#also this comic was originally supposed to be comedic in tone but very quickly turned grim

[anonymous-utility]

Just a small comic based on my fic 'Funeral Plinth' honoring the tumblr post that inspired it

[sxveme-2]

blueberry pancakes // bucky barnes

MASTERLIST

Description: A single mother. Juggling being a mom, a full time pediatrician, and a difficult ex who believed now would be the best time to finally be a father. A soldier ripped out of time. Ex-assassin turned superhero. Learning how to balance a new domestic life with handling demons of his past, while facing the trials of the future. a love story began over something as simple as chocolate chip pancakes with hidden blueberries.

Disclaimer: I do not own any original Marvel characters! All canon plots and canon characters belong to Marvel Comics and Marvel Studios. This is an original work. You may not publish it anywhere else

Status: Edited

Note: Takes place after endgame. I have elected to ignore Tony's death and Steve's leaving. Did not happen. Quick Reminder! My works are only published here, AO3 and on Wattpad, thank you.

Chapter Sixteen: The One With the Parents

Warnings: N/A

Word Count: 3029

        "Oh!" a familiar voice called as Bucky opened the door, "Well hello there. who are you?"

Lily's eyes blew wide as she jumped up from her seat on the couch, readjusting herself before rushing forward from the living room, startling Joey. Coming to a halt, beside Bucky, Lily gave a nervous smile as she came face to face with her parents. Alicia and Abel Osborne, two of the most notorious environmental scientists in the country. And some of the most down-to-earth and relaxed people you could ever find. So how they had an uptight and perfectionist daughter like Lily? Well, no one could really explain that.

"Mom? Dad?" Lily questioned, a small laugh trailing behind her words, "It's like eleven o'clock. What on earth are you doing here?"

"Well your father is never good with timing but that doesn't answer my question," Alicia Osborne hummed, handing her coat to her husband, "Who is this?" she smiled, pointing her finger up and down the man.

"James Barnes," the man introduced, reaching his flesh hand forward, "Please, call me Bucky. It's lovely to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Osborne, Lily has told me much about you."

"How sweet. we haven't heard anything to do with you. Other than what everyone already knows about the famous Winter Soldier!" Abel commented, shaking the man’s hand that was outstretched. One that lasted a second too long.

Blunt. A very notable characteristic of the Osborne parents. Due to their intelligence, they seemed to have failed in the social department. Neither knew when some of the things they said could come across as hurtful, yet somehow managed to say these things in sweet and loving tones. It had a tendency to be a detriment to the three children of the two, seeing as when they didn't like someone they brought home, they would say it. Not to Lily. Not to Rose. Not to Cedar. To the other party. They always said sugarcoating was a waste of time, and that honesty was something that was vital.

"Where's Hunter?" Alicia asked, continuing to eye Bucky.

"As I said. it's eleven at night. He's asleep." Lily sighed, leading the rest of the party into the kitchen, "I wish you would have called me to tell me you're coming. I only have one spare room."

"Oh, that's fine. Bucky can sleep with you." Alicia stated, opening up her daughter’s kitchen cupboards, searching for lord knows what.

Lily stared wide-eyed at her mother as she took a seat at the dinner table next to Bucky. Hiding her face in her hands, Lily shook her head. This was one of the main reasons Lily never introduced most people to her parents. Especially her mother. She recalled the many times that Lily had brought home a potential boyfriend, only to have them scared off by Alicia's harsh and straightforward remarks.

"Lily you need to go grocery shopping, you have no food." Alicia sighed, "Come on Abel let's head to bed now."

"Yes, dear...and you two. Keep it down tonight, the spare room is right next to Lily's." Abel commented, chuckling as Lily dropped her head down onto the table and Bucky let out a deep and hearty chuckle.

And as quick as they came in, Lily's parents were gone upstairs to the spare room. Leaving Lily and Bucky alone in the kitchen again, wondering what the hell had just happened. mostly Lily, Bucky seemed to find the entire interaction quite comedic. Seeing Lily get flustered must have made him smile because lord knows the comments were parents made wouldn't.

"Well then...shall we get to bed, doll?" Bucky cooed, leaning towards the blonde and placing his hand gently on the small of her back.

Lily shot the man a glare, but yet, still followed him as they wandered up towards the bedroom Lily slept in every night. And the one she'd be sharing that night.

“Keep it PG, Barnes.”

-----

The gentle feeling of fingertips ghosting against her skin sent a shiver through Lily's body. Her deep green eyes peeled themselves apart, only to hum at the sweet feeling of touch. Her body tensed at first, her mind not comprehending who it was who was caressing her pale skin. But soon it caught up, and her heart began to beat at a rapid pace. But she didn't move. didn't flinch. She cooed gently at the feeling of his calloused fingers tracing small patterns into the smooth skin of her arm. The dim sun of November pierced through the thin curtains of Lily's bedrooms, and she eventually figured she would pull herself from the tranquillity of the moment.

"Mornin' doll." a gruff and raspy voice cooed from behind the blonde, resulting in her rolling onto the other side to come face to face with a stubbly Bucky Barnes.

"Morning," she purred as his fingers returned to her arm, "I should go get Hunter up."

"It's Saturday. let the kid sleep." Bucky replied, inching himself forward. Their noses were millimetres away, and Lily could barely catch her breath.

A grin placed itself on the man’s lips. Leaning forward, the brunette caught the young mom’s lips in his own. Their lips moulded into one another as though they had been perfectly sculpted for the other. His large hands found their way down to her waist and he gently gripped at it, resulting in a breathy noise escaping Lily's lips before he quickly swallowed it with his lips once again. His hands were rough, yet his touch was gentle. The callouses and years of wear and tear against the milky smooth skin of Lily's waist were that of heaven. But she came to as his hands wandered down near the stretch marks she was left with from those years ago while pregnant with the young boy just down the hall.

"Wait," Lily whispered, hands dropping from the man’s hair down onto his hand, averting it from the marks that she still had yet to find comfort in.

Bucky gave her a knowing smile. His warm eyes pouring into hers as he sat up, moving the comforter and sheet from both of their bodies. She watched intently as his hands fiddled with the hems of the white shirt she wore. The blonde sucked in a breath but didn't halt his movements. The tall man gave her an affirming peck on the cheek before lifting the bottom of the pyjama top a smidge. Just above the bottom of her torso. Lily immediately averted her forest green eyes, not wanting to see the pale peach marks along her body. But Bucky's flesh hand gently caressed her chin, beckoning her to turn her head to watch again.

"Lily you are one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen," he cooed, leaning his head down to press a gentle peck against a mark on her hip, "and these only make you more beautiful," he continued, further littering gentle kisses along her stomach, "you created one of the most amazing kids I've met. These are marks to show that strength you had."

