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oosteven-universe · 5 years

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Agents of Atlas #1

Agents of Atlas #1 Marvel Comics 2019 The Portal City of Pan Written by Greg Pak Illustrated by Nico Leon Coloured by Federico Blee Behind the Veil Written by Jeff Parker Pencilled by Carlo Pagulayan Inked by Jason Paz Coloured by Dono Sanchez-Almara Lettered by VC's Joe Sabino PROTECTING EVERY CORNER OF THE MARVEL U! By popular demand, ATLAS debut in their own series as AMADEUS CHO, SILK, SHANG-CHI, WAVE, JIMMY WOO and all your favourites defend the cross-Asian portal city of Pan against the science-magic threat of one of Marvel’s classic villains! Classic science-magic super hero fun combined with young and old heroes from multiple lands clashing with one another, fighting monsters and maybe saving the world along the way! And who is ISAAC IKEDA, the Protector of Pan? PLUS: Where are the original AGENTS OF ATLAS? Namora, M-11, Gorilla Man and Marvel Boy in an all-new top-secret mission! Not going to lie, while the Marvel Universe is overpopulated with heroes so it is nice to see these kids coming together and being the kind of team that is in another part of the world rather than in the United States. For too long the U.S. Has been the central focus because that's where it's company is but in this day and age a series like this one is very much long overdue. Plus with two tales inside each one a group of Agents of Atlas this has the kind of star power that make for an excellent read. When I first met Amadeus he was with Hercules and now he's a Hulk who at 20 is one of the worlds smartest people, so I am interested in seeing where this takes him. Greg does an absolutely marvellous job with the writing here. The opening here is a perfect example of how to catch the readers attention, ignite their curiosity and engage them. Plus it also adds in this masterful characterisation that I find him so good at bringing to his stories. Greg manages to combine, twist, turn and fuse the story & plot development with the character development as the pacing is utilised to continually move things forward. Also I do think that these heroes all have lives and aren't the kind of team that is living and working together solely adds another layer of depth to who and how the characters appear for various missions. This has some absolutely amazing possibilities here as the roster is somewhat large so not everyone has to appear for every arc, hint this should be an ongoing monthly. I have to say that the interiors here are very well done. Personally I think the second feature has better utilisation of the linework but both have some very good, strong attention to detail. The creativity and imagination that is on display here is utterly marvellous and the dragons and how we see the utilisation of their powers is extremely nice to see. Not to mention the cities that we see being showcased and how they appear with all the backgrounds being utilised to enhance the moments and bring a sense of size and scope to the story. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show two sets of eyes that are sensational for storytelling. The colour work that we see here as well is great. The way we see the colours and the various hues and tones that are utilised by the light sources to reinforce the shading and shadows is exceptional work. I am actually extremely impressed with the way the back-up story ties into the main story and how all the Dragon War is fast approaching. The idea of misdirection, distractions and everything else we are seeing in these pages being utilised so effectively makes me incredibly excited for what's still to come. These are the kinds of stories, both feature and back-up, that I live for. They are smart, intelligent stories featuring new and underused characters in ways that make them relevant in ways that make me happy. This is the kind of stuff that I want to read, well so long as they remain free of too many crossovers. Marvel is making those strides to bring readers' in with books like this.

#comic books #comics reviews #Marvel Comics #greg pak #jeff parker

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foundcarcosa · 6 years

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ccc.

1. Favorite childhood book? >> (Three hundred surveys posted to this blog, wow. --I mean, over the course of nearly a decade I’ve probably filled out at least ten thousand, but.) I think that distinction would have to go to The Phantom Tollbooth. It’s one of the only books I remember owning, probably because I’d paged through it so many times. I also modified all the illustrations with pen so that Milo looked like a woman. 2. What are you reading right now? >> Condensed Chaos by Phil Hine -- more like limping through it, because I stopped setting aside time specifically for reading so I just end up grabbing a half a chapter here and there. I’ll have to do something about that. I’d started The Poisonwood Bible a while ago, too, but I keep forgetting to continue it. 3. What books do you have on request at the library? >> I rarely borrow books from the library unless they’re e-books because of my tendency to have to repeatedly renew and eventually take it back before I’m finished because I ran out of renews. 4. Bad book habit? >> Not reading. 5. What do you currently have checked out at the library? >> I don’t, for the reasons stated above. But for all the shit I talk about Grand Rapids, it has a lovely main branch, so I’ll probably end up stopping in again soon, maybe spending a few hours there for a change of scenery.

