TV #89 of 2021: Hawkeye, season 1 The latest Marvel show on Disney+ is a flawed but fun action-comedy, taking full advantage of the Christmas setting for a festive buddy romp as Clint Barton reluctantly accepts an eager new junior partner. He’s trying to shut down a mob investigation into the Ronin, his blood-soaked alter …
Tag Archives: Marvel
TV Review: What If…?, season 1
TV #75 of 2021: What If…?, season 1 The debut animated feature in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is fun, with a few key caveats. I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a show for all fans, as these alternate versions of events do lean on audience familiarity with the proper timeline for their full effect, but the …
Movie Review: Black Widow (2021)
Movie #6 of 2021: Black Widow (2021) While I love the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general, this particular title wasn’t high on my priority list, given its status as a standalone prequel for a character whose plot arc had already reached a frustrating conclusion in the main series. But I’m pleasantly surprised by it, especially …
TV Review: Loki, season 1
TV #57 of 2021: Loki, season 1 This latest Marvel series has been a blast to watch and to speculate about, even if in my opinion the ultimate answers aren’t as clever or as daring as certain fan theories out there. (I wonder how it will be received differently for audiences who come at it …
TV Review: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, season 1
TV #39 of 2021: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, season 1 One sad truth about franchises with heavy degrees of serialization is that it becomes harder to judge discrete installments on their own terms — and that they can be ruthlessly undercut by the weaker elements they inherit. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, …
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Book Review: True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman
Book #90 of 2021: True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman Drawing on years of archive research and interviews with Stan Lee’s closest associates, this new biography is probably the definitive account of the Marvel Comics editor-turned-Hollywood cameo superstar. It also complicates if not contradicts a lot of our established …
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TV Review: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., season 7
TV #31 of 2020: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., season 7 The plot logistics go somewhat off the rails by the end, but overall, this is a fun and confident sendoff to the unlikely durable Marvel property. Time travel allows the season to play in a lighter key than usual, more akin to DC’s Legends of …
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Book Review: Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee
Book #4 of 2020: Loki: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee A fun YA take on Marvel’s Norse-inspired Loki figure, informed by but not especially beholden to his characterization in previous stories. I didn’t spot anything in this novel that’s out of line with the established canon of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, even though it …
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TV Review: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., season 6
TV #35 of 2019: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., season 6 With its future still uncertain at the time, the previous season of Marvel’s sci-fi spy show ended in such a way that it could have functioned as a series finale if necessary. Instead, the program got renewed for two final outings, leaving this first one …
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Movie Review: Avengers: Endgame (2019)
Movie #9 of 2019: Avengers: Endgame (2019) These tentpole Marvel movies are tricky to review individually, because each one is so intertwined with both the past and the future of the franchise. Case in point: everyone knew that this latest Avengers flick would find some way of walking back the unfathomable calamity of the previous …
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