Welcome to the first edition of the new “Interview with a Viner” series in which I interview popular or influential users on the site on either a bi-weekly or monthly basis. My first guest is Waezi2 and I’d like to say thank you for taking the time to answer my barrage of questions.

Cloudguy: For those unfamiliar with you can you introduce yourself and what would you say you're most known for on the site?

Waezi2: I'm Waezi2, and I have been on this site for some years now. People knows me best for my parodies of comic books where I use five panels of said comic as well as the guy who makes a lot of popularity contests and lists about obscure nerd stuff.

Cloudguy: How did you discover Comicvine and what grabbed your attention?

Waezi2: I was looking up info on Avengers Academy comics and found Comicvine instead of Marvel Wiki. Wanted to talk comics with someone, I joined the site, eventually making my own blogs and stuff. Probably my first social media site besides Facebook.

Cloudguy: Your discovery of Comicvine is very similar to mine. What made you stay after your first few visits as you've been here since 2012. Quite some time, longer than some of our mods have even been users.

Waezi2: My 5-panels. I make them and post them on Tumblr as well, but it was here it started. And I like the kind of chats I have with the other users on this specific site.

Cloudguy: What gave you the idea to start your blog series "Comics in 5 panels"? It's a fascinating concept.

Waezi2: I must admit, I did not invent "Comics in 5 panels", that was Lewis Lovhaug. But I like to think I did more with the concept than he ever did. I feel like a guy who invented a new sandwich: I did not invent meat or bread, but I made something new with them. Besides, Linkara got the idea from "Movies in 5 seconds."

Waezi2: I wanted for years to be an internet critic of some sort, but I did not have a film camera, meaning I had to figure out something else. And since I wasn't the best writer back then, I liked the idea of panels with text. As the years went by, I did my best trying to improve the idea, even involving subjects not directly related to the comic I make a parody of, themes like politics. I'm especially proud of my "Civil War In 5 Panels" where I talk gun control.

Cloudguy: You must have quite the confidence to say that you're better at making Comics in 5 Panels than Linkara. But I like your explanation of it. What made you include yourself in your versions of Ci5P?

Waezi2: Not sure, really. I did it in my second 5-panel about the comic "Wanted" to show my reaction. I add the self-photos for reactions to the comics as well as adding some fourth-wall breaking so I can add a personal comment to the comic the 5-panel is about. And it makes my parodies feel more personal. Like I did in my 5-panel of Alias.

Cloudguy: Will the Comics in 5 Panels see a return after Manga-Mania May?

Waezi2: Possibly. Though it IS getting harder and harder to make new jokes and there are not many comics left I want to make parodies of. Some think I do 5-panels of some comics because I think they are dumb or suck. That is usually not the case. My very first 5-panel is about Kingdom Come, my favorite comic of all time. I just love humor AND comics, and I think making fun of stuff I like shows that I can laugh at myself, something we should all do now and then.

Anyways... Will I make more 5-panels? Probably. But I would like to do something new in the near future. Just not sure what.

Cloudguy: I'm hoping this isn't the end of Ci5P as I've enjoyed reading them when they release. I might not comment, but I do read 'em. If you did decide to end it, what would you make to replace it?

Waezi2: Again, not sure. But I wanted to do stand-up comedy for some years now. Just haven't had the time or written a long enough script. But I will keep life in 5-panels as long as possible. If I one day get the right equipment, then I will make YouTube video with the 5-panels and other sketches.

Cloudguy: What do you prefer more, Comics or Manga? And why would you do you prefer them?

Waezi2: Difficult question...

I think I would say manga, but for practical reasons.

Manga comics are WAY cheaper than comic books AND they have a size and shape that makes it easier to bring it with you on the train/bus. Also, I have always been a fan of the weird (my favorite movie is Corpse Bride) and manga’s can do that in a way that comics can't (not to say that there aren't comics AS weird as some manga’s, like the "Umbrella Academy" series).

I honestly think that DC and Marvel should do black-and-white comics, making their comics less pricey. I can only read one or two mainstream comic series due to economy. Most of my comic collection are used comic books.

Cloudguy: I agree with you there on manga's being cheaper in the long run for what they are. With them being much larger and can be about the price of 2-3 comics, it's understandable that you'd want more for your money. Do you find the pricing mainly down to availability where you are or something else?

Waezi2: I buy most of my comics used except for mangas with a few exceptions. I used to buy a Simpsons comic series called "Super Spectacular" whenever a new issue was ready, but it was sadly cancelled a while back. I find it difficult to buy new comics since single issues are really expensive now and they cost a bit more since I live in Denmark.

Cloudguy: What do you think of the current state of Comicvine?

Waezi2: The main problem with CV is that most stuff has to be posted in Gen or Off-Topic if you want others to see it. Don't get me wrong, I do that as well, but that is because fewer people use specific forums like Hulk, Adventure Time and such. We have mods who locks threads, I think we should have someone who made people change Gen posts and blogs to something more specific.

Also, we should have an appeal system since I do not agree with what all mods do, and it seems like there is a (with lack of better words) mob mentality among the mods. When I disagree with a mod, the mod tells me sometimes to go talk with another mod. If I do that, the next mod tells me that I went behind the first mod's back or something like that. I sometimes actually get ignored and I give up despite feeling treated unfairly.

Cloudguy: Definitely agree with you on the topic of the forums, I think the problem also stems in the fact that most of general disscussion ends up mainly discussing the movies (nothing wrong with that) and anything related to comics ends up being ignored unless you have people who read your content.

Cloudguy: While I've never had an issue with any of the mods, do you think that since we no longer have a staff presence, it's become a "Who will watch the Watchmen?" scenario? With the mods trying to handle everything without any guidance or anyone to tell them when to slow down?

Waezi2: More or less, yeah. I get that the mods are just doing their job, but some of the mods come off as a bit rude. Then again, I might be a bit pissed if I were in their shoes. But some of the reasons to why some of my stuff has been locked seemed like it was because of the mods' loose interpretation of what "spam" is. I do my best to follow the site's rules to the letter, so an appeal-system would be very appreciated.

Cloudguy: Who's your favourite Manga and Comic character and why do they appeal to you?

Waezi2: Has to be Taiga Kuzumi from the manga Mx0. He is a normal guy who accidentally becomes a student in what is basically Japanese Hogwarts despite being about as magical as a pencil. But all the students believe he is a prodigy due to circumstances that makes it look like he is a master mage. I love the idea about a guy who becomes popular for something he can't do and must try to keep a low profile, which is impossible with his fame among his fellow students.

Favorite comic character is without a doubt Power Girl. She was the reason to why I became a DC fan again. Besides being a superhero, she runs a company that makes tech that helps the rest of the world. That makes her heroic 24/7 in my book. Also, she is just awesome in general (despite Geoff Johns treating her character very poorly).

Cloudguy: That sounds like a hilarious concept. Turn it become an underdog story where he does get powers or is the entire story about him trying to keep the lack of powers a secret? Will there be a Manga-Mania May edition of Mx0?

I reviewed that one already some years ago, so no. Manga-Mania May: MxO.

