daredevil / punisher

i love the dynamic between daredevil and the punisher. because even though their methods are beliefs are different, there's still a sense of respect between the two of them. it brings to mind the prof x / magneto relationship. they can argue all they want about whose method is best, but at the end of the day they're still gonna play their chess match. or, in the case of daredevil and punisher, fight biker gangs together. i'm really interested to see the punisher's show, because i'm curious how well the punisher can really function without someone to balance him out. like, literally every comic i've read with the punisher was about him and spider-man, or him and daredevil, or him and spider-man and daredevil (he's not really one to make a lot of new friends...). without another superhero to rein him in, it seems as though he'd just be an emotionless killing machine... i guess we'll find out.

Book Review: Judge Dredd: Origins by John Wagner & Carlos Ezquerra w/ Kev Walker

“Judge Dredd: Origins” presents us with a fascinating dystopian future in which trial by jury has been replaced with a system in which judges seek out perpetrators and give them whatever sentencing they see fit. Through huge expositional sequences, we are given a history of how this system came to be. 

To me, one of the more interesting aspects of this story was Chief Justice Fargo and his role in this world. The entire expedition is in search of Chief Justice Fargo, someone thought to have been long dead by everyone except Judge Dredd. Even before we know much of what Fargo even did, we understand his importance to this world. The first town they meet, his birthplace, has rebranded itself in his honor, with the citizens following a strict justice system they believe would be given his approval. With such a devoted following, I was very interested to hear Dredd recount his history. 

Chief Justice Fargo created the judge system as a response to the lack of justice being carried out in the current trial-by-jury method. It’s stressed that this change only works because there is such an intense trust for Chief Justice Fargo. It’s because of this intense public trust that when Fargo has an affair (which is apparently against the judge’s code), he is so ashamed of himself that he attempts to commit suicide. That’s where things get really interesting. Because Chief Justice Fargo is looked up to as a symbol for the judges system, it’s decided that the public can’t know that he killed himself and the public is instead told that he was shot protecting innocent people. 

This idea of a person’s memory having more worth as an infallible symbol than a true representation of that person is nothing new, but it always fascinates me. Fargo made a VERY understandable mistake but he knew it prevented him from living up to the impossible image that the public had of him. But this thinking is fundamentally flawed because it enforces a separation between the person being elevated and the common person. It instills a way of thinking that supposes that only morally-elevated incorruptible people can make a difference. Whereas, by revealing Fargo’s humanity, it can be a moment connecting him to the people, who have all made mistakes and who can relate to the concept of a person doing the best he can. At least, that’s how it should be. Truth be told, the public’s perception of Fargo would likely shift as people would have a hard time reconciling his humanity. And this certainly isn’t an issue that only occurs in fictional worlds. We elevate celebrities and politicians to these impossible standards and are then shocked and disgusted when they don’t measure up.

But, of course, Fargo doesn’t die. At least not right away. It isn’t until the end of the story that Fargo dies, his last words filled with regret. But it isn’t regret for the affair or the suicide attempt, it’s regret for having helped form a dictatorship. Of course, this isn’t broadcast to the world or even told to very many. Because it’s in the government’s best interest that it isn’t. Fargo, as a man, has outgrown his purpose. He will now live on as a symbol for something that he doesn’t believe in or approve of. His original intentions were pure, but over time, those in power took advantage of the public’s love for Fargo and warped and misused him as a symbol for their own self-interests. In the end, Fargo’s legacy isn’t one of justice so much as one of control. 

