SPOILER Magazine July 2021

Meet your new sidekick gita is a first-of-its-kind hands-free robot that follows you and totes your gear.

OUR TEAM Editor-in-Chief Galaxy Print Editor Art Director Sara Hope Kent Klarks Design and illustration Supervisor Ronald Garcia Design Manager Zerologhy Copy Editor Ethan Brehm

INSIDE OUR y UNIVERSE x a l a

by G Welcome back to another amazing issue of SPO!LER!

Staff Writers The Greatest Writing Team in Our Universe Ethan Brehm Matthew Mclachlan Vanessa Bellew Robert Napolitano David Grand Phuong Pham Natalie Reade Michael Bernardi Kim Koo Moses Gamer Social Media Manager Thor the all mighty Advertising Ads@SpoilerMagazine.com Sponsorship sponsorship@SpoilerMagazine.com Press Please send all press releases to: press@SpoilerMagazine.com Please send all review material to: review@SpoilerMagazine.com Subscriptions For all subscription enquiries please contact: sub@SpoilerMagazine.com Check out our website for details on how to get our DIGITAL EDITION Circulation Do you want this magazine at your local book store, comic book hangout, toy shop, or anywhere else for that matter?

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During the heart of the summer we pay homage to one of the greatest brands in pop culture history as we dive deep into the Marvelous World of Marvel. Since the late-’30s, Marvel Comics has built an empire that’s not only impacted the world of comic books, but media as a whole, becoming arguably the biggest inspiration in our current age of Hollywood as superheroes have been dominating the big screen now for over a decade.

Marvel’s contribution to our fandom universe has set a standard that can never be duplicated, and will always remain a paradigm, encouraging us to constantly push the boundaries of what’s possible with our imagination.

This issue explores the history of the company from its humble beginnings, and all the creatives who’ve been involved along the way, to revolutionizing the way we look at entertainment today as technology has finally caught up with the vision that they had years ago.

We also have some other fun features for you inside these pages, by our unstoppable team of writers and designers who work tirelessly each and every day to provide top-notch content.

As we’ve mentioned before, we’re so excited for the return of fan conventions and Comic Cons all over the country as we can safely get back together and share with one another our passion for this everexpanding fandom universe.

Make sure to subscribe on our website and follow on social media to get all the latest updates on what we have in the pipeline. We can’t wait to share it with you!

I Love You All...

Galaxy Galaxy EDITOR-IN-CHIEF @ComicConRadio july 2021|

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table of contents

FEATURES

22 the history of

marvel

SPOILER MAGAZINE TABLE OF CONTENTS

90 Every Upcoming Marvel Project (That We Know Of)

the watch 12 It Came From The Video Store!

110 hollywood 2.0

80 Mystery Marvel Characters

86 Wandavision

Examining the Relationship Between Pop Culture and Immigrants

the base 138 at the movies

154 Comic Book Review www.spoilermagazine.com | Follow us on Instagram: @SpoilerMedia

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to find a kung fu master who will help him unlock the power of the Glow, where his body will no longer be guided by his mind, but his spirit.

Along the way, Leroy is challenged by everyone around him. Fellow martial artist Sho’nuff (Julius Carry), tired of Leroy’s mythical reputation, demands that the two of them fight to see who the real master is. Leroy refuses, saying he has no reason to fight him, but Sho’nuff isn’t satisfied and continues to pursue him.

Our protagonist also meets Laura Charles (Vanity), an attractive television veejay, who falls in love with him after he saves her from Eddie Arkadian (Christopher Murney), an evil producer who kidnaps her in order to get her to play his girlfriend’s music videos on her show so she can become famous.

Leroy, who can’t quite relate to his own race, is even challenged by his family. As his dad’s pizza shop gets ransacked by Sho’nuff, his parents and siblings can’t quite understand why he won’t just take him up on his offer. “What good is that kung fu jive

BY ETHAN BREHM

subcultures, often expanding their appeal of certain interests to feel like an ubiquitous blanket over an entire society in a way that they never were in actuality. Contrasting this ostensible mainstream reach is an aesthetic distortion that creates a type of neo-surrealism; a mise en scène of embellished milieus that would only come to later exist in the recesses of our memory: “It really was this cool…wasn’t it?”

This informs well and feeds into our nostalgia for an era, whether we lived through it or not. We see this in ‘80s films such as Rad, as it pertains to BMX, The Wizard and Tron, with a ubiquity behind video game culture, or Breakin’, with its foray into the breakdance scene. This trend existed prior to the decade, and doesn’t go away into the next, but seemed to be at its height during the ‘80s.

This kind of presentation serves to validate those who share in the passions being presented on screen, while also inviting outsiders to become immersed in these worlds

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first hand.

1985’s The Last Dragon is very much that invitation. It’s not only a celebration of a subculture, but of the sharing in cultures in general.

In the film, which explores the kung fu enthusiasm of a post-Bruce Lee America, we’re definitely shown a magnitude for a passion that feels more extensive than it actually was—however big it truly felt back then. Yet, to the film’s credit, we’re also presented with a realistic perspective of those who aren’t “in the know” as well.

We follow a young Black martial artist, Leroy (Taimak), aka Bruce Leeroy, who has just achieved the level of “Last Dragon,” and is sent out on a spiritual quest by his sensei

The Last Dragon/Quincy Jones/Motown/TriStar Pictures

The films of the 1980s loved to explore their

if you can’t even use it?” remarks his brother.

Filled with footage and homages to Bruce Lee, The Last Dragon very much borrows story points from Way of the Dragon with sketchings from Enter the Dragon. The film really focuses on the pacifist side of Lee, with many around Leroy unable to understand the method to his madness. “The secret awaits eyes unclouded by ambition,” he says in retort.

The dialogue establishes an intriguing turn-of-phrase, with screenwriter Louis Venosta often inserting seemingly-immaterial references and off-kilter details that, in most movies, might make the audience lose focus. But here they’re always at least tangential to the events so as to never feel totally irrelevant. This gives the story density without being overstuffed, building the cinematic world and giving us a sense that more of it exists outside of the main plot.

You can just tell that director Michael Schultz is utilizing Venosta’s script to its greatest potential.

This is really a writer’s movie, with the director focusing more on maximizing performances, maintaining pace, and setting the tone more than trying to trim out crucial plot details. He has total trust in his colleague and it shows.

The idea of two separate villains works really well for this premise, as Leroy faces evils from all around him, both within and without. And just like his hero, Schultz also keeps a method to his madness, spending a lot of time developing Arkadian away from Leroy, but for good reason.

Arkadian and Sho’nuff become an integral piece to this overall objective.

Venosta does something else interesting in that he creates a sort of reverse-MacGuffin, where the master who Leroy must find to unlock the Glow—the assumed MacGuffin—is actually the main objective all along and not a MacGuffin after all, with the journey getting there, meeting Laura and warding off villains, actually just serving as a motivational device to help our protagonist reach his Glow. This trope subversion has been utilized several times before

in cinema, but here the “perceived” goal is never physical or tangible— but spiritual from the very start.

The writer also employs some slick and sneaky symbolism through Leroy, who talks like a fortune cookie, trying to unlock his Glow by searching for the Grand Master, which turns out to be just a fortune cookie maker. He discovers that the power has been inside him the whole time.

Unfortunately, Arkadian ultimately suffers from “self-fulfilling villainy blindness,” which, even though his motive becomes nullified, ensures that he still keeps going with his power-hungry mentality despite having no reason to do so anymore by the finale.

Schultz always maintains a grasp on the story, but runs into some problems in the final act with a wacky, yet well-choreographed, brawl sequence (in another attempt at a Bruce Lee parallel) that’s out of place amidst the clarity exhibited beforehand. Before this we haven’t seen much of Leroy fighting, and we’ve been led to believe that he’s some Bruce Lee-type of unstoppable force that can’t be beaten. However, during this melee, our view of him as a hero lessens and we realize that perhaps we were unintentionally guided towards that miscalculation.

The acting across the board

is very effective. Even when the performances aren’t particularly great, they’re all able to serve their respective roles in a way that never detracts from the overall objective and heightened believability.

Taimak is obviously not a trained actor, but is able to get across the charms required for the earnest role. He’s believable in both his clear philosophical drive and his social inhibition.

Particularly great are Carry as Sho’nuff and Leo O’Brien as Leroy’s younger brother, each of whom achieve antagonistic success in a different way. Sho’nuff is the secondary antagonist, driven by pride and counterpointing Leroy’s healthier moral compass. Both fighters take themselves very seriously, even if they exist in a world that moves along without giving them much consideration— that is, until they’re forced to.

O’Brien’s tertiary antagonist Richie also counterpoints Leroy, but in a different way. As his little brother,

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The Last Dragon/Quincy Jones/Motown/TriStar Pictures/Andy from press.play.vhs

Richie acts as the wiser of the two.

Where Leroy possesses spiritual wisdom, Richie has street smarts.

The Last Dragon is very much about the crossover of culture and the impact one culture can have on another. This isn’t cultural insensitivity but natural gravity towards ideas that speak to us on an intangible level; a recognition that one may find solace in another’s customs and the validity of that admiration—judgement free. The movie makes a perfect case, not for mean-spirited cultural insensitivity that has been recently lumped in as cultural appropriation, but for looking at influence as totally gray, and does so in a way that really builds its argument from every angle. We see this with our Black protagonist practicing martial arts, or the Chinese guys who speak jive and break outside of their fortune cookie shop. Leroy’s dad, also, comments on how he’s a Black man selling pizza. People thought he was “weird” at first, but now everyone knows his slogan.

These days there’s a group of people who demand that we know everything about a culture before we adopt it—even back in the ‘70s Bruce Lee himself was criticized for teaching kung fu to non-Asians.

However, many times we simply don’t have the means or capability to understand a culture fully even if we would very much like to.

And those who do adopt cultural elements are often not partaking in this negative “appropriation” that’s been broadened to include literally anyone who wants to lean into the influences around them, but simply possess an inexplicable hunger for another culture they might not fully understand. Other times these imprints are already part of our own culture, imbued into the world around us so that the lines between them are barely there at all—just the rules of a society who says we have to stay in our own lane. Even Leroy, who’s a master at kung fu and knows the art better than anyone who looks like him, is guilty of letting pop culture skew his perception of his passion. His master tells him, “You have been to the movies again I see—full of disciples falling to their knees at the slightest hint of their master’s displeasure.”

Culture is very important, whether it’s the mainstream or subcultures of a particular ethnic group or nation, all helping to mold our society into the rich and complex tapestry that it’s become. Whenever culture is shared or expressed, it has ways of inevitably reaching outside of its own walls to affect others and even transform their own ways of life, or branching out into new customs and subcultures altogether. Without the spread and fusion of cultures and tradition, things like jazz music wouldn’t have been born; cinematic form wouldn’t have become refined or horizons expanded; art in general

would never evolve.

While we live in a society that likes to stigmatize cultural adoption of any kind yet demands that we understand other cultures regardless, The Last Dragon celebrates the cultural melting pot that is America and finds beauty in the involuntary seeping of one culture into the other, where enthusiasts often don’t have a choice in the matter, acknowledging that this is very much how new cultures are formed and just might very well be the first step in breaking down the walls that divide us.

To go along with its kung fu roots and thought-provoking, if not candid, depiction of cultural hybrids, The Last Dragon oozes with some of the most ‘80s set design ever, with excessive use of fog machines blanketing its gratuitous placement of neon signs and other various post-modern dressings. Girdled with brand new (at the time) Motown releases, you have a wonderful mash-up of styles, which is so very apropos of that decade—and this movie.

The Last Dragon is hypnotizing in its unique execution and makes no qualms about its competing tones, remaining faithful to its objective the entire time, and reminding us never to make excuses for our own originality or the influences that have informed it.

interview interview

COLLECTOR SPOTLIGHT: Andy, California ETHAN: Have you been collecting since you were young? Or did it resurge after a hiatus? If so, what got you into collecting again?

ANDY: I used to just buy movies when I was young. They happened to be on VHS at the time. My pops was really into music, movies, and hi-fi so I grew up with that love. Art, music, and culture. Movie time was a big deal in our house. A grand occasion.

It was like being at the movies but on a small screen. Loud, booming bass, explosions, car chases, cussing! All the sights and sounds. It was great.

So I collected what I liked. When DVD came along I did what a lot of folks did: “upgraded.” Then a few years ago I just wanted to watch Bloodsport on VHS and play Duck Hunt on Nintendo. Don’t know why, I just thought it would be cool. I

went on Craigslist to find a CRT TV. I found one that was free in my city, so I hit the guy up. Turns out he lives 6 doors down! Swoop. He was less than impressed with the coincidence—that was somewhat disappointing. So then I went to the thrift store and scored a VCR and, wouldn’t you know it, a copy of Bloodsport on VHS for 50 cents.

It was on from there. Twins, Short Circuit, Stand By Me, Terminator—I was in.

ETHAN: You have one of the coolest setups that I’ve seen, combining film, music, and your other interests, with the multiple screens and the radiant lighting. Do you think your collection will ever expand outside of the space it’s currently in?

ANDY: Thanks man! I honestly don’t know, I’ve had some thoughts.

The space I have now is a creative endeavor as much as a nostalgic one. I used to paint a lot but career goals took over (brainstemming.com plug). You gotta know when to fold ‘em, you know? So this became my creative outlet. Only takes the few hours a day I have for myself. Watch a movie, snap a pick. Rearrange this, add that. I’ve had a few people say that they would rent out the space to watch movies in. That’s a fun thought! My nostalgia goes deep. I bought the house I grew up in. You get that chance, you take it. I’d love to share that with people. I have a vision of a media room built in the backyard that would blow the socks off of anybody that crossed the threshold. My masterpiece!

ETHAN: How many tapes are in your collection?

ANDY: About 600.

ETHAN: How do you organize your collection?

ANDY: I used to not care—I liked the randomness—but at a certain point it started taking me forever to find what I was looking for, so I went

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Andy from press.play.vhs

ETHAN: Favorite movie about VHS? ANDY: Got me a copy of The Last Blockbuster on VHS. That movie makes me happy. And sad.

alphabetical on my main shelf. Then I have two shelves of hitters, in no order—”any time, any place” movies.

For me anyway, those classics that sum up how I grew up: Big Trouble in Little China, Bloodsport, Beverly Hills Cop, Iron Eagle, The Last Starfighter, The Last Dragon, Karate Kid, Stand

By Me, and on and on. Then I have the horror stacks in no order. I have a cartoon shelf, a ‘90s comedy shelf, and even a shelf of movies I don’t really give a s**t about but they’re still a good watch.

ETHAN:What’s your favorite genre?

ANDY: I’m a sucker for ‘80s American martial arts movies.

American Ninja, Blind Fury, Bloodsport, The Last Dragon. ‘80s comedy was the best! Eddie Murphy wasn’t “Donkey” when I was a kid.

He was Raw! He was Delirious! He was Axel Foley! He was the “Kill the White people” reggae band singer on SNL! Banned sketch but you can still own it on VHS! I also love ‘80s action, tough guy flicks: Commando, Cobra, Road House. Love that stuff!

I’ll argue with anybody who says Over the Top is a bad movie.

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ETHAN:What’s the rarest in your collection?

ANDY: Chopping Mall, I suppose.

Rare is expensive. I don’t really buy for rarity. I just get the stuff that makes me happy. I do have a copy of Halloween II with the “stereo” label on it—that all of the sudden people are trying to sell on eBay for thousands. To quote the Australian comedy classic, The Castle, “He’s dreamin’.”

ETHAN:Any recent discoveries or additions?

ANDY: My latest add was Predator, original release. Don’t know why I slept on that for so long. It’s f**kin’ great!

ETHAN:Favorite box art?

ANDY: I think ‘80s horror movies take the cake on this one. Those are the ones that stuck in my head since walking around S&N Video back in the day.

ETHAN:Favorite distribution labels?

ANDY: I love the look of old Fox videos and RCA releases.

ETHAN: Weirdest find or the most so-bad-it’s-good?

ANDY: I thrive on so-bad-it’s-good.

It’s almost a prerequisite. Blind Fury is a great example. I love that movie. I have to say that if you have a chance to watch Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp, the 1982 anime, released by Media Home Entertainment and TOEI Company, Ltd., you’ll think twice about Disney’s version. My late great Uncle René gave this to me when I was a kid and when I saw what Disney did I was appalled. I didn’t know it was an old story. I thought Disney ripped off the classic anime cartoon I held near and dear. It’s dark, gritty, and strange. My little mind was taken to crazy places.

Disney’s was dog s**t compared to this! Uncle René had a VHS library when I was a kid. It was an ocean of tapes, all carefully cataloged, in clamshells, with that embossed tape labeling from way back. One of the first pirates out there, he was. He had two VCRs! Fueled by a love of music and film. One of the kindest, wisest, best people I’ve ever known.

Watch Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp and throw a fist up for Uncle René.

ETHAN: Do you have any movies with an absurd amount of duplicates?

ANDY: I wouldn’t say that, but I do have 3 copies of The Firm for some reason. I’ve never popped them in the VCR. They’re just here. Having said that, if anybody is in the market for The Firm on VHS, I’m your man.

ETHAN: Which tape are you still on the lookout for—your holy grail?

ANDY: It used to be Rad! I had a bid on it a couple of weeks ago and I won! 62 bucks. I know, settle down—I had to have it, though. Finally! Don’t tell my wife. This is officially a Rad interview!

ETHAN: If you could have a VHS

ETHAN: Do you think VHS will ever make a comeback in the way vinyl has?

ANDY: Couldn’t tell ya. It’s gaining steam now though.

ETHAN: Do you think physical media will ever truly die?

ANDY: Not so long as there’s folks like me out here. But why would these companies want the overhead of creating a physical product if they don’t have to? So they’re heavily motivated to make it go away. They’ll just sell you the cloud. Then the air. version of a modern movie, which one would it be?

ANDY: Joker. It deserves a true VHS release. I have a bootleg cover and tape. It’s cool but give it the respect that’s due: a true VHS release. It earned it. V For Vendetta almost made it. Released in 2006, I don’t think it came out on VHS but it should have.

ETHAN: What keeps you wanting to collect? What does VHS mean to you?

ANDY: Nothing beats the feeling of popping in that tape for me.

One day, I’m sure, nothing will beat popping in that Blu-ray and its garbage perfect pixels and 12,000p.

I don’t care about that. For me it’s VHS. It’s the full screen, 4:3 aspect ratio. It’s the grainy film quality. It’s the tracking button. It’s the CRT TV. It’s the knobs, the coax cables, it’s the warmth. It’s the cover art, the box and the tape itself. I just love it.

ETHAN: Any strange or funny collecting stories?

ANDY: None, really. Being interviewed about it is up there.

ETHAN: Why do you like physical media? What’s the biggest benefit over streaming, if any?

ANDY: Commitment. When you pop in a tape you’re making a commitment. You’ve committed to sit down and watch this film.

Streaming is too easy. You turn it on from your couch. You can take it or leave it. I guess you could say that for VHS too, but the history is that when you popped in a tape, more than likely, you had gone out and rented it. It’s an event. “Come one, come all, we’re watching a f**kin’ movie.” Not a click of the button.

ETHAN: What would you want noncollectors to know, if anything?

ANDY: ”Hey man, you do you. I don’t need the competition blowing up the prices. But you’re gonna miss it when it’s gone.”

ETHAN: Any tips for new collectors?

ANDY: Get your wallet out—there’s competition now. [Watch out for] “collectors” going through the bins, feverishly looking for stuff to sell on eBay. They’ll never know the thrill of the find. Vampires, man. Watch out for vampires.

Final thoughts: Taxi Driver. Watch Taxi Driver on VHS. Check out Andy’s collection @press.play.vhs on Instagram

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ver since the release of Iron Man back in 2008, Marvel has dominated the film industry.

While not nearly the first comic book to be adapted into a hit movie, Iron Man quickly grew into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, which has since become the most successful film franchise of all time, with 24 installments and counting.

It’s not just the popularity of the superheroes or the quality of the movies themselves that have allowed the MCU to have such lasting power—surely those facets have existed in cinema since 1978’s Superman: The Movie—but much like Superman, the Marvel films have never been afraid to take risks and push the boundaries of what’s possible in storytelling. And for the first time, bringing comic books to life wasn’t just being done on an isolated level, but on a macro one.

Creating an expansive universe that, over the years, has slowly added to its cast of characters, culminating but not ending with 2019’s Avengers: Endgame, Marvel

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had a vision for something greater than just one movie—although they well understood the value of making each installment stand alone on its own merit. Even with Endgame and the preceding Infinity War, the studio was able to subvert our expectations of blockbuster entertainment, surprising audiences and giving us a whole lot to talk about, even beyond the water cooler. In an age when the line between film and TV is becoming thinner and thinner, Marvel has developed their characters’ arcs much similarly to a television series with multiple seasons of investment: characters change, stories evolve, “episodes” have different directors, writers.

If you’re a fan of the MCU, you’re in it for the long haul. Although, fans of Marvel Comics are used to this sort of thing. The Cinematic Universe—and thus the “Superhero Age of Film”—began in 2008, but of course the company’s history dates back almost 70 years earlier.

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eginning in 1933, American comic books largely consisted of compiled comic strips from the Sunday newspaper, but without the newspaper section attached.

These were an instant hit on newsstands, but nowhere near as successful as what was to come.

In 1938, Detective Comics, Inc. launched a new anthology series titled Action Comics. Its very first issue featured a character named Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. Debates are held as to whether or not Superman was the first superhero—and certainly other fictional heroes already existed—but the Man of Steel was undeniably the catalyst for the superhero and comic book craze that followed, thus launching what would later be referred to as “The Golden Age of Comic Books.”

Planning to capitalize off of the emerging popularity of superhero comic books, pulp magazine writer Martin Goodman decided to launch his own comic book division called Timely Publications, a potential umbrella brand for all of the comic entities he would soon publish.

Having no content of his own, Goodman contracted the creatives at the comic book packager Funnies, Inc. to supply the contents for his very first issue in 1939, Marvel Comics #1 (later Marvel Mystery Comics). The book featured Funnies’ own superhero,

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Namor the Sub-Mariner, from their failed promotional movie theater giveaway that was never published, as well as two new creations: the Human Torch and the Angel.

The Sub-Mariner, created by Bill Everett, was an anti-hero who possessed super-strength, the power of flight, and aquatic abilities. The Human Torch, created by Carl Burgos, prior to being repurposed in the ‘60s as a member of the Fantastic Four, was a sentient android created in a lab with the ability to control flames. The Angel, created by Paul Gustavson, was a powerless, mask-less detective who insisted on wearing a superhero costume regardless. The Sub-Mariner and the Human Torch would become two of Timely’s “big three” characters during the Golden Age. However, there would soon be one character in particular who would easily become their biggest hit of the era and a sign of the publisher’s lasting ubiquity throughout comic book history.

Marvel Comics/Marvel Database

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arvel Comics #1 was so popular that Goodman issued a second printing and eventually launched the official label Timely Comics, Inc., hiring on a few employees: Funnies’ own Joe Simon as editor, artists Syd Shores and Jack Kirby, and a 16-year-old editorial assistant named Stan Lee. Simon and Kirby would soon create Steve Rogers, also known as the super-soldier Captain America, who would debut in his own titular comic in December 1940. The patrioticthemed hero was topical and, as World War II pressed onward, the character would come to symbolize hope and freedom, taking down Nazis and the Axis Powers. That first issue sold around a million copies and was a rabid hit. Timely Comics was now a mainstay.

