tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post4033877518654333276..comments2023-11-03T06:02:02.128-07:00Comments on By Ken Levine: CAPTAIN MARVELBy Ken Levinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17305293821975250420noreply@blogger.comBlogger37125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-88955489886554780052019-03-20T15:07:48.633-07:002019-03-20T15:07:48.633-07:00Brie Larson. Why would you call yourself after a F...Brie Larson. Why would you call yourself after a French cheese? Especially when Marvel is a brand of dried milk. <br /><br />Can we look forward to a generation of people called Stilton, Leerdammer, Ched (short for Cheddar), Roquefort, Camembert, etc? <br /><br />The whole thing stinks.<br /><br />Anyway Mr. L, comics were better when there were no more than about four people churning them out monthly. (See what I did there?)<br />blogwardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07362291687463326731noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-40126018441893662552019-03-20T06:37:35.839-07:002019-03-20T06:37:35.839-07:00I'm glad I'm not the only one wanting to d...I'm glad I'm not the only one wanting to defend Captain Marvel. I loved it for what it was -- a fun superhero movie that entertained me. One of the great thing about most of the MCU movies is that they don't try and be more than they are. So, if you're going in expecting anything else, you can't judge the movie because your expectations were wrong to begin with.<br /><br />And yes, the movie (and Brie Larson) are MUCH better than those awful trailers would have you believe.404https://www.blogger.com/profile/00064577649967514295noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-13370707065101303582019-03-20T02:10:39.012-07:002019-03-20T02:10:39.012-07:00Sean MacDonald: I know Captain Marvel and Nick Fur...Sean MacDonald: I know Captain Marvel and Nick Fury changed colors/genders/socks while still in the comics, and my complaint goes back to that. Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-87044525789757015112019-03-19T21:18:56.316-07:002019-03-19T21:18:56.316-07:00MikeN
It would have been impossible to exclude Ca...MikeN<br /><br />It would have been impossible to exclude Captain Marvel from Endgame, given that Infinity War's post credit scene hinged on her character being contacted. <br /><br />The reason she hadn't appeared in an Endgame trailer till now was precisely because it would be a spoiler of sorts to show her before audiences had been introduced to her in her own film.Peternoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-27026412219516968862019-03-19T20:38:27.813-07:002019-03-19T20:38:27.813-07:00It sounds just fine to me. I got tired of the old ...It sounds just fine to me. I got tired of the old emotional reveal genre years ago. Ibsen hacked it to death.Kaleberghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05283840743310507878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-82347721873421339382019-03-19T18:31:03.779-07:002019-03-19T18:31:03.779-07:00There was a rumor that they made two versions of A...There was a rumor that they made two versions of Avengers Endgame, one with Captain Marvel excluded and her work done mostly by Captain America and Black Widow. <br />The directors were against having her in the film, but Disney and Marvel were insisting. Then it looked like the movie might be a flop, with no character arc for the hero. This new trailer that includes Captain Marvel came out after the opening weekend showed the movie would be a big hit.MikeNnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-68460706034987470262019-03-19T16:56:21.036-07:002019-03-19T16:56:21.036-07:00Aquaman *was* big in the comics, even back in the ...Aquaman *was* big in the comics, even back in the 80s... for certain definitions of "big". <br /><br />While he wasn't that significant in the early days of comics (the 1940s), he managed to do what characters like Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, etc. could NOT do. He survived. That is, his stories continued seamlessly from the Golden Age of comics into the Silver Age. He is one of only five DC characters who can make that claim, the others being Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, and Green Arrow. Granted, Aquaman and Green Arrow didn't have a comic named after themselves, but they survived in back-up stories in other comics. So, these five characters were fairly major in that one respect.<br /><br />Characters like Green Lantern, Flash, Hawkman, etc. were completely reinvented at the beginning of the Silver Age, but Aquaman continued on, with only a few retcons regarding his origin and powers. He was still recognizable as the same character, unlike GL, Flash, etc.