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Joe Goodhart (27 KP) rated X-23 (2018-) #1 in Books
Nov 30, 2020
As mentioned in my reviews Kyle & Yost's X-FORCE TPBs, I am quite a fan of the character of Laura Kinney. There is nothing of 'shipping or anything of the sort. To me, she is a character with a scarred background, one in which she struggles to move forward from it, leaving her past as a trained killer behind her. I find her to be multi-layered, with a lot of potential for future character development.
When it was announced several months ago that Tom Taylor's ALL-NEW WOLVERINE would be coming to a close, I was saddened. While I didn't always like the light-hearted approach, esp. when it involved Laura's clone "sister" Gabby, I felt that he had done so much to move Laura forward, allowing to become so much more than a) a female version of Wolverine and b) another cold-hearted mutant killer.
Laura's book would be relaunched as 'X-23', with her Wolverine title being traded in for her old Weapon X classification. Canada's Mariko Tamaki (SUPERGIRL: BEING SUPER mini for DC as well as non-superhero prose novels) would be helming it, with ANW's Juann Cabal would be joining her on the art end. I felt good about the art side of it, but I was not all that familiar with Tamaki, as I had never read anything she written previously.
My biggest fear in regard to the new series? How was Laura going to go back to her former title/classification? It made no sense, and considering how they handled her transition into Wolverine (um, yeah, nope. Marvel dropped the editorial ball when ANW was launched!), my worries did not seem entirely unfounded.
Last night, I had those fears shushed away, as I dove into reading the digital version of Tamiki's X-23 (thank you, Comixology, for allowing the first three issues to be included as part of this weekend's BOGO sale). From Cabal's A-MAZ-ING art, to Tamiki's superb handling of Laura (both her inner thoughts and dialogue, as well as her interactions with Gabby), this was such an UNEXPECTED WiN
And a minor spoiler-of-sorts, Issue 3 has Laura saying why she has chosen to go back to being X-23. Not going to say anything more, other than it makes sense. Oh, and that it was this reveal that made me decide to start reading the new series.
As I said, I was not sure about the new series, but after devouring the first issue, i feel safe now having withnessed Tamaki's approach to Laura. There is no scale in mind that can showr Ms. Tamaki with the amount of praise she has earned for this brilliant undertaking! Color me impressed!
RECOMMENDED!!
When it was announced several months ago that Tom Taylor's ALL-NEW WOLVERINE would be coming to a close, I was saddened. While I didn't always like the light-hearted approach, esp. when it involved Laura's clone "sister" Gabby, I felt that he had done so much to move Laura forward, allowing to become so much more than a) a female version of Wolverine and b) another cold-hearted mutant killer.
Laura's book would be relaunched as 'X-23', with her Wolverine title being traded in for her old Weapon X classification. Canada's Mariko Tamaki (SUPERGIRL: BEING SUPER mini for DC as well as non-superhero prose novels) would be helming it, with ANW's Juann Cabal would be joining her on the art end. I felt good about the art side of it, but I was not all that familiar with Tamaki, as I had never read anything she written previously.
My biggest fear in regard to the new series? How was Laura going to go back to her former title/classification? It made no sense, and considering how they handled her transition into Wolverine (um, yeah, nope. Marvel dropped the editorial ball when ANW was launched!), my worries did not seem entirely unfounded.
Last night, I had those fears shushed away, as I dove into reading the digital version of Tamiki's X-23 (thank you, Comixology, for allowing the first three issues to be included as part of this weekend's BOGO sale). From Cabal's A-MAZ-ING art, to Tamiki's superb handling of Laura (both her inner thoughts and dialogue, as well as her interactions with Gabby), this was such an UNEXPECTED WiN
And a minor spoiler-of-sorts, Issue 3 has Laura saying why she has chosen to go back to being X-23. Not going to say anything more, other than it makes sense. Oh, and that it was this reveal that made me decide to start reading the new series.
As I said, I was not sure about the new series, but after devouring the first issue, i feel safe now having withnessed Tamaki's approach to Laura. There is no scale in mind that can showr Ms. Tamaki with the amount of praise she has earned for this brilliant undertaking! Color me impressed!