The Human Torch quickly got his own series later that year, taking over Red Raven Comics starting with issue #2. The following year, the SubMariner then got his own solo series, which included a backup feature starring the Angel.

During these nascent years for Timely, other heroes popped up, such as the Thin Man, a stretching superhero created by Klaus Nordling, Blazing Skull, a wartime freedom fighter with a flaming mask and the power to make himself invisible, Destroyer, one of Lee’s first creations and another wartime hero with super-soldier serum abilities, Jack Frost, a precursor to X-Men’s Iceman, Whizzer, created by Al Avison and possessing the power of super-speed that was obtained by the infusion of mongoose blood, Black Marvel, an expert marksman, Blue Diamond, a hero with diamond-embedded skin and nighinvulnerability, and Simon and Kirby’s own Vision, an alien cop who would inspire the Avengers character over 25 years later.

In 1941, Simon and Kirby would leave Timely for salary reasons and join Detective Comics (later DC), and Goodman would promote his 18-year-old assistant, Lee, to interim editor. The next few years

saw a slew of mostly-forgettable characters. Perhaps the most notable would be Miss America, debuting in 1943’s Mystery Comics #49. Created by Otto Binder and Al Gabriele, Miss America possessed the typical Superman powers, and in 1944 starred in her very own series, becoming the third female hero to do so, following DC’s Wonder Woman and Fiction House’s Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.

The very first screen adaptation of a Marvel property and the first live-action appearance of any Marvel character in any medium (and the last for 30 years) occurred in 1944 with Republic Pictures’ 15part serial film Captain America.

The serial is very loosely based on the comic book, as this version of Cap is a District Attorney named Grant Gardner and his iconic shield is replaced with a revolver. The film’s release came less than a year after the commercially successful Batman serial, but still a few years before Superman’s theatrical debut.

However, it would be the last appearance of any kind for a Marvel character for over two decades. After all, superheroes—yes, superheroes— were on their way out.

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fter the War ended in 1945, the comic book industry took a hit and people didn’t seem to be as interested in reading about inspirational superheroes.

Many of the readers in the past had been soldiers away at war, who, upon returning to civilian life, were spending time with their families and finding careers. The exploding popularity of television would also be a key factor in the drought in readership over the next decade and a half.

In an attempt to appeal to female readers, comic book companies began to make more female superheroes. Timely’s batch included Blonde Phantom, a masked beauty who fights crime in evening dresses and high heels, Namora, the Atlantean cousin of Sub-Mariner, Venus, originally the goddess from Greek mythology, and Sun Girl, an expert in judo and jiu-jitsu. All four of them were fairly popular at the time, and all but Sun Girl made it out of the ‘40s, with only Namora sticking around any longer than that, as she returned during SubMariner’s run in the ‘70s. Blonde Phantom did, however, make a comeback as a series regular in SheHulk over 40 years later.

1946 saw the first appearance of a Marvel superteam in the form of the All-Winners Squad, which included Captain America, his sidekick Bucky, the Sub-Mariner, the Human Torch, his sidekick Toro, Miss America, and Whizzer. The squad only made two appearances, All Winners Comics #19 and #21, and didn’t spark a whole lot of interest upon initial release but found new fans when rereleased in the late ‘60s, serving as a precursor to the Avengers some years later.

As for the current time, nothing Timely did could generate more readers. Sub-Mariner and Human Torch were both canceled in 1949, with Captain America following suit in 1950, and just like that the Golden Age was over for Timely Comics.

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publish comics in other genres, but began using the logo for his own newsstand-distribution brand, Atlas News Company, for his releases.

While competitors held onto their superhero properties, Atlas let them most of them go. Over the next ten years, Atlas Comics virtually ceased all superhero releases, with several failed revival attempts, opting instead for safer trends such as romance, Western, teen humor, and, most of all, horror along the lines of Entertaining Comics’ Tales from the Crypt.

After all, nobody loved to flood the market with what was trendy like Goodman. However, in the wake of public concern by parents and teachers of horror comics being the cause of juvenile delinquency, the Comics Code Authority (CCA) was formed as an alternative to a government-instituted regulation.

The CCA banned all violence, gore, and sexuality. Submission for CCA approval was voluntary, but most shops and newsstands would refuse to carry anything without it. This led to an immediate decimation of the horror genre and yet another blow to the comic book industry, but luckily opened up a door for superheroes to eventually make their return. DC got the ball rolling right away. But for Atlas, however, the road getting there took a few more years.

Marvel Comics/Marvel Database/seeklogo

By 1957, the Silver Age of Comics had already begun, but Marvel hadn’t quiet arrived there yet.

Goodman, who had now ceased distribution through his own company, handed over distribution to Independent News, owned

by National Periodical Publications (also known as DC), in a move that would then restrict his distribution and, thus, potential sales.

The tides finally began to change in 1958 when Jack Kirby, who had split with partner Joe Simon, needed work and returned to Atlas Comics for a 12year span that would help re-popularize the comic book industry moving forward. Beginning with the first issue of the new sci-fi anthology series Strange Worlds, Kirby’s brand of unique and absurd artistry breathed new life into the genre which had become formulaic by that point. Atlas released several other anthology series at the time, including Tales of Suspense, Tales to Astonish, and Amazing Adventures. It was around this time that Lee’s collaboration with legendary artist Steve Ditko was born. Although the comics that came out over the next couple of years would be released under the Atlas label, collectors still refer to this period as “Pre-Superhero Marvel.”

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eginning in 1961, the company began displaying “MC” on their covers with Journey into Mystery #69 and Patsy Walker #95. That same year Lee had the idea to introduce a new batch of superheroes that would appeal to older audiences rather than the predominantly child audience that cultivated in the wake of strict CCA guidelines. In November of 1961, Lee and Kirby’s creation, The Fantastic Four, made its debut, and with it a brand-new superteam that would go on to subvert the typical superhero conventions. Our four heroes consisted of Mister Fantastic, with the ability to stretch his body incredibly far, Invisible Woman,

self-explanatory, The Thing, a rocklike human who possessed super strength, and a new version of the Human Torch, a flying hero who could engulf himself in flames. Its titular characters argued, got angry, and embraced the celebrity status of their personas rather than hiding behind masks. Another important feature was that their stories were set in the real world.

It was there that the Marvel ethos was truly born, and established what separated them from the likes of DC—and really everyone else for that matter. Where DC’s characters were more mythological, idealistic exemplars of goodness and truth, Marvel’s were flawed and broken— even the villains were sympathetic at times. They grew and changed as people, holding onto that change from issue to issue, as opposed to the sitcom “reset” button that occurred in the serialized comics of their contemporaries. Marvel comics often dealt with more adult issues, and so therefore adult readers could relate. And so Marvel was able to

connect to readers without being sordid or violent. They found the authenticity and reality underneath the surface. If DC had defined what it meant to be a superhero, Marvel made it okay for them to be human. This era (from 1961 to 1978), known by fans as the “Marvel Age of Comics,” would produce most of Marvel’s most famous and longlasting characters, not only changing the landscape for the medium and the industry moving forward, but still informing the pop culture age we’re currently living in today.

The Fantastic Four was a surprise hit. Marvel started receiving fan mail, and with issue #3 the cover would read the slogan, “The Greatest Comic Magazine in the World!!” changed the following issue to “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” which stuck around for decades. Lee had been planning on leaving the comic book industry for good prior to debuting his latest series, but the success of Fantastic Four convinced him to stay.

The series was decisive in determining the direction Marvel would then take with their heroes, and they would go on to influence an entirely new generation of creatives.

With Fantastic Four, Lee and Kirby would invent a type of storytelling that would expand long narratives over the course of months, rather than wrapping them up in several issues or less. Throughout the years, the series would also introduce other ideas and characters that would become Marvel mainstays.

The MCU may not have been the first to establish a shared universe in film, although it certainly put the idea on a whole new level, much like Marvel Comics began doing in 1961 with its new line of titles that would build a fictional world out of events from different properties and crossing over characters between series. Over the next couple of years, Marvel would set the wheels in motion for what would eventually culminate in their own superteam series, The Avengers, with the first issue released in September 1963.

1962 was a huge year for Marvel as they introduced a plethora of iconic properties. Hank Pym made his debut in the science fiction anthology comic Tales to Astonish #27 in January of that year, in a one-shot story about a scientist who shrinks himself down to the size of an ant. It sold well and Lee

thought it would be fun to make the character into a superhero named Ant-Man, officially debuting later that year as such. Popularity for Ant-Man as a solo series never really caught on, but the character would later become a founding member of the superteam the Avengers and a mainstay in the series.

The Incredible Hulk #1, which came out in May of 1962, follows Bruce Banner, a doctor who becomes exposed to gamma radiation which turns him into a large muscular creature. Lee originally wanted the character to be grey, but due to printing problems he ended up looking more green, a trait that stuck. However the series was canceled after only six issues, with

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Two years later with Fantastic Four Annual #2, we eventually uncover his backstory to becoming a super-villain.

With The Fantastic Four flying off the shelves, Marvel quickly wanted to find their next big hit. Lee had the idea to blend the superhero genre with the teen comics popular at the time. Supposedly inspired by a spider crawling on a wall, he had the idea for Spider-Man, a teenager named Peter Parker with superpowers that he gets from being bitten by a radioactive spider.

He pitched the idea to Goodman, who continuously rejected it, until finally agreeing to test the character out in issue #15 of the Amazing Fantasy anthology series in August 1962, since the series was going to be canceled anyway. Despite his steady collaboration with Kirby up until then, Lee disliked the artist’s proposed design for Spider-Man, and so he approached Ditko instead, who had the idea of covering the superhero’s face entirely. Lee loved

his vision for the character, and so they began a partnership that would last for the next several years.

Lo and behold, the comic was a success, and over the years this first issue has become Marvel’s most valuable release ever for collectors.

Spider-Man soon starred in his own solo series, The Amazing Spider-Man beginning in March of 1963, which would quickly go on to be a massive hit. The hero was representative

Star Wars/Disney/Lucasfilm

the title character immediately guest-starring in issues of The Fantastic Four, and later, The Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers, where he would also become a founding member. It wasn’t long until Marvel realized that the character had found its audience retroactively, especially among college students. A year and a half later, the Hulk became a main feature in the anthology series Tales to Astonish.

Marvel’s Golden Age hero Namor the Sub-Mariner would also make his return in The Fantastic Four #4 as the superteam discovers him living as a homeless man in Manhattan and must help him restore his memory.

Once he does, he discovers that his underwater kingdom of Atlantis has been destroyed, thus turning him into a vengeful antihero once again. Over the years he would have short-lived allies with certain Marvel villains and make guest appearances in other series, much to the delight of fans. However, due to publication restrictions, Sub-Mariner wasn’t able to get his own solo revival until 1968.

The Fantastic Four #5 would be the first to feature the team’s most frequent adversary Doctor Doom, a wealthy genius inventor famous for his various doomsday machines.

of what teenagers were going through at the time, and unlike the stereotypical superheroes who would find respite in their “human” alter-egos, Peter Parker was a struggling teen who found comfort in his secret crime-fighting persona— being a teenager was the hard part.

Going along with the trend of most characters of the time, Marvel’s version of the mythological Thor would debut in yet another sci-fi anthology series desperately in need of a boost, Journey into Mystery, the same month as Spidey, in issue #83. Thor wasn’t the first comic book incarnation of the Norse god— heck, he wasn’t even the first to be designed by Kirby—but Lee felt that a modern spin on the mythology would be pretty interesting. Thor’s adversary and adopted brother Loki was introduced two issues later. Thor would also go on to be a founding member of the Avengers, and Journey into Mystery would be renamed Thor by 1966.

If 1962 was big, 1963 was even bigger. Marvel dropped the initials “MC” and began putting “Marvel” in the upper left-hand corner of each comic. The Marvel Age was well underway. Over the next five years, Lee and Kirby’s approach would take comic books beyond mere fad, and establish them as a permanent

media much like television or film had become. And despite down periods, we would eventually see that comics would always prevail.

That year saw the debut of one of Marvel’s most intriguing heroes, Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man, created by Lee with artists Don Heck and Kirby. The idea was simple enough: a businessman superhero, a billionaire, a playboy—not dissimilar to Batman’s Bruce Wayne. But where Wayne was merely pretending to have vices, Stark would actually be

a highly flawed individual. Where Wayne had a definitive moral compass, Stark would be a selfserving hedonist. And as Wayne was highly trained even without his super suit, Stark was just a billionaire playboy, albeit with a magnetic chest plate as a heart regulator. However, it was Stark’s backstory that made him unique.

A weapons manufacturer for the US military who gets captured by enemy forces in Vietnam, Stark is now forced to make weapons for the other team. However, due to an injury from a booby trap, he has a piece of shrapnel lodged in his chest, moving towards his heart.

While imprisoned, he and fellow prisoner Ho Yinsen develop the magnetic plate that would become a permanent fixture in Stark’s body. In

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the meantime, both men also create a powered suit of armor, which serves as Stark’s means of escape.

The hero first appeared in Tales of Suspense #39, featuring a bulky grey version of the super suit, which was soon redesigned by Ditko to the iconic red and yellow one we know him to have today. Iron Man was a huge success, most notably among female readers, receiving more fan mail from women than any other superhero Marvel had ever published. He became a main fixture in the Avengers series, where he was one of the founding members.

Sgt. Fury and the Howling Commandos came about from a bet Lee had with Goodman that he could make a comic book sell even if the title was bad. And so the series, revolving around an elite special unit of non-superheroes led by Nick Fury (sans eyepatch) that fights enemies in World War II, made its debut in May 1963 and lasted into the ‘80s. That year also saw the expansion of Ant-Man in Tales to Astonish to include Pym’s newfound superhero identity in the 12-foot-tall Giant-Man, as well as his socialite laboratory assistant girlfriend Janet van Dyne, who would become the Wasp, another founding member of the Avengers and the one responsible for dubbing them with the name.

July of that year Doctor Strange, created by Lee and Ditko, debuted in the anthology series Strange Tales in issue #110. The stories would revolve around magic and mysticism rather than scientific superpowers, which found an audience among the older college students. Prior to the psychedelia that would become more established later in the decade, the stories would take place in surrealistic settings and highly abstract realms. Doctor Strange was unlike any character that had been released up to that point.

With the success of The Fantastic

Four, Lee was tasked with creating yet another standalone superhero team. Since he didn’t want to come up with origins stories for each character, he decided to make it so that they’re all born with their powers: They’re mutants. He then figured it would only make sense that a world of mutants would need some sort of school where they could hone their abilities. And in September of 1963, X-Men #1 was released. In a world where people can be born with superhuman skills, the spectrum of goodness would vary depending on the individual’s

Marvel Comics/Marvel Database

moral code and upbringing. Marvel was the perfect brand for the job.

Although it quickly grew with each issue, the original roster included Angel (different from Marvel’s hero from 1939), gifted with super strong wings that enable him to fly, Beast, a hairy, blue, ape-like human with high intelligence, Cyclops, who can emit powerful red beams from his eyes, Iceman, who can control ice and freeze objects at will, Marvel Girl (later Phoenix), gifted with telekinesis, and Professor Xavier, who is, of course, their wheelchair-bound teacher and a mutant himself. Their villains, the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, led

by Magneto, are mutants just like them, but see non-mutants as the true enemy. The series touched upon themes of prejudice and racism as it pertained to mutants. Issue #4 saw the debut of two reluctant

adversaries, twin mutants Scarlet Witch, an ostensible sorceress with the ability to alter reality, and super-speedster Quicksilver. They would both eventually become superheroes and members of the Avengers. Despite a core fanbase, audiences failed to catch on and X-Men eventually ceased production after only 66 issues. It wasn’t until later revivals that the series grew in popularity. And boy did they.

September 1963 would also see the debut of The Avengers #1, which featured Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, AntMan, and the Wasp, but the roster would continue to change, often issue to issue. It was also around this time that Marvel decided to revive the character of Captain America, but first they decided to test him out in an 18-page Human Torch story from Strange Tales #114. By

the end of the story, it’s revealed that this particular Captain America is really just an impostor, and explained in the final panel that this issue is merely a test run to see how well fans would respond to the superhero’s return. They responded well and the real Captain America was officially reintroduced in The Avengers #4, released March 1964, with a storyline surrounding his body being preserved in a frozen block of ice.

Debuting in April 1964 was another character who would eventually find even bigger popularity in the decades that followed. Created by Lee, Kirby, and Bill Everett, Daredevil first appeared in his own Daredevil #1, an issue that not only introduced the character but served as an origins story as well. Matt Murdock becomes the titular hero after saving a blind man from an oncoming truck, thus becoming blind himself by the very radioactive substance that gives him his powers, heightening the rest of his senses. Over the years, Daredevil has had quite the following—almost cult-like—but it wasn’t until writer-artist Frank Miller’s debut on the series 15 years later that not only elevated Daredevil’s popularity but also gave rise to one of the most important and

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Nick Fury stories, eventually taking over full writing responsibilities.

Steranko became a highly influential figure in the world of comics with his work on the series, innovating ideas of photocollages and panel-less drawings, much similar to concert posters from that era, turning the Nick Fury feature into one of the most groundbreaking titles of that period, influential even to this day.

Marvel Comics/Marvel Database

influential creative figures in comic book history.

That same month, Black Widow, born Natasha Romanova, would make her own debut in the “Iron Man” feature from Tales of Suspense #52 as an antagonist who’s highly skilled in martial arts. The Russian spy would soon recruit expert archer and reluctant criminal Hawkeye as an ally five issues later. Eventually both would become heroes and join the Avengers. Black Widow would go on to star in her own 8-story series as part of the anthology comic Amazing Adventures beginning in 1970 and co-star in Daredevil for several years that same decade. Hawkeye would later star in Solo Avengers (later Avengers Spotlight) alongside a rotating cast of co-stars from 1987 to 1991.

1965 saw the debut of S.H.I.E.L.D. and a re-imagining of Nick Fury, now as its director and with his signature eyepatch, in a 12-page feature in Strange Tales #135.

Certain characters from the Howling Commandos also made their return as agents of the secret organization, which featured Tony Stark as head of the Special Weaponry division.

By Strange Tales #151, writer-artist Jim Steranko began his work on the

By this point, Lee, Kirby, and Ditko would have already developed what would be known as the “Marvel Method” of collaboration. Due to Kirby and Ditko’s evocative artistry and knack for story, and Lee’s busy schedule, Marvel devised a new system during this time, where the artist would work from the writer’s story synopsis or plot, rather than a full script. The writer would then fill in the dialogue later on. This method became widespread in the comic book industry and would give the artists greater freedom for visualization when structuring a panel, especially with talented pencillers like Kirby and Ditko. In the decades that followed, many series were written and drawn by the same person, who would have full creative control, much like Steranko in the ‘60s with Nick Fury.

Around this time the Fantastic Four series began another small wave of introducing new characters and species that would contribute to the expansive lore of the Marvel Universe. Issue #45 (December 1965) debuted the mysterious prehistoric earthlings, the Inhumans, with the alien race of the Kree following in issue #65, establishing a long-time rival with the Skrulls, another alien race, who had first been introduced way back in issue #2.

A major addition to the Marvel Universe that came from the Marvel Method was the Silver Surfer, who Kirby added on his own, even though the character hadn’t been discussed in the plot outline by Lee. Instead, the artist included a small detail of a silver man on a surfboard, who they would eventually develop into an important role for their story.

In March of 1966, Silver Surfer would get introduced and play an integral part in Fantastic Four #48 through 50, which would become known by fans as “The Galactus Trilogy.” It featured the antagonist Galactus, a god-like cosmic entity who consumes planets to sustain his own existence, created as a breakaway from the traditional super-villain conventions with a mystique that transcends archetypes of good and evil in comics—a deity that feeds off of humans’ energy in order to survive.

Alongside Galactus was his herald, the Silver Surfer, an alien humanoid with silver skin and a surfboard—a decision that came about simply because Kirby was tired of drawing spaceships—that he uses to travel throughout the universe at hyper speed, who would eventually save humanity. It was a storyline unlike anything we had seen in any medium at that time. Over the years the Galactus Trilogy has been viewed as one of Marvel’s crowning achievements of the Silver Age. The Silver Surfer instantly became a favorite of fans and even Lee

himself, who asked other writers at the time not to include the hero in their stories.

Two issues later Fantastic Four #52 debuted yet another character in the team’s eventual-ally, Black Panther, the first mainstream Black superhero with actual superpowers.

Black Panther is T’Challa, the king of the highly-advanced African nation of Wakanda, who possesses powers given to him through the mystical herbs found on Wakanda as well as his suit, which is made of the elusive mineral vibranium, unique only to his country. Beginning in 1968, Black Panther left Wakanda to join the Avengers in the US, starting with The Avengers #52.

By now Marvel couldn’t be stopped. In 1966 their sales finally passed those of DC for the first time ever, and would become the highestselling publisher every year since.

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DC had just launched their own live-action Batman series, which was extraordinarily popular, but Marvel’s stories had much more breadth, so animation served them better. Grantray-Lawrence Animation produced the very first television show based on a Marvel property with The Marvel Super Heroes, which consisted of 195 short anthology segments, each starring one of five Marvel stars: Captain America, Hulk, Iron Man, Thor, or Sub-Mariner, one for every weekday. The series lasted only a few months, but would give a broader exposure to non-comic book readers and be foretelling of what was to come in the decades ahead.

Marvel would try TV again a year later. Hanna-Barbera produced a short-lived Fantastic Four animated series for their ABC Saturday morning block in 1967 that would only last for 20 episodes with mixed review. The episodes, aimed at younger audiences, failed to capture the sprawling scope of the comic books and didn’t gel with the extremely limited animation that Hanna-Barbera was known for. That same year, ABC aired the SpiderMan animated series, which was much more successful and lasted until 1970. The show featured the now-iconic theme song and has earned cult-status over the years for its low budget and oft-awkward animation.

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Finally in 1968, Marvel Comics was no longer under DC’s distribution, which allowed them to release more comics on a much quicker timeline, doubling their titles during a short period now known as the “Marvel Explosion.” The three anthology series that Marvel was currently running, which had now become “split books” (two different superhero stories in one), each shot off into two separate titles—six in total. Strange Tales was renamed Doctor Strange, with his former book-mate Nick Fury getting his own series Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Steranko at the creative helm for the first few issues. Tales of Suspense became Captain America, with Iron Man now getting his own long-lasting solo series (both titles ran until 1996). And finally The Incredible Hulk took over Tales to Astonish completely, becoming his second solo series (this time lasting until 1999), with Sub-Mariner— Marvel’s oldest superhero—starring in his own series a month later for

the first time since the mid-‘50s.

This all happened in 1968.

That year Silver Surfer also saw his first solo series debut, which, while short-lived (18 issues), is considered one of Lee’s most thoughtful and introspective works ever. Among the more notable 1968 debuts is Captain

Marvel Comics/Marvel Database/Fantastic Four/Hanna-Barbera/ Spider-Man/ABC/Grantray-Lawrence

Marvel. The trademark on Fawcett Comics’ Captain Marvel name had run out, and so Marvel Comics quickly trademarked it themselves, giving their own version of the character his own title that year as well. The series flopped despite several attempts at revamping it over the next decade, at times just to keep the trademark active, which forced DC, who had bought the rights to the actual Fawcett character—not the series’ title—to use the name Shazam! instead.

