Donald Duck Does Inception, Vampires Bite X-Men, And the Mandarin Biopic

I’m waiting to be impressed.  I’ve reached that age, where I’ve pretty much seen everything and nothing is blowing my skirt up anymore.  Case in point, Inception.  Sure it was visually stunning and it kept me interested for two hours but– it seemed familiar.

Maybe if Leonardo DiCaprio hadn’t done Shutter Island earlier this year, since both films have him playing similar roles as an increasingly unhinged protagonist.  If Memento hadn’t been more interesting as a story.  If Ellen Page hadn’t been so quick to grasp the implications of Cobb’s secrets.  Maybe if the rumor that the movie was inspired by an old “Uncle Scrooge” comic book wasn’t out there.  Not that it matters but the idea of Donald Duck having to invade his uncle’s dreams is pretty funny.  And funnier still that Christopher Nolan could parlay that into almost $200 million in domestic box office.  But you can also point to 1980s films like Dreamscape and Brainstorm for similar themes.

That was my problem with Avatar.  It looked really pretty but I’d seen it before; evil corporation seeking to exploit a planet– Aliens anyone?  Avatar felt like an extended Final Fantasy cutscene that I got charged $16 to see with some funny glasses.  I’ve just seen way too many movies to be impressed.  Which is why I have so many foreign movies and documentaries in my Netflix queue these days.

Unfortunately, I’m feeling the same way about comic books now.  The retcons, the crossovers, etc have worn me out.  There were some glimmers of hope last month.

Great Read

Invincible Iron Man Annual #1

This story should have been called, All About The Mandarin.  We’re presented with a story that focuses on one of Iron Man’s most interesting foes.  In a creepy ripped from the headlines story, The Mandarin kidnaps a prominent director and his movie star wife, to enlist them in making a movie of his life (overlook the fact that those ten rings on his fingers make him an A-List villain– he still wants to see his name in lights). The same thing happened to South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and his wife, Choe Eun-hui.  They were kidnapped by North Korean leader, Kim Jong-il back in 1978.  Over the next two years Mr Shin made more than 20 films, many of them propaganda tales commissioned by Kim Jong-il.  While the couple was able to escape in 1986, the couple in the Iron Man story meets a less happy end.  What gets the book a thumbs up is the fact that Tony Stark doesn’t make an appearance in the book, its normal human beings trying to fight superpowered evil.

Fantastic Four #581

Finally a Hickman story that grabbed me.  I love his work on Secret Warriors, but I’ve been nonplussed by his Fantastic Four run.  But here we’ve got Nathaniel Richards jumping through time to enlist the aid of his college age son Reed along with a young Ben Grimm and Victor Von Doom.  The young guns are supposed to save Nathaniel from himself. All has not been revealed, because we’re treated to scene with Nathaniel talking to his adult grandchildren in the future, Franklin and Valeria.  The plot is definitely thickening.  If it doesn’t make sense to you, just think Dr. Who with an extended family and a big fight with alternate reality versions of the Doctor.

Good Read

X-Men Second Coming

As much as I rail against cross-over events.  This one actually seemed to deliver– even thought it sprawled over many months, many monthly titles and even more one-shot titles.  We got separate spotlights on Limbo, X-Club, and X-Factor.  A lot of mutants died.  The oddest death was Nightcrawler.  He teleported into Bastion’s hand trying to defend Hope Summers.  And then made the jump to Utopia.  They just left him on the ground and stared at him for a while, with that forearm sticking out of his chest. Finally someone threw a sheet over him. Sure it was a valiant way to die, but it just seemed like they could have done more for one of the most interesting X-Men of all time.  Then again maybe he’s not dead.  We just need to wait a year or so and the German Catholic blue furball with the pointy tail may reappear.

X-Men #1

Vampires.  We have bonafide vampires attacking our band of California based merry mutants.  Its not the first time and thankfully, the writers and editors are aware of that previous history.  So far we have an act of vampire terrorism in the form of a bio weapon bomb blast that promises to infect people in the blast radius with a lust for blood.  And the X-Men know who’s behind it because Wolverine starts griping that he can smell vampires.  Plus we have a house ad featuring Emma Frost as a vampire.  Yes!

Thor #611 & 612

Long story short, the Fall of Asgard has screwed up the placement of the Nine Worlds.  Hela lacks a place to put the Asgardian dead both the good (in Valhalla) and the bad (in Hel) so she cut a deal with Loki and Mephesto.  Mephesto is allowing Hela to sublet a region of his Hell so that she and her Asgardian dead have some place to call home.  Unfortunately, this real estate deal allows the D’isir, a band of cursed cannibalistic valkyrie, to attack Hela and her charges.  What’s a Norse goddess of Death to do?  She makes an appeal to the living Asgardains to send help.  We get a little Candyman action, when one of the Asgardians doubts the existence of the D’isir.

Disappointing Read

Return of Bruce Wayne #4

Still not sold on this one.  I know that its Grant Morrison, but I’m not loving it.  Bruce’s weird time tripping story reminds me too much of last year’s Captain America comeback.  I’m confused about the Wayne ancestors dirty dealings and the idea that there is some Order of the Bat. Also the Bells of Barbatos backstory just weakens the Batman mythology for me.  I like the idea that Bruce was inspired by the fear that bats create.  I don’t like the idea that cavemen settling near present day Gotham City were founders of some bat worship tribe and that all sorts of people are involved keeping some sacred secret that somehow makes Bruce the beneficiary.  Maybe once I read them all in one sitting this series will make more sense.