6. Do you have an e-reader? >> I have a phone, which functions as my e-reader. I also have a Kindle, but between its wack amount of storage space and its quick-draining battery, it’s been relegated to the position of glorified mousepad at this point. (It’s too bad, because I like the screen size.) 7. Do you prefer to read one book at a time, or several at once? >> Two or three at once. I think it’s interesting to see if/how they subconsciously weave themselves together in my imagination, even if -- especially if -- they’re about completely unrelated things. 8. Have your reading habits changed since starting a blog? >> It’s the internet in general that interferes with my reading habits, not just tumblr, but tumblr obviously plays a part. 9. Least favorite book you read this year (so far?) >> I quit on Cormac McCarthy’s The Road like 10 pages in, and I don’t usually do that but for some reason I got bored really quickly and couldn’t see the point in pushing through. That’s not a total vote in its disfavour because I didn’t actually form a full opinion. Sometimes I just pick up a book at the wrong time and have to wait until I reach the point in my life when I’ll need it. I’ll probably try again in a couple of years. 10. Favorite book you’ve read this year? >> I really enjoyed Reincarnation Blues, I thought it was an amazing story. I also got a lot out of M. K. Asante Jr’s It’s Bigger Than Hip Hop. When the Stars Are Right by Scott R Jones was fascinating as hell, and then of course there was my long-overdue (or maybe right-on-time, considering...) American Gods reread... 11. How often do you read out of your comfort zone? >> Occasionally. The thing is, there are so many books in my comfort zone that I want to read... 12. What is your reading comfort zone? >> I don’t know if it’s quantifiable. I like a lot of different kinds of books. I usually know within 10-15 pages of a book if I’m going to like it or not -- I try not to judge books by their covers, but I definitely judge them by their first chapter. 13. Can you read on the bus? >> Sometimes, but I generally prefer to listen to music and look out the window.

14. Favorite place to read? >> In bed. 15. What is your policy on book lending? >> I’ll give books away. Just take it, read it. Pay it forward. I don’t like to hoard books. 16. Do you ever dog-ear books? >> Hell yes, I do. They’re not a sacred object to me; their contents may well be sacred, but their contents already exist in me because I ate them. 17. Do you ever write in the margins of your books? >> Nah. 18. Not even with text books? >> I don’t use textbooks. 19. What is your favorite language to read in? >> I can only read in English. 20. What makes you love a book? >> It’s a very visceral and subconscious thing, and it’s not dependent on genre or the politics of the author or any of that as much as it’s dependent on who I am at that moment in time, what story I need to hear, and how lovingly the author told it. That sounds like it only applies to fiction books, but it really doesn’t. 21. What will inspire you to recommend a book? >> Some level of understanding of the person I’m recommending it to. 22. Favorite genre? >> I don’t know, honestly. 23. Genre you rarely read (but wish you did?) >> I wish I read more science fiction. The thing is, most of the scifi stories I love I kind of stumbled into accidentally. Whenever I go looking for scifi specifically, I run into a lot of duds (not that they’re badly written or anything, just that they’re bad for me). I’m going to try Philip K Dick soon and I hope that works out okay. 24. Favorite biography? >> I don’t have one. 25. Have you ever read a self-help book? >> Sure, but I don’t make a habit of it.