Cloudguy: I don't actually know that much about Power Girl myself, as I've only recently started to read more DC Comics. What would you recommend is a good starting point be for those who want to read about Power Girl? And what's your favourite thing about her?

Waezi2: You should try and get the TPB called "Power Girl: A New Beginning" written by Justin Gray that got me into the character. Or you could get "Power Girl: Power Trip" that has the whole Gray series collected in one big book. As to why I like her... well, she is smart, strong and doesn't take crap from anyone. And she is a career woman who devotes her not-hero time to her company that makes technology that benefits the world (like tine cellphones that can last a decade, making less thrash). And she isn't a stereotype spinster who lost control over her life, she just prefers being a badass single. And she HAS a life outside saving the world-saving and company-running, she just prefers to save the world. That is badass in my book. AND she wasn't sexually mishandled like so many female superheroes, an AWFUL stereotype in the comic media.

Cloudguy: If you became a staff member, even for a day; what would you post about?

Waezi2: I think I would try and make more people post stuff in specific forums. That and try and establish an appeal-system. It would make the mod's life easier since if someone complain, they can tell people to use said appeal system. And I would keep posting blogs like I do now.

Cloudguy: I just want to say thank you so much for taking the time to repsond to my questions.

With Detective Pikachu finally released worldwide, fans have been flocking to see the first official live action Pokémon film. But the question is, how good is it?

Detective Pikachu follows the journey of Tim (Justice Smith), a Pokémonless human who travels to Ryme city after his father passes away. After stumbling upon a conspiracy, he reluctantly teams up with Detective Pikachu (Ryan Reynolds) to uncover the mystery.

The Good

Visuals

With cinematography from John Mathieson (Logan & X-Men: First Class) and Pokémon designs by RJ Palmer (Ubisoft), Detective Pikachu went all out on its visuals. Together, they somehow managed to bring the wackiness of the Pokémon world and reality together successfully. With nothing standing out drastically and everything fitting in almost perfectly in its world, it just all came together naturally. Not only that, they managed to make the bustling Ryme City feel designed for Pokémon in mind without it feeling out of place, Jigglypuff’s work as singers, Growlithe’s work alongside the police. They even manage to give Pokémon like Machamp roles that make sense.

Now, the question is; how good do the Pokémon themselves look? If you’ve seen the trailer, you can tell they look amazing. While there are some moments where the Pokémon CGI does look out of place in scenes that take place outside, 9 times out of 10 they look fine. I believe that it’s mainly down to the over the top colour choices for the indoor scenes that suit each location almost perfectly.

Acting

Ryan Reynolds brings his A-game with his voice acting work, although, while we may see Detective Pikachu; we can feel that Reynolds is truly enjoying his voice acting work. Primarily working alongside Justice Smith, they are a stellar comedic duo that manage to get quite a few laughs out from me and several other cinema goers during my watch on release day.

Kathryn Newton’s (Lucy Stevens) acting seemed off throughout the film as she was mainly relegated to exposition dumps and had very few character moments that just seemed overly forced. While that was mainly down to directing, Kathryn managed to pull through and make an engaging character that worked well alongside Justice Smith.

The Okay

Plot

Don’t go into Detective Pikachu with expectations of a mature and adult story as its primarily aimed at children and teenagers. Although it is an enjoyable film, regardless as it constantly fills you with childhood nostalgia. The only downside of the story is that it’s predictable. The story flows naturally, and the pacing is good, while there are moments that seem to happen a little too quickly it doesn’t throw things off balance.

The Bad

Villain

The strange thing about Detective Pikachu is that it does have a main villain, they just don’t become apparent until the final act. While better films would have subtly hinted as to who the villain is throughout the film, Detective Pikachu drops the villain straight into the mix during the latter half of act two. Sadly, the villain is also one of the most forgettable you can get, not only do they pull a confusing plot twist, the villain isn’t even threatening outside of the final act’s circumstances.

Conclusion

Overall this is an enjoyable video-game movie, while not perfect, the fact that it’s aimed at a younger audience should be taken into consideration. If you’re a fan of Pokémon I’d give it your time and if you have kids, take them to see it as they’ll enjoy it.

8/10

With Detective Pikachu breaking the trend of live-action video-game movie flops, I'm hoping this is the start of a new era of video game movies that are enjoyable. I know that I thoroughly enjoyed it and was nice to hear that younger fans recognised some of the older Pokémon as I know some people who grew up playing the games and didn't recognise some of them (shame on them).

I know, I know – this isn’t exactly the article that I said was next, but I figured that since I’m watching this film I may as well review it.

I remember seeing this in the cinema back when it came out and honestly, I couldn’t remember much of it until I re-watched it. That’s not a bad thing, right?

Right?

It only came out in 2017 (honestly thought it was 2014) so it wasn’t that long ago.

Sarcastic Plot Summary:

An ancient evil re-awakens to seek out the magical crystal that she originally sought out before her deep-sea diving competition defeat. Now, a group of moderately forgettable teenagers must band together to stop her from becoming a gold merchant and taking over Earth.

End of Sarcastic Plot Summary.

In all seriousness, this is a Power Rangers film so I wasn’t expecting the next Dark Knight or anything special. But what it did bring wasn’t what I necessarily expected - character focus, rather than monster bashing.

The Good

Acting (well, most of it)

Some of the best acting comes from Rita Repulsa (Elizabeth Banks), Kimberly Hart (Naomi Scott) and Billy Cranston (RJ Cyler). Most notably Banks, who overshadows the rest of the main cast tenfold and portrays a very different version of Rita Repulsa compared to the original 1993 show.

Personally, the casting for Trini (Becky G) was odd. Other than this film, I haven’t seen her act in anything else so it’s hard to judge how good an actress she is overall. But based on this film alone? She’s mediocre at best, I think… The only reason I question it is due to the different portrayal of Trini - an outsider that rarely talks and keeps her emotions to herself.

I don't really know how to describe Zack's (Ludi Lin) character in this. He describes himself as crazy, but instead of coming across as "crazy" he's seems more of an immature douche taking every chance he can to be as unlikable as possible to the point that I just kind of zoned him out whenever he was on screen.

Jason Scott (Dacre Montgomery) was probably the most boring Red Ranger I've seen. He just comes across as devoid of personality and a blank slate.

Character Development

The character development genuinely surprised me as I always considered it to be one of those corny but decent films when it comes to characters. I may be remembering the other films, but it surprised me just how much we get.

One of the best things about Power Rangers is how much time we get to spend with the Rangers before they suit up - we get to know their quirks, fears, what makes them strong; the kind of thing that you would hope from a teen-drama thing. Yet, it’s dealt with in a mature way that doesn’t seem far-fetched from reality. The teenagers with attitude bit, not the whole evil alien part. (there’s a point I want to make later about maturity and real problems)

As the viewer, we watch them quickly grow from barely talking to one another to becoming great friends and teammates that can rely on each other. Although this does happen a little quickly, I have to admit that it doesn’t have the run time compared to the TV show.

Rita Repulsa

Elizabeth Banks was probably the strangest casting choice for Rita Repulsa, but it kind of works? Obviously, this isn’t the version that many grew up with. The 2017 version is much darker- for the most part, anyway. Banks’ portrayal disturbed me because I expected a campy, over the top, cackling witch. Instead we got an ex-ranger that’s become obsessed with power and became a gold-witch?

