A Brief History of Comic Books

Hi! I’m Cole. I’m a new author on Skatronixxx, and I love comic books. I have my own blog at Comic City and I am so excited to be an other here, in the Comics and books section. Well, enough of me blabbering, let’s get to the history of comic books!

Comic books have been around for 80+ years, and there is a long and confusing, but intriguing history behind them. I will try to break the history down into less confusing chunks.

The first ever comic books were just comic strips collected fro various newspapers put into a book form. The first full story comics were usually eith
er mystery comics such as Detective Comics (1937) and comedy comics such as The Funnies (1936) or Fun Comics (1935). When Action Comics 1 debuted in 1938, it started a whole new genre of comic books: superhero comics. Detective Comics saw the success of Superman in Action Comics, they introduced another world famous comic book hero, Batman. All American comics (1939) also switched to the action genre, introducing famous characters from the Justice Society of America such as the first Green Lantern, Flash and other heroes. Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson, the man behind Famous Funnies, Fun Comics and many other popular comic book titles, merged New Comics, All American Comics, Fun Comics, Detective Comics, and almost every other comic book title published and founded DC Comics, one of the most known comic book publishers today.

While all this was going on, other publishers were trying to enter the comic book business, such as Marvel Comics. In 1939, a man named Martin Goodman started the company called Timely Publications, which will later be called Marvel Comics. Marvel Comics 1 was debuted in October, 1939, introducing heroes like the Human Torch and the Submariner. In 1941, Captain America 1 was published and had great success.

Marvel and DC continued their success, and by the mid 1950’s, the silver age of comics began. In 1960, Justice League of America 1 was debuted, and a team of DC’s superheroes unite to fight the terrifying Starro, the giant starfish. In 1962, Amazing Fantasy 15 introduced Spiderman and in 1963, Avengers 4 re-introduced Captain America, after his solo comic was cancelled a few years before.

People are unsure of when the silver age of comics and the bronze age started, but it is some time in the 70s. Comics still thrived, and they still are today. Around 1985, the bronze age of comics ended and the modern age began.

There is so much more to the history of comics. If you would like to look into it so more, check out some of these books:

• The Classic Era of American Comics by Nicky Wright
• Men of Tomorrow by Gerard Jones
• Marvel Comics The Untold Story by Sean Howe

It is amazing to see the progress and history of comic books. If you liked this blog (and even if you didn’t) make sure you follow Skatronixxx.com to get blogs from myself and the other of the amazing authors on Skatronixx. Also, be sure to check out my blog at Comic City and follow me on twitter at @TheNicolasTweet.

Until next time,

-Cole

 

Michael B. Jordan Joins ‘Black Panther’ Cast

It’s been announced that Michael B. Jordan has officially joined the cast of Marvel’s Black Panther.

Jordan, known recently for his roles in Creed and Fantastic 4 (Marvel, once again rescuing the Johnny Storms!) hasn’t revealed his role yet, but a source has mentioned it could very well be a villain character.

Black Panther, due for release in 2018, will focus on the warrior king of Wakanda and his sudden ascension to the throne, and therefore the esteemed Black Panther mantle. Introduced to Marvel audiences in Captain America: Civil War, Chadwick Boseman will return as the lead role for the standalone feature, and will also star alongside Oscar Winner Lupita Nyong’o.

Black Panther, being directed by Ryan Coogler, is due for release on February 16th 2018, with production scheduled to begin in 2017.

Russo Brother’s Accidentally Reveal Captain Marvel For ‘Avengers: Infinity War’

Right on the tails of the Russo’s revealing their plans for Avengers: Infinity War, they also let another spoiler slip – Captain Marvel will be in the line up for the Infinity War – Part I.

The blonde hero Carol Danvers, who is due to her standalone movie in 2019, was brought up by mistake by the brothers during an event at the Smithsonian Institute. During a discussion about Infinity War the Russo’s mentioned Captain Marvel by name.

A fan immediately pounced with “Did you just confirm Captain Marvel?”

“Um…” Russo replied, “Captain Barvel. Totally different character.”

Right Russo. Totally. We’re so excited for the appearance of Captain Barvel in 2018. Meanwhile, you can see fan reactions to this under the twitter hashtag “#MarvelatSI” to this and more statements from the Russo’s.

Avengers: Infinity War Part I is due for release May 2018, with Part II following up in 2019, and Captain Marvel will make her solo debut in 2019.

Russo Brother’s Announce Plans For’Avengers: Infinity War’ Part I & Part II

With the UK release of Captain America: Civil War right behind them, and the US release pending, people might think the Russo Brother’s would want to wind down a little, have some time on the down low.

People might be wrong.

In the space of 24 hours, Joe and Anthony Russo have announced two of their plans for Avengers: Infinity War, the two-part feature coming in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

The first bit of news, is that the Russo brothers are planning on a name change for the two titles. So far, Infinity Wars is just a working title it seems.

