Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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Just the other day, I stunned mankind by posting the trailer for the Thor movie that's currently thrilling the cinemas of the world.
However, in the wake of all that, it was pointed out to me that there's another Marvel trailer on the loose.
And that's for Wakanda Forever, the Black Panther movie that, for obvious reasons, is going to have to get by without its titular character.
Can it pull that off?
Judging by the trailer, it looks like it can, with Angela Bassett, in particular, happy to give it some welly.
I must confess I've still not seen the first Black Panther movie yet and, so, can pass no judgment upon either its style or its quality but this one looks like it's going to be highly dramatic and its trailer's noticeably devoid of the flippancy that defined the Thor one.
I'm assuming, from it, that Wakanda and Atlantis are going to find themselves at war with each other. I also assume that'll be down to the Machiavellian machinations of some villain or other.
Either way, it's good to see the Sub-Mariner finally turning up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, complete with green swimming trunks. And for him to have his trident with him - even if it seems to only have one prong.
Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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By Heimdall's bushy beard! It's come to my attention that Marvel Entertainment's just released the trailer for its latest masterpiece Thor: Love and Thunder!
Can it live up to the standards of previous Norse adventures?
Who knows? I thought the first Thor movie was OK, I can remember nothing of the second - other than that Christopher Eccleston was in it - and I've still not got round to seeing the third one.
Admittedly, when I say, "just released," it seems the trailer actually came out a full month ago and the film's knocking 'em dead in cinemas, even as I type. But what's this? It seems it's not going down too well with audiences or critics?
Looking at the trailer, it does feel like it's gone a bit overboard on humour, and those fonts do look a bit He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. But who can judge a film by its trailer?
Regardless of any of that, we have solace because, even if the critics prove to be right, we have our memories of a real Thor movie. The one that co-starred the Hulk.
After all, who can forget the first time those two titans met on screen - way back in 1988 - when films were so awesome they didn't need the magic of competent special effects to entrance the public?
Screen Junkies hasn't forgotten it. In fact, right below, is where the channel reminds us how that masterpiece went.
Strangely, in retrospect, the feel of that movie doesn't seem that different from the direction modern Marvel movies are going in. Clearly, it was a work that was ahead of its time.
And it's the small screen which will, no doubt, make her seem even bigger!
It's true. Bruce Banner's favourite cousin's been granted her own series on Disney+. One that'll start streaming from August 17th.
And, thanks to that, there's a teaser trailer to watch which should be visible at the very top of this post.
What are my thoughts on it?
Well, not many. It doesn't reveal that much about what kind of action we can look forward to or what story arcs to expect but, in line with the character's comic book history, it seems a highly flippant series. Will that flippancy make it a cult classic or will it force the show to derail itself when it comes to delivering actual drama? Only time will tell.
Judging by social media, everyone seems to hate its CGI but it seems OK to me, and only a raving lunatic watches any TV show for the visual effects.
But what's this? Is that the Abomination I spy at 1:25? This is the one thing that does excite me. After all, who doesn't want to see a bit more of Abby in their life?
Those are my thoughts on the matter. You are, of course, free to supply your own, thanks to the comments section below.
Thanks to Charlie Horse 47 and Killdumpster for their sponsorship of this post, via the magic of Patreon.
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By the Hoary Hosts of Hoggoth! Mere days ago, Marvel Studios unleashed the trailer for its latest venture into cinematic carnage, with Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Can it ever hope to live up to the excitement of Eternals? Only time will tell.
The first thing that hits me, from it, is that Cambuslang Splungiepatch is still doing his, "Hugh Laurie is House," voice. I must confess it's a fact which aggravates me greatly, as he sounds all wrong doing it. For that matter, why is he even doing it? If any American Marvel character could get away with having an English accent it's Dr Strange. It's not like he's Captain Americaor The Thing who'd sound ridiculous with an English accent.
The second thing that strikes me is it's massively CGI-heavy. Given the nature of the character, that's inevitable but the question is always can CGI ever genuinely be compelling?
The third thing that strikes me is it would appear we get a bus fight between the sorcerer supreme and Shuma-Gorath, which is not a thing I ever thought I'd live to see. Still, I'm always happy to have a bit of Lovecraftian vehicle-flinging in my life.
And the fourth thing that strikes me is it's directed by Sam Raimi. As I loved Raimi's first two Spider-Man films, it gives me great pleasure to see him being let loose on an official Marvel Studios movie.