As a villain she came across as threatening and creepy, showing how powerful she can be and how far she’s willing to go by killing Billy at the end of Act 2. Although one of the more light-hearted moments that made me laugh was when Rita was inside of a Krispy Kreme eating a donut. It was unexpected and so bizarre that I couldn’t help but laugh.

The Okay

CGI

CGI was overused in every scenario where the suits were used. For the about ten minutes we see them anyway. It wasn’t done badly, not at all. It was just obvious when it was being used. The monster designs are some of the least inspired I’ve seen come out of the Power Rangers franchise. The putties? Just big rock monsters. Goldar? A manticore looking monster with golden wings and one hell of an angry personality to suit? Nope, just a mute giant made from gold that lasts 5 minutes before being defeated.

The suits could have been a whole lot better - they’re the main selling point of Power Rangers! C’mon… all you had to do was make interesting suits with five different colours. Now we just have these bland looking costumes that have CGI plastered all over them. Why they went overboard on the CGI for the suits is beyond me. The one scene where they use a physical suit looks good. Why they just didn’t stick with real suits is beyond me.

Zordon's design was actually really cool. Rather than a holographic floating head in a jar, he's a wall. Well, not just a wall. It shifts and changes so that we can see more fluid facial expressions and so that he can reposition himself in the command room. Why a giant head would need to do that, however, is questionable.

Zords

Nope. Not going there. Megazord was okay. The Mastodon Zord has 6 legs. Why? I thought the Megazord design changed from its original trailer, but it didn’t, so I’m confused as to why I thought that and the Megazord sucks. There, I said it.

Story

I wasn’t hoping for too much from this. Power Rangers isn’t exactly known for its good plot (other than maybe RPM, but that might be bias), so I was surprised with how well the story handled each character’s own sub-plots throughout the film. They weren’t too forced or unnatural - it fits just right for what the film was trying to be. Though the overall plot does needs some work, it's a generic "stop the villain and save the world plot" which becomes a slight chore to get through, especially the final act which just becomes one giant product placement spot for something other than Power Rangers.

The Bad

Zordon

Zordon (Bryan Cranston) couldn't be any worse of a mentor, could he? I feel that they tried to make some sort of redemption story for him after he failed to protect Earth the first time, but ending up bailing in the last second and they forgot to change the plot. Why did they think having him use his new team of Power Rangers to eventually morph, forcing them into a situation they had no part in and beating the life out of them constantly so he can bring himself back to life was a good idea?! I know that he changed his mind and brought Billy back to life instead, but it just felt that he wasn't really a mentor. He didn't teach them anything. Alpha-5 was more of a mentor than anything. Bryan Cranston was an okay casting choice for the role, but it’s a shame we barely get to see him.

Pacing

Everything just happens all too quickly, and you can blame the story for that. Once the Rangers find Zordon, he explains that they only have eleven days to prepare and stop Rita. Queue the training montage! Not much happens in the film if you really think about it: they find the morphing gems, train, fight Rita, become Power Rangers, and fight Rita again. I know we get a load of character development moments sprinkled throughout the film, but other than that nothing happens before the film is over. We don't get any quick monster fights against actual Putty monsters before the final fight, just brief moments while training.

Product Placement

You want a donut yet? Hungry for Krispy Kreme? The source for infinite power resides within Krispy Kreme! Get a Krispy Kreme before Goldar destroys it! Do it! Do it now!

Goldar

I don't know what to say other than it wasn't the version I grew up with and nothing this version does will ever come close to that, since we probably won't ever see it again. Goldar is a missed opportunity to have a great side villain, but he was shoved into the forgettable villains pile.

Morals

The morals are all over the place - most notably when Kimberly confesses what she did to Jason. While never explicitly stated what she did, it's quite obvious. She leaked nude photos of one of her friends to her entire school and then proceeds to blame others for it. What's worse is that while she apparently did an awful thing, it doesn't make her an "awful person". I'm pretty sure leaking nude photos is an awful thing to do, especially when you consider the fact they are supposed to be teenagers (although none of them look likes teens). She doesn't even own up to it by the end of the film.

It just becomes forgotten about, so she doesn't face any consequences at all. I know that these are meant to be "teenagers with attitude" but my god, let them face some sort of consequences for what they do in their civilian lives.

Action

Damn… The action is something that needs to be addressed. This is a Power Rangers movie! A superhero film! Where. Is. The. Action?? Before you assume that I always go into superhero films expecting action, I don’t. I just expect more action from a Power Ranger film.

Mini-rant aside, what little action we do get is easily forgettable – just CGI fests that are quickly cut and end way too quickly before it’s over. We get one, maybe two if you want to count a 10 second fight with Rita Repulsa in the second act, that led to one of the best scenes in the film.

Conclusion

This film isn’t terrible. It’s alright for what it’s trying to be, but it fails to pull it off in some areas. An enjoyable popcorn movie, but nothing to get excited about if a sequel does ever happen.

5/10.

Next Article: The Avengers (2012) Review.

As some of you may know, I wasn’t exactly the biggest fan of 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. In fact, I thought it was a pretty rough movie that could be improved on exponentially.

If you’d like to read my review of the film click here.

The biggest downfall of Endgame for me was the poorly paced and tonally awkward opening act, with jokes every other line and scenes dragging on longer than they should have. Things felt strange during the film’s first hour, slowly coming into focus halfway through act 2.

From this point onwards there will be spoilers, so read at your own risk. Or if you don’t care please do - I’m not your parent.

More Captain Marvel

I honestly thought the opening scene was fantastic, it showed why Hawkeye wasn’t in Avengers: Infinity War. Clint was under house arrest and spending time with his family, only to turn his back momentarily and have his family perish to The Snap.

What would have made it more interesting, rather than fading to black and cutting to Iron Man and Nebula, would be seeing The Snap from Captain Marvel’s perspective.

I wasn’t all that impressed with March’s Captain Marvel (2019), it was a good film, but wasn’t anything worth praising too heavily. For those who remember, the end credit scene was Captain Marvel arriving on Earth and meeting the Avengers for the first time. Next thing we know in Endgame, she’s bringing Tony and Nebula back to Earth.

The end credit scene should have stayed, but after Hawkeye’s opening scene it should cut to Marvel, flying through space on her way to Earth to respond to the pager. Jumping from planet to planet as the Snap is making its way through the universe, allowing the watcher to see how great a scale The Snap really was.

Empty alien cities, thousands of distress calls coming through all sorts of channels, and barren planets. It would help explain why it took so long for Marvel to return at the end of Endgame as we’d know she’s off helping others in need. Rather than her just explaining that she’s helping, the audience would understand without having to have it explained to them. Not only that, it would add to her urgency to stop Thanos and return things to normal as she just seems to not know who Thanos is or what he’s been trying to do up until now. She’s seen how bad things are throughout the universe - the loss on earth is nothing in the grand scheme of things to her.

Cut Back on the Comedy

What I think happened here was that the first act of the film was trying to make up for most of Infinity War’s dark and depressing tone. Honestly, Infinity War had the perfect combination of dark tone and comedy, the latter of which was carefully sprinkled throughout the film so that it didn’t feel too much.