RECOMMENDED!!
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Kitchen (2019) in Movies
Sep 24, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
When their mobster husbands are all sent to prison, three women decide that the only way they can survive is to take over their criminal enterprise’s, the quest is can their friendship last.
The Kitchen is based on comics released by DC Vertigo and is set in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, New York during the 1970’s and focus’ on the lives of the wives of an Irish/American mob and their struggle to maintain a basic life style once their husbands have been arrested. Each of the women have a different type of relationship with their husbands; Kathy is in a seemingly normal, loving relationship, Claire is in an abusive relationship and Ruby is in a mixed marriage which is looked down on by alto for the other characters. One of the threads of the film is how each woman reacts to their husbands being away and what will happen when they return.
First off, this is not a comedy, I have seen some reviews where people seem to have been expecting a few laughs, mainly because of the casting of Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish. The Kitchen has violence, abuse, attempted rape, bad language, lots of guns, prostitutes and shootings but no humour. I think there was only one time anyone laughed (in the cinema audience) and that was when the characters were being shown how to dispose of a dead body.
I have to say that this is a good, well written female lead film, the premise is not forced and there is a reason the characters are female and in a situation that women would not normally be in, especially for the time it is set. Even though the characters are slightly stereotyped (The beaten woman trying to get stronger, the loving wife trying to keep things together) they are not turned into a joke or overly exaggerated and is a big step up from the Ghostbuster’s remake which also had McCarthy as part of an all-female team. Like Ghostbusters there is also a male character who helps the team, Gabriel, but the Kitchen avoids turning him into a joke unlike Chris Hemsworth in ghostbusters.
It could be said that the way the male characters are portrayed is bad, most of them are either thugs, stupid or crazy but this not due to any kind of feminism agenda but is a slightly stereotyped view of how a segment of people were seen, most of the people they deal with are the Irish/American mobsters. This is also shown by the Italians; they are not portrayed in the same way.
I do get the feeling that The Kitchen will be remembered more for scenes and its characters than for the overall movie as there are some bits that seem to drag but, overall it is a film worth watching.
The Kitchen is based on comics released by DC Vertigo and is set in ‘Hell’s Kitchen’, New York during the 1970’s and focus’ on the lives of the wives of an Irish/American mob and their struggle to maintain a basic life style once their husbands have been arrested. Each of the women have a different type of relationship with their husbands; Kathy is in a seemingly normal, loving relationship, Claire is in an abusive relationship and Ruby is in a mixed marriage which is looked down on by alto for the other characters. One of the threads of the film is how each woman reacts to their husbands being away and what will happen when they return.
First off, this is not a comedy, I have seen some reviews where people seem to have been expecting a few laughs, mainly because of the casting of Melissa McCarthy and Tiffany Haddish. The Kitchen has violence, abuse, attempted rape, bad language, lots of guns, prostitutes and shootings but no humour. I think there was only one time anyone laughed (in the cinema audience) and that was when the characters were being shown how to dispose of a dead body.
I have to say that this is a good, well written female lead film, the premise is not forced and there is a reason the characters are female and in a situation that women would not normally be in, especially for the time it is set. Even though the characters are slightly stereotyped (The beaten woman trying to get stronger, the loving wife trying to keep things together) they are not turned into a joke or overly exaggerated and is a big step up from the Ghostbuster’s remake which also had McCarthy as part of an all-female team. Like Ghostbusters there is also a male character who helps the team, Gabriel, but the Kitchen avoids turning him into a joke unlike Chris Hemsworth in ghostbusters.
It could be said that the way the male characters are portrayed is bad, most of them are either thugs, stupid or crazy but this not due to any kind of feminism agenda but is a slightly stereotyped view of how a segment of people were seen, most of the people they deal with are the Irish/American mobsters. This is also shown by the Italians; they are not portrayed in the same way.
I do get the feeling that The Kitchen will be remembered more for scenes and its characters than for the overall movie as there are some bits that seem to drag but, overall it is a film worth watching.