The Scarlet Witch is in it but I managed to totally miss WandaVision So, that doesn't really provoke any great emotional response in me.
What does provoke a response is my assumption that the character who shows up at the end is Nightmare. I've always loved Nightmare and will be highly delighted if it is indeed he.
But wait! What's that? Halfway through the trailer? The mystery voice? Could it belong to the star of a certain franchise that exists in the strange and alien dimension they know as The 20th Century Foxyverse? And, if so, how does it affect the already tangled continuity of that series?
Only you can decide.
Well, no, admittedly, you can't. And neither can I. Only the big film studios can decide that. What we can do is decide whether we like it or not.
It's a strange thing how you can find yourself feeling attached to someone you know almost nothing about but, thanks to that mysterious phenomenon, it was oddly saddening to learn, a couple of days ago, of the death of Fabulous Flo Steinberg, Marvel Comics' legendary Corresponding Secretary of the 1960s.
It was Flo who answered fan mail, dealt with enthusiasts who visited the office in the hopes of seeing where the magic was created and acted as intermediary between Stan Lee and the company's various freelancers.
Not only that but, in 1975, she became a key figure in the rise of indie comics when she published the infamously ribald mag Big Apple Comix, using the services of such industry titans as Neal Adams, Al Williamson and Wally Wood.
For a woman so closely associated with the heyday of Marvel, she was there for a surprisingly short amount of time, from 1963 to 1968 but she clearly made her mark, becoming a household name for all readers of that company's output.
In the 1990s, she returned to Marvel, as a proofreader and continued to do such work up until her death.
It probably says it all that her demise made The Daily Express,The Mail and The Daily Mirror, and it's hard to think of any other comics company secretary who could manage such a feat.
Her other great claim to fame was, of course, acting as link woman on the Voices of Marvel Comics record from the 1960s and if you've never heard it or her magnificently Bostonian tones, you can find that very recording by clicking on this very link here.
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In lighter news, a few days ago, it was the San Diego Comics Convention, an event that, if it works hard at it, looks fair set to rival the Sheffield Comics Convention one day.
And that can mean only one thing.
That a whole bunch of trailers were released for display at that very get-together.
Obviously, all sane people only care that a trailer for the Doctor Who Christmas special was unleashed. However, even I've grasped that, this being a comics blog, I should probably concentrate instead on the Marvel and DC trailers that were debuted.
The big ones were the latest trailers for Thor: Ragnarok and Justice League.
Of the two, you can't get round it, Thor:Ragnarok looks like a way better movie. In fact, the trailer contains just about everything you could ever want from a Thor movie - including a total lack of Odin - and the closing moment has to be surely the awesomest shot ever included in a super-hero flick.
Not only that but it turns out that Hela's antlers move.
This is the second Thor trailer now where my main concern has been with Hela's antlers. I can only conclude that I should only ever watch films about reindeers.
I must also confess that, every time we see Hela spin round, I start wanting her to start singing the old Wonder Woman TV theme tune. I'm the sort of man who knows how to wreck any film.
Regardless of all that, my incredible magic powers tell me this film will probably be a walloping great big hit.
In contrast, I have to say the Justice League film looks about as much fun as filling in your tax return but I am intrigued to find out why it seems to feature a member of the Borg in it.
Granted, I do suspect he's not really a member of the Borg and that the film doesn't involve a crossover with the new Star Trek show that's on its way. I also suspect that if I were any kind of comics blogger, I'd know full well who he is, but I don't. The truth is I am a kind of comics blogger. A useless kind.
We've also had the release of a new Inhumans trailer and I have to say I'm still not feeling it. In this one, we get to see Medusa's hair moving, which is an improvement on the previous trailer but, otherwise, the project's still leaving me cold. I also feel that putting Rag 'n' Bone Man on the soundtrack is such an obvious (and an already clichéd) thing to do that it merely has the effect of exacerbating the gnawing sense of a lack of inspiration about the project.
But those are just my opinions and may well be wrong. The trailers are below and you can share your thoughts on them if you so wish, or not share them if you do so not wish. As always, there is no pressure upon you to do either.
If there's anything the world needs more of right now it's adaptations of comic books. Why, there are barely any films or TV shows being made nowadays that are based on the adventures of people from Super-Hero Land.
And so it is that, to fill this massive gap in the market, this September, ABC and Marvel are going to be giving us their TV version of The Inhumans.
