Kung Fu Soccer Teaser, My Thoughts

In 2001, the Hong Kong film Shaolin Soccer was released. Starring, co-written, and directed by Stephen Chow, the film told the tale of a group of Shaolin monks who must bring their kung fu skills to the soccer pitch. The film was Stephen Chow's international breakout, and it has been regarded as a cult classic. I myself have seen the film, and it's pretty darn good. And now after over 25 years, we're getting the spiritual sequel: Kung Fu Soccer! This film tells the tale of a women's soccer team as they fight to win a tournament! Let's look at the trailer!

Whoa, she kicked that ball so hard, it got people singing!

That lady nearly killed that bird!

Whoever kicked that ball needs more practice! They nearly knocked a whole passenger plane out of the sky! You want that on your conscience, pal?!

Well, I can safely say that I will enjoy this movie. I really liked Shaolin Soccer, so I can see this one being just as enjoyable. Considering it's Stephen Chow, I'm expecting some hilarity and heart! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Supergirl #2 (October 1996)

The last time the Maid of Might graced this blog in a solo book was just last April with my look at Supergirl #18 (April 1984). But that version of Supergirl is not the focus of this week, review. In fact, this version of Supergirl is arguably one of the least famous incarnations of the character: Linda Danvers. This version of Supergirl was born back in Supergirl #1 (September 1996), born from the merger of a dying woman named Linda Danvers and the protoplasmic lifeform known as Matrix, who was active as Supergirl at the time. This left the newly combined being with fragmented memories of Linda's life. So, where do we go from here? Let's find out in Supergirl #2! 

The cover is a Gary Frank piece. It's really cool. It's alike a horror movie poster, depicting Linda/Mae trying to fight a massive cat-like demon. This would make one heck of a movie.

"Cat's Paw"
Writer: Peter David
Penciler: Gary Frank
Inker: Cam Smith
Colorists: Gene D'Angelo, Digital Chameleon
Letterer: Patricia Prentice
Editor: Chris Duffy
Executive Editor: Gary Frank

The story begins with the newly combined form of Linda Danvers and the Matrix Supergirl, aka Mae Kent, looking through Linda's old photos, trying to piece together the person they once were. Mae has sensations when she looks at these photos. One photo in particular that get sensations going is one of her and Buzz, the man who tried to kill Linda. 

"Linda realized that she accidentally mismatched her underwear that day."

She's disgusted but at the same time, her skin tingles with desire. Mae realizes that this is the man who knifed Linda. However, she gets interrupted by Mattie Harcourt, who comes into the room with her parents: Fred and Sylvia Danvers. And they are actually pretty happy to see that "Linda" is seemingly alive and well.

"Did you get that thing we sent you?"

They wonder why she was hiding in a closet, and she gives an excuse that she got spooked by the noise. They buy it. After all, from their perspective, Linda survived something very harrowing. It's natural that she'd have some form of scarring and trauma from that whole thing. 

As this is going down, Cutter Sharp witnesses a member of Buzz's cult seemingly kidnapping a child. He follows, muttering there's never a cop around when you need one. He ain't wrong.

Fred tries to convince her to get checked out. After all, "Linda" has no memories of what happened in that warehouse, and it could be a sign of a physical problem. Remember, he is unaware the "Linda" he's talking to is an amalgamation of Linda and Matrix. She tries to convince everyone she is fine, until she sees a giant hand reaching for her. 

"I'M TELLING YOU! I DON'T HAVE YOUR PANTS!"

Her parents think "Linda" is hallucinating. The demonic hand passes through Mae, unable to touch her. This is the hand of the demon Chakat. And he's not a happy camper. He's especially angry at Buzz, as the blond sociopath said Linda's blood would help him fully appear in the material plane. Yet, he still can't touch anything! He still cannot interact with the material plane. Come on, Buzz! That demon wants to go to Vegas! He wants to play some blackjack, see the sights! Be a bro!

Chakat would punish Buzz for this...somehow, but something's got him spooked. The demon claims that he must hide, as "they" are coming closer. Buzz has to hurry. Luckily for him, he spots Cutter, who is pursing the van he spotted earlier. The reporter ends up being surrounded by other vans, and Buzz introduces himself. 