Endgame’s problem is that it goes overboard in its first hour, barraging you with joke after joke. In almost every scene there is about 4-5 jokes. Not every scene needs a joke. We can be dark and serious for more than 30 seconds. Having said that, this is only a problem for the first act as it cuts back with the jokes as the film progresses, or they at least get better in Acts 2 and 3.

Focus on the Year after The Snap (Lessen the time skip)

The most jarring part of the film occurs right after Thanos’ death at the hands of Thor - the 5-year time skip. The moment it faded to the title card of “five years later” the cinema was genuinely filled with audible gasps of confusion as who knew what was happening. While I think the time skip was necessary, it didn’t need to be straight after Thanos’ death. It could have taken place sometime after his death.

Too many changes happened out of nowhere with near enough no explanation -- there was a little bit, but it was barely anything. First Thor is spiralling into depression and alcoholism, Hulk is merging with Bruce, and guess what? The Asgardians are on Earth now, I guess. Things happen too quickly and aren’t explained again; a lot of the comedic scenes could be cut back so we have more moments of world building. Not that a concluding film to a franchise needs more of that. It would’ve been nice though.

Thor’s Downfall

Thor’s sudden and weird change really threw me off when I first saw it. I could get over the obvious use of a fat suit, but the drastic change in character - not so much. I understand that he’s going through survivors’ guilt and the fact that he didn’t go for the head, but it just seems so out of place. Not only does all the character development he’s gone through get thrown out of the window, he goes back to pre-Thor (2011) in terms of characterization. He’s not the Thor we’ve come to know.

I’d also like to ask a question of you, discerning reader: where did all those Asgardians come from? It’s not like we saw any escape ships back when Thanos attacked the Asgardian ship right back at the start of Infinity War. Even if they did manage to escape, how did they know to come to Earth or even get there?

Anyway, onto my proposed changes:

We start with everyone back on Earth after the death of Thanos, Thor goes off in search of the missing Asgardians and brings them back to Earth. During the time spent searching for them we see how much of a toll The Snap has brought upon Thor. We see him become more careless as nothing matters to him anymore - he has no purpose. We see him begin to drink as the difficulties of rebuilding the Asgardian civilisation is more difficult than he anticipated, even with the help of Valkyrie. He was never taught how to lead. He’s far less of a leader than who he eventually appoints by the end of the film.

We watch him spiral down into depression as he hides away in his new home in New Asgard, which is built soon after arriving on Earth. We then cut to the five years later and continue as normal. Minus the inclusion of Fortnite, of course (!!!).

Bruce becoming Professor Hulk

Hulk suffered the most during Endgame - not because of the plot but because of how he was treated by the writers. Hulk didn’t really serve much of a purpose in Endgame. Yes, I know he got the time stone, but anyone could have gotten that with a little bit of convincing. It wasn’t because Hulk (Bruce Banner, really) was the right person to go. He just mentioned that Doctor Strange gave up the Time Stone and The Ancient One did the rest. Hulk’s main role was to just snap the improvised Infinity Gauntlet. Other than that he was just kind of… there.

Why they didn’t include Hulk and Bruce Banner merging and becoming one is beyond me. Not only would that have been great character development for them, it would tie-up their storyline in a much more convincing manner and just maybe it would have led to some failed attempts (picture this: Hulk crashing through abandoned cities as Bruce slowly gains control and he’s finally able to let loose without having to worry about harming others). On top of that it would have been great to see conversations between Bruce and Hulk as to why Hulk didn’t show up again in Infinity War. By the end of it, they would agree to have equal control so they could have a decent chance against Thanos himself. This would lead up to them having a fight against Thanos on his farm planet.

Nebula and Rocket Adjusting to life on Earth

This would be where I would put most of the comedy - both characters would be out of their depth, outsiders on a world where the majority is grieving. There might not much for them to get used to, but we could see Nebula being partially blamed by those who have suffered losses from The Snap. Rocket Raccoon being chased by animal control (if animal control is still a thing). Hell - he could even hot-wire some cars and go racing through the streets, getting confused looks from anyone he passes.

I enjoyed the moments with Tony and Nebula on the ship playing games to pass the time. If we could get more moments of her learning how things work on Earth, that would be great.

More Farmer Thanos

This is more of a personal addition and something needed to make the first act flow better, reducing the time skip. Since Thanos was realistically the main character of Infinity War, it would be nice to get some time spent with the version we knew before his death, adjusting to life after he completed his purpose. Blissfully ignorant of the pain he’s caused, yet at peace with himself on his secluded farm far away from anyone who could harm him. Pondering what he should do with the Infinity Stones before he eventually destroys them.

Conclusion:

I don’t think these changes are needed to make the film enjoyable; it’s quite clear that I’m in the minority of people who didn’t think the film was as good as it may have been. But these are more quality of life changes that can make things easier to understand, or just explain things so they don’t seem as jarring post time-skip.

You know what? I get the time-skip is meant to be jarring and everyone’s drastic changes are meant to shock the viewer, because that’s how they adapted to get over the loss to Thanos and surprise everyone that these are the heroes that are meant to save the day and this is what became of them because they lost the ultimate fight. To save the universe. But sometimes they need some form of build-up before as they become confusing or lacklustre for fans.

The introduction of smart Hulk was one of the most uncomfortable moments in an MCU movie to me - it just felt so forced and tried to be so meta down with the current generation (a Hulk that dabs? Really?) and it just felt wrong.

At the end of the day though, it’s not a bad film. I’ll keep saying this as I went in hyped to see the finale to a long running story, only to be disappointed by a first act that threw me off for the rest of the film.

Feel free to disagree with me. Hell, grab your pitchforks and re-sharpen them from last time. You’ll probably need them for the next time anyway.

Next Article: Is 2017’s Power Rangers a better team-based film than 2012’s Avengers Assemble?

I’ve spent a while now staring at a blank page wondering how to start this review, because I feel that it will become an outlier in the grand scheme of reviews Avengers: Endgame will get.

First, I need to clarify something before people grab their pitchforks and torches -- I've enjoyed almost every film in the MCU. Hell, Infinity War was one of my all-time favourite superhero films of all time. The performances from everyone were fantastic in that movie. Endgame... I’m not so sure.

With 2019’s Avengers: Endgame set to conclude what has been dubbed as the “Infinity Saga” I was on the edge of my seat with anticipation. I avoided as many trailers, leaks, and theories as I could so I would be blind and expect nothing, and (hopefully) be amazed by what I saw. With how spectacular Infinity War was, I was hyped for what might have ended up as one of my favourite films of the year. Yet, I was disappointed beyond belief with Endgame.

Now hear me out. Hold off with those pitchforks and angry comments - this is just one persons' opinion.

The Good

Act 3

Act 3 is where the action really kicks in - all eleven years of build up finally comes to a close and ends with a bang, bringing an all-out war scene to the MCU and it’s magical. We see the return of those who perished in Infinity War and many join forces for a fight to end all fights. My only problem with this act is that we don’t get to see Hulk fight Thanos (Josh Brolin). Thanos really brought his A-game to the final fight as well, nearly beating the MCU's original Trinity of Heroes singlehandedly.