"That's one way of putting it," Lily whispered, reaching her hand forward and running it through the dark tresses atop Bucky's head.

"You're gorgeous." Bucky hummed, kissing up her navel before attacking her face with the same gentle kisses he had just pressed to the marks that made Lily wish to never put on a bikini, resulting in a sweet and harmonious giggle to sing from Lily's throat as she thrashed her head around playfully.

When their lips finally met again, the two sunk into one another's touch. Lily hadn't felt so...seen in a long time. The way he kissed her was something she only experienced in her wildest dreams. But having it happen, having his hand, flesh and vibranium, on her and making her feel special...no dream could capture that. The kiss heated up subtly, both gripping the other as though they were each other’s last lifeline. Only to once again, be interrupted by a knock at the door. This time though, the person on the other side didn't both to wait.

"Oh!" the sound of her mother’s voice echoed through the room, causing Joey to pop his head up at the end of the bed, "Well I suppose that's my fault. I should have waited."

Bucky chuckled at the woman's words before ducking his head down into the crook of Lily's neck, giving a shake of his head. Lily groaned and leaned her head back, gently shoving the bulk of a man off of her, sitting up and turning her attention back to the woman who stood in her doorway. Her mother was dressed in a pair of beige cargo pants, a navy blue button-up shirt, and a fishnet cardigan. A signature Alicia Osborne look. And it always managed to work so well with her? Honestly, Lily aspired to be like her mother.

"What can I do for you mum?" Lily smiled, tucking a golden strand behind her ear.

"Well, your dad and I want to go see Gen and Rose! So why don't you two finish up and then we can head down to Gen's cafe, yes? Lovely. Also isn’t morning sex just the best? See you in half an hour!" the blonde cooed, sending a wink towards Bucky before shutting the bedroom door once again.

"Your mom's quite the character."

"Oh, you haven't even seen half of it yet."

-----

A series of chuckles radiated through the group as Lily, Bucky, Hunter, and her parents arrived at the slightly hectic cafe that her best friend owned. Hunter had made a joke that caused Abel to laugh so hard he had stumbled, resulting in him bumping into the back of his wife. Overall, it was a light-hearted mood within the family of Lily Osborne. Though there was a looming presence that each person avoided. And that was the topic of Cedar. The currently incarcerated youngest Osborne child. For a crime, he did indeed commit, but the motive? Still unknown.

When seated, Abel was the first to speak. But not what Lily was hoping to hear.

"Hunt why don't you go see auntie Rose and aunt Gen in the back?" the man hummed, sending his only grandchild off from the booth, leaving the three Osbornes and a Barnes seated. All of them knowing what came next, "So...we did come down for a reason. To talk about, well, Cedar."

Lily tensed up at the sound of her younger brother’s name. The only images playing in her mind were that of the boy’s face when she was brought in to try and question him. A deeply troubled and forlorn look that had made Lily uneasy. As though there was something much bigger at play here, instead of simply that her brother had tried to break into her ex-husband’s apartment. If she could turn back time, she would. And pry the answers out of Cedar if it killed her. She needed to know why the boy was at the apartment, and what he wanted from Scott.

"Now, James. We know you were initially the one to reprehend our son. Which we totally get, he was committing a crime. And you're, well, you," Alicia continued, "But we came down to New York to help question Cedar. And we just want to know everything that happened."

Lily's face began to heat up. Her breathing quickening as she tugged at the dark blue cardigan she wore. Everything around her grew larger as she felt herself shrink. Just thinking of the night that everything happened made the blonde want to hide away from people forever. But it wouldn't go away if she avoided it. The pain that was caused that night wouldn't mysteriously disappear just because Lily chose to ignore it. Despite her constant efforts to do so. And she knew that the time would come where she did in fact have to talk about the night. But what Lily was worried about, subconsciously, was why her parents had kept Bucky here for the conversation. And why on earth they kept referring to him as his first name, despite him being evident on preferring the nickname that everyone used...and Lily wanted to test the waters.

"Buck, why don't you go see Hunter in the back?" Lily hummed, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, the cool metal feeling pushing through the thin cotton of his shirt.

"No." Abel stepped in, "No, we need Sergeant Barnes to stay."

Both parties, Lily and Bucky, looked at the brunette man across the table with confusion in their eyes. Lily slightly understood the use of James, but not fully. Seeing as it was his first name. However, hearing the words that laid printed on Bucky's dog tags tucked underneath his shirt caused her to straighten her spine slightly. Lily's hand reached under the table to rest gently on the man beside her knee, running smooth circles along it with her thumb.

"...Okay," Lily stated, nodding along hesitantly with her father, "Why?"

"Well he was witness to what happened," Alicia hummed, smiling as a waitress brought out the group each a coffee, "We also trust his memory a tad more than yours, flower. He is a super-soldier after all!"

Lily cocked an eyebrow at her mother’s words. The tones of her parents seemed to fluctuate, and it would have gone unnoticed by those who hadn't been raised by the pair. It only ever happened when both seemed to be on edge or nervous about something. Though Lily tried to convince herself it was merely because their youngest child and only son had been arrested for attempted breaking and entering. But Alicia and Abel Osborne weren't known for their nerves, especially when it came to Cedar. But once again, Lily convinced herself it was most likely just because of that. Hell, if she was in their position with Hunter? She may have already gone mad.

"Did you see anyone else there, that night?" Abel picked up, sipping his coffee, "Any unusual faces? Not just police?"

Both Bucky and Lily shook their heads, but it was the former who spoke, "Not that I saw. But we were at the front of the building. And I'm sure the police did a sweep of the perimeter to ensure there weren’t any other people. So to sum it up, it was just Cedar."

The two nodded along. But there was a new sense of unease settling over the table. It set Lily's nerves on edge. The way her parents fidgeted and shifted. She'd never seen them act so...uncomfortable before. The night before, they were making slight sex jokes with their daughter and Bucky, not a single care in the world. But now? Talking about whether or not there was another person involved in the event seemed to be their least favourite topic of conversation, despite being the ones who had initiated it. The only time that they acted this strange was when Scott had asked their permission to marry Lily, and they said no. But he went along with it anyway...and well, everyone knows how that ended up.

"And Cedar, was he acting weird? Confused, dazed?" Alicia asked, tracing her finger over the hole in her mug, "fidgety?"

Bucky nodded, "Yeah he seemed confused. I didn't get a good look at his face but he kept looking around and panting. He seemed paranoid about something. We've dealt with a few people who have maybe been on substances doing this sort of stuff. Typically on a larger scale though...y'know. trying to take over the world and all of that super fun stuff I call work."