<br /><br />So, while he may not quite be in the "Superman, Batman, and maybe Wonder Woman" tier of characters, he's right below that tier. As soon as the Justice League was formed, he was important enough to be a founding member. As soon as superheroes became popular again in the Silver Age, he finally got a comic named after himself. When DC was looking at characters to animate, he and Superman got the first solo animated DC cartoons of this time period. That developed into him being so important that he was one of the main members of the Superfriends (Superman, Batman/Robin, Wonder Woman, and Aquaman). This puts him in a tier above Green Lantern and Flash in importance. <br /><br />He has been one of DC's most important characters for a long time. Yeah, he's no Superman or Batman. He's not even Wonder Woman. But he's above Green Lantern and Flash, at least by 1980s standards. (Since then, Green Lantern has gained a huge increase in importance.)<br />Sean MacDonaldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-7127293107470461652019-03-19T08:33:05.618-07:002019-03-19T08:33:05.618-07:00I stopped reading Marvel Comics around the time of...I stopped reading Marvel Comics around the time of the first Secret Wars- about 35 years ago. I am old enough to remember the first time they killed off Professor X (back in the 60's)! So my interest in Marvel Universe movies is zip. I'm bemused at hit movies being made with characters that weren't all that big in the comics, like Aquaman and now the Carol Danvers version of Captain Marvel. I wonder how much life the genre has left- you'd think it's getting close to the point of oversaturation now. Jeff Boicehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14600946876122022978noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-46252251813129355832019-03-19T08:13:13.411-07:002019-03-19T08:13:13.411-07:00If you really want to bore your friends with comic...If you really want to bore your friends with comic book esoterica, some of the "Ms. Marvel" comics were drawn by Jim Mooney, who had previously been the primary Supergirl artist. E. Yarbernoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-11123683113297733462019-03-19T07:52:01.939-07:002019-03-19T07:52:01.939-07:00I think Marvel movies finally moved beyond critici...I think Marvel movies finally moved beyond criticism with Captain Marvel (or is it Mar-Vell?). You’re either onboard or you’re just bored. Whatever anyone else says isn’t going to make a difference. <br /><br />I actually enjoyed it (helped immeasurably by having not seen the trailer, which spoils everything it seems). It was a middling Marvel film. Not the best, not the worst, but I liked the character, and I’m looking forward to seeing her return in the next instalment. <br /><br />(My biggest bugbear was seeing a single mother decide to go on a near suicide mission. What the hell was that about?!? It not only undercut the dramatic tension — as if the film was going to end on a shot of an orphan crying — it also just made them look like a terrible parent. Hint: If anything is more important than your child’s welfare, you’re a bad parent.)<br /><br />The only shame is that the Marvel franchise is eventually going to experience fatigue. And the budgets are going to drop. And the quality will suffer. And then everyone will hate the whole franchise for ending badly, and never want to watch it again. Which is a shame, because it’s very impressive what Marvel have managed. But with Disney at the helm (and just market forces requiring you to keep churning out sequels while there’s money to be made) it’s fate is sealed. Johnny Walkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13302545167970532080noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90670137365340444572019-03-19T05:22:08.029-07:002019-03-19T05:22:08.029-07:00Nothing to do with Captain Marvel. This is an inte...Nothing to do with Captain Marvel. This is an interesting blog post by David Simon ("Homicide: Life on the Streets", "The Wire") on a current fight between the WGA and the ATA (Assoc. of Talent Agents) on how 'packaging' has harmed writers' profits and bargaining power over the years.<br /><br />If Ken has a view on this, I'd certainly be interested in reading a post (if he hasn't done one already, that I might be forgetting).<br /><br />https://davidsimon.com/but-im-not-a-lawyer-im-an-agent/Beth Thompsonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-38557773826149492532019-03-19T03:37:15.140-07:002019-03-19T03:37:15.140-07:00STUDIO HEAD: One note, just make sure that the se...STUDIO HEAD: One note, just make sure that the sequels get progressively worse as the franchise goes on.