“It is misleading,” stated Anthony Russo, when asked about the current two-part title for Infinity War.

“The movies are two very different movies,” said Joe Russo, explaining why the title change has come about. “The intention is we will change it, we just haven’t come up with the titles yet,” he said. “But, yes, we will change it. And, yes, that is a scoop: we will retitle them.”

To top off this title change, the Russo brothers then made a nod to how Captain America: Civil War will affect things for Avengers: Infinity War (don’t worry, no spoilers here folks!)

What we do know about Captain America: Civil War is that it features Marvel’s biggest and bravest facing off against each other, in a heated conflict that’s ripped the team into two sides. Regardless of however the Russo’s choose to tell that story, it’s a story that will have an impact that will carry on through, and set the tone for Phase 3.

According to Joe Russo, that’s exactly what he had planned;

“What we love about [the Marvel Cinematic Universe] as storytellers is that we get to tell a story over the course of movies. We get to take the characters on journeys that, again, can be unique to the cinematic experience. So knowing that we’re doing ‘Infinity War’ really informs ‘Civil War’ because we knew we wanted to leave the characters in as complicated a place as possible to set up Infinity War.”

Scary words, Mr Russo, scary words – and yet also, completely reassuring that the MCU and the fate of the Infinity War movies are in the completely right hands. The whole point of the Cinematic Universe is that it’s a universe, and these movies have got to tie into one another and balance each other, even when it’s completely different directors and writers. It’s much like the link people make between Iron Man 3 and The Avengers; Age of Ultron – IM3 effectively ended in Tony Stark retiring and destroying all his suits, and then Age of Ultron opened on him kicking ass, running the Stark Tower as the Avengers Tower, and still very much working as a superhero, with no reference to the arc reactor he had removed from his chest.

The fact that the Russo’s are treating every project they’re given by Marvel as a careful piece to a bigger story, making sure they’re leaving their ends ready for the next beginning, is a massive reassurance for Marvel fans.

Avengers: Infinity War Part I is due 2018, and Part II is due 2019, pending name changes.

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. SN3E17 – ‘The Team’

This review contains spoilers.

Last weeks episode saw the capture of the team by Giyera, Hive’s new right hand (Inhu)man and also saw a look into Malick’s backstory. We discover that Malick has been following the belief in the exiled Inhuman his entire life – and then we see it cost him his beloved daughter, Stephanie.

This weeks episode sees us gather some previously introduced Inhumans – Joey, from the opening episode of this season, and Elena (AKA Yo-Yo) from SN3E11 (Bouncing Back). Joey and Elena are called in by Daisy and Lincoln, in order to take back the SHIELD bus from Malick’s grip.

This episode was amazing. Remember last review when I said that SHIELD were launching pieces forward? This week, it was kind of like we were having a really pleasant, fast paced game, and all of the sudden the other player has flipped the board and started beating you with it, whilst jamming the pieces up your nose. In a good way.

The Kickass Stuff;

The Secret Warriors were absolute badasses this episode. Their rescue of the team and capture of Malick was fantastic – it looked great, and it was just awesome to see a team of all Inhumans going on the mission. They worked amazingly together, in incredible sync. Seeing Yoyo and Joey work together and take down six men at once in one hallway? Awesome.

Lincoln making his electricity into lassos and holds to throw his adversaries into the air? Awesome.

Daisy in general, but especially swinging down on that chain and sending Giyera flying? Awesome.

Malick had some really great lines this episode too, about religion and faith. I really liked two in particular;

“I believed I could resurrect a God; but instead, I freed the Devil.”

“Oh no, Mr Coulson, it is a God. It’s just not ours.”

I really like these lines because it really is about his faith and how awry it’s gone. All of his and Phil’s interrogation scenes this episode are like that. Phil asking Malick what he expected from bringing back a creature like this, and Malick explaining he was brought up in the faith that it was a God due to bring him good fortune – a God he thought he could work with for power. The breakdown of all of the Malick belief systems has been a great watch, and I love it.

There was also more fun, violent grossness that Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. seem to be piling on lately, including but not limited to Simmons cutting open Lucio’s head to examine his brain, us being treated to his scalp being pealed back, his skull pulled off and his infected brain placed on show. But, alongside this grossness, comes the solid evidence that Malick is telling Coulson the truth – Hive can infected Inhumans, make them part of his hive, and control them under his bidding.

Family;

Malick’s grief over Stephanie is absolutely heart breaking to watch. He’s so blatantly devastated by his loss, and it’s hard to watch him talk about her. When he tells the story about her riding Arabian horses, and how he felt so proud she could tame such a difficult breed of horse to ride, it was just really damn sad. I never thought I’d feel this awful and sympathetic to a member of Hydra, but the writers managed to do that with Malick and Stephanie.

