#Doctors orders genius inc

[candycutter13]

Character Quote #231

"I'm not good at supervising children. They're unpredictable creatures.”

Source: Doctor's Orders (by Genius Inc) Character: Nathaniel Clark

“Unpredictable creatures” is a fitting and accurate description. Yes.

[aromantic-misguide-to-romance]

So they told her that they're actually shapeshifting animals and. Finally a game where MC has relatable reactions to such reveal

[otomechuchu]

Doctor’s Orders - soon

Doctor’s Orders will be released this month.

April 18 2019

[crew-of-the-detz]

Y’all thought I was joking?

Lets go baby coffee shop AU time.

I’m a new hire at the local coffee shop down the block from my appartment. I work the early morning shift and often open the shop with the manager. Usually that early its pretty dead with the exception of this one woman. I suppose I should call her my regular, as it’s always me that ends up serving her. She comes into the shop every day, orders a large cold brew with an extra shot and vanilla flavor, and leaves. Nothing remarkable about her really, and from the whole 5 words of dialouge I’ve gotten from her I learned she’s a marketing consultant for Detz Incorperated across the street. I suppose the real reason I always remember her is because of her face.

That face she has, it’s the grumpiest looking face I’ve seen in my entire life. 

Like, I’m not exagerating, it’s almost always pulled down taught into a slight frown. When it’s not, its curling a snear at somebody or something in annoyance. Also, everything about her is sharp. Her clothes, sharp black suit and slacks. The laptop bag she normally has with her, a sharp looking aramid bag with a sleek machine on the inside. Those aviators she always has on, even inside, a sharp silver colors that accentuates her sharp face. 

Yesterday, I saw her come in and the line was longer than usual for us that early in the morning. Her frown curled up into that snear and she got in the back of the line, patiently waiting. Now, her drink is pretty simple, so between steaming milk and grinding cardamom for someone elses drink I quickly poured some coldbrew and put a shot of vanilla in it. Eventually she came up to the till and ordered in her short, curt, manner. I grabbed the cold brew from the fridge behind me and set it on the counter in front of her.

Her face, it changed. 

It wasnt a snear, it wasnt a frown. It was something knew. It was the face you make when you get a pleasant surpise, her mouth opened ever so slightly shock with maybe even a grin. 

Her brain took a second to reboot and then that frown came back, but as she handed me the cash she said something she’d never said to me before. 

“Thank you.”

It was the most sincere thank you I’ve ever heard in my life, even though her tone of voice was the flattest tone I’ve ever heard in my life. 

So now I’m upping the ante, when I prepare the drink Im going to write a joke on it and see if I can’t change that grumpy face. I spent time after closing looking up cheesy business jokes on the internet, cause, to be honest, I have no idea what her sense of humor is like. I had no idea what any of it meant, but I wrote one down on a napkin and brought it to work with me this morning. 

I opened with the manager, the manager left to sort out some paperwork, and I waited. Sure enough, 5:45 AM rolled around and in she came. The store was completely empty aside from me and her, so I started to make the drink as she walked up to the till and just leaned against the counter waiting. I took the sharpie we used to write the drinks ingredients on the cups and wrote my little joke. I handed it to her and immediately started sweating as she gave me the cash.

Is the joke stupid? Is she gonna think im some sort of creep over stepping bounds? Oh god what if she stops coming back? What if-

“Pfffft”

I looked up and her hand was over her mouth, but her cheeks had... dimples?

The hand moved away and she had an honest to god smile on her face. She took off her shades and read it again, as if she was checking it was real.

“That’s a good one, mind if I tell it to my co-workers?”

Her voice had intonation, her face was in a smile, I was caught completely off guard.

“Uh, y-yeah! Thought you might like that one.”

She leaned over the counter and read my hand-written nametag. “So uh, Finnegan right? I was kind of in a rush last time, but I really wanted to thank you for making my drink before. Even though I was at the back, guess it pays that I come here every day huh?”

This was the most I’d ever heard from her, In the two months I’d worked here and her coming in every day for those two months. “Ah it’s nothin, helps your drink is super easy to make. Unlike some people who want like 50 things in their coffee and expect it to be done in 5 minutes.”

Her smile, got bigger?

“What can I say, I have simple tastes.” She gasped, like a small little muffled gasp to hide feeling. “Oh my god I just realized that I never told you my name,” she reached her hand across the counter, “I’m Elizabeth.”

That name, I’d heard it somewhere before. Then it hit me; the marketing consultant, her working at Detz Inc, the general manner she held herself. I’ve seen her in magazines at the doctors office, this woman is Elizabeth Korlin a marketing genius or something like that. She wrote the Peacock software for marketing and like revolutionized the game. 

I stood there dumbstruck for but a second, before I came back to reality. “Pleasure to meet you Elizabeth,” I shook her hand, “Say, aren’t you the one who wrote the software that like, changed the game for marketing?”

She blushed, I swear on my mother she blushed. It was faint, just a slight pop of dull red to her cheeks.

“Well, I wouldn’t say it changed the game. But yes I wrote some software that helps businesses with their marketing.” She picks up her coffee, “But, I really should get going. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah! Same place same time.”

As she opened the door to head out into the street she turned back to me, “With another joke, I trust?”

I smiled at her, “You got it.”

She left the shop and went out into street, the sunrise reflecting off her shades. Looks like I got some jokes to research. 

[gibelwho]

Top 5: Directorial Debuts

This Top 5 reviews Directorial Debuts, considering the film that was the opening gambit in a director’s career. The requirements for this list are straightforward - the films considered must be full length and had a theatrical run, so short films (although oftentimes a way into the business for directors) were not counted and neither were made for TV movies. Additionally, this list is considering films that were directed by a single person, so first films with co-director’s were not considered (although some fantastic films fall into this category, such as On the Town or Monty Python and the Holy Grail). The final consideration, although not a firm requirement, was that this first film was an opening artistic achievement that became a launching point for a notable and long career to follow.

Gibelwho Productions Presents Directorial Debuts:

5. Spike Jonze / Being John Malkovich

4. Rob Reiner / This is Spinal Tap

3. Pete Doctor / Monsters, Inc.

2. Alex Garland / Ex Machina

Rob Marshall / Chicago

Spike Jonze / Being John Malkovich (1999): This film was not only the theatrical directorial debut for music video savant Spike Jonze, but was also the first feature penned by the now acclaimed screenwriter Charlie Kaufman. Their appreciation for bizarre storylines and unique artistic sensibilities combined to make a mark on the cinematic landscape of Hollywood and opened the doors for both to careers that continue to tell non-traditional stories. Jonze had to contend with a confounding script, but managed to keep the audiences engaged with the twists and turns, and also tuned into the emotional journeys of his main players, including a representation of real-life actor John Malkovich himself. The film is filled with memorable visual sequences, including an office floor with cramped ceilings, John Malkovich’s point of view shot when ordering bath towels, and the incredible mind-bending sequence when John Malkovich enters the portal into his own mind, encountering a world filled with multiple John Malkovichs.

Rob Reiner / This is Spinal Tap (1984): Not only is Rob Reiner’s first feature a hilarious mixture of conceits with a generous helping of improvisation from comedic actors, but it also launched an entirely new genre - the mockumentary. To keep the documentary feel, Reiner produced a mix of shooting styles, including hand-held cinema-verite style, titles to introduce band members, creating black and white faux television “archival” footage, traditional documentary interview footage, and also capturing onstage theatrics. While most of the humor is in the actor’s improvised lines, the camera is not just silently observing, but also gets into the jokes and elevates the gags with visual commentary. With this film, Reiner transitioned from an actor to an established director and continued into a fabulous career that dipped into a multitude of different genres, producing several films now considered modern classics.

Pete Doctor / Monsters, Inc. (2001): While Toy Story was the original revolutionary release from the new animation studio Pixar (also with a first time director), Monsters, Inc. earns its place on this list because of the genius of Pete Doctor. The film was the fourth feature from Pixar, and the first to be helmed by a director other than John Lasseter. Pixar’s legacy (and now future, as he has assumed the role of Chief Creative Officer at Pixar following Lasseter’s exit for inappropriate behavior), was in safe hands with Doctor, who has consistently produced the Pixar films with the most unique conceits and beloved characters. This all started with his story development and leadership on Monsters, Inc., a film that achieved technical advancement with the realistic rendering of monster Sulley’s fur, but also one of the most breathtaking action sequences Pixar has ever envisioned, involving the hunt for little Boo’s bedroom door amongst a cavalcade of children’s doors, all swirling around madly in the warehouse storage space. Doctor’s first effort at Pixar produced a delightful tale, proving that Pixar could still herald the magic when the reigns were handed to other directors, and setting him up for more delightful classics to be directed.

Alex Garland / Ex Machina (2014): Alex Garland transitioned from a successful screenwriting career to directing with this astonishing piece of art - intellectual, challenging, visually stunning, and with a twisting plot that ensures the audience is on the edge of their seat throughout the film’s runtime. The screenplay was especially tight, as to be expected from a writer of Garland’s quality, but his work behind the camera was also incredibly solid, playing with the various textures of the setting’s remote mansion’s stone, wood, metal, and glass and also with the robot Ava’s combination of machine metal and human flesh. Garland expertly uncoils a new element in each conversation, scene, and session, slowly expanding the audience's understanding of the world and motivations of each character, until an explosive ending that revels in a woman taking control of her own destiny.

Rob Marshall / Chicago (2002): What are the odds that a directorial debut revitalizes the musical genre for a modern audience - and then goes on to win the Academy Award? Rob Marshall’s background as a dancer and choreographer masterly transferred to the filmmaking space - expertly conceiving the musical numbers (and entire film!), using all the tools at a filmmaker's disposal that a live theatrical experience cannot - camera composition such as close ups, crafting pacing through editing cuts, and matching sound to image. In the best tradition of Bob Fosse, newly minted director Rob Marshall set his mark upon the filmmaking landscape and brought back musicals as a viable avenue for the industry - a popular success at both the box office and amongst critical circles. Plus the film is so damn fun, with inspired performances by Renee Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones as the two murderers on death’s row that just want to make it in show business. Each number tops the next and (with the small exception of Richerd Gere’s tepid singing and dancing skills) are executed with such spirit and razzle dazzle. And all that jazz!

Honorable Mentions:

Orson Welles / Citizen Kane (1941): For the movie that is consistently hailed as the greatest cinematic film ever to be made, it is quite amazing that it was created by a first time director who also cast himself as the lead role. After Orson Welles notorious stunt with the radio broadcast of The War of the Worlds (which caused mayhem as many in the public believed the play was in fact news outlets reporting actual happenings), Hollywood courted this untried director, giving him immense freedom inside the usually structured studio system. The result was a film that experimented with cinematography, editing, writing and narrative structure - all which have since been hailed as innovative leaps forward in the conception and construction of filmmaking. While the film at the time was a box office flop, Welles left his indelible mark on the industry after the promotion of his efforts by the celebrated French film critic and auteur theory supporter Andre Bazan in Cahiers du Cinema. The film can be a bit rough to the tastes of modern audiences, including the exaggerated performance style, but its technical achievements are not to be missed.

Frank Darabont / The Shawshank Redemption (1994): Another film that did middling during its initial box office run, but has since achieved the status of cult and critical favorite, came from the creative spirit of Frank Darabont, who adapted a Stephen King novella and, by sticking to his resolution to lead the film, was eventually given the chance to direct the feature. With a tight screenplay, phenomenal performances by Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman, and cinematography by the masterful Roger Deakins - it flourished in the rental market and endured to become one of the highest rated films across many critical lists.  