<br /><br />SCREENWRITERS: Get out of our heads!<br /><br />M.B.Mike Bloodworthhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04755626259169126800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-4814685390495024772019-03-18T22:53:48.616-07:002019-03-18T22:53:48.616-07:00I just read this post from David Simon. https://d...I just read this post from David Simon. https://davidsimon.com/but-im-not-a-lawyer-im-an-agent/ I assume you have an agent. Have you run into the same thing as Simon. I don't recall you writing much about this sort of thing. Needless to he was pretty ticked off.sanfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06580867647162091670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-75362169058027000592019-03-18T22:01:32.050-07:002019-03-18T22:01:32.050-07:00Speaking of Supergirl and Mary Marvel, both charac...Speaking of Supergirl and Mary Marvel, both characters were created by Otto Binder who wrote all the Marvel Family (both when together and separate) stories at Fawcett and when that company stopped doing comics because of DC's lawsuit, went to DC to create Supergirl. Oh, and I liked the current Captain Marvel movie just fine and I'm looking forward to Shazam! next month...tavmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-90532543813854636392019-03-18T20:46:53.085-07:002019-03-18T20:46:53.085-07:00You're a tad behind the times - both of those ...You're a tad behind the times - both of those characters were changed in the comic books long before the movies came out.<br /><br />In fact, Samual L Jackson was the inspiration for Nick Fury when they rebooted that series...but his likeness was used without his permission. When he threatened to sue, they agreed to let him play the role of Nick Fury if/when Marvel ever started making movies. PurplePenquinnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-89357324774619997122019-03-18T18:39:09.049-07:002019-03-18T18:39:09.049-07:00It's mostly a coincidence that Carol Danvers a...It's mostly a coincidence that Carol Danvers and Linda Danvers (Supergirl) share a name. When Carol Danvers was first created, she wasn't a superhero. She was just a supporting cast member in the comic of the third Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell). Then, when Marvel Comics decided to create a new ("liberated") female character, they started with the name "Ms. Marvel" and then had to create a character to fit the name. Eventually, they decided to take the Carol Danvers character and make her a female version of the male hero Captain Marvel... which always put her in that weird category of "Yeah, I'm a female hero who can stand on my own, but I'm also merely the female version of a male hero" like Supergirl, Batgirl, Mary Marvel, Spider-Woman, She-Hulk, etc. Of course, the movie played down the "I'm just a spin-off of a male character" aspect, even going so far as to make Mar-Vell into a woman.<br /><br />But, yeah, ever since she was introduced, people have noted that she seemed to be part Supergirl and part Mary Marvel (since she has "Marvel" in her name, and she's the female version of a Captain Marvel).<br />Sean MacDonaldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-23781586353868441602019-03-18T18:33:18.845-07:002019-03-18T18:33:18.845-07:00Captain Marvel and Nick Fury *were* white males.
...Captain Marvel and Nick Fury *were* white males.<br /><br />The first Captain Marvel from Fawcett comics (and now DC comics) was a white male, you know, the guy who says "Shazam!". The second Captain Marvel was a robot who looked like a white male. The third Captain Marvel was a white male named Mar-Vell. The fourth Captain Marvel was an African-American woman named Monica Rambeau (the same name as the black child in this movie). The fifth Captain Marvel was a white male named Genis-Vell. The sixth Captain Marvel was a white female named Phyla-Vell. The seventh Captain Marvel was a green male (a Skrull) pretending to be a white male. The eighth Captain Marvel was a white male named Noh-Varr. The ninth Captain Marvel... well, she happens to be a white female, formerly known as Ms. Marvel, the Carol Danvers seen in this movie. And everybody loves the *ninth* incarnation of a character best, right?