As we all know, Marvel have been keen to make the Inhumans a thing for some time now, in an attempt to make them fit the hole created by the rights to the X-Men belonging to Fox. For the last couple of seasons, they've shoe-horned the concept into the Agents of SHIELD show, which is obviously a great idea, as so many people watch Agents of SHIELD.
This in mind, can the new show possibly replicate the success of Fox's X-Franchise?
I have to say that looks very very dull, with nothing at all in it that would make me want to watch it.
An obvious failing is that it presents us with nothing that even vaguely resembles characterisation from its cast. Only one character - who I assume is Maximus the Mad - even gets anything to say, while everyone else just sort of stands around.
This is possibly not a surprise. Admittedly, I don't know what the Inhumans are like in their comic book form these days but, back when I used to read their adventures, they basically had no personalities at all and were just a bunch of super-powers on legs. In fairness, the trailer gives the impression that that policy's been adhered to. I also have to say that, while I'm no expert on acting, the bloke playing Maximus doesn't strike me as being the greatest thespian that money can buy.
I've also seen criticism of the CGI and it doesn't exactly look epic but, let's face it, no one with any sense watches a drama for the CGI, so I don't care about that.
On the plus side, Crystal has the black, bandy, circle thing going on with her hair.
On the negative side, Medusa's hair seems to have no life in it whatsoever.
Come to think of it, do we even get to see any of the Inhumans, apart from Black Bolt and Lockjaw, use their powers?
So, having seen the trailer, I do fear the worst.
But who knows? Perhaps, in a groundbreaking move, they've brilliantly left out the good bits in order to surprise us all when it's finally broadcast. Only time and the Terrigen Mists will tell...
By the chilling mists of Serpent Valley! Is there no end to how many super-hero movies we can take?
Seemingly not - because, hot on the heels of eighty five billion and one other comic book adaptations, we've now been blessed with a teaser trailer for Marvel's Black Panther.
Well, the last Marvel trailer I saw was the one for Thor: Ragnarok. Given that the Panther is noticeably more Earthbound than the thunder god, can this possibly hope to live up to that for thrills, chills and spills?
Here's were we find out...
Well, that was all every nice, wasn't it? It all looked suitably photogenic in the way you'd expect it to. Otherwise, it's hard to have an opinion really. As far as I can see, all we really learn from it is that the Black Panther is in it and Wakanda is in it. Call me psychic but I sort of took those two things for granted.
But what else is in it?
Is Killmonger in it?
Is Baron Macabre in it?
Is Monica Lynne in it?
Is that bloke who's in the chair, talking about Wakanda, Klaw before his transformation?
I have no idea.
All that apart, my main impression from watching the teaser is of a strange and annoying visual gloom. It has to depict the most underlit sequence of events I've seen since Aliens v Predator 2, a film that was so dark that we had to take their word for it that there were actually even any aliens and predators in it. I trust the entire movie won't be shot in such gloom and that the scenes where they remembered to turn the lights on simply failed to make it into the trailer.
Still, if the trailer doesn't really tell us anything, there's nothing in it that sets the alarm bells ringing. For instance, there's no sign of Jack Kirby's Black Musketeers or of King Solomon's Frog.
Then again, there's no sign of Hatch-22 or whatever he was called, who I would love to see show up in a Marvel movie.
But, good grief. I'm so stupid that I've only just realised that, "Hatch-22," is a pun on, "Catch-22."
Then again, it took me forty years to realise, "The Cod War," was a pun on, "The Cold War." How different the past seems when you suddenly realise these things.
Not satisfied with already having a million and one TV shows and movies based on our favourite heroes, this August, Marvel's set to unleash yet another small-screen spectacular on us.
Naturally, I'm delighted, as I can't wait to see Dr Strange, the Hulk, Valkyrie, Nighthawk and the Red Guardian team up to battle the likes of Nebulon, the football-faced woman and that gorilla with the human head.
Wait? What's that you say? It doesn't have any of those in it? Instead, it's just a bunch of characters who aren't interesting enough to be able to support their own movie franchises? Given this effrontery to my expectations, I must take a look at the trailer immediately.
I have to say that that really doesn't do anything for me. Obviously, it doesn't have the characters in it that I'd want it to have but The Defenders was always supposed to be a hotchpotch of whoever was available at the time, so I can forgive that and it makes sense to call it The Defenders, bearing in mind that one of its characters is a defence lawyer but, still, what's in the trailer feels somewhat uninspired, like someone decided to make a Guardians of the GalaxyTV show without the sense of fun, imagination or budget.