Lily's eyes sat trained on her father. The two always had a close relationship. They were two peas in a pod. Though Alicia tended to be more outspoken, Abel sat back and observed most of the time. But now he was the first to strike up a conversation. Something Lily wasn't used to. What she also didn't like was how he avoided her gaze. He'd sneak a glance every few minutes but immediately turn away when he saw how Lily analyzed him. The shifting in his seat, the paranoid glances. Similar to what had been described for Cedar. A new sense of fear almost. Lily felt an uneasy ball rest in the pit of her stomach, and she tapped on Bucky's arm.

"Can I talk to you outside?" she whispered. When he nodded in agreement, the two excused themselves and pushed open the doors of the cafe out into the chill New York air, "Buck I don't like this. They're acting weird. Something is going on here."

Bucky gave her a gentle smile, before placing his hands on her shoulders, "Doll they're just a bit freaked out because of what's going on. I mean imagine if it were you with Hunter."

"I know! I know I would have lost it by now but I know my parents," Lily insisted, shaking her head, "There's something going on with Cedar and with them. There's something not right about all of this. First of all, Cedar cried whenever I killed a spider. Second of all, he would never want to cause any sort of pain for Hunter, he loves him so much. And third of all, my parents are acting very differently. I've seen them under considerable stress, and my father never speaks first. Bucky I need you to trust me. Something is happening."

He must have picked up on the shake in her voice. For when she finished, he tugged the smaller woman close to his chest, pressing his lips to the crown of her head. Her breathing was rigid and he cooed to her softly. He agreed he'd trust her, and that he'd keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary. Kissing her forehead once more, the man lead her back into the cafe. When they returned to their seats, Lily watched carefully as Bucky leaned forward. The gears were turning in his head and Lily could see it. He was formulating something. And then he spoke.

"Cedar was arrested a month ago and questioned. Why are you here now? A month late."

[81scorp]

Constructive criticism: The Superman film series

(An editorial originally posted on Deviantart Mar 26 2015)

