Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 12/2/17
Bad news, everybody! Or, well, good news for me! I’ll be on vacation this upcoming week, making my first trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida! Should be a blast! But I’ll be gone all week and won’t have time to pick up or read any comic books. So for only the second time since I started doing these weekly reviews, I’m gonna have to skip a week. Sorry!
And this week is such an odd one, since it’s a Fifth Wednesday and there aren’t many comics out — at least not many comics that I’m reading. A nice Batman Annual from Tom King easily wins Comic Book of the Week, but it’s only competition (at least on my read pile) was a Darkhawk one-shot. I had a lot of hopes for that single issue, but King’s Batman can’t be beat.
Not much else in comic book news on my end. No Big Events this week. But boy howdy, how about that Avengers: Infinity War trailer? More of that, please!
Comic Reviews: Batman Annual #2 and Darkhawk #51.
First Look at Live Action Robin!
Check out this awesome bit of costuming! We got the great news a couple weeks ago that actor Brenton Thwaites would play Robin in the upcoming live action Teen Titans show, and now here’s proof!
That costume looks amazing! I got this pic from DC. The idea that Robin’s colorful costume can totally work in the dark world of Batman is a hill I’m willing to die on. Let’s hope the show actually gets made and the Robin character is awesome — unlike Robin in Teen Titans Go!
This is probably the only live action Robin I’m going to get for a very long time, so I’ve got my hopes up.
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How I Would Do Seasons 2 and 3 of The Punisher
Earlier this week, I posted my review of The Punisher TV show on Netflix and ended with the suggestion that they should just film Garth Ennis’ Punisher MAX. I know I’m not alone in declaring that this is the best Punisher story of all time. I also think it’s hugely filmable. And movie and TV adaptions clearly hint at this greatness, but none have yet just grabbed this amazing, massive story and turned it into cinematic gold.
They should. And I’ll take a moment to tell them how it should be done.
I liked The Punisher on Netflix well enough, but it could have been better. It could have been so much better. Granted, I’m not in charge of the show and I don’t have any say in any of these matters. But I’ve got a blog and an opinion, and that’s all I really need!
Join me after the jump for how I would make seasons 2 and 3 of The Punisher. If we accept season 1 as canon now, I think we can still transition into the Punisher MAX material.
It’ll help if you already know the material I’m talking about. Definite SPOILERS for both the comic and the show. Let me know what you think about my ideas in the comments!
Yep, Avengers: Infinity War Looks Pretty Awesome
I’m pretty sure my spine was tingling while watching this trailer. That’s a solid, ringing endorsement from my nervous system. Hooray for Avengers: Infinity War!
If I was any sort of Internet anything, I’d make some sort of reaction video. But nobody wants to see my reacting to anything. Trust me, it’d just be weird. Best if I simply write up this little bit about how the trailer was really cool and really well made, and I’m excited for this movie. Very excited.
Could have used more creepy Pinocchio music, though…
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6 Thoughts on the First Season of The Punisher
I continue to be amazed that we live in a world where the Punisher gets a TV show. How can we be so lucky? And in the same year that Iron Fist and The Defenders also had TV shows! Thankfully, I think The Punisher is better than both of those shows…but not by much. I liked The Punisher well enough, but in the end, I’m a little disappointed that it wasn’t better. This is a good character with some great stories, but this 13-episode show barely scratched the surface of potential.
TV Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good
Out of all the Netflix shows, I would rank The Punisher somewhere below the first half of Luke Cage and then above the second half of Luke Cage. It’s good, solid entertainment, but it doesn’t really leave an impact or push itself as far and as powerfully as it could. And it’s even worse that the showrunners had three failed Punisher movie adaptations that showed them how not to make a Punisher show.
The Punisher has never been one of my favorite characters, but I like him well enough. And I regard writer Garth Ennis’ Punisher MAX storyline as one of my Top 5 favorite comic book runs of all time. So I’m no stranger to wanting the best for this character. Let’s just hope he gets some future seasons to try again.
Join me after the jump for my review of The Punisher on Netflix! Expect FULL SPOILERS for the whole first season! And I’d love to hear your thoughts on the show in the comments!




