Superhero Media: Dracula Untold

Hey, remember the "Dark Universe" that Universal pictures tried to get going with that version of The Mummy that everyone (but me) seemed to hate? Well the first foray into the concept was with Dracula Untold, which, like The Mummy, was pretty poorly reviewed, but I found it reasonably entertaining. The concept of Dracula Untold, of casting Vlad the Impaler as a tragic hero, forced to give up his humanity to save his people is... pretty interesting? The real failing of this film is, for me, not that it's a bit crap (but what do you expect it's a film where Dracula defeats the Turkish army single-handed?) but that it can't help being a bit racist. Not that I'm accusing the cast and crew of being deliberately Islamaphoic, but it's pretty hard to not look that way when the literal text of the film is Vlad the Impaler trying to prevent a takeover from the most advanced nation on the planet at the time. Like, I know there's framing of slavery and all that, but the basic through-line is that it's better to be an undead monster and lose your family than it is to be Muslim. Gross.

What are cool are the fight scenes, with Dracula cleaving through ranks of soldiers like an act of god more so than an actual character. For players of Vampire The Masquerade, like myself, seeing what is essentially a low-generation Inconnu (probably, Dracula is pretty complicated in the World of Darkness) represented in a film the way they're discussed in the fiction. All-in Dracula Untold frames vampires really well, as monsters of folklore that aren't understood and hold such godlike power that fighting against them is essentially pointless. After seeing waves and waves of vampires mowed down in the Blade and Underworld films, it's a nice change of pace that this film only really has a couple of scenes with more than one vampire in it. The finale, where the bulk of the Transylvanian refugees are turned and Dracula has to destroy them to stop them overrunning the planet, is a little much, and the entire thing ends with more of a whimper.

Trying to frame the classic Gothic/"Universal" monsters as heroes isn't a new concept, and it has worked very well in the past, but the problem with the "Dark Universe", at least as I see it, is that it focuses more on the heroic aspect than the monstrous. Losing one's humanity for increased power has a literary tradition stretching almost as far back as Gilgamesh, but Hollywood has always struggled with the concept, as the dominating model centers the heroic over the tragic. Again, I really think the Dark Universe could have been interesting, if not reasonably good, had it had another film or two to get going. Hell, the Legendary Godzilla franchise did really well with just four films (as of time of writing), easily being the best non-Marvel Cinematic Universe, so the eventual team-up film that never happened that probably would have featured Dracula, the Mummy, Mister Hyde and Frankenstein's Monster could have least have been fun to watch.

Unmatched - In battle, there are no equals...

I've recently become quite enamored with the board game series Unmatched, a 1v1 miniatures combat board game from Restoration Games and Mondo Games. The game first came to my attention because of a set entitled "Hell's Kitchen", containing Marvel's Daredevil, Bullseye and Electra, enabling the players to recreate one of the most iconic fights in the history of Marvel Comics. Now owning every expansion bar one, with plans to purchase more as they become available at work, it's pretty safe to say that I'm hooked, even if I don't get to play the games all that often. The game borrows heavily from previous board games like Tanhauser and Star Wars: Epic Duels, but mixes those mechanics together into something unique and very playable. Each character comes with a health dial and a deck of cards that enable them to fight and act during the game, some come with tokens for sidekicks or special abilities, but none are "balanced" in the way games tend to be; they are, in fact, unmatched.

Despite being interested most in the Hell's Kitchen set, the first Unmatched box I bought was "Cobble & Fog", because it what was available at work. This box contains The Invisible Man, Dracula, Doctor Jekyll and Sherlock Holmes, so hit my Literature Graduate heart full-on straight away. What immediately enamored me with Unmatched was the quality of the product, not only in terms of how it plays, but how it is packed. Each game comes with a vac-formed tray that fits all the components, divided by character, allowing enough space for each deck to be properly sleeved and still stored. The miniatures are nice enough and take paint well (I'm hoping to have some done up to show before too long) and the range of characters is amazing; in addition to those mentioned above, I also have Robin Hood, Bigfoot, Medusa, Beowulf, Little Red Riding Hood, Sinbad, King Arthur and Alice, with a final total that will be somewhere over 100 with just what's slated currently. 

For me, Unmatched is a great little game to play between larger games that scratches the miniature combat itch without requiring an elaborate set-up, that is still nicely presented and visually pleasing. Plus, as each new character is different in their own way, replay value is excellent, I still own several characters that have never seen use, let alone played with myself. I certainly will be painting mine, of course, but I think the models look alright as they are, even if things like facial detail can be a little soft. Initially, I didn't play to collect the entire series, but when selecting between the Marvel sets, I realised that I was getting all but one, so I bit the bullet and got that two. With luck and generous friends I was able to get the Jurrasic Park, Bruce Lee and Deadpool sets, so now I'm just waiting on Lee Vs Ali to hit Australian distributors. Sure, I'm not as keen on The Witcher or Buffy, but having more characters is fun to add to the mix. The system is ripe for a certain kind of character and there's plenty of gas left in the tank, as far as I'm concerned.

