Spider-Man: Far From Home and other recent movies

So far this year my movie-going experiences have oscillated ( and that's a word I don't use enough! ) between MCU blockbusters and assorted classic re-releases. I'm just going to do a quick rundown in roughly reverse order, starting with super-hero shenanigans...

Spider-Man: Far From Home ( 2019 )
James and I saw this at our local Cineworld last weekend, and probably just in time too as the film is down to one showing a day now. We'd missed seeing Spider-Man: Homecoming at the cinema so really wanted to catch this sequel on the big screen, especially because there were scenes set in Venice, as the poster above demonstrates. After the huge, world-saving, time-travelling Endgame where everything was about the BIG STAKES, this movie was lighter and smaller scale but a lot of fun. Again going for the John Hughes teen-comedy vibe this took Peter Parker and his friends on a wild school trip around Europe, taking in beautiful Venice ( sigh! ), Prague, Berlin, somewhere unspecified in the Netherlands ( we knew that 'cos there were tulips and windmills on display ) and ending up in London. Some fine action sequences, Jake Gyllenhaal having a ball as anti-hero / villain Mysterio and some great performances from the young cast. I'm still uncomfortable with Peter being Tony Stark's bitch and not really his own man but this movie went some way to move the character onwards in the wake of *SPOILER* Stark's death in Endgame.
So, I'd rate this a solid Three and a Half out of Five Web-Shooters

The Matrix ( 1999 )
Sarah, James and I went to see this 20th anniversary re-release in Southampton while we were on holiday down in Hampshire. This was at the Showcase Deluxe cinema which boasts a 70 ft (!) screen which was perfect for a film like The Matrix in which you need to be totally immersed. For a film that is two decades old ( I still can't believe that! Surely it came out in about 2010? ) and has been almost constantly imitated ever since, The Matrix stands up really well. Apart from a few wobbly effects and some obviously outdated cultural references it's still a visually spectacular thrill-ride, with its cod-philosophy more integral to the plot than the endless navel-gazing in the sequels, and lots of fun to be had in the interactions between the lead actors. Carrie-Anne Moss and Laurence Fishburne are still impeccably cool, Hugo Weaving and Joe Pantoliano are hilariously slimy and Keanu is... well, he's Keanu. Playing a hacker-turned-action hero who seems to be simultaneously the smartest guy in the room and the dumbest dope on the block, the role of Thomas Anderson / Neo is absolutely perfect for the former Ted ( Theodore ) Logan. And, bizarrely, Keanu is of course an action hero again all these years later in the John Wick series. "Whoa!" indeed.

Avengers: Endgame ( 2019 ) ( SPOLERS! For anyone who hasn't etc. etc.)
What more can be said about The Most Successful Movie Ever Made TM? ( Until the next one, anyway. ) There's not much I can add except to say it was hugely entertaining, with the Russo brothers somehow managing to corral the immense cast, spectacular action scenes and emotional payoffs to this long-running MCU saga into a convincing, and mostly coherent, whole. After the intense setup of Infinity War this last chapter in the Thanos saga was surprisingly light and comedic, although the early scenes of post-"Snap" trauma were suitably anguished. Most of the characters received appropriate screen-time and were given fitting ends / next chapters in their stories. Chris Evans and Mark Ruffalo easily walked away with the acting honours... or hobbled away, in Cap's case... but it was also suitably sad, if inevitable, to see Robert Downey Jnr's Iron Man meeting his heroic downfall. ( Also, as Doctor Who fans, James and I both laughed when the concept of a "time heist" was unveiled but, of course, nobody else in the cinema did. )

Captain Marvel ( 2019 )
More super-hero action of the cosmic variety next with the latest iteration of Captain Marvel. It's certainly past time the MCU focused on a female hero and its previous applicants ( Black Widow, Scarlet Witch ) have never been strong enough characters to carry their own movie. Carol Danvers, on the other hand, former test pilot - turned - Kree warrior, is far more interesting and worthy to be Marvel's answer to DC's successful Wonder Woman. The film showed huge confidence by instantly plunging the viewers into the middle of the intergalactic Kree / Skrull conflict with very little hand-holding by the way of exposition. Brie Larson was the definition of "steely" as the good Captain, trying to discover the secrets of her past and to escape from the toxic shadow of Jude Law's Kree mentor Yonn-Rogg. Her scenes with Samuel Jackson's Nick Fury were a delight, their spiky, acerbic chemistry being the best parts of the film. Larson brought a subtlety to her character which many nay-sayers confused for blankness but I thought was refreshing after the often over the top stylings of many other super-hero actors. The action scenes were well handled and surprisingly not too gratuitous, while the 90s soundtrack was a blast. Hopefully, apart from her short appearance in Endgame, we won't have to wait too long for this gutsy, empowered hero to return.