The relationship between FitzSimmons is just so wonderful now. It’s developed so naturally, and in the beginning, I never would have wanted this relationship – but now that it’s happened like this, for all these good reasons and through a lot of character development, I’m really happy. And their adorable little interaction near the end of the episode; “I have a magnificent thing right here…it’s the painting, my painting of space.” It’s such a sweet, funny couply moment.

“The seal gonna hold?”

“I hope so, it’s chlorine gas. If not, we’ll all go blind.”

“What?”

Elena and Joey really shined in this episode. Them two speaking Spanish to one another was a lovely touch – shows and movies tend to overlook this small detail, and often make two characters whose first language isn’t English, speak it even when they’re alone together. I like that SHIELD gave them these moments, which are very real and how they would communicate naturally.

MACK AND ELENA. They’ve clearly been keeping somewhat in touch – and I find it beyond sweet that whilst Elena has been learning English, it isn’t all on her to learn how to communicate in his language – Mack has been learning Spanish for her. How cute can two people possibly be?

It makes it all the more devastating when later this episode, she no longer speaks to him. The team had this amazing synergy and togetherness, and it was ruined in one episode.

Witnessing the secret warriors team, who flew into this episode being so kickass and having this really great team dynamic, be torn about. Hive manipulated them horrendously easily, by turning their very fears on each other. It destroyed the trust the team had for each other, by aiding in trying to show that it was Humans vs. Inhumans in this episode. Hive played on all their insecurities and drove this really great start just straight into the ground. The paranoia even spreads to the human agents – May instantly pointing out that Lincoln tried to “pump her full of meds” and Mack having to point out that Lincoln is a doctor and she was injured.

The “OH MY GOD” part;

Yeah, I replaced the “Meh” section with an “Oh my God” part, because this episode deserves it more than anything else. That reveal at the end was absolutely heart-breaking, and it was a huge deal. This episode is just pure, everything people love about this show, because when it kicks it up a notch, it kicks really damn hard. The utter betrayal and loss of someone who is their own is so evident, and it’s a pain we haven’t felt since Grant Ward’s betrayal to Hydra.

After all that happened this episode, Daisy is the Inhuman who’s been infected by Hive. She frames Lincoln, using memories of his violent and short tempered history to manipulate how everyone sees him, destroys her team, steals alien tech and destroys their base – their home. She’s also the one revealed as killing Malick.

I do love that Hive isn’t just controlling Daisy – she’s not totally brainwashed or unaware. She’s completely aware, but it’s more like a heavy inclination – a euphoria and desire to do what she’s told. It’s insanely creepy She’s also so dangerous – she’s a formidable Inhuman, and her fighting skills alone without her Inhuman abilities make her scary enough – throw in the fact she’s a master hacker and that she’s been alongside Phil to know some seriously deep info, and the team are hugely screwed.

If anything, I think this is worse than the Ward betrayal – Ward was in complete and utter control of his senses, and he made the decision to go undercover and hurt the people he was with. Daisy is infected, and doesn’t have a choice in what she’s doing, and no one knows how to cure her or if she even can be cured. It’s a precarious situation for her to be in, especially when we know someone from Team SHIELD is going to die by the time the finale rolls around.

I also noticed this fits in with a recurring theme that’s been going on since season 1 – once again, it’s Grant Ward trying to bring Daisy onto his team. It’s been happening since the beginning, with Ward trying to convince Daisy that his side is the right side, that they could be unstoppable together – and now it’s two seasons later, and Hive possessing Grant Ward’s body goes after a woman he still refers to as “Skye” – it’s pretty sickening, actually, that this need to have her on his team never seems to end regardless of how much they change in-between.

I’m just so absolutely blown away by this weeks episode. It was absolutely excellent, with some of that cold-hearted betrayal I’m somehow still unused to after three seasons. It had awesome acting, great fight scenes and just really flung our story forward full force. I can’t wait to see what more this show has for us, as we are only four episodes away from the two part finale.

The Singularity will air 26th April 2016.

 

 

 

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. SN3E16 – ‘Paradise Lost’

This review contains spoilers.

Last weeks episode, ‘Spacetime’, finally saw the rise of Hive over Malick, and Daisy was shown a horrifying vision of someone on a shuttle in space being killed in an explosion.

‘Paradise Lost’ opens on a mansion, with a lot of black, old school cars leaving it’s grounds. We’re then informed the year is 1970, and that the two boys are in fact Nathaniel and Gideon Malick – and that this is their fathers funeral. They’reordered into a car and taken to none other than Whitehall. As the car rolls by, we’re brought back to the modern day .

This episode was absolutely fantastic. Filled with wonderful acting, intense scenes and a phenomenal ending. This episode not only moved pieces for the finale forward, it flung them at the audience with a lot of aggression.

