Category Archives: Comics
All the Things Wrong With Unbeatable Squirrel Girl’s Courtroom Scene
We all have jobs. Does it ever bother you when a piece of entertainment gets everything so completely wrong about your job? I’m a reporter for a small daily newspaper in Upstate New York, and I usually don’t have a problem with how reporters are portrayed on TV, in movies or in comics. But I cover cops and courts, everything from arrests to court appearances to trials, and as a result, I can’t stand watching courtroom scenes in any media. Nobody ever gets them right. It’s like nails on a chalkboard how writers warp the reality of the criminal justice system to fit their narrative.
This week’s new issue of Unbeatable Squirrel Girl is about as massive a miscarriage of justice in regards to a courtroom scene as I have ever witnessed.
Pun always intended.
She’s beginning to look a little squirrelly
In Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #34, Squirrel Girl and her friends are placed on trial for trying to stop the cops from arresting super-villain Kraven the Hunter. And writer Ryan North gets pretty much everything wrong about how a courtroom actually works. This breaks the immersion of the story, hence the nails on the chalkboard feeling.
Now, you might say, “But Sean, it’s just a silly comedy comic, what does it even matter?” To that I would say a couple of things. 1.) Unbeatable Squirrel Girl might be a comedy, but it’s not some whacky, Looney Tunes-style romp where nothing matters. Unbeatable Squirrel Girl has always operated on a foundation of realism. Just look at how stringent North is about the reality of computer coding and programming. This comic could serve as a college text book on the subject. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to then hold him to the realities of the criminal justice system, a system that operates on rules, much like computer programming.
2.) This is just my rinky dink blog, which has no oversight other than myself, and which North probably won’t see, so I can write whatever I want. The entire point of this place is to get stuff off my chest. And 3.) It’s not like I’m disparaging this comic or its creative team. It’s still a fun issue and one of the best comics on the stands. It’s just this courtroom stuff that really, really, really bugs the hell out of me.
So join me after the jump for how badly Ryan North messes up the criminal justice system! It’s me at my most nitpickiest!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 7/7/18
It’s Comic Book Convention time again! This weekend, I’m in Syracuse, NY at the Salt City Comic-Con, showing off Gamer Girl & Vixen to a whole new audience. This is the biggest convention I’ve done solo, so wish me luck! And buy my book!
This is a pretty nifty week for comics in that I’m mostly reading big names. Avengers, Justice League, Batman, Captain America, the Hulk, Superman; where are all my obscure, niche comics? Whatever the case may be, Comic Book of the Week goes to Captain America #1 for what looks like it could be an exciting, political start.
“Don’t make me order twice.”
Meanwhile, I very much enjoyed Ant-Man and the Wasp! It’s a fun and energetic movie, much like the first. The characters are a joy to watch and Ant-Man remains my favorite superhero in the MCU. I think I’ll go see it again on my day off on Monday!
Comic Reviews: Avengers #4, Batman #50, Catwoman #1, Captain American #1, Go Go Power Rangers #11, Immortal Hulk #2, Justice League #3 and Man of Steel #6.
6 Other Superhero Shrinkers
Ant-Man and the Wasp comes out this week, a movie celebrating two shrinking superheroes! Being the search engine conscientious blogger that I am, I’ve decided to tap into that zeitgeist and make a List of Six about shrinking superheroes!
It’s up to them to stop Thanos!
But not just any shrinking superheroes! This is a list about weird and obscure ones, because who needs yet another list on the Internet about superheroes we’ve already heard about? Ant-Man and the Wasp, and their various spin-offs, aren’t included on this list. I’m also leaving out the Atom at DC Comics, the other most famous shrinking superhero. If you have enough interest in comics to read my blog, I’m confident you already know all about those shrinkers.
Join me after the jump for six more shrinking superheroes that you may have never heard of before!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 6/30/18
The week we’ve all been waiting for is here! The first issue of Multiple Man has hit the stands and is in my hands! Longtime readers of this blog will know that Multiple Man is my all-time favorite comic book character. So I am very excited that he’s back in print after being in limbo/dead for years now.
And no, August solicitation for Multiple Man #4, I don’t just tell people he’s my favorite to seem cool. Stop gatekeeping your own comic book.
Unfortunately, Multiple Man #1 is not Comic Book of the Week. It was an OK issue, as you’ll read in a bit. The real standout this week was the 50th issue of Ms. Marvel!
Meanwhile, anybody else excited for Ant-Man and the Wasp next weekend? Woohoo!
Comic Reviews: Man of Steel #5, Ms. Marvel #31, Multiple Man #1, The Silencer #6, Thor #2 and The Terrifics #5.
Strong Guy Watch: Strong Guy and Multiple Man, Together Again!
The first issue of the new Multiple Man mini-series arrived today, and my hopes and dreams were answered when Strong Guy made an appearance. It helps that Matt Rosenberg is writing both Multiple Man and New Mutants, of course.
For those who don’t know, Strong Guy and Multiple Man are best pal!
They finish each other’s…sandwiches
Though you wouldn’t be able to tell from this comic. Despite being features somewhat prominently as a supporting character in this issue, I don’t think Jamie and Guido say more than two words to each other. Guido never even expresses any real excitement that his best pal is back from the dead.
That’s kind of a downer for a super-fan like me, but after reading the issue, I need to learn to chill out and just let this story be told. Hopefully Strong Guy stays in the mini-series.
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