Southampton in April 1996, but was it a change from kitmaker that gave rise to their dominant period? With Adidas until 1992, United switched to Umbro and promptly won their first title in 26 years.

Boro, who recently gained his PhD, was one of the four founders of the Premier League who wore Admiral after finishing a five-year relationship with Skill. The bright red and white design, sponsored by painters ICI, remains popular with fans, even though the club has undergone undergoing degradation.

Ask someone to draw a stereotypical football goal of the 1990s, and chances are that they'll come up with something like Normans 92/93 jersey.

This article is a comment. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

Forest had kits designed by Umbro from the middle of the 1980s to the middle from the 1990s, including their appearance in the very first Premier League season. They looked smart in the white pinstripes, but that could not prevent them from ending up at the bottom of the bottom in Brian Clough's last campaign.

With the offices of Umbro just around the corner, it is no wonder Oldham was devoted to the brand in the 80s and early 90s led Joe Royle to the Premier League. The asymmetrical design and pattern of the fabric is very much of his time.

American manufacturers are all raging nowadays – see the rise of Nike – but the deal of QPR with the company in Seattle meant that they were the only Premier League club in 1992 with a link stateside and together with Blackburn, the only ones using the foreign manufacturer.

[1945913] Sheffield United – Umbro

Brian Deane scored the first Premier League goal with this Umbro- kit, one of four designs with the retro laced collar. The magazines were contracted for 12 years at the British company, between 1983 and 1995. They carried Le Coq Sportif when they returned to the top flight in 2006.

The Steel City was strongly present in the first years of the Premier League and Umbro had the monopoly on kit design. The owls had a contract with the Manchester company since 1984, but switched to a Premier League season and were with Puma for 1993/94.

In 2017 Spurs – now established as regular competition and title candidate – signed a contract of £ 30 million for & # 39; several years & # 39; with Nike. 25 years earlier things were much more at home. Umbro stood behind the Lilywhites design from 1991 to 1995.

] Wimbledon – Admiral

The only club that had no official shirt sponsor in 92 / 93, made of their Premier League one of the four Admiral-clad clubs on the top flight. It was the first of five different designers they had in eight years to relegate in 2000, together with Ribero, Core, Lotto and a shirt that was designed and made by the club itself

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flauntpage · 7 years

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Remembering Roberto Carlos' Immortal Goal at Le Tournoi

It is among the most famous 45 seconds of footage in football history. Brazil are playing France at Lyon's Stade de Gerland and the visitors have just won a free-kick 35 yards from goal. The diminutive wing-back Roberto Carlos carefully places the ball on the turf, meticulously adjusting its position by millimetres, as if searching for the perfect panel to strike. He begins pacing backwards, retreating a full 20 yards, then stops at the centre circle. The ensuing run-up is almost comical: a tiptoe sprint followed by a relaxed jog. Then he hits the ball – 'lashes it' might be better terminology – and before the crowd can fully comprehend what has happened it has set the back of the net rippling violently, as if caught in a storm at sea.

It is evidently a wonderful strike, though the replay reveals that this is far more than the average belting free-kick. Viewed from behind Carlos, it is evident that the ball bends at an incredible, indeed scarcely believable angle. Having seemed destined to end up among the fans to the left of French 'keeper Fabien Barthez, it somehow clips the inside of the post and leaves the goalie stumbling towards thin air. The little Brazilian is deservingly mobbed by his teammates.

It is safe to assume that almost every football fan knows this sequence – but do they know which tournament it took place in?

Ronaldo congratulates Carlos on his immortal goal // PA Images

Though some certainly do, many are hazy on the details of the competition, while other are entirely unsure what Brazil were doing in France that day. The engagement was part of the oft forgotten Tournoi de France — better known as Le Tournoi — a 'friendly tournament' played at grounds in Paris, Nantes, Montpellier and Lyon 12 months ahead of France staging the 1998 World Cup. Four teams participated: the hosts, England, Italy and Brazil.

A year on from their meeting at Stade de Gerland the same two sides would play again in the 1998 World Cup Final. But in the summer of '97, it was England who reigned supreme.

Before basking in that very faded glory, however, we must attempt to work out exactly what Le Tournoi was. At a glance it bears some resemblance to the modern Confederations Cup, in that it was played in the country which would host the following year's World Cup as a sort of dry run. It was also a money maker; it is worth noting that in the UK the games were broadcast on Sky Sports, whereas the World Cup is legally bound to free-to-air channels.

Yet it was not a true forerunner of the Confederations Cup, which was already active by 1997. Though it has changed in some ways over the past 25 years, this has always featured some or all of FIFA's confederational champions. Le Tournoi possessed none.

READ MORE: How Gazza's Moment of Magic Awoke a Generation of Football Fans

And so it was, above all, a competition made for television. The combatants were all global heavyweights, producing four must-see games between teams stuffed with recognisable names.

That aspect can often disappoint at all-star friendly tournaments: the teams are big hitters, but some of the star players often remain at home.

But in this respect Le Tournoi exceeded expectations. As well as the aforementioned Carlos, Brazil called upon Ronaldo, Romario and their surly skipper Dunga among others; France brought Zidane, Vieira and Desailly; and the Italian contingent included Del Piero, Zola and Maldini.