Luke Cage

i like "luke cage". although it kinda loses direction about halfway through the season, i think it sticks the landing and is a solid entry in the marvel universe. but the whole time, there's something about "luke cage" that just feels a little... off. and it wasn't something that i feel like i could really put into words before (or during) our discussion yesterday. but the more i've thought about "luke cage" in regards to its similarities to blaxploitation films, really the more i can see it as modern blaxploitation. sure, the stereotypes and characterization has been updated. but "luke cage" goes out of its way at times to point out just how black the show is, and that kinda makes it feel less genuine. there's a lot "luke cage" does right; cottonmouth as a villain, luke cage's connection to the people he protects, and the (scarily relevant) issues with the police department that necessitates a vigilante. but it's the details that just feel... off. it's hard to voice exactly what distinguishes a show from being a "black superhero show" and just a "superhero show" where the hero happens to be black. but there is a difference. for comparison, there's the animated "static shock" show we mentioned that to me, always just felt like a superhero show. even when it openly dealt with racism (which did happen; his best friend's father was racist), the whole thing felt... natural. but then again what do i know? i'm three-fourths white / one-fourth hispanic. i never have to worry about finding a superhero who "looks like me" (to borrow the phrase from that guy in the documentary). one episode of "static shock" that always stuck with me as a kid, was an episode where static traveled with his family to africa and, when he calls his best friend (a white guy) to tell him about his trip, he excitedly yells "there's black people everywhere!" and goes on to ask "is this what it feels like for you all the time?.." i can't know what it's like to look at superheroes and feel under-represented. so, even if "luke cage" is sorta-kinda modern blaxploitation and even if it does lean a little heavily on stereotypes at times, it's at least a step in the right direction... right?... maybe?... idk. i'll watch season two.

Jessica Jones

we had such a great discussion today! female representation in comics is a topic i could happily talk about for hours (like... on top of the three hours we spent today). but, something that i kinda wanted to talk about that isn't super heavily tied to comic book feminism is one aspect of "jessica jones" that i feel really helps elevate it over other superhero shows. i love superheroes. but over time, i've found that my favorite superhero films/shows are always the ones that don't really follow the "superhero film" template as much as they follow other genre's templates... but with super powered characters. "jessica jones" isn't really a "superhero show". it's a neo-noir show that features super powered characters. and i love that. likewise, "captain america: the winter soldier" (my favorite mcu film) feels more like a cold war-era conspiracy thriller than a more typical "superhero film" and the recently released "logan" could easily be categorized as neo-western. that's just to say that while a typical superhero narrative does exist, recent film and television shows have begun to break away from that and so far, i'd say it's working pretty well.

Book Review: "Civil War" by Mark Miller & Steve McNiven

I love comic books. As a child, my favorite shows and movies were always about superheroes. As I got a little older, I branched out from movies and television and began reading more and more comic books. I bought and read pretty much every comic I could get my hands on and would even read magazines talking about everything going on in comics. But then, over time, it just got to be too expensive. I couldn’t afford to keep up my habit. So, I stopped. And I happened to stop right in the midst of “Civil War”. Once I came to college, I started to get back into comics and “Civil War” was something I had been wanting to read, so, I was very excited when it was on our list. But, because of my sixish year absence from comics, I only really knew the broad strokes of the storyline. So, it was a treat to experience.

First off, the fact that the New Warriors are the star of their own reality show was a lot of fun for me. As much as I love superheroes, I realllly love to see characters who selfishly use their powers as a means of self-gain. I also absolutely despise reality television, so I liked that reality tv was included as part of the inciting incident here. Because if they weren’t striving to impress the viewers, it’s possible the New Warriors would’ve tried to get more capable help. But, they didn’t and what we’re left with… is “Civil War.”

What makes “Civil War” so fascinating is that you can understand both sides’ mindsets. On one hand, you can look at the New Warriors incident as a clear example of the dangers of superpowered people running around, unchecked. On the other hand, becoming a government employee means that the government chooses who is being targeted as a villain. That’s just as scary of a concept, if not more. But something has to change. 

After the New Warriors incident, the public has largely turned away from superheroes and need some sort of reassurance that something like that won’t happen again. It’s because of this that Iron Man appears the most level-headed at the start of the book, because he’s practical. He understands that things can’t go on as is and he wants to work to find some sort of compromise that allows heroes to continue operating. It’s as the book progresses that “Team Iron Man” make more and more questionable (read: dangerous) decisions that result in people getting hurt. Among them, Spider-man is pressured to reveal his identity, endangering his loved ones, Goliath is killed by an unstable Thor clone, and dangerous, murderous supervillains are rebranded as the Thunderbolts and treated as heroes. 