Superhero Media: Alita Battle Angel

I actually read some Battle Angel Alita manga years ago when I was getting ready to run my "Equalisers" Mutants and Masterminds campaign, as one of the players wanted to play a version of the manga's antagonist, Sechs. That character was never translated over to my miniature collection, as it was pretty annoying and didn't really fit the tone, but it does mean I knew a little about Alita Battle Angel going in. In the distant year of who knows how far in the future, civilization is divided between a floating city and their massive garbage dump, also there's robots, so a bit like that Astro Boy film I covered ages back. Everyone is trying to make their fortune to get to the city, but the only way is some kind of Rollerball/Mario Kart hybrid game for cyborgs, so most just eke by on what they can scavenge. When Christoph Waltz discovers the wreckage of Alita in the dump, our story begins.

A couple of things out of the way with this one first; the animation used to make Rosa Salazar into a living anime girl is both really impressive and kind of unsettling to look at. After a few minutes, my eye got used to it, but every now and then it was a little creepy. Also, Alita Battle Angel is very much made with tween- and teen-aged women as the intended audience, and makes no secret of this, which means there's a bit of romance and lots of feelings, not that it bothered me, because I don't hate on that kind of thing to make myself feel less inadequate. Honestly there isn't that much to Alita Battle Angel, but the construction is solid and the whole product looks brilliant. The cyborg fights were the kick in the pants I needed to get back to my Cyberpunk project, with cool designs and a nice mix of futuristic and retro tech so that every character, even those only on the screen for a moment, looks unique and is easy to identify.

For those who enjoy such, Alita Battle Angel is what I call an ideal "painting movie"; something to have on while doing hobby work which is fun to watch but slow to distract. The setting is interesting enough to recommend itself, though isn't properly explored, but renegade cyborgs and the bounty hunters who chase them are an easy sell to me. I don't think much of Alita as a character, but then, it was the same with the Manga, so I wasn't expecting Lady Macbeth or anything. Sometimes good is good enough, and given the source material, I believe Alita Battle Angel is more than good enough, especially if you just want something fun to watch. Now that the brand has shifted to Disney, there may be another film, or perhaps a series down the line, and I could easily see that working well in the right hands.

Thinking Out Loud: Who I want to see in Secret Wars

Ok, so I kinda covered this idea a while back, but now that we're well post-Deadpool & Wolverine and the announcement of the Fox X-Men returning for Avengers: Doomsday has had time to settle, I thought I'd take another swing. Now, whilst I'm not the most keen to see a whole bunch of nostalgia hits masquerading as a film, I feel that Marvel Studios (No Way Home notwithstanding), will be able to put together a good film and still deliver the fan "pop" moments that we all cheer for. So I am expecting some crossovers already, like Deadpool, Miles Morales and probably Zombie Scarlet Witch, but a few more "outsider" choices could make for a good time; think the reveal of the classic hero actors in Deadpool & Wolverine and you're about there, but hopefully less of a major part in the plot. Secret Wars should be about the current heroes, not a running list of previous Marvel films to please fans. Anyway, on with the list. 


Tom Jane (as The Punisher MAX)

I love Tom Jane as the Punisher and I would like to see him in the role one last time, and Secret Wars would be a great way to do it. Jane looks great for his age, so would be perfect done up like the Ennis run of The Punisher MAX for a few scenes. I am softening on the MCU Punisher, but bringing in a version of the Jane portrayal opens up some more ridiculous expressions of the character if needed, from the Captain America-worshiping Frank to the scion of Death or even just having a guy with guns and few jokes to juxtapose the spandex and quip crowd. This is not a character that needs to be a big part of the story (almost none on this list are), he would be a literal cameo to please some fans and maybe have one good action beat or two before he's taken out. 


Eric Bana (As Maestro) 

I believe there's a reasonable chance we might see a former Hulk actor in Secret Wars anyway, and I think Eric Bana should be the pull. He's still acting, but not around in a significant way, especially for those outside Australia, so you could play it clever for a while before the big reveal. Evil future Hulk is kind of too good an idea to let slide and having him escape to menace the Hulk we know again would work really well for setting up more films in that franchise. Maestro would work probably best in a role like Magneto had in the original Secret Wars comic; charming and aloof, but working his own agenda the entire time. Maestro could have a cool moment beating down the main universe Hulk and then bugger off to appear in other films down the line. Also I really want to hear some version of the "In one universe, Tony Stark is hit by the gamma bomb and becomes the Iron Hulk. And I'm the Hulk that killed him and took his armour" in a film. 