Superman, created in 1938 by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. A popular character that has remained popular through the years and is considered an american cultural icon. He has appeared on the radio, animated shows and live action TV. Then someone thought "Wouldn`t it be neat to see the man of tomorrow on the big screen?". Because of the special effects they had back then, portraying Ol` Supes most well known and iconic power: flying, was hard to pull of without making it look a tad bit silly. From what I`ve heard they were, at one point, thinking about taking it in a direction similar to the campy Adam West Batman universe. But Richard Donner (to my knowledge at least, correct me if I`m wrong) wanted it to be a movie that people could take more seriously. So, with a more serious script, good casting, acting, well made flying effects and the music of John Williams you would`ve believed a man could fly. It was a critical and financial success, and with financial success comes sequels. Superman II was a little more tongue in cheek than it`s predecessor but was still considered good and did well at the box office. Then came Superman III... and after it came Superman IV... Both were not that good. Let us, in my very subjective editorial, take a look at were they went wrong and how it could have been improved. Truth, justice and SPOILERS Superman Not really much to mention about the first movie. It is, for it`s time at least, an almost perfect superhero-movie. The score by John Williams fits perfectly with the tone and story and, this is probably just me but, the space scenes have a bit of a 2001: A space odyssey feel to them. There is of course one thing that makes it end up on this list. Reversing time by reversing Earth`s rotation/traveling backwards in time                                                                                                                   In a way it`s an admirable gesture that shows that he is willing to move heaven and earth for Lois and the scene before it is a powerful one where he holds her body in his arms. But still. If he somehow made the planet spin the other way it wouldn`t affect time, the sun would just rise in the west and set in the east. Assuming that the planet and it`s inhabitans would survive the change. Some say that he didn`t actually change the rotation, that it was just a way to illustrate that he actually travelled backwards through time. It would make more sense if he used a wormhole to time-travel. But if he time-travelled, wouldn`t there be two Supermen? The time-travelling one and the one from that time-period? Oh my, I`ve gone cross-eyed! But to be honest, I wouldn`t like that either, I feel it makes him too powerful. Don`t get me wrong, I want Superman to be powerful. But there should be limits. Instead: He`s holding her body in his arms. Superman: "Lois... please... don`t be dead..." (He COULD try to bring her back with CPR. But maybe he`ll accidentally crush her chest with his superstrength or destroy her lungs with his breath? You could argue that he has learned to control his power and hold it back. Yes, but in this scene he`s in a very emotional state. Is he stable enough to control himself that much?) There is silence for a moment... Then: ba-bump! He hears her heartbeat! she`s alive! She regains consciousness and he takes her to the nearest hospital. This shows that despite his god-likeness there are limits to what he can do. Maybe not perfect, maybe it lacks something, but at least it makes sense. Superman II Donner had a different vision of Superman 2 than the one that ended up on the big screen. However, due to off-screen problems between Donner and the producers over shooting schedule and final cut privileges, Donner (who had shot roughly 75% of the movie) was replaced by Richard Lester (who had to shoot 51% of the film in order to get directors credit). I still like the film but I have to admit it lacks a little of what could have made it great in some areas. Zod being amazed by so many things on Earth. I know, Earth and Krypton are two different planets, but still. He could understand what some things are even if they are different from Krypton. Like when he lands in a lake and goes: "strange surface". What? You don`t have lakes on Krypton? Then again, from what I saw of Krypton I don`t remember seeing any, so maybe they don`t. But at one point in Krypton`s history they must`ve had lakes and oceans, right? Not to mention that he`s confused that humans don`t have superpowers. Less of scenes like these. Zod`s telekinesis powers Not poor writing, just a personal opinion of mine. I like it better if all Kryptonians`s powers are limited to the ones Superman usually has. So away with it. That stupid STUPID kid at niagara falls Now this is poor writing. I know that it`s necessary for Superman to save someone so that Lois can get suspicious, but does it have to be in such a stupid way? The kid could have been leaning to get a glimpse of/trying to photograph something and lost his balance, and he could have been on the right side of the rails! (I assume they`re called rails,correct me if I´m wrong, english is my second language.) Not perfect but at least it makes him look like less of a Darwin-award nominee. Real kids are smarter than him... I hope. That female Daily Planet employee Remember the woman who said that the other ones were just as strong as superman? The way she said it made me think she was gonna turn out to be Nelson Muntz in disguise who mocks Lois for rooting on the losing team. She could have said it like: "Oh my god... The other ones are just as strong as Superman!" As if she`s aware that if Supes loses, everyone on Earth is doomed... including her. I know, it`s a small scene, but still. The unnecessarily thrown-in "comedic" moments during the big fight The producers seemed to have thought "this is based on a comic, as in comical. Let`s force in some comedy!" You know scenes like when the man eats an ice cream and it blows away, and the man who tries to make a phonecall and still stays on the phone even when the phonebooth he`s in gets obliterated. Away with scenes like those! Superman throwing the giant "S"-shield and the holographic doubles People think of the "S"-shield thing as another Superpower, but it doesn`t have to be, it could have been a thing that he had prepared. However, since we never find out if it was a power or not and it didn`t really change much, I`d say: loose it. The holographic doubles: From what I remember (correct me if I`m wrong) this is supposed to be a superpower. Why didn`t he use this in other scenes? I would change it to: Supes and Zod and the others fighting each other by moving around quickly with super-speed. The amnesia kiss Added superpower and lazy writing. Instead of Supes erasing Lois`s memory because she can`t handle that Clark is Superman, how about: She feels that having this knowledge is hard, but she can handle it. It would be more mature that way than to reset everything to status qou. Good performance by Margot Kidder though. Superman III Richard Donner was not involved in the making of this movie. Richard Lester was the one in the director`s chair, and the small seeds that hinted the direction of where this franchise was going in the second movie had blossomed to their full potential in this one. (If you can call it "potential".) In this case I don`t feel that it`s enough to list a few points like the previous ones. I`d change most of the plot. Bad guy Since Superman fought a computer in the climax I`d pick Brainiac as the villain. Since it came out 1983 I`d go with the pre-crisis version of him. Plot Earth is visited by an extra terrestrial A.I. that comes in peace, to gather information about us and then leave to continue it`s fact-finding mission (yes, I know, it`s a lot like that episode from that animated series). The A.I. (Brainiac) exposes Supes to a radiation that makes him evil. Some of Earth`s population put their trust in Brainiac since Supes has lost it. Eventually Supes manage to defeat his bad side in a junkyard (I liked that scene so I`m keeping it) and goes to battle Brainiac who, after being defeated, flees back into space. Subplot Since Lois was mostly absent from the third movie she`ll get more screen time in my version. She thinks it`s a bit much to be Supes girlfriend so she leaves Clark to date a more earthbound man. (But she has no trouble keeping his secret though, just so you know.) There could be some scenes where the three meet that could be a little funny but also a litte sad. However, in the end Lois realizes that she still loves Clark and goes back to him. Superman IV: The Quest for Peace This movie was not directed by Richard Lester or produced by Ilya and Alexander Salkind. It didn`t make it any better though. I still kinda liked this movie more than III though. Partly because of it`s so bad it`s goodness but also because it felt more like a Superman movie than a Richard Pryor movie. Still bad though. First... NO CHINESE WALL RESTORING VISION! Nuff said. Lenny Luthor Remove most, if not all of his goofiness or replace him with miss Teschmacher or come up some other assistant of Lex. Lex breaking out of prison Instead of Luthor being freed because the two guards wanted to see what it was like to sit in an expensive car: Have Lenny/miss Teschmacher/new character come flying in with a jetpack, give Lex an extra jetpack that he/she was carrying and have them both fly away together. Badguy Since Nuclear Man was a clone of Superman I`d use Bizarro. The thing with Bizarro though is that he`s not much of a villain. Wether he`s evil or (trying to be) good he`s always mentally slow. Therefore he could be like Frankensteins monster. He may not be as threatening as Nuclear man, but at least he`s 3-dimensional. So technically, the biggest villain in this scenario would still be Lex. Bizarro would just be an obstacle. Also: He wouldn`t be solar powered. Subplots Clark`s mom would be very old but Lana could be helping her take care of the farm. So that scene where a man wants to buy Clark`s farm but he refuses because he only wants to sell to a real farmer wouldn`t be necessary. Since Lois remembers Clarks secret identity in this hypothetical movie and they`ve gotten back together there`s no point in having that scene with the "double date" with her, Clark/Superman and Lacy. This would give more room to Lois`s conflict with David Warfield over what he`s done to Daily Planet, and in some cases she`d have to have this conflict with Lacy Warfield. Plot After Lex escapes from prison he and Lenny/miss Teschmacher/new character gets a hair sample from Supes just like they did in the movie. But they create him in a lab in Lex`s HQ (no rockets in the sun). Lex fills the clone`s head with knowledge through a subliminal "teaching-helmet". The clone is at first a perfect duplicate of Supes but then turns all Bizarro-y. Lex calls him "bizarre" and adds "Oh!" as in "Oh. What the hell am I gonna do with it now!?" But realizes he can still have use for him. Bizarro causes disasters, fights Supes and wins the first round (Beginners luck?). Supes manages got get a piece of Bizarro`s hair during the fight. He gives it to Prof: Phineas Potter (a friend of Supes in the silver age comics) to analyze. Later Bizarro slowly developes a conscience. Round 2: Supes wears a protection suit and tries to use a bit of kryptonite on Bizarro. (It`s the rock that Lex used in the first movie.) Supes gave it to scientists to use against him if he turns evil again like in the third movie (Continuity!). It doesn`t work on Bizarro, they fight. Their battle puts people in danger, Supes has to temporarily incapacitate Bizarro and help them. Bizarro sees how Supes cares about others and then leaves. It ends in a draw. Round 3: Prof Potter has, by comparing Bizarro`s dna with Supes and analyzing how ordinary kryptonite affects Supe`s dna, created blue Kryptonite. Supes uses it against Bizarro. In their fight, civilians are put in danger. Supes try to keep them safe. Bizarro, even though he`s weakened, helps him. They see that they are not enemies and Bizarro turns on Lex who tries to destroy him and sends him to an ambiguous death. In the climax Lex puts on a super-armor-suit, battles Supes, loses and goes back to jail. It is hinted that Bizarro is still alive and travelling the world, trying to do good. In my version there`s no "Supes gets rid of nuclear weapons", but I hope the subplot with Bizarro`s inner journey is enough to make it feel that there are enough plot-lines. Superman Returns After being absent from the big screen for 19 years, Superman (much like the title says) returned to a world with new actors, a bigger budget and digital effects. Directed by Bryan Singer, it completely ignored the last two movies and was a big love letter to Richard Donner`s Superman movies. And it wasn`t very successful. People were not very keen on Supes having a kid with Lois (based on a scene from Richard Donner`s cut of Superman II where Supes and Lois have some nekkid action after he`s given up his powers). Plus Lex`s evil plan was pretty much the same plan he had in the first movie, except with more kryptonite. Lots and lots and lots of kryptonite. How I would have done it.