On the plus side, it's nice to see Sigourney Weaver still getting gainful employment after all these years but, to my eyes, the show seems quite run-of-the-mill and made from a template.
But its greatest crime is that its existence suggests we'll never get a movie version of the strip, starring those characters we most strongly associate with it, which seems like a crime against reason.
Still, what do I know? The rest of the internet seems stoked by it and I'm the man who liked the Green Lantern movie, so my judgement should never be listened to.
Anyway, those are my thoughts. If you have any on the matter, you are of course free to express them in the comments section below.
By Niffleheim's nifty nipples, it's time for me to stumble into a Nordic cave, bash a gnarled stick against a wall and unleash my mystical blogging powers - because Marvel Entertainment have unleashed the teaser trailer for their upcoming epic, Thor Ragnarok.
I must confess I have mixed feelings about the Thorfilms we've been given so far. I greatly enjoyed the first one, which I found to be far lighter on its feet than I'd expected but the second one mostly left me confused and bored. I still don't have a clue who the bad guys were, where they came from, what their plan was or how they got to wherever it was that they'd got to. For that matter, I didn't even know where they were.
Still, I enjoyed Iron Man 3 more than Iron Man 2, so perhaps the same pattern will occur with the thunder god's movie career?
As for the trailer itself, I'm not overly excited about his clash with the Hulk. We've already had that in The Avengers and I was kind of taking it for granted we'd see another punch-up from them at some point.
Call me a grizzled old fashionista but I must confess that what really excites me about the trailer is that Hela gets to wear her big fancy hat.
I know that finding such a detail the most thrilling thing in a trailer that's packed with incident and Led Zeppelin makes me the saddest man alive but, I mean, come on, as fancy hats go, that's the fanciest - and it'd make a great place to hang your washing from when you need to get it dry in a hurry. If I were a death deity - which I still hold out high hopes of one day becoming - I would definitely wear a hat like that.
Is it my imagination or is Chris Hemsworth sounding more Australian with each film he does? At this rate, by the next Avengers movie, he'll be talking like Steve Irwin and riding into battle on the back of a kangaroo.
Anyway, those are my thoughts on the matter. If you have opinions on the whole thing, you are, of course, free to share them in the comments box below.
If you don't have opinions on the whole thing, you're free to share that too. That's the kind of blog this is. One that stirs up apathy at every opportunity.
Mere days ago, I rewatched X-Men: Days of Future Past, thanks to some channel or other showing it and, even though I'm still not sure it all makes any real sense, I do - thanks to its likeable characters - still find it enjoyable.
But that sounds like a cue to watch the trailer for the latest X-Men film, which is called Logan which is possibly the least exciting title for a film since John Carter.
Clearly, with it starring everyone's favourite walking cutlery set, it's unlikely to suffer the same box office death as that movie did. But, given that other Wolverine movies haven't always gone down well, just how does it promise to do?
There's only one way to find out.
And that's to press the Play button...
I have to say that's one of the most uninteresting movie trailers I've ever seen. So, basically, it's an X-Men film that doesn't have any mutants in it and seems to have been made by a director who's suicidally depressed. Also, there's a girl in it but we don't know who she is or why she's important - assuming she is important - and she doesn't get to say anything, and it's anyone's guess if there's any decent bad guys in the film or what's at stake or why or how.
On the plus side, it does have Johnny Cash's Hurt playing all the way through it but that does have the effect of making the trailer look like it's nothing more than an alternative video for the song. Unfortunately, that just makes you realise how much more interesting the original video for that song is when compared to the trailer.
Of course, this apparent dullness won't prevent me from watching it when I get the chance, just like I've watched the other Wolverine films. But it doesn't fill me with hope that there's actually anything in the film that'd make it worth watching.
I now sit here secure in the knowledge that it'll get rave reviews from the critics and be the most commercially successful X-Men movie ever; proving once more that, when it comes to judging film trailers, I don't have a clue what I'm talking about.
Hooray! The entire world's talking about the release of Benelux Crumblethumblethatch's Dr Strange movie!
That can only mean one thing!
That I'm sat here looking at the latest Wonder Woman trailer!
No wonder they call me, "The man the Zeitgeist bypassed."
Still, I have to say it all looks rather super. I do approve of the World War One setting, which lends her a certain timeless quality, and it all looks to have an appealing visual style - although I hope there'll be more to it than just, "Wonder Woman fights World War One," as that would be a little lacking in doings of a superhuman nature for my liking.