26. Favorite cookbook? >> I don’t have one. Well, okay, Feeding Hannibal is pretty cool, ngl, but mostly for the information rather than the actual recipes. We can’t afford to (or don’t have the room/appliances to) make most of that stuff. 27. Most inspirational book you’ve read this year (fiction or non-fiction)? >> Definitely American Gods, but that’s a hard-to-explain thing, lol. The Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are is a good runner-up, because as far as inspiration is concerned, Alan Watts probably had more than his fair share of it. (Do comic books count, because if so I’d like to also add in Promethea.) 28. Favorite reading snack? >> Alcohol. (But also anything I can eat with one hand, or doesn’t require a lot of, like, attention.) 29. Name a case in which hype ruined your reading experience. >> I don’t think that’s ever happened. 30. How often do you agree with critics about a book? >> I don’t read critic reviews often enough to know what the ratio of agreement to disagreement would even be like. 31. How do you feel about giving bad/negative reviews? >> A negative review is just as valuable as a positive review. I’d prefer people not be nasty in their negative reviews, but like... I also don’t have to read their review if I don’t like it. It’s not that big of a deal to me. 32. If you could read in a foreign language, which language would you chose? >> Russian, probably. I imagine untranslated Russian lit would be amazing to read. 33. Most intimidating book you’ve ever read? >> And actually finished? Ha! Let’s see... as far as length, I’d probably pick whatever the longest Stephen King book that I’ve read is. (He meanders, man. He fucking meanders. It’s great, but dear god.) As far as content, I’m probably gonna go with Atlas Shrugged. For, I mean, obvious reasons, really. 34. Most intimidating book you’re too nervous to begin? >> That doesn’t really happen to me. If I want to read something, I’ll start reading it. If it proves prohibitive to my limited ability to understand shit, then I’ll put it down and move on. 35. Favorite poet? >> I don’t have one. 36. How many books do you usually have checked out of the library at any given time? >> Zero. When I do check out from the library, I stick to three books max. 37. How often have you returned book to the library unread? >> Quite often. Usually because I ran out of time. 38. Favorite fictional character? >> YEAH, OKAY. 39. Favorite fictional villain? >> Actually that is almost impossible for me to determine because I don’t even put the “villain” flag on characters unless it’s super fucking obvious (like in a comic book) that they’re supposed to be the Token Bad Guy. I just don’t even think in those terms. -- Now that I say that, though, I remembered that Stephen King characters are written very polarised despite my personal interpretations of them, so I suppose my favourite villain is Walter O’Dim. 40. Books I’m most likely to bring on vacation? >> I don’t know, I don’t usually have time to read on vacation. Unless it’s on the plane or something, in which case I just bring whatever I happen to be reading at the time. It’s usually on my phone, anyway. 41. The longest I’ve gone without reading. >> I mean, I don’t go a day without reading something, even if it’s just articles I saw on my facebook feed. 42. Name a book that you could/would not finish. >> Fifty Shades of Grey. (I did try. I wrote detailed posts about my thoughts during my attempt to read it. They’re still on my old blog.) 43. What distracts you easily when you’re reading? >> Everything. It’s just hard for me to turn the “noise” (literal and figurative noise) of the world off in general, which is why I like it quiet when I’m trying to focus. 44. Favorite film adaptation of a novel? >> Well, LOTR. I was going to say Predestination but All You Zombies isn’t a novel. Uhh.... :/ 45. Most disappointing film adaptation? >> Good god, so many. 46. The most money I’ve ever spent in the bookstore at one time? >> Around $100, I guess. I don’t have much money in general so I try to just... avoid bookstores. 47. How often do you skim a book before reading it? >> I don’t. The first-chapter test usually works just fine. 48. What would cause you to stop reading a book half-way through? >> Boredom. 49. Do you like to keep your books organized? >> Well, we don’t own enough for a complex system to be required. 50. Do you prefer to keep books or give them away once you’ve read them? >> I really prefer to give them away. It’s just... I’m not a hoarder (I don’t even mean that in the negative sense, I just mean I don’t like hanging onto stuff I’m not actively using). I spent just about all of my adult life up until 2 years ago homeless or some version of transient and having to be ruthlessly exacting about how many belongings I had at any given time really changed the way my brain works regarding material items. I love being able to own things now, but it’s... hard to enjoy having too many objects. I get tetchy. It feels inorganic. Maybe that’ll change in the future (these things often do), but for now owning more than 20 or so books feels like an overindulgence. 51. Are there any books you’ve been avoiding? >> I don’t think so. 52. Name a book that made you angry. >> I can’t think of one right now. 53. A book you didn’t expect to like but did? >> The Fountainhead. Any Rand book, actually, because Vlad couldn’t stand her and we had such similar tastes in media that I figured I wouldn’t either. But the immense amount of annoying peer pressure from Sigma eventually got me to pick it up just to get them off my back, and..... well, the rest is hilarious “I’m in love with a crazy Russian woman who makes me want to yell at her constantly” history. 54. A book that you expected to like but didn’t? >> I don’t know. That doesn’t happen very often. 55. Favorite guilt-free, pleasure reading? >> All of it? I don’t feel guilty about anything I read.

#surveysofsamedi #surveys

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chicagoindiecritics · 4 years

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New from Kevin Wozniak on Kevflix: What’s Streaming this Month? – July

Here are my picks for the best movies coming to Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+, Criterion Channel, and HBOMax in July, all of which offer up some incredible titles.

NETFLIX

Full list of everything coming to Netflix in July can be found here.

AIRPLANE! (Jim Abrahams, David Zucker, Jerry Zucker, 1980)

An iconic comedy that still holds up 40-years later.

BATMAN: MASK OF THE PHANTASM (Eric Radomski, Bruce Timm, 1993)

The best Batman animated film and one of the best Batman films ever.

