Category: Comics

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Harlem Saves Luke Cage!

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Luke Cage is Marvel’s third series on Netflix, and for the most part it doesn’t stray too far from the established formula.  Thankfully it is a good formula and moving the action from Hell’s Kitchen to Harlem changes things up just enough to keep things fresh.  With all the racial tension in America right now Luke Cage is the hero we need.

The series picks up fairly quickly after the events of Jessica Jones with the titular Luke Cage (Mike Colter) now working several jobs for cash under the table in Harlem.  Luckily for him one of his jobs is cleaning up Pop’s Barber Shop.  Pop (Frankie Faison) is a father figure and mentor for Luke, and Pop tries to help Luke see that he should be out saving people and not sweeping up hair and doing dishes.  Luke instead wants to keep a low profile, but fate has other plans and he is soon facing off against local gangster Cornell “Cottonmouth” Stokes (Mahershala Ali).

A lot of this would seem generic and boring.  Not to mention a retread of things we have seen before, but the cast and setting make this series sing.  It seems cliché to say that Harlem is a character in the show, but it truly is, and it is much more interesting than Hell’s Kitchen where all the other Netflix shows take place.  A superhero dropped in to a hotbed of police and racial tensions makes for pretty good TV.

Netflix has another hit show on its hands.  It is making the buildup to The Defenders unbearable.  I mean we still have to get through Iron Fist, but if it is half as good as Luke Cage we will be just fine.  Just a word of warning, much like Jessica Jones, this show is not for kids, but for all us adults out there it is well worth a watch.

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What Was The Point Of Preacher’s First Season?

Preacher

I am not one for spoilers, but I have decided that I have to talk about how the first season of Preacher ended, so take this as your spoiler warning.  The show ends with a town wide explosion.  Which is similar to the comic book (in the comic it was only the church), but the comic book did it in the first two pages not after eleven hours of television.  We had no attachment for anyone in the comics yet, so the explosion just set the tone for the wild and crazy graphic adventure.  In the show we know everyone, so they just killed a bunch of people we have some sort of interest in.

What was the point of the first season then?  To show that Jesse is kind of a jerky know-it-all?  Trust me if they had followed the comic books people would have come to that realization anyway.  I don’t think Preacher needed a prequel, or this prequel at any rate.  It didn’t show us anything relevant or new about these characters.  It did show us that they are going to try and be as weird as the comic books, but just at a much slower pace.  Maybe the writers just wanted us to be asking the same question as Jesse, Tulip, and Cassidy, “What is the point of it all?”.

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Shmee Picks His Black Manta!

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I am going to have to apologize up front.  Usually when I cast a character I have five choices, but with so many people already making either Marvel movies or DC movies I had to narrow my list down to three because everyone was already in something else.  Still with the announcement that the Aquaman’s most well known villain Black Manta would be in the new Aquaman film, I had to voice my opinion.  Here are my top three choices for Black Manta:

3: Denzel Washington

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I know that he is 61 and he will be 62 by the time Aquaman starts filming, but he would add some weight and star power to the picture, and Denzel can do anything regardless of his age.  Put him in the suit and I wouldn’t stand in his way.

2: Jamie Foxx

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His last outing as a superhero villain did not go well in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, but he is a talented actor, and playing a more serious villain like Black Manta would play to his strengths.  He could definitely throw down with Jason Momoa.

1: Michael K. Williams

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The fact that Michael K. Williams is not already working on a major comic book movie is crime, but he would be perfect for Black Manta.  If you doubt his acting chops check out Boardwalk Empire or The Wire and you will be sold.  No one would be safe underwater with Michael K. William’s Black Manta on the loose!

Those are my three choices for Black Manta!  What do you think?  Who would you pick to play opposite of Aquaman?

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With The Casting Of Key Justice Society Characters The CW Is Indeed Shaping Up To Be DC’s Earth 2!

Stargirl

According to IGN actress Sarah Grey is now the CW’s Stargirl on Legends of Tomorrow.   Stargirl is a key member of the Justice Society of America.  If you don’t know who Sarah Grey is here is a headshot for you:

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Now I know nothing about Grey’s acting talent, but what is exciting is that my hope of the CW becoming DC’s live action Earth 2 are coming true.  Why do I say that you ask?  The Justice Society is the Justice League from Earth 2, so if they are going to be Legends of Tomorrow’s primary superhero crime fighting force that means the CW is owning its second Earth status.  Which is great.  I am all for the TV series being the timey wimey crazy DC earth.  Not to mention if they are officially Earth 2 it still leaves the opportunity open for a TV/Movie meet-up! They are announcing more Justice Society characters as they get closer to Legend’s second season, and I can’t wait!