The Kickass Parts;

I loved seeing Hydra’s belief system broken down – it’s finally made Hydra look like a larger organisation with different belief systems and branches, rather than just one cult-esq driven united front. It added some serious depth to these guys, making them more like separate forces rather than just hashing out the same murderous villain each time.

I also enjoyed seeing Whitehall again – he was scary as all hell, and he helped add to that layered belief system of Hydra’s – he absolutely mocks the Malick family beliefs, and asks the boys to join his Hydra. Gideon vehemently refuses this.

Leading off from this, I absolutely loved watching Malick’s belief system be so utterly shattered. Usually, Hydra are pretty damn unwavering in everything they do – because most of what they do is murdering and leading the way for world domination. The Malick Family belief was that someone would bring back the exhiled Inhuman and that this would grant them untold amounts of power and control. Granted, it’s still world domination, but it’s very much a deity method of doing so. So watching that firm, almost arrogant belief he has be pulled apart is fascinating – Agents of SHIELD has always been great at character development and emotional stories, so this is just awesome. Top it off with the fact that Malick’s beliefs are being torn to shreds by the very thing he worships – Hive.

Hive taking over Malick’s house – damn. He’s shown in this episode he is in total control over Malick, and it’s so very obvious how frightened Malick is of Hive now. He has absolutely no trust in him, and he’s completely devoid of the arrogant happiness he had earlier this season. I also really love watching Malick’s daughter, Stephanie, and how she interacts with Hive. She follows him with the same awe and devotion that Malick began with, and it’s fascinating to see that contrast of an intense believer vs. someone whos faith has been shaken.

We can also see exactly why Malick fears Hive so much in this episode. Malick reveals the vision that Charles showed him in the last episode; the vision is of his own painful, violent and bloody death. I do really feel like the writers are turning up the violence this season – the vision, which we also get to see, involved Malick’s eyes full of blood and swelling to the point of bursting, while he screams with blood pouring down his head. It’s really intense and creepy, and it’s genuinely understandable as to why Malick’s more terrified of him than anything else. It’s not just that this idol he discovered is more powerful and out of his control – it’s that he saw a future where this idol, who he was promised would grant him an incredible life, is tearing his body to shreds.

We’re also part way to finding out what Hive is, and as we all probably predicted when Ward’s gross skin-crawling corpse showed up in the mid-season finale, it’s not good. Simmons inspects some data and finds out that the way in which Hive is tearing these bodies apart, is that he’s sending parasites to feast on them. Worst part – these little parasites aren’t controlled by Hive – they are Hive. Which is about a thousand times worse and disgusting.

We also kind of get a reveal of Hive’s “true self” – and it isn’t looking pretty, even from the back. The Malick’s and their audience didn’t look overly thrilled at the arrival of this HYDRA Alien they’d all been waiting for, for all these years.

We’re also introduced to a would-have-been Inhuman, James. He’s Australian and clearly beyond paranoid, with minefields planeted around his trailer property, a huge barbwire fence, and a gun in his hand upon arrival. It’s absolutely fascinating to watch him, because he is angry, and he’s clearly feeling the emptiness Lincoln mentions all Inhumans have before they go through the change. Lincoln dangles the Terrigan Crystal right in front of his eyes, and when he pulls it away, James is furious – lashing out and spitefully telling Daisy nods to Lincoln’s past. He’s clearly bitter, and has some drinking and trust issues brewing. I would like to see more of Jiaying’s failed Inhumans explored, and find out just how banishment or denial has affected them.

Of course, to finish off this section – the fight scenes. The fight scenes always get a mention in these reviews, but that’s because they always look absolutely fantastic. This weeks episode had one particular fight scene I adored – May vs. Giyera. This scene was excellent in every single way. The scene looked fantastic for one thing – it was in a stark white room with two people in black gear, who also have dark hair. It just looked awesome. And then the choreography is utterly mind-blowing – Giyera’s fighting style is one I haven’t seen in this show before, and it was so inventive and painful looking. Let’s also give a massive shout out to Melinda May running up a wall and using it to backflip over Giyera. Iconic.

Family moments;

There were some great bonding moments in this episode, and not all of them SHIELD related.

In the SHIELD department, I thoroughly enjoyed Phil and Fitz’s talk about Ward – about whether or not Ward “deserved” to die, and if that’s what SHIELD is about. It’s an interesting conversation to see them have – by all accounts, Ward was vicious and dangerous, putting him down most likely was the right choice. But in Phil’s eyes, it was the right choice done for the completely wrong reason – once again, it’s SHIELD discussing openly about doing the wrong thing for the right reasons, and doing something that could lead to positive results but doing it for personal reasons.

