comic books

‘The Fantastic Four: First Steps’ feels fresh, but takes too big a first step toward the MCU

/ Ian Casselberry / 1 Comment

The Fantastic Four: First Steps appears to be the film that the Marvel Cinematic Universe needs right now. It doesn’t depend on other movies to establish its world and story. Watching the dozens of other MCU films and TV shows isn’t required to follow what happens.

So it effectively serves as a necessary reset for a superhero movie universe that has felt tired and unfulfilling over the past few years. Especially when the guy with the red cape flying over Metropolis just brought a jolt of freshness to movie theaters and pop culture.

Yet The Fantastic Four feels new and exciting as well because it’s not set in the very same MCU as the familiar one occupied by the Avengers. The best decision made by Marvel and director Matt Shakman is putting these characters in a retro-future 1960s that looks unlike anything seen in an MCU film before.

There’s no cynicism here. It’s a culture full of wonder, which has also built trust between the world and these superhuman heroes who protect it. Reed Richards, Susan Storm, Ben Grimm and Johnny Storm are media sensations, rock stars and monoculture icons, which wouldn’t happen in a modern setting. The movie probably could have had more fun with that. But Shakman has cut a tight film and the story has to move along — which is also part of the problem.

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Happy Birthday, Frank Miller

/ Ian Casselberry / Leave a comment

Monday is Frank Miller’s birthday. Whether you’re a comic book fan or not, if you’re at all familiar with Christopher Nolan’s Batman films (Tim Burton and Joel Schumacher’s Bat-movies were influenced as well), Netflix’s Daredevil series (and the Ben Affleck film), or the Sin City movies, you know Miller’s work.

The legendary comic book creator turns 63, and he’s still producing work. As could be expected, he’s no longer the prolific illustrator he once was, but is still writing Batman and Superman stories for DC Comics, and illustrating stories in his 300 mythology for Dark Horse Comics.

The Dark Knight Returns is one of my favorite stories throughout all of the movies, TV, and books I’ve enjoyed and studied in my life. An aging Batman’s regret over allowing The Joker to continue his murderous reign of crime was one of the most powerful elements of that story.

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Overzealous Recycling 016: I like that Wookiee

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Sad to hear that Peter Mayhew, known largely as the actor who portrayed Chewbacca in five Star Wars films, passed away this week at the age of 71. Yet Mayhew’s death occurring two days before “Star Wars Day” (May the 4th be with you) probably resulted in even more attention and appreciation for his career than it otherwise may have received.

But maybe not. Chewbacca was a beloved, iconic character in the most famous movie franchise of all time (well, until Marvel and the Avengers came along). Mayhew’s death was going to be news. But a community came together online and in person, due to social media and Star Wars Day, to express their affection, which made it just that much more special.

— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —

Growing up with Star Wars (though I often recap my love of comic books and superheroes more), Han Solo was the coolest character for me. Roguish, charming, a little bit unethical, but ultimately noble. He wore a slick vest and piloted the best starship in the galaxy. Yet as I got older (and old), I developed more affection for Chewbacca. And not just because I often express myself with roars and grunts too.

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The Podcass 006: Free Comic Book Day and favorite Pastimes

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Free Comic Book Day is Saturday, May 4, and we talk to Scott Russell of Pastimes Comics and Games in Asheville, North Carolina about the business of running a comic book shop, how Free Comic Book Day affects it, and the overall health of the comics industry.

Then Scott’s podcast co-host, Miles Rice, joins us to talk about their show, The Expendable Opinion Podcast.

Scott is also The Podcass’s first interview! Hopefully, the first of many that eventually become a key part of the podcast. I want to talk to friends, colleagues, contemporaries, and others who I admire and make for compelling conversation. Thanks to Scott for his time, especially after an attempt to interview him for The Amusement Park Podcast fell through last November. I guess I have to keep giving him my money.

https://open.spotify.com/episode/0oru7GA8pzcvUbh5Kljnxm

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Overzealous Recycling 014: Hodor, we’re becoming a real newsletter!

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Maybe it’s because I have extra time on my hands with the Easter holiday weekend and major rain here in Asheville, but it feels like time to put my mail where my mouth is.

— If you missed the last Overzealous Recycling, you can read it here —

I keep saying this isn’t a newsletter and have posted that content here instead. But the reasons I haven’t really followed through on trying to do a newsletter is a) not having anybody sign up would be kind of depressing and b) I’m not writing enough at other outlets to have anything to collect here.

Plus, I’m already asking people to subscribe to The Podcass, which friends and followers have been supporting nicely, and I’d really like that to do well. At some point, you all will just get sick of me tugging on your pant legs, right?

But here’s the thing: I miss the old days of blogging. With me writing less professionally, I need an outlet and I’m enjoying writing for fun again. The era of Blogger, LiveJournal and Tumblr has passed, but the spirit of blogging still seems to exist, if not the interactivity and sense of community. Maybe it’s just in newsletters and podcasts now.

So here we go. This is becoming a newsletter. I’ll try to get this out on Thursday or Friday, since a lot of newsletters go out on Sunday. Please subscribe to Overzealous Recycling at tinyletter.com/casselberry. And thank you in advance.

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