CLOUD ATLAS (Lilly and Lana Wachowski, 2012)

An epic, ambitious film and one of the most underrated movies of the last decade.

MEAN STREETS (Martin Scorsese, 1972)

Martin Scorsese’s breakout is a gritty look at a small-time hoodlum trying to move his way up in the local mob.

MILLION DOLLAR BABY (Clint Eastwood, 2004)

Clint Eastwood’s emotional Best Picture winner features a trio of stellar performances from Eastwood, Hilary Swank, and Morgan Freeman.

THE NOTEBOOK (Nick Casavettes, 2004)

A great cinematic love story.

SCHINDLER’S LIST (Steven Spielberg, 1993)

Steven Spielberg’s masterpiece is one of the greatest pieces of cinema ever created.

SLEEPLESS IN SEATTLE (Nora Ephron, 1993)

One of the greatest romantic comedies ever made.

SPOTLIGHT (Todd McCarthy, 2015)

This disturbing, masterful procedural rightly deserved its Best Picture win in 2015.

THE TOWN (Ben Affleck, 2010)

Ben Affleck’s thrilling crime film is his best work as a director.

TOTAL RECALL (Paul Verhoeven, 1990)

A wild, violent, excellent sci-fi film from the great Paul Verhoeven.

PRIME VIDEO

Full list of everything coming to Amazon Prime Video in July can be found here.

ALI (Michael Mann, 2001)

Will Smith gives one of the best performances of his career in Michael Mann’s captivating, sprawling biopic.

BIG FISH (Tim Burton, 2003)

Tim Burton’s stunning, heartwarming, and strange movie about the father-son bond.

THE DEVIL’S REJECTS (Rob Zombie, 2005)

A delirious, gory film from Rob Zombie.

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS (Woody Allen, 2011)

Woody Allen’s charming, beautiful love note to Paris and artists of the past.

PANIC ROOM (David Fincher, 2002)

It’s on the lower-end of Fincher’s filmography, but this is still a really good and intense movie.

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS (David Gordon Green, 2008)

An iconic stoner comedy featuring Seth Rogen and James Franco and their best and a scene-stealing Danny McBride.

HULU

Full list of everything coming to Hulu in July can be found here.

WAITING FOR GUFFMAN/BEST IN SHOW/A MIGHTY WIND/FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION (Christopher Guest, 1996/2000/2003/2006)

These four movies, all directed by Christopher Guest and written by Guest and Eugene Levy, are top-notch mockumentaries and hilarious comedies.

THE ASSISTANT (Kitty Green, 2020)

This chilling inside look at a Hollywood studio is quietly one of the best movies of 2020.

DOWNHILL RACER (Michael Ritchie, 1969)

Robert Redford and Gene Hackman give two of the best performances of their career in this thrilling, in-depth look at a cocky skier who clashes with his coach while on his way to the Olympics.

FORGETTING SARAH MARSHALL (Nicholas Stoller, 2008)

One of the great comedies of the 21st century.

HOT ROD (Akiva Schaffer, 2007)

An underrated cult comedy.

LIAR LIAR (Tom Shadyac, 1997)

One of Jim Carrey’s best movies and performances.

MOONSTRUCK (Norman Jewison, 1987)

Cher and Nicolas Cage are absolutely delightful in this Oscar-winning romantic dramedy.

MY COUSIN VINNY (Jonathon Lynn, 1992)

One of my favorite comedies ever.

PALM SPRINGS (Max Barbakow, 2020)

This got a lot of buzz at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, so I’m excited to check it out and see what the hoopla is all about.

WEST SIDE STORY (Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise, 1961)

Arguably the greatest musical ever made.

DISNEY+

Full list of everything coming to Disney+ in July can be found here.

THE BIG GREEN (Holly Goldberg Sloan, 1995)

A 90’s Disney sports gem.

HAMILTON (Lin Manuel Miranda, 2020)

One of Broadway’s biggest hits ever is coming to Disney+ with a recording of the show with the original cast. I am very excited to see this as I did not see the play.

INCREDIBLES 2 (Brad Bird, 2018)

Brad Bird waited fourteen years to give us a sequel to his 2004 masterpiece and he didn’t disappoint. Fun, exciting, and full of action, laughs, and deep themes.

THE MIGHTY DUCKS (Stephen Herek, 1992)

A Disney sports classic.

SOLO: A STAR WARS STORY (Ron Howard, 2018)

Not a great Star Wars movie, but has some good stuff in it, particularly Donald Glover as a young Lando Calrissian.