Plot Supes returns to Earth after having been out in space for a few years, searching for the leftovers of Krypton. His mom is now dead and the farm (like in the last movie) is being taken care of by Lana. She`s glad that he`s back and thinks that he should take care of the farm now because she has plans for her own life and she`s engaged to Pete Ross. Since Supes never found what he hoped to find in space Lana thinks he should try to focus on his life on Earth. Lois is dating a guy (and if there has to be a kid in this movie he/she should be the child of the guy that Lois is dating) and Lex is out of prison. I`d keep the part about Lois writing the "Why the world doesn`t need Superman" article and the part where Supes prevents the plane from crashing. When Supes travelled in space an alien being noticed him and tracked him to earth. Early in the movie Lex seems to be the main bad guy, but then it turns out to be the alien that followed Supes to Earth, and it should be... Mongul! You may ask: "Why not Darkseid?" For the same reason the Avengers didn`t fight Thanos in their first movie, he should come later. Supes fights Mongul and gets unexpected help from Lex who uses his high-tech weapons against the threat. Mongul is defeated and Supes and Lex are celebrated as heroes. Supes however doesn`t believe that Lex has changed, that the heroic act is just for show (and he`s right). Lois leaves the guy she`s dating but doesn`t go back to Supes (at least not yet). Meanwhile: elsewhere, a man is watching the celebration on a big computer-screen (he`s seen from behind and the computer-screen is the only light source in the room). There`s a butler standing next to him. They`re in a cave. With bats. (Sequel-bait!) And those are my ideas. They`re not perfect but I hope they`re not bad.        

Have to go now. I have to fight a giant metal spider for some reason.

[movieswithkevin27]

American Made

In recent years, there seems to be a run of somewhat comical biopics with a frat bro edge to them in the aftermath of The Wolf of Wall Street. Films such as this one, The Big Short, War Dogs, and Gold, certainly seem to check similar boxes in showing their protagonists do horrible things. Yet, in finding comedy in the absurdity of what their protagonists did, the underlying cover-ups and corruption at hand, and the sheer insanity of the coke-fueled antics ongoing in the film, it is hard to define these as anything less than greatly entertaining. In fitting squarely into this sub-genre, American Made certainly limits itself to some degree. Consistently coming back to pointing out how crazy everything that goes on is with director Doug Liman winking and nudging the viewer every few seconds and saying, "Look at this shit! Ain't this just wild?", the film does become rather tiresome. In saying that, American Made is a film that features one of Tom Cruise's very best performances and is greatly entertaining cinema, even if that bit is incredibly fleeting.

Set in the late-1970s and early-1980s, American Made details the exploits of pilot Barry Seal (Tom Cruise) and his work for the CIA and the White House. Initially just taking photos of communists in Central America before graduating to being a bag man in Panama, arming the Contras in Nicaragua, and later delivering cocaine for the Medellin Cartel in Colombia, Seal's journey is one that goes right up to the top under the direction of Ronald Reagan. While Liman may not necessarily do the material justice and even with many embellishments along the way, it is hard to say that the story is not the film's greatest asset. At all times, this absurd and comical true story is one so crazy that it has to be true. In detailing the government's involvement in Central America, the lack of organization with the Contras, and the rise of the Medellin Cartel, American Made may not be revelatory or original, but it works all the same. The reason why the film winds up being so entertaining, thrilling, endearing, and engaging, is because of how compelling its story is with a great political kick and cover-up angle to add solid intrigue to the film.

In telling this story, Liman does a great job in doing two major things: creating the right look and feel for his throwback 1980s notalgia appeals and making the documentary-style work. For the former, the grainy footage, music, cocaine, and old school photos, all combine to giving the film the right free-wheeling and drug-induced atmosphere to really sell itself. In telling a story littered with horrific human beings, it is imperative that American Made nonetheless make itself entertaining and show the short-sighted appeal of their lifestyles. With the frenetic fun and lavishly extravagant lifestyle led by Barry Seal, it is hard to not get swept up in the chaos and fall in love with the way the film tells its story through this misguided guise of nostalgia.

For the latter, the film's documentary style is one that plays perfectly into the style that Liman once displayed in the first Bourne film. Heavy on close-ups, handheld camera, and even some shaky cam, this blend of found footage and docu-style gives the film a greatly frenetic feeling that makes every shot kinetic. Everything seems to be colliding and rushing forward in this film with every shot adding fuel to the fire. Matching the manic nature of Seal's lifestyle, his rapid rise to the top, and quick fall to rock bottom, the film's style is one of its greatest appeals. With Tom Cruise bringing great energy and earnestness to the picture in the lead role, the film's frantic and deeply charismatic display of the life of this man making runs for the CIA and White House turns into a film that seems to have pushed the gas pedal through the floor. There is hardly time to breathe with American Made acting as a whirlwind of pepped up energy.

With Cruise dominating in the lead role, it is no surprise that American Made is incredibly watchable as Cruise often makes his films just that when he is on his game. He certainly is here alongside a solid performance from Sarah Wright as his wife Lucy, a strong and unexpected appearance from Jesse Plemons as the Sheriff in Mena, and Caleb Landry Jones as Lucy's dimwitted brother JB. All three give the film great spark in supporting roles, especially Jones' deeply stupid and redneck character that acts as a parasite in the Seal household. However, where the film does slack in the acting department is Domhnall Gleeson. As I will later touch on, American Made's greatest issue is its tone and this is a problem that Gleeson never really helps. Always awkwardly being introduced, seeming uncertain of how serious or comedic his lines should be, and playing like a character cut from an entirely different film, Gleeson gives a performance that is far below his usual standards. Unlike Cruise, he never elevates the material. Instead, he plays right into the film's confounding tonal issues as he tries to be both dramatic and comedic with every line without ever nailing either, instead mixing them together into an odd concoction.

With Gleeson's character, American Made often hints at its off-beat style and terrible ability with regard to introductions and transitions. For every scene transition, cut, or tonal adjustment, American Made seems to start from zero. In that, I mean that every transition feels jarring and the viewer must try to adjust to what is being shown in that scene. Much of this is due to the film simply lacking flow or tone, but also in how rapid the film's crazy antics unravel. Quickly splicing between the Seal's being a normal family as Barry works for TWA to him working for the CIA, only to then quickly setup his own deal with the cartel, the film's story goes by rapidly. The frantic camera work from Liman is nice, but the frantic and awkward inclusion of 1980s music, old school photos, debauchery, terror whenever he faces issues, and more, all strike this really odd balance where one shot seems to have nothing to do with the one directly prior. Each scene feels like a different film with Liman unable to keep it contained, restrained, and cohesive. This jarring and rapid adjustment in tone and feeling is one that greatly hurts the film and holds it back greatly. In essence, it seems to be trying to cover so much of Seal's antics, the government's involvement, and cover all of the biopic standards in a film, that the film seems rushed and compressed. Rather than create a flow between scenes, Liman is more concerned with making sure everything is covered. In the process, the film feels choppy and trying to cover far too much with too little meat on the bones on the characters and the films that act out these sequences. In other words, it is too standardized and glossy to work entirely.

