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Welcome back to Comic Book Nation, the only show that does it all for geek culture, and the only podcast of comicbook.com.
I am your host, Kofi Outlaw, and with me today, I got the Comic Book Nation team of Matthew Aguilar, Janelle Wheeler, and joining us for the first time in a long time, and maybe the last time in a long time, is Mr. Charlie Ridgely.
Hurry up, Charlie is back.Hi, Charlie.Hey, how are you guys? And we had to bring Charlie back because Charlie helps us we couldn't get him on for joke or two.He was busy.He's been he's a busy guy these days.He's doing serious life stuff.
But we could get him back for something completely unserious, which is of course, Venom, The Last Dance.Venom, Venom, Venom.You need three of those, because this is the third Venom film.Tom Hardy's closing out the trilogy.
And Charlie and I, I hadn't seen Charlie in a long time for a screening, but we ended up at the Venom 3 screening together.And man, we both came out of it look in some kind of way.
I was hoping to get my buddy and our new kind of boss over here, Ben Kendrick, on here because the first time I saw a Venom movie was me, Ben, and Rob Keys, my old Screen Rant buddies,
where we went to see this during New York Comic Con 2018 when it came out.So, yeah, this has been a long, crazy road that Venom has taken.Pre-pandemic, through pandemic, post-pandemic, his whole Venom saga.But let's get to it.
And just tell you that I did the review for Venom, The Last Dance.I gave it two stars.I'm not sure if Charlie would have even gone that high, but yeah, this movie sucked. This movie sucked, bro.We love the Venom series here, too.
So don't even come at us like we're haters, or we don't understand, or we want an MCU movie.No.
We were the camp of people that said, look, just give us some crazy final buddy romance comedy of Tom Hardy and the Venom symbiote just rolling around, talking to each other, and we'd be fine with that.
Instead, we got like some another Sony hack job feeling like where it feels like half of this movie was cut out and just thrown on the editing room floor.Entire characters are just thrown out and editing on the editing room floor.Yeah, like I mean,
Jesus, don't like be a black character in one of these movies because you will get like 10 seconds of screen time and no explanation whether you're Tyrese or Chiwetel Ejiofor or, you know, any of Homegirls and Madam Web.
So, you know, that continues here.And yeah, we get a weird 2000s comic book movie that takes a lot of the fun out of this whole, you know, the Venom, Eddie stuff. isn't as fun in this one.
I mean this movie, I was even just talking to Charlie during it, they just do some of the most obvious things to just kind of like cut down on budget and cut down on like actual venoming and kind of everything about it just feels slapdash and half-assed and
It's just a disappointing end.There's even a montage at the end of this that I was cracking up about, I've been talking about.
It shows you a montage of all the Venom movies, and it's like doing one of those TikToks where you see they're cutting between different scenes of Eddie.
like throughout each film and you can just see like Tom Hardy's face go from like lively and energetic in the first movie to by this one just like dead in the eyes and disheveled like just tired of this whole thing and it's just it's just like yeah it's weird but at the same time this movie is a finale to Venom but it also sets up a whole bigger Venom universe
So it's like, I don't even know how to feel about it being the last dance.
Charlie, Charlie, you want to weigh in here and just kind of, yeah, it's kind of, I wrote about a thing that's going live this weekend.Kind of like, is this the end of it?And then we'll, we'll kind of get into that, I think a little bit, but, um,
You know, I think I would have put two stars on this too.I don't, obviously, I don't think it's the worst movie ever made.But I'm someone who, I've been a really vocal supporter of the Venom movies from the beginning.
Like you mentioned, you know, this is, I had a lot of fun with this franchise and I've, I mean, I've liked most of the Sony stuff.You know, anyone who knows me knows I love a Madame Web.
You know, this is just, I've enjoyed what these movies have brought to the table for the most part.You know, Morbius is kind of the bottom of the barrel there.
Um, this one, I really, you know, if you watch the Venom franchise from the beginning, you have this first movie where it felt like Tom Hardy was the only person in the room who got it.
You had this guy being really weird and wacky and doing something crazy in the middle of this movie where everyone's trying to make like a serious, you know, early 2000s superhero blockbuster.
Like it's, it totally didn't fit, but there was so much of the Tom Hardy Venom stuff at the center of it that I really enjoyed it anyway. And then there was an evolution with Let There Be Carnage, where they realized what was going on with Tom Hardy.
And they said, OK, well, let's get a bunch of crazy to match his crazy.So then we get Woody Harrelson and Andy Serkis.And they make this whole movie that's just insane.And every bit of it, like all the stories in it are weird and wacky and goofy.
And some of the parts are bad, but it doesn't really matter.Because to me, you're having fun the whole time.It's just a weird, wild ride.
And then this kind of goes backwards and goes back into what we had in that first movie, where there's trying to be a serious film around Venom.But in this one, there's less Venom than there was in the first one.
So it felt really frustrating to not have as much of the whole Venom-Eddie relationship thing, because in this movie there are scenes where you do get that, and when you do, it's wonderful.
I love it when it's Eddie and Venom on screen, like the thing that's playing right now, the whole scene in Vegas, was a lot of fun.Eddie has some, or Venom has some great one-liners.The whole thing with Mrs. Chen I thought was hilarious.
You know, when they do like their buddy comedy thing, their rom-com thing, whatever you want to call it, those moments I really love.But they are few and far between
compared to again what we had in Let There Be Carnage with that was kind of the tone of the whole thing.
It just it feels like a big step backwards and a really frustrating thing when I think that they showed from one to two that they were listening and they saw what was wrong with the first one and they adjusted to it and then we just have abandoned that progress to kind of work backwards for this.
It just it's really disjointed tonally and there are
Somebody, I think I said this to Kofi, it might not have been you, it might have been somebody else, but you know, it's a lot of those Godzilla Kong movies, one of the complaints is like, oh man, the people storylines suck.
Like we love the monsters, they're so cool, we love these monster bits, but there's all these people storylines and there's so much Kyle Chandler and like, there's these plots that are just overly serious with these scientists, these military people, and you're just like, it's nonsense and it's not interesting.
But so much of the movie is that. That's kind of how this felt, where there's these, with Junotempo and then Choanology, there's these plots that are just, they don't make sense.They are way too serious.It does not work.
But that's predominantly what the movie's trying to do.
Whereas if we could have just had like a road trip of Eddie and Venom, like stick Tom Hardy in a car and let him talk to himself for two hours while he's running away from aliens across the country, perfect movie.10 out of 10, I love it.
Probably way cheaper, too.But now we have this, which we have Juno Temple, who, I mean, no, I love Juno Temple.Her character doesn't make any sense here.
She's a scientist who got electrocuted from lightning, and her brother died, and so she quotes a thunder thing, and that never really matters, but it's supposed to matter.Yeah, I didn't even know.
We were having a chat.I didn't even know her arm was paralyzed in the movie.She has a paralyzed arm, and I had no idea.
I didn't know that either.
Her arm, and that's at the end, like that's why she can do this when she has the venom.It doesn't matter.It is stupid.Yeah, just chill.
Stop spoiling a movie for people before you get us in trouble, man.You show up here like once, stop getting us in trouble.But yeah, no, it doesn't make sense is your point.
Like, yeah, it is confounding how many things this movie throws at you and just never answers.
Like, I thought it was hilarious that, it's not really spoiler to say that, Knoll, like seeing Knoll is saved as this epic treat throughout the whole movie.
You just see him in emo, head bent, like the things you see, whose smoke alarm is that, Charlie, is that you?
I believe so, and I'm not sure what's happening.
It's because Venom is just on fire.
Are you okay?Yeah, everything sounds fine out there.
I mean, we joke around here, but we want to make sure you evacuate.Don't die for Venom 3, please.No, we're fine.All right. Good.No, but yeah, Noel, you don't even see Noel.
Noel is head bent through most of this movie, which makes absolutely no gosh darn sense in the universe to throw some villain at mainstream viewers and then just be like, well, we're not going to really show you who this is.Why do that?
But he's running things throughout the whole movie, so there are constant cutbacks to him. And like everything about it is just so dumb.
So they pulled a Zack Snyder.
Not even like I'm trying to like it's like if Marvel did Thanos the dumbest way possible.Right.Like at the end of Avengers, you see Thanos.And if you got that, if you even knew to stay back for that, then you probably knew.
And if you were just like a casual fan, you didn't care because it wasn't part of the movie.Nothing like hinged on it.Right.
Like you saw the cloaked guy, you saw Loki and you're like, OK, this is like if at the beginning of Avengers, you just see a dude in a chair from the back who's like, go kill the Earthlings.
And we keep getting scenes back with him, but they never show you who he is. until that final scene and then he just turns around.
And when they do, it's played like a giant reveal, but it's like, we know from the beginning who it is.They say his name.We know it's Null.It's not a surprise because they talk, they say his name through the whole movie.
So then you think that the big face reveal is going to be like, oh, we're going to find out who's playing Null and it's this huge thing.And when you see him, it's like,
Okay, I don't know who that could and then you have to wait until the credits to read and you're like, oh, that suit that we you don't get it from the reveal of what they do.
You don't like Oh, my lord.
It doesn't get a CGI like this mocap.
Oh, okay.That's fine.There's just It's not really worth all the waiting.That sucks.I really enjoyed the first Null scene.At the beginning of the movie, it sets everything up.I thought it was a fun way to put it all together.It was kind of mysterious.
It set the tone for the movie, I think, in a good way.But then we just never came back to it until the end.And then we did.We were like, oh, so you were worthless.
And I guess there's quotes from Kelly Marcel, the director, talking about how Null's not the big bad of this movie. because he's more than a one-off movie villain.It seems like they were going to set him up for all this stuff.Which is true.
Which is good.I agree with that part.
He's very much the big bad of the movie.He's very much the movie's villain.Yeah.He's just not, like, going after this.
Yeah, but it's just also, it's very weird because, like I said, Venom 3 feels like, like, let's cut every corner just to complete this trilogy.So, like, Knull is the big bad, but it'd be like if you saw Avengers Infinity War and
Thanos never came out, he just kept sending the Black Order, not even the Black Order, just those weird demon dog things in the Battle of Wakanda.
If Thanos just sent those out to do everything, like throughout the whole movie, that would be the equivalent of what this is.And for much of this, it's just one of those things. that they can't deal with.
And then at the finale, we get like five of them.So it's just like, how are we ever going to deal with any of this?And you know, it that's it's just confounding about like what the threat is.So there's a chase.So like Venom's on the run from that.
But there's also a plot device where The thing- the MacGuffin Null needs is with Venom, obviously, but if Venom dies, like, then it's lost.
So, like, now, like, human organization- It's in- it's in Venom's, like, DNA, basically.
Like, it's- Yeah, so, like, it's a codex.If you know your symbiote stuff, it's a codex.So, like, it- So there's a human organization now shooting at him because they're like, we can stop this whole thing if we just get rid of this one guy.
Null wants the Codex, they want to kill him, and Venom's on the run in the middle, right?So even that you think would be like a pretty fair premise that we all saw on the trails.We're like, okay, a road trip with Venom and Eddie on the run.
We just saw bad boys.We've seen this before.The fugitive, like this can be fun, right?But it's not fun, like at all.It's just kind of,
there we keep cutting back like like Charlie said they do a lot of tricks so like one whole plot device is and this is the dumbest thing I think I now I'm about to say it out loud I just hear how dumb it is um if a symbiote takes on their true form like meaning if he manifests into venom then he becomes a homing signal for nulls so
much of the movie, he can't be full venom because of, you know, that reasoning, meaning we don't have to spend money on a lot of full venom effects anymore, because we get a lot of head off to the side, the head off to the side thing is which makes no gosh, again, gosh, darn sense.
When apparently doing Venom Horse is not your true form, or Venom Fish is not your true form.You can do Venom Animals, but you just can't do Humanoid Venom, I think?Or like, Fully Bonded Venom?I'm not sure.
They don't really tell you.
You basically just can't spend money on Full Venom in this movie.
Yeah.I can't remember if the Venom Horse thing is before or after we figure out.It's after.
Oh, it's definitely after, because the whole Venom Horse sequence, I was sitting there like, plot hole, like I was, I was mad about that sequence.
And I should have like that, that sequence, you know, that we, we talked about in the trailer, like really fun and goofy and weird.And that's all the energy we wanted plot hole aside, just like, Oh, we're going to make a venom horse.
And Tom Hardy's going to have a hard time holding that's fun and goofy and love it.And we plot hole or not, that was an enjoyable thing to watch.And it's one of the only things I can say that about in this movie.
uh from you know yeah so you're getting in Tom Hardy's out of nowhere Tom Hardy's screen time isn't as much because most of these movies were on his back this movie like we said it injects like a whole backstory and and thing for Juno Temple's scientist character
Poor Chaiwat tells in a military drama movie about a guy losing men against impossible alien forces, like some Starship Troopers junk.But he gets a lot of scenes.
And there's just cutting to all these other people and all these, back to Null for a minute, and all these other things, so that when you actually look at it, yeah, there's far less Tom Hardy, Venom screen time in this. than any of the other ones.
And so, yeah, this feels more like Blade Trinity than like anything else, you know?Oof.
And yeah, and if you're like, I don't want to get too deep into spoilers, but if aside from further kicking the can down the road of confusing the hell out of us about how this is all a universe to begin with,
and doing things that are just like unforced errors of confusion.You know how Morbius had Spider-Man posters in the background and all that?And we were all analyzing this.
Well, yeah, like Eddie going to New York and how they deal with the whole fact of where Venom 2 left off with him going to the MCU and coming back.
Like, if you're hoping any of this stuff pays off in a satisfying or like, oh, here, let's go kind of way, you're not. You're not going to come out of this saying, let's go, in any kind of way.You're going to be like, what?
The only way you'll say that after the end of the movie is if you're Donny Cates, because you're the biggest fan of Noel in the world, because you created him.Or if Christo Fernando from Ted Lasso is your favorite actor of all time.
If either of those two things applies to you, you'll be really excited by the end of this movie and about what this universe can do, which I think applies to maybe eight people on the planet Earth.
Yeah, but it's so confusing because we don't even know who would be the null thing.Who's part of that?Is it a big crossover that could go into the MCU?Even if it's in the Spider-Man, Sony Spider-Man universe, who the hell is even part of that?
And what is that at this point is wildly unclear.So we're having a big event with We don't even have characters, so it's crazy.All right, so Venom 3.
It's a big disappointment.It's a big disappointment.I love these Venom movies.Yeah, me too.It's a bummer.This is a real bummer.
And we were excited all year.
And I'm really bummed about this one.I mean, it's been, October's been really just, I think Charlie made the point like, It might be a wash for October being some blockbuster movie, early blockbuster season.We're going back to regular ways.
Don't make the sequels.If you put out a- Yeah, we need just horror films.One is done.Joker, the first Venom.We forget the first Venom made over $800 million.
Put out one and then call it a day or abandon October because now we're like, oh, October's our date now for this franchise.And it's like, eh, it's not working.
No, put out horror sequels or just horror movies.Give us a smile every year.Yup, smile.The new Schmiele.We need that new Paranormal Activity, which became the new Saw.So we need that yearly horror.
We need some indie horror stuff to deal, you know, to get into.So, yeah.But these October sequels, blockbuster sequels have been trash.Absolute trash.
But I think Venom 3, to just say some positives is why it's a two star and bring this all to a close. I think you guys will be have fun when it hits streaming, right?
Like when you could just laugh at it and pause and get real drunk, like it's going to be fun.So you're going to have a great time when it hits streaming.Venom 3, Streaming King.All right.
Even then, you know, just go in with it.Be distracted.Be distracted.
So take booze. Shots of tequila.
Booze, if there's something else that you prefer.
Well, I'm going tonight, so that's why I will buy a beer.
Oh, I mean, we know you're good for a good IPA.We know how you do.We know how a mother likes to relax.You go have fun.
This thing is going to be amazing with a really sober frame of mind, so it doesn't need to be appreciated that way either.
If you can get on their level, I'm not even sure Tom Hardy sober.I think Tom Hardy might be hung over through most question.
Is it like, is it fun though?Like, like, I feel like it's silly.He wasn't great, but it was still fun.
I think there were parts that were really fun.There were parts that I laughed through, but it wasn't consistently that way.That's what frustrated me.I'm okay with a bad movie. if I'm having a ride the whole time.
I'm cool with sitting through something that's not great as long as I'm enjoying myself.And this, for a lot of it, was not that.
You're taking it too seriously.
There are moments where it's not.Again, the really Ben and Eddie-centric moments are really wacky.And those are a good time.The whole time in Vegas, I think you'll enjoy yourself.So there is an element of it.
You're not going to leave you like, wow, I wasted all this time. I'm mad I sat here.I'm doing it.You know, there's some fun to be had.It's just not consistent.In my opinion.There were people in the theater.
It was a public screening, so it wasn't just like critics there.It was other people.
And that's one of the only times I left the public early screening and heard a bunch of negative stuff from people behind me that weren't critics that were just like, oh man, they really messed this one up.
I never hear that from like a lot of general audiences at those screeners.So that was kind of a bummer.It's not only me here, I'm not being picky. there is, you know, other people are not enjoying this too.
So, um, you know, I'm not saying I'm not, I'm never going to tell you not to go see a movie.Oh yeah.Um, but like, just know what you're getting into.It's, it's not quite the fun you've had the last, the last couple of movies.
I don't think noted if you had to rank them like first, second, third in order, what do you guys say?
Um, one, two, three, uh, no, two, one, uh, oh, it's a toss up because one I think has the better, that original Eddie meeting Venom stuff is so good.
Like they play some of that back in this one and Tom Hardy's acting as his butt off in that first one. like when he's getting electrocuted or getting messed up by the MRI, when he's getting in the fish tank.
So I'm going to say 1, 2, 3.The whole lobster scene is fantastic.Yeah, I'm going to say 1, 2, 3.I like 2 a little better because I think the rest of the movie matches that energy.But I agree with Kofi.
I think that 1 has the best of the actual Eddie Venom bit, you know, as far as like Tom already figuring it or Eddie figuring out how to work with Venom inside him.You know, two kind of plays up like the comedy, the rom-com of it.And that's fun.
But yeah, it's, it's a toss up there.I prefer to go first one and you kind of go either way, but three is for sure at the bottom of the barrel.It's not as big of a drop off as Blade II to Blade Trinity.
Because I'm not going to say Let There Be Carnage was nearly where Blade II was on the spectrum of good movies.But it is definitely the worst of the three by a pretty wide margin.
All right, I think we've given this movie more than it deserved in terms of time, but R.I.P.Venom.As for the future, we'll talk about that when more people have been out to see this, and we'll get into what should happen.Ooh, that might be good.
Like, we should do some editorial episodes.We should do one about, like, what should happen with the Sony Spider-Man universe before we have to go back in for Kraven, you know?
That's still... I believe if you like symbiotes, I think we'll see more symbiotes in movies in the future. probably because it's money and they can't say no to money.
This is probably the end of this trilogy, though, like they've said numerous times in the press.I think we are done with it. Yeah, I think Tom Hardy's done.
Aside from some big, unless Tom Hardy gets like a major cameo in something, like, I think we're done.So, all right, that's Venom, the last dance.Sorry to disappoint everybody.Sorry to start your Friday off.
Crushing dreams, man, crushing dreams.
No, my dreams got crushed.Yeah, I was all about this, you know. All right, so Charlie's got to go.Thank you, Charlie, for hopping on and joining us once again.
Thank you, buddy.We are in October.Madden Webb is still the best Sony Marvel movie that's been out so far this year.We're doing great.It is, sadly.It might end up being the best.It might end up being the best.I think Craven's going to be good.
I'm sticking by JC Shandor.He is a phenomenal director.It's the best director I've seen do these Sony movies for a long time. So I'm going to hang my head on that.
Well, we're going to have you back, buddy.
We'll find out.We'll find out.
Yeah, we're going to have you back.All right, Charlie.Thank you.Good to see you guys. Thank you.
Well, I'll just cut straight to it.Y'all in some different.
I just had one thing.That was a great segue.I'm sorry.I was going to say for a note from the last segment, I wasn't stepping on anybody's sobriety about Tom Hardy.I was just saying he looks like he's hung over in this.
I was not stepping for anybody in sobriety.We were not stepping on sobriety.Uh, yeah.
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Anyways, so, Agatha, all along, y'all, it is getting interesting.
Oh, is it getting interesting?
Is it?The last two episodes seem to be proving themselves to me, let's just say.I mean, I've been a very tough critic, you guys know this, but last episode and this episode are really coming together for me.The story is kind of making sense now.
I'm not sure how I feel about that because there's only one episode left.So I guess I've only liked three episodes.
Two episode finale.Then they have... They have plenty of time to win me over.Okay.Gosh, a lot of things happened.I'm sure many of you guys have already seen this, but there was a lot of timey-wimey stuff we said in the show notes, which I loved.
It was a really cool juxtaposition of kind of seeing where one of our favorite characters was ending up like popping in and out throughout the whole episode, which at first was kind of confusing for me.
But then I finally started to like understand what was going on and getting it all together We don't have to worry about the seven the only thing that I really like I'm critical about is I didn't like the witches
costuming thing in the last challenge.Like they, they all turned into like stereotypical witches, I guess.And like, it just seemed so Disney on the nose with like the Maleficent thing.And I just, it, I don't know.
I just, it was just kind of corny to me.And there was like some lines, like there was this one line specific.There's like swords on the ceiling and Agatha was like, Hey, things are looking up. And it was just so...
I mean, obviously that line hit for some people.
I just couldn't.It was just so corny.But we also had our huge reveal.Spoilers.Our huge reveal is that Aubrey is deaf.If you didn't know that because of the Funko Pop week, then it was probably very exciting for you.
I did not know, so I got really pumped when this was revealed.It was a moment. And it was, I don't know, how did you guys feel about this episode?
Vindicated.Validated.That's why I have my wizard hood on right now because... I've been getting a lot of side messages about y'all and y'all's takes on Agatha up here.Have you?Oh, yes.Yes.Oh, yes, I have.
I mean, people have been as shocked as I am that I am like the Agatha cheerleader on this show.But this was Jack Schafer and the writers and cast.And like we've talked about, I've talked about these shows.
I've written about Penguin and Agatha and proving that actor, driven stuff is like you can make any of this work with if it's still just old Hollywood rules.Like you build on actors, you build on performances, and you can sell anything that way.
And this is an episode where I know we all are like, Aubrey's deaf, but like Patti LuPone, like in her in her just whole acting job in this episode was phenomenal.I watched it twice.
You really should watch it twice just to kind of really get it because even the opening scene hits different when you watch it back.But I was, Lillian, I was always wondering what they were going to do with this character.
because they kept kind of seeding these little things in and people were picking up on the threads of her and what she was saying and then what would later happen in the show.But it is hard to do a timey wimey episode.
And this is something like I'm not kidding, like worthy of Nolan this episode, like terms of nonlinear storytelling that thematically kind of really works in how just tight all the pieces are from when she keeps
jumping these gaps to where she finds herself to what attitude she has when she's appearing at different points from like minute to minute where she's like we're cool teen and then she's like trying to kill him and grip him up and be like we are so not cool and he's like whoa and it's just like this whole concept of a witch living her life out of sequence and what that means and what that does for your awareness but also how that limits you in terms of like
you know, anxiety or looking crazy or all that stuff was, oh man, MCU Memento, all in the game on YouTube said it's MCU Memento.And that's one of my favorite movies.That is a perfect kind of really good comparison.
And I just thought this episode was so powerful and just so well done.And just again, this thing is in its way illustrating like
The power of witchcraft, the power of what witches do, but which has always been a metaphor for female power, female intuition, female fortitude, spiritual, emotional fortitude, whatever.
all of those things come through in an episode like this, right?And the old Italian grandma in those scenes and all of that fantastic stuff.
And I thought the writing was really good because I saw Matt cracking up at that line, but like the costuming thing I thought had one of my favorite lines from Billy.
when Agatha's ragging on him about being Maleficent and she's like, oh, you really liking your costume?And he just looks at her and just says, well, if the cheekbones fit or something like that.And I was like, oh, it's giving.
Her line was great, too.Like she said, like her.It was based on her or something.I can't remember.
He looks at her and says, prove it.And I love how that dynamic is changing where Billy's just calling.
Oh, he's getting cocky.Yeah, it's great. He's like coming into his own.
Yeah, no.I mean, I saw, like, Patti LuPone, like, great episode for her, just fantastic.And this is why you get actresses like that, to just to do that.
And that thing at the end, I mean, even given Lillian, like, the most epic hero moment in this series was just, like, the tower reverse thing.Like, that was insane.And I was just like, oh, man, it made me feel.
You made me unzip me.You made me feel and I don't like that.But uh, yeah.Oh god.Oh god.Special grenade.Oh god.Why?Why?Why?
Why is everyone asleep?Here's the thing.Um.Alright Joe Biden, let's go.Here's the thing.Okay.I'm serious.
The number one, I apologize for the messages you were getting.I didn't realize you were getting so much.
I wasn't going to say you are.You are the top.
You are the bigger topic of getting a lot of the strays.That's probably not going to change, mostly because here's the thing. This is my favorite episode of the show so far.So I'm a lead with positive.All right.I'm a lead with that.
This is my favorite episode.Why?Because of all the things you already said about the wonderful Patti LuPone, who this, she is, she's been one of my favorite characters throughout.
And I've said, right, like my favorite thing about the show was the interactions between all the witches, right?But that keeps going down and down as we keep killing them.So, hey, guess what?That's not changing as we move forward, right?
So, you know, one down, that's, as we start removing those,
from the show, those people, my issues with the show become more and more prevalent of like, okay, so once we get rid of the things that have been kind of distracting me from like the main through line and the plot of what this actual story is, and Agatha and everything, I'm reminded consistently of why I don't care.
But I care about That story, this story is, this is a Patty showcase, right?
And so in that it's phenomenal in the fact that like her story and seeing like, I thought they actually did a very good job because once you start getting in the timey wimey stuff, it can go South very quickly.It becomes incomprehensible.
You're like, what timeline?We talk about this all the time, right?In comics of like moving between viewpoints and stuff.So like that is hard to do.
And I thought they did a very good job of getting a lot of the bigger information out of the way and then hooking you into the emotional part with her.I thought that part was great.
I loved how they, if you are going to say goodbye to the character, giving her a true hero's exit.I thought that was really well done.So it's my favorite episode of the show to this point.And yet,
The other stuff that happens, once you start taking these people out, I just, I don't care about any of the other stuff that the show wants me to care about.I just don't.
The whole reveal with like, you know, Aubrey Plaza and Rio and everything, it's just like, that has big connotations and stuff for outside of the show.What does it mean to this show? I don't care what it means to this show.It doesn't change anything.
I just don't like nothing.The big reveals.
I agree.Okay.I agree with you there.Okay.Cause I wrote about this and I do agree with you there.I think I'm more interested in just seeing her and Agatha have a, will they, will they like scrap or screw type deal?
you know, more so than I am about what it means that she's the avatar of death.I'm more interested in another project.They make it such a big deal.Right.
And I'm more interested to see, like, if we get a cool flashback episode or one shot that shows death actually on the shoulders of different people across the MCU, like going back and seeing her on Thanos, little Thanos's shoulder being like, hey, buddy, let's kill some people.
And her being there during the Infinity War and like all the little places you could stick her. as like a retcon, interquote, like I'd be more interested in that than anything with death in this show.
Right, exactly.That's my point.Unless her and Agatha Scrappy screw, you know?Aubrey Plaza is amazing in this role and stuff.Again, it's just my point is like for this show as it stands now, you've removed almost Almost, we're almost there.
You've removed almost every part that I care about systematically as the show moves forward.And my reason to actually invest becomes less and less, especially when we get showcases like this.
So I'm very conflicted on this episode because I really liked parts of it, but they have to do with the character and the actress that they centered on and less to do with the show she was a part of.
that to me is my biggest like hindrance with the show overall.So, you know, I'm curious to see how the plane lands.I apologize for the emails in advance.
I have high hopes for this finale.I really do.And I'm actually like kicking myself for not being more open to the beginnings of this.And I truly believe that if the penguin was not out, And I was not watching that at the same time.
I would have probably been so much more into this.And I apologize for not being able to keep them separate.That is definitely a me problem because, man, it's just the penguin is so good.
And comparing the two was definitely my worst, like the worst thing I did for sure.
But it's not your problem.You shouldn't apologize for that.That is perfectly fine.If you were standing in my kitchen like two shows.
are you guys like standing in the kitchen holding an apple and an orange and being like yes it's perfectly fine to compare two shows at the same time it doesn't even matter the genre when they're late by one this is a crazy week to be comparing these two because this is a great segue this week i was better about that yeah is such an excuse what a cop-out that's such a cop-out
Dude, we are so great.Like the three of us, we are definitely like hitting all we have, like, not into it, super into it.And then I'm right in the middle.This is like the first time I think.
But that's a good slide right into Penguin, like Penguin this week.Yeah.
Coming a year!Is that quite to say?Because Penguin fricking rules!Penguin rules!But this week, they're burning people!This isn't Agatha!Oh my god. This needed a mature warning at the beginning, almost more than any episode.
And that's saying something when we've had so many episodes go through.But this was, man, this was the ushering in of not Sophia Falcone. for Sofia Gigante.Yeah.Oh man, this was a, this was an awesome episode, man.I don't know.
Also, I will say this made me and I, and I've seen this kind of dotted around like social media and stuff too.Like, welcome back Oz, right?Cause like, you know, we had like mostly a whole episode like without Oz and you know, it was, it was amazing.
So no shade there.It was fantastic.Not taking anything away, but I missed him.I missed, I missed good old Oz, just like, you know, picking people off and doing horrible things.And boy, he lived up to that today.He lived up to that this week, man.
We got, is this the most violent, that's saying something after last week, but like, is this the most violent episode of DC TV ever?Yeah.Yeah, by far.
But it's HBO, Game of Thrones.
Yeah, it's the most violent DC content we may have seen.I mean, this episode had, Like, not just somebody lit on fire, but like lit on fire in a way where a mother was just like, I can't let him burn by, I won't let him burn by himself and just- Yep.
Dude, that crushed me.It killed me.
I mean, but it makes so much sense.It's such a good, when I saw it the first time and the second time, I was like, that's totally what my mom would do.
My mom would totally jump and grab me and wouldn't let me burn alone because she's nuts when she loves me and she's nuts like that.Like, And then Johnny, poor Johnny V, just getting literal blood money off the table.
Like when he's just in the middle of talking and just gets, even Sopranos made it dramatic.He just got, I remember the first time I saw that, I like jumped in my seat.I was like, whoa.Like, he just got his head blown off.
I was like, oh my God, because she's, it's this, this show is so nuts.And like, I can't stress this enough. The more we're getting down the back half, I've told you guys, like me and Matt have seen the whole thing.I can't stress to you enough.
The first thing you need to do when Penguin is over is go back and watch Penguin again.There's so many details.
I mean, this episode alone, like there's just little things that none of you can pick up on that when you watch it back a second time, just the scenes were like some of the scenes we're seeing right now with him taking Vic and them finding their space.
And you have no idea the layers that this show is playing with when until you get done and come back and watch some of this stuff. Um, yeah, let's talk about a couple things real quick because we gotta take a break soon.
But yeah, I mean, Sophia Gigante and that whole thing was great.But just seeing Oz, you know, we're getting into the middle of the series and
the fact this is what I knew the show was a win is when you get in the middle things get slow and sloppy I was like really worried about Marvel Netflix vibes where we're just like wandering the city for two episodes before something has to happen in the finale but no something happens in every one of these episodes in the middle is just as strong as the beginning as the end like it's crazy
and just seeing like Oz go to a place of desperation and begin to lose it and begin to lose that always one step ahead composure he has.This was why they needed Carmen Ajego for this series.Like her scenes as Eve in this episode are fantastic.Just
the way if you watch the scene with Oz and her, like the way where she can feel the line where she's about to get in danger possibly with him.
And so you can see her shift her whole thing around and be like, no, baby, it's not that like I'm not leaving you.She knows his psychology like so well, like how to be like, you know, I got to get out of your way.I can't hold you back.
You know, you know, all of that, which is exactly how Oz thinks.And one of my favorite scenes of the year was her and Sophia.
even Sophia's whole scene and conversation, keeping you on the edge of your seat of whether she's gonna catch that bullet or not.
And it's a very smart way that there's this trope in comics, Kyle Rayner's fault, really, Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner's fault, that's called fridging, where something horrible happens to a female love interest character just to
usually push a male character into an emotional kind of place.And so this was a very smart, very smart kind of turn on that between two women and talking about violence towards women and, you know, where that puts Sophia.
But it's also just a very good indicator of who Eve is and how smart Eve is and how she, why her and Penguin get together, how they're both kind of top-notch operators in this very dangerous, murky world that they got to kind of swim in.
So yeah, man, the layers of this show, just like what it does and just from moments of gross spectacle and action and violence to just the deeply layered character interactions is, yeah, this is just, this is a new standard, man.
And I mean, Agatha, Agatha I enjoy, but I enjoy Agatha, like I need to watch this for like the heavy prestige and then like when I'm in a flop sweat after one of these episodes, then I need to turn on Agatha and just kind of chill, you know?
I just love that all the intrigue, right?There's so much intrigue here, but half of it is made up of just Oz not doing a good job at being, not like finishing a skill or like finishing a job to completion, right?
Like he tries to kill, even though he kills people in this episode, he tries to kill others and that fails.And so like half of it is like him just continually bumbling. through things of his own making.And I just, I just love that.
Like, I just love always like, he's so good.He's so manipulative.He's so good at adapting on the fly.And it's, and it's good that that's the case because he creates these situations for himself consistently.
So I just liked that we didn't lose that part of the character, right?He's still a kind of a bumbling oaf in a lot of these things, but I, but I love it.
Oh, I love when he's trying to game Eve in that one scene.He's trying to just spin everything he's doing into, like, oh, you know, I planned this.It's OK.I got it.And she's like, right, guy.Get out of my apartment.
Nah, bruh.All right.We're going to keep it moving because I want to get some other stuff done before Janelle's got to get out of here.So we're going to take a break.When we come back, yes, we're going to do an RIP for the MCU.
And we just got a new one for Star Wars, unfortunately, while we've all been sitting here.So we'll address that.And Absolute Wonder Woman.We're getting into it.Stay tuned.
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Okay Janelle let's do a eulogy for the for let's do a eulogy for the MCU here Janelle I wish I didn't have so much tech on my table because I would 100% like pour one out for this Deadpool called it
I have a tick tock from I'm not gonna put it on here because obviously copyright things but like he goes there's only ever been one blade and there's only ever gonna be one blade in Deadpool and We should have I mean, I guess we did we kind of called it there.
And so today it's gone y'all the The MCU reboot of Blade is no more, is no longer with us, and I am so sad about it.I'm actually really bummed.I was actually looking forward to this big time.
And my excitement for Blade kind of perked up even more by seeing a little cameo, well, I guess a big cameo from Blade in Deadpool.So yeah, this is kind of a bummer, and I'm not very happy about it.Are you guys bummed about it?
I mean, obviously, I think this was pretty expected, huh?
I mean, the death flags were everywhere, to be honest.Like, it was getting kind of obvious.Mahershala Ali jumped on that new Jurassic World movie.
We were hearing rumors that the second director had left, but then the second director was doing PR saying, oh, there was a whole expose about Blade and all the crazy things that had happened.Rumored, rumored still, kind of.
crazy ideas about story and plot, everything from a period piece Blade movie to like one where it would have been a team of like female leads and Blade was called like the fourth lead, that infamous thing that got people so pissed.
We don't know all the truth of all that.We just know that we all kept sitting here saying, the vampire karate movie should be pretty easy to do.We did it in 98.It just seems like,
get mahershala set the vampires in a bigger universe and give us karate vampire movie but for whatever reason we can't just do that and we are in this kind of weird place where
getting a Blade movie made the or like OG of comic book blockbusters in the 90s is now impossible.So I don't even know what to say anymore.
It just like I said, I think I said a couple episodes back that you guys need to just kind of sit back and start realizing that there is a mass grave being dug and you're going to find a lot of your phase four characters laying right in that grave.
right like it's in all of the ones they announced during the start of phase four you're gonna find a lot of that in that mass grave and they're gonna big bob's gonna pile over that with a bulldozer and we're never gonna speak of it again so i mean when i did this article i read i just ran down the amount of unforced errors marvel has made they announced this in 2019 at comic-con they bring out mahershala ali
They tell us about its development over and over, how close it is, you know, all this.They put Mahershala in Eternals.
They start a whole storyline with Blade and Black Knight together, and the Ebony Blade, and make us think that's going to be a thing.Then nothing.So, I mean, it's just indicative of what a mess this franchise has been since Phase 4.
And, yeah, it's crazy.And on the upside, though, there was some, I mean, there was a positive part of this, right? Like, we lost one, but we gained three.
Yeah, sort of.I mean, are we excited about all of these three?
Sorry, the reaction was amazing.
I'm just, I don't believe anything anymore until it's happening.
You're finally learning, yes.
I'm finally learning, you guys have, I'm jaded, oh no.Oh no, oh no.
Someone play Miley Cyrus.I'm jaded.But yeah, no, I mean. Yeah, but it's crazy.So we got three new 2028 dates.I think it's significant only because I think X-Men is definitely one of them.
I did a whole article of that, and it's the start of phase seven.It'll be after Secret Wars.This is the chance to launch a whole new Marvel.They're staking out their claim, and I don't see how you don't make one of those in X-Men project.
Like, I just don't see how you don't.
It's gotta be.Yeah.It's gotta be.It's time, right?For that, especially when you're looking that far ahead. That is, it's time.Like we got to jump in.You're already laying the foundations, right?We've got adamantium and the thing and all that already.
Like you're already planting seeds and all that.I know if my sarcasm there didn't lighten up that I wasn't a huge fan of that reveal or whatever.
Both of you dripping with sarcasm today.This is my job.
Yeah, I even heard, I was like, oh man, that sounds rough there.Okay, so I don't wanna be Debbie Downer here.Someone play the noise.I don't wanna be Debbie Downer.I'm not trying to be, I'm very excited.
By the way, there will be few people more excited than me with an X-Men movie MCU project.I will be like, let's go, let's get that right. You know, like X-Men 97 laid a blueprint for like how you bring things back and do stuff.
All right, let's do something new.Let's, let's roll with it.I am all for that.So I don't want that to come off as like, I just, blah, blah, MCU.I like a lot of things with MCU.I really do.It's just, it's been a minute.
Uh, you know, it's, it's, you know, I, I love, we actually, me and Anissa got into an argument yesterday about like our favorite, uh, our, our favorite Marvel Disney show and we, or Disney Marvel show.
And we actually probably need to rank now, once Agatha's done, probably need to do another ranking of, of those at some point.
Um, but like, it's just, I'm just, I'm just looking for them to get back on track and Blade, stuff like Blade doesn't really, I don't know that there are a few, you guys mentioned it before, there are a few things to me as cut and dry as Blake.
How do you, it's a, it's a, it's an awesome vampire movie.Like, how do you, I don't know how it takes this, especially when you have a star of that caliber attached already.
I don't, I don't understand how it takes this long and we should go through this many things.Also, I wouldn't have a problem with seeing him as Martian Manhunter.I saw that in the comments.Marshall Lee is Martian Manhunter.Yeah.Sign me up for that.
Oh, I'm doing a, I have an article.That's great.You guys keep them coming.I'm doing a whole article.It's a great, great day.Yeah.Recasting MCU actors as a DCU characters.I have some good ideas in here.
I think, I think, uh, I would like to see a Zoe Saldana, Talia Al Ghul.I was very proud of that one.I said, uh, Chris Evans is booster gold is one of my good picks.Oh, wow. Yeah, right, right.I'm trying to cook here.
See when I make a list, I make a list.I take- I like it.I think about it.But Mahershala Ali, Martian Manhunter is a great one.Thank you.I'll credit you guys. for coming up with that one.All right.Anyway, back to the show.I have to write after this.
I'm writing an article now, if you can believe it, but about the death of the Ray Skywalker movie, which is a quick aside.Yes, we'll address it.Blade ain't the only one catching strays this week.
The Ray Skywalker movie has just lost another set of writers.So, yeah.And people are now kind of looking, it's looking like there's no development moving forward with that.So another Star Wars movie not happening.
You know, welcome to the last man we're going on what six years of this coming up like six years of promised Star Wars movies.None of them we were supposed to have at least two by now 2022 2024.
We were supposed to have them like every two years, right?He's gonna go Star Wars, Avatar, Star Wars, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, we're supposed to get all this but no. We ain't got no Star Wars.Marvel's in God knows where.
Marvel's in Star Wars.I dig it.But yeah, like, it's crazy.So that new Jedi Order movie is not a thing.And I don't believe in any of the James Mangold projects.I don't believe in Swamp Thing.I don't believe in First Jedi.
I don't believe in any of this stuff.I've been jaded.I'm just happy that Janelle's where I am now.I'm so jaded.She's been on the podcast long enough. to get to where we are.So yeah, man, I don't know.I don't know.
People saying Booster Gold is too cheesy for Chris Evans.Do not remember how Chris Evans got in this business.Go back and watch Not Another Teen Movie and realize.I mean, that's Chris Evans at his best.
Chris Evans being like sarcastically Chris Evans is also really good because I think Chris Evans in real life is such a normal kind of like low-key guy that never likes stardom that he's so good at like playing up a douchey smarmy like like a fame bro he's really good at that and that's what you need for booster gold like he'd be so good about like
just doing a thing about a guy who wants to be famous because he, you know, and it's also meta.
He's already really free and natural charm.Yeah.Like he would bring a natural charm to the character that, you know, you like, it's effortless.
You can hear him yelling at his robot assistant a lot.You hear that?Yeah.
No, that might.That's not who I would have pegged.Like, that's exactly who plays Booster Gold.But that's now that I think about it. So that's a good pick.Also, he was very good in Losers.That's an underrated gem.Anyone go see Losers.
That was a former DC movie.He's great.Idris Elba's in that too.
Oh, yeah.Everybody in that is now a star.That was such an underrated movie.Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Chris Evans.There's so many talented people.Zoe Saldana.There's so many people in that movie. It was such an underrated movie.All right.
We're getting off.We're going off the rails now.All right.
So I know we got to get, uh, I know Jill has got to run here.
No, no, no.Here we go.We get to talk.I don't want to end the show in a jaded way.So I'm going to, so we're going to talk about something that I am not jaded about at all, which is Absolute Wonder Woman.Number one, the Absolute Universe is here.
Of course, we talked about Absolute Batman last time around, and now we have Kelly Thompson and Hayden Sherman's absolute Wonder Woman rewriting the script.
This Diana has grown up on the remote island of hell with a new caretaker, which, by the way, we're going to get into full spoilers here.This thing coming on Wednesday.
So I just want to let you know before I go into more spoilers, like, hey, we are going to talk about spoilers.If you haven't read it yet, though, please pause us and then go read it and then come back because it's fantastic.
But we have like Circe as the new caretaker, the whole setup with Amazons and Diana kind of being removed from them and banning the word.There's so much that's done here within like the first like six pages just to set the world.
But I thought it was done supremely well and it just hits the ground running and then we see this surreal like mother-daughter relationship start to form and then we just get into like badass magic wielding alien stuff as this moves forward.
I'll save my like final thoughts and stuff for the end here.Janelle, what did you think of this launch into Wonder Woman?
Dude, this was so unique.It was just really interesting and cool.And it feels almost like Halloweeny, you know, like it's such a good time of year to read this because it has like all of these, you know, elements of hell and like creatures.
And I I don't know where we're going with this, but like even if just this was a self-contained
read just the one the story development and the character development and watching her grow up in this environment with this motherly figure and it gives me the whole background of why she's there what you know her family did wrong and kind of her mission like it just
is perfect.It has all of the information there for you.You're not confused or left out or curious, like, oh no, I don't know this story.It's so well done that you can't help but just love it.And also, it's a little baby.
It starts off and she's just a little tyke.As a new mom, it just kind of tugged at my heartstrings, except I'm not just leaving my baby to fend for themselves.
Hey, that's how I raise both my kids.I would just leave them on the floor and tell them, survive.Yeah.Show me you are worthy of my line, survive.
And yeah, throw a snake in there.
Let the snake come out in the backyard and see how they deal.That's how you got to go, you know?You save them at the end, but you know. No, I'm just kidding.
Yeah, I was surprised because this one more struck me like Ultimate Black Panther in terms like Absolute Batman is kind of like Absolute Spider-Man and a lot or Ultimate Spider-Man.We were talking about that when we were discussing that one.
This one's more like Ultimate Black Panther on the Marvel side in which I feel like none of the switches are so great. that I'm like, oh, this is wildly new.
It's just a little change to like the lore, the mysticism and the mythology around the character that kind of changes people's dynamics and their positions in this.
And so like, yeah, the greatest interest to me was like seeing Circe be, you know, Diana's mom instead of Hippolyta and seeing how Circe approached parenting and all of that.
But then how that kind of reflected the character of Diana even from a baby about how, you know, the whole thing about her going into hell and taming these animals but then befriending them and like caring for them and the scenes and the still scenes of her and growing up in that montage that was really well done and just how she began to like even influence Circe and change Circe a little bit.
And Circe warms up to her and actually starts teaching her and caring for her and being a mother to her.And not because Circe feels that, but because Diana just inspires that in her.And that's kind of, it was really key.
And like, yeah, I didn't think the battle scene was as entertaining, but like seeing the backstory of Wonder Woman, there was very, it was very almost like Superwoman, Woman of Tomorrow vibes to me in the way the story was told.
And it was, it was very well done.And I'm very interested to see more.I mean, what we get in the finale is we're just digging into the character at this point. Right?
Like, yeah, seeing the full display of who this Wonder Woman is, what her powers are, what her objects are, like mystical artifacts and weapons and stuff.
So far for me in the macro, it's a two for two for like, I like these absolute characters, and I already feel attached to them and want to see them.Like, yeah, more so than just a limited run.
Yeah.No, I'm very happy that we're getting long.I mean, all three of the main books are on those creative teams are on for, you know, year plus.Right.So I'm, I'm very excited that we're in this for the long haul.
We're not doing like, you know, a short, a shorter run for this.And then like, Hey, let's launch it to something else.I I'm glad that these are, and they're paced that way too, but man, I, what you had pretty much had me at, you know, a complete,
armor and skeletal Pegasus.You pretty much had me from that moment.
And when she brings out the buster sword, which you can check out our full interview with the creative team on comic book, because there is a whole week we talk about the buster sword clouds, the cloud, the very cloud asked buster sword.
Thing about that right that has taken over with people bringing their but those buster swords to life and in very different ways But like seeing the magic and how that's mixed with it and like her doing hexes and starting to lean into that stuff I really want to see where that goes because that really opens up a lot of possibilities But I wanted to shout out Kofi brought it up that sequence
that is like two pages, one page, two pages, where it's all layered and you see Cersei and Diana over time in their house, that whole sequence.And shout out to Jordi Belair as well on colors, like my word.
And Becca Carey, amazing letters to like this creative team, like it's a beautiful book, but like that sequence of just showing them growing up, There's parts where like Cersei's watching her sleep at one point, right?
And that's such a far, they come so far from like her letting a giant snake almost bite her early on.Like they, they make so much progress over all these years, right?Then you see it all play out.It's amazing.Like that, that's so much for me.
So yeah, I, I cannot say enough.You can read a full long,
Form where I ramble on about it for a while longer on on comic book if you want to read about that We've also got a whole thing up about all the changes to the mythology and things for Wonder Woman as well So yeah, I I really dug it so far.
We got absolute Superman coming up You've been picking out really good books.Keep it up.
We got we got absolute Superman coming and Which I'm very excited about and then also we have you know, even at comic-con we they teased absolute Martian Manhunter Absolute Green Lantern can't wait for those two.So absolutely absolute universe.
I'm going to use a word that I never use it's cooking
There we go.All right.And that's the end of the regular portion of the episode.Janelle's got to peace out and get back to being mother.So we are going to say goodbye to her, but then we're going to dive into some deep geek after this.
So Janelle, thanks for hopping by.
Thank you so much, y'all.Can't wait to talk about Venom next week and my thoughts.All right.
Yeah.Enjoy that IPA.Enjoy Venom.Yeah, you've earned it.So enjoy.
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All right, now you're into the Deep Geek Overtime Quiet Storm section of the show, where it's me and Matthew Aguilar taking you through all the most sensual geek news.Speaking of sensual, Alien.Yeah. You're talking about intimate, sensual things.
Been a good week for Alien and Predator, two of our favorite genre franchises growing up from the 90s.
We got the announcement that Alien Romulus, which is now out on digital, is getting a sequel film, where it will, Dr. Fede Alvarez is in talks to return. and continue the story.
And man, the president of 20th Century Studios went out, boy, he just went out and just did a whole PR thing.He was just letting titles fly.He was just like, we got it.
We got that alien, we got that predator, we got that speed, we got this, we got that.
That's what every interviewer hopes for, right?For like that kind of open book, like, oh, you got a question about that?Yeah, here's like 10 updates on it.Like what?
Yeah, it was crazy.But exciting updates too.So Alien Romulus is getting a sequel that will continue the story of Rain, Kaylee Spaney, and her brother, I think his name is, I forget if it's David or,
what his name is in the movie, but her android brother at the spoilers at the end, you know, there's always survivors.
And it's basically an ending like the ending of Alien or Aliens with our surviving characters going into cryo sleep for a long journey.But we know in Alien that never really works out, does it?Those long cryo sleep journeys always go sideways.
So I'm looking forward to seeing what they do with the sequel.Part of me is secretly hoping that
Alvarez does something wild like take the franchise into a whole new timeline by having them in cryo sleep for a long ass time and wake up in some other place, the wrong place, and some other developments happen across the universe and they're in a really crazy situation.
That'd be fun if we advance the timeline a bit. because we are between Alien and Aliens.There's 50 years between those first two films, and this is playing like 25 years right in the middle between them.
So I would love to see them just go past Aliens and just do a whole new thing or tie it in Prometheus and take them some weird engineer planet, something cool.All right.But Alvarez did a good job.
And I think for the second one, even though I was kind of critical of Alien Romulus, it'll probably grow on me like every Alien movie. You see what I did there?And then I think I'm excited for this sequel to play out.
We also got an excellent Alien Romulus comic this week.
I was kind of questioning, because Fede Alvarez combined with Marvel Tonics and a creative team to do a direct prequel to Alien Romulus that was about what happened on the Romulus Remus space station that left everybody dead and everything kind of in the situation we saw.
where we find it, as you've seen if you're watching the trailer with us here at the beginning of Alien Romulus.And that was really well done, I thought.That was a really well done kind of tie-in comic that was what you want to tie in to be.
It was actual information that was interesting.It quickly and effectively gave you some characters, gave you a setup, and basically did the thing prequel.
where you know it's a disaster, you know everybody dies, but it sets everything perfectly in place for where we find the characters in the actual original, you know, the film that we get afterwards, so.Yeah, this is really good.
Yeah, this comic does no less than tell you like what, in a popular article on our site, what happened to the original xenomorph from the original alien movie, you know, where it finally ends up and, you know, some good characters in a very tragic kind of haunting ending to it all.
So that is also some gruesome.
Yeah, shout out to anytime you do one of these.I just, we talked about it, we've talked about it a lot with like Last Mermaid and some books where like they really give the creator some room to
talk to the audience and be like, hey, here was like how this came about or here was this where all of that commentary makes a huge difference.Right.It's why people like to go see or listen to commentaries for movies.Right.It really adds context.
There's he does an intro that he does an intro to this book. Like the first page or whatever, like, hey, it was like always my dream to do a comic book.And then also, and he sets the table so well for what you're about to read.
I just think that's like super important and kind of a lost art that like, I think it matters.And I just thought this book was framed perfectly.And then it did make me want to, you know, go watch the movie.
Yeah, I want to see it again.I got so mad that it's not on streaming.It's only on digital for rent or purchase.I was so mad because the first thing I wanted to do was fire up alien Romulus.
Yeah, it really made it really kind of already enhanced the movie for me because now that I know what they're stepping into and that's what Prometheus has done for me like.
After Alien Covenant, now going back and watching Prometheus and knowing just how screwed they all were the moment they landed, it's a much better movie.
And yes, to answer the comments on the live chat, there is Noah Hawley's Alien Earth series that is still on the way.Alien Earth should be, I think FX president said they probably are trying to drop that next year.
So I think it's coming up in this next year of programming.And that's supposed to be unlike anything we've seen, which is the actual alien outbreak getting out on Earth.AVP doesn't count guys.So yeah, I'm interested for that too.
So a good time to be an alien fan and Matt, but the bigger news that kind of blew me away is what they've done with this crazy Predator franchise.So Matt, you wrote this up.Yeah.
And it was only because you took it that I saw it and I was like, oh, Matt's writing a Predator thing.And then I saw what it was and I was like, oh!
Yeah, I look, I love me some Dan Trachtenberg, Dan Trachtenberg, 10 Cloverfield Lane.I love that franchise as well.And while, you know, I've kind of dipped in and out of the of the Predator franchise, Prey was fantastic. Right?
And so for them to, number one, we already knew we were getting a follow-up, not a follow-up to Prey, but another Predator movie directed by Trachtenberg.And that one is Badlands.
And that one's set for, again, in this amazingly revealing interview, set for a 2025 theatrical release.
But wait, there's more in that classic infomercial way because somehow, how they did it in this day and age, I don't know, but they've secretly developed a second Predator movie and Trachtenberg directed both of them.
And then they go into detail of like, you know, the one thing that like, they approached him after Prey was a success, right?They're like, well, what do you want to do?And he's like, I don't want to do a sequel to Prey.
And they're like, okay, well, what else do you want to do?And then he came at them with several, you know, kind of self-described bonkers ideas and they greenlit two of them.And so this secret predator movie is also evidently slated for 2025.
And they just developed it in secret over here.So the fact that like, To go from, and especially like what, Prey was in 2022, right?
So, you know, that franchise had been kind of in and out, in and out with stuff, some stuff hits, some stuff not.And to go, I feel like on, to have that kind of turnaround to where you have literally possibly three movies within
What a four year time span.Like that's, that's pretty impressive.And, and I'm very excited because number one, because Trachtenberg is at the helm, but two, I just really enjoyed what he did with praise.
So if they're embracing some of these bonkers ideas, I'm all game for it.
I think one's a secret AVP reboot. Yeah, he did tease that we're getting something there because 20th Century Fox is doing both these franchises over again and really revamping both of them.
And I think they're going to do like a. I think it'd be interesting if they did.
some kind of crossover that like in the current Romulus timeline that they just throw a predator in into that and do some kind of connective thing of like yeah there's a predator involved in all of that that would be insane um while Badlands is just a straight up self-contained predator movie because you can do something like that on streaming because I think one's going to be streaming right like that was kind of the indication we got
that one will be they didn't they didn't mention either way on on streaming or theatrical for the other one for the secret one.
Yeah, I think I think that could be like a smaller concept thing that connects alien and predator in the same universe. And like, without it being like an AVP direct thing, but just like, yeah, these things are in the same universe.
That'd be, that'd be amazing.So, and like I said, start small scale, start like Ridley Scott, make, oh, oh, make the original.
make the original alien movie again but just with a predator on the ship instead of a bunch with a bunch of human characters basically something that's low cost low single setting like just a spaceship
And even make it just you can even make it a mostly silent film, just like maybe one or two human characters that get stuck.
But just one predator, one alien on that original kind of isolation, claustrophobia, Ridley Scott, original film thing where the predators hunting the alien that now see now we're cooking.That's not big budget.That's not anything.
That's just a couple of makeup effects in the single setting. I think we could do this.So anyway, we're excited, obviously.I'm really excited that two of my favorite 80s, 90s franchises are are back, baby, and that we're cooking.
So you better keep an eye out because, you know, we're going to be all over this thing. I'm excited for the Predator universe.That's cool, man.Crazy.I'm going to watch Prey after this.It's almost Halloween.I'm watching Prey after this.
Matt, final topic of the day before we get out of here.Now this is just bubbling up on my radar.Now I'm seeing the commercials for this meta thing.
Have we just crossed the line and cracked the line on, you know, I wish we still had quick save sometimes most of the time, but like right now, like have we just cracked the line on VR gaming with this Batman Arkham Shadow game release?
So this might be. you know, we've been looking, I feel like especially like avid supporters of VR have been looking for that killer app.
And while there are some amazing experiences on VR, Half-Life Alex being kind of the standard, you know, there hasn't been that one that like, kind of
bled over to mainstream where it was just like, oh, we have to go get this VR headset to go play this game.It doesn't get much more mainstream to me than Batman, right?Especially if you're tying it into the Arkham series.
And there was a previous Batman experience with VR, but it was very limited and it was very much like unexperienced.
Batman Arkham Shadow is what I, what I think is throwing a lot of people is this is in many ways, a fully, like a full Batman Arkham game.
So number one set in the Arkham universe, that's, you know, after the Suicide Squad game, that's a big deal anyway, because people are kind of looking for some, for looking to, for some repairs to be done, right, to the, to the reputation.
But like having it tied in that way is big enough.But then people, I think what's flooring a lot of people is like, you know, detective mode, combat, like a full, you know, story and like being immersed in this world.
Those are all things that were hallmarks of the Arkham games.And those are all prevalent in Batman Arkham shadow.Like you're getting really a full on game and a full on Arkham experience.
And I think that's, what's really surprising a lot of people that said,
It is still, it's a meta quest quest three exclusive, which by the way, quest in it in and of itself is the most approachable headset because number one, it's the newest iteration of the headset that can, you know, you're not tied by cords and all those other things, right?
You're kind of more, you're much more able to move around and it doesn't bring that extra hindrance to the environment.So like, But it's still its own thing.It's an expensive.It's not cheap.
It is also exclusive to VR and that's always going to be a little bit of a barrier. Two people jumping in, but this could be the one or at least one of the ones.To me, it's never going to be about one game.
It's always going to be about several games going, hey, this is like a legit viable platform for you to buy instead of a console, right?Or maybe in addition to a console.
But this is going to be one of those games that people mentioned, I think, because right now it's sitting at now.Granted, there's still reviews coming in.So it's only 12 critic reviews and 36 user ratings right now on Metacritic.
But right now it's sitting at an 83 for critic reviews.And for 36 user ratings, it's sitting at a 9.6.So it is the people that have played it are really digging it, both critics and audiences, general audience.
So I will be interested to see if this can really kind of have legs and be kind of a system mover.Um, because VR needs those, right?That's the big thing with VR.
It's like, if you're going to jump into that thing again, this is also because it's VR, right?First person. You're you're throwing batarangs.
You're looking all detective mode stuff, but you're doing it from like the point of view of Batman Which is one of the things that might turn some off but is also going a long way to like making people like oh I feel like Batman like I'm staring out from the cowl and Voice just to say that yeah, man It's no Christian I
All right.But it's I'm interested to see how it how it goes.But this is getting rave reviews so far and really is delivering a Batman experience for people who want to jump in.I have not had a chance to try it myself.
I don't have a VR headset, but but I have thought about if Nintendo would ever announce a switch to so I can just figure out what I got to do for that, then I can think about VR.
That's how I feel.You know me, I'm a hustler.I got to keep one eye open so I don't tend to be putting those on my face.You know what I mean?Got to keep one eye open.
But in all seriousness, yeah, we're going to be, I mean, it was just an interesting thing.I mean, it has broken through, it seems, to mainstream to get people psyched.
One of the funniest reviews I saw for this was somebody praising and saying, this game really does achieve in VR the experience of making you Batman. Consequently, I also know I am nowhere near good enough physical shape to be Batman now.
So it basically said it's done the service of curing me of my Batman delusions.So yeah, interesting stuff.We're going to keep an eye on that.I always love the Arkham series.So that's our deep geek dive.I think that's it for the show.
We're going to get out of here.Matt, thanks for hanging around and digging into all that. We are Comic Book Nation and we are the podcast representing comicbook.com.Be sure to go read comicbook.com.
We have a ton of new articles on the newly formatted, pretty, pretty looking site.Obviously this week is Venom Week, but we have a lot of great features.
We are becoming a very feature heavy site where we have all our kind of geek experts really breaking down some of the deeper stuff. We got a good Predator movie order list on how to watch those.
We have all the Venom breakdowns you need for Venom 3, whether you're going to see the movie or not.
Matt and the other comic team have all the big spins from this week's comic books, including Absolute Wonder Woman and everything you need to know and think about that.Yeah, go and check it all out.
And our anime and gaming teams are cooking like crazy now that fall anime is happening and a lot of big gaming things. are happening, including Fortnite's big chapter five finale event, which is coming up soon.
So check out all that on the comicbook.com site.Check us out on your favorite podcast platforms and on our YouTube page.We are Comic Book Nation, and we are out of here.Peace.