I like that Wonder Woman has a non-American accent. I like that the film appears to mix drama with humour, with a bit of real-world social history thrown in.
So, so far, I declare that it looks promising and like it might be a good deal more entertaining than some recent DC offerings have been.
I must confess, though, that I did get a bit over-excited when I saw those white cliffs and thought it meant the Amazons live in Dover.
Tragically, subsequent shots in the trailer would suggest they don't.
This time, the trailers are for Justice League and Suicide Squad. So, don't read beyond this point if you don't want to be spoilerised.
Having taken a look at them, I have to say they both look somewhat less promising than the Dr Strange and Wonder Woman movies.
The Justice League one seems to be the better of the two but still feels somewhat lazy and dull with no hint at all as to just what menace it is they're going to be facing. Call me overly-conventional but I do feel that super-hero trailers should make some sort of effort to create the impression that there's actually some sort of peril to our heroes or to others. The trailer's total lack of such menace creates the impression that they're just going to spend the whole movie stood around saying hello to each other. I suspect that may not be the case and that there must be some degree of threat involved at some point in the proceedings.
The portrayal of the Flash looks like it's going to get annoying quite quickly. On the other hand, it's good to see Conan playing Aquaman.
I know I'm going to invite the wrath of all sane humans but, overall, viewing it felt eerily like watching that Justice League TV movie of about twenty years ago; only, shot with more style.
Having said that, I actually enjoyed the Justice League TV movie of about twenty years ago, so maybe I shouldn't complain.
As for Suicide Squad, other than the presence of Will Smith, there's nothing in the trailer that gives me any reason to want to see the movie. It all has a sense of random pointlessness about it that suggests intellectual waywardness on behalf of those who bankrolled it.
Its only other point of interest to me is that Margot Robbie's in it and she used to be in Neighbours and I always find it strangely exciting to see people from Neighbours turn up in American TV shows and movies. The power of Jim Robinson to turn up in seemingly everything over the years has always been a source of wonder to me.
Anyway, that's just my opinion. If you have thoughts on the two movies, feel free to express them in the comments box below.
No one could accuse me of not keeping my ear to the ground when it comes to the latest movies. Hence it's only taken me five years to get round to watching the first Thor movie, which I enjoyed a fair bit, especially the portrayal of Loki.
Therefore, it's come to my attention that, yesterday, new trailers for two upcoming comic book movies hit YouTube and certain other places. One was the new plug for Wonder Woman and the other was for Dr Strange.
So, let's take a look at those trailers. If you don't want to be spoilerised, don't read on past this point.
Having taken a look at them, I am intrigued by the fact that Wonder Woman takes place in World War One, which somehow feels a more interesting setting than the World War Two milieu that I grew up with and it clearly provides for some dramatic shots.
On the other hand, I hope the entire film isn't just going to be, "Wonder Woman fights World War One," which may prove to be something of a waste of the character's potential for getting into fantastical scrapes.
I also worry that, apart from the vaguely annoying ending, I don't see a lot of characterisation going on in the trailer. I hope we're not going to get a totally by-the-numbers portrayal of our dashing dominatrix and her flyboy boyfriend.
The Dr Strange movie, I'm not sure about. I do feel that Benilux Slumberparty should have been allowed to keep his English accent, as Dr Strange is one of the few Marvel heroes who could work as an Englishman. Plus, I can't hear him do, "American," without thinking of Hugh Laurie in House.
Also, the visuals look to be somewhat lacking in the weirdness I'd like to see from a Dr Strange movie. I see, for instance, no echoes of the visual style of Steve Ditko which so defined the strip.
Initially, I didn't like them replacing the Ancient One with a not-so-ancient Briton but, in retrospect, he was a somewhat clichéd concept, so it may not be a bad idea after all.
The lack of a certain flame-headed demon does, however, disappoint me.
As for which film I feel most tempted to see, I must confess it's the Dr Strange one, as I have more interest in the character than I have for Wonder Woman, even though I probably find the Wonder Woman trailer more intriguing.
That's just my opinion. What's yours? Feel free to use the comments section below to let the world know.
I inflicted the novels "Danny Yates Must Die," "Mr Landen Has No Brain" and "Fatal Inheritance" on the world, as well as a bunch of short stories under a bunch of pseudonyms.
I also run the blog "Steve Does Comics."
My latest novel - "Keep Those Things Away From Me" - is out now on Amazon Kindle.
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