A Clockwork Orange ( 1971 )
Another classic movie re-released, this time Kubrick's controversial adaptation of Anthony Burgess' equally controversial dystopian novel. James and I saw this at Stroud's Vue cinema with only about a dozen other people. Maybe another Fast And Furious movie was out or something.Anyway, it was a lovely print of the film, lending extra clarity to Kubrick's eye-popping visuals and, as often when you see a familiar movie on the big screen for the first time, all the little details of the set design just sang out, enhancing the experience. I hadn't seen A Clockwork Orange for some time and I found "the old ultra-violence" to be as shocking as ever ( especially the sexual abuse scenes ) but I was surprised to recall just how much of a pitch-black comedy the film really is. From Malcolm McDowell's alternately charming and sneering performance, to all the typically Kubrickian grotesques that make up the supporting cast ( "P and M", Mr. Deltoid ) to the juxtaposition of horror and farce, this was a film that had you laughing at some "real horrorshow" situations, then feeling suitably uncomfortable that you'd found it so funny. Viddy well, O my brothers, viddy well...

A Matter Of Life And Death ( 1946 )
And finally, another re-release, in complete contrast to the last one  -  Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger's romantic fantasy masterpiece A Matter Of Life And Death  -  or Stairway To Heaven if you're American. This has long been one of my and Sarah's favourite films and we jumped at the chance to see it on the big screen at the Cheltenham Playhouse, part of a season of "fantastic films". We dragged James along too and I think we converted him.
I should probably do a whole post on my love for this movie, and for P&P's other classic films, but I'll just state for now that it's one of the most beautiful, heart-felt, witty and wise films ever to be made in this country. The direction by Michael Powell and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff are absolutely perfect and the wonderful script by the Hungarian Emeric Pressburger is a total joy, masterfully capturing aspects of the British character as only an outsider could see them. The story of a WWII airman who jumps from his burning plane without a parachute but survives and then has to justify his life to a maybe-imaginary Heavenly court is a triumph  -   a sweet love story, wrapped up in a fantasy, underpinned by philosophical ideas and touching on darker themes of war and mental illness. There really isn't anything else like it. And the lead actors  -  a never-better David Niven, Kim Hunter, Roger Livesey, Marius Goring and Raymond Massey  - are all sublime. I have to admit, I've never watched the last scene of this movie without getting a bit misty-eyed... and I hope I never do.

Bronze Age Beauties - Sorcerers, Spies and the Supernatural

I haven't posted anything about comics here for a while ( in fact, I haven't posted much full stop ) so I thought I'd share a few recent-ish purchases with you, Dear Readers. ( See, I still kid myself that people actually read this 'ere blog... )
We'll start with Doctor Strange's last appearance in Marvel Premiere from March 1974, just before the Sorcerer Supreme regained his own comic book. This is the finale of the Cagliostro / Sise-Neg / Genesis epic by the titanic team of Steve Engelhart and Frank Brunner.

Doc and arch nemesis Baron Mordo are on a mind-bending trip back in time with the futuristic magician Cagliostro ( aka Sise-Neg ) who is absorbing magical energy as he goes, becoming stronger all the time, with the ultimate ambition of arriving at the beginning of the universe and becoming God. A very cosmic, quintessentially 1970s story which would probably have been unthinkable a decade before under the then restrictions of the Comics Code... or indeed a decade later when the so-called Moral Majority were making their censorious presence known in the USA. This is a fine example of Bronze Age Marvel at its peak with plenty of Engelhart's philosphical musings amidst all the psychedelic action and some beautiful artwork from Brunner and inker Dick Giordano...

And, for a change of pace, next are a couple of issues of Marvel's most successful entry into the martial arts craze The Hands Of Shang-Chi, Master Of Kung Fu  -  or MOKF for short...

Issue 28 ( May 1975 ) has a striking ( literally! ) Gil Kane cover but unfortunately the interior artwork is by a committee of second-tier artists, due of course to the ever present Dreaded Deadline Doom which affected so many Marvel Comics of the time. Luckily the story by MOKF stalwart Doug Moench makes up for the weak artwork, giving us insights into Shang-Chi's past and his relationship with his devious half-sister Fah Lo Suee...