The conclusion to Captain America’s (Chris Evans) and Iron Man’s (Robert Downey Jr.) stories were perfect - the mantle was passed on and a generation was inspired. I'll admit, seeing how Steve’s story closed did make me sad, but I know that the story of Captain America may not be over just yet.

Acting

Everyone brought their A-game to this film, most notably Jeremy Renner (Hawkeye) and Karen Gillan (Nebula) who both stole the show for me. Line delivery was mostly on point with everyone, with the occasional dud, mainly coming from Mark Ruffalo (Hulk/Bruce Banner) or Chris Hemsworth (Thor). I'm not sure how I would describe Hemsworth's portrayal of Thor in Endgame, it was a version of Thor that's never been seen on film. A drunk, overweight mess who shivers hearing Thanos' name. He didn't pull it off badly, it was just strange to see him that way.

The Okay

Cameos

The cameos from various characters from throughout the franchise were a nice touch, thanks to the power of time travel. Seeing Rene Russo return as Frigga was wonderful. Smaller cameos from Jane Foster (Natalie Portman) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) really made it feel that they were going all out to make the time travel seem real and not just a commonly over-used gimmick half-arsed.

Story

I didn’t know what to expect from Endgame - from what little I read concerning theories around time travel, I wasn’t surprised when most of them turned out to be true. On one hand, I slightly hoped that the story would tie-in a little more with the original Infinity War/Gauntlet story, but on the other I was pleased that they went their own route involving time travel and retreading through their past, seeing events from a new angle.

I will say that the time-travel plot does get a bit confusing as to what’s going on, but it manages to explain itself in a decent way. Acts 2 and 3 are where the writing shines as we learn how far people are willing to go to fix the mistakes they made in Infinity War. Act 1, on the other hand, could have been condensed down or changed in such a way that we didn’t need such a drastic time skip that seemed so forced.

So, who got the best story moments? Captain America, Iron Man, Nebula, Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Hawkeye. They all had their moment to shine without overshadowing each other. Personally, I think Hawkeye, Nebula and Black Widow stole the show for me.

One sad thing is that we never really got to see how the world reacted to The Snap, outside of everyone’s re-introduction and Ant-Man being brought into the new world order. Another would be how little screen time other important characters got - Captain Marvel (Brie Larson) and Okoye (Danai Gurira) had next to no screen time.

The Bad

Pacing

My problem with Endgame is that the pacing seems off in Act 1, which proceeds to throw it off for the rest of the film. Each act lasts roughly an hour, which is fine, but the problem with Act 1 is that it drags on way too much, making the hour seem a lot longer than it is.

What I found odd was that even with a much smaller cast compared to Infinity War, some characters didn’t get their moment to shine. Hulk for example, may as well not been in the film, apart from one vital scene, and it wouldn’t much impact the film anyway.

I was expecting a larger role from Captain Marvel, but to my surprise, she only had around ten minutes worth of screen time. The film's opening and it's final act. I was hoping that we'd see some of The Snap from Carol's perspective in the same way we saw it from Hawkeye's, yet we only saw her in the opening moments of the film and not again until the last 20-30 minutes.

Tone

The tonal issues mainly come from the first act trying to come across as comedic and light-hearted after coming just short of an (almost) extinction event. While watching the film, I couldn’t help but think that the comedy-heavy first act of the film was trying to make up for how dark and depressing Infinity War was. I think it would’ve worked a whole lot better if they spaced it out and didn’t try to make every other moment funny. The tone did even out as the first act ended, though.

A friend mentioned to me after we saw Endgame that since so much of the script was kept secret and actors filmed on their own using green screens, no one knew what they were doing. The interviews with the cast showed that - barely any of them knew the plot of the movie. Nothing wrong with it, but if you can’t trust the actors, things are going to be affected.

Act 1

The opening act of this film had a lot of problems to me, mainly originating from the straight up 5-year time skip. With nothing in-between to help us understand what happened, we learn the results of it at the same pace as Scott Lang. Not that it’s a bad thing, it just ruins the biggest rule of writing - show, don’t tell. The biggest victim of this is Hulk/Bruce Banner since he’s now become Professor Hulk and become some weird amalgamation of him and Mark Ruffalo playing around in a motion capture suit (don’t get me started on Mark Ruffalo as Hulk). Many of the scenes also dragged on way too long to the point it just became uncomfortable. The reintroduction of Thor, post time-skip just felt like it could've been cut down and still given the same feeling of Thor having survivors guilt.

Thor and Hulk

Hulk’s role in Endgame was almost non-existent. Other than wielding the improvised Infinity Gauntlet and bringing everyone back, he didn’t add anything to the film. Honestly, after seeing the beating he got in the beginning of Infinity War as Hulk and then losing again as Bruce Banner at the end, I was hoping for some sort of redemption to show that he’s the strongest one there is. Or at least maybe for him to get the last blow on Thanos. But sadly, we get nothing. Thanos and Hulk don’t even share a scene together, let alone a fight.

Thor on the other hand, he… well… he's the comedic relief of the film, mainly revolving around alcohol or his weight, since he’s gained quite a lot of it since we saw him before the time skip. I’m not sure what I think of Endgame Thor. He became a background character in a weird way - even having his own scenes focused on him, he didn’t feel like the Thor we knew until halfway through Act 2.

Conclusion

What worries me is that I’m being too harsh on the film since it may not have met my expectations, or that I went into it with the wrong mind set. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think that Endgame is a bad film. It is a good film. It just could have been handled better and condensed down a good chunk without losing too much.

Endgame was a fantastic conclusion to an 11-year long storyline but it felt lacklustre for some characters and was oddly rushed in certain scenes, even with a 3-hour runtime. But don't go into it thinking it's an action film - it's very minimal on action until the final act. It's more of an adventure film.

Score: 6.5/10

Next Article: How I would fix Avengers: Endgame’s Act 1.

Feel free to grab your pitchforks now.

Edited out typo

I’ve been trying to work out the best way to describe this show in a single sentence since I first watched the show a little while back and I think I finally found it.

“Jingai-San no Yome is a light-hearted surreal comedy that really doesn’t go anywhere but in circles.”

The Jingai-San no Yome is based on a four-panel manga written by Yu Aikawa, starting back in 2016 and got itself an anime adaption in October 2018, wrapping itself up in December 2018 before Christmas. Sadly, not giving us a Christmas based episode to my disappointment.

The show itself lasts for 12 episodes, each lasting about 3 minutes in total and can all be easily watch in a quick 30-40 minutes. Personally, I feel that the show could have done with longer episodes just to give the watcher a little more to understand what the show is about. Because, boy… I had no clue what was going on.

Not that it’s a hard watch or anything, it just doesn’t explain anything.

The show follows the life of Tomari Hinowa, a high school teenager living his normal day-to-day life until he is one day summoned by his homeroom to be married off to a strange creature known as Kanenogi (which looks adorable by the way). And that’s the first episode.

The plot itself doesn’t really diverge from following his school and homelife as a married wife (technically correct) with Kanenogi in tow. What the show fails to explain or go into any detail at all is how normal this is to everyone. With multiple characters being married off to other weird monsters.