Future editor-in-chief Roy Thomas

was a huge fan of Golden Age Marvel and wanted to create a character inspired by the ones from the ‘40s. He had been a writer on the Avengers series and wanted his new hero to be modeled after the original Vision from back in the day.

As Lee didn’t want the character to be an alien, Thomas had the idea to make him a highly intelligent robot capable of emotion. The new Vision, a creation of the recently debuted villain Ultron (Avengers #54), would debut in Avengers #57 in August 1968 as a weapon to destroy the Avengers. However, Vision immediately turns on his creator and joins the Avengers himself. Later issues would involve a romance between Vision and Scarlet Witch, as well as cement Vision’s connection to the Golden Age, as it’s revealed that he was built from the body of the original android Human Torch.

1969 saw the first appearance of Falcon in Captain America #117, the first Black superhero to star in a mainstream comic series. The Harlem native soon partnered up with Captain America, and starting with #134 the series was retitled Captain America and the Falcon for almost every issue until 1978. Falcon joined the Avengers on and off until eventually becoming a prominent member years later, and even took on the role of Captain America in 2014 in the series All-New Captain America.

Also in 1969, the intergalactic team, Guardians of the Galaxy, created by Arnold Drake and Gene Colan, debuted in Marvel Super-Heroes #18 with the initial roster combining both genetically engineered humans and alien species, featuring Captain Charlie-27, Martinex T’Naga, Vance Astro, and Yondu Udonta. The history of the Guardians is a bit messy. Despite a popular debut, the team wouldn’t make another appearance for five years. And then in 1976, Guardians of the Galaxy were given their own series with Marvel Presents, which had the heroes leaving Earth to fight their battles in space. However, the concept didn’t catch on with readers and it only lasted 10 issues in total. Guardians of the Galaxy got tossed around a lot throughout the rest of the ‘70s, becoming completely absent in the ‘80s.

We wouldn’t see the likes of StarLord, Drax the Destroyer, Gamora, Groot, and Rocket until 2008 when a new team was created from the foundation laid by the Annihilation: Conquest crossover.

As the 1960s came to a close, Marvel’s output was higher than ever, even though its sales were not.

Needless to say, double the comics meant double the scripts and art.

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hroughout the ‘70s, Marvel churned out much fewer new characters, relying more on new releases from older iconic properties. By this time, a lot was changing in the comic book world, especially at Marvel. In 1970, Kirby left the company acrimoniously to join the rival DC, his final issue being Fantastic Four #102. Ditko had already left in 1967. Lee debuted his final character for a decade with 1969’s Prowler, and in 1972 he would stop writing for the comic books altogether to take over the publisher role after Goodman’s departure.

His last issues were The Amazing

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Spider-Man #110 and Fantastic Four #125. With three dominant forces virtually out of the creative process, the productivity was spread among a larger cast of writers and artists, and thus the aesthetic was much less congruous, although there was arguably more variety.

The demarcation of when the Silver Age ended and the Bronze Age began is largely debated, but some historians mark Kirby’s departure as a definite turning point. The Silver Age is arguably the most important era in comic book history, not by launching a new set of tropes and archetypes, per se, but through sheer innovation in character and storytelling, honing the medium into something that can be looked at beyond cheesy entertainment—it was highly-creative art. And it was all

thanks to the rise of Marvel.

Before he stopped physically making comic books indefinitely, Lee would write one of his most important arcs yet. In 1971, the US Department of Health, Education and Welfare commissioned Marvel to write a comic book story about the dangers of drugs. And so Lee came out with The Amazing Spider-Man #96 through 98, which details one of Peter Parker’s friends who develops an addiction. The CCA refused to give their stamp of approval, despite the anti-drug stance. While most of the time this verdict would lead to rewrites, Lee refused and Marvel released the three issues anyway.

The books sold very well, and Lee’s bold move ultimately led to the CCA reforming its guidelines to include negative depictions of drugs. That year the Code also loosened its grip on more supernatural horror elements found in classic literature, such as vampires, werewolves, and ghouls. This would start another new trend of “monster heroes.”

The ‘70s saw a lessened focus on superhero titles, experimenting with a variety of other genres in the process. DC had canceled almost

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all of its superheroes with the exception of Superman and Batman, and Marvel canceled several of their less popular series as well, including Doctor Strange (1969), The X-Men (1970), The Silver Surfer (1970), Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. (1971), Sub-Mariner (1974), and Sgt. Fury and his Howling Commandos (only reprints starting in 1974)—as opposed to the ‘60s, where only one superhero comic was canceled: The Incredible Hulk.

This era would, however, see the creation of some characters who would go on to earn large cult followings. In September 1970, Avengers #80 featured Marvel’s very first Native American hero in Red Wolf, a title first given to William Talltrees, and then Johnny Wakely for his own nine-issue solo series starting in 1972, which is set in the Old West.

Lee and Thomas also noticed a number of letters to the editor requesting that they purchase the rights to some of the old pulp magazine properties. And so they did, most notably Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian—now with his first appearance in comic book form.

Thomas and Barry Windsor-Smith, who wrote the series, remained faithful to the original and thus sparked a new interest in the swordcarrying warrior, igniting a trend of comic book adaptations for several of Howard’s other characters like Red Sonya (renamed Red Sonja), King Kull (by DC), and Solomon Kane, as well as Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan

(by DC) and John Carter. Conan’s success lasted into the ‘80s, leading to a pair of films starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, both co-written by Thomas himself.

In 1971, Marvel began a new magazine imprint, Curtis Magazines (later Marvel Magazine Group), which would publish black-and-white adult-oriented titles that would not fall under the purview of the CCA. Among its most notable was the more graphic Conan series, 1974’s Savage Sword of Conan, which became one of Marvel’s most indemand titles of the decade, and permitted more violence under the magazine pretense than it could as a comic book.

Following the updated CCA guidelines of 1971, Marvel wouldn’t revert back to the horror offerings that were popular in the ‘50s, but would instead introduce new

superheroes—monster heroes— that would display only tinges (and sometimes more) of the genre.

Thomas conceived a new character that would fit right into this mold.

In the first issue of The Amazing Spider-Man not to be written by Lee, Thomas and penciller Gil Kane debuted Morbius, who develops vampire-like abilities after trying to find a cure for his fatal blood disease.

The character was given a sympathyfilled two-issue arc as an adversary for Spidey, and later starred in Vampire Tales for Curtis Magazines, written by Don McGregor, which lasted 11 issues. In 1992, Morbius was revived again for Morbius, the Living Vampire, which would go on to run for three years.

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female readership and released a trio of new titles, each with female writers and/or artists behind them: Jean Thomas and Win Mortimer’s Night Nurse (1972-1973), following three nurses who help injured superheroes, Carole Seuling and George Tuska’s Shanna the She-Devil (1972-1973), starring an Olympictrained jungle adventurer in Africa, and Roy Thomas and Wally Wood’s The Claws of the Cat (1972-1973), with several different female artists and writers assigned to the fourissue series which starred the Cat,

a crime fighter who acquires catlike superpowers, later revamped as Tigra, making appearances throughout the next several years in Avengers comics and getting her own solo miniseries in 2002.

There was, however, one particular female heroine who caught on in a big way. Inspired by another of Howard’s pulp characters, Red Sonja was an entirely new take on the writer’s swashbuckling warrior woman. Marvel’s version, again created by Thomas and WindsorSmith, was featured in the same

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In 1972, Marvel’s latest try-out title, Marvel Spotlight, debuted another new monster hero, created

by Thomas, Gary Friedrich, and Mike Ploog: Ghost Rider (no connection to Marvel’s 1967 Western comic), a vengeance-filled, motorcycle-riding superhero with a flaming skull. The seven-issue run was a success and the character eventually got his own series in 1973 which lasted ten years.

Ghost Rider was one of a slew of less sci-fi-based horror titles as a result of the revamped CCA rules, including 1972’s The Tomb of Dracula and 1974’s Man-Thing.

Besides capitalizing on the new gates opened for monster heroes, Marvel also focused the next few years on diversifying its content.

Born out of the popularity of the blaxploitation genre came Luke Cage, not only the first Black superhero to be the title character of a comic series, but one of the rare characters to debut in his own solo series as well. Created by a team consisting of Archie Goodwin, George Tuska, Roy Thomas, and John Romita Sr., Luke Cage, Hero for Hire debuted in June 1972. Set in New York, Cage, a wrongfullyconvicted prisoner, acquires superhuman strength during an experimental procedure and, once freed, becomes a contract hero later known as Power Man. Due to the waning popularity of blaxploitation by the late ‘70s, Luke Cage was partnered with martial arts hero Iron Fist from 1978 until the series’ cancellation in 1986.

Around this time Lee had the idea to try, once again, to gain a larger

universe as Conan, debuting in Conan the Barbarian #23 (1973). Red Sonja eventually got her own solo story in 1975, with her popularity leading to a 1985 movie of the same name.

In 1973, Marvel proofreader Don McGregor proposed, in a meeting about reprinting Atlas Comics’ old Jungle Action title, that the stories set in Africa should actually feature Black characters rather than only White ones. He was then put in charge of expanding the series to new issues, which would star Black Panther. And so the superhero was given his first solo comic. With his new task, McGregor also pioneered the idea of a self-contained story over multiple issues, starting with his “Panther’s Rage” arc in issues #6 through 18, which would later be considered by critics as Marvel’s prototype for graphic novels.

After failed attempts to adapt the TV show Kung Fu into comic book form, Marvel acquired the rights to Sax Rohmer’s pulp magazine character Dr. Fu Manchu and developed their own character who would exist in the same universe. He was named Shang-Chi and debuted in Special Marvel Edition #15 in December 1973, with the title eventually changing to The Hands of Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu by issue #17. While not explicitly having any superpowers, Shang-Chi is proficient in an array of wushu styles and has even defeats several superpowered villains. Because of Bruce

Lee, martial arts were very popular in America starting in the ‘70s, which helped the series run for #125 issues until 1983.

Another character born from the kung fu craze was Iron Fist. Inspired by the Hong Kong martial arts film King Boxer (1972), Thomas gave the character his first feature in the tryout series Marvel Premiere issue #15 (1974) with an 11-issue arc until eventually giving him his own series, which ran for 15 issues from 1975 to 1977. After cancellation, Iron Fist teamed up with Luke Cage in a title that would eventually become renamed Power Man and Iron Fist.

One of the more unexpected characters to find popularity from the new wave of horrorinspired comics was Blade, a vampire hunter who’s immune to vampire bites due to his unique blood composition. The character was first featured in The Tomb of Dracula #10 and became a regular starting in 1973, his popularity eclipsing that of the more prominent supporting characters. During

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Age hadn’t yet expired, there’s one moment in particular that would be the nail in its coffin. As though comics during this time weren’t already getting darker in the realm of the stories themselves, there would be nothing to cement that fact more than the events that took place in a 1973 arc of The Amazing SpiderMan (#121 and 122). Peter Parker’s longtime girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, gets murdered by the Green Goblin in a storyline that perfectly symbolized, if not propelled, the grimness that permeated that era of comics, where anything goes and no character is untouchable.

If this wasn’t the beginning of the Bronze Age for the industry as a whole, it was definitely so for Marvel.

It proved that the publisher, once

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those years, Blade seemed to be a perennial featured character in several of Marvel’s monster hero series, including Ghost Rider, Morbius, and Nightstalkers, in which he starred, seeing a peak in the ‘90s with several solo series and miniseries.

Marvel then diversified in an… unusual way. That year also saw the debut of one of their more peculiar heroes, Howard the Duck, a mordant, non-superpowered, cigar-smoking, anthropomorphic waterfowl who bares a close resemblance to Disney’s Donald Duck and is skilled in the martial art of Quak-Fu. Howard the Duck, created by Steve Gerber and Val Mayerik, was first featured in Adventure into Fear #19 in December 1973, and was supposed to merely be a throwaway parody of the “funny animal” comics that riddled the ‘50s. However, fans took a liking to the character and he eventually got his own title in 1976, which lasted 31 issues, until being revived again in the ‘80s to coincide with 1986’s notorious Howard the Duck movie.

The demarcation of the Bronze Age has been something that’s often been disputed among fans and historians, but if the Silver

again, wasn’t afraid to take risks.

They did so in 1961 by subverting conventions in The Fantastic Four, and here they did so again over a decade later, ushering in a new mindset for what was possible in comics. The medium was no longer a safe escape. Bad things really could happen, irreversibly, bringing closer the bond between the page and reality—another foretelling of what would be to come in the decades that followed.

In a moment of irony, PBS aired Spidey Super Stories, a 5-minute segment during The Electric Company television program, starting the very next year, featuring an actor in a Spider-Man costume who speaks in word balloons. It aired until 1974 and was the first live-action appearance of any Marvel

entity since the Captain America serial 30 years earlier.

That year Marvel debuted one of their first true antiheroes when Gerry Conway took inspiration from the popular book series The Executioner by Don Pendleton, about a vengeful serial killer of criminals.

He approached Lee with the idea of a character named “Assassin.” Lee thought the name had too much negativity, and then recalled an older throwaway character he’d created years ago named “Punisher” and proposed that name instead. The name stuck and Conway drew up a concept design for his new character, with a small image of a skull on the breast of his shirt. Romita took the rough drawing and enlarged the skull to take up most of Punisher’s torso.

First featured in The Amazing Spider-Man #129, Punisher, an exMarine vigilante who’s proficient in numerous forms of martial arts, was initially an antagonist for Spider-Man, but would team up with him in later appearances. Punisher has enjoyed quite the following throughout the years and helped popularize a wave of dark, vengeful antiheroes. It would take twelve years before he would finally get his own miniseries, with various solo titles and independent films released over the next few decades.

Then came what would end up being Marvel’s most popular antihero ever, and one of the most iconic heroes overall. Sometime in 1974, Roy Thomas gave writer Len Wein the task of coming up with a character named “Wolverine.” He had two stipulations: that he have the fierce temper of a wolverine animal and that he be from Canada.

Romita came up with the design for the new character, who would have retractable claws and be a superhuman agent for the Canadian government. Wolverine debuted that year as a cameo in The Incredible Hulk #180, with a full appearance in the following issue. After his arc in Hulk, Wolverine would become recruited to the X-Men in Giant-

Size X-Men #1 (1975), which also contained the first new appearance of the superteam in five years, becoming the transitional issue for their revamp.

X-Men #94, released a few months later, would feature the “All-New, All-Different X-Men,” which included Wolverine, Nightcrawler, Storm, and Colossus, among others. New writer Chris Claremont took over the series by the second issue and, together with artist Dave Cockrum, transformed the backseat franchise into the industry’s top seller by the start of the ‘80s. Claremont gave the series a strong voice and vision, and X-Men suddenly felt like its own universe within the Marvel Universe. A couple of Claremont’s most notable contributions were expanding the team to members outside of the US and transforming Marvel Girl/Jean Grey into Phoenix with “The Dark Phoenix Saga” (with artist John Byrne), which ultimately spanned four years, giving the mutant virtually limitless powers and a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde dichotomy that threatens the fate of the entire universe. Now the X-Men have to band together to stop one of their own. The story ends with Jean committing suicide to stop herself from becoming the Dark Phoenix once again in an arc that rivaled Lee and Kirby’s “Galactus Trilogy” in both invention and daringness. Claremont

would stay on board for 16 years and his newly-rebranded X-Men would quickly become a flagship for Marvel, along with The Amazing Spider-Man, over the next two decades.

There was, however, a certain clawed individual who wasn’t happy.

Wolverine continued to become overshadowed by his fellow stars, and Claremont was on the verge of writing the character out of the series altogether. However, artist John Byrne, who had just taken over on the project for Cockrum in 1977, was a fan of Wolverine and was determined for him to stay.

The fellow Canadian Byrne gave the

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three different series, all of which got canceled rather quickly without Kirby’s envisioned story getting completed. Fans saw The Eternals as being thematically similar to the “Fourth World” titles, and it too got canceled after only a year and a half. While the plotline was concluded in a 1980 issue of Thor, the Eternals themselves would only make sporadic appearances over the years.

In a gesture of goodwill, 1976 saw the first intercompany superhero crossover between Marvel

and DC with Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man: The Battle of the Century. In the non-canonical story, both heroes must work together to save the planet from the collaborative domination efforts of their respective nemeses, Lex Luthor and Doctor Octopus. To make matters even more perplexing, New York City and Metropolis also coexist with absolutely no explanation for why the two characters had never met prior to this scenario. The two companies would eventually crossover heroes several more times, each met with the same amount of bewilderment from most fans.

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character his new look, modeled after actor Paul D’Amato from the film Slap Shot. In 1979, he created the Canadian superhero team Alpha Flight in order to expand on Wolverine’s complicated backstory.

The character quickly became a fan favorite and got his own four-part miniseries in 1982, along with a long-running solo series that began in 1988.

And wouldn’t you know it, over the years, Wolverine has become one of the most beloved comic book characters of all time.

Despite being able to capitalize on old favorites and find new followings with a few of their recent characters, the state of the comic book world, and Marvel, was in dire straits.

The revitalization of the film industry during the ‘70s saw less interest in comic books yet again.

Issue prices seemed to be increasing each year to make up for tighter margins. Waiting for directto-consumer trends to catch on, the newsstand distribution network saw a decline as retailers made more money selling the pricier and more popular magazines than comic books, and suddenly the industry was on the verge of disappearing.

In 1975, Marvel held its very first comic convention, Marvelcon, where Lee announced the return of Jack Kirby to the company, much to the surprise of the audience.

Kirby’s first creation upon his arrival was 1976’s The Eternals. While at DC, the artist created a line of related titles collectively called “Jack Kirby’s Fourth World,” an ambitious space saga that spanned across

With the company ripe for something new to shake things up, some big strides were made in 1977 as Marvel began looking beyond the comic book page into other mediums. Lee and Romita brought The Amazing SpiderMan to newspapers as a daily comic strip, which still runs today, followed by Conan the Barbarian, Howard the Duck, and The Incredible Hulk, which do not.

In the world of DC, the Wonder Woman TV series had become highly successful, and the technology was moving forward in a way that could more “realistically” bring these comic book concepts to life. The 1977 TV movie Spider-Man would be CBS’s highest rated production of the year and serve as the pilot to a live-action TV series that would air a few months later. CBS quickly duplicated the formula with The Incredible Hulk TV movie that same year and

its subsequent series, the latter of which would become hugely popular around the world and last 5 seasons, plus several TV movies, and turn star Lou Ferrigno into a household name.

While Spidey’s series lasted only a year, and Marvel found even less success with their failed 93-minute live-action Dr. Strange pilot, a pair of made-for-TV Captain America movies (also live-action), and yet another Fantastic Four cartoon that lasted only 13 episodes and replaced the Human Torch with a robot named Herbie, Hulk was a character whose powers could plausibly be limited for the television medium’s capabilities at that time. The success of the series, an entire year before the iconic and groundbreaking Superman movie, showed audiences that superheroes could be adapted in a way that could retain their essence while also making sense in a realworld setting.

Towards the end of the decade, Marvel began publishing comic books based on movie properties, such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Trek, and Battlestar Galactica. But there was one in particular that helped turn Marvel Comics back around. Based on his work on the Conan the Barbarian comics, Roy Thomas was approached

by Lucasfilm to write a series based on an upcoming movie called Star Wars.

When Lee heard that Alec Guinness was going to star in the project, he gave the green light. Since movie tie-ins at the time weren’t a lucrative business, Marvel wasn’t expecting much. However, the series, debuting a month before the film in 1977, did so well (and so did the film itself, by the way) that it gave the company the extra money it needed during a time when the industry as a whole was struggling. According to future editorin-chief Jim Shooter, they would have gone bankrupt if it had not been for the Star Wars deal.

The series lasted 107 issues initially, with three annuals. And for two years straight, Star Wars was among the highest-selling titles in the entire industry.

By 1978, Jim Shooter took over as editor-in-chief, succeeding Archie Goodwin, a promotion that would soon start Marvel on the upward trend again. While known by some as a dictator around the office, Shooter’s hard-nosed approach was necessary to correct a lot of the bad habits that had cultivated in recent years, such as missed deadlines and the occasional complacency on the creative end.

The tides were changing yet again.

Kirby had created his final comic for

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industry that had never been seen before. He had the innovative idea of, rather than drawing heroes in tights, putting them in trench coats and classic cars. Early on he had a vision for creating crime comics that starred superheroes. By 1981, Daredevil was about to be canceled, until editor Denny O’Neil thought it would be smart to hand over the series to Miller entirely as both writer and penciller. From there, Miller revived Daredevil and sales began to skyrocket.

Also influenced by Japanese comics and culture, Miller debuted the ninja mercenary Elektra in 1981 for Daredevil #168, a character who would become the hero’s love interest and counterpoint. Miller introduced the martial arts aspect into the series and imbued it with much darker themes, focusing on expanding backstories, and quickly Daredevil became one of Marvel’s most popular titles. Elektra also popularized, if not spearheaded, the trope that is the blurry line between romantic interest and villain. Soon after, Miller’s work as co-writer (with Claremont) of the 1982 Wolverine mini-series confirmed the writer as an undisputable force in the industry, and a figure that would go on to change the aesthetic and tone of comics—and even their cinematic counterparts—over the next couple of decades with his work on various graphic novels.

By this point, X-Men was must-

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Marvel, a 1978 collaboration with Lee entitled The Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience, considered to be Marvel’s first true graphic novel, before leaving to pursue animation elsewhere. This time he never returned. In 1981 Lee had now moved to California, still with Marvel, to develop several TV and film projects as Vice President of Creative Affairs for the brand new animation studio, Marvel Productions Ltd., which, aside from a trio of short-lived Marvel cartoons (two Spider-Man and one Incredible Hulk), would eventually produce Jim Henson’s Muppet Babies, The Transformers, and Jem and the Holograms, among others.

That same year, Shooter gave X-Men heroine Dazzler, a discosinging mutant, her own series which would be the first specialty store exclusive. He eventually wrote a spec script for a live-action film that was set to star Bo Derek, but that never panned out.

The 1980s saw a rise in nostalgia for early Silver Age comics, and many of those who had grown up with them would now become involved on the creative side of the industry. Along with Claremont, another prodigy that came out of comic book fandom was a young artist named Frank Miller. It was Shooter who first hired on Miller and handed him over the penciling duties for the Daredevil series following Gene Colan’s departure. The artist brought a totally new style to the

read entertainment. Claremont and Byrne followed the ending of “The Dark Phoenix Saga” with another arc that was perhaps just as groundbreaking. The Uncanny X-Men (following a name change in 1978) #141 and 142 featured a two-part story called “Days of Future Past,” in which the team goes back in time to prevent a political assassination that would bring about a dystopian future. The events in those issues have since been revisited multiple times throughout the years. During their tenure together, Claremont and Byrne had a somewhat rocky relationship, yet still managed to not only save the X-Men but help save the comic book industry as a whole.

Following issue #143 in 1981, Byrne

left the series to work on Fantastic Four for a successful six-year run.

Prior to 1982, writers and artists across the industry were paid per page. However, Shooter initiated a new way for creators to earn royalties after a certain sales level was reached, as well as a piece of the pie for merchandise. He started the Epic Comics imprint, which would consist of creatorowned material. That year he also spearheaded Marvel Super Hero Contest of Champions, which would be the company’s first limited series and introduced the idea of a multititle crossover. This was followed by 1984’s 12-issue crossover series

Secret Wars, which was created as a backdoor launch for the new Mattel toy line.