I also really liked this small interaction between Daisy and Mack (yay, Mack’s back!) where he gives her a nice hug and they just talk. It’s so small, but it’s because it’s so casual and looks so comfortable that it’s so important in showing team dynamics.

Also on team Daisy, there was a really great moment between her and Lincoln. I like seeing Lincoln break down – not because it’s funny to see someone try and rebuild their whole life, but because it’s so interesting. Lincoln was a vision of pure calm and serenity when he was at Afterlife – after that all ended, we’ve watched Lincoln react with fear and in some cases violence. He’s not in control the way he was in Afterlife, when his days and life were planned and everything was fixed and perfect. Now he’s been flung full force into the real world, and it’s a lot to take.

I also enjoyed finding out more about him, and this episode featured some pretty dark stuff. It explains that Lincoln was once a violent alcoholic, struggling to fill this empty depression inside him, and that he caused a collision drunk-driving that nearly killed the last girl he was with. Luke Mitchell brings a lot to that confession, with so much emotion in every movement. I’m really enjoying his performance as Lincoln, and I’d like to get to know more.

Honestly though, the family that truly stole the show this episode? The Malick family.

The writers of SHIELD did such an incredible job on this, and I’m beyond pleased Malick isn’t some schmuck Hydra villain they churned out – he had a family and a lot of raw emotion went into it.

There was obviously the relationship with his brother – he put a lot of work into defending that relationship, and trying to keep the truth about their father. There was then the awful moment he betrayed him, and the look on their faces as it happened. It’s clearly a stand-out moment in Malick’s history, one he’s kept hidden all these years. It was so painful to watch Nathaniel talk to Malick through Hive – the horror only coupled by Brett Dalton nailing it by completely changing the tone, by matching this young man Hive met in the 70’s perfectly. It’s a raw, wonderful moment and I loved/hated it.

Then, of course, there was Stephanie Malick. This episode well and truly mastered the art of presenting a deep, loving relationship to it’s audience, before absolutely decimating it. We spend the whole episode watching Stephanie support her father, and her talking about how he’s supported her too. It’s made very obvious that through high and low, in his own way, Malick has supported and raised his daughter with only the best intentions, with love and the need to make her strong and independent. Stephanie then spends this episode bonding with her dad, teasing him and reminding him of the lessons he taught her – they share a scotch in front of the fire and he thanks her, for reminding him of how he should be. It’s incredibly touching and loving, and not what I expected from a family built on Hydra values.

It’s what makes this episode all the more utterly horrifying when it rips your heart out as Hive murders Stephanie in front of her father. First, he completely breaks down her trust in her dad and outs him as a traitor and a coward. Then, when the moments right, he just straight up kills her from the inside out, messily and painfully right before Malick’s eyes. To then add to this, he drops her corpse on the hands with a non-chalant wave of his hands and this statement; “now you know the true meaning of sacrifice.” It’s so beyond cold, and vicious.

I’d like to also take this moment to mention the music choice for this episode, for one particular scene, was perfect. Malick is drinking a scotch in his daughters chair, sitting in front of the fire they were looking into not that long ago. The music playing is this sad, slow piano tune – then as Hive rests his hand on Malick’s shoulder, and tells him he no longer has anything to fear, the music takes this jarring drop. It’s so perfect, and the delivery of the line after the events of this episode gave me absolute chills.

I am pleased to say I have absolutely zero “meh” moments this episode – this was a really solid, exciting episode from beginning to action packed ending.

The ending then leaves us with this; all of our team aboard the bus have been captured by Hydra, taken in by Giyera. The only two outstanding members are Daisy and Lincoln – and Lincoln and Daisy agree it’s time to call in the people on the Secret Warrior’s Initiative. This episode also leaves us with a reveal from Daisy that the vision she had, of the SHIELD agent aboard the exploding space craft, is actually a member of their own team.

This episode was beyond solid, and with an episode focused entirely on Daisy’s recruited Secret Warrior’s only a moment around the bend, I am so excited for this action and fantastic story-telling to keep building on this show.

 

‘Marvel’ Reveals New Movie Title ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

Spider-Man: Homecoming see’s Marvel’s first son return to the fold – of course not before his well publicised cameo in this months Captain America: Civil War – and to celebrate, the big wigs put on a big soiree which saw Spidey actor Tom Holland release tidbits of information about web-heads newest reboot.

In press released at CinemaCon, Holland joined Sony Pictures Head Tom Rothman on stage to unveil the studios first joint film with Marvel Studios and that nifty new logo (above). “I’m Tom Holland and I’m your new Spider-Man,” quipped Holland before revealing that his first solo Spider-Man movie will see the titular hero search for his identity. While “saving the world and getting your algebra homework done at the same time,” added Rothman.

Acknowledging the woes that Sony have had with the arachnid-hero in recent years, Rothman commented that their lucrative deal with Marvel will hopefully see Spider-Man’s story go past “about three movies.”