Much of this issue regarding choppiness is certainly due to the lack of depth in the film. While the story and events depicted are compelling, they are not enough to make American Made work as an entire picture. The lackluster family element that pops up when it is convenient only to be rapidly forgotten - perhaps Lucy is shallow, but is she really not going to question her husband working for the cartel and CIA? - and Barry's entire working relationship with the CIA that seems to be rushed into overnight, only to disappear overnight, and he lands on his feet again at just the right time. All of it seems very convenient for one, but for two, it just helps the plot be strung along further. By not delving into depth, motivation, or logic, American Made is able to maintain its high octane pace at the expense of substance. Eschewing opportunities to add depth and memorability to the film, American Made is one of those films that works in the moment, crumbles upon reflection, and is swiftly forgotten within weeks. Make no mistake about it, American Made is a fun film with a strong performance from Tom Cruise. It just does not take its ludicrous true story far enough, nor does it probe the material enough. On a surface-level, as previously mentioned, the story is excellent. The insanity that Barry Seal found himself in, what it says about the government, and more, is a great foundation that keeps viewers hooked in throughout. Unfortunately, this lack of depth renders the characters entirely one-note and the film itself forgettable.

On a similar note, many scenes in the film simply do not work. Two that come to mind are actually in the trailer and do a great job selling the hilarity of the film, but do not work at all in context. They are scenes that were made for the trailer and then randomly inserted into the film as an after-thought. One such example comes as Lucy tells Barry that the dog dug up a bag of cash in the background with bills flying around. Though his response that he will "rake it up in the morning" is funny, the scene is random. Not only have we never seen any such dog, but the scene comes right after Barry flies off with the guys headed for Central America and then the scene afterwards similarly has nothing to do with the cash blowing around. It comes, it goes, and the film forgets it even happened. There is no flow in or out of this scene with the transitions jarring to the degree that it feels as though this scene was supposed to occur at a different point in the film, but was slapped there because it was forgotten. On a similar note, the scene in which Barry is arrested by the FBI, DEA, and ATF is quite funny and scary for him as the CIA just cut ties with him. He knew they did and had all of the men start to pack up the airport hanger where they work, only for the government to show up to put him in the handcuffs. Now a man who knows the CIA will stop protecting him and forget about him even existing, Barry is nonetheless confident he will get out. A phone call from Bill Clinton to the District Attorney could impact this, but he did not know Clinton at this point in the film. Until this scene, nobody made mention of Clinton. Yet, he knows Clinton called, so he goes into the other room and acts arrogant about getting out. Since he knew the CIA was going to hang him out to dry, it is presumed that Clinton and he knew each other. If so, then why was this never mentioned? Why never show us Clinton (like they did with George W. Bush for some reason), if he is so imperative to the plot? The scene seems like one that was, again, just shot for the trailer without regard for how much sense it makes in-context. Though, compared to other scene I mentioned, it is one that could have made sense if it was given the appropriate supporting material to work well in the film. As it stands, it is a minor diversion before Liman puts his foot on the throttle again.

In a similar vein, Liman seems unable to handle transitions to both songs and sex scenes. For the former, the song always seems to be forced onto the scene. It never arises naturally, rather coming in loud and unexpected. These awkward transitions to music always take the viewer right out of the film, ending any possibility of immersion and always forcing upon them the fact that Liman wants to remind his audience that the film is set in the 1980's. The songs may be nice, but never work and never benefit the film, solely representing awkward transitions and overt attempts to create nostalgia while this guy brings cocaine into the United States. On a similar note, the sex scenes never flow in well and always seem to come from a place of masculine dominance. After he first delivers cocaine for the cartel, Barry rushes home and Liman shows a montage of him having sex with Lucy. Always shown as a release of masculine energy with Barry literally doing sex to his wife or her trying to fulfill her own desire with fake pornographic moaning sounds on top of it, the scenes are not just creepy but similarly never flow. They will flying a plane and all of a sudden, boom, sex scene. They seem to arise from nothing with no build-up with Liman more invested in showing Barry have sex with his wife than have it make any sense in the story. As a result, Sarah Wright's thinly written Lucy character is turned into nothing more than object for scopophilic pleasure. Constantly undressing, wearing revealing clothing, or with Liman constantly emphasizing her legs and ass in every shot possible, Wright is objectified in a role that can be described as nothing more than "Barry Seal's hot wife who only has thoughts to have sex with him and not get in the way." She is brain dead, useless, and restricted to nothing more than a sexual object, which is a shame, because I assume the real Lucy Seal was not as useless.

A film with a great true story to tell, American Made is a funny and entertaining film with a greatly charismatic turn from Tom Cruise. Unfortunately, Doug Liman's awkward direction and the film's editing hurt the final product and turn it into a film that has the shell of a good film but without any of the heart and soul that actually makes it good. It is all bones with very little meat, which makes it great entertainment elevated by the strong Cruise, but not a substantial meal that will leave you craving more. That said, the story is so ludicrous and raucous, it is hard not to get swept up in the chaos.

[turtlesinreview]

TMNT Mirage Comics Issue 9

This issue delves a tiny bit into the turtles’ past. Origin story comics always fascinate me because it gives us a broader look into what made a character who they are. How well did this comic do? Let’s see.

Story

This comic starts with this guy, Hattori, having a weird dream about a bunch of samurai fighting brutally. He’s unsure of what it means.

Meanwhile, Splinter is training the boys in martial arts. They’re doing well, but he has criticisms for each one. He meditates shortly after, and senses a faint signal. He isn’t able to intercept it, though.

The next day he’s training the boys again, but he can’t get that signal out of his head. He calls it an early training day to go back and meditate.

Splinter finally reaches a man in his deathbed in Japan. The old man, Gosei Hatsumi, wants to pass on the spiritual power from all the samurai in his family line. Specifically, he wants to pass it to his grandson Hattori. He needs Splinter’s help in doing so, so they switch bodies. They only have 10 hours to do so or else Splinter will die in Hatsumi’s body, so Hatsumi quickly gathers the turtles for an impromptu mission.

They take a moment to spy on Hattori and his father, Kenji, discussing the family business. Kenji expects Hattori to take up the family business, but Hattori would rather live his own life. Kenji disregards him quickly.

Hatsumi sends Donatello and Raphael on recon, and the two find out that there are four assassins who are going to kill both Kenji and Hattori so their associates can take over the business themselves. As soon as the boys tell Hatsumi he has Don, Raph, and Mikey take out three of them. Leo stays with him for support.