Dan Stevens (As David) 

So the various Marvel projects have been hinting at the Beyonder as being behind the multiverse mess for a while, and I think that the reveal will be pretty fun, but you know what would be more fun? If the Beyonder was actually David all along. Legion never got the attention it deserved, I even dismissed it before it came out on this blog, but it was probably one of the top three Fox X-Men productions, all things considered. Legion ended with mind-bending multiverse shenanigans, so as the MCU wraps up most of that, he would be a great antagonist to be closing the door. How did things get so messed up? David was attempting again and again to set the universe how he wanted it, and each new copy spiraled out of control; it would fit with the idea of tying all Marvel media together under the MCU banner that has been around the boarders and David is kind of the perfect dark mirror of Franklin Richards, who will probably the be key to ending this whole mess at the close of the film. Also bring along Amber Midthunder as Kerry Loudermilk because there aren't enough women or people of colour on this list and she's always amazing. 


Ben Affleck (As Nighthawk/Hawkowl/Dark Hawk) 

Ok, so this one is pretty silly, but I think it would work. Don't bring back Ben Affleck as a version of Daredevil, have him appear as one of Marvel's many Batman-alikes. Why? Because he never really got to play Batman in a genuinely good film and this would be a way to have that happen without derailing a whole other project. Basically, have one moment where smoke bombs go off and the bad guys get taken out by a shadowy figure, the heroes ask who saved him and Affleck straightens up and drops "I'm Nighthawk". He doesn't need to be a big part of the film, have him die in a heroic sacrifice like they always want to do with Batman, actors love a death scene, and roll on without mentioning it again. Everyone will be talking about it for weeks. 


Reb Brown (Earth X Captain America) 

I think it's pretty obvious that Secret Wars will see Chris Evans back in the Star-Spangled suit at some point, as the elder mentor character to some younger heroes. So why not push that a step further? The MCU Steve took his chance to step away and live the life he actually wanted, he put down the shield and became a man again, his mission accomplished. So what would have happened if Steve had kept going? An older Captain America, who never gave up fighting, even when his entire world turned against him, would be perfect as a warning against Steve returning full-time to hero work, a Ghost of Superhero Future if you will. Also Reb Brown seems like a decent guy who's career never really took off in a big way and this would be a great send-off for the guy, who hasn't had many roles and isn't in the best of health. 


Hit Monkey 

He's a Monkey with guns, 'nuff said. 

Superhero Media: Batman - A Death In The Family

One of the Batman stories considered so classic that it is rarely cut from canon with a new DC line-wide reboot, A Death In The Family tells the story of Jason Todd searching for his mother and then paying the ultimate price to protect her from the Joker. Written by the legendary Jim Starlin, of Adam Warlock fame, the story is famous for deciding Jason Todd's fate with a reader poll conducted with a USA "900" number, with the votes falling strongly in favour of death. What this means is I get to flex my literature graduate skills a little as we discuss the narrative effects of the story, and its reflection of the broader Batman canon through the fandom. Neat, huh? First off, if you're wavering on reading this story, A Death In The Family also features the Ayatollah Khomeini making the Joker Iran's ambassador to the United Nations. No, really. Then Batman and Superman have to take him down without causing an international incident; it's quite a bit of fun.

Jason Todd dies in an explosion after being beaten close to death by Joker with a crowbar, it's about as brutal as a Comics Code Authority-approved comic can be, especially when you consider that Jason is around 15, still legally a child. Of course, with Starlin at the helm, A Death In The Family is well-written and engaging, but there is no escaping that it's a multi-issue story leading to a brutal child murder. A brutal child murder that the fans voted for. Personally, I don't understand the general hatred that many Batman fans have for Robin, outside of the rabid section that wants the comic to be as grim and gritty as possible; even from a writing perspective, having a second character to bounce dialog off is always a better device than inner monologue. Even the Robins who don't die get changed up, like Nightwing, Red Robin or whatever Damien Wayne is doing, though I think he died too at some point? Hell, derivative versions such as Batman Beyond tend to not even use Robin in any recognisable form.

Is it that this section of the fanbase, which A Death In The Family demonstrates to be no new phenomenon, doesn't realise that the lighter tone and concept of Robin is intended to balance the "Dark Knight" aspects of Batman? Because the comics seem to understand this, with the run introducing Tim Drake (included in my copy of A Death In The Family), Knightfall and even Hush covering the idea that Batman needs his support network to function at maximum and maintain his sanity. This isn't even subtext, it's the text, pretty explicitly in some cases, with Tim Drake shouting "Batman needs Robin!" more than a few times. I concur, Batman, both the character and the media he headlines, needs the presence of Robin, be it Dick, Jason, Tim, Carrie, Stephanie or even Damien, they balance the grim and gritty and anchor both the narrative and the reader in something more grounded than a billionaire in a bat costume punching the mentally ill because he's still sad about his mum dying. Still, A Death In The Family is a good story and well worth including in any comics collection.

From the Archives - 20

To date I haven't done all that much gaming with my Warhammer 40,000 superheroes, despite my best intentions. However, I did a few narrative solo games back during the Melbourne COVID lock downs across on another blog using some of my stuff. Whilst the first entry only has one of my superheroes in it, it does lead into the rest, so check it out here;

https://ludusbellorum.blogspot.com/2020/04/in-lair-of-mutants-part-i.html