We next look in on a local hospital. Evidently Linda had agreed to get checked out after all. And the doctor thinks she's perfectly fine.

There's no sign of concussion or anything like that. However, there's also no scar from an appendectomy she had four years earlier. Linda was also shot in a mugging last year. There's no physical sign of that, either. Heck, Linda's eyes had changed colors as well. Last issue established that Linda originally had brown eyes, but thanks to the merger with the Matrix Supergirl, they're now blue. The doctor isn't sure what exactly caused all those scars to vanish, but he attributes the eye color change to stress. Yeah, I don't know if that's an actual thing. 

As the doctor and "Linda"'s family talk, Mae herself ponders her current state. Basically, the merger has left the new combined being with some of Linda's looks and fragmented memories. She feels a great amount of love for this family, but at the same time, they are strangers to her. It's here she gets a visit. 

"Hey there, champ! Still on for that human sacrifice next week?"

Yup, Buzz is here. He clearly has some sorcerous power that allows him to pull it off. She insists he's not here, but in a way, he is. He wants to help clear up some of Linda's confusion as to who he is...and what Linda was all about.

Remember the photo of Linda and Buzz from the beginning? Well, Mae now knows how it was taken. Buzz had a camera in hand, asking Linda how she felt. The young woman admitted that she felt a rush.

Buzz hands the camera to a dwarf buddy of his named Humbert, wanting to immortalize this moment on film. He asks Linda to take off her shirt and embrace him. The dwarf takes the photo. So, why did Linda feel a rush? Well, turns out lying nearby...was a corpse with several knives in its back. Yup. Linda helped Buzz kill someone. 

Buzz taunts Mae, revealing that he not only knows she's Supergirl, he also knows that she wanted a soul. Now thanks to the merging with Linda, she's got one. A soul blackened and stained with innocent blood. A soul that happily embraced Buzz's evil. A freaked-out Mae flies out in her Supergirl form, screaming at Buzz to get out of her head. 

Buzz tells her he had fun seducing Linda into his little Chaos Cult, but doing it to Supergirl? Now that will be a true challenge. 

Mae screams that this was Buzz's fault, that Linda wasn't in control. However, Buzz points out she was. And he's...not wrong about that. It is true that Buzz is an evil son of a gun, but again...he's not wrong. Based on what we've seen, he didn't force Linda to follow him. He didn't make Linda help him put knives in that person's back. She willingly went along with it and enjoyed it. She even outright said she got a rush from it. So, yeah. Things are a bit more complicated than Mae thinks. Buzz calls for her. She follows, if only because she wants to put a fist down the punk's throat.

The trail leads to a closed movie theater, where Humbert has stabbed Cutter in front of a projection of the demon Chakat shown to a cheering crowd.

Cutter realized Humbert was not going to help with his appendicitis.

Supergirl bursts in, and Chakat emerges from the screen, much to her horror. Yes, Cutter's blood was what allowed Chakat to finally enter this plane.

She may not have been able to stop Chakat from crossing over, so that means it's time to hand the demon a beating. She goes right up into the demon's face, knocking him back into his own realm, taking her with him as well. She struggles against Chakat, demanding he stay away from Earth. Chakat mocks her by pointing out that Earth's already been invaded. It's been that way for centuries. His people are already there, they're just waiting for him, so they can stay away from other beings that have been pursuing them.

As he talks, Supergirl is able to break his sword, and cut into his shoulder. Outside, Buzz spots some cops outside. He plays the innocent bystander, telling them he thinks a murder is being committed in there. They agree to check it out, much to Buzz's delight. 

Chakat taunts that Supergirl can't defeat him. Only one problem with that. She wasn't trying to do beat him. She had heard Chakat when he said he was being pursued. Remember when she cut the demon's shoulder? She figured that the blood spilled from it was as signal to his pursuers. Her gamble ends up royally paying off, as a pair of large demons with pitbull heads show up. Not the rapper, actual pitbulls, the dogs. In particular, they appear to resemble American Bullies.