The boys easily subdue the assassins, and look pretty badass doing so. They then come back to Hatsumi and Leo, who are watching the Gosei men eat dinner. Hatsumi is trying to think of a way to get Hattori away from his father, who Hattori is again discussing his future with. Kenji is less than thrilled and tells him to forget about martial arts. Basically saying it’s pointless.

That’s when the fourth assassin strikes. He tries to shoot down Hattori, but his father shields him. Leonardo takes out the assassin, but not fast enough to save Kenji, who fucking dies.

Hatsumi has the boys block and guard the doors, then explains to a panicking Hattori that he is actually his grandfather in the body of a giant mutant rat. While Hattori doesn’t believe him at first, Hatsumi shows him a symbol he tried to send him through his dreams, proving it was him. Hatsumi managed to transfer all his knowledge using Splinter’s body, then switched back before fucking dying.

Unfortunately Donatello got the number of assassins wrong, and a fifth one falls through the window. The turtles are guarding the door, so it’s just Hattori and Splinter to fend him off. Splinter tells Hattori he’s totally got this, and it turns out Hattori does! He effortlessly kills the skilled assassin, shocked that he’s able to do so. Splinter explains he has the knowledge and skills of all his fucking ancestors, and he should take advantage of it. Hattori vows to do so.

The comic ends with Splinter explaining to the boys that he had switched bodies with an old-ass man. They thought he was acting weird, but didn’t actually pick up on it, apparently. Splinter says they can go to sleep, and the boys get excited.

Characters

Splinter gets a larger focus than normal in this comic, but unfortunately we mostly follow Hatsumi. The upside is Hatsumi is pretty great, so it’s not like it’s a huge bummer or anything.

Even then Splinter is about the same as usual, but we do know now that he has some sort of spiritual ninja powers. So there’s that. He was also very encouraging to Hattori during his fight, and seemed genuinely proud of the turtles as well. This issue also proved he knows what he’s fucking doing, but there was never any real doubt of that. I also have to give Splinter major props for willingly switching bodies with an old man knowing that if they fail he’d fucking DIE. That’s one brave-ass, heroic rat.

Donatello, who I usually joke does FUCKING NOTHING, actually gets a bigger role in this one. He proves to be good at recon, hushing Raphael so he can hear the two associates talk. His info may not be on point, but at least he has a firm understanding of recon and moving with stealth. I hope we get more focus on that, since we usually see him do NOTHING but fight and come up with one-line combat plans. Which is good for showing his skill, but I’d like to see more of his behavior too.

Michelangelo is mostly seen goofing around during this issue, hopping around in the background like an adorable doofus. He does complain about his training weapon, the mankiri-gusari, saying he’d rather be using the nunchucks.

I’ve actually been looking for an excuse to bring this up. I won’t pretend I’m a weapon’s expert, but from what little I know of all the weapons the turtles mainly use, the nunchucks are the hardest to master and the easiest to fuck up with. To me this says mountains about Michelangelo’s skill as a warrior despite his upbeat and goofy nature.

Raphael also has a training weapon, the tonfas. Ever since learning about this weapon I’ve been kind of a fan of it. If the few animes I’ve seen have taught me anything (and they haven’t), the tonfas are a force to be reckoned with. Kind of an interesting training weapon to substitute for sais, but also oddly fitting.

Raphael didn’t really do a lot in this issue, which surprises me and, oddly, pleases me. He gets way too much screentime as-is.

Leo meanwhile also didn’t do a lot, but he does train with just one katana instead of two. He and Raphael spar at the beginning of the comic, and he does take out an assassins with a bunch of badass throwing stars, but that’s about all he does. Splinter does praise him on his fighting form (which is no surprise), but says practicing is no substitute for real combat.

Writing

The writing is back to form. The premise of this episode is less absurd, but the whole ‘astral plain via meditation’ thing is kinda wacky. Despite that it’s hardly out of place in this comic, considering the turtles are...well, mutants, and have also been to fucking space. I can buy weird mystic magic bullshit at this point.

The tone of this one is mostly serious, the humor mostly being in the visuals with background events. It’s missing a lot of the signature wit, but it’s pretty welcomed all the same, especially after an issue that was full of comedic moments.

Art

Again I have to praise the art for this issue. It seems Eastman and Laird have finally found a solid style, and it can only improve from here. The scenery really pops way more than it has in the past, so it’s nice to see that being applied with improved anatomy and excellent composition.

I’m not sure how old the turtles are supposed to be in this issue. It was a little hard to tell. They’re definitely younger, but by how much I couldn’t really say. I can’t count this as a real complaint. More like I personally wish it were more obvious.

The fight scenes as usual are awesome, and the shading matched the mood of each scene flawlessly. I absolutely value...value, so if anything really hyped me up in this issue, it was the shading.

Final Thoughts

A solid issue that, as usual, takes itself just seriously enough. The framing device for the adventure was interesting, and we got to see the turtles out on a training mission and Splinter being a cool dude. This one is a must-read, and as far as tone goes I’d say it’s my favorite so far, even if there weren’t a lot of stand-out moments to me. It was a very well-constructed issue to be certain.

[renaroo]

Wednesday Roundup

The late but always reliable reviewer Rena is here today. I sat on this one for a while considering the... internet-wide discussion we all are a part of now given Marvel’s recent revelations from this particular Wednesday, and the fact that I have a Marvel comic (even if only one) on my Roundups today made me somewhat reluctant to fully get into this, but I had, personally, a good Comic Day and I would hate to waste the opportunity to share the good in comics going on right now with all of you. So we’ll see how everything stacks up, and just how I’ll be handling Roundups in the future as a result of the current... nastiness, we’ll call it.

DC’s Batwoman, Image’s Descender, Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man, DC’s Super Sons, DC’s Superman, DC’s Superwoman, DC’s Trinity

DC’s Batwoman (2017- ) #2 Marguerite Bennet, James Tynion IV, Steve Epting, Jeromy Cox

As worried as I was with the Batwoman: Rebirth issue -- and I think I laid out my concerns pretty fairly, I have to fully admit that my worries have been almost entirely subsided as we go forward starting with this issue. 

I always have this concern when there’s a continued revisionist history of a character’s origins that we’re going to be falling into a Donna Troy affect -- where every author is more interested in retelling and retconning her history than actually allowing the character to be who she is and moving forward from there. A problem in comics that disproportionally affects female characters if you’re sharp enough to notice such things. 

This issue really helped me to put down that worry mostly because while, yes, we are revisiting Kate’s past for the hundredth time in the last ten years, the story proper is actually pushing us and her forward rather readily while not shying away from the aspects of Kate that make her Kate. 

