Comics and Superhero movies

[theCapraAegagrus]

I'm buyin' a Sony 65" 4K TV before the Snyder Cut comes out. Probably gonna get a Bose sound bar, too. It deserves a better quality first viewing in my home (than I currently have), since it wasn't released in theaters. My TV is 10 years old, and I'm surprised at how well it still stacks up against most everyone else's that I know.

I got my new TV on Saturday. Wow-wee. Best Buy also 'down-sold' me a Sony sound bar. It's cheaper, but better than the Bose ones I was looking at. Bose is probably better for surround-sound systems.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Since nobody posted it:

[theCapraAegagrus]

RE: WandaVision

Episode 6 is easily the worst of the series. Episode 7 is mediocre. I would've liked some consistency in quality and pacing from a limited series with $225 million budget.

[Harvonsgard]

Who's the most popular superhero? My take would be Spiderman but I'm not really into comic book culture so, I could be way off the chart.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Who's the most popular superhero? My take would be Spiderman but I'm not really into comic book culture so, I could be way off the chart.

The Top-4 are always Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and Wolverine. Superman and Batman have been around the longest, and appeared in TV/movies much earlier, so they're usually recognized worldwide.

[rousselle]

I've always felt that, yeah, that order was generally correct: Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, and then I might put Wonder Woman, the Hulk, and Shazam ahead of Wolverine. Certainly true in the '70s, esp. given that Superman and Batman had TV shows in syndication when we were kids plus being featured in The Justice League cartoons alongside Wonder Woman and Aquaman, and Spiderman was featured in kids' programming (like, the Electric Company) and his own animated series before eventually getting a live action series. Wonder Woman eventually got her own live action series that we watched as a family, and likewise the Incredible Hulk, and Shazam got a Saturday morning live-action show alongside Isis. Around this time, Spider-Man also had a comic strip series running in the newspaper. Yet, despite the ubiquity of Spider-Man in all these different media, it was the syndicated shows that ran daily on TV that pushed Superman and Batman to the top of the list of recognition, especially for non-comic book readers.

Jump forward to the '80s and '90s, and the explosion of popularity of Frank Miller and Alan Moore (sp?), and Daredevil moves up the charts of recognizability, Electra gets added to the mix, and Batman absolutely explodes in popularity thanks to Miller's Dark Knight Returns series. The Superman movies, especially the first two with Christopher Reeve, and the Batman movies, esp. the first two with Michael Keaton, make Superman and Batman seemingly undisputed kings of the hill. Spider-Man remains firmly in the mix, despite Marvel's inability to launch successful movies, and Wonder Woman, the Hulk, Wolverine, and the X-Men and Fantastic Four are easily recognizable thanks to cartoons and fast food chain tie-ins and the like. Also, don't underestimate the staying power of Lynda Carter's portrayal of Wonder Woman.

With the outrageous success of Sam Raimi's Spider Man movies and the failure of DC to extend their success with Superman and Batman movies, Spider-Man gained some ground. Comic book events like The Death of Superman and various JLA events still keep Supes, Batman, and Wonder Woman in people's minds. Eventually, Christopher Nolan's Batman series props up Batman's standing in popularity. DC continues to dominate the Saturday morning cartoons, as well, although X-Men and other Marvel series keep Wolverine and the Fantastic Four fresh in peoples minds.

But bringing us to today, I gotta say that with my own kids and their friends, Spider-Man has firmly grabbed the top spot of popularity, thanks largely to the staying power of Sam Raimi's films, followed closely by Iron Man and Captain America and the rest of the Avengers, thanks to the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Daredevil, Wolverine, and the rest of the X-Men would come next, thanks to a few successful movies and appearances in various Saturday morning kids shows, and I think Wonder Woman after that, for similar reasons. Next up would be The Flash, thanks to the Arrowverse TV shows, although the Green Arrow fell out of favor with them when the last few seasons got weird, and Supergirl is further down in popularity because of it's own mixed success in telling stories. Batman and Superman barely show up on my kids' radar. For them, the Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder movies are too brooding and sulky to be taken seriously (oh the irony.)

So, when it comes to what's popular today, you have to factor in different generations of fans having different levels of exposure. I think Spider-Man is the most universally appreciated, while Batman and Superman remain very popular among the older fans like myself. A too-close-to-call three-way as the top three most popular superheroes.

Wolverine, Ironman, Captain America, the Hulk, Thor, and Black Widow would probably follow those three, and then Wonder Woman rounds out the Top Ten.