These big dog demons tell Chakat the chase is over, as they have finally found him. Chakat screams for Mae to save him, but she's like "Nah", and flies off. She goes through the portal to Earth, grabs Cutter, and flies off as the building explodes.

That theatre went up real good. You know the city's going to want to put up apartment buildings in its place.

Later, Supergirl watches over Cutter in the hospital. She thinks about Buzz's words. As much as she hates to admit it, Buzz was right. Linda Danvers was not a good person. The darkness was already in her. All Buzz did was exploit it. However, maybe the merging between Mae and Linda was meant to happen as a way to redeem her. A way to save her for a higher purpose. And Mae intends to find out what that higher purpose is. 

A crowd gathers around the destroyed old theater. One lady remarks that this town seems to be going straight to Hell. Buzz walks by and tells her it's not the case. The town is not going straight to Hell. After all, there are some detours planned, and isn't half the fun of going to Hell the journey?

This issue is pretty good. It helped set up what would be a couple of the themes of Peter David's Supergirl run, mainly ones of religion, faith, and redemption. Angels and demons would become part of this series, as a way to make her stand out from the pre-Crisis Supergirl. The story is not perfect, but that does not mean it's enjoyable. One of my favorite parts of the story is the revelation that this version of Linda Danvers was not a good person. It's a very good and intriguing twist and helps set up Mae's future adventures trying to not get Linda redeemed but also find out why Linda should be redeemed. I mean, the DC Universe has its fair share of people who are rotten to the core, so what makes Linda so special? Also, it will be neat seeing Mae try to connect with Linda's friends and family. 

I admit, I think Buzz was a bit overly obvious as a villain. However, rereading the story, I think it does make a bit of sense. I got the idea that Buzz revels in his dark nature because he believes he is unstoppable. He thinks he's untouchable, so yeah. Of course he's going to revel in his evil nature. 

I'm more familiar with Gary Frank's art in Superman and the Legion of Super-Heroes, and it looks so different here. I think that may be due to style evolution and different inkers. His work is really good here. It has a clean, almost Silver Age-like quality, which helps juxtapose against the brutality of Buzz. I love his rendition of Buzz. You can see the evil and madness in him.

If you want to read this story for yourself, I recommend tracking down the 2016 trade paperback Supergirl by Peter David, Book One. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

Fourth of July Captain America Reading List

Since today is the Fourth of July, I thought I'd give out a list of my reviews of Captain America's adventures over the years. After all, what better time to enjoy the trials and tribulations of the Star-Spangled Avenger, huh?

 

Captain America #1 (January 2005) - The beginning of the Winter Soldier storyline, revealing one of the most shocking retcons in Marvel history: after decades of being seemingly dead, James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes was not only alive, but he had also seemingly broke bad. However, things were not quite what they seemed.

Captain America #20 (August 1999) - During Mark Waid and Andy Kubert's run on the book, Steve had experienced a couple of shakeups. One was that his mighty shield, thought to be completely indestructible, had shattered like glass. Another was that an old flame long thought dead had also been alive. Huh, bit of foreshadowing for Winter Soldier. And as things go, Steve's broken shield was a sign of a bigger crisis.

Captain America #398 (March 1992) - The events of Operation: Galactic Storm (a criminally underrated crossover, if you ask me) hit Earth as our man Steve Rogers ends up battling the alien robotic enforcer pair known as Warstar.

Truth: Red, White, and Black #1 (January 2003) - The success of Captain America would inspire others in the Marvel Universe to create their own supersoldiers. The United States was no exception. One attempt involved a man named Isaiah Bradley.

Tales of Suspense #80 (August 1966) - A sample of Marvel's swingin' Sixties Silver Age, this tale told of how the Red Skull first obtained an item that he would be associated with for many years in the comics afterward: the Cosmic Cube. The Cube is a device that uses cosmic energies to alter reality based on the whims of the user. And our man Cap has to stop the evil Skull from getting his fascist paws on it.