Andrew Niccol / Gattaca (1997): Another writer / new director’s debut contains provocative ideas and powerful imagery paired with striking production design. It is incredible what Andrew Niccol accomplished on a smaller budget, all in service of the story’s dystopian future that feels as though it could be only a few generations away from our own time, where genetics determine a human’s entire future and those who were conceived naturally are condemned to live as a lower caste. The human’s desire to improve their lot in life and explore the universe comes in direct conflict with how science can be used to create fissures in society, enabling human expansion to space, but also limiting a single human’s rights and liberties. Grand ideas and grand design are the drapery for a compelling human story. 

Upcoming

Lin-Manuel Miranda /  tick, tick...Boom! (TBD): Based on the first stage musical by Jonathan Larson, this will be Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first foray into the directorial seat. Since the debut of the smash hit Hamilton, his career has been expanding by leaps and bounds, but he has taken a studied, measured approach to stepping into the director’s role. Miranda cited one reason for signing on to the Mary Poppins Returns movie as a chance to study under the masterful Rob Marshall, receiving a front row seat to a masterclass from one of the best filmmakers to capture musical theater in the cinematic format. Miranda himself was part of a theatrical production of tick, tick...Boom! earlier in his career, so he is very familiar with the material (although the screenplay will need to significantly expand the set of characters from a modest three to include the many roles that have been cast). Unfortunately, at the time of writing, due to the pandemic, filming has shut down; but once they have resumed and the film has a chance to see the light of day on Netflix, I will be eagerly awaiting one of my most beloved musicals to come to life through Miranda’s nascent directorial vision.

[rfschatten]

COVID-19 & the Rise of Prairie Populism

“By Failing to Prepare, you are Preparing to Fail” ~~~ Benjamin Franklin

We have arrived at the most critical moral point of this Pandemic Crisis. Where the Economy and the Health Crisis are beginning to collide with each other.

Yes, something has to be done to keep the economy running …the little businesses are suffering the most, and do have a good legitimate reason to re-open. Wall Street & Corporate America wants it open for their own greedy reasons. And Donald Trump desperately wants to open up, the most! His re-election hangs on his chance of a good economy …cause if he loses, they’re going to take him and “lock him up”!

On the other side of this moral dilemma, you have thousands that soon will be in the hundreds of thousands of Deaths, and Millions who eventually may easily become hundreds of million Infected by COVID-19.

One side wants to keep enforcing CDC Protocol cause they value human life and will observe all protocols till it’s over. On the other side, almost everyone values human life, too …but financial stress, and different situations are forcing some to look at things a little differently. Things not normally thought about. How many deaths are ���acceptable” for the country, that they can get back to work?

For a while Trump & Pence have been saying; Soon, we all have to make some tough decisions on life and death. Chris Christie publicly said; 3,000 Deaths/Day is acceptable collateral damage to keep the Economy running. The Federal Government wants the economy to succeed at all costs, and to overshadow the Pandemic, …cause that’s Trump’s eminent Waterloo.

And for the economy to succeed, the US Gov’t prefers to accept the notion of acceptable “collateral damage” …like in a Nuclear Attack? That’s Trump’s Capitalism!

We, the People are just a “commodity” in a Trump Economy post-COVID019.

An Administration that intents to phase down the Medical portion of their Pandemic policies and begin the Economic Recovery phase, as soon as possible …while people are still dying daily by the thousands…is simply committing Public Policy Genocide. As Yale Epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves said; “What else do you call mass deaths by public policy”?

The Federal Government pretty much is saying; Americans can be sacrificed in order for the economy to grow.

The problem this stable genius can’t understand is; the Millions infected, and pretty soon the hundreds of Millions are not going out anywhere for a while, or on any type of shopping spree! …not until this Virus is taken care of and stopped, the Nation is not going to economically recover!

The value of Human Life? or the value of the US Dollar? That’s the moral of the story of what 2020 is all about!

Donald Trump wants to own the moment, he wants to be the almighty superhero who saved America from a catastrophic global pandemic. When he, and he alone knows how to stop the viral infection …and all his followers, will eventually follow him straight off the cliff!

Why are Batshit Trumpers considered America’s Village Idiots?

In a recent poll, 90% of Republicans trust Trump for COVID-19 information rather than the CDC & all Medical Professionals!

When you believe a man who publicly has made more than 18,000+ lies in 3 years, over Medical professionals …yes! you will die! But, not for your country or not for your family, but for someone who only cares ‘if’ you live, for your vote in November.

The Donald’s biggest problem? He never expected anything like this to occur, a crisis that transcends politics and transcends his life of lies. A crisis where he really does have to become and act presidential, be a true leader & show some leadership …but, he’s clueless on how to lead…and no one cares about his rhetorical bullshit anymore. He knows he’s out of his league, out of his element …he’s like a fish out of water …everything is way over his head, and he just doesn’t know how to handle it.

REALITY just bitch slapped the TV Reality Superstar. Let me introduce myself…hope you guess my name!

At a time when the country might forgive him, even just a little, and give him his just due if he only just comes out honest and truthful with the population …his demented mind pushes harder to make people hate him even more!

Trying to intimidate Governors and civic leaders with his quid pro quo’s…you do this for me and we’ll give you what you need. Intimidating everyone into opening the Nation up for business ASAP, to quickly recover the economy so he can get re-elected.

Making the States suffer without supplying the needed equipment or the needed Tests, and only giving them the bare minimum unless they all kiss his big, not so lovely tush.

But, nothing’s worse than the most disgusting thing our Gov’t has ever done to any of the States during a state of emergency. Making States go into a bidding war …in the middle of a pandemic! …for supplies against other States, Foreign Governments, Corporations, and even the U.S. Government, itself?!?!

The States are literally on their own… a Federal Government that says; “I take no responsibility whatsoever”. A Federal Government that says; We won’t lead you, we’ll just back you up.

2 Governors, a Democrat, and a Republican secretly ordered and sent planes to pick-up their desperately needed Medical Supplies from China. Secretly, because they’re both afraid of Trump confiscating it, and taking it to boost their own National Stockpile Supply.

The V.A. bought 5 million masks for Veterans and VA Hospitals across the country. FEMA confiscated it all and took it to boost Trump’s National Stockpile. Meanwhile, people are continuously dying and no one’s getting the needed masks!

The plane trips were secretly kept. But Larry Hogan, the GOP Governor of Maryland, went one up to secure the needed (500,000) Test Kits, and has them secretly stashed away and guarded by the “National Guard” & the “Maryland State Police” so the Feds don’t take them away!

You can’t make up shit like this, folks!

Now, he won’t give sanctuary Cities the emergency funding they desperately need, unless they remove the sanctuary status and permit ICE to round-up “Illegal” Immigrants.

When has any State or anyone ever gone through such cruel extreme measures? When has the American Government ever treated its Citizens with so much disdain and disrespect? And even worse, during such catastrophic times of health & human crisis?

He’s been working on plans to keep everything open since the Virus arrived when advised of the possibility of states and cities closing down.

For 70 days he jerked the Nation around trying to make believe the Virus was a hoax, all to keep his economy from collapsing.

Opening the country up is against his own official White House Policy! Against the advice of the CDC! the advice of Dr. Fauci, Dr. Redfield, Dr. Birx, & Doctors everywhere!

His obsession with irresponsibly pushing a Malaria drug for this Viral infection …against the recommendation of all Medical Professionals. Though it’s not hard to see why he’s pushing it like if he was the star spokesman for the company. Wonder how much money, stock, or what kind of deal Trump/Kushner Inc. has invested in the maker of Hydroxychloroquine …Mylan Pharmaceutical?

Now, he’s gone off his rocker once again…only this time it veers into the extreme far side of the bizarre! His latest push? Injecting yourself with disinfectants, including bleach!

Also, Injecting yourself with a tiny UV light that will miraculously kill the Virus in your bloodstream …I suppose if you believe that crock of horseshit! You only inject yourself with disinfectants if you’re committing suicide …cause that’s what will happen!

And he still considers himself a stable genius?

The next day, he tried to push it back, saying he was just kidding with the press …when a replay of the press conference showed him directing his spiel directly at Dr. Birx.

Nothing has gone right since he was sworn in. The Russians hacking the elections, the Ukraine scandal, all his women scandals, all his daily scandals, all the embarrassments throughout the world, all the fiasco that occurs no matter where he goes or what he does …and naturally, his Impeachment for life!

Now, a massive gigantic screw-up of devastating proportions that might very well end his presidency. Yes, his natural stupidity can be a factor …but this professional Puppet appears to be on the loose & on his own …and that, really is dangerous.

What are his motives?

His top priority …opening up the country and build up the economy at “all cost”, over a deadly Viral infection that can potentially kill in the millions. His priority is the Economy …no matter how many people die. It’s not his concern as he keeps saying; “I am not responsible at all”. Who cares how many people die? …not this President!

Telling people to Free their States and gather in mass which would immediately triple the population of Positive Tests …he keeps misrepresenting the truth. telling people he’s doing a ‘tremendous job’ and while keeping the virus down to only 30,000 deaths, then to 50,000, now that’s he’s doing such a good job, he’s going to contain the virus down to only 100,000 deaths.

A typical Trump trait…brag how stupid he is to the only people who will believe his horseshit. Now, by getting his minions to protest their Constitutional rights of not wearing any protective gear, the real Professionals are talking about the real possibility of hundreds of millions testing positive and millions dying.

He started a Prairie Fire telling his 2nd Amendment followers for an armed uprising over their States …calling for a rebellion against a State Government is sedition, and for the President to suggests people to rebel, that’s “Treason”!

While all along purposely lying, misleading, or delaying all the millions of test kits, which is the Federal Government’s total responsibility of distributing!

Donald Trump doesn’t want any more Test Kits! …he doesn’t want the public to see how many more people are infected! It’s not conducive to his top & only priorities …making money and getting re-elected.

Gloria Steinham once said; “The Truth will set you free, but first, it will piss you off”.

The reason Trump’s having more and more meltdowns during this Pandemic is that he’s continuously pissed off …no one believes his lies anymore …and he knows it.

The Truth hurts when you know and you’re forced to privately admit, you really are a nobody! …when your emotional and delusional bubble of illusions burst and you’re faced with the reality of life.

That’s when Trump realized he really does own the moment…lock, stock, & barrel!

And there’s no way out …he can remain in self-denial, but whether he likes it or not, he’s totally responsible for all the Positive Viral Cases and totally responsible for all the Deaths.

He can’t blame it on anybody this time, though Obama is always his usual target for one thing or another …it’s all happened in the 3 yrs of his Presidency..during his watch!

Hey, Donald! You wanted to be President? You got it! It’s your job, now go out and work for the first time in your life and do it right, or in November …’ you’ will be Fired!

The first Human Coronavirus was discovered in the 1960s …more recently, the 2002–2004 SARS Pandemic outbreak & 2012 MERS Pandemic, raged havoc.

Medical Scientists and Epidemiologists from the US had been closely working together with their Chinese counterparts in China for a long time (till Trump removed them in 2020) They’ve been tracking a new strain until they finally traced it to Wuhan 3 years later.

How bad would this Pandemic have been if a prepared Nation would’ve been notified since 2016?

It happened on his watch …and he knew about it the whole damn time!

He was warned more than a couple dozen times since 2016. First, during the transition period in 2016. the Pandemic policies from the Obama Administration, including supplies and preparedness guidelines were explained and passed on to the Trump Administration. They were told that a new little known strain of Coronavirus, totally different from the last two, was out there …but they haven’t traced it to anywhere, yet!

