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!
I’m Still Uneasy About Our First Official Look at Shazam!
I don’t know about you, but I am uneasy about casting Zachary Levi as Shazam in the upcoming Shazam! movie. I loved Levi in Chuck (until that show broke my heart), but for some reason, I just can’t see him as anything other than Zachary Levi when he has another role. When he showed up as Fandral in Thor: The Dark World, I didn’t see Fandral, I saw Levi in a blonde wig and goatee.
So I just don’t know if I’m going to buy him as Shazam in the upcoming movie.
Yep, Cola, that’s exactly what two kids who suddenly have access to an adult body would buy and drink
That’s our first official look at Levi in costume, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly. There were some leaks online previously, but I think I was too lazy to share those. It happens.
I like the costume, it looks fine. But there’s just that nagging feeling in the back of my head that Levi isn’t going to be able to pull it off. Possibly because I keep picturing Shazam as his Justice League cartoon version, the big, brawny guy that’s built like a barn. Levi is still kind of a shrimp. I’m sure he bulked up for the role and looks like a muscular god, but he’s still got a small frame.
I dunno. We’ll see. I just wanted to share the picture.
And complain a little that it’s madness that DC wouldn’t put the Rock’s Black Adam in this movie. If you’ve cast the Rock as Black Adam, and you’re making a Shazam movie, why the flippin’ hell do you not put those two things together immediately?!
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6 Thoughts on Ant-Man and the Wasp
The growing Ant-Man franchise might not be the biggest money-maker for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I still love it like all the rest! In fact, I kind of love it a little more, because Ant-Man is my favorite superhero in the MCU. And I’m so glad that his movies are so much fun!
Movie Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
I’m a little disappointed that we’ve got to wait all the way until March for Captain Marvel. That’s a long wait! Of course, I say that knowing that years fly by like the snap of a finger in adulthood, and it will be March before we know it, and we’ll be complaining that, “Jeez, it’s already March”, and another entire year will have passed to bring me and all of us closer to the grave…
But hey! Ant-Man and the Wasp! Join me after the jump for my full review. And expect FULL SPOILERS for the movie!
Do Not Watch This New Only Leigh Cartoon, Unless…
In fact, don’t read anything I write about this Only Leigh cartoon unless you’re completely caught up on The Good Place TV show on NBC, starring Kristen Bell and Ted Danson.
Only watch this Only Leigh cartoon if you have already watched both seasons of The Good Place and maybe Avengers: Infinity War. Only those people who have watched both should watch this cartoon.
And if you haven’t seen The Good Place, go watch it now. Trust me, it’s totally worth the watch and you do not want any spoilers. Then once you’ve watched it, you can come back here and enjoy this delightful video.
Honestly, I’m a little surprised. The normally impeccable Only Leigh, of whom I am a huge fan, didn’t need to go spoiling The Good Place like this. I’m all for sharing in the awesomeness of The Good Place, but that big twist is possibly the biggest, greatest twist in modern television, up there with the Red Wedding on Game of Thrones. All for just a bunch of OK Tony Stark jokes? Don’t get me wrong, it’s of the usual high Only Leigh quality, but that twist spoiler has got to be breaking some sort of unwritten rule.
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Oh Hey, Check Out Matt Groening’s New Cartoon, Disenchantment
The first teaser for Disenchantment came out a couple weeks ago, but I’ve been holding on to it for a slow day like today. It’s the new cartoon from Simpsons and Futurama creator Matt Groening, this time tackling a fantasy sword & sorcery setting. Looks like fun so far.
Disenchantment is coming to Netflix on Aug. 17.
I’m surprised Groening hasn’t had more shows over the years…though I suppose he’s rich enough that he doesn’t need to keep making shows. But considering the staying power of the Simpsons, and the popularity of Futurama, you’d think there’d be more.
Here’s hoping Disenchantment is as good as those shows!
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Henchman-4-Hire 