Captain America #357 (Early September 1989), Captain America #358 (Late September 1989) - These two comics are part of another underrated Cap story, The Bloodstone Hunt. This storyline was Captain America paying tribute to pulp adventure stories in the vein of Indiana Jones. Makes sense, as The Last Crusade came out in 1989.

Captain America #107 (November 1968) - Captain America may be a supersoldier, but even he is only human. Even he can struggle with nightmares and regrets. Which is what he deals with here, and of course, he ends up dealing with the evil psychologist known as Doctor Faustus.

Captain America Annual #13 (1994) - A mighty flashback tale from Roy Thomas and Arvell Jones, this annual tells the tale of the Red Skull attempting to grab a strongbox that he believed contained a weapon to dominate the world. This tale is set predominantly in the 40s and 50s, and weaves in pre-established comic continuity. I love this story. 

Captain America #332 (August 1987), Captain America #333 (September 1987), Captain America #341 (May 1988) - In the 1980s, Mark Gruenwald was penning Cap's book, and it was under him we'd get the epic saga Captain America No More. Basically, the government wants Rogers to operate under their thumb, and Rogers refuses. He felt that Captain America should not be used as a tool or a stooge. He made it more than that. Rather than compromise his principles, he hands in his costume and shield. He continues operating as "The Captain", while former Super-Patriot and future USAgent John Walker takes up the mantle of Captain America...and being Cap turns out to be tougher than he thought. 

Captain America #300 (December 1984) - All feuds have an end. And this comic promised the final battle between Captain America and the original Red Skull. The two would battle again in the future, but this was one heck of a fight, including an epic retelling of the Skull's origins. 

Captain America and the Falcon #175 (July 1974) - The climax of the original Secret Empire storyline created in response to Watergate, this storyline caused Rogers' faith in the American government to be shaken for a while, even giving up the identity of Captain America for a time. 

Captain America #255 (March 1981) - Part of the short but spectacular Roger Stern/John Byrne run on Cap's book in the early 80s, this comic is a retelling of Steve Rogers' origins and how he came to be Captain America. I can imagine The First Avenger took inspiration from this comic.

And that's a list of fun Cap stories to read! While it's not a complete list of his stories I looked at, these represent some of my favorite eras of the book. Who knows, maybe they'll make you a fan as well! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time, and have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Fourth of July

Happy Fourth of July, everyone!

For those not in the know, the Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, is essentially America's birthday. On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, which was their stating that the Thirteen Colonies, which would become America's first 13 states, were breaking off from Great Britain. Congress would make it a federal holiday in 1938.

The holiday is traditionally celebrated with parades, barbecues, baseball games, concerts, and carnivals. And at night, beautiful displays of fireworks are shown all over the country, from major cities to small towns. All for saying "Happy Birthday" to the nation. This Fourth of July is special as 2026 celebrates the 250th birthday of the United States!
 
I hope you all enjoy this day! Enjoy the hot dogs and the parades, and don't forget to watch the fireworks! And most importantly, be safe. Thank you for reading this blog entry! I you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!

World Meerkat Day

 Today is World Meerkat Day!

If you're like me, you may have first heard of meerkats from the 1994 Disney animated film The Lion King. The character of Timon is a meerkat. But what is a meerkat, exactly? Well, contrary to what their name suggests, they are not cats. They are not remotely related to felines at all. Meerkats are actually a species of mongoose. 

Meerkats are native to southern Africa. They make their homes in rocky crevices, but they're mainly known for living in plains, where they dig systems of tunnels that they can retreat to for protection from predators (like tawny eagles and black-backed jackals) and harsher weather.

Meerkats are very social animals. They're "people people"...or is that "animal animals" in this case? Anyway, meerkats form packs that can consist of as many as 30 members. Members take turns taking care of the kids and watching out for predators. Older meerkats often get higher "ranks" in the pack. Packs can be pretty violent to each other. 

Meerkats mainly eat insects, but they have also been known to enjoy eggs, scorpions (scorpion venom is useless against the meerkat), small birds and mammals, and even plants and seeds. I can imagine a meerkat on Iron Chef would make some...interesting recipes. They aren't the type to chase after prey, often finding food by digging and turning up rocks.