Besides Holland’s cameo in Civil War, the actor is also signed to star in future Avengers movies but fans will have to wait until Infinity War Part 1 on May 4, 2018 before they can see that.

But if you really can’t wait to see your favourite Web-Slinger, don’t forget to catch Captain America: Civil War in theatres April 29, 2016.

For all your Web-Headed-Solo-Movie-News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. SN3 EP14 – ‘ Watchdogs ‘

This review contains spoilers. 

Last episode saw the team say a tearful goodbye to two of their most loyal and longstanding friends, and the precarious position S.H.I.E.L.D. is in politically.

This episode featured the Watchdogs, the online hate group Daisy mentions, that want to take out Inhumans – and now they’re finally on their way to making that happen. This episode also included a look into Mack’s background – at long last! He’s an incredibly mysterious character and I’m glad we get to know more about him.

The kickass stuff;

Once again, fight scenes. I can’t fault them at all. Not only was the choreography great, but there was this really amazing action scene that took place in the Mack household that I just loved. It mostly involved them walking around a dark house, being stealthy and kick-ass, but it was a great scene.

The Agent Carter reference – hell yes! The Nitramene weapon used by the Watchdogs is very much the same weapon Howard Stark designed, and the weapon that appeared in season one of Agent Carter.  I’m so glad to see more references to Peggy and the good ol’ days of SHIELD – I hope they do that more, with more nods to the things we’ve learned from Agent Carter.

Also, Fitz and Daisy team up! Their friendship was so special in Season 2, so I’m glad they’re still showing them as friends, even if Fitz nearly got imploded in the process. Though really, I knew this show probably wouldn’t let that bomb go off on Fitz neck – it isn’t his time. (I refuse to put a “yet” here because I swear to God, I’ll never forgive Marvel if they kill Fitz.)

I loved seeing the two sides of the Inhuman argument meet in the form of family – Mack’s little brother and Mack himself at odds with each other, Mack firmly (and obviously) on the side of “Do Not Murder Inhumans” and Ruben sharing the same fear-mongering view that the Inhumans will cause nothing but death.

Further to that, I loved the different way that people deal with that hatred – because Daisy is all for the SHIELD method of scaring someone into telling you what they need, whereas Mack points out that using fear for answers will only ignite further fires. I think they’re both right, in a way – of course Mack is right, that proving them right by going after them and spreading fear isn’t the way to go, but on the flipside, this group have gone from Trolls to Terrorists real quick, and there needs to be a way to stop them planting more imploding bombs.

Family moments;

Obviously, Mack and his brother were the outstanding Family Moment of the episode, what with them being brothers. It was really good to not only see a SHIELD agent with regular family (something we haven’t seen before) but also to see how Mack’s involvement with SHIELD touches his relationship with his brother. It’s good to see how he hides who he is, and how is brother is so un-trusting and angry towards him for that. I also just, in general, like knowing more about Mack, where he came from, and how it’s shaped him today.

I loved seeing May and Simmons together – it’s not a usual combo for this show, but after the events of Andrew/Lash, it’s not all that surprising they would come together to help each other. I’m hoping they build on this particular relationship, because it’s mad adorable.

I also really liked Lincoln this episode – his whole life’s been changed so it’s about time he reacted with some anger and got treated like a part of his team, even if Phil’s introduction was…unorthodox. I also appreciated that he’s still furious, still so full of anger – but when push came to shove, he wasn’t happy to outright kill someone.

And speaking of someone…Agent Blake is back! And he’s against SHIELD now? And unwittingly working with Hydra/Malick so that’s super awkward. And also really stupid of him. But I hope they explore his feelings on Inhuman’s a little more rather than just leaving it at “He is ANGRY” – of course he’s angry, for good reason, but his anger might not necessarily be directed entirely at Inhuman’s and I’d like a good arc for him.

Finally, I really loved how this episode ended with Ruben and Daisy coming to an understanding. It seemed corny, but I liked seeing them bond over how much they love Mack, and watching as Ruben started to shift his stand on Inhumans slightly from talking to her – and Daisy had this little look of realisation that maybe it isn’t about scaring people, but about trying to talk and show them what the good Inhumans are really about.

The meh;

I’m not so sure how I felt about this episode in terms of plot development. Or much of a development really. It shuffled some pieces along, but it didn’t feel like we made any significant jumps at all. We made little improvements, and it was nice to see certain interactions I mention about, but overall, I just want something to happen. Top it off with the fact there was hardly any actual progress in the realm of HiveWard, and Malick’s plan (other than one moment at the end which felt so out of place after this episode, involving Blake and Mr. Giyera chit-chatting over a missile). I just want to see this show kick it up like a thousand notches, and I really hope episode 15 blows my freakin’ mind.