Secret Wars is also the first appearance of Spider-Man’s ostensibly new black costume, which turns out to be a symbiote that eventually becomes Venom after bonding with journalist Eddie Brock, his first host and Spider-Man’s new villain.

In 1986, Universal Pictures optioned the film rights to Marvel’s Howard the Duck comics to be executive produced by none other than George Lucas. Lucas had wanted to make the film for some time, partnering up with his American Graffiti screenwriters Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz. It would be Marvel’s first feature film adaptation for one of their comics since the 1944 Captain America serial. Howard the Duck was a legendary disaster. The filmmakers took an entirely different direction with the property and the character.

Rather than making the film a witty and mordant comedy, it was dumbed down from its satirical angle and broadened for a wider

audience. Luckily, this would not be the last attempt at a Marvel film adaptation.

As for the comics, most of the rest of the Marvel fare of the era was charming and inspired, even if not as memorable as some of the heavyhitters: She-Hulk, Lee’s first created character since 1969’s Prowler, debuted in The Savage She-Hulk in 1980. A lawyer, Jennifer Walters, gets her powers from her cousin Bruce Banner, albeit a milder version.

Unlike Banner’s Hulk, who becomes an enraged maniac traditionally lacking in reason, Walters’ She-Hulk still retains her personality. SheHulk would temporarily replace the Thing in Fantastic Four in 1984 (also a result of the Secret Wars), while he got his own solo series for 22 issues. Her later solo series in 1989,

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of deliberate DC knock-offs who decide, in an alternate universe, that they would be the best suited individuals to rule Earth. Marvel’s foray into graphic novels by this point earned the writers and artists a sophistication from the public, as well as an outlet to create more involved and finite arcs if they so desired.

Throughout this era as well, Marvel mainstays continued to either evolve or keep hold. Fantastic Four was revitalized and given a second golden age thanks to Byrne (beginning in 1981 as writer and artist); The Incredible Hulk, with a string of creatives that included, in succession, Bill Mantlo (1980-1985), John Byrne (six issues), Al Milgrom (1986-1987), and Peter David (19871998), despite struggling at times,

became a sort of gonzo series frequently taken into fascinating and interesting new directions, even temporarily bringing back Grey Hulk for some time; Iron Man introduced several new characters, including his girlfriend Bethany Cabe and best friend Rhodey, who would later take up the Iron Man mantle, eventually becoming War Machine, and Tony Stark was given alcoholism; Thor, with Walt Simonson taking over writing and penciling duties in 1983 (until 1987), was as sturdy and reliable as ever. And through it all, Marvel continued to endure and would make it through yet another era.

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mostly written and drawn by Byrne, features a more satirical tone with the superhero self-aware that she’s a comic book character, even breaking the fourth wall to talk to the writer.

The New Mutants, debuting in their own graphic novel in 1982

by Claremont and Bob McLeod, and followed by the titular comic series in 1983, was the very first (of many) spin-off of X-Men, following a group of teenaged students at Professor Xavier’s school as they learn about their new powers. The series focuses on the interpersonal relationships of the characters just as much as it does the villains they fight. The first run lasted until 1991.

Power Pack, Marvel’s first team of pre-teen superheroes, debuted with their own 1984 series, created by Louise Simonson and June Brigman, starring four child siblings with superpowers. Aside from the usual bout with super-villains and evil aliens, Power Pack also covers more austere topics such as child abuse, bullying, and homelessness.

Squadron Supreme, a superteam first featured back in Avengers #85 in 1971, finally got a 12-part limited solo series by Mark Gruenwald in 1985. The story follows a group

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to those nostalgic collectors more so than kids—which created more room for new comics, and thus more and more independent publishers started popping up as there was now more space to sell their content.

Just as comic book sales were booming at the tail end of the ‘80s, Marvel Comics’ parent company, Marvel Entertainment Group, which was owned by New World Entertainment at the time, was soon bought by the Andrews Group under the control of corporate investor Ronald Perelman in a sale that would prove to be ominous. In 1991, Perelman went public with Marvel on the New York Stock Exchange.

The late ‘80s saw an increased awareness of comic books as collectors’ items. Certain classic

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f the time stamp on the Bronze Age is debatable, then the one for the subsequent Modern Age is even murkier. However, unlike the Silver and Bronze Ages, the Modern Age is marked by several key factors outside of just the stories themselves, with many of these elements taking place during this era, rather than at the beginning.

In 1987 Jim Shooter was fired as editor-in-chief, a role that was then given to Tom DeFalco. In the nine years of Shooter’s reign, he managed to turn the company—and the industry—around. He aggressively pursued the rapidly growing directto-consumer market, which had grown from 6% of Marvel’s total sales in 1979 to 70% in 1987. The accessibility and affordability of selling comics saw a boom of the mom-and-pop shops—now catering

comics, such as character debuts or first issues were selling for thousands of dollars regularly.

Collectors and even outsiders were swooping up boxes of old books and several copies of new ones—one to read and several to sell later. Every time a new series came out, there came the potential of it being worth money in the future. Suddenly comic books were an investment. By the ‘90s, the publishers were capitalizing on the trend as well during a period known as “The Spectacular Bubble.”

The prevalence of variant covers rose quickly and Marvel even released its own trading card line, Marvel Universe Cards.

Around this time, Marvel also started giving showcase titles to upand-coming creatives:

A fourth Spider-Man series was launched, simply titled Spider-Man (1990), to highlight its new star Todd McFarlane as writer, penciller, and inker. With this new title, Marvel had a new Spider-Man comic coming out each week.

That same year, DeFalco wanted to revive Guardians of the Galaxy and hired Jim Valentino to write a new storyline based on the pitch he submitted. Fans felt more ready for Guardians by that point, as it was a fun diversion from the dark and serious tone of the era, and the series lasted 62 issues.

Newcomer Rob Liefeld, who had been the artist on The New Mutants since 1989, debuting his own new character Cable and turning the low-performing series into a hit with his unconventional visuals and exaggerated character traits, took over the title with full creative control starting with issue #98 (1991). The series ended with #100 and the team was revamped with a

sequel series called X-Force, which sold four million copies upon its 1991 debut, breaking a record at the time, only to be broken again later that year.

Claremont’s glorious run with The Uncanny X-Men would come to an end in 1991, but the property stayed on top. The series was eventually given to Scott Lobdell as writer and artist, and Marvel naturally decided to come out with a second X-Men series, simply titled “X-Men,” with Claremont at the helm and his former Uncanny artist and co-writer Jim Lee alongside. Lee, no relation to Stan, was popular for the epic artwork and detailed aesthetic he brought to the franchise. And so the brand new X-Men #1 sold over 8 million copies in pre-sales alone, and to this day is the highest-selling comic book of all time.

However, due to the comic book Bubble, it’s hard to believe that 8 million people were actually reading X-Men #1, or if many/most of them were buying several issues each with the hopes that they would help pay for their kids’ college tuition.

Marvel, once again, capitalized on what was happening. Each issue of X-Force #1, X-Men #1, and even Spider-Man #1 was released with multiple variant covers or different trading cards inside. Some were sold already inside protective sleeves. You could make a case that their strategy for launching several new series in such a short period was itself an anticipation of the public’s response to the newfound collectability of comic books. But it wasn’t just Marvel, this was happening industry wide. And as most longtime collectors know, the more commonplace something is, the less likely it will be deemed valuable years later. The Golden Age comic books that were selling for thousands of dollars were doing

so because of their scarcity—not because there were 8 million copies floating around.

The Modern Age is also known as the “Dark Age of Comic Books” for the preponderance of dark, serious storylines, and the popularity of antiheroes and psychologicallygrey villains. The antiheroes who were cult hits in the ‘80s were now some of the most popular characters in comics. Wolverine, the Punisher, and Venom each starred in several of their own solo series, and even Ghost Rider was seeing a resurgence as well. In 1991 Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza debuted their latest antihero, Deadpool, in The New Mutants #98 as a supervillain. Eventually the disfigured mercenary with regenerative powers got his own miniseries in 1993, and starting with his 1997 solo series by Joe Kelly and Ed McGuinness, he developed into the mouthy and irreverent funnyman that we know him as today.

Marvel was hit hard when several of their popular stars left the company to found Image Comics in 1992 after being unable to secure the deals they wanted with either Marvel or DC. Among the artists were Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Jim Valentino, and Todd McFarlane, along with Erik Larsen, who had replaced McFarlane on Spider-Man, Marc Silvestri, formerly of the Wolverine solo series, and Whilce Portacio, most notable for his work on The Uncanny X-Men and The Punisher. It was a tough blow and only the first in the perfect storm that was to follow. july 2021|

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to finance a ridiculously huge expansion for Marvel Comics. He partnered with ToyBiz and allowed them exclusive rights to produce toys based on Marvel’s properties.

Perelman then brought in Avi Arad to become CEO of the new Marvel Films, taking over for Stan Lee, who at this point retired from Marvel operations and remained only as a figurehead for the company from then forward, appearing at big events, conventions, and in movie cameos throughout the years.

In 1993 (still the most profitable year in the history of the industry), however, things started going south in a big way. The comic book bubble burst. As most every collecting trend does, the popularity of comic books was going down. Collectors realized that the comics weren’t really worth much due to their huge print runs.

Those who joined in on the comic book bandwagon just for their apparent collectability lost interest.

Half of the retail shops nationwide went out of business over the next couple of years and the boom was officially over.

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To go along with the rising interest in action cartoons in recent years, Marvel decided to try their hand at animated television once again with the X-Men animated series on Fox Kids network in 1992, which became extremely popular. Along with DC’s Batman: The Animated series from the same year, X-Men remained faithful to its source material and exuded a maturity that hadn’t been present in animation at that time, helping to popularize and usher in a new wave of superhero cartoons throughout the ‘90s, which continued with three series in 1994: Fantastic Four, Iron Man, and SpiderMan, all finding success on the newly-expanding cable network.

Marvel also partnered with Konami to release the X-Men arcade game in 1992, which became one of the most played games that year around the world.

In 1994, writer Kurt Busiek and artist Alex Ross teamed up for the release of the four-issue comic Marvels, a limited series that was groundbreaking in bringing to readers a more candid portrayal of superheroes. The story didn’t follow a costumed individual, but an everyday news photographer by the name of Phil Sheldon who witnesses firsthand every big event in the Marvel Universe from 1939 to 1974. Ross’ photorealistic approach to the artwork was unlike anything readers had ever seen before and an important step moving forward.

Between 1992 and 1995, Perelman borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars from the bank in order

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(The Avengers, Captain America, Fantastic Four, and Iron Man) had to be outsourced to Image Comics, who ended up rebooting the series. In late 1996 Marvel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, which ousted Perelman and led to ToyBiz taking over in 1997, turning Marvel Entertainment Group into Marvel Enterprises and saving the company.

Marvel had already been selling movie rights to their characters since the late ‘70s, but it was at this time that the rest of Marvel’s major characters became optioned as part of their plan to get out of the red.

Throughout the crash, X-Men still did fairly well as Marvel utilized their most popular property as a way to increase sales during dire times.

The franchise was at its peak in the mid-‘90s, at one point with over a dozen different X-Men-related comics released each month. A slew of crossover events would permeate over each series, with the most notable being “The Age of Apocalypse” crossover in 1995, which temporarily replaced each X-Men title with The Amazing X-Men

for four months. Following Marvel’s bankruptcy in 1996, however, even X-Men was scaled back.

Despite casual fans and pseudocollectors temporarily becoming bitten by the comic book bug, true fans and nostalgics were continuing to regain interest in the series of their youths, and so the sales for trade paperbacks, or collected editions of old runs, actually rose despite the industry crash. New series, as well, were being saved from cancellation and immediately collected into a trade paperback once they were finished. As it turns out, real fans still just wanted to read these stories.

In 1998, Marvel hired on writer-artists Joe Quesada and Jimmy Palmiotti from the small independent company Event Comics to work on their new line “Marvel Knights” which would include Daredevil, Black Panther,

The Punisher, and Inhumans, giving Quesada and Palmiotti full creative control over the titles, which all became very popular.

That year Marvel Enterprises released their first theatrical film in over a decade with Blade, which, much like Howard the Duck, was another interesting choice for a company that hadn’t established many properties in the world of cinema. Blade starred Wesley Snipes and was a commercial success, leading to two sequels.

During a decade that saw the themed-restaurant craze, with the grand openings of Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood, Marvel thought they too would give it a go with their very own Marvel Mania Hollywood in Universal CityWalk in Los Angeles. The restaurant was completely Marvel-themed, filled with their famous characters and even had action sound effects written on the ceiling. However, Marvel had yet to reestablish the kind of lasting impression that it would start to cultivate ten years later, and so Marvel Mania closed after only two years.

With Universal Studios Orlando opening its Islands of Adventure theme park in 1999, Marvel was able to nab one of the islands as its

own: Marvel Super Hero Island, a mini-amusement park dedicated to Marvel’s characters, which included rides such as the Incredible Hulk Coaster, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man simulator, all of which still stand today and are the reason why Walt Disney World in Orlando is prohibited from using any Marvel characters in their parks, despite the company acquiring Marvel Entertainment a decade later.

Another version of Marvel Super Hero Island opened in Universal Studios Japan in 2004.

As the decade, and the millennium, came to a close, the future seemed bright for Marvel despite all they had just gone through. There were new projects on the horizon—mostly taking their iconic characters off the comic book page and placing them in other, more profitable mediums.

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proved that not only was filmmaking technology finally allowing for bigger stories to be told, but that these stories could exist in the real world outside of a comic book (remember, DC comics take place in fictional locales). It was also this project where a young assistant named Kevin Feige was hired on as associate producer due to his extensive knowledge of the Marvel Universe.

Impressed with his work on X-Men, Arad soon hired Feige as second-incommand at Marvel Studios. From there, Columbia Pictures came out with another film based on a Marvel property, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man, which had also been in some sort of development since the early ‘80s, even involving James Cameron as writer-director at one point, but was finally released in 2002. If X-Men established the realism of superheroes in the real world and got the ball rolling for fans’ tastebuds, then Spider-Man took both of those

Marvel Comics/Marvel Database/X-Men/20th Century Studio/Disney/Spider-Man/Sony Pictures Releasing/Avengers/ Marvel Studios/Disney/Kevin Feige Stan/(next spread): Lee/Gabriel Olsen/Getty Images

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he year 2000 is still the worst year in terms of sales in comic book history. Around that time, due to the popularity and prevalence of collected editions, the industry started to revolve around the trade paperback, which encouraged sixissue writing blocks for individual issues so that they could be released together as such. In the years since, these trade paperbacks are largely used as source material for the film world, which is undeniably more profitable.

Marvel followed the success of Blade with the very first X-Men movie in 2000, despite being in development hell since 1984. Finally in 1993, Avi Arad had gotten the ball rolling on the project, setting up a deal with 20th Century Fox, and soon creating Marvel Studios in 1996.

X-Men, directed by Bryan Singer, starred then-unknown actor Hugh Jackman in the lead role of Wolverine and was a huge success.

DC had had their run of Batman and Superman films since the late ‘70s, but X-Men was truly the beginning of the superhero movie craze that still very much exists today. It

facets to a whole new level. Imbuing the project with a vast scope, yet comic book tone, Raimi clearly understood and appreciated the source material. Breaking all kinds of records upon its release, SpiderMan was an enormous success, leaving audiences awe-stricken as they watched Spidey swing through the air as they’d never seen any character do on screen before.

Raimi’s Spider-Man spawned two more blockbuster sequels (2004 and 2007).

In the following years, Marvel saw the release of several more theatrical movies based on their characters, including 2003’s Daredevil, Hulk, and X2 (sequel to X-Men), 2004’s The Punisher, a pair of Fantastic Four movies (2005 and 2007), the latter of which included the Silver Surfer, 2005’s Elektra, 2006’s X-Men: The Last Stand, which includes the “Dark Phoenix Saga” as its storyline, and 2007’s Ghost Rider. This parade of releases would mirror the output that Marvel Studios would again churn out over the next decade and a half, although with a much more concise vision.

Prior to Feige being named president of Marvel Studios in 2007, he had an idea to establish a shared universe in the same vein as the one Lee and Kirby constructed with their comic books in the ‘60s. He realized that the film rights for the core members of the Avengers were owned by Marvel at that time, which allowed him the ability to move forward with his vision.

The rights for Iron Man in particular had returned to Marvel after numerous failed film projects

in the two decades prior. Their new Iron Man movie would be Marvel Studios’ first independent release.

They hired on Jon Favreau to direct, who then chose Robert Downey Jr. for the title role as he felt the actor’s rocky, and public, past made him very similar to the complicated Tony Stark.

Iron Man, released in 2008, would be the first in a new world of Marvel filmdom—a Cinematic Universe that would mimic that of comic books during the Silver Age. The movie was a big success and included a post-credits scene featuring Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury, which would first introduce the “Avengers Initiative.”

In 2009 Marvel Studios was purchased by The Walt Disney Company in a move that gave Marvel not only the reach, but the resources

to bring their ideas to fruition.

What followed was a string of titles, including The Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Captain America: The First Avenger, all setting up and building towards 2012’s iconic release, The Avengers. The Avengers would not be a culmination, however, but another steppingstone—the beginning in what was to come.

The Marvel Cinematic Universe was well underway. Meanwhile 20th Century Fox and Columbia Pictures would continue to release new unrelated X-Men and SpiderMan movies, respectively. And throughout the decade, Marvel Studios would put out around 2 to 3 films per year, all part of their grand-scale and expansive universe, colloquially referred to as the MCU. They were now changing the industry of Hollywood as a whole in a still-thriving era known as the “Superhero Age of Film.”

2018 and 2019 saw the releases of the two-part arc, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, both cracking into the top 5 list of highest-grossing movies of all time.

Now 24 movies in, and counting, the Marvel Cinematic Universe is not even close to being over. In fact, with 2021’s WandaVision, they’ve just now expanded the continuity into the television medium. In 2008, we couldn’t wait to see what would

come of this ambitious new venture, and now that it’s here, we can’t imagine our world without it.

For over a decade now, the film industry and pop culture as a whole have been dominated by Marvel’s superheroes, who continue to push the possibilities and conventions of their latest medium. Shared universes, a concept spearheaded

by Lee and Kirby in their comic books all those years ago, is now a mainstream idea in the film world, yet taking the same amount of meticulous planning and attention to detail. Marvel’s influence is apparent in each and every blockbuster franchise around them and has now permanently heightened our expectations for every other form of entertainment we consume. As of 2021, the movies of the MCU have altogether earned over $8.5 billion—twice that of Star Wars— becoming the highest grossing franchise ever, easily. Characters like Iron Man, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Ant-Man, who were once almost exclusively known by a relativelysmall community of comic book fans, are now household names.

Comic books never died, they merely evolved.

Up until his death in 2019, Stan Lee continued to make his famous cameos in every film, surely never having imagined in all his years before that Marvel would become this big. After all, you reap what you sow, even if it takes decades.

In the 1950s, superheroes were all but dead and Lee was readying to leave the industry for good. But as it turns out, perhaps the world needed superheroes—and Marvel—just as much as they needed a world to save.

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“if you could have a superpower, what would it be?”

How many times have you been asked this question?

If you are tired of the same, basic, flight/x-ray vision/ invisibility responses, perusing over 7,000 Marvel mutants with superhuman traits should fire up your imagination.

I like to consult my 1992 Impel Marvel Universe card collection. While that set doesn’t contain all the Marvel characters, it would still take you almost two years to go through it if you worked at a card-a-day pace! Let’s do a blind draw from the deck and discover some lesser-known Marvel characters: 82 I

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Marvel Comics/Marvel Database/The Comic Vault/ComicConVerse/Kronozio/Amazon

BY KIM KOO

card #31: wonder man Wonder Man, aka Simon Williams, first appeared as an Avenger in 1964.

The Stan Lee creation is not a natural born mutant; he is a lab experiment of nefarious villain Baron Heinrich Zemo, the Nazi scientist nemesis of Captain America and creator of the death ray.

Zemo also concocted his own band of super force baddies known as Masters of Evil, which Simon Williams willingly became a part of as a way to increase his competitive edge over arms dealing rival Tony Stark, also known as Iron Man. Williams’ transformation involved chemical and radiation bombardment (as one would undergo when seeking to change their molecular structure).

Post-treatment upgrades include superhuman strength, speed, stamina, durability, agility, and reflexes. His skin and tissue resists penetration wounds. His teeth never chatter and his pores no longer sweat in temperature extremes from -150 degrees to 1500 degrees Fahrenheit. Most incredibly, and incredulously, is that he no longer requires food, water, or air, like an inanimate object. Imagine never getting hangry. Or worrying about using the bathroom before heading into a mission. Or not needing special equipment to zoom into space or travel to the depths of the oceans. I don’t know if he doesn’t

Marvel Comics/Marvel Database/The Comic Vault/ ComicConVerse/Kronozio/Amazon

need haircuts or nail trims, but not having core maintenance needs is a pretty incredible power.

If that reminds you of another character, there is a fun connection.

Outside of Wonder Man’s wondrous attributes he is also known for his role in creating a more familiar character: Vision. While Wonder Man was in a decade-long coma (long story), Tony Stark recorded his brainwaves. These were then used in creating Vision. So, Vision’s brainwaves are Wonder Man’s. Vision is, neurologically, Wonder Man.

card #3: sleepwalker

POWER RATING ON A SCALE OF 1-7

Strength: 7 Intelligence: 2 Energy projection: 1 Mental powers: 1 Fighting ability: 4 Speed: 2

*Wonder Man can press up to 95 tons—about 12 adult African elephants.

Since you’re thinking it: Wonder Woman appeared first in 1941. The DC wonder has no relation to the Marvel wonder. However, DC had a robot named Wonder Man at some point which Stan Lee didn’t know about until they already debuted Wonder Man; Lee didn’t want to copy anyone, so they “killed” off Wonder Man. It was DC’s turn when they released a character creatively named Power Girl after Marvel created Power Man. It seemed an understanding was reached relating to the use of super generic superhero names.

Maybe you’ve fancied yourself as someone who could warp physical objects with your vision. This unique “warp gaze” power belongs to a somnambulant super that arrived in an eponymous comic book in April 1991. Sleepwalkers are a race of alien dream police that are guardians of the Mindscape, the dimension that borders on the minds of all intelligent beings. One sleepwalker in particular gets trapped in the mind of college student Rick Sheridan, only able to escape from his mental prison when Rick sleeps.

Sleepwalker, created by Bob Budiansky and Bret Blevins, has car-lifting strength, Warner Bros. cartoon character indestructibility

(surviving pianos falling on his head, for example), catch-a-bullet-in-histeeth reflexes, Energizer Bunny-level energy/indefatigability (what movies always portray how they want their soldiers to be), molecular vision (on a level of seeing energies so he can see “invisible” things), assisted flight (by creating wind tunnels to mobilize his floating), and the ability to amplify mental powers (like a booster for Professor X).

These two supers are blessed with an assortment of fun powers. Will your answer be different the next time you get asked the question?

POWER RATING ON A SCALE OF 1-7

Strength: 4 Intelligence: 3 Energy projection: 5 Mental powers: 2 Fighting ability: 4 Speed: 3

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BY PHUONG PHAM

as Scarlet Witch, one of the most powerful superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (and quite possibly the Marvel Comics universe as well), but she’s also one of the few Avengers who’s an immigrant.Wanda and her deceased brother, Pietro, hail from the fictitious country of Sokovia. But what isn’t fictitious is the needed representation for immigrants in American TV shows.