Lee (2222 KP) rated Joker (2019) in Movies
Oct 6, 2019 (Updated Oct 6, 2019)
Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) is a down on his luck loner, currently taking seven different kinds of medication and living with his frail old mother (Frances Conroe). Arthur fantasises about living a ‘normal’ life, with hopes of becoming a stand up comedian and dating his next door neighbour, and the lines between reality and fantasy begin to become just as blurred for us during the movie as they do within Arthur’s mind.
We’re in Gotham City during the early eighties. A garbage strike means that the city is currently suffering from a build up of garbage on the streets and the subsequent arrival of ‘super rats’. The rich are getting richer, the poor and the underprivileged even more so. And, at the forefront of all the wealth and power in the city is Thomas Wayne, who is currently looking to run for mayor. There is growing divide and unrest throughout Gotham, all of which serves to add fuel to the increasingly unstable mind of Arthur Fleck.
We’ve had our fair share of Joker portrayals over the decades, the most memorable of which being in 2008, and Heath Ledger’s brilliant take on the character in The Dark Knight. But Joaquin Phoenix brings a side to the Joker we’ve not experienced before - all skin and bone, abused, downtrodden, ridiculed and with a neurological condition that sees him suddenly laughing maniacally and uncontrollably, even during times of stress or sadness. Throughout the movie, we learn that Arthur also had a pretty unpleasant childhood and, for a while, you really can sympathise with him and the suffering he experiences. “I just don’t want to feel so bad any more” he says at one point.
Joker features no CGI, no costumed antics (other than the clowned kind), or any of the traditional comic book movie themes that we’re now so used to seeing. Instead, Joker treats us to something of a slow-burn character study, one mans slow descent into madness, and the birth of one of the most iconic villains of all time. Joaquin Phoenix is incredible in the role, supported by an outstanding cast, including Robert De Niro as a late night talk show host idolised by Arthur and Zazie Beets as the neighbour Arthur becomes obsessed with.
Joker isn’t exactly enjoyable in the traditional sense, uncomfortable at times and a brutally honest depiction of extreme mental health issues. But it’s beautifully shot, subtly weaving itself into the familiar DC universe while remaining unique and original. I was gripped from start to finish and I just hope that the upcoming Robert Pattison incarnation of The Batman fits into the universe and style that has been introduced here within Joker.
We’re in Gotham City during the early eighties. A garbage strike means that the city is currently suffering from a build up of garbage on the streets and the subsequent arrival of ‘super rats’. The rich are getting richer, the poor and the underprivileged even more so. And, at the forefront of all the wealth and power in the city is Thomas Wayne, who is currently looking to run for mayor. There is growing divide and unrest throughout Gotham, all of which serves to add fuel to the increasingly unstable mind of Arthur Fleck.
We’ve had our fair share of Joker portrayals over the decades, the most memorable of which being in 2008, and Heath Ledger’s brilliant take on the character in The Dark Knight. But Joaquin Phoenix brings a side to the Joker we’ve not experienced before - all skin and bone, abused, downtrodden, ridiculed and with a neurological condition that sees him suddenly laughing maniacally and uncontrollably, even during times of stress or sadness. Throughout the movie, we learn that Arthur also had a pretty unpleasant childhood and, for a while, you really can sympathise with him and the suffering he experiences. “I just don’t want to feel so bad any more” he says at one point.
Joker features no CGI, no costumed antics (other than the clowned kind), or any of the traditional comic book movie themes that we’re now so used to seeing. Instead, Joker treats us to something of a slow-burn character study, one mans slow descent into madness, and the birth of one of the most iconic villains of all time. Joaquin Phoenix is incredible in the role, supported by an outstanding cast, including Robert De Niro as a late night talk show host idolised by Arthur and Zazie Beets as the neighbour Arthur becomes obsessed with.
Joker isn’t exactly enjoyable in the traditional sense, uncomfortable at times and a brutally honest depiction of extreme mental health issues. But it’s beautifully shot, subtly weaving itself into the familiar DC universe while remaining unique and original. I was gripped from start to finish and I just hope that the upcoming Robert Pattison incarnation of The Batman fits into the universe and style that has been introduced here within Joker.
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