In 2018 he was warned at least twice, that’s when he fired the White House Pandemic Team. He was warned again over a dozen times in 2019.

1. Why would he fire medical experts on Pandemics with a Global Pandemic outbreak about to explode in the United States?

2. And now that it’s here, and knowing the gravity of the situation …why fire Dr. Rick Bright, the man who was on the development end of the COVID-19 Vaccine, right in his tracks? …while 82,000+ die and over 1.4 Million identified, out of all the unidentified hundreds of millions that are getting Infected daily?

3. Why did he warn Israel of the incoming Pandemic in November of 2019? yet, didn’t warn the American Public till 70 days after he was warned again by the CDC on Jan. 3rd, 2020, confirming the imminent arrival of COVID-19? The CDC officially warned the American public on Jan. 8th, 2020.

4. Why did the Administration’s Health & Human Services turn down an offer on Jan. 22nd…the day after the 1st US Coronavirus case was identified…from Texas’ Prestige Ameritech, the largest surgical face mask producer in the United States…to manufacture 1.7 Million N95 Masks per week?

Why is Donald Trump deliberately doing all of this? Does he really believe his own stable genius BS? Is it all his natural incompetence? This man may be a degenerate psychopathic screaming narcissist …but someone is pulling this puppet’s strings!

When you have a blatant lifelong coward who never takes responsibility for any of his actions, his failures, or his blunders …you’re going to see a lot of Psychological Projection …blame anybody or everybody for everything he ever does. No one in History can psychologically project any better than Bonespurs Donny!

And no one has had more conspiracy theories about everything imaginable in just 3 years, than this faker. His latest blame game? He blames China for developing a man-made Virus in their labs, which has been debunked by our own intelligence agencies, the CDC, WHO, as well as the medical professionals in his Task Force, and experts around the world.

He’s also blaming the World Health Organization for not warning him early enough …I guess 2016, 2018, 2019, & 2020 is not early enough!

All these Red State Governors are more interested in making a fast buck than the health of their constituents…they’re opening up their States to everything, as more and more people start ignoring rules and trying to go back to the old normal. Revolt against authority for the right to” go back to work”.

So far, a few are opening but the smell of spring air, the lure of the heat, and hoping for a nice summer breeze is too fascinating to pass up, causing all these people to congregate in the parks and the beaches, refusing to follow medical advice.

Take all these people, and add the ignorance of NeoNazis & gun-toting Batshit Trumpers…those that Trump calls “very good people”, just like the “Very Fine People” in Charlottesville.

They hear their beloved leader subliminally order them to go and cause havoc by “liberating” Michigan and other States …and off they go with no respect to whom they hurt or infect.

The latest projections on how many will die during the summer, now that Trump is allowing America (against all Medical advice & recommendations) to open up …an estimate of over 3,000 deaths daily through the summer with the infection rate in the hundreds of millions, assured. All for spending a day frolicking on the beach.

And now, when Trump’s beloved MAGA followers get pissed off and angry with cries for help as more and more get sick, and more and more start dying of COVID-19 ...what will he do?

How will Donald, who’s a man with absolutely zero empathy or compassion, an anti-altruistic human being, and a sociopath with a seriously severe “schadenfreude” complex …respond to these people?

You have his minions, those too stupid who’ll still follow him of that cliff, and you have those who’ll refuse to jump, turning on him, and try to stay alive! How will he respond? …how will he answer them without pissing off one side or the other?

When everyone else acts with dignity & respect …expect this fool to be his normal self. Pity his beloved supporters.

But just remember, all you good Trumpers; “I take no responsibility at all”!

So! America, wake up and smell the coffee! Stop living life in self-denial …and face the reality of COVID-19.

1st, STOP LISTENING to Politicos who have absolutely no experience, knowledge, or any idea whatsoever in Medicine to give you advise and updates …especially Trump, with his agenda of lies, misinformation, and misleading statements, all along while pushing a Malaria Drug that hasn’t been proven it works, although it’s proven that it kills. Also, all his Lysol, Clorox, and UV light cockamamie injections!

2nd, START LISTENING to the Medical Professionals and Medical Scientists, who know what they’re doing, people like Rick Bright, Anthony Fauci, Deborah Birx, and Bob Redfield!

The awful truth about COVID-19: Only 2.95% of our 350 million population has been tested …so, how many more than the current 1.4 million that tested positive are going to be “Positive” too? -

This bug is not going anywhere, anytime soon! It’s not going away for summer vacation, it’s not going to be gone with the wind, it’s not going to be here today and gone tomorrow, it’s not going to just be gone one day as the President tries to convince his base …and it’s not going to magically disappear one day, as Trump says; “It’s going to go away without a vaccine”!

COVID-19 is here to stay! It’s going to be our guest for a year or two, or more …remember, it will not ever be eradicated until a Vaccine is found!

Don’t fight the new normal, just go with the flow …the quicker We, the People use our natural intellect and do things right, the quicker we can get back to the old normal.

So! If you want to stay alive through 2020 and beyond? …Remember, November!

[keywestlou]

SOON.....ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The itch has begun. To leave/escape my home. Now that I have my first shot, I know the end of quarantine is near.

This morning Willie Nelson has been running through my head. Probably his most famous it: On The Road Again.

The first two lines fit my mental state perfectly: On the road again / I just can’t wait to get on the road again.

Three to four weeks from now.

COVID-19. Problems continue in Miami-Dade County.  Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami has expanded vaccine eligibility to those “at risk”  16 and up. No note from a doctor will be required to state the “at risk” condition. The note was causing too much confusion. Ergo, eliminated.

Chaos continues in Miami. Jackson Memorial Hospital an example again. Too many people showing up for shots. They are “eligible residents.” However being turned away because insufficient vaccine shots are available.

The problem for Miami ineligibles is that they are not  as the rich who live on Ocean Reef. Political contributions talk with the DeSantis administration.

The vaccine shot problem continues throughout Florida. The right hand does not appear to know what the left is doing.

I had to wait 2 months. Signed up twice at 2 different places. Still took an eternity to be called. I qualified with the first batch of eligibles at 85.

I received my first shot 2/27. My second is scheduled for 3/27. I waited roughly 2 months for the first shot on 2/27.

A process involved finally caught up with me today. I received a telephone call. From a pleasant lady who was calling on behalf of the State to schedule my first appointment.

Computers make information and data easy to keep up with. Obviously Florida is doing things half assed backwards and the process is not working effectively.

We are taught from day 1 in school that Columbus discovered America. The year also, 1492. Both facts never forgotten.

We learned a few years later in school that America is named after Amerigo Vespucci. Though I have wondered occasionally why not Christopher Columbus since he was the first to discover the New World.

The matter arises this day because it was on this day in 1512 Vespucci died. A bit of research was in order.

No question, it is from Vespucci’s first name Amerigo that America is derived.

There is also no question Columbus discovered the New World before Vespucci.

Vespucci made several trips to the New World. The first questionable and always referred to as “alleged.” That trip was 1497-1498. His further voyages 1499-1500, 1501-1502 and 1503-1504.

On his next to last trip in 1501, Vespucci landed in Brazil. He realized that Brazil and all the other New World lands he had visited were not islands. They were continents.

Which brings us to “why” America instead of Columbia for the hemispheres and the U.S.

In 1507, 2 men published An Introduction to Cosmography together with an accompanying map.

The Introduction was written in Latin. One of its authors was Ringman. He wrote that the name of the New World should be derived from that of Amerigo, discoverer and sagacious genius. The suitable name should be Land of Amerigo, or America, since Europe and Asia had received women’s names.

The Introduction was a great success. Four printings almost immediately. Considered as the Bible for New World voyages. The name America stuck.

Donald Trump has always been a popular figure in New York City. It does not appear any longer.

Trump returned to New York City sunday night at 9. Alone. I assume Melania in Florida.

When he arrived at Trump Tower, only one supporter was present. The sole supporter had company, however. A significant number of protesters who “attacked” the building. The protesters called for Thump’s arrest monday morning. Signs were carried stating “Florida Man Go home,” “Indict Trump,” and “Arrest Trump.”

Oh, how his popularity has waned. What goes around comes around. The best Thomas Wolfe’s adage,  “You can’t go home again.”

Trump was to leave today to return to Florida.

Today a big day in American history! On this day in 1959, the Barbie Doll made its debut. Still going strong in 2021.

A woman was behind the Barbie Doll. Ruth Handler. She had co-founded Mattel, Inc. together with her husband in 1945.

How did Ruth get involved? Note, Ruth purchased the rights to Barbie Doll. It had been in existence before. The first doll was named Lilli. created by another person. Lilli was modeled after a German comic strip character.

Lille was first marketed as a racy gag gift to adult men in tobacco shops. Lilli became more popular with children than adult men.

Ruth noticed that her young daughter ignored her baby dolls to play make believe with paper dolls of adult women.

Mattel began sponsoring  the Mickey Mouse Club TV program in 1955. After acquiring the rights to Lilli, Mattel began advertising Barbie directly to children via the Mickey Mouse Club.

By 1961, Barbie Doll had become so popular that a boy friend Ken was added.

Barbie Doll and the other members of her family have been accepted world wide. In excess of 1 billion Barbie dolls have been.

Barbie dolls are not cheap. Most family members sell for excessive amounts. A few are cheap. Overall however, many dolls sell today in the $60 range, new or used.

As I was printing this piece, a question arose in my mind. Why did Ruth notice her daughter was attracted to an adult looking doll rather than the normal baby doll? Could it have been that young kids are daily exposed to adults rather than babies? Ergo that would be what they wanted to play with. My observation. I could be wrong.

A border crisis is developing. In the 48 days Biden has been President. It was to be expected. Biden promised the immigrants would be let in. They believed him. He also said give me time, we are not ready for you yet. They have not given him time. Ergo, the problem.

No one is perfect. He is not a Donald Trump (said with tongue in cheek). He requires more time to get a handle on the problem. In January of this year, 78,000 immigrants tried to get into the U.S. illegally. Seventy eight thousand is double the numbs that tried to enter one year earlier in January 2020.

At this time, 4 thousand a day are trying to gain entry to the U.S. illegally. Many child en. Some of the youngest are not accompanied by an adult.

The White House presently in a quandary as how to deal with the problem expeditiously and fairly. It is expected that the number of immigrants overall will increase by 45 percent since Trump’s last year in office.

Biden’s people deny there is a “crisis.” Refer to the problem as a “challenge.” Three to four thousand a day is not a challenge. Definitely a crisis.

A possible solution is to react to the problem as was done in some areas when coronavirus became overwhelming. Get the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to “overnight” build proper living facilities which also should be operated by sensitive persons rather than the buffoons Trump relied on.

Not as an excuse, but rather a fact of life. Biden has only been in office 47 days. Give him time and your support.

Tonight, tonight my blog talk radio show. Tuesday Talk with Key West Lou. Nine my time.

Interesting and fun. Join me for a quick moving half hour. www.blogtalkradio.com/key-west-lou.

Enjoy your day!

        SOON…..ON THE ROAD AGAIN was originally published on Key West Lou

[amshrihari]

NORTH AMERICA E-PHARMACY MARKET ANALYSIS

North America E-pharmacy Market, by Product Type (Prescription (Rx) and Over-the-counter) and by Country (U.S and Canada) - Size, Share, Outlook, and Opportunity Analysis, 2020 - 2027

Press Release :  North America E-pharmacy Market

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E-pharmacies can effectively address a number of customers' issues such as comprehensive information on drugs or alternatives for the prescription drug, easy access for the medicines that are otherwise hard to find, medicine records, and others. With the help of e-pharmacies, consumers can order the drugs conveniently from their smartphone or computer.