Wanda stars as one half of the titular Disney+ miniseries WandaVision, in which her character, played

by Elizabeth Olsen, seems to be trapped inside of a sitcom with her lover, Vision (Paul Bettany). In one particular episode, the series does an excellent job of portraying the immigrant experience (soul stoneinduced focusing on aside).

Viewers of WandaVision may have been wondering why the all-powerful

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Scarlet Witch, who can bend reality to her every whim, decided to have her and her partner live in various sitcom milieus throughout the decades. Well, as we see later in the series, Wanda has been fond of American sitcoms since she was a child. Prior to the bombing of her childhood home, she and her family would use classics like The Dick Van Dyke Show or The Brade Bunch as a form of escapism. However these sitcoms would also serve another purpose. During “movie nights” with her family, Wanda, Pietro, and their parents would exclusively speak English and utilize these shows as a way to improve their language skills.

Truthfully, learning English and American culture through popular media is not exclusive to superhumans. Many of my immigrant friends and their family members did just the same. For instance, a dear friend who is an Iraqi refugee learned English by watching reruns of The Simpsons. I was told by another friend that their immigrant mother learned English by reading Aquaman comics. As for myself, a third generation child of Vietnamese immigrants, I recall using American television as a means to better understand the nuclear American family, despite being born in the US and fluent in English. Shows like Step by Step, Full House, as well as cartoons like Batman: The

WandaVision/Marvel Studios/Disney/Dick Van Dyke Show/CBS

Not only is wanda maximoff, also know

Animated Series and Static Shock, while massively dramatized, served as a stepping stone for assimilation for me in a household where no one spoke fluent English.

The celebration of American sitcoms amongst the immigrant population is not anything new.

In a 2016 article, writer Chin Lu of Vice reminisces how television “taught [her] how to be American.”

In her article, she states that shows like Friends and How I Met Your Mother indoctrinated her on American slang. Were it not for these shows, she would have never been privy to such idiosyncrasies in American English linguistics.

Lu also references a 2012 study in which “pre-immigration uses of English language TV, radio, and print media, and post-immigration use of English language print

media, were associated with higher English proficiency” (Dalisay 156).

While genres like sitcoms, fantasy, and science-fiction tend to be overlooked as frivolous forms of entertainment, the immigrant community has shown that they may have a more practical application than many perceive.

Today with the advent of streaming services, a wider range of pop culture and geekdom is more available to new immigrant fans. Pre-immigration pop culture enthusiasts can wax nostalgic about older properties while the younger generation can access newer content all thanks to streaming. This is good news for immigrants who are looking for both escapism and a linguistics tool—just like Wanda Maximoff, herself.

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following a pandemic year that saw only

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WHAT IF...?

Release Date: August 2021 Based on the What If comic book anthology series which tells hypothetical tales of events in the Marvel Universe happening slightly differently than we know them to have happened, this animated series, created by A.C. Bradley, will debut on Disney+ and consist of 10 episodes in its first season. While the comics include storylines such as, “What if Thanos had joined the Avengers?” and, “What if Peter Parker was bitten by

a radioactive sheep?” the TV series has already teased such episodes as, “What if Peggy Carter had taken the supersoldier serum?” and “What if T’Challa were Star-Lord?”

Jeffrey Wright will narrate the series as Uata, the Watcher of Earth, and most characters are set to be voiced by the same actors who portray them in the live-action films, including the exciting announcement of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark.

Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony

one Marvel film release—the extremely divisive non-MCU movie The New Mutants—and one Marvel television release— the equally divisive Hulu series Helstrom—2021 and beyond has a nice slate lined up to feed our fix. Beginning with the groundbreaking limited series WandaVision premiering on Disney+ this past January, the surprisingly good The Falcon and the Winter Soldier in March, and the latest multiverse tale of everyone’s favorite scoundrel, Loki—all part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase Four— this year is off to a hot start. Sony has also been working hard on their fairly new Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters (SPUMC), which features some promising titles on the way as well.

On the cinematic side, this month’s Black Widow is finally getting its long-awaited release and now fans are clamoring for more. We at SPO!LER have compiled a cheat sheet for all of Marvel’s upcoming releases that we know about (so far)…

ms. marvel

Release Date: Late 2021

hawkeye

Release Date: Late 2021 Set after the events of Avengers: Endgame, the upcoming Hawkeye miniseries, starring Jeremy Renner, will finally give its titular character a vehicle of his own. The story will delve into Clint Barton’s past, including his time as the vigilante Ronin during “the Blip.” Jonathan Igla (Bridgerton) will serve as showrunner on the series which will also follow the master archer as he suffers from hearing loss and passes on the torch of Hawkeye to the young Kate Bishop (Hailee Steinfeld), teaching her all he knows about being a superhero without superpowers.

The six-episode miniseries Ms. Marvel will follow a Pakistani-American teenager named Kamala Khan (Iman Vellani) who discovers that she has Inhuman genes originating from the mystical Terrigen Mists. Prior to taking up the mantle of Ms. Marvel, she shows a passion for writing fan fiction, especially that of Captain Marvel. The character of Ms. Marvel is

relatively new, debuting in comic books only as far back as 2013. This Disney+ series will lead up to the 2022 film The Marvels, which itself is also a sequel to 2019’s Captain Marvel.

While this is Khan’s liveaction debut, the character has made several non-MCU animation appearances, including those in Avengers Assemble and the 2017 Spider-Man cartoon.

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moon knight Release Date: Late 2022

One of Marvel’s most interesting superheroes is finally getting his live-action debut, which will lead into his inclusion in the MCU. Marc Spector, aka Moon Knight, is a former Marine who, nearly dead after being betrayed by his boss, is given a second chance by the Egyptian god Khonshu, giving Spector superhuman abilities. Spector suffers from

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a form of dissociative identity disorder and has created three separate identities for himself, all of which will be presented as three separate characters in the show. The series’ showrunner is Jeremy Slater (who developed Umbrella Academy) and has been said to have tinges of Indiana Jones with Moon Knight being more of a John McClane type of action hero, albeit with superpowers. Oscar Isaac will star as the titular character, while Ethan Hawke has signed on to play a villainous role.

The guardians of the galaxy holiday special Release Date: Late 2022

Set between the events of next year’s Thor: Love and Thunder and the subsequent Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special will see our favorite ragtag misfits reunite for a one-off television special written and directed by James Gunn, who is reported to have been inspired by the infamous 1978 Star Wars Holiday Special, so it’s unclear if this upcoming TV special will be a pastiche or simply an homage.

One can only imagine what will come of this, but fans can expect something fairly off-the-wall.

echo

Release Date: TBA A spin-off of Hawkeye, Echo will see Alaqua Cox reprise her role as Maya Lopez, the Native American superhero who has been featured as a supporting character to several Marvel stars, such as Spider-Man and Daredevil.

Echo is one of the few deaf comic book characters and is also an Olympic-level athlete with the uncanny ability to perfectly mimic the movements of other people, which has allowed her to learn many skills. Not much yet is known about the series, which is currently in development, but husband and wife team Etan Cohen (Tropic Thunder) and Emily Cohen will serve as head writers and showrunners.

she-hulk

Release Date: TBA One of the more intriguing series the future has to offer is She-Hulk, which follows Jennifer Walters, an attorney and cousin of Bruce Banner, aka the Incredible Hulk, who similarly has the power to turn herself big and green. However, unlike earlier versions of Banner’s Hulk, Walters’ She-Hulk still retains her own personality. It’s been said that the series, which will eventually crossover to the MCU, will be a half-hour legal comedy based on comic book writer John Byrne’s version of the character, who has an awareness that she’s inside of a comic book, even breaking the fourth wall to talk to the writers at times. With Jessica Gao, known for her work on Rick and Morty and Silicon Valley, serving as creator and head writer, fans can hope that the series will retain the same satirical tone as the comics. Mark Ruffalo reprises his role as Banner, with Tim Roth making his first appearance in the MCU since 2008’s The Incredible Hulk movie. july 2021|

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armor wars Release Date: TBA

Don Cheadle will finally get his own starring vehicle in the upcoming series Armor Wars.

The actor will reprise his role as James “Rhodey” Rhodes, also known as War Machine, following the death of Tony Stark as he discovers that the Iron Man technology has fallen into the wrong hands. The storyline, based on a sevenissue comic book arc from the late ‘80s, is touched on in Iron Man 2 when Ivan Vanko utilizes an army of remote control automatons as a weapon.

Filming for the series should commence this year.

ironheart Release Date: TBA

Riri Williams, also known as Ironheart, made her comic book debut in 2016. The 15-year-old super-genius builds her own Iron Man armor while studying at MIT. Upon hearing of her accomplishment, Tony Stark decides to endorse her endeavor to become a superhero. Not much is known about the upcoming six-episode Disney+ series, but it’s reported to eventually crossover into the MCU. Dominique Thorne (Judas and the Black Messiah) will play Ironheart, with Chinaka Hodge serving as head writer and executive producer.

secret invasion Release Date: TBA

If we’ve learned nothing else from the 2019 Captain Marvel movie it’s that more Nick Fury is always a good thing. Samuel L. Jackson will reprise his role as Fury in the upcoming Secret Invasion limited series, based on the 2008 comic book crossover series of the same name, which follows an invasion by the shapeshifting Skrulls who have replaced many of Earth’s superheroes with impostors.

Ben Mendelsohn will co-star as Talos, with Kingsley Ben-Adir playing the role of the villain.

Olivia Colman, Emilia Clarke, Christopher McDonald, and Carmen Ejogo will also star in the six-episode series, with Kyle Bradstreet (Mr. Robot) serving as head writer.

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untitled wakanda series Release Date: TBA

Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony

Ryan Coogler, director of Black Panther, is currently developing a series set in Wakanda, which is said to star Danai Gurira as the Wakandan warrior Okoye, with the series serving as her origins story.

Okoye fought alongside T’Challa in Black Panther and the Avengers when they took on Thanos.

silk

Release Date: TBA Originally planned to be a film, Silk is now being developed as a television series by Sony, with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller attached as executive producers.

In the comics, Silk, whose real name is Cindy Moon, is bitten by the same radioactive spider as Peter Parker, thus giving her similar powers. This isn’t the first live-action appearance of Cindy as she’s featured briefly in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War, portrayed by Tiffany Espensen. It’s unclear if the actress will reprise her role for the series set in the SPUMC. Sang Kyu Kim (Jupiter’s Legacy) has recently signed on as showrunner. july 2021|

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Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Release Date: September 3, 2021 The first Marvel movie with an Asian lead, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will follow its titular Shang-Chi (Simu Liu), a highly trained assassin who left the family trade to live a normal life in San Francisco. He’s drawn into the Ten Rings terrorist organization by the elusive Mandarin, who’s been strongly alluded to in several MCU movies and also happens to be Shang-Chi’s father, Wenwu (Tony Leung), an original character for this film. Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings is directed by Destin Daniel Cretton (Short Term 12) based on a script he wrote along with David Callaham (Zombieland: Double Tap) and Andrew Lanham.

venom: let there be carnage A year after the events of 2018’s Venom, the criminally-underrated origins story for the title symbiote’s most notable host Eddie Brock, the sequel Venom: Let There Be Carnage follows Tom Hardy as Brock, a lapsed journalist who looks to get his career back on track. The only problem is he’s now adjusting to sharing a body with an alien lifeform with a hunger for humans. He has an idea to interview serial killer Cletus Kasady (Woody Harrelson), who eventually becomes the host of another symbiote named Carnage, allowing him to escape from prison. In the comics, Carnage is the archenemy of Venom and, as his offspring, is even more powerful. Andy Serkis takes over the reins of director from Ruben Fleischer, with Kelly Marcel (Cruella, Saving Mr. Banks) returning to pen the script, this time with sole screenwriter credit. Like the first movie, the Venom sequel will not be part of the MCU, but the second installment in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters.

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Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony

Release Date: September 24, 2021

morbius Release Date: January 28, 2022

eternals

To continue the SPUMC’s growing resume of “monster hero” movies, Sony will finally be releasing Morbius following a year and a half delay due to the pandemic. Directed by Daniel Espinosa (Life), the movie will follow Michael Morbius (Jared Leto), a scientist who develops vampiristic powers after trying to cure himself of a rare blood disease, and will detail the character’s struggle with his newfound thirst for blood. The film will also star Matt Smith as a friend of Morbius, as well as Tyrese Gibson as the FBI agent hunting him down. Michael Keaton, who played Vulture in the MCU’s Spider-Man: Homecoming, has an undisclosed role in the film as well, which may signify the two cinematic universes crossing over once more.

Release Date: November 5, 2021 Writer-director Chloé Zhao may be one of the most intriguing new filmmakers in Hollywood.

Fresh off a Best Picture win for her minimalistic 2020 movie Nomadland, Zhao is nearing the release of her first foray into the superhero universe with this year’s Eternals.

Filmed back-to-back with Nomadland, Eternals is said to employ a similar style to the vérité aesthetic of her previous endeavor. Fans are excited to see the finished product as this is arguably one of the most artistic writer-directors ever attached to a superhero movie. The film itself will follow a race of immortal aliens who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, and have now come out of hiding to protect humanity from a malevolent species known as the Deviants. The cast includes Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Kumail Nanjiani, Brian Tyree Henry, Kit Harington, Salma Hayek, and Angelina Jolie.

spiderman: no way home

Release Date: December 17, 2021 Marvel’s most famous superhero returns for what will be his third outing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, following two separate Spider-Man series from Sony over the past 20 years. However, despite the previous MCU iterations, Homecoming and Far From Home, the latest movie will attempt to introduce the idea of characters crossing over between two separate cinematic universes: the

MCU and the SPUMC, following a recent deal between Marvel Studios and Sony. Alfred Molina will reprise his role of Doctor Octopus from the first Sony series, directed by Sam Raimi, and Jamie Foxx as Electro from their second. Benedict Cumberbatch will play Doctor Strange, the new mentor for Peter Parker (Tom Holland) following the death of Tony Stark, which has sparked speculation that No Way Home may adapt the comic book storyline of either “One More Day” or “One Moment in Time.” For the third time in a row, the most recent Spidey series will see the same team of director John Watts and screenwriters Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers. july 2021|

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thor: love and thunder

Release Date: May 6, 2022

doctor strange in the multiverse of madness

Release Date: March 25, 2022 The long-awaited sequel to the 2016 movie about the titular Master of the Mystic Arts will take place following the events of WandaVision. Directed by Sam Raimi, the upcoming film will follow Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) as he continues his research on the Time Stone until he must stop to face his former mentor, Karl Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor), who now hunts sorcerers, unleashing an “unspeakable evil” in the process. The film will feature Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff following her portrayal in the Disney+ series. The world of Doctor Strange is capable of so many different directions, so it will be exciting to see how the filmmakers subvert typical action conventions yet again.

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Taiki Waititi returns to direct a second Thor installment after breathing life into the series back in 2017 with Thor: Ragnarok.

Prior to that, the previous two movies (Thor and Thor: The Dark World) had been some of the weaker moments for the MCU. However, Waititi has provided the property with the attention it deserves, infusing Ragnarok with a colorful energy and assertiveness that the previous films lacked.

The director said that this fourth film will contain romance elements, as Natalie Portman’s character Jane Foster makes her return as Thor’s love interest from the first two movies. Here, Jane will be undergoing cancer treatment and eventually take on the powers of Thor, as it happened in Jason Aaron’s comic book version of the character. Several members of Guardians of the Galaxy will also be featured in the film.

untitled spider-man: into the spider-verse sequel Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony

Release Date: October 7, 2022

black panther: wakanda forever Release Date: July 8, 2022 Following the release of the 2018’s Black Panther, it was clear that the possibilities were endless for the future of this story and fans couldn’t wait to see what was next for the king of Wakanda. The untimely passing of actor Chadwick Boseman, who played T’Challa, has cast a shadow on the world of Wakanda and Hollywood in general. Prior to that, a script for a sequel had already been started by Coogler with a release date planned. While Boseman’s role will not be recast, the film will see the return of Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, and Letitia Wright, and the story will obviously take a new direction. Rumors have circulated that Wright’s character Shuri, T’Challa’s little sister, will be more of a focal point this time around.

Sony Pictures Animation hit it out of the park with 2018’s Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which introduced the concept of a multiverse to millions of non-comic book fans. The sequel will follow the events of the first film and continue the story of Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) and explore his relationship with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld), while also featuring Takuya Yamashiro from the Japanese SpiderMan series and a version of SpiderWoman voiced by Issa Rae. The trio of directors includes Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers (Soul), and Justin K. Thompson, with a script written

by David Callaham, Phil Lord, and Christopher Miller.

the marvels Release Date: November 11, 2022

A continuation of the Ms. Marvel series, The Marvels will star Brie Larson as Captain Marvel, Teyonah Parris reprising her role as Monica Rambeau from WandaVision, and Iman Vellani as Ms. Marvel. Directed

by Nia DaCosta (Candyman) and written by Megan McDonnell, The Marvels is largely remaining under wraps for the time being, especially this far ahead of the release of Ms. Marvel. Opposed to 2019’s Captain Marvel, which was set in the 1990s, The Marvels will take place in modern day. july 2021|

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kraven the hunter

Release Date: January 13, 2023

ant-man and the wasp: quantumania

Aside from allusions to his character in previous Spider-Man movies, Kraven the Hunter has never had a cinematic portrayal before.

Considered one of Spidey’s most formidable adversaries in the comics, Kraven is a big-game hunter who gives himself superhuman abilities from a jungle herb that he regularly ingests. The upcoming film set in the SPUMC will be based on the highlyacclaimed comic book storyline “Kraven’s Last Hunt” and star Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Kraven. J. C. Chandor (Margin Call) is set to direct the script written by Art Marcum and Matt Holloway, who both co-wrote 2008’s Iron Man.

Release Date: February 17, 2023

guardians of the galaxy vol.3 Release Date: May 5, 2023

Not much is known about the third Guardians of the Galaxy film, except that it will take place following the events of Thor: Love and Thunder and may very well include Thor as a member of the intergalactic team as he is by the end of Avengers: Endgame. Writer-director James Gunn will return for a third outing following his work on DC’s The Suicide Squad and its spin-off series Peacemaker.

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Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony

Peyton Reed returns to direct his third installment in what will soon be the Ant-Man trilogy. Following the 2015 and 2018 films, Quantumania will presumably explore further the Quantum Realm, which is expanded upon in Ant-Man and the Wasp and a major factor in saving the universe in Avengers: Endgame. Along with Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly returning in the starring roles, Michael Douglas and Michelle Pfeiffer will also reprise their characters of the original AntMan and the Wasp. Jonathan Majors joins the cast as the time-traveling villain Kang the Conqueror, as well as Kathryn Newton as Cassie Lang, the daughter of Rudd’s character.

blade

Release Date: TBA

fantastic four Release Date: 2023

Following Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox back in 2017, Marvel Studios has acquired the film rights to several Marvel characters, most notable of which is the Fantastic Four. Fans of the iconic superteam will be thrilled to hear that they will soon be incorporated into the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

Jon Watts, who directed all three of the MCU’s Spider-Man iterations, is set to helm the project, with a cast said to be revealed later this year.

Fantastic Four’s lineage in film has seen a rocky past, including a 1994 movie that was completed but never released, a pair of rough outings in 2005 and 2007, and an even-moredisastrous 2015 release. But now, in the hands of Marvel Studios, fans are excited to see what will come of the franchise that deserves a great movie more than almost any other.

The vampire hunter Eric Brooks, also known as Blade, will make his first appearance in the MCU following the acquisition of the character from New Line Cinema. Mahershala Ali is set to star as the titular character who cannot be harmed by a vampire’s bite due to traces of vampirism in his bloodstream.

This will be the first appearance by Blade in film since the hit trilogy starring Wesley Snipes (1998, 2002, 2004). It has also been rumored that Jared Leto’s Morbius will make an appearance in the film, much like the character is often featured as an adversary to the hero in the comic books.

untitled deadpool film Release Date: TBA

Marvel Studios is thankfully making the move to incorporate the fan favorite Deadpool into the MCU in the following years. Ryan Reynolds will still be portraying the role of the mouthy antihero, but fans can only speculate on which direction the new film will take the character.

The two live-action Deadpool movies have been nothing but successful and have opened up a space for raunchier, R-rated superhero movies to exist alongside the relatively family-friendly ones, and Marvel Studios has confirmed that their newest Deadpool installment will retain that R-rating.

untitled captain america sequel Release Date: TBA

This year’s Disney+ series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier follows the events of Avengers: Endgame where Anthony Mackie’s Falcon is handed the Captain America shield from an elderly Steve Rogers. After the final episode aired back in April, Marvel announced that head writer Malcolm Spellman, along with series writer Dalan Musson, was working on a script for a fourth Captain America movie, presumably starring Mackie in the title role. This has also been reported to not necessarily contradict plans for a second season of the series.

the sinister six Release Date: TBA

As Sony looks to release their Kraven the Hunter movie by 2023 and continue opening up their own cinematic universe of Marvel characters, the studio has revitalized their plans for a Sinister Six adaptation. The supervillain team, of which Kraven is a member, consists of members of Spider-Man’s rogues’ gallery, organized by Doctor Octopus and also featuring Mysterio, Electro, Vulture, and Sandman. With the planned connection between the MCU and the SPUMC, there’s a lot of interesting potential with this project, especially if done well. Drew Goddard (The Cabin in the Woods) is set to write and direct the film.

untitled mutant film Release Date: TBA

Upon acquiring the rights to the X-Men characters from 20th Century Fox, Disney and Marvel look to finally incorporate the mutants into the MCU. Fox’s series consists of 13 X-Men installments, including the two Deadpool movies and last year’s The New Mutants, although Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige has stated that this will be a new take on the property. With Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine being killed off in Logan, it remains to be seen whether or not the actor will reprise his legendary role as the clawed mutant, and if he does it will surely be part of the multiverse.

Ryan Reynolds’ Deadpool, however, will be incorporated.

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Marvel Comics/Marvel Studios/Disney/Sony/Olivia Wilde/Huffington Post

untitled olivia wilde project Release Date: TBA

It’s believed that Olivia Wilde is slated to direct a Spider-Woman movie, which has been put on the fast track by Sony since early 2020. Wilde’s writing partner Katie Silberman (Booksmart) is set to pen the script.

spider-women Release Date: TBA

The upcoming sequel to SpiderMan: Into the Spider-Verse will serve as a launching pad for an animated spin-off movie following a group of female spider-related characters, which at this time includes Gwen Stacy as Spider-Gwen, Cindy Moon as Silk, and Jessica Drew as Spider-Woman. Lauren Montgomery is set to direct as of now, with a script by Bek Smith.

JACKPOT

Release Date: TBA

madame web Release Date: TBA

Sony is looking to develop a femalecentric Marvel movie around Madame Web, the blind, clairvoyant mutant who often shows up in various Spider-Man storylines in the comic books. The studio has signed on director S. J. Clarkson to help develop the project with Morbius screenwriters Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless attached as well.

Not much has been revealed about the film adaptation for Jackpot, who in the comics is actually the alter-ego of two different women, where one bought the identity from the other—both of whom have superhuman abilities. Marc Guggenheim, who wrote for the Jackpot comic books, is writing the script for the movie which would be set in the Sony Pictures Universe of Marvel Characters. july 2021|

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INTERVIEW BY GALAXY INTRO BY ETHAN BREHM

the first to showcase ice skating, but it’s one of the only ones to encompass both figure skating and ice hockey into one package. Starring actors who actually know how to skate, the series taps into an authenticity with its performances that you won’t find in most other shows or films that use CGI to portray the highly-difficult skill.