Overall, I didn’t hate the episode – it had enjoyable moments, and a nice look at our own Mack’s (Alfie’s) background! However, I feel like I’m just waiting and waiting for something bigger to happen, and the two-hour season finale is ever approaching.

Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. SN3E15 – ‘Spacetime’

This post contains spoilers.

This weeks episode leads off from “Watchdogs”, where we got an inside look on how Maleck is turning Trolls to Terrorists and investing in weapons on a mass scale, while simultaneously we get introduced to Mack’s Inhuman fearing brother, Ruben.

“Spacetime” begins with a homeless man carving a small bird outside the back of a restaurant, and he’s then asked to please leave by the owner because him sleeping out there has put off customers coming in. The owner, realising what’s asking is harsh and unfair, reaches out to give the man some money for a hot meal. The homeless man freaks out and tries to move away – understandably, because when he touches the own, he writhes in pain, staring at the sky and choking, seeming to have some kind of seizure.

After the title card, we are then led to a 911 call recording, in which the attacked owner asks for Daisy Johnson. Understandly, the team are more than confused, especially as this person has zero involvement with SHIELD or any other government body. They get to the scene, to find this owner narrating a sequence of events; then, we watch as the next five minutes play out a horrific massacre – a massacre the owner saw coming. And as Daisy races to catch the homeless man they’ve established as an Inhuman, her fingers brush his – and a horrifying series of events that SHIELD must prevent are shown to her.

This episode was off the chain amazing. For the past few episodes, the audience has been waiting for something to happen – and episode fifteen took us there.

The kickass stuff;

Man, where to begin.

I’ll kick off with this weeks Inhuman – I really enjoyed it. I know the “tortured powered person who can’t touch others” thing has been done a lot, but this was portrayed really well. His power wasn’t just hurting people – it was revealing terrible futures to them. Not only that, but the whole process was excruciatingly painful.

Then, as his past comes out, we find out he was a happy man named Charles, with a wife and a little daughter. After he went through the transition, he left, because not only could he never touch his child again, but if he did ever touch her it gave her nothing but absolute pain, and visions of death. The writing of this episode, combined with the acting of both Bjorn Johnson and Lola Glaudini (Charles’s wife) really portrayed this as absolutely agonising and a heart-wrenching decision he had to make.

Once again, fight scene choreography. I mention this every single review, but hey, when this show stops giving good fight scene, I’ll stop mentioning them. But, seeing as the fight scenes were all wonderfully executed, with gorgeous cinematography and fluid, violent motions, I’m going to keep mentioning that they were great.

Speaking of awesome scenes, I really loved the whole, rushing to change the future stuff – I know, again, it’s done a lot in sci-fi TV shows, where somehow the future is shown to them and the future is awful, so they rush to change it – and they either change it, or the exact same outcome comes about but just in a different way they expect. Watching them rush to change fate, and then how everything falls into place and comes around exactly as Daisy saw, is absolutely amazing. I love putting the pieces together, such as when Daisy thinks Phil is shooting at her and it turns out she’s looking at him in a one-way mirror. This show executed this racing against the future plotline really well, and I thoroughly enjoyed watching it all unfold.

HiveWard is back and goddamn, Brett Dalton, can I get a round of applause for you? His acting this episode (as it has been the entire time he’s been in this show) was out of this world. No pun intended, I guess. Seriously, though, he’s kicked it up into damn good villain notch – again. He looks fearsome, he’s quiet and incredibly formidable. He’s so calm and absolute, and is so all knowing whilst being so new to the Earth. His intelligence and calmness is so measured and easy, that it’s terrifying to watch him, never knowing what he’s going to do next.

What makes HiveWard so much worse is the calmness in which he executes everything. At least with Malick, you can read his emotions – he’s happy, or lying, or angered. For a villain, he was fairly easy to read for an audience; he was generic bad guy 101, here to take over the world.

Hive is an entirely different ball park because he gives away absolutely nothing. He tells people what to do, with no rhyme or reason, he just asks that they do it. He’s calculated and completely devoid of emotion; that is a million times worse than any crazed man looking to take over the world, because this is someone who can, and will, calmly strip human beings down to bits of flesh on a skeleton, and then carry on a conversation as if all he did was bump their arm a bit. That is the sign of something ultimately horrifying.

Finally, I just want to throw out here how goddamn violent this episode was. Like, there was a moment in this episode that made me scream “HE MOUNTAINED HIM!” – Game of Thrones fans, you know what I mean.

Yeah. I’ve mentioned before that Agents of SHIELD, whilst having some gross moments, was never overly violent. It rarely crosses particular lines, especially not the lines its more violent friend Daredevil tends to take – so when it does cross over into violent, bloody territory, it’s always all the more shocking and engaging. The whole episode was full of a lot of blood, death and really graphic imagery that most Agents of SHIELD fans won’t be used to. I mean, not only did that poor schmuck have his entire head crushed, there were other moments, including the pure beating Daisy took. It was so drawn out and aggressive, and it genuinely made you feel like there was a rock in your stomach, watching her suffer that way.