The next issue sees the series back on track with the return of regular artist Paul Gulacy and a change in direction as the strip becomes more espionage-based and less about Shang's war with his father, the Devil Doctor himself, Fu Manchu.This is the point at which Gulacy's artwork goes full Steranko and also, seemingly, full Bond  -  secret bases, evil masterminds and glamorous women all become mainstays of the series from here on in...

Incidentally, both of the covers of these two issues depict scenes that don't actually happen in the comics themselves  -  par for the course for the times, but at least they're eye-catching, exciting images that almost command you to hand over your money and buy the damn things...

As a contrast to all that Marvel-ous action here's a moody masterpiece by the great Neal Adams for DC's Phantom Stranger no. 16, Nov-Dec 1971. A classic example of the "clutching hand" trope, this is a restrained but still effective image with Adams' flair for design in evidence. ( Notice the Stranger's shadow looming across the logo. ) The interior is nothing too special, unfortunately. The lead story has some nice Jim Aparo artwork but a fairly humdrum plot, and there are a couple of back-up strips  -  a Doctor Thirteen tale by Len Wein and Tony DeZuniga and a Mark Merlin reprint from the '50s  -  neither of which start the pulse racing.

Over at Charlton Comics we find Ghostly Haunts no. 31, April 1973. Although not one of the best examples of Charlton's horror comics it's a fun issue with some typically idiosyncratic artwork from Don Perlin, Steve Ditko and Jack Abel. The cover's by Abel too and is a beauty  -  check out that eyeball on the giant squid thing! And isn't "Sewer Patrol" a job we've all wanted at one time or another? No? Just me then...

Finally, the pick of the bunch for me: Haunted Love no. 6 from October 1974. This short-lived excursion into Gothic romance is always difficult to track down so I was pleased to pick up this issue.  ( I actually bought the two Charltons and the Phantom Stranger for £1.50 each in a junk shop in St. Ives. ) The main draw was of course the fantastic cover by that madman Tom Sutton  -  very spooky! The witch alone is enough to give you the cold sweats...

Sutton illustrates the main story that this cover is based on and it's a suitably overwrought tale of cursed love in Fin De Siecle Paris, with the occasional nod to Aubrey Beardsley  -  great stuff!

And here's the Wuthering Heights-esque corner box by the stupendously talented Joe Staton...

Right, I'll have to go now  -  I need to read some comics...

Herb Trimpe

I was sad to hear tonight, via Kid Robson, that ace Bronze Age comic artist Herb Trimpe has died at the age of 75. Herb was, for me, the definitive Hulk artist but he was, of course, far more than that. A very gifted artist and, by all accounts, a lovely guy too, Herb will be missed by his fans and, above all, his friends and family. My condolences to them at this sad time. Above is a scan of one of my favourite Trimpe issues of The Incredible Hulk, number 140 ( June 1971 )  -  "The Brute That Shouted Love At The Heart Of The Atom", a very groovy tale from firebrand writer Harlan Ellison, featuring ol' Greenskin's adventures in a sub-atomic world and highlighting Herb's exciting and expressive style in all its Kirby-esque glory.

RIP Herb Trimpe
( Check out some wonderful reviews of Mr. Trimpe's work at this long-lost blog. )

Comics Year Zero - 1971

My own personal Year Zero, that is... comics themselves have been around a little bit longer. Looking at my collection of beaten-up, torn, often coverless comics from my formative years it seems that 1971 was the year I really got into comics. ( American ones specifically for the purposes of this post. ) I had a few before from 1969/70 ( like Thor no. 181 ) but 1971 was the year my habit really started.

Fantastic Four no. 106 was my first ever glimpse of the FF, predating their appearances in Marvel UK's Mighty World Of Marvel. This was part of John Romita's short-lived tenure on the mag when he had the unenviable task of following Kirby's ground-breaking, 102-issue run. Of course, I didn't know any of this stuff back then. All I knew was I loved the comic! Three superheroes were battling an energy-blasting "monster" ( actually a scientist's son trapped in an out-of-control, experimental suit ) which was rampaging through New York. Meanwhile, another "monster" ( The Thing ) was similarly enduring the effects of a dangerous experiment, midway through one of Reed Richards' periodic attempts to cure him.