Jade Ma stars as Sky Tyler, a former skater who’s forced to give up her passion due to her battle with leukemia. The actress is fairly new to the fit on one line! try, but a total natural. And she’s already landed a supporting role in Marvel’s Black Widow. Not bad for only her third project ever.

Jade sits down to chat with Galaxy about how she got started in acting and the importance that ice skating had during her childhood, now leading to her first big role. We’re excited to see what the future holds for the star as she embarks on this next level of her young career. The sky is truly the limit.

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Jade Ma/Samuel Black/(previous spread): Zero Chill/Netflix/Jade Ma/Samuel Black

Netflix’s latest drama series Zero Chill isn’t

erview erview SPOILER: How is it working on a show that’s so focused on ice skating?

JADE MA: Honestly it’s absolutely incredible! I had the best time. I actually grew up figure skating but I quit when I was 11 or 12. Having the opportunity to go back to it while also being able to act alongside it was pretty special.

SPOILER: During auditions, did they ask how well you could ice skate?

JADE MA: We were asked whether we could skate. For the UK audition I had to send in video proof of me skating because they were really focused on having a cast that was as much figure skaters or hockey players as we were actors. I know the Canadian auditions, for the people who play Kayla and Mac, Grace [Beedie] and Dakota [Taylor], they had to actually do a skating audition in person as well. But I had to send in video footage. I went

jade ma

in to do reads in person as well, but they also wanted me to send in proof. So I had to run down to my local rink in the UK and be like, “Guys, I really need to use it for literally like, 10 minutes, please!” [laughs] They were in the middle of doing an adult ice dance class, so there were these really sweet older couples skating around the perimeter of the rink and I was in the middle trying to figure out how to ice skate again.

SPOILER: Was it something that you had missed?

JADE MA: Definitely. I absolutely loved it growing up. But I got to the point where I was getting injured quite a lot because I was training pretty competitively twice a week. I was young and my body was going, “You’re doing a lot right now!” So I started losing my love for it a bit.

But there was always this voice in the back of my head going, “What if you never gave it up?” So having

the opportunity to pick it up again and marry that love of skating with acting was really, really special.

SPOILER: Is it easier to learn as a kid? Because I tried learning a little while ago and I kept falling on my butt.

JADE MA: I think it’s definitely easier to learn as a child. Because when you learn to figure skate, there’s literally a switch in your brain that happens. Your brain rewires itself to figure out how to be aware of your body while you’re on this incredibly slippery surface with essentially what are footknives. So as you’re growing up and learning things as you go, it makes it easier than taking an alreadyformed brain and trying to rewire that. Not to say adults can’t learn to skate. There are plenty of adult skaters learning and doing great.

SPOILER: Zero Chill is one of the only ice skating shows I can think of. There aren’t many.

JADE MA: There [have been a few], but I think ours is kind of the first that combines figure skating and hockey. There are a few that focus on one or the other.

SPOILER: Do you think the show is more drama or comedy?

JADE MA: I feel like the story has so many different aspects to it.

The thing that I love so much about it is it’s got the drama and all the intense story going on, but still finds moments to be light and funny and relatable and very familyfriendly, and I think it’s really sweet.

SPOILER: What is your character Sky Tyler all about?

JADE MA: Sky is a figure skater, a kindred spirit for Kayla and has this very cute, puppy-love relationship with her twin brother Mac. She’s super quirky, sassy at times, and incredibly strong-willed. And she cares incredibly deeply about the people around her. In the show,

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jade ma she’s kinda stuck between the twins and she’s in this place where she has to learn how to balance her relationship with each of them without compromising the other one.

SPOILER: How would you describe the relationship between Sky and Mac?

JADE MA: So Sky ends up dating Mac on the show.

They have a very cute little first meeting where she’s just met and befriended Kayla and they both have mustaches drawn on their faces [laughs], and Mac shows up and is talking to Kayla and sees Sky, and they have this instant flirtatious banter and connection that’s very sweet from the get-go.

You see their relationship develop over the course of the season, and it comes to fruition in the second half. They’re able to be very vulnerable with each other.

They have a very loving, kind, healthy relationship.

SPOILER: How thrilled were you

when Zero Chill started trending on Netflix?

JADE MA: It was so exciting! We have a cast group chat, and that was going off like crazy. It was just amazing to see how it was trending, not just in North America or the UK, but globally. We were getting fans from the show sending us images in Brazil and Argentina and Germany.

It was amazing to see that our show has such a global impact.

SPOILER: Is acting on ice difficult to do?

JADE MA: Part of the reason that I love this show so much is the fact that it’s both a physical and mental challenge. Obviously with acting you’re very mentally engaged, but a lot of the time you’re either walking or standing or sitting. But with this show specifically, I was on the ice doing a whole figure skating routine

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and having to act simultaneously.

And that was just a really fun, engaging experience.

SPOILER: Did you get nervous your first time on set?

JADE MA: There were definitely moments. Meeting everyone for the first time is always a little nervewracking. Before we even started training, we had a little dinner with one of the producers and the directors of the first five episodes, Angelo [Abela]. We all met up in London. It was me, Grace, Dakota, and Jeremias [Amoore]. We had dinner together and got to meet for the first time. And that was definitely nerve-wracking, as it always is when you’re first meeting the people you’re going to be spending the next few months with. But everyone got along really well. It’s a really great cast. We really got the time to bond.

Jade Ma/Samuel Black/(previous spread): Zero Chill/Netflix/Jade Ma/Samuel Black

We then spent the next nine weeks training together.

The other times [I got nervous] were obviously when we were about to shoot the skating routines. There’s always a little bit of nerves because we have to get through them and do them right and do them well so they can use the footage. If we were to mess up or fall over, we’d have to reset and start again. But we had some incredible coaches and incredible doubles, so they were all there to support us.

SPOILER: So is the MacBentley family the royal ice skating family of that town?

JADE MA: [laughs] So the MacBentleys are a Canadian family who have moved to the UK for Mac’s hockey scholarship. They moved their whole lives over to follow that dream.

And Kayla’s a little bit miffed because she’s like, “What about my dreams?

You’re literally giving up my entire life and what I love in Canada for my

brother.” The show really revolves around that dynamic. I kinda come in to be her support, and then I meet her brother and it all goes from there.

We were out there [in England] for a long time. We started shooting in 2019, and we were meant to finish in the middle of March 2020 when coronavirus happened and delayed everything. So we closed production and came back in August for a couple more weeks. But there were definitely a lot of takes, not because people messed up, but because they were trying to get as many angles and shots that they could. Production wanted the audience to really feel like they were on the ice with the skaters and hockey players.

from China who was staying with an American family when they visited their British sister for Christmas and I was tagging along. It’s a very sweet family comedy film for Christmas.

SPOILER: Do you think Zero Chill will get a season 2?

JADE MA: I hope so. I think the whole cast has their fingers crossed.

We’d love to come back to it and revisit these characters and these

SPOILER: Before this you were in another winter project, Surviving Christmas. How was that?

JADE MA: That was my first job in film in general. It was a fun first experience. I played a small role named Soon, an exchange student

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relationships and explore them more, and obviously get back on the ice and do more skating.

SPOILER: How was filming in the UK? JADE MA: It was filmed in Sheffield. And actually all the jobs I’ve done so far have been in the UK, so I can’t really speak to how the experience differs. I lived in the UK for 5 years before I moved out here, so most of my professional experience has been there.

SPOILER: What made you want to get into acting?

JADE MA: I started out as a dancer. For a period of time I gave up dance for figure skating, and then when I gave up figure skating I went back to dancing.

My dance teacher and mentor, a lady named Giselle Liu, she’s wonderful, we were doing a lot of projects together.

And she started working with the Hong Kong Youth Arts Foundation, run

by Lindsey McAlister, and they do a flagship musical every year. When I was 15 they were putting on a production of A Chorus Line, and it was kinda the perfect opportunity for me with a dance background to get into the musical theater and acting side of things.

Between Lindsey and Giselle, they convinced me to audition for it, and I ended up getting cast as Val, which was definitely interesting at 15-years-old [laughs]. So I fell in love with the acting side of performing and just went from there, applying to drama school at 17.

SPOILER: What’s in the works for you in the future?

JADE MA: Currently I’ve been auditioning again and seeing what comes up. I have a few possible things in the pipeline that I can’t really speak about yet. And also I have a small part in Black Widow, which I’m really excited for.

SPOILER: Were you nervous working for a Marvel franchise?

JADE MA: Definitely. It was very surreal to be part of something so big. It’s such a big franchise and such a large scale production that it was something where I was like, “People dream of

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being here, and I get to live it. This is insane.” I’m forever so grateful and so lucky to be part of a production like that.

SPOILER: You’re killing it right now! Is there a plan in your mind for the future?

JADE MA: [laughs] Not at all! I’ve always kinda wanted to approach my career as, “Let’s just see where it takes me and see how I fit into this industry.”

With an industry like this, it’s not really something you can plan. Because it’s not up to you 90% of the time. So I want to keep an open mind and see where my career takes me and I’ve just been incredibly fortunate so far.

SPOILER: Do you have a preference between working in TV or film?

JADE MA: Honestly at this point in my career, I’m not super picky. I’m very open to both. I’d actually love to be able to do both in the span of my career.

SPOILER: Do you feel that the superhero genre is dominating these days?

JADE MA: I think there’s room for everything at this point. Everything’s gonna have a slightly different fanbase.

So of course superhero shows and films have such a large fanbase, and they should because they’re so great.

But there’s also a lot of shows that are on Netflix like The Queen’s Gambit or Bridgerton that have a very different fanbase. So I think there’s really something for everybody out there.

SPOILER: Do you believe in the paranormal?

JADE MA: Possibly. I’m open to the idea of it. I wouldn’t say a hard “yes” or “no” at this point. But I’m open to the idea of there being things out there that we don’t know about yet. But I’ve never experienced things personally—that I know of.

Jade Ma/IMDb

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If you sit down long enough with Curtis Lum he’ll make you feel like you need to get to work. The Vancouver native is constantly keeping himself busy. “I grew up just hustling, doing anything I could to get my paper,” he recalls as he tells us about acquiring a producer’s mentality at a young age. Actors are known for hustling hard, but this guy is among the rare crossbreed of business-savvy creative paired with a unique brand of charisma and goofiness, all of which have served him well throughout his career.

Although, the actor doesn’t just want any ol’ job. He shares with us his criteria for picking projects: his

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four P’s. Curtis is a realist—he knows that you can’t work for free, but is also willing to sacrifice some pay if the purpose behind the project is meaningful and the people he’s working with are amazing. With a great head on his shoulders and a refreshing perspective, the actor keeps leveling himself up higher and higher in this industry. But he’s no newcomer.

Featured on everything from Supergirl to Psych to Continuum, Curtis finally landed a big breakout role in Freeform’s Siren back in 2018 where he portrayed the poker-playing fan favorite Calvin. The actor has fond memories of his time on the series and looks at it as a turning point for him personally.

A friend of SPO!LER, Curtis chats once again with Galaxy about his career, his latest show Kung Fu, and his upcoming podcast Matched, which we’re really excited about. He’s also a great follow on Instagram.

Curtis Lum/Taylor Kane/(previous spread): Curtis Lum/IMD

INTERVIEW BY GALAXY INTRO BY ETHAN BREHM

erview erview

interview interview

curtis lum SPOILER: Your Instagram cracks me up, especially the post where you’re licking that spoon and doing a scene from Bridgerton.

CURTIS LUM: [laughs] I’m glad you found that funny because I was very serious about licking that spoon [laughs]. That was a fun one. I actually took a month off of social media and it was that post that brought me back. My dear friends over at Mumgry, they’re a local company here in Vancouver, they do amazing almond butter. The one I was having was chocolate pistachio almond butter spread. They’ve been blowin’ up and absolutely killin’ it. I’m all about supporting small businesses and my friends, and we wanted to do a fun Super Bowl halftime spoof to promote that, especially before Valentine’s Day. And they talked me into it and got me out of my comfort zone.

SPOILER: Unfortunately Siren came to an end last year. What was your experience like on that show?

CURTIS LUM: I mean, Siren was one of the best experiences of my life. We did three seasons of that—-36 episodes— and some of my fondest memories were from that series. It’s the show where I built a lot of my confidence, met a lot of great people—a lot of my dearest friends. It’s also a show where, for the first time, I worked with a director who really changed everything for me: Joe Menendez, who I had the pleasure of working with again on Kung Fu. So a lot of firsts for me on that show. I’m very, very grateful.

SPOILER: You are so good in everything you do. Are you looking to enter the movie realm as well? Or are you being very careful with the projects you pick?

CURTIS LUM: That’s a great question, my friend. Only time will tell [laughs].

I mean, the way that it’s all played out, these last couple years have been incredibly informative. I’ve learned so much. The growth for myself has been insane. But we’ve come really close to a lot of projects, which have not worked out due to scheduling conflicts. You can never really tell what’s the next big thing or which project to fight for. You just never know. I do believe that we have

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curtis lum some really exciting things coming down the pipeline. For me, it’s about putting stuff out that’s meaningful and that has a lasting effect. I’m not rushing into just any project just for the sake of it or just for a check. So that can be a slow process for sure, but I’m really excited for what’s to come.

CURTIS LUM: I’m not in a position where I’m fielding offers left, right, and center.

With that said, the projects that resonate with me the most are the ones that have a strong message behind them or inspire me. Or it’s something that looks or sounds incredibly fun, or something I’ve never done before. I’ve had plenty of opportunities like that over the past few years. I’ve always used this sort of barometer for myself, the four P’s: payment, purpose, passion, and people. And I need at least two out of the four for me to go through with it.

SPOILER: You’re on a new series called Kung Fu. Is this similar to the David Carradine Kung Fu from the ‘70s, or is it a different series entirely?

CURTIS LUM: It is not the same as the David Carradine series. This is a 2021 version of Kung Fu, live, comin’ at ya! We follow the life of Olivia Liang’s character, Nicky Shen.

She’s this Chinese American woman coming up in the San Francisco streets. She’s constantly fighting.

Fighting for her family, fighting for her community, as well as fighting a lot of real badasses out there to keep everyone safe. I’m really

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Curtis Lum/Justin Wu/Mark Stenson/IMDb

SPOILER: How do you pick out a project?

excited about it. I think it’s a really fun adventure, action-drama. I had the privilege and the pleasure to play a really fun character named Eddie Kwong. He’s got a clothing line called King Kwong that plays into the storyline of the show. He’s a local designer and bigtime social media star, but a big community guy.

Honestly it was so much fun to play.

I gotta tell you, man, even from the first readthrough on the Zoom call with everyone, seeing all the actors and producers—seeing for the first time in my life that many Asians who are part of a project that is of this scale and this caliber, it brought so much pride and joy to me. And the extra cherry on top was that I got to work with an old friend of mine— the guy who changed the game for me and helped really instill all the confidence in me, and again, that’s Joe Menendez, who’s the producing director on the show. He was the

director for the episode I worked on.

And we had so much fun. It was so good to see him again. My hat goes off to him, and also Christina Kim, the creator of the show, as well as the cast and crew of that show. I think there’s some really big things happening for them.

SPOILER: It’s so great to see these amazing Asian American shows coming out, such as Kung Fu and Warrior, especially with all the craziness that’s been happening in the US as of late.

CURTIS LUM: The original Kung Fu series with David Carradine, it was a good show, but at the end of the day, it was something that was stripped from us. The character was whitewashed. The character was supposed to be played by Bruce Lee originally. So even though that was decades ago now, we’re finally making the right steps in the right

curtis lum Telling your parents that you wanted to be an actor or something was still kind of a shocking thing. But this new generation, it seems like the parents are more supportive. There’s so much access to content, so these kids are growing up smarter and quicker.

SPOILER: It’s not like the Tzi Ma phase. He was revolutionary.

CURTIS LUM: Yeah, they were like the OGs of it all, coming over and becoming working Asian actors in North America. And hopefully our generation, we just carry the torch and pass it on to the next one.

direction. And to see it all unfold and to be a part of it, it’s such a pleasure and it means a lot.

SPOILER: You have a great head on your shoulders, bro. You’re very different from a lot of actors and artists in this realm. You have a different mindset. You think very business-like, but also artistically.

So from your point of view in the mind of Curtis, how do you think things will change from here moving forward?

CURTIS LUM: I think it’s definitely going to be an ongoing battle and struggle. As Nipsey Hustle says, “The marathon continues.” But I think everyone is in place now. We finally have a seat at the table and enough people who are fighting the good fight and putting on for representation of all backgrounds; of all races and all creeds. People are talking now. There’s buzz everywhere. People are open to diversity. Diversity is sexy now, and it’s profitable to have more diversity, whether it’s television or film. That’s the first step. We’re through the door now, and so now it’s about putting out good, quality content, and things that actually have lasting value and lasting effect. But I’m really excited about the time right now. We’re literally seeing a real life battle unfold where we’re taking steps forward. I couldn’t be more

proud to be part of this generation that’s putting on for Asian and, in my case, Chinese representation here in North America and the rest of the world. The more you have Asians in producing roles and writing roles and directing roles on that side of the camera, the more noise we’re going to make. 2021 is just the beginning, and I can’t wait to see what’s gonna happen in the next two to five years, with this next generation coming up.

They’re gonna kill it!

SPOILER: You say, “next generation,” but you’re still young though, man.

CURTIS LUM: But I’ve seen the up and comers. 8-, 9-, 10-yearsold—these kids who are incredibly talented. I think my generation was the last generation where going into the arts was still a little bit taboo.

SPOILER: Do you think Siren ended too early?

CURTIS LUM: I think it could’ve gone either way. I think we could’ve squeezed out another season, but I’m not mad at the way it ended.

It’s always good to end something leaving people wanting more rather than them saying, “Man, this show is past its prime.” We did 36 episodes.

Fans still seem to love it and can’t seem to get enough of it. They put it on Disney+ so you can stream all three seasons right now as we speak, and that will open up the doors to a whole new demographic.

SPOILER: I think it could’ve gone three more seasons. The finale was awesome, but they could’ve extended it even longer.

CURTIS LUM: To be honest with you, we talk about it amongst ourselves all the time and we all have our

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curtis lum different theories. But you’re right.

From that standpoint, there’s so much content out there, and I know with all my heart that Siren—it’s not the greatest show in the world, but it’s up there in terms of quality.

We’re all very proud of what we did for those few years. There was nothing else like it, which was the mindblowing thing for me. We had the only mermaid show in the world and it’s a good mermaid show. And there’s some incredible actors— especially Eline [Powell] as our lead.

You’re right though, it definitely could’ve gone a few more seasons.

SPOILER: That’s the great thing about television, nothing’s ever truly over.

CURTIS LUM: Exactly. You never know, man. One of my favorite shows was Entourage. That show ended back in 2011, and they were doing a podcast years later, and through them talking about their episodes every week, there’s now talks of doing a reboot or limited series or possibly another movie.

You just never know.

SPOILER: When Siren finished, the pandemic hit, and you guys didn’t get the chance to go to conventions and maybe get the fans to help keep things going.

CURTIS LUM: From day one, I think our show didn’t get the respect that it deserved. And somewhere along the lines something got lost in translation and our show was never really pushed as hard as it should’ve been. And that was the result. There are other Freeform shows that do really well. A good show can live anywhere.

SPOILER: Look at Warrior. It got put on HBO Max and now it’s getting another season and everyone loves it.

CURTIS LUM: That show is amazing.

What they’re doing is incredible in terms of representation.

SPOILER: Why don’t you go on that show? You know so many of the people on that series.

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CURTIS LUM: [laughs] There were a few times where I came really close to a role, but the timing of it all… And the guy who got the role is amazing, so I’m not saying it shoulda been me. But just the timing of everything didn’t work out and the best man got the job. I support that show fully.

They’re absolutely crushing it.

SPOILER: What is something you do every day to keep yourself busy?

CURTIS LUM: There’s enough things keeping me busy, but as soon as I get up I’m trying to keep my body moving. Before I started talking to you I ran 4 miles, and that gets me flowing and moving, and then I get straight to the grind. I’m working on a show on my own right now. It’s an audio drama series called Matched, and that will hopefully be available soon. I’m working with some amazing talent and cast from here in Vancouver. So that keeps me busy.

And I’m also looking for the next big project. My team is working hard with me finding that next show or that next film that we can really sink our teeth into. It’s been a grind.

SPOILER: You need to be a lead on a project. It’s time for you to explode.

CURTIS LUM: I appreciate that, man.

That’s what we’re workin’ on. I’m thankful for the way that everything’s been happening and been coming

into place. I’m attached as the lead in 2 or 3 projects right now that are films that I would sink all my own money into if I could. They’re projects that have so much soul and symbolism and meaningful dialogue.

And the takeaway is incredible.

SPOILER: Growing up, were you the class clown?

CURTIS LUM: You already know, baby! That’s exactly what I was. I was the guy who would say something stupid and the teacher would say, “Would you like to repeat that, Curtis?” And I would say, “Nope!”

And she would say, “Come see me after class.” I was that type of guy and I was able to parlay that into a career.

SPOILER: Why’d you get into acting?

CURTIS LUM: I was just tryna make a buck. I grew up just hustling, doing

Curtis Lum/IMDb

anything I could to get my paper.

Around 2008, the Vancouver film and television scene was blowing up. I saw enough of my peers doing it and I thought I could do that too. I found out real quick that it wasn’t at all as easy as I thought it would be.

The next five years really humbled me and I realized that there was a process to this. And I fell in love with it. Being in the trenches of it all, I fell in love with performing and creating.

And here I am.

SPOILER: Which project made you realize that this was gonna be your career?

CURTIS LUM: We all have our selfdoubt. Every project could be the biggest project or our last project.

It’s a day-to-day thing. Honestly, Siren was that show for me. Siren revived my inspiration to act and my creative flow. Again, I give a lot of credit to Joe Menendez. He was the first director I worked with who really collaborated with me and pushed me to really try things. A lot of times, especially in TV, there’s not a lot of time to just play, and Joe just trusted me. He built this confidence in me and just let me do my thing.

Even when we were blocking, he

would show me his version and I would show him my version. It was a true collaboration. And what that did was it stoked this fire in me and I’m forever grateful for that, because it’s led to me truly feeling like I’m making music that’s my music. I have something that I can bring to the table now. He really brought that out of me.

SPOILER: Where do you feel most comfortable, acting or behind the camera?

CURTIS LUM: I think my biggest strength is in producing. I’m a mover and shaker. I love connecting the dots and putting people together.

That’s why when I grew up, when I was 16, 17, 18, all the way until I was legally allowed to be in the clubs, I was throwing these jams, these highschool parties, which led to me throwing the prom, which led to me throwing these club events—all this before I was of age. And that’s what I really love to do; I love bringing people together. Fast forward years later, I love bringing players together. I love creating stories and then casting the stories. I definitely get off on doing that. But when it’s all said and done, and you’re in a

scene that’s really good, and you’re in that fight or flight moment of needing to deliver and connecting with someone on set, and you’re finally getting to act—because any actor will understand we need to jump through so many hoops to get to the point to finally act—there really is nothing better than being in the moment and getting to act.

Especially if it really clicks and you’re really inspired. But if you’re talking about the process, producing is where it’s at.