<br /><br />The first Nick Fury was a white male. Then, in an alternate universe, called the Ultimates universe (which was mostly the basis for many of the Marvel movies), Nick Fury was a black male drawn to look like Samuel Jackson (before he appeared in any Marvel movies). Then, in the main universe of Marvel comics, Nick Fury had a son, who was a black man named Nick Fury. This lets the comics do away with the original Nick Fury to replace him with the new diverse Nick Fury Junior.Sean MacDonaldnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-8940241501527858022019-03-18T17:48:13.019-07:002019-03-18T17:48:13.019-07:00Ok, I’m not up on my super heroes I guess, but why...Ok, I’m not up on my super heroes I guess, but why does Captain Marvel in woman form have a look, costume and name (Danvers) that screams “Supergirl”? I mean, couldn’t they have at least given her a different last name?iamr4manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03886388328762709050noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-45599630026234641172019-03-18T17:25:16.424-07:002019-03-18T17:25:16.424-07:00"Oh wait, her teacher/Yoda/Liam Neeson type g..."Oh wait, her teacher/Yoda/Liam Neeson type guy tells her her one flaw is she lets her emotions get in the way. How fresh is that? We haven’t seen that character beat since at least 2016, maybe earlier."<br /><br />Wait, but literally the whole point of the movie is the OPPOSITE of that trope: the patriarchy of the Kree is telling her, a woman, to not be so emotional, but then once she breaks free of it and channels her righteous anger, she annihilates the baddies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-113576395122032182019-03-18T16:13:06.888-07:002019-03-18T16:13:06.888-07:00The movie, and Brie Larson, are much better than t...The movie, and Brie Larson, are much better than the trailers revealed. I thought Larson looked horrible in the trailers, but she gave a very likable performance.<br /><br />Don't get me started about Kristen Stewart...ugh...<br /><br />Is the movie great? No. Is it fun? Very much!!kitano0https://www.blogger.com/profile/06824983309821731821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-71761620540954865702019-03-18T14:54:45.741-07:002019-03-18T14:54:45.741-07:00@Keith Nichols: If you've got AMC Theaters in ...@Keith Nichols: If you've got AMC Theaters in your area, join the AMC Stubs program for $15 and you can see any movie (Non-3d or Imax though) for $5 every Tuesday. AMC also has weekend matinees before noon for under $9. That made life bearable for me when my kids were young and wanted to see every animated POS that came out.Elfhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10374380298273456994noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70782048631251878492019-03-18T14:41:32.730-07:002019-03-18T14:41:32.730-07:00If they want to make movie heroes with women and b...If they want to make movie heroes with women and black men, terrific. But invent new ones. As a former comic collector I know for a fact that Captain Marvel and Nick Fury are both white males. Cap'n Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11783977137812876489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-78537757962310904872019-03-18T13:50:30.823-07:002019-03-18T13:50:30.823-07:00Studio Head: Marvelous, you got anything else ?Studio Head: Marvelous, you got anything else ?Madame Smockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08187182786576898476noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-70943255750931517292019-03-18T13:14:01.633-07:002019-03-18T13:14:01.633-07:00This was a great movie, I thought, although I am a...This was a great movie, I thought, although I am already quite a fan of the Marvel movies. I don't recall seeing Larson before, although she was in three movies I had seen - "Glass Castle", "Kong: Skull Island" and "Scott Pilgrim Vs. the World". I guess I didn't find her memorable there. But she certainly did seem to do well here.<br /><br />My wife, a Brie Larson fan (she was the one who took me to "Glass Castle"), just showed me "Short Term 12", one of her favorite movies, and Larson seemed to do great with the emoting there. (Very well-done movie, although way outside the kinds I like.)<br /><br />Kristin Stewart as non-emoting, well, sure. Has she been in anything beyond the Harry Potter fanfiction movies?<br />Tim B.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19336675.post-69834655214889566892019-03-18T12:17:57.932-07:002019-03-18T12:17:57.932-07:00STUDIO HEAD: That sounds like you merely stitched ...<i>STUDIO HEAD: That sounds like you merely stitched together every trope from every superhero and space adventure movie and thrown them together in a blender. You’ve jammed in every cliché and there’s not a moment that is remotely original. And it will probably cost upwards of 150 million dollars.</i><br /><br />These days, they're fine with it. Especially Disney. It's probably why I still can't get a "Tron 3."Rory L. Aronskyhttp://scrapsofliteracy.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com