Owing to the increasing adoption of e-pharmacy services by a large population group in North America, pharmaceutical companies are focusing on launching e-pharmacy or digital pharmacy services in the region. For instance, in March 2020, Digital Health and Supply Chain Entrepreneurs launched Genius Rx, a full-service, fully automated digital pharmacy. On June 25, 2020, Medicure Inc. launched a direct-to-patient online pharmacy program for the distribution of ZYPITAMAG in the U.S. This program will help the company to offer services at reduced costs, including no retail pharmacy filling fees, and increase the availability of products.

North America E-pharmacy Market - Impact of Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic

Due to the outbreak of COVID-19 in December 2019, the disease has spread to over 100 countries across the globe and the World Health Organization has declared it a public health emergency. According to the World Health Organization’s report, the manifestation of coronavirus (COVID-19) has resulted in more than 14 million infected individuals worldwide as of July, 2020. The lockdown in various countries due to the COVID 19 pandemic has created economic burden on the private healthcare sectors such as pharmaceutical industries, specialty clinics, pharmacy stores, and others. Despite such economic slowdown in the healthcare sector, digital healthcare sectors such as e-health, e-pharmacy, and e-prescription experienced significant growth during this COVID 19 pandemic. The growth of e-pharmacy sector is attributed to the increasing consumer preference for online buying of medicinal products from online pharmacy stores with an aim to maintain social distancing. Moreover, restricted outdoor movement except for supplying and procuring essential goods and services including medicinal products, and increasing demand for hand sanitizers and face masks have accelerated growth of the North America e-pharmacy market

The North America e-pharmacy market is estimated to be valued at US$ 31,030.0 Million in 2020 and is expected to exhibit a CAGR of 18.2% during the forecast period (2020-2027).

Figure 1: North America E-pharmacy Market Share (%) Analysis, By Product Type, 2020

North America E-pharmacy Market - Restraints

Occurrences of substance abuse are expected to hinder growth of the North America e-pharmacy market. Easy availability of controlled prescription drugs such as stimulants, anxiolytics, narcotic painkillers, and sedative hypnotics through online retail platforms can result in higher instances of substance abuse, which in turn can be a major public health concern. Moreover, presence of a large number of rogue/illegal e-pharmacies reduce customer trust, which can hinder growth of the market. There is a large number of false or illegitimate e-pharmacies, which do not abide by the government regulations. Such pharmacies provide medication and do not require doctor’s prescription nor the patient’s medical history. As a result, there are increasing instances of falsified drug deliveries, which are hampering the trust of consumers about purchasing their prescription drugs online.

North America E-pharmacy Market – Country Analysis

On the basis of country, the North America e-pharmacy market is segmented into the U.S. and Canada. The U.S is expected to witness significant growth in the North America e-pharmacy market, owing to launching of new e-pharmacy platform in the country. For instance, in December 2019, MedExpress, a British e-pharmacy, announced the launch of its American franchise, Zip Health, to dispense drugs online in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2020. On June 25, 2020, Medicure Inc. launched an online pharmacy program for the distribution of ZYPITAMAG in the U.S. This program will help the company to provide services at reduced costs, including no retail pharmacy filling/dispensing fees, and increase the availability of products.

Figure 2: North America E-pharmacy Market Value (US$ mn) & Y-o-Y Growth (%), 2017-2027

North America E-pharmacy Market - Competitive Landscape

Key players operating in the North America e-pharmacy market include CVS Caremark, Zur Rose Group AG, PlanetRX.com Inc., Walgreen Company, Familymeds, Inc, Medisave, The Kroger Co., Cigna, Optum Rx, Inc, and Giant Eagle.

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[jennaschererwrites]

How Instant 'Black Mirror' Classic 'USS Callister' Guts Toxic Fandom - Rolling Stone

It's a familiar image: a strapping, confident young white guy seated in the captain's chair of a spaceship, blaster at his hip, hair coifed just so, one elbow on the armrest, legs spread wide as if to say, "Mine is no tiny penis you are dealing with." He's a hero we all know, love and trust do the right thing in the end, whether it's James T. Kirk or variants like Han Solo, Peter Quill or Mal Reynolds. This is his story. He takes the lead. He gets the glory, and ever it shall be.

Except when it's 2018. And except when it's Black Mirror.

Charlie Brooker and Annabel Jones' anthology sci-fi series kicks off its fourth season with an episode – "USS Callister" – that begins with what seems to be a loving homage to the original 1960s Star Trek. Then, slowly, methodically, the story starts unfurling its true form: a damning exploration of toxic masculinity and the dark side of fanboy nostalgia culture. Here, the heroic captain is anything but, and the misunderstood "nice guy" is the true monster lurking on the dark fringes of the galaxy.

We open on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise-like USS Callister, where the swaggering Captain Daly (Jesse Plemons) and his trusty crew are fighting a space battle complete with harrowing music, old-school special effects and lots of high-grade phlebotinum ("plasmorthian crystals," anyone?). True to every trope, the good guys win the day.

Naturally, this being Black Mirror – a show that revels in gut-wrenching turnabouts – nothing is as it seems, least of all the hero. Daly is a bit tooswaggering; his crew is a bit too trusty. After he defeats the bad guy with suspicious ease, the men launch into a round of "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" while the women line up to be kissed by the good captain. Something is deeply wrong with this squeaky-clean scene: The crewmembers' smiles are plastered on, and there's a glint of malice in their fearless leader's eyes.

Cut to gray reality, where we meet the real Robert Daly: a whey-faced office drone with a receding hairline and the stooped posture of the pathologically insecure. He's the CTO of Callister Inc., a company that designs an immersive MMORPG called Infinity, in which players can explore a virtual cosmos in their very own virtual starships. The members of his "crew" are there too, belittling or ignoring him: The USS Callister's bowing and scraping second-in-command, James Walton (Jimmi Simpson), is the ultra-alpha head of the company; the communications officer (Michaela Coel) won't give Daly the time of day.

Our beta male is the brains behind the game, but everyone at his company treats him like gum stuck to the underside of their shoes. His office is decked out with posters and memorabilia from Space Fleet, a Star Trek-esque TV show from a bygone era whose aesthetic we instantly recognize from the opening scene. So is he a put-upon sweetheart, bullied by his peers, who escapes the drudgery of his day-to-day via a rich but ultimately harmless fantasy life?

Not so much. Turns out he's been secretly harvesting his coworkers' DNA in order to create digital clones to populate his own walled-off version of Infinity. We see him enact the process on Nanette Cole (Cristin Milioti), a new employee who idolizes Daly for his coding genius but commits the grievous sin of not wanting to hook up with him. And so he finds a way to possess her the same way he meticulously collects his complete set of Space Fleet DVDs (and Blu-rays and VHS tapes, natch).

We discover along with Nanette, who wakes up aboard the Callister in a pastel polyester miniskirt, just how bad things are for Daly's digital prisoners. He's the god of this tiny universe, forcing his crew to LARP along with him using torture and intimidation. He's every disaffected nerd-bro with an X-Box and an ax to grind who delights in torturing NPCs (non-player characters) for the sheer sadistic thrill. Except these are real people, and Daly has knowingly trapped them in his own private Hell.

And to make matters worse, he's pedantic about it, lecturing them about the vintage show's moral code ("It is a belief system, founded on the very best of human nature") even as he brutalizes anyone who defies his will. Daly's rigid adherence to Space Fleet fandom extends to more than just words: Women don't get guns, no one ever really dies and unwholesome genitalia are morphed into the flat, undifferentiated physique of action figures. This is the last straw for Nanette, who declares in a moment instantly GIFed 'round the Twitterverse: "Stealing my pussy is a red fucking line."

And that's when "USS Callister," thrillingly, becomes a rip-roaring space caper in its own meta-narrative. Except the scrappy, charismatic hero isn't Daly, with his posturing and his forced Shatnerian speech patterns; it's Nanette, who's smart as hell and sick to death of putting up with his expectations.

The best Black Mirror episodes – of which "USS Callister" is definitely one – identify issues lurking beneath the surface of the real world and extrapolate them into a future where technology has given them form and heft. In this case, it's the fanboy backlash that's become an all-too-familiar presence in our pop-culture conversation. We're talking about legions of speculative fiction fans on the Internet who feel that, in expanding the worlds of beloved sci-fi properties to include more diverse representation and worldviews, something is being taken from them.

Their complaint, broadly, is founded on the deeply limiting idea that all narratives should center on straight, white men, who have been the unquestioned default protagonists up until very recently. This is an idea that's particularly ironic in the world of sci-fi, which is all about imagining potential futures in which anything is possible. Daly, on the other hand, builds himself a world that is incredibly constricted, based on his devotion to a retrograde narrative. Does any of this sound familiar?

It's only a step from there to the current, very loud backlash against The Last Jedi, Rian Johnson's addition to the Star Wars universe that takes on some of the franchise's sacred cows: It puts a largely non-white, non-male cast at the center of the narrative, takes aged golden boy chosen one Luke Skywalker in an unexpected direction and asks whether the Jedi Order is really all it's cracked up to be. Certain loud, angry corners of fandom hated Jedi so much that a petition was created to have it struck from the canon and a group of alt-righters (surprise!) launched a campaign to lower the movie's Rotten Tomatoes score.

Equal ire has been leveled at Doctor Who, another sci-fi institution that shook off the dust recently when the good Doctor, who's been played by a series of men since 1963, regenerated into a woman (viva Jodie Whittaker!) And then there's Star Trek: Discovery, CBS All Access's long-awaited return to Gene Roddenberry's universe that has faced unabashedly racist reactions for casting a black female lead (Sonequa Martin-Green).

And just like Daly, they're deeply missing the point. What Star Wars, Doctor Who and Star Trek have in common – aside from decades of canon and rabidly devoted fandoms – is a vision of vast, multifaceted galaxies and universes teeming with diverse societies and life forms. All three franchises have taken a great leap forward in recent months to make their central characters reflect that ethos, and it's far past due. There will always be Dalys, but there will also always be Nanettes, too, boldly going where no man has gone before. (Black Mirror itself did, too, in its way — all of Season Four's six episodes feature female leads.)

The denouement of "USS Callister" offers one of Black Mirror's rare hopeful endings — and a low-key revenge fantasy to boot. The Callister has escaped and left Daly trapped in the starless black of his own switched-off bubble universe. (Turns out he was never a god ... just an oversized kid burning ants with a magnifying glass.) Released into the vast, Net-connected cosmos of Infinity, the liberated crew is thrilled to make contact with someone from the real world. But "Gamer691" (voiced by Aaron Paul) turns out to be an all-too-familiar kind of asshole who threatens to "bomb them to shit" if they don't get out of his quadrant.

And rather than bothering to engage in this unwinnable, childish fight, Nanette claims the captain's chair and instructs her crew: "Stick us in hyperwarp and let's … fuck off somewhere." They're off to explore the universe, and Gamer691 is left shouting into the empty vacuum of his lonely corner of the galaxy: "You better run! King of space right here. King of space." But no one is listening to him anymore.

[aromantic-misguide-to-romance]

Yes the absolute worst

[otomechuchu]

Doctor’s Orders - released

Doctor’s Orders was released today, April 27 2019.