SPOILER: Have you ever had moments before you made it where you wanted to quit?

CURTIS LUM: All the time. If you could really see the amount of work that comes for an actor, even these past months, the amount of auditions that my girl and I have had, and constantly having to learn these lines and then be in the mindset of bringing these characters to life, it’s sometimes quite hard to have any kind of bandwidth or energy left for yourself as a human being. It’s very, very tough. I was ready to quit right before Siren came. I just wasn’t feeling it. I was 0 for 50 auditions or something like that. And I was

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ready to hang up the towel. And that seems to be a recurring thing in my life.

It seems like every time I’m about to throw in the towel, a big opportunity comes up. And Siren was one of them for sure.

There’s not really such a thing as an overnight success. Most of the actors who blow up, when you dig a little deeper, you’ll see that they’ve been doing it for decades. Even most child stars—you’d think like, “Zendaya, where’d she come from?” Well, she’s been acting since she was like, 4! That goes with every business and every artistry. It took me 10 years in the game, and then with Siren things finally started to click. And I’m still nowhere near my potential. I’m still learning every day. That’s the hardest part: keeping after every day. Imagine going for 100 job interviews and not getting any of them. It takes its toll on your soul. But you have to keep reminding yourself that this is what you enjoy doing.

SPOILER: If you had a chance to redo things in life, would you do this all over again?

CURTIS LUM: In a heartbeat. I don’t have too many regrets in my life. But it’s all I know now.

SPOILER: Do you think Hollywood is still “Hollywood,” or is it global now?

CURTIS LUM: “Hollywood” is whatever you wanna make it. I think the doors have opened up and expanded to a much more global scale. But I think Hollywood still runs the scene, most definitely. But in this new day and age, people are creating content and it’s a beautiful thing, and there’s a whole new market opened up for that. But I’m talking about filmmakers and content creators—you can kind of market it yourself nowadays. You can build your own following with Patreon and OnlyFans. You have people making like, hundreds of thousands of dollars being their own distributors. You cut out the middle man. You don’t need someone to give you a greenlight. You can just do it yourself. So yes and no.

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SPOILER: Yeah, these social platforms have given the accessibility and availability for a lot of people to make it on their own. But studio movies are definitely another realm.

CURTIS LUM: There’s just so much content now. And then especially with no theaters. Remember what it felt like to really wait for a movie to drop, and then go with your friends or family to see that movie on a Friday night? That’s all kinda gone now, which is really sad.

Kids are watching Martin Scorsese movies on their iPhones whenever they want. I mean, there’s something sort of cool about the futuristic technology, but also sad in that the prestige and the mystery of it all is completely gone.

SPOILER: Tell me about your audio series coming up, Matched.

CURTIS LUM: It’s based on real life dating stories that we’re bringing to life. And I’ve got an amazing cast of talent. A lot of the cast that we have are people you’ve seen on some of your favorite shows. It’s the good, the bad, and the ugly of online dating. We have some hilarious, some horrific, and some just absolutely insane stories. It’s a short anthology series. Most episodes are between 10 to 15 minutes.

There are a lot of scripted podcasts out there, like Homecoming, and Rami Malek has done a show—there’s so many to think of—but we wanted to have our own piece of the pie with this and just play with just doing audio. So we’ve built these worlds and it’s been a lot of fun. I cannot wait to show you guys.

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INTERVIEW BY GALAXY INTRO BY ETHAN BREHM

Tarun Keram/Noah Asanias

If you’ve watched a good variety of TV over the past

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decade there’s a chance you’ll recognize Tarun Keram. With guest spots on shows such as The Magicians, Supergirl, Helstrom, Supernatural, and most recently Nancy Drew and The Stand, the actor is continuing to make a name for himself.

Tarun has a great way about him and always allows his authentic and earnest demeanor to shine through in every part he plays. His latest role of the doctor, Steve, on the CBS series The Stand is his most prominent yet. Much like the 1994 miniseries of the same name, the 2020 adaptation of the Stephen King novel is star-studded.

Tarun talks with us about what it’s like being surrounded by a wall of stars and what he does to stand out.

Tarun has some great advice for aspiring actors. He, himself, is a working actor who has found a successful career by simply being himself and letting the right roles come to fruition. Galaxy chats with the Canadianborn star about how he got started acting, his dreams of landing a role in the Star Wars universe, and how he always keeps a positive attitude in this ever-changing industry.

interview interview

TARUN KERAM TARUN KERAM: When I was in high school we took this class where we just sort of messed around with cameras and made short films. I did the news for the school. I think I was like 14 at the time. And then my senior year I took theater and I absolutely hated the class. I said, “How come I like being on film more than theater?” I had some doubts about going to film school, so I went to college anyway. I dropped out my first term of university and I just pursued acting. I went to school. I did this intense year and four months.

I graduated, found an agent, and started auditioning.

SPOILER: Are you the first in your family to act?

TARUN KERAM: Yeah. My brother’s in film now, but he’s behind the camera as an assistant director.

SPOILER: You’ve been doing such a good job in these roles that you’ve landed. This industry’s not easy.

TARUN KERAM: There’s a saying that actor Stephen Lobo told me: “If you want to get a commercial or book a role, book a vacation, because they’ll call you when you’re in Mexico.” [laughs]

SPOILER: How was it working on The Stand?

TARUN KERAM: It was awesome! It’s weird to see myself alongside this cast. It’s something you dream of. I had just finished watching Westworld and I saw James Marsden, and he’s a really nice guy. He loves acting. It’s awesome being around him. I didn’t work with Whoopi Goldberg, but she was there [on set]. Josh Boone, who directed it, is a big Stephen King fan.

And just being part of this Stephen King universe itself is huge.

SPOILER: Were you nervous?

TARUN KERAM: I was super nervous, and we had filmed one of the later episodes first. And I didn’t get all the scripts, so I had no idea what had happened beforehand. I had to quickly piece things together and talk

to James. I talked to Odessa [Young] about some stuff too. Olivia Cheng, she was great too. I’ve never been with this caliber of cast before.

SPOILER: Who was your favorite actor on set?

TARUN KERAM: Olivia Cheng, 100%.

She’s from [Canada]. I spent most of my time with her and Odessa. And it’s just great to see representation in TV and film these days. So to have her there was great. I was a huge fan of Marco Polo too.

SPOILER: We love Olivia here! She’s great on Warrior as well.

TARUN KERAM: Oh, Warrior is amazing! She’s so good!

SPOILER: How did you get into acting originally?

SPOILER: Do you have a timeline for yourself?

TARUN KERAM: I think I’m in this for life. [laughs] I’m in too deep now.

SPOILER: Have your peers started to take note of your talent?

TARUN KERAM: Yeah, I think before the pandemic especially, people kept saying, “You’re on fire!” And then the pandemic hit and there’s been nothing. But now everything’s opened up, so that’s good. Vancouver is interesting because you could be working all year round. It’s kind of a service industry. All the leads come from LA and New York, and we just sort of fill in the guest stars and everything around the leads. It’s a little bit different than just one lucky break that takes you elsewhere.

SPOILER: Some of the best projects and actors are coming from Canada these days.

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TARUN KERAM

TARUN KERAM: Oh yeah, we filmed Godzilla here, Star Trek, which I was in, Man of Steel. There’s a lot of heavy hitters here.

SPOILER: Do you think the pandemic has changed anything?

TARUN KERAM: In terms of film, for sure. Before there was catering, where you could just walk up to and grab a snack. But now you’re not allowed anywhere near there. Someone has to hand you all the food. But the biggest thing is you have to get a COVID test a couple days before being on set. I was on Nancy Drew for a day, but I had to have three COVID tests just for one day.

SPOILER: For all the aspiring actors out there, how do you stand out among the sea of actors?

TARUN KERAM: There are a lot of shows that I’ve auditioned for—a lot of networks. I don’t really sort of fit in that realm, and that’s okay. I’m going to give the best performance I can that stays true to myself, to everything I do. If you don’t see me being in your show or I don’t fit somewhere, that’s fine. There’s so many other shows. The best advice is be yourself, which is so corny, but it’s true. A lot of actors question whether or not they want tattoos because it affects your time on set. But if you want tattoos, there’s gonna be a role where they want someone with tattoos.

There’s something for everybody.

SPOILER: Would you choose DC or Marvel?

TARUN KERAM: I think DC. I’ve been on more DC shows, so DC. SPOILER: Star Trek or Star Wars?

TARUN KERAM: That’s tough, but Star Wars.

SPOILER: What projects do you have coming up?

TARUN KERAM: My episode for Debris came out not too long ago for NBC. As soon as the pandemic break was over, I’ve been on set a lot. In the future, I will be going to LA. That’s the goal.

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SPOILER: How was it working on Helstrom?

TARUN KERAM: That was cool! That was right before everything shut down.

It was super top secret. I usually get the full script ahead of time whenever I’m on a project, but for this one they blacked everything out except my lines [laughs]. So I had to quickly figure everything out. I got a couple pages the night before, and you just have to make some choices and stand out.

SPOILER: Are you doing self-tapes now?

TARUN KERAM: Yeah, I have my own little setup with all my Star Wars posters around. Just a little inspiration.

SPOILER: You’d be great on The Mandalorian.

TARUN KERAM: I’m gonna put that out there. I’m gonna talk to my agent after this and say, “Okay, let’s do it!”

SPOILER: What is your favorite type of role to audition for?

TARUN KERAM: I think the “bad guy,” because I don’t see myself as that big of a bad guy in real life. But it’s really awesome when I’m on set and I’ve got guns and stuff. Especially being Canadian [laughs].

SPOILER: You’d fit in the Walking Dead universe really well.

TARUN KERAM: Oh yeah? ‘Cause that’s on my list. Mandalorian, Walking Dead, let’s go!

SPOILER: If you could give one piece of advice to everyone out there, what would it be?

TARUN KERAM: “Just stay true to yourself. If you want to quit your desk job to pursue something in the arts, you should definitely do it.

Do what makes you happy because you never know when the world’s gonna end.”

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Oxygen Directed by: Alexandre Aja Cast: Mélanie Laurent, Mathieu Amalric, Malik Zidi

The French-American co-production Oxygen is a containment thriller unlike any you’ve seen before (think Buried or Frozen) in that it has a hard sci-fi foundation. Like basically every sci-fi movie, it invents its own rules and resources, and proceeds to task the character with figuring out how to survive using exactly what she’s been given. But where most sci-fi movies (and movies in general) have the luxury of several moving parts—and characters—to distract the audience and convince us of some sense of plausibility, Oxygen takes place in a singular location with a single person being trapped, and yet the magic, despite the limited

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space, is how the audience still never questions the puppetry behind it.

A woman (Mélanie Laurent) wakes up locked inside of a cryogenic chamber with no memory of who she is or why she’s there. She’s informed by an advanced A.I. named M.I.L.O. (Mathieu Amalric) that there’s been a problem and her oxygen levels are plummeting. With little time remaining before she suffocates inside, the woman, who we find out is named Liz, must go through all the possible thoughts and emotions about her scenario while simultaneously problem solving how to get out.

Fortunately the script by Christie LeBlanc focuses not only on Liz’s survival, but also in cracking the mystery of how she got there in the first place. Both goals draw closer and closer together until becoming symbiotic by the end, both informing one another in order to solve the problem, culminating in a clever and unique conclusion.

The way the exposition unfolds and evolves throughout the film displays a great deal of focus and patience by our director Alexandre Aja. Every

time we think we know what’s happening, the plot makes a shift.

We experience the deduction with our protagonist, typically coming to the same conclusions as she does, piecing together clues in our heads simultaneously with her, often with highly chilling results. The filmmaker drops sneaky, almost subliminal symbolism along the way, such as the celestial aesthetic of the computer background over our protagonist’s head, or the way her hand, initially breaking free of her cocoon, looks like the outline of a rat trying to escape.

The tendency of a movie like this is to have your singular actor over-talk, especially to themselves. Aja does just that, giving his lead a tad bit too much dialogue. The very fact that she’s inside of a cryogenic chamber is stressful enough, we don’t need every opportunity for deliberation to conjure up suspense.

While it’s not a deal breaker, the weak point of the film is Liz herself.

She’s not an unlikable protagonist, and we’re definitely rooting for her, but her unwarranted dilly-dallying and occasional adamant refusal of other

Oxygen/Netflix/Alexandre Aja

“

Laurent reacts to her faceless castmates as though they’re really there.

“

people’s help—especially as the clock is ticking—is often unrealistic, the latter bordering on petulant. Liz has access to a phone as one of M.I.L.O.’s capabilities, and at one point a woman tries to give her important information, but Liz literally hangs up on her out of frustration. She simply doesn’t act with the desperation of someone who needs to know answers, especially in a hurry.

Fortunately our lead actress still keeps us invested through her compelling emotional journey.

Laurent reacts to her faceless castmates as though they’re really there. Even the memories she recalls feel like they’re actually playing out inside her head as she believably responds to them with compelling emotion and epiphany. Simply put, the actress never once makes us question that what we’re seeing isn’t actually being experienced by her, even when her character is sometimes written otherwise.

Aja does a great job of giving us the same vantage point as Liz throughout the film, even to a fault.

While the plethora of flashbacks can be a turnoff as they disrupt the tone at times, we’re never experiencing anything that she wouldn’t be experiencing. The memories play an important role in the story and conveying the levels of what she remembers. This is more than just a tool to expand beyond the movie’s singular location. Instead, the director still finds other ways to broaden his confines, using built-in parameters and rules to apply an immense magnitude and weight to the ostensibly limited space.

Likewise, our level of hope ebbs and flows with Liz. We honestly never know how this story is going to end, even after we’re given the final twist.

The film keeps its themes mostly

implicit, although speaking loudly of the instinct to stay alive even for a person who has every excuse not to, and even if they don’t have any connection to life at all. Liz is determined to survive despite not knowing who she is or what her past entailed, or if her life has any perceived value. The mere idea that she exists gives her value and the very reality of existing is enough to keep her going.

The unsung star of this film is the musical score by composer ROB, who uses slow, ethereal tones to create an ambient atmosphere. The epic choral wailings reflect the dark sadness that looms over the picture, especially looking back after it’s over, and establish an intentional monotony of sorts, building slowly over the course of the film, transforming and adding color as the tension builds. This soundtrack levels up every aspect of the film and equals the sprawling trajectory.

Oxygen is an interesting film, reminiscent of the type of hard science fiction movies you would have found on the Sci-Fi Channel in the late ‘90s. Incredibly tense, weird, technical, slightly snarky, and at times hard to watch, this containment film makes up its own rules and becomes enjoyable because of them.

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army of the dead It’s been 17 years since Zack Snyder’s directorial debut with his surprisingly impactful Dawn of the Dead remake. In the years that followed, the filmmaker made quite the name for himself with his successful period action piece 300, a criminally-underrated animated epic Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga’Hoole, and his aggressive foray into the DC superhero world, for better or worse. This year’s release of his own director’s cut of Justice League has been met with praise, leading some naysayers to reconsider their stance on the divisive director. And now, with his brand new zombie movie, Army of the Dead, Snyder enters back into the world of the undead with his first non-comic book endeavor in a decade.

2004’s Dawn of the Dead wasn’t the first to feature fast-running zombies, but did utilize them to provoke action in a way that hadn’t been done prior. With his latest film, Snyder attempts to evolve the genre and avoid the typical zombie movie formula yet

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again. Army of the Dead is not a horror movie any more than Zombieland is. It’s a heist film set in Las Vegas.

Several years following a zombie outbreak and successful containment of the undead within the city limits, those living in survivors’ communes outside of the container-lined walls are finally being taken out of quarantine so the government can nuke the entire area. A super rich casino owner, Bly Tanaka (Hiroyuki Sanada), tasks famed zombie-killer Scott Ward (Dave Bautista) with

Army of the Dead/Netflix/Zack Snyder

Directed by: Zack Snyder Cast: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Ana de la Reguera

recovering $200 million just sitting in a safe in his casino’s basement. If he succeeds, Scott will get $50 million to split among his team. However, there’s a running clock, as the government is planning their tactical strike in only a couple days.

Scott needs to recruit some

people first: a few of his former zombie-killing mates, someone to guide them inside, a safe cracker, and a helicopter pilot to fly the rescue craft sitting on the hotel’s roof. There’s another wild card in Scott’s estranged daughter, Kate (Ella Purnell), who has connections with Lily (Nora Arnezeder), a known smuggler familiar with the city. Kate insists on joining her dad in order to rescue her friend who’s gone inside to grab some unattended cash from the casinos. Now Scott and Kate work on their relationship while also trying to stay alive.

Once Scott and his team of about ten get inside the city walls, they discover that there are two types of zombies. There are the typical “Shamblers,” which just meander around brainlessly, but then there are the “Alphas,” who are much more

intelligent, capable of making lucid decisions and bonding with other Alphas. They protect their city and have established a sort of hierarchy within it. Things become complicated when the head Alpha, Zeus, discovers that the humans have killed his queen.

In theory, this genre mashup should be a lot of fun, if nothing else than for the fact that it’s set in a wild city like Las Vegas. Except, as fun as Vegas is to visit in real life, a dilapidated version of the city doesn’t quite spark that same excitement.

There’s a five minute montage at the beginning of the film that’s not only filled with some amazing effects and camerawork, but also crucial in that it’s the only real moment when we see zombies infesting Vegas as we actually know it. When we fast forward several years later, the city has lost all of its life—literally—and thus all of its glamour. In Dawn of the Dead, the mall that the characters inhabit is still intact, so they’re able to explore their setting and have fun with it, and so is the audience.

There’s not only no reason for the characters in Army of the Dead to explore Las Vegas, but there’s also a lot less to explore.

There’s a temptation to buy into

the pretense of Army of the Dead as some sort of commentary on greed and over-extravagance, especially with its Las Vegas setting. However, the film never scratches much below the surface of its premise to the nuanced potential underneath. In fact, there’s almost nothing there. If Snyder were to do this, I suppose he should have started with exploring his milieu a little bit better. There are shots that are literal reminders that you’re in Vegas (or a computer rendering of the city), but we almost never feel like we’re anywhere other than “Generic Metropolis.” The city is mostly under rubble, sure, and there would be no reason for the neon signs to be lit, but other than a few sequences on casino floors and helicopter shots of certain landmarks, there’s not much else to mark the location, let alone imbue itself with any Vegas ethos.

We often like to criticize movies when their characters are written as cliches or archetypes, but here, they’re not sketched out well enough at all. In fact, we have no reason to care about most of them outside of the charisma of the actors themselves. Bautista is a convincing july 2021|

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in favor of surface plot setup.

And in the second act, only two characters are really given the opportunity to make any sort of tough decision in a plot that should be riddled with them.

There are two human antagonists in the group, but one of them gets killed off almost immediately. The other, one of Tanaka’s men Martin (Garret Dillahunt), who’s a frustrating annoyance, doesn’t even have motives that are concise enough to matter. Even without Martin, Snyder could have dug in a little bit more on the human vs. human conflict, creating layers within the plot and thus sparking an investment from the audience. However, outside of Scott and Kate and some murky details in regards to Martin, there’s literally nothing there.

Aside from having a hard

time finding the story’s depth, Snyder, along with his co-writers Shay Hatten and Joby Harold, can’t figure out how to naturally place his markers so they don’t feel like mere conflict catalysts.

The result is a plot that begins to feel puppeted, often compromising any plausibility in the process. At one point, the government moves up the nuke date by an entire day, so that the citizens outside of the city (and

Get Shorty/MGM

enough lead, but gets betrayed by a script that fails to depict him as much more than twodimensional. The situation with his daughter is written too broadly, lacking any sincerity in how it develops—only in how it plays out in the end. Despite the lackluster conflict between Scott and his daughter, at least there’s some intended depth.

However, there’s an entire team of individuals that are barely given any sort of motive outside of money.

In a film like Ocean’s Eleven, the characters are fully fleshed out and their personality differences almost imply a motive even if it had not already been alluded to. But in that film, many of the minor characters don’t share the same amount of screen time as the leads, so they don’t necessarily demand the same attention. In Army of the Dead, the characters are all featured equally (which may be part of the problem), and still they all seem to be the exact same, and likewise, there are no such allusions to the contrary.

Snyder squanders the backstory development in the first act

Army of the Dead/Netflix/Zack Snyder

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our characters inside the city) now have only 90 minutes to evacuate (?). This is just silly and would never happen. Similarly, Kate joining her father in his quest makes absolutely no sense for any intelligent person, especially considering that she has absolutely zero tactical or combat skills.

Sometimes it doesn’t feel like Army of the Dead is supposed to tell an isolated story, with half-developed ideas, undeveloped characters, much-too-subtle setups, transitional scenes that seem to be missing, and dead-end plot details. This more than likely comes down to Snyder’s intent for this to turn into a film series, and that’s obvious. It’s no secret that he’s already close to the release of a prequel film, as well as an animated prequel series. So rather than focusing on the present scenario

inside of this movie, the director/cowriter seems to have his sights set on the future already. While watching 2008’s Iron Man, you never once get the sense that it’s a jumping-off point for an entire cinematic universe until that famous post-credits sequence.

The kind of shoehorned storyboard in Army of the Dead affects the suspense-building over the long haul. In order for tensions to rise, circumstances have to feel natural and earned. However, every obstacle that’s in the characters’ way is there as a mere coincidence. There are definite moments that come within reach, such as a helicopter

that one of the characters spends half the movie trying to start, or the safecracking puzzle. But Snyder doesn’t take the time to make these problems interesting or to immerse the audience in the situations. He just plops down the conflict and demands that we be satisfied with it simply existing. As the nuclear clock ticks, we never feel much anticipation outside of an exciting helicopter scene at the very end. But at least we know a lot about Scott’s dreams of starting a food truck.

With a filmography of movies that often attempt to overreach their grasp in terms of self-aggrandized depth, Snyder is guilty here of not having enough of it and not knowing how to incorporate the depth he does have into his storyboard. There’s a line at one point when Lily attempts to juxtapose the zombies to humans by commenting how the Alphas within the city walls don’t betray each other like we do. So deep. However, despite all of its flaws, Army of the Dead is able to entertain on a very surface level if nothing else.

Fortunately, the film is still enjoyable and fun for the most part. It’s clear that beneath the poor script there’s a filmmaker who knows how to deliver the goods, at least on a surface level. There’s a surprising amount of practical effects, including an animatronic zombie head that’s straight out of the ‘80s. The gore is some of the best I’ve seen on film, and adds a twisted layer to the alreadydark foundation. If the script had been better, then this film would have been even more fun than it already is. july 2021|

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Army of the Dead/Netflix/Zack Snyder/Those Who Wish Me Dead/Warner Bros. Pictures/Taylor Sheridan

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be the first time that the director could be accused of not stylizing his camerawork or production design enough.

After living in an actual pandemic for over a year, Army of the Dead might be filled with a lot more nihilism and gloom than people hope to see right now, but for Snyder, he’s very much playing to type, and this might be one of the biggest risks this movie takes— because it actually does take a few. While the director adds new lore to the zombie genre, he also kinda breaks some rules to make it happen, which doesn’t always work the way he wants it to, but at least he tries to shake things up. There’s a chance we’re going to look back a decade from now and see the inconspicuous impact this movie had on all the horror heists that were born from it. But for now, it could have been better.

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While the director adds new lore to the zombie genre, he also kinda breaks some rules to make it happen.

