Fun-Size Friday | 9-6-19 | Dark Crystal, Pretty Deadly, & Angel Has Fallen

Could it be? Is it possible? Can it really be time for another edition of Fun-Size Friday? It is! Yes, my grand experiment to condense my various thoughts and opinions into a hundred words or less continues. Comics, music, cartoons, more comics, that time in third grade when a kid threw a rock at my head, nothing’s off the table. That’s probably it for the rock story though, it’s really not that big of a deal. Honestly, I hardly even think about it more than two or three times a day. Enough about my crippling head trauma though, let’s begin…

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THIRTY SECONDS TO SAVE
THE X-MEN’S FUTURE

Things heat up for the X-Men this week with House of X #4, as the merry mutants take on their latest obstacle with no less than the fate of mutantkind at stake. It’s a strong if somewhat familiar tale — suicide missions, cataclysmic threats, etc. — but one gets the sense writer Jonathan Hickman is well aware of this and is getting ready to really flip the script. In the meantime, artists Pepe Larraz & Marte Gracia get plenty of chances to strut their stuff. Some of their panels are an absolute delight, as seen above. It may be set-up, but it’s good set-up.

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SO, THE PUPPET SHOW ON NETFLIX?
YEAH, IT’S PRETTY AWESOME.

I started watching The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance on Netflix last weekend and holy wow is it impressive work. I’m only a few episodes in so far but it is blowing me away, especially with it’s dedication to using real puppets, sets, and practical effects. If you have any interest at all I strongly urge you to check out the first episode at least, then get back to me so I can gush about how much I loved that one tracking shot inside the library. Don’t let the puppets scare you off, this one’s worth your time.

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GIANT DAYS IS WRAPPING UP.
I AM NOT HANDLING IT WELL.

With the release of Giant Days #54, we have reached the end of Esther, Susan and Daisy’s sad and hilarious journey through the highs and lows of college living. This final chapter is just as entertaining and heartfelt as the previous 53 issues, sending our main characters and even some background players off in style, at least until the epilogue tale in October. While I loathe having to say goodbye to one of the most clever comic books of the last few years, at least it’ll be going out on top. Winning two Eisner Awards ain’t too shabby either.

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WHY DO THE VILLAINS
ALWAYS GET THE BEST SONGS?

This week in “Random Thing From The Nineties I Suddenly Remember Exists”, it’s Anastasia. This 1997 animated movie may not have been a huge success, but I wouldn’t write it off completely. For one thing, it’s got a killer bad guy song: “In The Dark Of The Night”. Among other things, it features a sweet guitar riff, an ultra foreboding chorus, and it’s sung by the incomparable Jim Cummings, whose voice you may also recognize from, well, everything. Simultaneously dark and upbeat, “In The Dark Of The Night” is a solid little tune that won’t be leaving my head anytime soon.

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PRETTY DEADLY IS STILL PRETTY AMAZING

Pretty Deadly is a case study in what happens when a comic’s entire creative team is firing on all cylinders, from Kelly Sue DeConnick‘s stylistic writing to Emma Rios otherworldly artwork to the typically excellent Jordie Bellaire working her magic on colors. This week saw the release of Pretty Deadly: The Rat #1, which moved the setting forward to the heart of 1940’s “Hollywoodland” while continuing the larger story of Death, her reapers, and the innocent people caught in their path. Real talk? If I could only read one comic for the rest of my life, this would be it.

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MICHAEL LINDSAY
1963-2019

In actual, real life news, Michael Lindsay passed away last week at the age of 56. In his career as a voice actor, Lindsay performed for several English dubs of anime, including “Joe Kido” in Digimon, “Kankurō” in Naruto, and “Urahara Kisuke” in Bleach. I never knew him personally, but as a kid who grew up obsessed with Digimon before branching out into shonen anime as a teenager, it was always cool to hear his voice pop up in other shows I enjoyed. I just wanted to take a moment to appreciate his work and say “Thanks”. Rest in peace.

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ENOUGH ABOUT DEATH,
LET’S TALK ABOUT DIE

Die #7 from artist Stephanie Hans and writer Kieron Gillen gives us another character study focusing on a single member of the dungeon crawling/dragon-slaying cast. This time it’s the resident jerkwad of the team, Chuck, and if you know anything about jerkward heroes in fantasy stories it’s that they tend to have some pretty serious inner demons. Chuck’s background as a writer makes his viewpoint particularly interesting, as we get to see how a writer who knows all the tricks and tropes rationalizes fantasy and reality. If you’re into all that meta stuff, this issue will suit you just fine.

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I WATCHED ANGEL HAS FALLEN. S’OKAY.

After watching the trailer for Angel Has Fallen, you pretty already know exactly what kind of movie you’re getting. I don’t mean that to sound condescending. Just a few weeks ago I proudly paid full price see Hobbs & Shaw on the big screen. I am one hundred percent the target audience here. That being said, this movie’s okay. Not a great action slugfest, not really a slog, but it’s enjoyable enough. The highlight of the film is easily Nick Nolte as a loony conspiracy buff; I could easily watch an entire movie of that. I am not even kidding.

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“IT’S NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN.
SOMETHING ELSE WILL.”

After four years, The Wicked + The Divine comes to a close this week with issue #45. I must say, given the original premise of the series, this is not the kind of ending I was expecting. Unsurprisingly, it’s better. It’s rare that I reach the ending of something I love and feel completely satisfied, but here I am. There are other stories that could be told with these characters, but honestly? This feels right. Big thanks to Clayton Cowles, Matthew Wilson, Jamie McKelvie, Kieron Gillen, and everyone else who contributed to this crazy comic. I love you all. Platonically, of course.

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IN CLOSING…UMM…CLOSING TIME?

That was a surprisingly packed week, all things considered. There were a lot of great comics I talked about here, but there were other standouts too. The Immortal Hulk continues to be excellent reading, but I don’t think that comic needs any help from me. As for next week, I’m planning to steal some time away to watch the rest of The Dark Crystal show, but I’m not holding out much hope. Whooole lot of plates to balance right now. Anyway, I hope the next week is kind to you. Let’s do this all again next Friday, cool? Cool?
Cool.