Fun-Size Friday| 8-16-19

Hello, Greetings, Salutations, Aloha and, er, Kudos? It’s time for another Fun-Size Friday, another chance to go off on all sorts of random tangents, provided that each topic discussed is kept to no more than a hundred words. You may be wondering why I’d impose an arbitrary word limitation on myself. To that I say, what’s the point of writing if you don’t challenge yourself every once in a while? You may also be wondering why I don’t just get a Twitter account, to which I say, well…I don’t want to. Great, now I’m all self-conscious. Let’s move on.

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THE “X-MENASSAINCE” CONTINUES

I know, “X-Men comics again?” What can I say, I am a simple creature. After the previous week focused on a single character, Powers of X #2 gets back to multiple characters over multiple timelines. It’s a pretty standard set-up for Jonathan Hickman at this early stage: lots of characters speaking dramatically while plans are made behind-the-scenes. It’ll read better in the trade, I’m sure. On the art side of things, R.B. Silva‘s pages are a delight, made even better with strong color design by Marte Gracia. Seriously, check out Magneto’s cape here. That is what a super-villain looks like.

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AVATAR: THE IMPORTANCE OF ENDINGS

Aaron Ehasz, the head writer behind Avatar: The Last Airbender, one of my all-time favorite shows, has gotten a lot of attention online recently for discussing his ideas for what a hypothetical fourth season would have looked like. It’s an interesting read, especially for die-hard fans like myself who rave about the show at every available opportunity. The fanboy side of me obviously wants more of the thing I loved growing up, but then again, Avatar already had a pretty great ending. Still, it would’ve been really cool to see Koh The Face Stealer again. Oh well.

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HIS GRANDMA COULD
BEAT UP YOUR GRANDMA

This week, Kieron Gillen continues his quest to empty my wallet with the release of Once & Future #1. If you like your comics to be a bit more lighthearted but still have a hint of darkness, this introduction to a modern-day fantasy has got pretty much everything you could ask for, including Bridgette McGuire: monster hunter extraordinaire and top contender for World’s Coolest Fictional Grandma. Brought to life by the one-two knockout punch of artist Dan Mora and colorist Tamra Bonvillain, Once & Future looks to be a fun time, unless everyone suddenly dies in the last issue which…probably won’t happen?

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WHATEVER HAPPENED
TO SAMUEL STERNS?

I’ve been thinking a lot about The Incredible Hulk movie lately, more specifically the villains. Look, I know we Marvel fans have pretty much decided to pretend like this movie didn’t happen, but it did, and I don’t like loose threads. Like, did you even know Abomination is still alive? That’s a big deal. The Leader was introduced too. That’s, like, a really big deal. Still, it’s been over a decade now and the only thing that’s carried over from that movie is William Hurt as General Ross. That just seems wasteful to me.

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THIS ONE IS BASICALLY
“ADULT FANTASY DADS”

There’s no other way to say this: Kris Anka draws good looking people. The White Trees #1 — a collaboration between Anka, Chip Zdarsky and Matthew Wilson among others — is acutely aware of this. The thrust of the story is centered around a trio of legendary warriors turned fathers on a quest to save their kids from a dangerous warlord, and basically look really good doing it. Just a heads up for the uninitiated: The White Trees is strictly “M for Mature”, and not for violence. More than just pretty faces, though, this is shaping up to be a genuinely compelling tale.

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A FRIENDLY REMINDER THAT
THIS CARTOON IS STILL A THING

I’ve never seen “Batman Ninja”, but based solely on the visuals and just the awkward vibe I get from watching the trailer for it, I’m not exactly in a rush. It’s a shame, obviously, since I can’t think of anything more suited for awesomeness than the idea of “Anime Batman”, but the execution just falls flat for me. I suppose the bar has been raised a bit higher ever since I saw this three-minute short by Wolf Smoke Studios a few years back. I’m no expert or anything, but come on, you gotta admit this looks better.

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THE NIGHT IS SHORT
AND I AM BEAT.

I don’t know why I’m constantly surprised when I get to the end of a long work week and find myself completely exhausted, but here I am again, humbled and totally wiped out. Things are looking up though: I’ve got some new Jim Gaffigan comedy to watch, an Invader Zim movie to enjoy, and a few more comics I didn’t have time to read earlier. I hope you make some time for yourself as well, and that we come back next week fully rested and restored. That’s probably not how it’s gonna go, but I can dream.

Later!