“ You wake up in a hospital bed after having suffered a grave injury. The only problem is… you can’t remember a thing! When you meet with your chief supervisor, you’re pulled into a sudden flashback. … a woman is being killed… At first, you think my mind is playin tricks on you. That is, until you hear about a woman’s death the next morning. After fighting to get through the crowd, you see the woman who died is the same as the woman from your flashback. Who is this woman? What secrets could the hospital be hiding? Can you regain your memory? “

Get it here

[supercoolgamesstuff-blog]

The Geek's Guide To Movies In 2020

New Post has been published on https://www.coolgamingzone.com/the-geeks-guide-to-movies-in-2020-6/

The Geek's Guide To Movies In 2020

With 2020 looking to be a great year for video games, we wanted to look ahead at all of the movies plotted out for the new year. While the Marvel Cinematic Universe is in a state of refresh following the cataclysmic events of Endgame and Star Wars is taking a breather on the heels of The Rise of Skywalker, there are plenty of films in nerd culture to look forward to this year.

Check out our list below and start planning which ones you’re going to leave the comfort of your house for, and which you’ll probably wait until they’re streaming to see.

Winter

Dolittle – January 17

We’ve previously seen the likes of Eddie Murphy and Rex Harrison take up the role of Dr. Dolittle from the Hugh Lofting children’s books, and now we get to see how Robert Downey Jr. handles the role of the doctor who gains the ability to communicate with animals. Downey is joined by Antonio Banderas and Michael Sheen as live-action actors, while a star-studded cast with the likes of Rami Malek, John Cena, Emma Thompson, Kumail Nanjiani, Selena Gomez, and more handling the animal voices. Fans of Marvel movies will even be able to enjoy a psuedo-reunion between Iron Man and Spider-Man, as Tom Holland plays Jip, a dog who wears glasses.

Bad Boys for Life – January 17

Nearly 17 years later, the long-awaited conclusion to the Bad Boys film trilogy is finally here. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence return for one last action-packed showdown, this time taking on a cartel mob boss before retiring from their jobs at the police department.

Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn) – February 7

The prevailing notion of 2016’s Suicide Squad is that while it wasn’t a great film, Margot Robbie does an excellent job giving Harley Quinn her live-action silver-screen debut. While 2021 will bring a new take on the Suicide Squad with a mix of new and returning cast members, in the meantime, Robbie returns as Harley in Birds of Prey. The storyline follows the crazed clown princess after she breaks up with Joker. However, she hasn’t completely escaped trouble, as Black Mask (played by Ewan McGregor) starts stirring things up. This film promises appearances from other beloved female superheroes like Black Canary, Huntress, and more, but according to Robbie, we shouldn’t expect to see Jared Leto’s Joker appear at all.

Sonic the Hedgehog – February 14

After outrage ensued following the reveal of the original design of Sonic the Hedgehog for the upcoming live-action film, Paramount pushed the release back to February 14, 2020 to create the version of Sega’s iconic blue hedgehog you see above. In addition to Ben Schwartz voicing Sonic, the live-action cast features James Marsden as Sonic’s friend Tom and Jim Carrey as Dr. Robotnik. In typical Sonic fashion, the story revolves around collecting rings and stopping Robotnik from conquering the world. Here’s hoping it can defy the odds and continue the trends set by live-action, game-inspired properties like Detective Pikachu of delivering an enjoyable end-product.

Onward – March 6

As the magic-using power of society diminishes thanks to the convenience of science, two teenage brothers set out on an adventure to recapture the abilities their world once wielded in order to save their father. This Pixar adventure stars Tom Holland, Chris Pratt, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, and more.

Bloodshot – March 13

While Marvel and DC may reign supreme in the comic-book movie world, Valiant Comics is trying its hand at producing a blockbuster based on its property. Vin Diesel already looks and sounds (and has a name) like a comic-book character, but to this point, he’s been relegated to voicing a single line of dialogue for a sentient tree in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Bloodshot brings him out of the voice booth and into the spotlight as the eponymous technologically augmented killing machine on a quest for vengeance.

A Quiet Place: Part II – March 20

The tense first part, which stars John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, delivered a compelling and daunting tale of a family trying to survive in a world invaded by blind extra-terrestrial hunters who will tear anything they hear to shreds. Krasinski returns to the director’s chair once more, with Blunt joining the remaining cast in front of the camera.

Mulan – March 27

Disney’s live-action remakes with Aladdin, Dumbo, and The Lion King have consisted of varying degrees of quality, but everything of Mulan looks terrific. Those familiar with the source material will revel in seeing iconic scenes recreated in stunning live-action sequences, while the uninitiated will be able to enjoy the tale of Hua Mulan overcoming obstacles put in her way as a result of the Imperial Chinese Army’s perception of women as she strives to join the ranks of the military in place of her ailing father.

Spring

The New Mutants – April 3

Though Disney is poised to absorb the X-Men property into the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a part of its acquisition of Fox, the final 20th Century Fox Marvel film is set to release this April. The New Mutants was originally supposed to be a jumping off point for a trilogy based on the comics of the same name, but with the acquisition and Disney likely already putting things in motion to bring mutants and the X-Men into the nearly all-encompassing MCU, we’re not so sure how this fits into the Marvel puzzle.

No Time to Die – April 10

Daniel Craig takes up the mantle of 007 for the fifth time in No Time to Die. This time, he’s opposite Mr. Robot, Bohemian Rhapsody, and Until Dawn star Rami Malek. The story centers on a post-retirement James Bond who, predictably, gets sucked back into the secret agent lifestyle through the abduction of an important scientist.

Black Widow – May 1

After the events of last year’s climactic Avengers: Endgame (and the wrap up in Spider-Man: Far From Home), the Marvel Cinematic Universe has slowed down just a bit while it readies the stage for its next major narrative arc. Despite being set immediately after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Black Widow is said to serve as the jumping-off point for the next phase of the MCU. Whether that comes in the form of villain Taskmaster or some other way remains to be seen, but it will be great to finally see Natasha Romanoff take the spotlight for a long overdue solo film.

Scoob! – May 15

This origin story tells the tale (tail?) of how Scooby-Doo met the Mystery Inc. gang. With movie posters featuring puppy Scooby-Doo and the film possessing an endearing computer-generated art style, Scoob! looks like a cute and fun adventure for theater-goers of all ages. Throw in a voice cast featuring Will Forte, Zac Efron, Amanda Seyfried, Tracy Morgan, Ken Jeong, and Mark Wahlburg, and you can see the studio is hoping to create something more than simply another adventure with these beloved characters.

Fast & Furious 9 – May 22

For a series that started as a story about Paul Walker and Vin Diesel racing cars illegally at night with an occasional high-speed truck heist, the recent movies sure veer closer to the superhero genre than anything else. Who knows what we’ll see in the ninth mainline entry of the series: Tanks flying through the sky? Cars backflipping over bodies of water? Vin Diesel punching through a nuclear reactor? Sure. Why not? None of the plot matters, but that doesn’t mean these movies aren’t relentlessly entertaining thrill rides, and we can’t wait for the next entry. Oh, this one has John Cena and Cardi B.

Artemis Fowl – May 29

Based on the books from Eoin Colfer, Artemis Fowl is about a 12-year-old genius who comes from a family of brilliant criminals. However, when his father mysteriously vanishes, Artemis must investigate the disappearance, which kicks off an adventure. Disney has brought in a supporting cast that features Judi Dench, Josh Gad, and more to help tell the story.

Summer

Wonder Woman 1984 – June 5

As the sequel to the best film in the DC Extended Universe, Wonder Woman 1984 has lofty expectations placed on it by fans. Gal Gadot has shown to be the perfect casting for Diana Prince, and with Wonder Woman set to face off against both Maxwell Lord and Cheetah with a 1980s backdrop, it’s easy to see why this is one of the most anticipated DC live-action films in years.

Soul – June 19

Pixar makes this list for the second time with Soul, a film that features Tina Fey, Jamie Foxx, Questlove, Phylicia Rashad, and Daveed Diggs in both writer and voice-actor roles. The story is set to tell the tale of an aspiring jazz musician whose soul gets separated from his body. The dynamic duo of Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor are set to provide the score in what is sure to be a crowd-pleasing animated film.

Top Gun: Maverick – June 26

Set 30 years after the events of Top Gun, Maverick looks to do for the Top Gun series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. Top Gun: Maverick places a keen focus on Maverick, reprised by Tom Cruise. With a story that involves the son of Maverick’s late best friend Goose, and Val Kilmer returning to the role of Iceman, this sequel has all the nostalgic trappings fans of the original are likely looking for.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife – July 10

Set 30 years after the events of Ghostbusters II, Afterlife looks to do for the Ghostbusters series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. As you might expect, much of the core original cast returns in unknown capacities, but we’re just excited to see Bill Murray as Peter Venkman once again – we just hope he has a bigger role in Afterlife than Luke Skywalker had in The Force Awakens.

Purge – July 10

With creator James DeMonaco saying the 2020 entry will be the final entry in the series, those who have been following the franchise are hoping the team can close it out in a satisfying manner. Unfortunately, not many details are available at the moment, but Everardo Gout is set to direct.

Tenet – July 17

Christopher Nolan films always garner a certain level of attention, but Tenet was off many fans’ radars until IMAX theatergoers were treated to an extended Prologue for the film before screenings of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. A secret agent with the ability to time travel must use his powers to prevent World War III in what is sure to be a mind-bending, action-packed film that hits way too close to home in 2020.

Bob’s Burgers: The Movie – July 17

After the success of The Simpson’s Movie, Fox hopes to effectively transition another one of its beloved animated series to the silver screen with Bob’s Burgers: The Movie. The voice cast from the popular show returns for what is being described as a “musical comedy.”

Jungle Cruise – July 24

Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt headline the newest Disney film to be based on a Disney ride – hey, it worked for Pirates of the Caribbean. The group heads out into the jungle in search of the Tree of Life while avoiding dangerous wildlife and racing a rival expedition.

Morbius – July 31

Jared Leto may not be in the Birds of Prey film, but that doesn’t mean comic book fans will be completely deprived of his acting. The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman and (former?) Joker actor steps into the role of Michael Morbius in the newest film in Sony’s Marvel Universe based on the characters surrounding Spider-Man.

Bill & Ted Face the Music – August 21

Set 30 years after the events of Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Bill & Ted Face the Music looks to do for the Bill & Ted series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. This August, Keanu Reeves will take some time out of running around Night City in Cyberpunk 2077 with us to join Alex Winter on yet another nostalgic time-travel romp.

Fall

Monster Hunter – September 4

If Capcom has demonstrated one thing with its loose game-to-film adaptations, it’s that it loves Paul W.S. Anderson and Milla Jovovich. The spousal combo that ran and starred in the Resident Evil films respectively returns to similar roles in Monster Hunter. Milla Jovovich stars as Natalie Artemis, a captain in the United Nations military team. Her team falls into a portal that leads to an alternate world full of giant monsters, and the adventure begins to save Earth from the invading beasts. Did I mention it’s only loosely based on the games?

The King’s Man – September 18

A prequel to the over-the-top action franchise Kingsman, The King’s Man tells the story of a man who must stop a group of history’s worst tyrants and criminals in order to save the world from a devastating war. If you’ve seen the first two movies, you probably have an idea of what to expect, but having it set in the early 1900s and starring a completely different cast gives us something new to look forward to.

Venom 2 – October 2

Two years after one of Spider-Man’s biggest rivals kicked off Sony’s Spider-Man-less SpiderVerse, Venom is back for a direct sequel. Tom Hardy returns to the role of Eddie Brock, while Woody Harrelson looks to deliver on the post-credit tease of his interpretation of the popular and brutal villain Carnage. Additionally, rumors have circulated that Tom Holland could have a small role in the film, which would connect Spidey (and potentially the MCU) to the Sony SpiderVerse.