That’s not to say that every decision Captain America makes is a good one. When Iron Man gives him the opportunity to discuss the situation, Captain America just attacks him instead. While they probably couldn’t have come to a working compromise, the fact that Captain America didn’t even try shows how adverse he is to change. You begin to wonder if being against the Superhuman Registration Act is because he values the freedom heroes have come to expect, or because he’s too stuck in his ways to adapt his crime-fighting lifestyle. 

The themes presented in “Civil War” feel incredibly relevant, even a decade removed. This concept of security versus liberty reminded me a lot of the current debates on gun-control. Although I don’t think that was much of an issue when “Civil War” came out, I think that’s the most clear parallel for today. Thinking back to 2007, this book would’ve felt more in line with the government’s increased surveillance on Americans. And I think the way in which you can look at “Civil War” and compare it to different issues depending on the year, just emphasizes how it’s such a universal battle of ideals. Security (represented by Iron Man) and liberty (represented by Captain America) will always exist in a state of pushing against one another. But there needs to be a balance between the two. Captain America’s surrender may be the end of the “Civil War” title, but it isn’t truly the end of the story. Because there is no end when the superhero landscape is constantly changing and evolving throughout time. Security’s victory can only last so long before liberty begins pushing back. 

The Flash

of all the characters we're going to talk about in this class, the flash is probably the one character i'm familiar with, but don't have a very strong opinion about. my familiarity with the flash mostly is through his relation to the justice league. i had never seen the show before today and have only read a handful of flash comics over the years. i have nothing against the flash, but i'm also not a huge fan. and i don't think it's because of his powers (i love quicksilver) so much as the tone associated with his character. in a lot of ways, he really is the anti-batman as far as tone (ignoring adam west's portrayal). but i'm still glad that the flash has his own tv show and that it's as bright and colorful and light as it is. because there's such a large audience for that. not everything should be be "the dark knight". something great about comic books that has hard a hard time translating to films and television is that there isn't a universal tone that everything needs to copy. we need to have bright, happy flash exist next to dark and brooding batman. i think that goes back to what marvel is doing better than dc in terms of movies. while there is a very noticeable "marvel-formula", we still have movies like "ant-man" exist with a drastically different tone from say, "iron man". whereas, every dc movie looks like they all used the same zack snyder-approved darkening filter.

Allen's Super Awesome Cinematography Reel!

Artist Statement:

i definitely don't want to be a cinematographer. that's not to say i didn't enjoy this class or get a lot out of it, that's just so not me. cinematography is so detail-oriented and precise with the equipment and... that's not really how my brain works. projects where i was able to be the director were significantly more rewarding to me, because that's where i prefer to focus. i could never touch a camera again and be perfectly fine with it. i'm a writer/director for sure. and it's because of this that i so strongly prefer narrative to documentary. i want control over the situation. i want to control the story being told, and with documentary there's such a lack of control involved. you try to reflect the reality we live in, where i just wanna make my own reality and show that off to people. and then within narrative, horror/comedy is my personal favorite genre to work in. it's a strange mix, but i find whenever i try to focus on one, the other finds a way to sneak in. i think i just have a dark sense of humor that really comes out in my writing. with my filming, i generally prefer longer takes that can focus on the performance. a lot of my writing is pretty dialogue-heavy and so i like to be able to see both characters throughout the conversation. it's a trade-off to be sure, but that allows the actors to play off of one another in ways that would be limited by focusing solely on one at a time. i guess i just like things broad. i like world-building. i'm creating a reality and i want everyone to be able to take all of it in, more than i want them to focus on the details. and that's why i'm decidedly not a cinematography. i'll worry about the big picture and let someone else focus on the details.


Allen's Super Awesome Cinematography Reel!