While I don’t think what little story there is, is bad. I just think that it might need a little more to make it better. Although, credit where credit is due. The lack of explanation of certain things does lead to some funny moments in the series. Leaning towards the confused funny than comedic.

I think the problem the show has is that it doesn’t go anywhere. Rather than focus on its two main characters, it keeps introducing new characters and their creature husbands which they, themselves get no development or add to the world building. This does the show a disservice as it has the chance to create something adorable but it rushes through everything so quickly that by the end of the show a year has passed and I don't know anyone's names bar the first two characters.

The animation and art style from studio Saetta is fantastic in short 3 minute bursts as the show really goes all out for environmental detail and the creature details. While not too impressive as the show progresses as some moments are left as stills rather than actual animation, which disappointed me as I would have actually liked to see some of those scenes play out. But for its first anime, it’s not too shabby.

Having not read the anime’s source material, with it currently being Japanese only; I can’t compare as to how much the show stays true to the source material. But based on how short the episodes actually are if you don’t include the opening or ending credits, each episode is probably based on four-panels.

Jingai-San no Yome needed a little more time per episode for it to be truly enjoyable, even if it didn’t follow the original story, it just needed some extra time to develop the characters and the world they reside in. Nine times out of ten I finished an episode with more questions than were answered. It just needed a filler episode or moment here or there just to give the viewer some explanation as to what was going on and so we can connect to the characters better without feeling rushed.

I ended up developing my own headcannon that the reason why the marriages exist is to keep the peace between the creatures and humans. It’s probably not the case in anyway whatsoever, but that’s not the point I’m trying to make. I just didn’t know what was going on.

In conclusion JIngai-San no Yome isn’t the type of show you’d actively go out of the way to watch, it’d be more out of curiosity of how random the show feels. Which I feel is true to the show’s nature as I came across it by chance and ended up watching all the episodes in a single sitting.

TL; DR: It’s nothing special but can be a good way to pass 30 minutes if you’re bored.

Rating 2.5/5

If you’re interested in watching the show it’s available on Crunchyroll for free. But I’d give it a pass.

Since the release of Avengers: Infinity War on April 26th, I’ve been pondering if Thanos’ actions were right or wrong and if the Avengers should have tried to stop him.

I saw Infinity War on its release day with one of my close friends, both of us pumped to see the film after waiting for it for so many years. The build-up was worth it. My friend and I came out of the film happy and baffled by what we witnessed. Both of us expected to see heroes die in the final act of the film, yet. Not on the scale, everyone witnessed.

Thanos made his first appearance in Invincible Iron Man #55 as a villain for the titular hero. Since then, Thanos has become one of the Avengers most powerful and popular villains in Marvel comics. His comic counterpart is quite different from his big-screen, unlike the comic version, who is obsessed with pleasing Lady Death herself, that obsession is what causes him to seek the Infinity Stones. The Marvel Cinematic Universe rendition has tasked himself with the task to cure the universe’s problem of overpopulation, rather than please Death itself.

Throughout the film, Thanos explained his idea of universal peace, a way to end suffering. Sacrifice half the population, so that the over could survive. His argument was compelling when put in front of his many examples. So, the question is; is the cinematic rendition of Thanos, really a Mad Titan?

For those who haven’t seen Avengers: Infinity War yet, expect major spoilers ahead as I’ll be covering some vital plot points.

I’ll start by saying that this is as unbiased as I can make this, while I enjoyed the film. I will be analyzing this from a purely theoretical point of view. I would also like to add that I do not

My question is: Is it right to kill half the universe to save the other. Yes and No.

Scouring the internet and asking a wide variety of people who’ve seen the film (friends, family, students and colleagues) if they thought they could do it differently, many of them came forward with the reasonable idea of doubling the universe's resources. Which sounds like a great theory, but may not work in actuality. From what little “large scale control” we’ve seen that the Infinity Gauntlet can muster, much of it seems limited to individual thoughts and actions. rather than the “Infinite” power, it seems to have. For example, rather than stop all the Avengers in their tracks in a single action, it appears that it can only stop one of them at a time. Although, this may have just been done for cinematic effect.

The problem with increasing the universe's resources is that it doesn’t fix the problems that the universe already has, in fact, it may increase it. War driven species or factions suddenly gain twice the amount of limited resources that are needed for war, whether precious metals or energy, that increase can send them on an upward spiral that can lead them to conquer/destroying other species that they weren’t able to before. But wait you ask! Why not just increase resources such as food product or landmass to increase farming or animal growth?

Planets and lands controlled by Autocracy or Plutocracy would continue to be run as so. If not even worse than before. (A historical example of autocratic leadership would be Genghis Khan and King Henry VIII and for plutocracy would be the now-defunct civilization of Carthage.) If those planets happened to struggle with overpopulation or lack of resources in which Thanos believes is the core problem of the universe. Those rulers would have even more power over the people. While their general conditions may go up in quality, the dangers of suddenly having increased valuable resources may bring in other races to plunder them. Not only that, it may send planets that are already fighting over resources into overdrive. Now with a jump into power, technological advancements can be made by the increase in resources. For better or worse.

Yes, Thanos may increase land mass in which people can spread, but where would this land come from? Would he bring the ocean floor to the surface so that the dominant species gain more access to land? Would he raze mountains so that the land could be flat for crops? That aside, more land mass and higher food rates can increase the population rather than deal with what already exists.

The real issue is, is that with an increase of resources, is that the population will continue to grow at an even faster rate as there is no longer the fear of running out of consumables. While we may not run out of food, land loss is an increasing issue. If we look at the world we have, Earth in all it’s complicated glory thanks to humanity. Is getting to the point in which we can no longer sustain ourselves indefinitely, whether it’s land or resources. Take a look at a Hong Kong photography project by Benny Lam, who showcases how horrific the overpopulation has gotten.

Those who currently live in Hong Kong and are the poorest of the poor, live in small 15-square foot homes that are referred to as Coffin Cubicles by the locals. (Stacke, 2017)The above photo is a showcase of how poor the living conditions are for some of those who live in the biggest cities in the world. Now imagine those coffins, on a much larger scale.

Now time for some brief science! (Which I don’t 100% understand. Just thought I’d mention that I’m not a rocket scientist. I’m a media student.) In 1964, Nikolai Kardashev, a Russian Astrologist created and designed a scale in which we can measure how a civilization’s technological advancements based on energy that is usable to us. This scale is completely theoretical and Earth hasn’t even reached the first point to be on the scale. Anyway, on to the even nerdier stuff than discussing a comic book movie…

According to the Kardashev Scale, a scale that theoretically ranked civilizations on their technological level throughout the universe. This scale ranges from 1-5, humanity? Zero. Not even on the scale. Although, we will supposedly reach rank 1, within the next 100-200 years. So, how is this relevant to our overpopulation and doubled resources problem? Class-2 civilizations are the problem.

Kardashev theorized that those civilizations that come under class-2 would have potential to harness the power of a star, of any size or shape. Through this, they can drain the life force through it and have supposedly infinite resources, at the cost of natural light and heat, which may doom future races and those who aren’t able to survive in the freezing, space. (Creighton, 2014)

You see, Thanos’ problem is one that has been discussed for an extremely long time that can relate back to the great Trolley/Train Dilemma.