Being one of my first ever comics, FF 106 left a lifetime-lasting effect on my eager imagination. While not a "classic" by most people's reckoning it still contains some great Stan Lee dialogue

( "As a scientist you're the tops, Rambow! But as a liar... you're a washout, hear? I can see right thru you!" ) as well as some indelible images: the Invisible Girl desperately trying to contain the "monster" in her force field; the Human Torch absorbing all the heat from the Baxter Building then blazing through the sky to release it in a Nova burst; the Thing in cryogenic suspension, unable to help his team-mates. All good, melodramatic fun.

Meanwhile, Marvel were also publishing double-sized 25 cent "Specials", showcasing classic reprints from the beginning of the Silver Age.

The Avengers were battling Baron Zemo's Masters Of Evil, who really didn't seem capable of holding their own against our heroes, as well as the bizarre threat of the subterranean Lava Men, who were intent on pushing a deadly, sonic-wave-creating "living stone" up through the Earth's crust and somehow destroying humanity. Hmmm. Like a lot of Silver Age stories it didn't make much sense but it was exciting, goofy and dynamically illustrated by King Kirby.

Marvel's Prince Namor of Atlantis was also hitting the reprint trail in Sub-Mariner Special no. 1.


This was a re-presenting of Namor's first solo tales ( fish tails? ) from Tales To Astonish. The permanently pissed-off, arrogant undersea monarch returns to Atlantis from one of his frequent adventures in the surface world, only to find his people have deposed him in his absence and replaced him with Warlord Krang. Honestly, would you appoint a military commander with a name like "Krang"? He's sure to be trouble.

Namor sets out on a quest to find Neptune's Trident which will ensure his royal credentials, encountering en route a giant squid, the dreaded Faceless Ones, a Seaweed Man and many more sub-aquatic menaces. Oh, and the lovely Lady Dorma who looks absolutely gorgeous as depicted by Gene Colan and the much-maligned Vince Coletta.

Over at DC, we find more reprints in the shape, or shapes, of Plastic Man. And if Silver Age Marvel can seem goofy at times, then Golden Age DC is positively mental. The stretcheable sleuth tangles with gangsters, admen and soothsayers, all the while contorting himself into the most ludicrous shapes thrown up by the crazed imagination of Jack Cole. Even though it's all very light-hearted I found some of Plas's shape-changing disturbing as a kid

( I was only about 4 or 5! ), especially the origin scenes where he's splashed by acid and then finds he can stretch his face into any shape. ( That image actually popped up in a very vivid childhood nightmare. Maybe Dr. Wertham was right after all! )

Of course, you can't visit the DC universe without stopping off for some sight-seeing in Metropolis. Unfortunately for Superman, that's exactly what the "Electronic Ghost" does in Superman no. 244, causing chaos at Clark Kent's workplace, Galaxy Broadcasting. ( Yep, that's GBS not CBS... )

Again, this story is no classic but is a perfect example of that era's premier Super-art team, Curt Swan and Murphy Anderson, or "Swanderson" as they were sometimes known. There have been countless different iterations of Supes over the decades but, personally, when I think of the Man Of Tomorrow, it's their version I see.

While the glory days of Carmine Infantino's Flash artwork were over by this point, The Flash no. 204 is still a fine DC Silver Age comic... and check out those groovy fashions on the cover, baby!

World's Finest no. 201 kicks off with one of my favourite covers of the period which is typical of DC's "high concept" approach to grabbing the reader. Upon first glance the astute comic reader is asking him/herself questions: why are our two heroes fighting? Why is Doctor Fate playing referee? Why has this story been kept secret until now?

Naturally, the story doesn't quite deliver on the promise of the cover. The art by Dick Dillin is functional and clear as you'd expect from an old pro, but hardly sensational. The story heads down some vaguely psychedelic pathways as each hero has his mind messed with by the villain( Felix Faust masquerading as Doc Fate ) but the resolution is dull. However, you do get to see Superman being spanked (!) by a giant, imaginary projection of his long-lost father, Jor-El.

Which is nice...

I'll leave you with some Kosmic Kirby Kreations from the pages of Superman's Best Friend, Jimmy Olsen. After jumping ship from Marvel, The King took over this ailing title and injected his own brand of mad concepts, nostalgia and action. Although short-lived it was a hell of a ride, and the concepts and characters such as The ( Cadmus ) Project, the DNAliens and the revamped Newsboy Legion still crop up in the DCU today.

( I am cheating slightly here, as these Jimmy Olsen pages, like the Superman page above, are actually nicked from obscure corners of t'internet. All others in this post - the tatty-looking ones - are scans from my collection. )