Review for Captain America – The First Avenger.

Last night, my wife and I made it out to the Midnight showing of Captain America. Midnight shows have always been something kind of special for me, as you get the fans who are really into whatever the film you are about to see is about. No one in there just trying to kill a few hours or to not have to interact with their shrieking offspring for a few hours, just... fans. It is different going to one of these when unemployed. You don't have to worry about how the late night out will affect you at work the next day, and you've probably gotten into the habit of staying up too late already. At this stage of the game, if I can manage it, I'll try to see all my movies as Midnight showings. More respectful audience and I can go out at my leisure? Yes, please. But what about the film itself?

There were a lot of ways they could have gone with this, and I
respect the choices made to bring this to the big screen.

Marvel faced a unique set of challenges in the making of Captain America: The First Avenger. Set in front of them was the task of doing an origin story for a character set in World War 2, giving that character his due as a major superhero, and getting that same character from the 1940s to being ready to return for the Avengers Movie next year. Given that Cap has a 70 year history and his backstory has taken many crazy twists and turns in all those years, this is a tall order. All the other usual comic-book film challenges are present as well, incorporating a costume that might look great in a comic book (but ridiculous on-screen,) developing the main character without neglecting important secondary characters and villains, etc...

The brains behind this film knocked it out of the park. Not only did they hit the high points I list above, but they also managed to tighten up the connections between Captain America, Thor and Iron Man to set the stage. Let's be frank for a moment. There were changes made, though not many to Steve Rogers, his origin, and the essence of the character. Most of the significant changes were made to explain or justify elements that, had they been 100% true to the comics, would have taken hours of exposition to explain minor points or would have looked like nonsense and disrupted the flow of the story. Most of the significant changes were in Captain America's specific actions in the war, and in the motivations and background of The Red Skull.

Instead of ignoring Cap's origin as a pulp-action bit of WWII propaganda, the film
embraces it, reframes it and makes you care about the character because of it.

In the comics, both Cap himself and the Red Skull had a whole lot more to do with the war and the fight against Nazi Germany than their film counterparts. The Skull from the comics was personally trained by Hitler, and remained one of his top agents throughout the war, and Cap regularly fought on the front lines, with nazis as his stock enemy. In the film, the Red Skull is still, of course, a nazi in terms of origins, but he breaks away from Hitler in favor of allegiance to HYDRA, which he leads in pursuit of using super-science to conquer the world and destroy his enemies. The shift in focus from Cap fighting Nazis to fighting HYDRA troopers keeps the story on-task. (If I need to pick nits at this stage, I could complain that the "Hail HYDRA" salute looks a little silly.) This is a story with a lot of respect for the original material, but one that can't sacrifice telling a comprehensible story to comic-book accuracy.

Those original 1940s comics, with Captain America as propaganda tool punching out Hitler and with the kite shield rather than his now-iconic Vibranium round shield are paid homage to in a clever and unexpected way that also explains the costume in a world that is otherwise gritty 1940s pulp. The transition from “war movie” to “superhero movie” is aided by the Red Skull and Arnim Zola (played by Toby Jones, perfectly cast as the version of the Nazi scientist before he started impanting himself into android bodies with a big face in the chest.) The origins of HYDRA are linked to the Red Skull's obsession with the occult and how it can be bent to evil scientific ways. The source of the Skull's superweaponry is The Tessaract, a piece stolen, according to legend, from Odin's treasure room, which ties in nicely with THOR.

Zola and the Skull years after the war. I was geeking out over how well they handled Zola without
going too far and showing him in his final supervillain form.

The supporting cast manages to work in not only “Bucky” Barnes, who is a necessary component in a story about Captain America, but also some of the top characters from other WWII-era Marvel titles and a link back to Iron Man. The presence of Stark Industries as a military weapons contractor fits with what we know from the Iron Man films. Tony Stark's grandfather is an important character whose presence is only natural in a science-based program in the war effort. I was more impressed with how neatly many of the iconic members of the Howling Commandoes were worked in, in particular Dum Dum Dugan, Jim Morita, Gabriel Jones and Montgomery Falsworth. Though in the comic universe these characters were led by Nick Fury, their placement in the film does the characters justice and they get to be heroes on-screen in a support role to what could have been a one-man show.

All of the characters from this era who, in the Marvel continuity, survive from the 1940s to the present day are handled neatly in a “for this story, their role is complete, but you didn't see a body now, did you?” manner. The film opens telling us that the classic method of getting Steve Rogers from hero of the past into the present is maintained with him, and his shield, encased in ice. By the end of this movie, Cap's own story has been told and all of the pieces are in place to properly launch The Avengers as a single film, and if the story told there is as well done as the work on Iron Man, THOR and Captain America... hopefully a series of movies. I know I'll be lined up to see Joss Whedon's take on bringing all these characters from their own movies into a superteam ensemble... most likely, at Midnight.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Blog Gadgets

Superman Renounces US Citizenship and Other Political Moments in Comics

I wrote not so very long ago that I don't particularly care for discussing politics (and religion) online. That statement needs a little clarification. I don't like debating about, or putting my personal political philosophy out there for public reactions. Refusing to talk about politics at all while commenting on any kind of culture, even geek culture, would be like covering my eyes and ears and pretending it doesn't exist. If I did that, I don't think I could approach any subject that crosses over into real-world issues in games, movies... or comics.