Her loyalty, her issues with commitment, her homosexuality -- everything comes into play this issue and leaves us itching for more involving these Many Arms of Death plot overall. I’m very excited about this comic and am so glad that Maguerite Bennet is becoming such a good fit for it. 

Image’s Descender (2015- ) #21 Jeff Lemire, Dustin Nguyen

So I just recently got caught up on Descender in time to review the newest issue the week it came out, so I have to give major thanks to @feministbatman for recommending this comic to me. What can I say, you know me so very well and my love for robots and sci-fi has been incredibly rewarded for it.

This issue was another brilliant one, we had Tim-22′s reveal and takeover of the ship, but we also got to see a lot more development of Andy and Effy thanks to Bandit’s little vision quest of sorts for us. 

But of course the most anticipated and worrisome part of all of this is worrying for Tim-21 who is still in Psius’ hands and at the heart of the Havester plot that keeps on thickening.

It’s hard to say much else. 

I will say that while I’ll always be a fan of Nguyen’s signature style, I do find at times the choice to make this entire comic watercolor rather than more inked and refined does do some disservice to certain moments I think could benefit from having stronger color and more definition to them, but that’s a general criticism I’ll probably dive more into with the wrap up of this arc. 

Marvel’s Invincible Iron Man (2016- ) #6 Brian Michael Bendis, Stefano Caselli, Marte Garcia

An entirely all-female supporting cast to a female Black superheroine Ironheart with our token dude (Tony) being a computer AI. It’s the setup dreams are made of and I love how much love Riri is getting in the media and the world for her choices here. 

It’s also incredibly relatable how she reacts to being in her idol’s workshop, the idea of her “using it as her base” is unfathomable and her geeky cries of “THIS IS HOLY GROUND” had me literally laughing out loud. I loved it, and I loved how much agency and voice is given to Pepper as Rescue. So often when a young new hero takes over an identity, the trailblazers before them get left out (looking at you Captain Marvel, though you did make up with it in a pretty good issue yourself). 

There’s just so much to love in this comic and I’m glad that at the end of the day, even with all the Women in Science, it doesn’t diminish Riri’s single mom who works a 9-5. That relationship, you can already tell, is going to be monumental moving forward.

Great issue, great introduction to Riri. Am looking forward to seeing more of her. 

DC’s Super Sons (2017- ) #3 Peter J. Tomasi, Jorge Jimenez, Alejandro Sanchez 

To put things simply: This book might be one of the most amazing things that DC is putting out right now and if you have absolutely any interest in it at all, I would highly, HIGHLY recommend you pick it up because this is some a-grade fun. I adore having this book to look forward to and the antagonism as it comically plays out between Damian and Jon is easily some of the best stuff I’ve read with Damian’s character since the Robin: Son of Batman comic. 

Which, if you know how much I flatly adored that comic, should obviously be taken as pretty high praise.

That being said, there’s some issues. Damian’s skin tone is not being protected enough by the editors and the whitewashing, especially compared to how good DC’s Rebirth comics have been about it in other series, is very distracting and supremely disappointing. 

Jon has grown on me very quickly and while I will continue to talk about my longing for Chris Kent and my apprehensions about the continued theme of biological kids erasing the bonds of adopted kids, this is a good comic overall.

DC’s Superman (2016- ) #21 Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason, Mick Gray, John Kalisz

In this episode of “how is an evil cow taking down Batman” today, we get no such answers to no such questions, but we get a giant octopus monster fight with Superman, Superboy, and Robin and -- really -- isn’t that the content anyone really comes for in a Superman comic. 

Once again, Jon’s heat vision is out of control and kills something, but rather than it being another moment of horror and reflection for him, as his father was trying desperately to save the creature’s life along with the citizenry of Hamilton, but the entire town seems to turn on Superman and praise Jon over him for “doing what is necessary.”

Now, this might be me reading too much into this (and read: it is) but this seems honestly like a huge commentary on the values of classic heroes like Superman being put in stark contrast to the blood thirsty and fear mongering of the public today. Too often we praise the most immediate and final of reactions rather than the harder and grayer solutions which Superman is supposed to be able to give us. 

And considering how awkward the praise heaped on Jon feels in this issue, and the surprise revelation at the end, I’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to like that a life lost unnecessarily is being celebrated by everyone around. 

Damian and Jon are still a ruckus and everything is still very intriguing. This is definitely my favorite Superman run in a long time.  

DC’s Superwoman (2016- ) #9 K. Perkins, Stephen Segovia, Art Thibert, HI-FI

So here we are starting off with a new creative team and resetting my Rule of Three, which for anyone new means that I give new runs and new comics 3 issues to hook me before deciding how to handle the series moving forward. And considering that I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the last two or so issues of Jimenez’s run, I’m not completely objecting to a bit of a change up in the creative team. 

This issue is dealing with the fallout of the Superman Reborn storyline and mostly about Lana dealing with once more being powerless, and how that makes her feel conflicted. I felt like this dealt with Lana’s emotions in a much more respectful and loving way that the last issue did, definitely, but mostly the issue read as filler before we get into the next arc which’ll be starting with #10. 

So here we go into curiosity. I’m very interested in where this new team is deciding to take us. 

DC’s Trinity (2016- ) #8 Cullen Bunn, Emanuela Lupacchino, Ray McCarthy, HI-FI

Another issue, another tie-in, another creative team change. Now, I’m going to be flat honest with you: I have absolutely no explanation for what happened in this issue. And I’m not doing that for comedic effect, it’s just honest. 

This definitely felt like more filler before we get to somewhere beyond all the crossover events and can instead return to Trinity’s desperate attempt to find its own status quo. Something that positively worries me because its predecessors in spirit, Superman/Batman and Batman/Superman, never really cohesively found that groove for themselves. 

For the time being this feels like after the first arc, this series has become something of a place for reactionary storytelling -- basically paid advertisements for bigger events going on in the rest of the DCU. 

I desperately hope I’m wrong, I really liked the first arc and would like to see more friendship-centered adventures between DC’s Big Three, but I’m going to officially move this series to trade-wait if things don’t change by the next issue. We’ll see.

So this has been a rough week for comic fans, there’s no getting beyond that, and this Roundup was at least in part held back due to my own concerns about just how much the fallout of some truly bad decisions over at Marvel was going to play into my own feelings toward comics this week.

I feel, overall though, I had a good pull this week, and while some were a little lackluster and have gained my reservations, I overall really loved my Super Week. And of my Super Week I definitely have to give my favorite issue to Super Sons, which has just turned out to be a spectacular gem to follow and I’m very glad for it existing. 

But how do you all feel about this week? Any comics I missed you think I should try out? Any disagreements with me on this week’s picks? I’d love to hear from you!