Snake Eyes – October 16

The G.I. Joe film franchise has been dormant since Retaliation in 2013, so it would make sense to bring it back with a prequel film telling the origin story of one of the most popular characters in the series. Previously played by Darth Maul actor Ray Park, the titular character is now portrayed by Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding.

The Eternals – November 6

While Black Widow kicks off Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe in May, The Eternals looks to continue it by telling an extraordinarily different kind of story. Taking place over the course of multiple millennia, theatergoers will learn about this immortal alien race created by the Celestials. The Eternals also signals the entry point to the MCU for several high-profile actors including Angelina Jolie, Salma Hayek, Kumail Nanjiani, and Kit Harrington.

Holiday

Godzilla vs. Kong – November 20

Legendary’s MonsterVerse comes to a head with Godzilla vs. Kong, the fourth film in the franchise. Bringing the Godzilla that has starred in 2014’s Godzilla and 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters face to face with the King Kong from 2017’s Kong: Skull Island should be an exciting cinematic affair for those who love kaiju films. The human actors are often meant to convey that everyone is afraid and things are out of control, and Legendary has tasked Alexander Skarsgård and Millie Bobby Brown in those roles.

Dune – December 18

Based on the classic novel of the same name, Dune adapts the first half of the iconic science-fiction book with a star-studded cast. Those who watch the film will see the novel brought to life by actors like Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Dave Bautista, and Stallan Skarsgård.

West Side Story – December 18

The beloved musical gets a modern interpretation. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler, this story of forbidden love is said to follow the original script more closely than the 1961 film many know.

Coming 2 America – December 18

Set 30 years after the events of Coming to America, Coming 2 America looks to do for the Coming to America series what all direct sequels that come 30 years later do: revitalize the series with a mix of heavy-handed nostalgia from the original cast while giving the audience reason to be excited for the future thanks to a charming cast of new characters. Eddie Murphy returns to star, joined by a star-studded cast featuring Arsenio Hall, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, Wesley Snipes, James Earl Jones, and more.

Tom and Jerry – December 23

The timeless and iconic dynamic of Tom and Jerry makes its way to the big screen just in time to close out the year. This time, the classic animated series joins the trend of animated characters joining the live-action world. It will be interesting to see how the eternal game of cat and mouse translates to this latest cinematic trend this holiday season.

For our list of the games coming out in 2020, check out our constantly updated list.

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[doocentral]

SCOOBY APOCALYPSE - A REVIEW OF YEAR ONE

The iconic group of teen sleuths and their talking, hungry dog has resonated with many, young and old throughout the years. Scooby-Doo has always been a favorite and has generally been geared towards younger viewers (despite the trekking new waters of Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated). But nothing quite as unique or dark has ever been released like Scooby Apocalypse, the DC comic book series that was launched in May 2016. It has been almost a year since its initial release and the twelve issues that fans have had the opportunity to read so far have told a story unlike any Scooby-Doo story told before. Since its birthday is coming up on May 25th, I thought it was time to really look at the series overall and analyze its successes, faults, and other curious qualities.

Before I begin delving into Scooby Apocalypse’s contents, lets first make sure we know the basics of what the story is about. The name really says it all. Scooby-Doo and the four teenaged sleuths are now given a modern, darker, and more grown-up perspective in a post-apocalyptic setting. A nanite-technological virus goes haywire and transforms the entire world population into homicidal, malevolent, and truly frightening monsters. The gang must band together to find out what has happened to the world while simultaneously fighting to survive in a world where everyone is literally out to get them.

Understand that this review will contain many SPOILERS for Issues #1-12 so if you intend on reading the series at some point and don’t want it spoiled for you, you may want to skip reading this.

STORY

First allow me to address the story’s progress over twelve issues: it hasn’t gone too far. Scooby Apocalypse, while presenting a unique perspective on the classic Hanna-Barbera cartoon, is a very slow-moving story despite the plot. It really isn’t clear how much time has passed between Issue #1 and Issue #12 but it could be estimated to be about a month. Over the course of this month, Scooby and the gang have managed to travel from a Nevada desert to Seattle, Washington.

For a group that is supposed to be based on teenaged mystery-solvers, the 2016 post-apocalyptic Mystery Inc. is not very good at solving mysteries at all (despite this portrayal of Velma being a genius with seven doctorate degrees under her belt). So far, all that we’ve really been able to decipher from the mystery is that an elusive technology-development organization called the Complex has, with the direction of the Dinkley family, spread nanite technology worldwide in order to improve the human condition. But things go awry when the technology is activated prematurely and malfunctions, transforming humanity into a race of monsters that have decimated the planet. Scooby, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred are all inside a safe zone within the Nevada Complex facility when the nanites are activated, protecting them from the transformation. As they venture out into the unrecognizable world, they try to figure out what happened. All we’ve learned is that not all humans were transformed and that the nanites also have a sense of artificial intelligence. This isn’t a lot of information regarding the apocalypse to be relayed to readers over a whole year of reading.

Another thing to address is the small stories at the end of select issues. At the end of the main story, there are sometimes short stories that are included in the issue that tell another developing aspect of the Scooby-apocalyptic world. In the first issue, the short story revealed how Scooby and Shaggy first meet in this story. Other stories that have been shown throughout this story have been about Scrappy-Doo, a mutated dog experiment from the Complex who has a grudge against Scooby. As the stories progress, it becomes clear that soon the main story and the small stories will collide.

I’m personally not fond of the writing when it comes to Scooby Apocalypse. I find the dialogue to be severely repetitive, tiresome, and a bit flat. The dialogue is constantly pandering and trying to crack jokes in moments when it really isn’t necessary or warranted. It also makes the characters a bit exaggerated and unbelievable. There is a constant bickering between several characters over the same topics throughout all twelve issues and it gets old fast. Aside from that, we don’t learn much from each issue. There are times that an issue doesn’t really progress the plot at all, but rather the gang’s location.

I think the writing really hinders my opinions on the characters, which I will address in a moment, but it doesn’t do the story any favors. Looking back at the year this comic series has had to tell a never-before-seen Scooby-Doo story, I think its story is too slow, repetitive, sometimes pointless. There needs to be a change because readers will not be learning much about the apocalypse’s cause over the next year at this rate.

GRADE: 5/10

CHARACTERS

The problems with the storytelling in Scooby Apocalypse translates to the characters as well. It is obvious that the Mystery Inc. we all know and love have been transformed dramatically for this version of Scooby-Doo. The changes do play big roles in how the story has and will unfold.

Scooby-Doo has taken on a subtle role so far in the story as compared to the other characters. This isn’t a bad thing. Scooby has been portrayed in many ways over the course of the Scooby-Doo franchise’s history. The original cartoon Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! had the character use minimal dialogue but lots of action and comedic roles. This has changed in later series such as Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated where Scooby’s role was central and vital to the overarching plot. He had more dialogue and relevance to the story. But the most recent iteration of the franchise, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! has brought Scooby back to his core role in the show as has this comic book series. The rest of the gang really drive the story while Scooby talks very minimally. He isn’t the most important character when it comes to the plot because there are four other main characters to consider. The speech he does have is primitive because he was an early Smartdog experiment in the Complex. He acts like a real dog which is refreshing considering the new storyline being oriented towards adults. The character still draws on some of the key qualities of the source material: always wanting to eat food, scared of most things, and is courageous when his loved ones are in danger. Design-wise, I love the emoti-goggles that Scooby sports in this comic. They make him stand out compared to past iterations and make this version of him unique and recognizable.

Shaggy has some good and bad qualities in this comic series. Fans were split on how they felt about Shaggy’s new character design. Some were praising the design as it speaks to the modern-day idea of hipsters while others found it pandering and a cheap ploy to make the character more likable. But this isn’t about making Shaggy more likable; rather the design was an effort to make the character more relatable. The original Shaggy was a stereotype of 1960s/1970s hippy teenagers. It could easily be argued that Scooby Apocalypse’s Shaggy is designed to be a stereotype of the 2000s/2010s hipster culture that is observed among many millennials. This Shaggy is an employee at the Complex whose responsibility is to oversee and train the Smartdogs including Scooby-Doo. He’s an opinionated individual and is not afraid to voice what he thinks (despite this sometimes making him appear as a stereotypical hippy-minded pacifist). This Shaggy appears to be the glue in the group at this point in the story. When characters bicker or fight, he tends to try to break it up and calm the situation. Like his original counterpart, Shaggy in Scooby Apocalypse is easily frightened but does have courageous qualities when need-be. He loves to eat like Scooby, and like the original Shaggy, is best friends with the canine.

One of the most developed and interesting characters in the Scooby Apocalypse story so far is Velma. Dr. Velma Dinkley to be exact. She is one of the leading scientists in the Complex who conceived and spread the nanite technology that has transformed the human race into monsters. This character is unique compared to the others because so far, she is the only one whose backstory has been fully fleshed out and explored (Scooby’s in the first issue isn’t really comparable as it only covers two or three pages). Readers know where Velma’s choices, opinions, and motivations are coming from unlike other characters such as Daphne and Fred. Her backstory addresses her perceived neglect from her parents, superiority to her peers, and simultaneous inferiority to her four older brothers (who I will discuss later). These ideas in her head influence her career path and adult motivations because she seeks approval from her brothers. She is super intelligent (having earned 7 doctoral degrees by age 17) and still doesn’t seem to stack up to her brothers’ successes in the eyes of every member of the Dinkley family. Velma tries to remedy this by developing Project Elysium during her work at the Complex with her brothers. Project Elysium was the nanotech effort to improve humanity which has been corrupted. Velma is conflicted in regard to her role in the project and whether or work on it is responsible for the world’s demise. Visually, her design is unique as it exaggerates her smaller stature compared to the other members of the group. Velma is reserved and prefers to work alone which resonates in her character design. Her development and role in the story makes her the most interesting and successful character among the story’s roster.

Daphne is the character that has changed the most compared to original Daphne. Her character in Scooby Apocalypse is probably the most problematic as she drives a tiresome conflict that most readers are over at this point. Daphne is a journalist who sought to uncover the nefarious plans of the Complex. When the apocalypse breaks out and the gang begins their quest to remedy it and survive, Daphne devotes most of her dialogue to interrogating Velma and trying to blame her for the result of spreading the nanotechnology. This Daphne is good-hearted deep down as she has a strong distaste in killing monsters because she views it as murder. But the character is aggressive, impulsive, and blunt otherwise. Her friendship with Fred is complicated by his love for her which she does not reciprocate. She gets along most with Shaggy and Scooby in this story which is odd considering her long history with Fred in it. I don’t think her motivations are consistent and even when they appear to be, Daphne backtracks on the same old argument against Velma. It does appear that this is beginning to end as Issues #11 and #12 see them finally arriving in Seattle, but it has not done her justice otherwise. The only thing worth praising about Daphne in this storyline is her leadership role. Unlike most Scooby-Doo incarnations, Daphne takes on a stronger leadership role. It’s interesting because the only times she has shown leadership qualities otherwise in the franchise is when Fred is not present, but in this story where all characters are present, Daphne resonates as the one driving the gang. It’s an interesting and progressive choice on the writers’ part and it’s worth acknowledging and praising despite her exaggerated anger and distaste towards Velma.