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If you’re familiar with any of Snyder’s past films, you may notice that Army of the Dead lacks the director’s typical digital style. As the DP this time around, Snyder seems to be having more fun with raw, organic shots and kinetic movement than he is with his trademarked speed ramping. In return we get action scenes which are a bit more authentic and less “tampered with,” although much more incoherent than expected.

Snyder might understand the camera well, but also hasn’t operated one in almost two decades, other than some reshoots for his Snyder Cut, and the result is somewhat underwhelming and lacks the certain artistry and charm from his previous films. This might

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those who wish me dead Directed by: Taylor Sheridan Cast: Angelina Jolie, Jon Bernthal, Finn Little Taylor Sheridan hit it big with his 2017 directorial debut Wind River.

The ice-covered murder mystery is more than just a fascinating and beautiful glimpse into one of the least densely populated areas in the country, but has a gripping story to complement the haunting Wyoming milieu. Sheridan also wrote the script for the film, but it was not his first, as he penned both Sicario and Hell or High Water. In the meantime, he’s also served as co-creator on the hit TV series Yellowstone. Needless to say, his next outing behind the camera was highly anticipated, with the hope that it would be something equally as brilliant as his last.

Enter Those Who Wish Me Dead, an action thriller with Western sensibilities just like Wind River.

Here, the director trades the Wyoming Indian Reservation for another picturesque landscape in the Montana wilderness.

Angelina Jolie plays Hannah Faber, a smokejumper who struggles with untreated PTSD following an incident a few years ago when she failed to save three boys in a forest fire. Since then she begins acting out and risking her own safety performing extreme stunts, masking her depression as thrill-seeking. The local Deputy Sheriff Ethan Sawyer (Jon Bernthal) is constantly nagging at her for her choices. Ethan’s wife, Allison (Medina Senghore), who’s six months pregnant, tells her husband to go easy on Hannah, since she’s already hard enough on herself.

Meanwhile, Ethan’s brother-inlaw, Owen Casserly (Jack Weber), a forensic accountant in Florida, is on the run with his 12-year-old son Conner (Finn Little). He sees that his boss, a district attorney, has died in an explosion after uncovering some incriminating evidence. Owen assumes foul play and believes that he’s the next target. He wants to leave his son in Montana with Ethan so he will be safe. The men who murdered his boss are assassins Jack and Patrick Blackwell (Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult), and they end up killing Owen as well, leaving Conner an orphan on the run in the woods. He crosses paths with Hannah, who had been stationed at

a fire lookout tower when its power was knocked out by lighting, and is helping him hide from the killers who now see Conner as a loose end. Jack and Patrick take Ethan hostage and threaten him into helping them track down the boy.

Those Who Wish Me Dead is a very obvious throwback to ‘90s action thrillers, with irredeemably wicked villains, cheesy dialogue, farfetched character decisions, and a deluge of contrived setbacks, however it’s unclear whether this is simply Sheridan’s subconscious influence of the movies he grew up with or an intentional choice. Most notably, the film holds a very strong resemblance to the 1993 Sylvester Stallone classic Cliffhanger, which might very well be evidence for the latter.

Sheridan never does much in terms of cleverness with the story, which he co-writes with Charles Leavitt and Michael Koryta, whose novel it’s based on, ultimately forgetting about a couple of his subplots entirely. The plotting in general is awkward and clunky, usually propelled by irrational and odd character behavior. Around july 2021|

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Those Who Wish Me Dead/Warner Bros. Pictures/Taylor Sheridan

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the 30 minute mark, we think we’re out of the mud, only to immediately go back in again. We never seem to gain any momentum with our story or the action, the latter of which is admittedly very well-staged when it’s actually there.

As moviegoers, we obviously know that somebody has to write these stories. Although, as we watch them unfold, we don’t really want to consciously be thinking about the manipulation required to manufacture their development.

There’s an entire chunk in the middle act where Hannah and Connor travail the forest, trying to get to the nearest town to get help. Along the way, they learn about each other and build their relationship, and we can assume where this bond is headed for the orphan and the woman who feels guilty about the death of three boys. However, after a fire starts nearby, Hannah and Connor make the decision to just go back to the lookout tower where their adventure began.

The director unveils his plot slowly

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early on, not giving much away for free, yet he also doesn’t quite provide us with enough suspense that we wouldn’t be able to find in a made-for-TV Lifetime movie (if, ya know, you watched Lifetime).

This isn’t a mystery, but it’s almost treated as such. Although, nothing ever gets revealed that we didn’t already assume. And over the course of the film we never find out the real scoop about the information that these assassins are helping to protect. Maybe it’s not important.

But if you’re gonna go full-’90s, go full-’90s!

Themes about survivor’s guilt and loneliness are never really present enough outside of surface coverage. There are moments where we think Sheridan is going to use his oft-treacherous setting as another character in and of itself, just like he did brilliantly with his previous endeavor Wind River and its icy milieu. Unfortunately, we never really see the forest as being either unforgiving or embracing, nor lonely or comforting. A few times we’ll hear an opinion from a character, like when Jack mentions how he hates the forest. Or when Conner comments how much he likes it. However, we never witness how our characters interact with this environment because the film is too focused on the drama, and the drama alone. The director showcases yet another picturesque

landscape, but this time he only ever slightly touches upon what the wilderness lifestyle is really like and how the characters who live there are willing to take the beautiful with the horrific. All we really see is how it’s a beast that can’t be tamed. Jolie’s character, as our protagonist, shouldn’t really be that window looking in, because she seems like she couldn’t care less.

Ethan, however, feels like a better candidate, but alas, no such luck there either.

There’s a chance that the problems might lie in the adaptation itself, occurring somewhere between Koryta’s source material and the script that he helped write. There’s something substantial buried underneath but, just like a regrowth after a forest fire, the moments of genius sprout up at random and in patches.

Other times, there are extraneous details that only provide unnecessary depth for the characters. For instance, there’s no reason why we need to know that Ethan is Hannah’s ex-boyfriend. It adds nothing to the story, especially since the tension between Ethan and Hannah completely disappears after the first act.

On the other hand, there’s a lot more room to develop Ethan and Allison’s characters into something special—and Sheridan has the green light to do so—especially in transforming their story more into a spiritual journey, which it seems like the director wants to do considering how their arc concludes. Bernthal delivers yet another effective

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The director showcases yet another picturesque landscape, but this time he only ever slightly touches upon what the wilderness lifestyle is really like and how the characters who live there are willing to take the beautiful with the horrific.

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and intricate performance as the hotheaded, stick-in-the-mud cop who is a lot softer on the inside than on the outside, and he should be one of the best aspects of this film. However, the actor is never given anything meaty to work with. His emotional and mental journey throughout the story never intersects with his flaws or the internal struggles that he’s working on elsewhere. He’s heroic, but we gather this from the very beginning,

so when he does heroic things later on it comes as no surprise to us.

Jolie is purely functional as well.

She’s typically a very good actor, and here she’s still able to tackle the pathos required for her character, but the material is simply not there for her either. The actress feels almost contained by a movie that just wants to give her basic nuance.

Unfortunately, Those Who Wish Me Dead is a film where the characters merely react to their environment rather than the other way around.

They just sit around and wait for something to happen—usually bad— and Jolie’s Hannah is the guiltiest of them all. In fact, that’s what the whole movie is about. Hannah let the three boys die on her watch because she was too afraid to go into the fire. And now she has a new situation that finally forces her out of her own sulking and into the flames.

And this is why the filmmakers try to manufacture motion, because if they didn’t then the characters would succumb to a story that inherently requests for them to remain still.

The two actors who get to do a lot of breathing are Gillen and

Hoult. The entire movie seems to revolve around their completely evil characters at times, like John Lithgow’s iconic villain in Cliffhanger—or Joe Pesci and Daniel Stern in Home Alone. We simply wouldn’t have a plot if it weren’t for these assassins. Undoubtedly the best part of this movie, the Blackwell brothers provide us with all of the most intense and grueling moments, which really do showcase our director’s penchant for taking risks, even amidst a film riddled with genre cliches.

Sheridan doesn’t quite live up to the Iñárritu-esque expectations following his masterful debut (it happens). Instead he approaches this film much differently than Wind River on a narrative level. Likewise, he never quite leans into his ‘90s homages, and we’d definitely just rather watch Cliffhanger.

Inconsistent and obsessed with drama, Those Who Wish Me Dead is still an engaging and gripping, albeit forgettable, movie.

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Cruella/Disney/Flashback/Lionsgate/Fast & Furious/Universal

Other Notable Releases

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fast & furious presents: hobbs & shaw (2019) Directed by: David Leitch Cast: Dwayne Johnson, Jason Statham, Idris Elba While there’s a tendency to compare Hobbs & Shaw to the rest of its Fast & Furious kin, the only similarities lie in the names of the title characters and their dynamic with one another.

The spin-off film, while definitely existing in the same cinematic universe as the others, doesn’t build its world around cars, even if it finds clever ways to incorporate them, much like its progenitors, such as a sequence featuring a long chain of tow trucks created in an attempt to anchor an escaping helicopter to the ground. However, other than that moment, cars in this movie serve a purely functional purpose rather than becoming the central focus or a secret weapon to be used to accomplish a goal. The objectives here are mostly achieved through brute physical force. Plus, there’s not even a trace of street racing.

We follow two former agents, Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) and Deckard Shaw (Jason Statham), with a disdain for one another as they’re assigned by the CIA to team up and track down the “snowflake”

supervirus. Apparently, MI6 agent Hattie Shaw (Vanessa Kirby)— Deckard’s sister—has injected herself with the only known dose of the virus and is now being tracked down by the evil terrorist organization Eteon who wants it back. Hobbs and Shaw, along with Hattie, must now infiltrate Eteon’s secret facility in Chernobyl to steal a device that can safely remove the virus from Hattie’s body while it’s still dormant.

Trouble arises when our heroes discover that the Eteon agent, Brixton (Idris Elba), who’s the one tracking them down, has been given superhuman abilities that make

him virtually indestructible. Now Hobbs and Shaw must put aside their differences in order to save the world.

Kudos to screenwriters Chris Morgan and Drew Pearce for not turning this into a story about two enemies who continuously foil the other’s plans as they, too, try to complete the mission—a la Spy vs.

Spy. Instead, Hobbs and Shaw have no choice but to work together. The fun part is watching them get on each other’s nerves while doing so.

Fast & Furious movies have never allowed themselves to go full actioncomedy, but Hobbs & Shaw is very obviously an action-comedy first and foremost, literally birthed from the humorous bickering of its two stars.

Johnson and Statham’s constant ribbing surprisingly doesn’t get old as their elongated version of the Dozens spans the course of the entire film.

Perennial Fast & Furious screenwriter Chris Morgan proves that he can translate well into the comedy realm, as the spin-off film makes the choice to give the humor the same amount of attention as the plot itself. As opposed to most comedies, which rely on the free-for-all ad-libs of their stars, this one gets most of its laughs through well-written jokes, which is perhaps a big reason for why they don’t get stale. The prevalence of comedy here allows for there to be some breathing room amidst the

one of the best and most versatile actresses in Hollywood, able to thrive in both blockbuster action and Oscar bait. Here, it’s the decisions we don’t easily notice that make her performance pristine, such as how she slyly emulates Helen Mirren, who plays her mother, although the two never share a scene together.

Kirby’s presence in this movie helps level it up beyond cheap summer movie fodder and into the realm of something verging on, dare I say, artistic, such as Mission Impossible (which she’s starred in) or the more recent James Bond movies.

There’s an authentic humanity at the center of Hobbs & Shaw, where the lack of humanity is shown to be a side effect of not having any physical weaknesses. This is especially highlighted with a villain whose value system is flawed despite how dedicated he is to its ostensible

Fast & Furious/Universal

otherwise-non-stop action.

Likewise, director David Leitch never needs to halt the momentum in order to let his stars quarrel.

Instead, the quarreling fits in smoothly within the narrative. Even the moments with known comedic actors, such as Kevin Hart or Ryan Reynolds, don’t feel like running footage to be edited, rather a welcomed addition to the fray.

Like the best action-comedies, Hobbs & Shaw doesn’t allow for its humor to come from everywhere.

This is still a serious mission these characters are on. Elba, as our villain, plays it straight. The actor has always been able to stretch between charismatic hero and menacing villain very well, and here he’s at his best as the latter. He doesn’t react to Johnson and Statham’s comedy as a straight-man typically would, but maintains his icy demeanor the entire time, punishing them for any lunacy that may arise.

It sure helps the tone that both Johnson and Statham are capable of being funny without compromising their individual intensity. Leitch and his writers find a way for the stars to make jokes without turning them into goofballs, but rather showing the irony that exists in the juxtaposition between their intimidating stature and the dialogue that’s coming out of their mouths.

Statham was born to be an action star and he doesn’t skip a beat here.

As for Johnson, he’s finally found the perfect balance between action and comedy that he always seems to be in search of.

Kirby proves yet again that she’s

infallibility. Brixton, who’s basically a super-villain, has bought into the idea that he’s saving mankind even though he has no more faith left in it—a contradiction only the audience can pick up on.

Among the main plot, there’s a fun inclusion of some backstory for Deckard that explains why we’ve always perceived him as a bad guy, and we also learn about Hobbs’ roots in Samoa and why he turned to a life of fighting crime, and why he’s always had a soft spot for the antiheroes. As for the tease of a backstory between Hobbs and Reynolds’ Locke, I need to know more. Hopefully the sequel comes soon enough and can answer some of the questions we were dying to find out by the end of this movie.

Although the film retcons the camaraderie that had finally been established previously in The Fate of the Furious, Hobbs & Shaw justifies the two leads’ animosity for each other and uses it as an obstacle to be overcome by the end of the story.

Despite any qualms you may have about this spin-off, you can rest easy knowing that it never tries to duplicate the Fast & Furious formula or step on the toes of the saga that’s been cultivated since 2001.

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SPOILER MAGAZINE

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JERSEY GODS #3 Written by: Glen Brunswick | art by: Dan McDavid | colors by: Rachelle Rosenberg

The Good

As far as indie comics go, Jersey Gods does a great job of touching all the bases. The humor is pretty light, the art is every bit up to par, and there’s plenty of action without dragging or becoming boring. The way the narrative bounces around from heavy action to revealing plot is very impressive and shouldn’t be overlooked.

The bad

For all the action we get, the story never really pulls you in the way a really good comic book should.

Obviously there’s no staple superhero who we all know and love/hate. These are no-name characters, and to overcome that disadvantage you need a really compelling story. And while the story isn’t bad, it’s not compelling either.

The Veredict

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score

6.0 Jersey Gods/Image Comics/Echo/Marvel Comics

The best thing this book has going for it is how it balances the action with the dialogue, never allowing the latter to clutter the former and interrupt its flow. Indie comics are a matter of taste. It’s typically a genre I love to indulge in, but to rank up there with the best, you have to separate yourself a bit more. While Jersey Gods doesn’t quite do that, I still think it’s a comic worth reading, just not one I’d have high on my recommendations list.

ECHo #3 created by: Terry Moore

The Good

Black-and-white comics aren’t generally my cup of tea. Even when the stories are compelling, the artwork almost always comes off as bland. Likewise, the art in Echo doesn’t pop off the page by any means, even though I can truly respect the attention to detail, which is the one thing this book really has going for it.

The bad

If you’re big on action, then this is definitely not the comic for you. And while a comic book can certainly be great even without action, it usually has humor to make up for it. With no action and no humor, it’s very difficult to engage your audience. Echo has neither, and by the time I got to the midpoint, I had lost my interest to keep reading.

The Veredict

I wouldn’t go as far to say this is a bad comic book. While I personally can’t connect to a single part of it, I can see it appealing to a niche audience.

Comics need a solid blend of

score art, detail, and dialogue to create a smooth flow. Yet at no point does this book even attempt to do that. Clunky dialogue needs to be loaded with humor. And dialogue-heavy comics can absolutely work if you can balance action, humor, and vibrant art. However, this comic is much too talkative with nothing else going on. Other than the details in the drawing, nothing stands out here.

4.0

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EX MACHINA #47

Written by: Brian K. Vaughan | art by: Tony Harris | Colors by: J.D Mettler Set in March of 1980, the way this comic uses dates gives it a more balanced setting and timeline than most books, which just imply that their stories takes place in the present day. Its Tarantino-esque dialogue featuring pop culture references is rare in comics.

There’s something funny about characters debating a universe where Batman and Catwoman had a kid together.

The bad

For those of you who are all about the action and gore, we’re really only gifted with one nasty blood bath of a sequence that’s sure to pique your interest, but this isn’t the action-packed story some of you might prefer.

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The Veredict

When characters in a movie are film geeks themselves, discussing funny topics we have with our own friends in real life, it makes them more relatable and, in turn, more likable. This is the first time I’ve ever seen that technique used in a comic.

Comic book characters who love comic books might seem like an obvious choice, but it brings a comedic element to Ex Machina that makes it stand out from the pack. The use of humor is perfect for a non-horror/non-superhero comic. This one isn’t loaded with action, but it’s not supposed to be. It’s a comic based on characters’ relationships with one other, which is the best way to make us care about them.

Ex Machina/DC Comics/WildStorm Comics

The Good

score

8.0

THE SAVAGE DRAGON BATTLES BEDROCK #3

The Savage Dragon/Image Comics/Jack of Fables/Vertigo Comics

Written by: Erik Larsen | art by: Erik Larsen | colors by: Gregory Wright

The Good

I won’t pretend I gave a sh*t about any of the characters in this story, but the nonstop high-level action sequences like the ones in The Savage Dragon Battles Bedrock #3 are what many comic book fans LOVE to see. The hero and villain are your typical big, strong, tough guys, but avoid becoming cliched stereotypes through good art and a few original characteristics. In a lesser-known title like The Savage Dragon, this is something that really deserves its props.

The bad

I consider this the comic book equivalent of a B-movie. It’s so action-packed that you have a good sense of where it’s going

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from the get-go, ultimately becoming stagnant in the 3rd act.

While the tail end of the book is a real snooze, admittedly the last two pages end on an interesting note that has me curious about where the story will go from here.

The Veredict

I may be in the minority when I say that a comic that’s all action is actually quite boring. It needs to have some heart for me to care or I just end up feeling detached.

That’s not to say this book doesn’t have any substance, but there’s also very little reason to root for any particular character. If heavyweight fights among heroes and villains are your thing, then

this is sure to be a good read, but if not, there are much better options out there.

However, this is a respectable comic and a fairly breezy one at that, so if you’re looking for something new to indulge in, it’ll be worth your time.

score

6.0

JACK OF FABLES #23 Written by: Bill Willingham | art by: Mark Buckingham

The Good

I’m not typically a fan of Westerns, and I was never the type of kid who dressed up like a cowboy on Halloween, but admittedly there’s something pretty cool about a comic book based on a cowboy. Jack Homer is a raging sociopath, which some might say is a bit of a cliche. However, it’s much more rare to see that role be taken on by the protagonist. Tone is very important in telling a good story, and Jack of Fables has a dark comedic tone that, if nothing else, will keep you interested and curious about what happens next.

The bad

It’s easy to feel like this book relies a lot on all the smoking, gambling, and violence, and lacking substance because of them. However, this is how the

writers wanted to portray this deranged cowboy. It might be bothersome for certain readers, but those people probably aren’t picking up an underrated type of comic like this in the first place.

The Veredict

Although the art doesn’t exactly pop off the page, the look and even the texture of the page is perfect for setting the Western vibe. The gambling, the drinking, and the unexpected murders are all things we’ve become desensitized to thanks to music and movies, but there’s a definite deficiency of those elements when it comes to comic books.

Jack of Fables is a great read, hitting a lot of its marks.

score

7.5

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SMAx #3 of 5 Written by: Alan Moore | art by: Zander Cannon | Colors by: Ben Dimagmaliw

An indie comic book HAS to be unique, otherwise it’ll end up lost in the shuffle and only get read by people who buy a bundle of random comics online. Saying Smax is unique would be putting it mildly. The humor is very dry, but it’s definitely present and keeps the story flowing even when there’s no action to intensify it.

The bad

The tough thing about dialogue in comics is finding the right balance of how much exposition you want to incorporate without being verbose. There’s a fair amount of talking that happens in the middle of this story that could’ve easily been taken out without skipping a beat in the slightest. Despite how wordy it is, the story doesn’t drag or make you constantly feel like checking the page count.

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The Veredict

The artwork is neither helpful nor hurtful. Generally the art is what really grabs our attention in a comic, so looking simple isn’t ideal. However, the character profiles are intriguing, each with their own mythical vibe and specific superpower to help differentiate these brand new characters. This might not be for the casual reader, but if you’re looking for something new and uncommon in the comic book universe, Smax is a great change of pace.

Smax/America’s Best Comics/DC Comics

The Good

score

7.0

Strangers in Paradise/Abstract Studio Comics/Cinderella: Fables are Forever/Vertigo Comics

strangers

In paradise #50 created by: Terry Moore comics. I can understand why they’re made, but I can’t get over the bland vibe I get while reading them. If I didn’t want colors or art that jumps off the page then I’d read a novel, not a comic.

The Veredict The Good

Superheroes are great, but it’s nice to change up the pace sometimes. I didn’t know anything about Strangers In Paradise going in, so I wasn’t prepared for all the talk of threesomes and sexual promiscuity, but this comic does an excellent job of incorporating those details. Two women discussing their experimentation over the years is enthralling—I don’t care who you are. The conversations bring a real-life element to the characters in a way I certainly was not expecting.

Despite my disdain for the blackand-white approach, Strangers In Paradise is able to overcome that predisposition simply by being original and showing a bond between characters that makes them feel real, almost like the comic is based on, or at least inspired by, a true story. If

you’re looking for a series that incorporates real-life interactions instead of action and violence, then this is right up your alley.

It’s not just a smut book, but one that’s not afraid to explore the same feelings and motivations that are common in movies and TV, yet rarely ever used in your standard comic.

score

7.0

This is a comic that’s essentially nothing but dialogue, which I know is a turnoff to a lot of readers. Visually, I typically have a prejudice against black-and-white

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Silver Surfer/Marvel

The bad

CINDERELLA

Fables Are Forever #6

Written by: Chris Roberson | art by: Shawn McManus | colors by: Lee Loughridge

The bad

The Good

I’ve read more than my fair share of comics over the years, but I never thought I’d read one that involves Cinderella and Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. Personally I was never much of a fan of either, but like most people, I did see both movies as a kid, and knowing the characters’ backstories made the read much more entertaining.

This isn’t your typical Cinderella story. This is a totally original retelling. Dorothy seems so sweet and innocent in the movies, but I dare you to read this book and not call her a raging b**ch. That might seem harsh, but I mean that in the most complimentary way possible. So kudos to the creators for executing such a unique reimagining.

If it wasn’t for the oddity of these household names coming together I wouldn’t have been interested in reading this at all. It’s awesome to see girls kick ass in a comic book since it’s not quite as common, but the notoriety of these characters seems to be the only thing preventing it from just being your typical back and forth.

What makes the book unique is Cinderella and Dorothy’s presence in it as opposed to the actual plot itself.

The Veredict

I’m not a fan of Disney princesses, not even a little bit, but seeing the comic book version, I felt like I had to at least give it a chance. Incorporating

such well-known and popular fictional characters, Cinderella: Fables are Forever does a great job of staying true to its story and not becoming played out or overly predictable. I think most people will enjoy this one, no matter who they are, but especially female readers who looked up to these characters as kids, who now get to see what the badass versions of these ladies would actually be like.

score

6.5

july 2021|

I 165