I think Daredevil, the Flash, and the Green Arrow come next, thanks to strong live-action properties. Shazam, The Fantastic Four, the Watchmen, Elektra, and Jessica Jones deserve mention, as well, as popular comic book superheroes who are also very popular beyond their comic book presence.

[guru]

RE: WandaVision

Episode 6 is easily the worst of the series. Episode 7 is mediocre. I would've liked some consistency in quality and pacing from a limited series with $225 million budget.

What is grief, if not love persevering...

It is over and I am feeling quite sad about finding such a great series has finished. And, here you come and see the comment above

[Harvonsgard]

Why does the opinion of someone else effect your mood?

[MagikFingerz]

I also enjoyed it a great deal, the writing in particular.

"We've said goodbye before, so it stands to reason---"

"...we'll say hello again."

[EvilDuncan]

Everything about this show was great (well, most things anyway). I'm going back and laughing at all the crazy theories that everyone on Reddit had about this show potentially bringing in Mephisto, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four, X-men, or setting up the multiverse and other even more ridiculous ideas. In the end, it was almost solely about Wanda's grief, and that's exactly how it should have been.

[guru]

Everything about this show was great (well, most things anyway). I'm going back and laughing at all the crazy theories that everyone on Reddit had about this show potentially bringing in Mephisto, Doctor Strange, Fantastic Four, X-men, or setting up the multiverse and other even more ridiculous ideas. In the end, it was almost solely about Wanda's grief, and that's exactly how it should have been.

Yeah...I enjoyed the show as every week I was following those crazy theories

There is this guy who watched the series on 0.25x speed, hat tip to those viewers and fans.

Why does the opinion of someone else effect your mood?

I was just taking a dig on our beloved critic of UC. Sometimes I fail to understand why people try to read too much in between the lines on an internet forum

[Harvonsgard]

It's rather a taking it at face value when someone puts a worried emoji at the end of a sentence, not reading between the lines .

[theCapraAegagrus]

Well, personally, WandaVision fails spectacularly to finish its own self-contained story. I didn't have any preconceptions about Mephisto, or the multiverse, etc. I care that the kids were never real (so why should I care?), that Wanda has no compunction for her actions, that there are multiple deus ex machina (ex. the rebel SWORD employees bringing a magical vehicle), that they fail to tie-up loose ends (ex. how Hayward was a "villain"), etc. It's just a mess. They had some momentum mid-season and then lost me. I guess there's just nothing else on TV to even compete with it, so it's accepted to be "good". I understand that people will generally ignore things, or not care about certain aspects like I do, and they will still enjoy it. That ain't me, though.

[MagikFingerz]

Just because they were created by Wanda, doesn't mean they're not real. If they aren't, why did we hear them call for help at the end?

And seeing as we didn't know much about SWORD (specifically this MCU version) from before, I don't see how it needs to be explained that a government agency wanted to weaponize Vision.

The loose thread that bothered me, though, was Fox Pietro. Gonna feel VERY slighted if that amounts to nothing more than a cameo.

[theCapraAegagrus]

Just because they were created by Wanda, doesn't mean they're not real. If they aren't, why did we hear them call for help at the end?

And seeing as we didn't know much about SWORD (specifically this MCU version) from before, I don't see how it needs to be explained that a government agency wanted to weaponize Vision.

The loose thread that bothered me, though, was Fox Pietro. Gonna feel VERY slighted if that amounts to nothing more than a cameo.

Everything in the hex was fake. A delusion. My best guess is that they actually exist in an alternate reality that is accessible via the Darkhold. Wanda from Earth-616 (or 1099 or whatever) doesn't have real kids, and I'm not buying her "grief" that they were trying to sell. The Vision stuff makes sense, though.

They claim that Hayward is a "villain", but he's the Director of SWORD. Everything he did appears to fall under his purview. They tried to make it seem like Wanda isn't the villain, but she is. There is no logical explanation for how he's some 'bad guy'.

Pretty sure that the director already stated that there are no hidden meanings in the show. The cameo has no links to Fox's X-Men or any multiverses. The director also said that reading comic books is difficult...

[rousselle]

I gotta say... I enjoyed WandaVision, and yeah, it dropped a few balls and it missed some really brilliant opportunities that it appeared to be setting up and then... nothing. I loved the way they brought in Evan Peters' Quicksilver, for example, while they squandered that whole thing at the end.