There isn’t much to say about Fred. Fred has not impacted the story much at all in Scooby Apocalypse (which may be attributed to making Daphne the gang’s leader as this leadership role has always been characteristic of Fred). Over the course of 12 comic book issues, all readers really know about Fred is that he works with and is in love with Daphne. And that’s it. Fred has no real motivation other than his love for Daphne. He has tried proposing to her and at this point the jokes about his proposal have become awkward and repetitive. The character has been injured twice so far in this story which has only hindered his role and relevance to the group. This is not a complaint that Fred is not the leader; it’s an intriguing and progressive idea to make Daphne the group’s leader. But otherwise Fred doesn’t really have anything to offer the gang other than being dead weight. While the rest of the gang is off completing tasks that have been presented in each issue, Fred spends most of his time sitting in the Mystery Machine either sleeping, being unconscious, or worrying about everyone. This just isn’t a character anyone would find interesting or to be driving the story.

Oddly enough, Scrappy Doo is actually more interesting than Fred in Scooby Apocalypse. I won’t spend too much time talking about him but it should be noted that the transformation of the character into a bipedal mutant Smartdog that is rallying other Smartdogs to find Velma and Scooby-Doo is a fun idea. The mutation is a subtle reference to the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo movie and it’s fun to see Scrappy’s revival as a character since that movie (despite many fans not liking the character in one or all of his performances throughout the franchise). His role is antagonistic in the story which is great because of his complex personality. He is spiteful towards humans for how they experimented on him in the Complex, but fears how these experiments and the apocalypse have transformed him into an inhumane monster. While I find his motivation to kill Scooby a bit weak and unprecedented, he does present a threat to the gang as he searches for Velma to improve and fix the Smartdog technology allowing him to be so intelligent and observant. He may also take a stab at her too. His short stories have been giving readers a good idea of what he’s been up to since the beginning of the apocalypse and it’s going to be fun to see how Mystery Inc. will collide with Scooby’s reimagined nephew.

The only other notable character that can be discussed in Scooby Apocalypse is Rufus Dinkley, one of Velma’s older brothers. We’ve only seen him in three issues and he’s only had dialogue and a real role in two (Issues #11 and #12). He’s notably violent and impulsive. A selfish and evidently childish businessman, Rufus is abusive to his wife Daisy and his current motivation is to keep the monsters out of his tower in Seattle, Washington. We the readers know he has killed two scientists trying to figure out how to fix the transformed world and that he feels superior to his siblings. It’s going to be a violent turn-of-events come Issue #13 when he is confronted by Velma and the rest of Mystery Inc.

Overall the characters have varying levels of development, interest, and relevance to the story. I find some of them to have very weak motivations and personalities while others have clear ideas on what they are trying to accomplish in the story. Their designs are unique takes on the original counterparts and the new characters that we’ve been briefly acquainted with do present conflicts. There is a weakness though in the lack of characters in the story. Aside from the main five characters and Scrappy, the only human characters that have been introduced at all are Rufus and Daisy Dinkley in Issue #11 and Issue #12. The lack of any other characters driving the present events of Scooby Apocalypse do make the story slower and the dimensionality of it weak.

GRADE: 6/10

ART

This portion won’t be as extensive as the discussions on Scooby Apocalypse’s story and characters but the conciseness will get my opinion across. Scooby Apocalypse, over the course of 12 issues, seems to have been divided into two different categories being Issues #1-7 and Issues #8-12. My reasoning for this statement is that for the first seven issues of the comic series the art style has been consistent and appears to have been drawn or directed by the same comic artist. This then goes into Issues #8-12 where mid-comic book, the art style will dramatically change. No joke, the left page could be drawn by one artist and the right page will suddenly change art style dramatically giving the reader a quick idea that a new artist has taken over. This is a weakness for many reasons. First and foremost, I had to take a second midst reading to compare the conflicting art styles. I literally have to stop reading the story and take a look because of how dramatic the change can be at times. It also invites inconsistency to the story making me concerned about whether this problem is going to be evident in future comic art and writing for Scooby Apocalypse. I recommend that if other artists are going to experiment with how they draw Scooby Apocalypse, they do it with whole issues rather than a quarter or half of an issue. It pulls the reader out of the story and subtly but effectively changes the tone of the story itself. There are times the comic art is very sharp and intimidating, giving the reader a sense of danger which is appropriate for Scooby Apocalypse. Then the reader turns the page and the art style has changed to something a little more cartoonish which diminishes the prior tones and moods the first artist was effectively portraying.

Despite the inconsistency and changing of artists mid-issue, Scooby Apocalypse does provide a beautiful palette of colors, line art, and character designs. There was careful consideration before the comic was launched as to how the writers and creators wanted to portray Mystery Inc. in a post-apocalyptic story. It is no secret that Scooby Apocalypse stands out compared to the art of every other iteration of the Scooby story ever made (including its simultaneous cartoon on Cartoon Network Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! which is more light-hearted and comedy-driven with a modern animation style). The comic has great artists at the helm and it really does help my eyes wander throughout the books. The backgrounds are very detailed and helps with the world-building. The colors are vibrant and arguably drive the sinister aspects of the post-apocalypse at times throughout Scooby Apocalypse’s freshman year.

Whether fans love or hate the character designs, it can be agreed upon that the designs set the characters apart from their original counterparts. Seeing any of these characters will instantly make a fan identify them with Scooby Apocalypse which is a good thing if DC Comics and Warner Bros. is trying to gear Scooby Apocalypse towards older mature audiences as compared to current Scooby-Doo television programming and direct-to-video releases. The art should be praised despite its faults because it really does make Scooby-Doo fans like myself appreciate comic book art.

GRADE: 7/10

CONCLUSION

Scooby Apocalypse strives for uniqueness in a franchise filled with cartoonish chasings of bad guys in costumes. I can see the writers, artists, and producers trying to pan the comic book series as something that is very “out there” but simultaneously respectable.

The writers do want to create a post-apocalyptic world where Scooby and the rest of Mystery Inc. need to face serious problems in a sinister and adult-oriented story genre (which has been done many times before). If they can get organized and stop depending on the same flat motivations of some of these 2-dimensional characters, the story will improve and progress (readers really want to see progress; arguably nothing has happened over the course of 12 comic book issues). A lot of these issues seem like filler and could easily be cut out and replaced with more character development and progress in the gang’s quest for answers in this chaos.

The artists are doing great for the most part but need to get consistent in what they’re trying to portray. Artists that do cartoony renditions need to stay out of the mix if DC is really trying to push an adult Scooby-Doo story (take some notes from some of the villains and episodes in Scooby Doo! Mystery Incorporated for God’s sake!). Unless the writers and artists plan to do an issue where all the characters, monsters, and backgrounds are drawn like the original Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, I don’t want to see cartoony. I, as well as many reading, want to see sinister imagery and graphic content in a sharply drawn world of danger and uncertainty.

Scooby Apocalypse does deserve credit though for not completely abandoning its source material. I’m not talking about the main characters here but the subtle hints of dialogue and artwork that are trickled throughout the comic series. It should be noted that Dr. Krebs, a Complex scientist Shaggy worked closely with who invented the Mystery Machine, is named after Maynard G. Krebs, the beatnik character of the 1959 television sitcom, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis who inspired the character design of Shaggy himself. Velma’s father, Dale Dinkley (credit to him keeping his name from Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated), works in politics and notably worked with Senator Jaffe when Velma was born. Senator Jaffe is named after Nicole Jaffe, the original voice of Velma in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! It’s also stated that Daphne still comes from a rich family background due to her family’s business, Blake Bubble Bath, which is inspired by her family’s business in A Pup Named Scooby-Doo, Blake’s Bubbles. It can’t be overlooked in Issue #12 that Rufus Dinkley has killed Complex scientist Cassidy Williams (named after the character of the same name from Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated). Outside of writing, background artwork in Scooby Apocalypse has shown the small classic Mystery Machine (Issue #3) and pet store signs that say “puppy power” in a Scrappy Doo short story (Issue #9). These many Easter Eggs are subtle and fun for Scooby-Doo fans like myself so I can’t help but give Scooby Apocalypse some extra credit.

If you are a Scooby-Doo fan, I do hope you give Scooby Apocalypse a try at least. Its slow story, inconsistent art (as of late), and various character development levels and motivations do hinder the comic overall but I’d say it’s still worth a read for those who love Scooby-Doo and want something adult-oriented. While you could arguably say that Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated can give you the same thing, which it can, Scooby Apocalypse is not for children. The story does struggle to live up to stronger and more complex subject matters but it does hold onto source material that many are excited to see in this kind of genre. Scooby Apocalypse is stuck in a limbo state because while it wants to be loyal to its source material, it has yet to push the material to a point where it really takes a good stab at the story genre it’s trying to imitate.

FINAL GRADE: 6.5/10

Scooby Apocalypse is published by DC Comics and has released 12 total comic book issues. The first six are available in a Volume 1 graphic novel edition and Scooby Apocalypse Issue #13 will be available for purchase on May 10th.

Let me know what you think! Do you think that I was right in what I said about the comic? Do you disagree? Reply to this post or send me a message or chat to further the conversation!

[kierantc-blog]

DC Comics solicits for September 2017 - Rebirth and Metal Drama Llama Edition

DC have released their solicitations for September 2017, and it looks like a packed month.

Here are some of my thoughts and highlights on what we’re getting in a few months time:

Dark Nights: Metal and beyond

The Dark Nights: Metal event is picking up pace, with missing allies and an apparent ultimate weapon to keep the Dark Multiverse at bay. I’m so excited to see Greg Capullo draw more characters, he did so in Endgame but hopefully we see more this time.

A new crossover called “Gotham Resistance” is coming and will span issues of Teen Titans, Nightwing and Suicide Squad with the characters from each book teaming up to stop an invasion from the Dark Multiverse. It’s awesome but this is the second crossover for Teen Titans in the space of 3 months, seems like a bit much.

The Dark Batmen one-shots are coming. I talked about them in a previous post as the news about these issues came out the other day. They tease a series of hybrid Batman type beings mixed in with other characters. From the logos and names of the characters they appear to be Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, Cyborg, Doomsday and The Joker.

The mysteries of Rebirth

One of the biggest mysteries of Rebirth is coming to an end starting in Action Comics #987, when the mysterious Mr Oz’s identity is FINALLY revealed. I can’t wait to find out who it is, the most like answer is Ozymandias from Watchmen but there’s validity in theories that it could be Superboy-Prime or pre-Flashpoint Lex. This is a mystery that has been going back to Geoff Johns’ run on the New 52 Superman series and has seen Mr Oz interfere with Superman’s life on a number of occassions, as well as kidnapping a hero. Speaking of which....

Tim Drake returns to the fold in Detective Comics #965 after being kidnapped and presumed dead for months at the hands of Mr Oz. Who is locked in the prison with him though? Oz has also locked up certain Superman villains like Prophecy and Doomsday, and previously had Mr Mxyzptlk locked away too, but could Oz have other heroes locked away?

The mystery of where Ray Palmer is will be explored in the new Justice League of America arc, where Ray’s protege Ryan Choi is looking for him in the Microverse. This is a question we have been left with since DC Universe Rebirth #1 last year, with Ray cryptically suggesting someone was with him and that they shouldn’t be trusted. Could this be another machination of Mr Oz or Doctor Manhattan?

A Trinity of new and continuing stories

In Superman #31, Clark is forced to go to Apokolips with Lex in order to stop the planet from tearing itself apart. A lot of questions need to be answered with regards to Lex here and his future role that has been teased in Action Comics as an ultimate destroyer. Also, Lois meets the Female Furies and Superboy meets the Children of the Firepits. And how wonderful is that cover art? Makes me think of Superman Returns!