Edward is the driver of a trolley, whose brakes have just failed. On the track ahead of him are five people; the banks are so steep that they will not be able to get off the tracks in time. The track has a spur leading off to the right, and Edwards can turn the trolley onto it. Unfortunately there is one person on the right-hand track. Edward can turn the trolley, killing the one; or he can refrain from turning the trolley, killing five. (Thomson, 1976)

The theory behind the quoted text is: Would you save one life or five? In Thanos’ case, would you sacrifice half of the universe to save the other? If anything, the Avengers themselves come across this problem with dire consequences. As Thanos is after the Infinity Stones, one of which is in possession of The Vision, a cyborg with control over the Mind Stone. His current predicament is that he must die for the Stone to be destroyed, through his own destruction, only then they can stop Thanos, yet; the Avengers have the mentality that no-one should die. A mindset that cost them half the universe’s population. Possibly making them the bad guys of the story as they were unwilling to sacrifice one to save an uncountable number of lives.

By the end of the film towards the final few minutes, Thanos accomplishes what he’s always dreamed of, the complete Infinity Gauntlet. (A device that allows him to harness the Stones Energy.) Through that, he deals with the universe in only the way a Mad Titan would, killing half of the universe. You see, this is where things get interesting. During a fantasy/revelation moment, we see Thanos, alone in what seems to be an infinite lake; before him stands an apparition of young Gamora, whom he killed earlier in the film to gain the Soul Stone. Asking him what did it cost him to achieve his goals? Only to be answered with, “Everything”. Thanos in the MCU is actually quite a complex character compared to many of the previous villains and possibly more so than several titular characters that are realistically one-dimensional.

Was it right to sacrifice so many lives to save the other? No, not without truly terrifying consequences, but to Thanos, there was no other way.

Out of all the characters in the MCU, he is one of the few, to truly lose something of value to him to gain what he didn’t have before, a cost of his own child. While she herself hated him, he raised her, watched her grow and was given the choice to complete his task which he’s spent a lifetime fighting towards or kill his own child. He chose the latter, and through that event, he eventually accomplished his goals.

One last point I would like to bring up is the reality of what if through his own power, Thanos killed those with the capabilities of truly saving the universe, through technological means or otherwise. Is that it wouldn’t possibly make a difference if they were alive. Let’s take a look at an example; through our own technology, we have the potential of saving thousands of lives, yet, through other people’s own choices, we don’t, even if it’s not in our control.

This is where it gets slightly political, but I’ll be as unbiased as possible. Through our own government’s powers, we can increase the funding for medical care, medical research, reduce poverty or increase living conditions in poverty-stricken areas. Yet, we don’t, where does that money go? Who knows. One of the things I do know is that we have the potential to save humanity from itself, but fear being told how to live our lives or what we should do with our money, but by doing so, we may have the chance to save ourselves from us. But the thing is, when we are given the chance of doing something in which we don’t have a choice in, the unthinkable can happen, for better or worse. Take the pyramids of Egypt were built by a combination of slaves and high-classed workers. And to this day, we are in awe of their wonder, many of those who built them may not have a choice, but we continue to seek wonders that were made through agony and pain. (Shaw, 2003) Or during World War II in which several million Jewish people were massacred for simply being different. An action that, still, to this day affects many ways we live our lives.

This, this is what makes us unique, the ability to create or destroy whatever we wish when pushed into it against or choice or willingly. So then why, why would it be so bad to start back at square one? To start again, to right those wrongs. To do it differently.

Thanos may not have fixed the problems of the universe, if not made some worse. But his actions may have been just as bad as the Avengers themselves. Who is the true villain in this scenario, The Avengers, who wouldn’t risk one life to save the universe, or Thanos, who would risk half the universe, to save the other? What would you do?

Thanks for reading.

Bibliography

• Creighton, J. (2014, July 19). The Kardashev Scale – Type I, II, III, IV & V Civilization. Retrieved May 23, 2018, from Futurism: https://futurism.com/the-kardashev-scale-type-i-ii-iii-iv-v-civilization/
• Shaw, J. (2003, July-August). Who Built the Pyramids. Harvard Magazine. Retrieved May 24, 2018, from https://harvardmagazine.com/2003/07/who-built-the-pyramids-html
• Stacke, S. (2017, July 26). Life Inside Hong Kong’s ‘Coffin Cubicles’. Retrieved May 22, 2018, from National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/07/hong-kong-living-trapped-lam-photos/
• Thomson, J. (1976). Killing, Letting Die, and The Trolley Problem. In J. Thomson, Monist; An International Quarterly Journal of General Philosophical Inquiry (Vol. 59, pp. 204-217). Colorado, Colorado: University of Colorado. Retrieved May 23, 2018, from https://learning.hccs.edu/faculty/david.poston/phil1301.80361/readings-for-march-31/JJ%20Thomson%20-%20Killing-%20Letting%20Die-%20and%20the%20Trolley%20Problem.pdf

I'll start off by introducing myself. I'm Cloudguy, a user on the site since 2013. While I may not have been active in the community, I've most definitely been active on the wiki. You've probably seen my face pop-up on pages all over the site.

I’m a massive fan of musicals and comics, but the idea of both is something that never occurred to me until I came across "Fun Home". What is Fun Home? Fun Home follows the life of Alison Bechdel from childhood to adulthood. A story about acceptance, sexuality, coming of age, and what lies can do to a family.

Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic was released in 2006 in the form of an Original Graphic Novel by Alison Bechdel to critical acclaim, winning an Eisner award among others. Seven years later it was adapted into one of the best musicals of the year, winning three Tony Awards. So, going into this I expected a lot out of it. And boy, I didn't expect how much it would connect with me.

Comic

As far as art goes it’s relatively simple, but it’s achieved in Alison's unique style. To achieve all the poses for characters, she goes through the tedious technique of photographing herself in the poses and then drawing them out. Simple and effective, yet it doesn’t look boring. Each panel is filled with things to look at but not enough to be too much. The line art style doesn't take away from the purpose of illustrating her own life in a way that feels unique and suits the style of the story. If anything, it's reminiscent of early newspapers strips.

The story itself is intriguing for sure, over the course of the book you connect with Alison, her mother (Helen), and most definitely her father (Bruce), who is a major part of the story. I had to keep reminding myself that this is an autobiography and not a work of fiction based on how heart-breaking it is. Making it seem real and believable is one of the hardest things a writer can do with a piece of non-fiction and Alison Bechdel did that for sure. While there are a few moments which I feel take some artistic liberties, they still feel as if they happened.

Alison is an interesting person; she’s a "dyke", as stated by herself. Over the course of the story we discover this alongside her as she delves into the LGBT community and what it’s like to come out as a lesbian to a family that struggles to show basic emotions to each other, anchored by an abusive father and a highly religious mother. Coming out as someone in the LGBT community is one of the hardest things a person can do and the way the book handles it is rather underwhelming - but the reason why makes it easier to understand.

