6 Thoughts on the First Season of Titans
A kickass, live action Robin? In an actual ongoing TV show? That pays respect to both the character and the legacy? How did it take me this long to finally watch Titans on the DC streaming service?! As a big fan of both the original Teen Titans cartoon, the newer Teen Titans Go! cartoon, and whatever is happening with the Young Justice cartoon, I knew I had to get on board with the darker, grittier, live action version too!
TV Show Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
I remember that everybody was really unsure about this show when it was first revealed, with a Comic-Con trailer that really threw people for a loop. I was one of the skeptics, I’ll admit. Despite all of these superhero shows over the past many years, I still find it hard to believe that I live in a world where this is common. Where I could get a live action TV show starring a comics accurate Dick Grayson, with both an awesome modern Robin costume, and a complicated relationship with Batman. It doesn’t help that shows like Titans and Gotham continue to refuse to just make a show about Batman, so it’s not yet a perfect world. But this is a good start!
Join me after the jump for my thoughts on Titans! Expect FULL SPOILERS for the first season.
Strong Guy Watch: Age of X-Man
Good news, everybody! Strong Guy has been spotted in Age of X-Man! He’s not one of the main characters, and he’s not even an active character, but I kept my eyes peeled and there he was!
In a picture. One of those classic past-class pictures of the X-Men on the walls of the X-Mansion. Madrox is there, too!
That is from The Marvelous X-Men #1. I doubt we’ll see much more of Strong Guy.
The original purpose of Strong Guy Watch has passed, but seeing Guido show up in the background was too good to pass up. Currently, he’s one of several X-Men trapped by the Phalanx. Hopefully somebody saves him eventually.
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Dazzler, M.O.D.O.K., Howard the Duck and More Are Coming to Marvel Animation
I don’t even know how to respond to this news other than shock and amusement. After cancelling a couple of their live action Netflix shows, Marvel has now announced a slate of five animated shows coming to Hulu.
M.O.D.O.K., Howard the Duck, Hit Monkey, a random Tigra and Dazzler team-up, and then a combination show called The Offenders.
This doesn’t look hastily thrown together at all
This feels like an April Fool’s Day prank.
How do any of these shows make sense? Why are they going to Hulu? Has Marvel already forgotten their Disney+ streaming service coming down the line? And with a name like The Offenders, are they purposefully trying to annoy Netflix, the biggest name in streaming?
There is no logic in this place.
More information is available at Marvel.com. And here’s a rundown of each series:
- M.O.D.O.K.: An egomaniacal Super Villain with a really big head and a really little body, struggles to maintain control of his evil organization and his demanding family. Comes from writers Jordan Blum and Patton Oswalt, with Blum, Oswalt and Jeph Loeb serving as Executive Producers
- Hit Monkey: Tells the tale of a wronged Japanese snow monkey, mentored by the ghost of an American assassin, as he cuts a wide swath through the Tokyo underworld in this darkly cinematic and brutally funny revenge saga. Comes from writers Josh Gordon and Will Speck, with Gordon, Speck and Jeph Loeb serving as Executive Producers.
- Tigra & Dazzler Show: Two woke Super Heroes and best friends, Tigra and Dazzler, fight for recognition among powered people who make up the eight million stories in Los Angeles. Comes from writers Erica Rivinoja and Chelsea Handler, with Rivinoja, Handler, and Jeph Loeb serving as Executive Producers.
- Howard the Duck: Trapped in a world he never made, America’s favorite fighting fowl Howard the Duck hopes to return home with the help of his unstoppable gal pal Beverly before the evil Dr. Bong can turn him the crispiest dish on the menu. Comes from writersKevin Smith and Dave Willis, with Smith, Willis, and Jeph Loeb serving as Executive Producers.
- The Offenders: Nobody asked them to, and we’d be better off if they didn’t, but M.O.D.O.K., Dazzler, Tigra, Hit Monkey and Howard the Duck are all forced to team up in order to save the world and certain parts of the Universe.
Honestly, this all sounds like Jeph Loeb is off on some crazy side project without anybody else at Marvel or Disney having any idea what he’s doing.
I am mildly curious to see just what the heck all of this is about. What are your thoughts?
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But Where is Magic Carpet?
For reasons that are probably insane, my favorite character in Aladdin was Magic Carpet. I like sidekicks and supporting characters, especially sentient vehicle sidekicks. We can blame Benny the Cab for that.
But where is he in the new Aladdin live action trailer?
Everybody’s talking about Will Smith as the blue Genie, but he looks and acts exactly like Will Smith as a blue Genie. I want more Magic Carpet!
Oh wait, I just re-watched the trailer before posting this. We do see him in the background in the Genie reveal scene. Alright then, I’m satisfied. Go about your business.
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/9/19
Woohoo! Good news everybody, The LEGO Movie 2: The Second Part is awesome! Maybe not as surprisingly magical as the first film, but no less funny, touching, colorful and just plain fun. I need more comics to be exactly like the LEGO movies.
Instead, we get comics that are fun in their own rights, like Champions, X-23 and Young Justice. Comic Book of the Week goes to another stellar issue of The Green Lantern, a comic that is definitely living up to the hype.
Spoken like a true wildcard
Meanwhile, I read the first proper issue of the Age of X-Man and it was fine. It was about the basic X-Men team and it was about what I expected. The twist of the universe has already been revealed, and we know these are our regular main characters living in a made-up fantasy. So there’s no real sense of permanence and stakes, as far as I’m concerned. They’ll tell whatever story they need to tell, and then we’ll move on.
Comic Reviews: Champions #2, The Green Lantern #4, Tony Stark – Iron Man #8, Uncanny X-Men #11, X-23 #9 and Young Justice #2.
Henchman-4-Hire 