Now we get to the heart of the matter. What has me thinking about politics in geek culture and frantically insulating myself against accusations of hypocrisy? Action Comics #900. Even if at heart, I'm a Marvel fanboy, a story like this from DC can't escape my attention. It makes for a great headline: “Superman Renounces United States Citizenship.” I'll get back to that, specifically in a bit, but this sort of story in superhero comic books has been increasingly more common these last few years. American media is becoming increasingly polarized, with extreme viewpoints politically to both the left and right projected as the norm, even if most people see themselves as “moderate”. Comics are a form of media that has not proven itself immune to this effect.

Expect this guy in the news Real Soon Now.

When a reader encounters politics in comic books, it is likely to manifest with comic characters interacting with political issues in their own stories, political figures represented in comic book form, or a combination of the two. Though there's been a lot more of this recently, this isn't really a new phenomenon. All the way back to the 1940s we had Captain America punching out Adolf Hitler. It might be fair to say that in times where the culture is politically charged and propaganda is a useful tool, these elements are a lot more likely to turn up in comic books.

More than a few comics have stories based on real world issues. Political issues have turned up frequently in the X-Men which tackles the stories of mutant superheroes head-on as a discussion about race relations and civil rights in America, sometimes subtly, other times... not so much. Batman has dealt with privacy and surveillance issues in the “Brother Eye/OMAC” plotline that had Batman's own spy satellite turned on heroes as a means to track and wipe them out, culminating in Wonder Woman snapping the neck of the villain responsible for it... and the footage of the “murder” broadcast round the world. Captain America and Iron Man found themselves on opposite sides of Marvel's Civil War, with the government requiring heroes to unmask or register by law, and some fighting back by going underground. This story famously ended with the assassination of Captain America by sniper's bullet after turning himself in.

Don't worry, he got better.

In a different light, American political figures have been cast as comic book characters in several ways. In the 2008 presidential election, comic books were released for both John McCain and Barack Obama, discussing their lives in mostly non-partisan ways. Since Obama's election, he's turned up in multiple comic books, most notably on the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #583 as the focus of the story “Spidey meets the President.” Sarah Palin, McCain's running mate and former Governor of Alaska has been in many, many comic books as herself, as a zombie, and perhaps most unusually... as a steampunk hero fighting against the evils of Big Oil.

I totally didn't make that last bit up.

The news about Action Comics #900 breaks at a time where social issues and politics are a normal part of major comic storylines. “Fear Itself” promised to touch on real problems and the role of comics and the politics of their creators has been a frequent news item. Superman is something else. He was born on Krypton, but raised in Smallville, and his motto has been to fight for “Truth, Justice and the American Way.” This aspect of his character had a future Superman re-imagined as a tool and puppet for a corrupt dark future American Government in Frank Miller's “The Dark Knight Returns.” The current situation stems from the story “Grounded”, where Superman decides to walk across America, thinking about what he does and whether he's making any difference at all. He's been disillusioned by the US Government's anger when he appears in Tehran to non-violently support protesters there, and his presence is considered by Iran as an Act of War by the US.

I wonder what Perry White would have to say about this. Probably "Great Caesar's Ghost!"

Fans of comics have had decidedly mixed feelings on these sorts of stories. There has been criticism of comic books as a medium in the past as stagnant. Superhero comics marketed toward a fanbase that has grown up and who want mostly more of the same proved profitable. This led to nothing else being released, little innovation and no effort being made to reach out to new potential fans. The long-term consequences to the medium of this short-term profitable strategy changed comics, and many think the changes weren't for the better. Telling new sorts of stories publishers are trying to remain relevant by telling “not the stories that comics want, but the stories comics need.” Fans criticize the current trend with the argument that comics are escapist entertainment, and injecting real-world issues into them diminishes their power in that role.

What do you think?

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Blog Gadgets

All We Have to Fear...

 So, I talked a bit last week about C2E2. One of the more exciting things out of it was some of the details on this year's big crossover event. Yeah, I know. Marvel said they weren't doing those anymore, and frequently any major changes as a result of these things is retconned out of existence within a year or two. I know these things, but the little kid in me that read the original Secret Wars back in 1984 just doesn't give a good god-damn, so these events always get me excited about comics again.

This year, the big thing in Marvel is 'Fear Itself', which focuses, to no one's surprise, on the typically popular heroes in Marvel's bullpen, and highlights the characters with movies opening in the next year or so. This event is cast in the same mold as Civil War, where real-world concerns and yes, fears will be confronted by superheroes, and we'll get to see how having superpowers makes these fears worse, or better.

Picking which one of these to add to the article was tough, I recommend Googling the rest.