Meerkats can breed all year, but they mostly do it during months of heavy rainfall. Meerkat gestation periods are around 60-70 days, and they can birth between three to seven pups a litter. How many litters of pups a female meerkat has often depends on if she is the dominant female in the pack or not. Dominant females can have up to four litters a year. 

Meerkats aren't considered especially endangered, but the effects of climate change can have negative impacts on packs, increasing temperatures and less rainfall harming pack growth. 

Yes, meerkats are fascinating animals. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves, and each other! See you next time!

Happy 40th Anniversary, Great Mouse Detective!

This day is a special one for me. You see, today celebrates the 40th Anniversary of one of my favorite movies in the Disney Animated Canon, Movie #26: The Great Mouse Detective!

It was on this day that the film was released. Set in 1897 London, it was based on the Basil of Baker Street children's books written by the late American author Eve Titus and illustrated by the late Hungarian illustrator Paul Galdone. The film told the tale of the brilliant detective Basil of Baker Street (Barrie Ingham), and his crimefighting compatriot Maj. David Q. Dawson (Val Bettin) as they help find the kidnapped toymaker father of a young mouse girl named Olivia Flaversham (Susanne Pollatchek) from the evil criminal rat known as Ratigan (Vincent Price). The film also uses archival audio of the late Basil Rathbone to give a cameo to Sherlock Holmes.

In the mid-1980s, Walt Disney Animation was in trouble. After the critical and commercial failure of the 1985 film The Black Cauldron, the higher-ups were seriously considering closing down the studio. The decision was further spurred by the company wanting to expand and concentrate on other endeavors, including theme parks and live-action projects. It started out as an alternative project thanks to the animators' displeasure with the direction Cauldron was going in. 

The film was originally intended to be budgeted for $24 million and released on Christmas 1987, but Disney CEO Michael Eisner slashed the budget down to $10-14 million (sources differ) and pushed up the release date to July 1986, leaving the production team only one year to complete the movie. Eisner had also called for the film to be renamed The Great Mouse Detective (its original title was Basil of Baker Street) in response to the underperformance of Young Sherlock Holmes, fearing the original title was "too English". The genius of executives, folks.

The rename was not popular with the production crew. Alongside The Black Cauldron, this film was one of the first Disney animated films to use CGI (both films were being made at the same time). It was the first project directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, who would both go on to work together on other films, most notably The Little Mermaid.

Despite all of the obstacles, the film was given critical praise and was a box office hit, making around $50 million in the USA and overseas. While it was not the highest-grossing animated film that year (it was outperformed by An American Tail), it did convince Disney their animation studio was still viable, paving the way for the Disney Renaissance. 

Sadly, despite its role saving the studio, this film has become rather forgotten. And I think that's a shame. I think personally that it's because it's not what people think of when they think of a Disney animated movie: there's no Princess, it's not based on a fairy tale. It's a detective story. And that's what I love about it. Growing up, it felt like it was a movie a boy could enjoy. As I grew older, I really grew to appreciate the film's story and how it was made. I still love it in my 40s as much as I did as a kid. It's available on Disney+, if you want to view it. You'll have a good time, I guarantee it. Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!  

Canada Day

 Happy Canada Day to all my Canadian readers!

To all my non-Canadian readers, you may be asking what Canada Day is. Well, in a way, it's the birthday of modern Canada. On this day in 1867, the confederation of Canada occurred. What this basically means is that the passing of the British North America Act (1867) the British colonies of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and the United Canadas were combined into a Dominion of Canada. This essentially made Canada into a self-governing country while still a part of the British Empire. 

Before 1982, this day was called Dominion Day. In that year, the Canada Act was passed, giving the country full sovereignty. Canada Day is a federal holiday in the country. Much like July 4 here in the USA, Canada Day is celebrated by barbecues, parades, and fireworks.

Whether you hail from the Great White North or not, I hope you had a good day today! Thanks for reading this blog entry! If you liked it, show it off! Take care of yourselves and each other! If you like what I write and want to give this blog some additional support, please make a donation to my Ko-fi! See you next time!