As far as main a main character goes, Alison is that. But she’s not the type of character in a normal story you can root for, as there isn’t really much to root for. Many major plot points are brought up early and then explored throughout the narrative. This helps the reader understand how she deals with certain issues alongside the rest of her family, which is something that is done well in both the comic and musical.

What made this worthy of being made into a stage production? A musical even? Honestly, I don't know. But they made it work. From a narrative perspective, it made more sense to be adapted into just a stage production, but through the wonderful work of Jeanine Tesori & Lisa Kron they managed to turn simple moments into wonderful songs. What I believe turned it into a musical was the sheer potential that it had. Due to the style of the comic in which it jumps back and forth, it allows for a free-flowing story which could be told in any way.

Like a lot of musicals, they tend to cover emotions, trauma, and self-discovery and what each does to a person. Fun Home falls into that category easily. The themes made it worthy of a stage production; the story made it musical worthy.

Musical

Starring:

• Beth Malone - Alison Bechdel (Adult)
• Michael Cerberus - Bruce Bechdel
• Judy Kuhn - Helen Bechdel
• Sydney Lucas - Alison Bechdel (Child)
• Alexandra Socha - Alison Bechdel (Teen)

Honestly? I don’t know how they did it. I feel as if they made one of the most interesting adaptions from page to stage. Like the comic, which jumps back and forth in time to show how Alison's life was, the musical showcases her life in the same way and somehow manages to turn simple thoughts into songs, sometimes going to the point of having multiple timeframes co-aligning to help progress plot. Unlike the comic, adult Alison is almost always present watching over her younger selves with awe or distaste as she remembers her earlier life.

Alison is such an interesting character, she's someone you can connect to. She's innocent and open to everything. Her life makes her relatable whether or not you fall into the LGBT community. Two examples, everyone gets awkward around their crush or has family problems. She's a human, a real one that has real problems.

Enter Stage Right: Bruce Bechdel. The musical portrayal of Bruce didn’t quite hit the nail of how abusive and downright uncaring a person can be. Bruce is a unique factor in the story I never expected. He’s a married father of three. The twist? He’s gay. But so is Alison. The story truly follows Alison’s connection with her father who she grew up to have a dislike and borderline hate for, but still cares for him. I won’t go into details about their connection but I have to say, the Bechdel family is a sham. The story shows how important acceptance and trust can be to a family. Apart from family connections, the adaption did not contain many of the overarching plots.

I was impressed by the musical numbers. Some of the best songs come from brief moments in the comic such as Alison realizing she likes girls in “Ring of Keys" and Helen coming to terms with her husband’s actions in “Days and Days” performed by Judy Kuhn of Disney Pocahontas fame (My personal favorite). "Edges of the World" by Bruce Bechdel is a powerhouse of emotions and voice in regards to the song's context, which I won’t spoil.

I love almost everything about the musical apart from the important things brought up in the comic, such as Bruce’s childhood and the importance his actions have on his children’s future, but, like any adaptions, things have to be cut out. From a narrative perspective, this backstory shouldn’t have been omitted.

The musical combines dialogue and song effortlessly and it almost transitions perfectly into both, taking the time to slow down in the serious moments, but yet opening it up for a musical number once it happens. There are moments in the musical that doesn't come across as well compared to the comic, but obviously not every moment can be replicated perfectly. For example, in one of the opening panels, Alison as a child reflects back on how her father used to lift her up and she would act as if she was an airplane. This moment was instead turned into a recurring song.

How did the musical compare to the comic? Did it have the same impact? Yes, but in its own way. While the comic has a retrospective feel to it, as if we are looking back on it and realizing alongside Alison how bad her life was and how she dealt with it, the musical lets us experience it alongside her, making it even more emotional when you listen or watch what happens.

If you’re looking for a creative musical based on a comic then check out Fun Home, but you may want to skip it if you prefer less-depressing musicals. I feel, however, something like this should always be experienced, as many themes brought up can connect to almost everyone.

Conclusion

Why did it work? I think the reason why it worked so well was that it was such a risk. Basing a musical directly on a comic with an almost perfect adaption is something that hasn't happened successfully, but it worked. The powerhouse voices behind the characters paired with emotional songs and plot made it one of the few musicals to connect to people on a familial level. The musical is truly about looking back on something remembered and while realizing it wasn't what or how it was to be remembered. What then is true in memories?

I loved both forms of the story. The comic made it easier to understand the characters and their actions. The musical made me feel the so much more than the book. What I learned from the story is that your actions mean everything to others, whether it’s giving someone attention or lying about something. Small things can lead up to huge consequences in the future. And life is hard, whether or not it has been, currently is, or will be. Nothing is for sure.

Check out more of Alison Bechdel's work in Essential Dykes to Watch Out For & Are You My Mother? A Comic Drama.

Musical: 9/10 (5 Stars)

Comic: 8/10 (4. 5 Stars)

So I got bored and decided to spend quite a lot of time putting this guide together.

Some still is missing as I'm still trying to find everything but everything included is the major events that happen and and several short stories.

War of Ancients Arc

1. War of Ancients: The Well of Eternity
2. War of the Ancients: The Demon Soul
3. War of the Ancients: The Sundering
4. War of the Shifting Sands (Short Story)

Links:

U.S.:

UK:

First & Second War

First War

1. Rise of the Horde
2. Unbroken (Short Story)
3. The Last Guardian

Links:

U.S.:

UK:

Second War

1. Beyond the Dark Portal
2. Lord of the Clans
3. Day of the Dragon
4. Of Blood and Honor (Short Story)
5. Road to Damnation (Short Story)

Links:

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UK:

Third War

1. Arthas: Rise of the Lich King
2. Death Knight (Manga)
3. Vol'jin: The Judgment (Short Story)
4. Sunwell Trilogy (Manga Series)
5. Cycle of Hatred (Pre-Vanilla)
6. Ashbringer (Comic)

Links:

U.S.:

UK:

Burning Crusade - Wrath of the Lich King

1. Night of the Dragon
2. Garrosh: Heart of War (Short Story)
3. World of Warcraft: The Comic
4. Lor'themar: In the Shadow of the Sun (Short Story)
5. Sylvanas Windrunner: Edge of Night (Short Story)
6. Stormrage
7. Shaman (Manga)
8. The Shattering

Links:

U.S.

UK:

Cataclysm

1. Curse of the Worgen (Comic)
2. Genn Greymane: Lord of his Pack (Short Story)
3. The Council of Three Hammers: Fire and Iron (Short Story)
4. Tyrande & Malfurion: Seeds of Faith (Short Story)
5. Baine Bloodhoof: As Our Fathers Before Us (Short Story)
6. Gallywix: Trade Secrets of a Trade Prince (Short Story)
7. Wolfheart (Novel)
8. Velen: Prophet's Lesson (Short Story)
9. Varian Wrynn: Blood of Our Fathers (Short Story)
10. Thrall: Twilight of the Aspects

Links:

U.S.:

"Blinky™"

Written and directed by Ruairi Robinson.

A young boy living in the near future looks for an escape from a home with arguing parents. As a way to cope with the recent arguments from his parents he receives a robot companion that he ends up abusing.

This one is quite interesting and depressing.