The missed opportunities don't diminish for me the enjoyment of the set-ups. It's kinda like reading a Stephen King book. A third of his stories have the most brilliant endings possible. A third of them are okay. And, a third of them really, really, really blow it. For King stories, it's the journey more so than the destination, as a general rule, which is why so many people love "It" (the novel) despite the ending. It's why The Stand holds up so very well even though the last scene in Vegas in the novel is an epic, Battlestar Galactica-level troll.

My experience with WandaVision is like that of reading Stephen King. I enjoyed the journey. Somehow, in a case like WandaVision or The Stand, I can enjoy the journey and overlook the ending, even though there are other cases (like the Game of Thrones TV series, or Anne Rice's book, The Tale of the Body Thief) where the ending is so absolutely horrible, it spoils the experience of the entire series for me. Go figure. Taste is a funny thing.

[rousselle]

If you're looking forward to the Snyder Cut (and I am), then this fun little (half-hour long) review should get you excited:

[theCapraAegagrus]

I'm avoiding any and all reviews, only because I want to keep the hype at a 'reasonable' level. I've seen snippets of people saying, "better than the Avengers series", and I simply can't fathom it being above Infinity War.

I can't wait to watch it tomorrow! I re-watched Man of Steel yesterday (4.7/5 IMO), and will be revisiting BvS (UE) tonight, in preparation.

Also, I've been testing all of the microwavable popcorn. All of the "most buttery" selections. So far, Pop Secret smells and tastes great, but Act II is absolutely dreadful.

[MagikFingerz]

Watching it on Friday.

[rousselle]

Watching it either late tonight or tomorrow. Looking forward to it!

[theCapraAegagrus]

Zack Snyder's Justice League: 4.5/5

[rousselle]

Re: Zack Snyder's Justice League

Yeah, it was pretty good. The story made a lot more sense than the Studio Intervention Cut that was originally released to theaters; it was an enjoyable watch. I'd certainly be up for watching Parts 2 & 3 if they ever get made.

[theCapraAegagrus]

It's possible that I would have given ZSJL a 5/5 if they didn't add title cards, some of the scenes weren't extended too long, and slo-mo wasn't overused. Cutting this down to 3-1/2 hours would've made it better IMO.

[guru]

I recommend the ZSJL Black and White version to all art lovers. Somehow, I appreciated it more than the color one even through the storyline, length was same.

[rousselle]

I didn't realize the B&W version was already available. I'll have to check it out.

[theCapraAegagrus]

So, while WandaVision pretty much sucked, The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is actually quite great. Better than Civil War, in fact.

[EvilDuncan]

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is actually quite great.

Totally agree. Apparently some people think that episode 5 was a filler episode, and to that I say those people don't understand what character development is. Even with only maybe 5 minutes of action per episode, they are surprisingly engrossing.

[theCapraAegagrus]

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is actually quite great.

Totally agree. Apparently some people think that episode 5 was a filler episode, and to that I say those people don't understand what character development is. Even with only maybe 5 minutes of action per episode, they are surprisingly engrossing.

The opening action sequence to Episode 5 was very poorly choreographed. Episode 5 was also the least captivating of the series, but yes, it's a character development showcase. I feel like some of the slower movement of the episode would have fit in much earlier in the series.

[EvilDuncan]

The Falcon & The Winter Soldier is actually quite great.

Totally agree. Apparently some people think that episode 5 was a filler episode, and to that I say those people don't understand what character development is. Even with only maybe 5 minutes of action per episode, they are surprisingly engrossing.

The opening action sequence to Episode 5 was very poorly choreographed. Episode 5 was also the least captivating of the series, but yes, it's a character development showcase. I feel like some of the slower movement of the episode would have fit in much earlier in the series.

I suppose I don't have a very discerning eye for fight choreography unless it's just real bad. Personally I liked the slower pace in this episode, especially towards the latter half. I think it's cool to sometimes just let the characters breathe and let them do normal stuff.

[theCapraAegagrus]

The opening action sequence to Episode 5 was very poorly choreographed. Episode 5 was also the least captivating of the series, but yes, it's a character development showcase. I feel like some of the slower movement of the episode would have fit in much earlier in the series.

I suppose I don't have a very discerning eye for fight choreography unless it's just real bad. Personally I liked the slower pace in this episode, especially towards the latter half. I think it's cool to sometimes just let the characters breathe and let them do normal stuff.

When the character movement makes no sense, you know it's bad. Kinda like the battle of Rey & Kylo Ren vs The Guards in The Last Jedi; Guys go out of their way to not hit the opponents, meaning that the choreography was simply awful.

2v1 choreography is pretty simple, but even Mortal Kombat screwed that up a bit with Whatshisface & Scorpion vs Subzero.