Early teaser images focus on two different themes, “Do you fear?” which shows some of the mightiest heroes confronting their own personal demons, and “Who Are The Worthy?” which has various Marvel heroes and villains struggling with each other to reach for these mystical hammers, which will feature heavily into the event. I like both of these campaigns to promote the books, and I'm especially fond of seeing some of the Marvel “B-list” characters right there in the fight with the big names. Marvel's version of Dracula, Grey Gargoyle, and Absorbing Man are right there in the fight... and it looks like one of those three will be a huge featured player.

The “Prologue” to the event is out, and I've read it and enjoyed it a whole lot. Fear Itself: Book of the Skull gives us a look back into a classic World War 2 Captain America/Red Skull story, and lays the groundwork for how the Red Skull's past affects the current events in the Marvel Universe. I've personally always liked the Skull a LOT, he's right behind Dr. Doom as my favorite villain in the Marvel Universe, and way back in the day, I owned the Dr. Doom/Red Skull Super Villain Team-up comic.

Much as I like him, this image is more badass than anything I can remember Red Skull ever doing.

Seeing Red Skull get his due as a major villain again after many years of mistreatment is really, really cool to me. Re-imagined from “ultimate Nazi mastermind” to Communist and later, common criminal gave Skully a few bad years there, but he's back, after a fashion, and his daughter Sin is one of the major villains of the piece, at least until we see the direct influence of who or what-ever the God of Fear turns out to be.

It looks like we're going to see fears from the mundane “state of the world today” variety to “what have I done, or might I do with my powers”, and I look forward to both. I'm sure that there will be criticism from political pundits, just like there was for Civil War, about the manner in which Global Events and their associated politics are presented, but this is to be expected. People's opinions are divided and polarized, and not even comics will be safe from those who want to throw out accusations and arguments.

...and then, there's Deadpool's take on the whole "hammers" thing.

So we've got a story with modern politics/current events, magic hammers a la Thor, The Red Skull and the God of Fear and a massive crossover with characters from all over the Marvel Universe fighting their fears both literally and figuratively. I am so in.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Blog Gadgets

Avengers Assemble! - Marvel Comics' Huge Movie Crossover

 One of the core questions I asked in my Geek Wars post was concerning the great comic book debate was: Marvel or DC? (Yes, I know hardcore geeks will argue that we get better stuff from smaller studios, and on some level I agree.. but I'm not a frakkin' geek-hipster. To most of the world, there's only the Big Two.)

Personally, I've always held strong feelings on this subject. Though the best 4-5 DC Comics characters are my flat-out favorite superheroes (c'mon... BATMAN) if I had to choose an allegiance to one comics book universe over the other, I'm a Marvel fanboy. The sheer number of interesting characters featured in Marvel's comics outweighs the few interesting members of DC's Justice League, for my tastes.

Make Mine Marvel. Excelsior! Yeah... I'm a dork.

This brings me to the Avengers Movie project. Marvel has done a pretty good job in putting the characters in its back catalogue on the big screen these last few years. Not all of the movies have been good, but fan response has taught them a few things. Namely, the more faithful you are to an original property, the better the fan response will be. Since the successful reboot of the Hulk movie franchise and the wild blockbuster that Iron Man turned out to be, Marvel put together a crazy dream. At least it is the sort of dream that geeks like me might have.

What if Marvel's biggest non-mutant superteam got its own movie? The first concern, of course, is that quite a few members of the Avengers have their own solo titles, deep backstories and rich character histories... to put them up on-screen as bit parts in an ensemble piece would do them a grave injustice, as far as fans are concerned. No problem, says Marvel. We'll do individual movies for each of the best characters in The Avengers, lay the crossover angle on thick, then bring all those characters together like a 1960s Supergroup and make the movie that ties them all together.

Better than Cream... but no Clapton.

Did I mention Joss Whedon was directing?

Before I crumble under the weight of a massive nerdgasm, there's a little bit of a reality check. Marvel purists will note that some of the characters are getting unusual rewrites, especially certain elements of Thor, which releases this year. Also, some elements have been taken from the Marvel Ultimates universe, which a lot of old-school comic geeks despise as an unnecessary pandering to the “X-treme” new generation... but since Ultimate Nick Fury was based on Samuel L. Jackson, I'd give that one a pass. Also, Edward Norton won't be coming back on as Bruce Banner after negotiations with the studio broke down.

Remaining films this year in the Avengers Project are the previously mentioned Thor, and then Captain America: The First Avenger. I'll likely do individual articles on each of these once I've seen them for myself, but some of what I've seen so far is at least encouraging.

Aside from Dr. Doom (who Hollywood did wrong by), one of my very favorite Marvel villains.

The studios claim that they've been listening, that they know how to hit the sweet spot between satisfying us hardcore geeks, and the blockbuster-hungry general moviegoing public. I've heard it before and been let down...(Ghost Rider... damn you Nicolas Cage) but this time around... I want to believe.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 

Blog Gadgets