CRITERION CHANNEL

Full list of everything coming to Criterion Channel in July can be found here.

*The Criterion Channel does things a little differently than every other streaming service. The Criterion Channel, a wonderful streaming service that focuses on independent, foreign, and under-appreciates movies, doesn’t just throw a bunch of random movies to stream. They get more creative, by having categories like “DOUBLE FEATURES” or “FILMS FROM…”, giving us curated lists of films that somehow blend together or feature a specific artist.*

CERTAIN WOMEN: Criterion Collection Edition #893 (Kelly Reichardt, 2016)

A top-notch cast of Michelle Williams, Kristen Stewart, Laura Dern, and Lilly Gladstone highlight this beautifully quiet drama from the great Kelly Reichardt.

DOUBLE FEATURES

From Art House to Grindhouse

The Virgin Spring (Ingmar Bergman, 1960)

The Last House on the Left (Wes Craven, 1972)

One of the most interesting double features Criterion has ever had. The Virgin Spring is one of Ingmar Bergman’s most celebrated films, while The Last House on the Left is Wes Craven’s brutal rape-revenge flick. Should make for a wild viewing.

The Hard-Boiled Way

Gun Crazy (Joseph H. Lewis, 1950)

The Big Combo (Joseph H. Lewis, 1955)

Two hard-boiled Joseph H. Lewis film noirs.

Auto Focused

Bullitt (Peter Yates, 1968)

Grand Prix (John Frankenheimer, 1966)

Two classic 60’s action films focused on the thrills behind the wheel.

MARRIAGE STORIES

Over a dozen movies focusing on messy, chaotic, dysfunctional marriages.

Come Back, Little Sheba (Daniel Mann, 1952)

The Bigamist (Ida Lupino, 1953)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (Richard Brooks, 1958)

La notte (Michelangelo Antonioni, 1961)

Juliet of the Spirits (Federico Fellini, 1965)

Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (Mike Nichols, 1966)

Faces (John Cassavetes, 1968)

A Married Couple (Allan King, 1969)

Scenes from a Marriage (Ingmar Bergman, 1973)

California Suite (Herbert Ross, 1978)

Kramer vs. Kramer (Robert Benton, 1979)

5×2 (François Ozon, 2004)

The Squid and the Whale (Noah Baumbach, 2005)

Antichrist (Lars von Trier, 2009)

Certified Copy (Abbas Kiarostami, 2010)

Tuesday, After Christmas (Radu Muntean, 2010)

A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011)

45 Years (Andrew Haigh, 2015)

HBOMAX

Full list of everything coming to HBOMax in July can be found here.

BLADE TRILOGY (Stephen Norrington/Guillermo Del Toro/David S. Goyer, 1998/2002/2004)

Wesley Snipes plays the half human-half vampire superhero in this dark and bloody comic book trilogy.

BLAZING SADDLES (Mel Brooks, 1974)

A legendary comedy and maybe the best film of Mel Brooks career.

CATCH ME IF YOU CAN (Steven Spielberg, 2002)

Underrated in the Spielberg cannon, Catch Me If You Can is a fun, twisty, expertly crafted con movie featuring a pair of great performances from Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks.

THE DEPARTED (Martin Scorsese, 2006)

Martin Scorsese won his long-overdue Oscar for this cat-and-mouse crime film about a cop who infiltrates the mob and how a mobster infiltrates the police.

THE EXORCIST (William Friedkin, 1973)

The greatest horror movie ever made and one of the greatest films ever made, period.

MAGNOLIA (Paul Thomas Anderson, 1999)

Paul Thomas Anderson’s wildly ambitious L.A. tale is one I’ve been itching to rewatch.

MARS ATTACKS! (Tim Burton, 1998)

Tim Burton channel’s 50’s schlock films with this star-studded alien invasion movie.

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (Steven Spielberg, 1998)

Steven Spielberg’s World War II masterpiece features one of the greatest opening scenes I have ever seen.

SUPERMAN I-IV/SUPERMAN RETURNS (Richard Donner/Richard Lester/Sidney J. Furie/Bryan Singer, 1978/1980/1983/1987/2006)

It’s going to be a lot of fun to give these ones a rewatch. Christopher Reeve is a pitch-perfect Man of Steel and Superman Returns doesn’t get the love it deserves.

UNFORGIVEN (Clint Eastwood, 1992)

Clint Eastwood’s crowning achievement as a director and one of the best Western’s ever made.

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