A new writer and art team joins Wonder Woman, with famed JSA writer James Robinson taking up the reigns of the series with Deathstroke artist Carlos Pagulayan joining the book too. Picking up on a mystery revealed back during the Darkseid War, Robinson’s new story will explore the mystery of Diana’s lost twin brother Jason. This is honestly exciting as hell, Robinson is a great coup for DC and the Jason story really needed to be picked up again ASAP.

The War Of Jokes And Riddles continues in Batman #30-31, with issue 30 being a special interlude story about Kite Man and his role in the War. HELL YEAH.

Tales from the Justice League

The story in Justice League #28-29 continues the “Legacy” story arc, teasing that the children of the Justice League from the future are not what they appear and plan on assassinating a member of the League to save the future, but not before Aquaman follows them to the past (is he wearing Cyborg’s armour?!) to stop them. Hitch’s story with time travel has been intriguing to me since he brought in Infinity Inc. during his JLA run and in Justice League’s Endless arc when it was revealed that Alexis was Lex Luthor’s daughter. I can’t wait to see where he takes it. Hint: FOREVER CRISIS.

A new story, Bloodwork, starts in The Flash #30 when a terrifying new villain called Bloodwork appears in Central City just as Barry Allen is trying to adjust to having Negative-Flash powers. I can only imagine what these powers are, he goes slow instead? I dunno lol. And apparently Bloodwork’s powers are so gruesome that they can’t share details just yet. Something to do with blood though, like a blood version of Magneto? That would be fucking gross.

Oliver Queen’s road trip across America ends in Green Arrow #31 when he discovers the deadly Ninth Circle has a satellite in space that they use as a base of operations, so he calls in the Justice League for help. Seeing Otto Schmidt drawing the Justice League is going to be AMAZING.

Red and Green and New Gods

The excellent Green Lanterns by Sam Humphries continues the epic story of Volthoom’s quest to dominate the universe and get revenge on the Guardians and Green Lanterns who stopped him before. I honestly can’t wait for this, Humphries’ has crafted an excellent series with Simon and Jessica and seamlessly used Volthoom to perfection too, including adding to the lore that Geoff Johns created back at the start of the New 52.

Hal Jordan & The Green Lantern Corps (AKA Hal & Pals) once again come face to face with Highfather and the New Gods, having previously clashed in Godhead, but this time it seems like Highfather needs the GLC’s help in order to stop Yuga Khan from escaping the Source Wall. And if that name sounds familiar to you it should, it’s Darkseid’s father and he is a massive dick too.

Batwoman versus Bizarro! It’s the Batman Vs Superman sequel you didn’t know you wanted but Red Hood & The Outlaws #14 is going for it in “Bizarro Reborn”. Bizarro is apparently a genius now and much improved but for some reason this alerts Batwoman who wants to take down the Dark Trinity.

Worth A Mention

Huntress takes school children on a field trip in Batgirl & The Birds Of Prey #14, what could go wrong?!

An explanation as to the fate of the Justice League 3000 group will seemingly happen in Blue Beetle #14 as Teri Magnus, the future Flash, takes Jaime Reyes to the future.

The Suicide Squad team up with Kenan Kong and the Justice League of China in the excellent New Super-Man series from Gene Yang.

Scott Snyder’s run on All-Star Batman comes to an end with issue 14, will he do another Batman book or a long awaited Duke Thomas solo book?

Trade Watch

The paperback version of Night Of The Monster Men gets a release date, along with the deluxe Rebirth editions of Nightwing, Suicide Squad and Wonder Woman, which will feature the first two volumes of their Rebirth series in an oversized hardback edition. Also coming is another long awaited volume of Mark Waid’s Flash as well as the first volume of the new Injustice 2 digital comic.

So another excellent month of stories coming from DC, the Rebirth hot streak continues!

[dorotheapiper]

Surgical Drapes and Gowns Market  evaluation with focus on development trends 2019

Global Surgical Drapes and Gowns Market: Key Trends

The leading players in the global surgical gowns and drapes are Mölnlycke Health Care AB, Medline Industries Inc., Cardinal Health, Halyard Worldwide, Inc., Priontex, PAUL HARTMANN AG, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Van Dijk Holland B.V., Anqing Kangmingna Packaging Co., Ltd. and 3M among others.

 Global Surgical Drapes and Gowns Market: Overview

 Surgical gowns or surgical drapes are a covering that are typically worn on top of a scrub suit that is used by doctors during surgeries and other procedures. These gowns act as a protection against contamination and also maintain a sterile surgical field which in turn helps in reducing the risk of pathogens being transferred to the staff and the patients. Surgical drapes essential during a surgery in order to avoid a contact with unknown or non-sterilized surfaces. It also helps in maintaining sterile equipment within the patient’s surroundings. These gowns and drapes are essentially acting as a restriction for contamination through bacteria within the surgical field.

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Surgical drapes and gowns are necessary across different surgical procedures due to which they are designed according to their usage. Some of these drapes and gowns are - cardiovascular drapes, ophthalmic drapes, C-section drapes, lithotomy drapes, laparoscopy drapes and other and some surgical gowns are standard performance gowns, reinforced gowns, and high-performance gowns. These are also used differently and can be classified on this basis as well there are disposable drapes & gowns as well as reusable drapes & gowns. The disposable drapes are disposed immediately after the procedure whereas the reusable gowns are used in several procedures. The gowns and drapes used for surgeries are needed in hospitals and in ambulatory surgical centers. The global surgical drapes and gowns market is estimated to be over US$ 2.4 Bn in 2018. It is anticipated to grow at a substantial CAGR from 2019 to 2030.

There are several factors that can be considered responsible for the growth of surgical gowns or drapes such as the rise in awareness of growing hospital-related infections as well as surgical infections. There has also been an increase in the number of surgeries and the number of incidences of hospital-acquired infections has also gone up.

 Report Include

Browse key industry insights spread across 150 pages with market data tables & figures & charts from the report, Surgical Drapes and Gowns Market by Product [Surgical Drapes (Cardiovascular Drapes, Ophthalmic Drapes, C-Section Drapes, Lithotomy Drapes and Laparoscopy Drapes) and Surgical Gowns (Standard Performance Gowns, Reinforced Gowns, and High-Performance Gowns)], Usage Pattern (Disposable Drapes & Gowns and Reusable Drapes & Gowns), End Users (Hospitals and Ambulatory Surgical Centers) - Analysis & Forecast 2019-2030. in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.marketindustryreports.com/surgical-drapes-and-gowns-market/80

  Table Of Contents:

1.     COMPETETIVE LANDSCAPE

1.1.   Market Share Analysis (2018)

1.2.   Key Strategies Assessment

1.2.1. New Product Launches

1.2.2. Merger & Acquisitions

1.2.3. Agreements, Collaborations, & Partnerships

1.2.4. Expansions

1.2.5. Other Strategies

 About Market Industry Reports-

 Market Industry Reports is a global leader in market measurement & advisory services, Market Industry Reports is at the forefront of innovation to address the worldwide industry trends and opportunities. We identified the caliber of market dynamics & hence we excel in the areas of innovation and optimization, integrity, curiosity, customer and brand experience, and strategic business intelligence through our research.

 We continue to pioneer state-of-the-art approach in research & analysis that makes complex world simpler to stay ahead of the curve. By nurturing the perception of genius and optimized market intelligence we bring proficient contingency to our clients in the evolving world of technologies, megatrends and industry convergence. We empower and inspire Vanguards to fuel and shape their business to build and grow world-class consumer products.

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Hemostatic agents Market Set For Exponential Growth 2019–2030

The latest market intelligence study on the Hemostatic agents market covers the performance of both the key vendors and new entrants for the forecast period, 2019 – 2030. This market insight appraisal report weighs up on the potential area that saves more prominent open doors for this industry. Significantly, topic specialists have considered each basic perspective appropriate from the market size, offer, and development to the sensational move in the purchaser conduct and their developing spending limit.

Market Industry Reports (MIR) has published a new report titled “Global Hemostatic Agents Market – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast, 2019–2030.” According to the report, the global hemostatic agents market was estimated to be over US$ 3 Bn in 2018. It is anticipated to grow at a significant CAGR from 2019 to 2030.

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The study further offers a comprehensive assessment of the revenue generated by the various segments across different regions for the forecast period, 2019 to 2030. To help business owners gain a thorough understanding of the current momentum the research taps hard to find data on aspects including but not limited to demand and supply, distribution channel and technology upgrades. Most importantly, evaluation of stringent rules and regulations and government initiatives shaping the progress of the Hemostatic agents industry offers an understanding of what is in store for the business owners in the years to come.

Launch of Advanced Hemostatic Agents

There is an effort by the key players in this market to launch hemostatic agents that are more efficacious and faster in order to meet the growing needs by doctors to handle disruptive bleeds. Value added features are being offered by multiple hemostatic agents, to offer pertinent medical aid and treatment options. The advent of advanced hemostatic agents is resulting in better patient outcomes thus propelling the growth of the global hemostatic agents market. These aspects help the medical fraternity to dispense fast-acting and safe treatments to their patients. Players in the hemostatic agents market are focusing on developing and launching products with value added features that provide quicker healing, more safety and efficacy thereby providing an advanced product that is an enhanced version of the existing products in the market.

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Major Players in the Hemostatic Agents Market

The prominent players in the global hemostatic agents market are Baxter, Ethicon US, LLC, C. R. Bard, Inc., B. Braun Melsungen AG, Pfizer Inc., Z-Medica, LLC, CryoLife, Inc., Integra LifeSciences, Advanced Medical Solutions Group plc. GELITA AG.

Rapid Growth in the Asia Pacific Region

North America is expected to hold the largest market share in the forecast period. However the Asia Pacific region is expected to witness the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Increasing geriatric population, rising medical tourism and increasing number of surgical procedures, increasing patient population opting for minimally invasive procedures is expected to present a lucrative growth scenario for the hemostatic agents market in this region. Furthermore, competitive procedure rates, and a large patient pool is expected to boost the growth of the hemostatic agent market in this region.

Key Points of Table Of Content

INTRODUCTION

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

ABSTRACT OF THE STUDY

MARKET DYNAMICS ASSESMENT

UNIQUE SELLING PROPOSITIONS (USPs)

MARKET, BY THERAPY

MARKET, BY TYPE

MARKET, BY END USER

MARKET – ANALYSIS & FORECAST, BY REGION

COMPETETIVE LANDSCAPE

COMPANY PROFILES

Purchase full report on Hemostatic Agents Market @   https://www.marketindustryreports.com/checkout/56

About Market Industry Reports-

Market Industry Reports is a global leader in market measurement & advisory services, Market Industry Reports is at the forefront of innovation to address the worldwide industry trends and opportunities. We identified the caliber of market dynamics & hence we excel in the areas of innovation and optimization, integrity, curiosity, customer and brand experience, and strategic business intelligence through our research.

We continue to pioneer state-of-the-art approach in research & analysis that makes complex world simpler to stay ahead of the curve. By nurturing the perception of genius and optimized market intelligence we bring proficient contingency to our clients in the evolving world of technologies, megatrends and industry convergence. We empower and inspire Vanguards to fuel and shape their business to build and grow world-class consumer products.

Contact Us- 

502, Sai Radhe, Kennedy Road,

Behind Hotel Sheraton Grand,

Near Pune Station, Pune 411 001

Email: sales@marketindustryreports.com

Phone: + 91 9673535933

Website: https://www.marketindustryreports.com/

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