And then there were the English.

This was a buoyant time for the Three Lions. The humiliation of not qualifying for World Cup '94 was largely forgotten, while the heartbreaking but ultimately successful Euro '96 campaign was fresh in the national conciseness. Baddiel & Skinner's refrain of "It's coming home" still reverberated around stadia across the country and a group of gifted young players were coming to the fore. In stark contrast to the pessimism of 2017, the summer of 1997 was characterised by genuine hope around England's national side.

Shearer bags the winner against France // PA Images

The team that contested Le Tournoi was largely the one that would go on to fall short at France '98: David Seaman in goal; a mix of youth and experience in defence; a midfield possessing the grit of Paul Ince and Manchester United flair courtesy of David Beckham and Paul Scholes; and guaranteed goals up front thanks to Alan Shearer and Teddy Sherringham. Euro '96 boss Terry Venables was gone, but the promising young Glenn Hoddle had arrived in his stead. Hope sprung eternal.

The tournament employed a round-robin format, with each team playing each other once and the winner decided by points. It's easy to imagine that a 2017 version would have been expanded to include a final between the top two, and in truth this would have made for a more satisfying contest.

The tournament began with France taking on Brazil in Lyon, where Carlos lit up the game with his 21st-minute free-kick. The French levelled in the second half thanks to Marc Keller, a 29-year-old striker who would later play for West Ham. It was his first and only international goal, a tally only slightly eclipsed by his five in 44 for the Hammers.

READ MORE: England Since Euro '96 – A Nation's Fortunes Played Out on the Pitch

24 hours later England clashed with Italy in Nantes. Veteran Arsenal goalscorer Ian Wright put his side 1-0 up just before the half hour, with Scholes adding a second shortly before half time. This was the Three Lions' first win over Italy for 20 years and as stylish a showing as could be dreamed of from an England side. Hoddle experimented with his team and was rewarded handsomely. Among the fresh faces was a 22-year-old Scholes, who made his full international debut that day and marked it with a goal.

The third game pitched a buoyant England side against France. If ending a 20-year drought against Italy was cathartic, consider that their 1-0 victory over Zidane and co. made them the first English side to beat the French on home turf since 1949. Even Stuart Pearce couldn't remember back that far.

The only goal of the game came less than five minutes from time when Fabien Barthez fumbled the ball into the path of Alan Shearer. The Newcastle striker required no further invitation to tuck it home.

The following day Italy and Brazil played out a 3-3 draw at Stade de Gerland. Alessandro del Piero opened the scoring on six minutes, and the Azzurri were 2-0 up after 23 minutes following an own goal from Aldair.

Del Piero opens the scoring against Brazil // PA Images

The Brazilians pegged one back on 35 minutes when Attilio Lombardo – perhaps daydreaming about his impending move to Crystal Palace – put the ball into his own net. Despite this, Italy appeared safe once more when Del Piero coolly dispatched a penalty on 61 minutes.

But Brazil roused themselves to produce a grandstand finish. 20-year-old phenomenon Ronaldo made it 3-2, before his veteran strike partner Romario levelled the score at 3-3 with less than 10 minutes to play.

So, approaching the final pair of games, France and Italy both had a point a piece; Brazil had two and England sat atop the table with a perfect six. The outcome of the competition was already decided: England had secured Le Tournoi with a game to spare.

If the celebrations were already muted, given that this was a minor and ultimately meaningless international tournament, they became positively damp when England lost their concluding game 1-0 to Brazil. Italy and France would later draw their final game 2-2.

It was thus a blueprint for England showings over the next 20 years: promise much beforehand, initially deliver, then fall short. There was of course no shame in losing to Brazil – they were the reigning world champions and just a few weeks later secured the Copa America title. Only in light of England's subsequent showings – particularly World Cup 2014 and Euro 2016 – does it seem symbolic.

At the time Le Tournoi was heralded as a step forward for a team that showed real signs of progress. What's more, it served as a catalyst for a strong end to World Cup qualifying that saw Hoddle's side beat Moldova 4-0 at Wembley, then secure a goalless draw away in Italy. With the Azzurri having dropped points in a 0-0 draw in Georgia, this was enough to send England to France as group winners. The Italians would join them, but required a nervy play-off victory over Russia to book their ticket.

Ultimately neither side fared especially well at World Cup '98. England escaped the group despite losing 2-1 to Romania, only to exit in the Round of 16 following a thrilling clash with Argentina. Italy made it to the quarter-finals, but a penalty defeat to hosts France dashed their hopes.

Better was to come for Le Tournoi's other two teams. 12 months on from the friendly tournament they met once more, this time in the biggest game in world football, where the French ran riot with a 3-0 victory over a subdued Brazil.

What happened in the summer of 1997 thus became something of an irrelevance. Few remember images of Alan Shearer lifting the modest Le Tournoi trophy above his head, a hint of a grin on his face, though it would be the last competition he won for club or country.

What everyone does remember, however, is Roberto Carlos and his physics-defying free-kick. The competition may have been forgettable, but what the Brazilian did that day will be recalled long after Le Tournoi has faded into footballing obscurity.

@Jim_Weeks

Remembering Roberto Carlos' Immortal Goal at Le Tournoi published first on http://ift.tt/2pLTmlv

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