The “Family SHIELD Team Moments;

This episode was not only ripe with kickass stuff – this was such a great episode for character bonding time.

Phil Coulson, back with the quips as always;
“I haven’t seen the original Terminator.”

“…You are off the team.”

And also – “Yeah. Day got weirder.”

I am also completely and utterly here for the “Papa Phil” thing – I don’t care, Phil looking out for Daisy, struggling to cope with her name change and slipping up, and oh the look on his face as he tells her to, “Just come back safe” – it melted me. It’s been a while since we saw Phil care for Daisy the way he seemed to fret about her 24/7, and I’ve missed that dynamic. Now, if we can bring back “A.C.”, please.

I really loved the scenes where they try and re-create the vision Daisy had so they can stop it happening – by sending May instead, and walking her through every single moment. Obviously, this was an important sequence, but it was really good to see them all working so hard together, to watch them try so hard to pull this all together. They looked adorably goofy doing it too.

Final family moment, and this one really broke me, starting with a line from Phil Coulson – “If you don’t go and be with him right now, you’re gonna regret that for the rest of your life.” Andrew, seconds before they get May ready to leave to face Malick and HYDRA, is brought into their base after surrendering himself. He’s about to change for the last time, and he wants to say goodbye.

This whole sequence was pretty awful – May was throwing her all into finding Lash so she could put him down, and then Andrew came to her, calm and knowing, and needing to say goodbye to her. It was a really awful scene, after everything they’d been through and their incredibly rocky relationship, to watch as May witnessed the destruction of the man she loved. It was brutal.

The “meh” stuff;

Honestly, I loved this entire episode. I had but one fault – why did Charles die? Like, I mean, I know he got grabbed by the throat and all by RoboMalick but…nothing, seemed to happen except he got gripped a bit hard? And given the tonne of bloodshed and the crushing of a mans skull that took place not even fifteen minutes prior, you’d think they wouldn’t have an issue being a bit more graphic and clear on why Charles just decided to die then and there. But as I said, this is my one gripe.

Overall, this was such a solid episode. Finally, it’s moved things forward, and not only has it moved them forward, it’s moved in significant and engaging steps. This episode was action-packed, with emotional moments, wonderful characters and fantastic writing. Top it off with the fact Hive has very clearly become the head villain to deal with as the season finale creeps upon us, I’m really excited to see what this show is going to throw at us next. I’m also very interested to see what Malick’s death vision was, and what it is that’s got him so shaken up.

My prediction so far, is that Malick has waded into something way bigger than himself that he cannot hope to control – but I think we all saw that coming after two seconds of HiveWard. I also have a very big feeling that Lash is going to become part of the plan of dealing with Hive – he’s an Inhuman who has a primal urge to murder other Inhumans. And Andrew did say he felt like he had a purpose – so I think this will be it.

I’m also really interested to see what this recurring vision of the view from space, with the cross necklace and the SHIELD logo burning up horrendously – because this isn’t the first we’ve seen of that, and I doubt it will be the last. I’m hoping it’s not a horrific sad sacrifice but when has this show ever been afraid of killing someone?

Also, I’m anticipating perhaps Hive gathering them all in one room under Guest Right then stabbing them in front of their parents. No, just me?

Next episode will be Paradise Lost, airing on Tuesday 12th April.

Casting News & Director For ‘ Captain Marvel ‘ To Be Announced This Summer

Move Over Guardians of the Galaxy, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is about to get that much more busier when Captain Marvel arrives on the scene.

News of a Captain Marvel film has been public knowledge since Marvel’s press-event in October 2014, showcasing their upcoming Cinematic slate . What has remained tight-lipped however has been exactly who will portray the popular heroine and the Director that will helm the ambitious project.

In an interview with Fandango, Marvel Studio’s President Kevin Feige revealed that fans guessing game as to the identity of the lucky actress that will embodied Captain Marvel’s alter ego Carol Danvers will soon be over. “I think we’ll be announcing a filmmaker in the next month or two, and probably some cast members later in the summer, at the end of the summer.“

From Sci-Fi icons such as BattleStar Galactica’s Katee Sackhoff to Buffy The Vampire Slayer’s own Eliza Dusku – and even UFC Megastar Rhonda Rousey – fan speculation has been rife as to who should be awarded the role.

Feige also hinted as the nature of the standalone Captain Marvel film, revealing that it will serve as an origin story “about Carol Danvers and that journey to being Captain Marvel.“

Captain Marvel is currently slated to hit theaters on March 8, 2019.

For all your Marvel-Cinematic-Guessing-Game-News, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx