Month: February 2024

Categories
Comic Books & Graphic Novels DC Comics DC's Hardcovers & Trade Paperbacks

BATMAN, VOLUME 2: THE BAT-MAN OF GOTHAM (DC Comics)

Written by Chip Zdarsky.

Art by Mike Hawthorne; Miguel Mendoça; Belén Ortega; Jorge Jimenez; Mikel Janín; Jorge Corona; Adriano Di Benedetto; Tomeu Morey; Roman Stevens; Romulo Fajardo Jr.; Ivan Plasecenia; & Clayton Cowles.

Collection Cover Art by Jorge Jiménez.

SUMMARY:

Released in 2023 by DC Comics, this 240-page hardcover compiles 2023’s Batman # 131-136.  A seemingly fatal shot by the Failsafe robot using Toyman’s high-tech blaster had made Batman vanish before a horrified Tim Drake’s eyes. Immediately robbed of his utility belt, a battered and semi-conscious Dark Knight now finds himself stranded in an alternate-reality Gotham City. 

Initially haunted by a ghostly Commissioner Gordon, Bruce Wayne discovers that this bleak reality had no Batman, as its own Bruce Wayne met a grim fate.  Batman’s probe also confirms countless others from Gotham City and beyond have been abducted as test subjects for ghastly experiments conducted beneath Arkham Asylum.  Donning a makeshift uniform, Batman soon suspects the insidious research is linked to this Gotham’s reclusive billionaire philanthropist: Darwin Halliday.    

With help from his new young friend, Jewel, Batman senses that he must thwart this world’s Joker counterpart: the Crimson Mask.  More so, with such limited resources, Batman’s presence as an anomaly from another universe is a dire predicament he can’t resolve alone.  He must then take a chance that this world’s Alfred Pennyworth and mercenary Selina Kyle will become his allies rather than enemies. 

Shocking twists unfold, as a depleted Batman must later pursue the Crimson Mask out into DC’s multiverse.  In each different Bat-reality he encounters, the Dark Knight seeks a final showdown with his elusive adversary, who is chaotically bringing Joker variants to life.  

Upon finally returning home, Bruce Wayne acclimates to the changes that occurred in his absence, including Selina’s escape from prison.  Reuniting with Tim, Selina, and others in the Bat-Family, the Dark Knight resumes his relentless nocturnal mission.  The Failsafe crisis has seemingly ended for now.  Reeling from multiple surprise revelations, Bruce’s increasingly fractured psyche, however, is taking a bizarre turn for the worst.     

The four-part back-up arc is “The Toybox.”  After consulting Jon Kent’s Superman and Nightwing, Tim Drake’s Robin goes on a solo multiversal quest to find the missing Batman.  Utilizing Mr. Terrific’s technological wizardry, Tim pursues a supposedly dead Toyman into another reality.  Tim believes this villain may be the only answer to saving Batman.  After rescuing innocent civilians the Toyman abducted, Tim can’t resist chancing a reunion with his mother from a parallel world.  It’s conveyed that, off-screen, Tim’s multi-dimensional journey has him encountering as many different Batmen as his mentor has. 

With Alfred alive, the storyline concludes with an eight-page, back-up tale entitled “The Plans Below.” Seeking inspiration to better concentrate, Batman wearily descends from the Batcave into a private chamber.  Awaiting him is a reinvigorating workout versus his Failsafe robot and an opportunity to update the machine’s programming.   

Note: This title is also available digitally. Its paperback release is presumably in the works.

REVIEW:

Deeming writer Chip Zdarsky’s “The Bat-Man of Gotham” a glorified (and overstuffed) Elseworlds epic is a fair assessment.  The concept of Batman, Robin, Mr. Terrific, Toyman, and Crimson Mask all vaguely dabbling in multiversal energy residue, detectors, retracting coils, etc. comes off as outlandish nonsense.  Had Zdarsky instead been writing Mr. Spock, such scientific miracles might be plausible … for the 23rd Century.  In this century, however, Zdarsky pushes far too many multiverse-driven contrivances trying to pass his Bat-Man of Gotham off as a compelling read.

If Zdarsky had simplified his premise (i.e. challenging Batman to escape from an Elseworlds alternate reality) and incorporated a less-bonkers take on science fiction (i.e. the supposedly true purpose for Batman’s existence), a more efficient storyline should have clicked. From a reader’s perspective, the plot’s credibility suffers a significant hit when only Tim Drake is openly worried about Batman’s apparent death. With others (i.e. Nightwing) presumptive that the Dark Knight will resurface on his own like he always does, it seems peculiar that the Justice League isn’t bothering to investigate Batman’s disappearance.

Hence, why shouldn’t readers conclude the same outcome and recognize that Zdarsky’s storyline is backing itself into a corner? Tim Drake’s valiant search inevitably impacts the climax, but it ironically also mutes the imminent suspense — i.e. how does one think Batman will escape? The Bat-Man arc’s resolution, therefore, is telegraphed by the events of “The Toybox.”

Zdarsky also pitches a seemingly shocking injury, which merely duplicates the same device used for Luke Skywalker and Aquaman.  Such dramatic impact would have been sufficient for an Elseworlds Batman, but Zdarsky’s gambit of disfiguring DC’s primary Batman is an unnecessary eyeroll.  Undoubtedly, DC will ensure that Batman’s ‘irreversible’ loss is reversed in a matter of time – sooner than later.    

As for the pop culture parade of familiar Batmen (i.e. Michael Keaton’s Batman ’89), the ‘wow’ factor is obvious.  The one iconic Batman oddly excluded is his Golden Age incarnation (from DC’s original Earth-Two).  Though this creative team’s Bat-homages dangle fun fan-bait, it doesn’t take long for one to realize how superficial the gimmick really is.  These guest spots don’t sidestep an exceedingly convoluted storyline beyond a series of wink-wink optics.      

The artwork, otherwise, treads a consistent B-range resembling most Elseworlds Bat-projects – that is, until Issue # 136.  That installment’s artwork is hampered by some glaring visual discrepancies.  For instance, in the previous four issues, Bruce Wayne/Batman is exceptionally well-toned.  Issue # 136 oddly depicts his physique as now nearly Hulk-sized (resembling his appearance in The Dark Knight Returns). 

Hence, Batman is shown towering over a far smaller Selina – as if she’s a foot shorter (which doesn’t make sense, given their established heights).  An ultra-petite Selina Kyle is also drawn as if she’s barely twenty years old, let alone dresses as such.  Either way, this issue makes for a wonky transition into the next arc reviving Zur-En-Arrh. 

Batman, Volume 2: The Bat-Man of Gotham packs several intriguing moments; its excesses, however, translate into a merely okay read given its hefty page count.  Over-reliance on DC’s multiverse and a horde of ridiculous plot elements, ultimately, does Batman no favors.  Frankly, the most practical option is finding this Bat-title at the library.                     

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Preceding each story is Jorge Jiménez’s full-page cover and then Stanley “Artgerm” Lau’s own full-page variant.  In the cover gallery, one can explore a ridiculous glut of full-page variants: 

  • Issue # 131’s second printing: artist – Jiménez.

2nd variant: artists – Joe Quesada & Richard Isanove.

3rd variant: artists: Jason Fabok & Brad Anderson.

4th variant: artist David Nakayama.

  • Issues # 132 – 134 2nd variant: artists – Quesada, Kevin Nowlan, & Isanove.

Issue # 132 3rd variant: artist Derrick Chew.

                   4th variant: artist – Mike Hawthorne.

                   5th variant: artist – Nathan Szerdy.

                   6th variant: artist – Szerdy.

Issue # 133 3rd variant: artist – Chew.

Issue # 134 3rd variant: artist – Clayton Crain.

                   4th variant: artists – Frank Cho & Sabine Rich.

                   5th variant: artist – Tom King

  • Issue # 135 (two-page spread): artists – Quesada, Nowlan, & Isanove.

                   3rd variant: artist – Gabrielle Dell’Otto.

                   4th variant: artist – Karl Ngu

                   5th variant: artists – Jim Cheung & Jay David Ramos.

                   6th variant: artist – Lee Bermejo.

                   7th variant: artist – Neal Adams.

  • Issue # 136: artists – Quesada, Nowlan, & Isanove.

                    3rd variant: artist – Dell’Otto.

                    4th variant: artist – Stjepan Šejić.

                    5th variant: artist – Bermejo.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                          5½ Stars

Categories
Blu-Ray Digital Movies & TV DVD Movies & Television (Videos) Sherlock Holmes-Related The Ratings Game

THE RATINGS GAME: BEST & WORST OF BASIL RATHBONE’S SHERLOCK HOLMES FILMS

In tribute to Basil Rathbone & Nigel Bruce’s Sherlock Holmes movie legacy, Odd Moon Media Reviews offers its candid assessment of their 1939-1946 movie franchise. 

Twentieth Century Fox produced the first two films in 1939 with first-caliber budgets allowing reasonably close adherence to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s storytelling.  Curiously, the second entry (The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes) shares the name of an actual Conan Doyle short story anthology; however, the movie is really a loose adaptation of William Gillette’s popular 1899 same-named stage play.    

Contractual issues with the Conan Doyle estate stalled the Basil Rathbone/Nigel Bruce franchise for three years until Universal Pictures revived it with cost-effective changes.  Due to streamlined budgeting (and a practical nod to war propaganda), the films’ setting was updated to the wartime 1940’s.  Further, these subsequent Rathbone/Bruce films lifted various elements from Conan Doyle’s tales rather than freely adapting a Holmes title like The Hound of The Baskervilles.  In a few instances (i.e. Sherlock Holmes in Washington), the original screenplay is even devoid of Doyle’s work.         

Released in quick succession, Universal’s twelve entries are of a generally consistent caliber.  For instance, Universal’s rotating stock ensemble where character actors inhabit different roles throughout the series (i.e. three different actors portray ‘Professor Moriarty’) might give observant viewers a sense of déjà vu.  Hence, judging these films objectively becomes somewhat harder than it sounds. 

Gauging their current watchability, the entire roster of films are ranked below in reverse order. 

ANALYSIS:

14. Sherlock Holmes in Washington (1943)   71 minutes.  Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: At England’s behest, Holmes and Watson go to Washington, D.C. to help retrieve missing microfilm that the Allies can’t dare let fall into enemy hands.  Their ruthless opposition is an international spy ring that will readily eliminate anyone getting in their way.  

Apart from Holmes & Watson’s chauffeured tour of the city’s national landmarks, the film is merely a wartime espionage caper without an actual mystery to solve.  Quoting Winston Churchill, Rathbone’ Holmes supplies one of the franchise’s many poetic tributes to England’s allies.  Though Rathbone & Bruce are easy to watch, their Washington, D.C. adventure is forgettable. 

13. Dressed To Kill (1946)   72-76 minutes.   Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: A femme fatale is at the center of a murderous counterfeiting scheme involving stolen British engraving plates. 

Franchise fatigue is personified by Rathbone’s phoned-in effort, as he subsequently quit the series.  It’s no wonder, considering this tired cliché-fest pitches multiple elements (i.e. a brunette femme fatale, an elaborate treasure hunt, etc.) weakly recycled from previous installments.  Dressed To Kill isn’t necessarily horrible viewing, but its unimaginative plotting fails to conjure up anything worthwhile or even new for fans.         

12. Pursuit To Algiers (1945)   65 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: After faking his death in an airplane crash, Holmes rejoins Watson and a prince under their protection on an overseas voyage to the nation of Algeria.  Plotting against them onboard, of course, is a murderous ring of foreign spies, who don’t want the handsome, young king-in-waiting making it back to the city of Algiers alive.

Hampered by minimal plotting, Pursuit To Algiers resorts to several musical numbers to obviously pad its running time.  Still, routine cast performances led by Rathbone and Bruce only worsen the storyline’s dull and eye-rolling predictability (i.e. a formulaic romance subplot).     

11. Sherlock Holmes and The Voice of Terror (1942)   65 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: John Rawlins). 

Premise: In wartime London, Holmes & Watson are recruited to aid British Intelligence in thwarting a Nazi cell group from decimating England one insidious terrorist attack at a time. Meanwhile, the group’s unseen leader issues ominous taunts and threats to the public via live radio. 

The movie’s purpose is again war propaganda, as the arch-villain is meant to resemble real-life British traitor/Nazi war propagandist, ‘Lord Haw-Haw.’  Packing a few intriguing surprises (including Evelyn Ankers’ great performance), The Voice of Terror is by no means unwatchable.  It’s just that this package, as a whole, is a middling endeavor, as compared to Rathbone & Bruce’s better installments. For instance, Holmes’ climatic deductions are pulled seemingly out of nowhere and depriving viewers a fair chance to guess the ringleader’s identity.

Of interest, a deliberate nod to the franchise’s new setting has Watson gently scolding Holmes into donning a contemporary fedora vs. his iconic deerstalker cap before they depart from their Baker Street lodgings.

10. Terror By Night (1946)   72 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: During an overnight train ride, a mysterious killer searches for an elusive prize hidden onboard.  All that stands in the culprit’s way is Holmes, Watson, and Dennis Hoey’s befuddled Inspector Lestrade.  

Even if this whodunnit falls far short of Murder on The Orient Express, using a train as the primary crime scene is at least a welcome change of pace for this series.  More so, deploying a different Conan Doyle villain (instead of a fourth Moriarty) helps Rathbone and Bruce make Terror By Night easily watchable.  

9.  Sherlock Holmes and The Secret Weapon (1942)   68 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: Professor Moriarty (Lionel Atwill) has abducted a pivotal Swiss scientist for the Allied cause.  Parts to construct his captive’s experimental bombsight, however, are hidden in multiple locations.  Hence, Moriarty races Holmes to decipher a baffling code first to unlock their whereabouts one by one.  After being taken prisoner himself, Holmes risks a torturous death to thwart Moriarty’s scheme. 

Crisp and well-played, the film’s plotting makes for solid entertainment.  Atwill’s chemistry as the second ‘Moriarty’ matching wits with Rathbone proves just as good as he had been as ‘Dr. Mortimer’ in The Hound of The Baskervilles three years earlier.

8. Sherlock Holmes Faces Death (1943)   68 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: Watson is the on-call physician at the Musgrave family’s posh British manor, which is serving as a convalescence home for mentally disturbed war veterans.  As the Musgraves are brutally killed off one by one, Holmes, Watson, and Dennis Hoey’s Inspector Lestrade stumble upon an ancient family ritual possibly spelling doom for all involved.

For a routine whodunnit, neither the culprit nor the motive is much of a surprise.  Still, Sherlock Holmes Faces Death makes for worthwhile viewing, as its sense of campy suspense rides first-class.      

7. The Woman in Green (1945)   68 minutes.  Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: Reminiscent of Jack The Ripper, a fiendish serial killer is targeting women and then sending each victim’s severed finger to taunt the baffled authorities.  Holmes suspects that a series of subsequent suicides committed by guilt-ridden prime suspects is an extortion scheme hatched by Professor Moriarty (Henry Daniell).  A complication is Moriarty’s alluring blond accomplice, who uses hypnosis to reel in expendable victims.  

Daniell’s performance as the franchise’s third-and-final Moriarty coldly mirrors Rathbone’s Holmes, making them ideal on-screen foes. Daniell might have made a decent Holmes himself, but his Jeremy Irons-like acting style lacks Rathbone’s timeless panache.  As for the film’s contents, be forewarned that its grisly shock value (much like The House of Fear) somehow bypassed the era’s strict censors.  With most of the plot’s nastiness inferred and/or occurring off-screen, The Woman in Green effectively injects film noir into the Holmes/Moriarty rivalry.            

6.  The Spider Woman   (1944)   62 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: Having faked his own demise, Holmes subsequently goes undercover to probe a suspicious series of deaths plaguing London.  As he suspects, the common link is a cold-blooded female ‘Moriarty’ and her use of a lethal spider venom. 

Often overlooked, The Spider Woman’s best noir asset is Gale Sondergaard’s devious criminal mastermind, making her an intriguing new foe for Holmes & Watson.  By far, Sondergaard prevails as the franchise’s signature femme fatale.  Including the shooting gallery sequence, there is a welcome aura of unpredictability percolating in the plot.  Though the film’s running time is perhaps a few minutes too short, The Spider Woman merits a chance for rediscovery. 

5. The Pearl of Death   (1944)   69 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: A criminal gang’s deadly ransacking search of London for an elusive pearl includes a giant-sized, silent henchman.  Dubbed ‘The Creeper,’ this behemoth brutally kills prey with his bare hands.  Holmes and Watson may realize too late that they are facing more than one adversary.

Though this comic book-style ‘Creeper’ should be facing off vs. either Batman or James Bond, this Universal movie monster is a potent challenger for Rathbone’s Holmes.  Despite its otherwise formulaic plotting, The Pearl of Death concocts an underrated gem (pardon the pun) for viewers.

4. The Scarlet Claw (1944)    74 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: During an occult convention visit to Canada, Holmes & Watson are recruited to help snare a ghostly serial killer utilizing a bloody claw-like weapon for vengeance.  Reaching a remote Canadian village where the murders are accumulating, the two detectives must pursue their elusive quarry in a nocturnal fog. 

Along with director Roy William Neill, Rathbone and Bruce are at the top of their deductive game in a gothic chiller worthy of Universal’s other movie monsters.  A terrific Holmes hat trick would be viewing The Pearl of Death, The Scarlet Claw, and The House of Fear together – arguably, they are Universal’s three best mystery-thriller entries in this series.

3. The Hound of The Baskervilles   (1939)   80 minutes.    Twentieth Century Fox (Director: Sidney Lanfield). 

Premise: The storyline is a relatively close adaptation of Conan Doyle’s iconic novel, as Holmes and Watson pursue a bloodthirsty ‘apparition’ stalking members of the Baskerville clan on the Scottish Moors.

In terms of first-class production values, this gothic Hound meets all expectations.  Its only limitation is, as with the novel, the plot’s mid-section drags without Holmes present.  For anyone seeking a faithful black-and-white rendition of Doyle’s most celebrated Holmes tale, this one is highly recommended.

2. The House of Fear (1945)   69 minutes.    Universal Pictures (Director: Roy William Neill). 

Premise: In a secluded Scottish village, the local castle’s residents are being gruesomely killed off one by one.  Each grisly murder is foretold by the receipt of an ominous packet of orange pips.  The insidious rub is that each victim’s life insurance policy is subsequently split amongst their housemates – calling themselves ‘The Good Comrades Club.’  Hired by the suspicious insurance company, Holmes and Watson’s subsequent arrival (along with Scotland Yard) only accelerates the culprit’s haunted-house scheme.   

Deftly blending ghoulish off-screen carnage with well-played humor, this macabre cinematic cocktail nearly equals the classic And Then There Were None from that same year.  As long as one doesn’t ponder a gaping plot hole, The House of Fear’s sheer Halloween entertainment value is tough to beat.    

and at Number # 1 …

1. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1939)   81 minutes.    Twentieth Century Fox (Director: Alfred L. Werker). 

Premise: Set in the mid-1890’s, Holmes is frustrated that Professor Moriarty (George Zucco) escapes the British court system’s death penalty on a legal technicality.  Subsequently, with their young female client being stalked by vicious killers, Holmes & Watson try to protect her and the woman’s family.  Worse yet, Holmes senses that an elaborate ruse is masking Moriarty’s most audacious heist ever.  

Exceptionally well-played!  Including Holmes’ undercover turn on a British vaudeville stage, this film’s entertainment value assembles a timeless Holmes mystery worthy of Conan Doyle.  With Rathbone and Bruce in peak form, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes is the franchise’s crown jewel. 

Notes: Four of these films: The Secret Weapon; The Woman in Green; Terror By Night; and Dressed To Kill have long since shifted into the public domain, with colorized versions subsequently released.  However, all fourteen black-and-white films are now available in remastered DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital formats.

  • Rathbone and Bruce also performed a weekly New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes radio series from 1939 to 1946.  After Rathbone’s 1946 departure, actor Tom Conway replaced him on the radio show. Universal Pictures evidently considered hiring Conway as Rathbone’s live-action replacement, but the studio instead opted to retire the franchise as is.  As for the radio show, Bruce and Conway left the program in 1947.  The New Adventures relied upon character actors afterwards to fill the void before ending its eleven-year run in 1950.
  • For trivia’s sake, though perhaps briefly mentioned once, Irene Adler never appears in these films.
Categories
Comic Books & Graphic Novels Marvel Comics MARVEL's Hardcovers & Paperbacks

CAPTAIN AMERICA – THE SENTINEL OF LIBERTY, VOLUME 2: THE INVADER (MARVEL Comics)

Written by Jackson Lanzing & Collin Kelly.

“Captain America and The Winter Soldier Special” Art by Kev Walker; JP Mayer; & KJ Díaz, with cover artists Salvador Larroca & Frank D’Armata.

“Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty” (Issues # 7-11) Art by Carmen Carnero; Nolan Woodard; with cover artists Carmen Carnero & Alejandro Sánchez (Issues # 7-8, & # 10-11); & Carnero and Woodard (Issue # 9).

Collection Cover Art by Carmen Carnero & Alejandro Sánchez.

SUMMARY:

Released by Marvel Comics in 2023, this 144-page paperback compiles Captain America & The Winter Soldier Special followed by Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty Issues # 7-11 – all from 2022.  Notably, this storyline incorporates a retroactive origin for Captain America’s iconic shield, as well as the Captain’s decades-old link to his new enemy.   

A prologue set in desolate, post-World War I Latveria of 1922 has enigmatic Wulf Fortunov recruit four others to comprise ‘The Outer Circle.’  This quintet intends to secretly manipulate the world’s future through power, finance, technology, and art, for ends the group sees fit.  Utilizing subterfuge and violence, its wildcard player (calling himself ‘The Revolution’) relies most upon pawns dubbed the group’s ‘starpoints.’ 

In present-day 2022, having recently assassinated ‘The Revolution,’ Bucky has assumed his predecessor’s place within The Outer Circle.  To circumvent the group’s internal rivalries, Bucky intends to install his own murky game of power-play ethics. Among his first actions is recruiting Peggy Carter as his double-agent to spy upon Steve Rogers – Captain America and, by extension, his current inner circle: Nick Fury; an elderly Roger Aubrey’s Destroyer; the Outer Circle’s rogue pawn, Redacted; and her own niece, Sharon Carter. 

Recuperating from a shoulder wound Bucky caused, Steve commands a team he has loosely assembled as a new makeshift generation of ‘Invaders,’ to face The Outer Circle.  Waking up days later with inexplicable memory loss in a Kansas field, Steve realizes that The Outer Circle can evidently play horrific mind games upon them at will.  Reuniting his team, Captain America leads them in freeing a captive New York City from A.I.M.’s force-field scheme. 

Discovering that a warped M.O.D.O.C. is one of the Outer Circle’s demented ‘starpoints,’ Cap’s team risks suffering a descent into insanity, if not death, defying such relentless mental torture.  With one teammate making a valiant last stand, it’s up to Steve to confront the ruthless Fortunov on the battlefield of New York City.

If anything, victory will draw Cap closer towards a showdown with his treacherous protégé, Bucky Barnes, who has no intention of surrendering his newfound omnipotence.  Making brief appearances are: Namor the Sub-Mariner; Hawkeye; Black Widow; Luke Cage; Lourdes Chantel; and Emma Frost. 

Note: This title is also available digitally.

REVIEW:

Squandering a so-so premise, Captain America – Sentinel of Liberty, Volume 2: The Invader falls regrettably short.  Aside from the Destroyer’s well-played support, the co-writers, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, rely far too much upon recycled contrivance rather than exploring fresh material.  With Steve Rogers at odds with a renegade Bucky Barnes yet again, this storyline’s muddled plotting makes Volume 2: The Invader a forgettable read. 

Pitting Captain America vs. the original Bucky (when first repackaged as The Winter Soldier) was an inspired Marvel feud nearly twenty years ago – even if it mirrored DC’s Batman vs. Jason Todd.  In the late 2010’s, writer Ed Brubaker subsequently topped himself with a superb post-Civil War assassination angle where Bucky reluctantly assumes the mantle of Captain America.  The potency of Black Widow, Sharon Carter, and Sam Wilson’s Falcon aiding the new Captain against Red Skull; Dr. Faustus; M.O.D.O.K., etc. added to the franchise’s reinvigoration.  Apart from Steve’s preposterous ‘frozen in time’ resurrection, Brubaker’s creative run was an impressive feat.

Bucky’s New Revolution incarnation (reminiscent of Star Wars’ conflicted Kylo Ren), by comparison, comes off as both unnecessary and disappointingly tiresome. In theory, fans will accept that a secret global conspiracy is practically a given for a multi-issue Captain America adventure. Yet, Lanzing and Kelly fail to add sufficient ingredients to make this clichéd creative pot worth stirring.

Setting up Steve’s imminent betrayal by his closest wartime friends is epitomized by having Steve openly wail multiple times for Bucky to just ‘come home.’  Having Steve emotionally compromised (and blaming himself) makes sense, but the eye-rolling way it’s conveyed in The Invader makes it awfully tempting to switch channels, so to speak. 

Lanzing and Kelly weakly opt to depict Steve near-apologetic for his protégé’s history of misdeeds.  Hence, it becomes too implausible the Star-Spangled Avenger won’t accept that a misguided Bucky now deems his mentor as likely expendable.  Even a last-page twist doesn’t boost hopes that this Outer Circle dreck will be improving anytime soon.     

Visually, this volume’s artwork is consistently solid.  The book’s visuals, however, aren’t nearly remarkable enough to overcome this blah variation of a Captain America conspiracy cliché-fest; let alone justify purchase for the artwork alone.  A reader’s best bet on Volume 2: The Invader is finding it as a library rental, if at all.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

The original covers are included.  Multiple cover variants are presented in either full-page form or in a 1/3 size, with three to a page.  The variant cover artists are the following: Captain America and The Winter Soldier Special (1. Alex Maleev; 2. Carmen Carnero & Alejandro Sánchez); Issue # 7 (1 and 2. J. Scott Campbell & Sabine Rich; & 3. Kevin Wada); Issue # 8 (1. Maleev; & 2. Phil Noto); Issue #9 (1. Ron Lim & Israel Silva; and 2. Jonah Lobe); and Issue # 10 (David Mack).  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                       4 Stars

Categories
Collector's Magazines General Non-Fiction History & Biographies (Books) Reference & Science Westerns

THE WILD WEST: TRUE TALES AND AMAZING LEGENDS – 2017 (by Time Life)

SUMMARY:

Released in 2017 by Time Life Books, this 96-page magazine reflects upon the American West throughout the 19th Century.  Between text and an assortment of photos (mostly black-and-white), along with artwork, the American West’s evolution is encompassed.  After a two-page introduction, five chapters cover the following: 

  1. “An Expanding Nation.” Discussion is focused on ramifications of 1803’s Louisiana Purchase, as to how Lewis & Clark’s expedition became the first step towards a gradual mass migration westward.  Daniel Boone, John Colter, Jedediah Smith, Joseph Walker, Kit Carson and John Charles Frémont are among those explorers highlighted.     
  • “The Great Trek.”  Shifting towards mid-century, initial generations of Western pioneers faced weeks, if not months, of dire reality traveling cross-country.  As much life-ending risk was involved, so, too, were the potential rewards for opportunistic men and women alike.  Case in point: the California Gold Rush, aided in part by the railroad industry, would spike migration numbers enormously. 
  • “Cattle Barons and Cowboys.”  Heralding the Old West’s most famous occupation, fortune awaited this industry’s most successful individuals.  Predictably, those doing the actual labor faced a far more tumultuous daily life.
  • “Law and Disorder.”  Enforcing justice upon outlaws and ruthless killers would prove, at best, an inconsistent, if not hypocritical, terrain for law-abiding citizens.  1881’s ‘Gunfight at the O.K. Corral’ in Tombstone, Arizona, is reviewed, along with glimpses of Wyatt Earp, Jesse James, Pat Garrett, and Butch Cassidy’s Wild Bunch.  Also examined is the illicit creativity involved with gambling.
  • “The Original Americans.”  Native American tribes and their traditional means of survival are confronted with genocide once encroached upon by settlers in search of land and gold.  Skirmishes between Native Americans and U.S. soldiers would climax in June 1876 at the gory Battle of the Little Bighorn.  After this pivotal loss, U.S. forces re-doubled its efforts in forcing Native American compliance with the government’s changing yet self-interested political stance.  It would also signal that the U.S. had at last conquered the West by the end of the century.           

As its postlude, the brief “Taming of the West” explains how, at the 20th Century’s onset, few pockets of the Old West remained.  The ease of cross-country travel and 1901’s oil discovery in Texas would become signs of the country’s imminent industrial revolution.               

REVIEW:

Providing a thorough history lesson in magazine form, Time Life’s production values are stellar.  With gruesome details kept to a minimum, Time Life’s The Wild West lets its vintage photography brings historical truths to life.  The balanced text stays on task and acknowledges that hyperbole often sparked familiar legends. 

As for younger audiences, it’s best to understand that the details Time Life’s text discuss aren’t necessarily exciting, but they are insightful.  More so, the magazine’s text doesn’t play favorites keeping its narrative consistently objective. Intended for both historical buffs and casual readers, this magazine makes a welcome treat.  Highly recommended!    

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

A table of contents and photo credits are included.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     9 Stars

Categories
CD's Rock, R&B, Pop, Soul, & Metal/Symphonic

2020 (by Bon Jovi)

SUMMARY:                           RUNNING TIME: 46:08 Min.

Released by Ocean Records, after a five-month delay, Bon Jovi’s fifteenth studio album was released in October 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.  Notably, Track # 10 (“Unbroken”) was 2020’s first single released in late 2019 – nearly before a year before the album’s actual release.  The planned tour was subsequently canceled due to the pandemic.  

The album itself contemplates a number of American social topics, including the pandemic; George Floyd’s murder, mass shootings, police brutality, and justice reformation; parenthood; migration; PTSD affecting veterans; political animosity; and a need to steel oneself with inner strength and resiliency for the future.  The standard-issue version consists of these ten tracks:     

  1. Limitless                                 (3:41)
  2. Do What You Can                  (4:19)
  3. American Reckoning                (4:41)
  4. Beautiful Drug                        (3:48)
  5. Story of Love                           (5:49)
  6. Let It Rain                             (4:39)
  7. Lower The Flag                       (4:55)
  8. Blood in the Water                  (5:57)
  9. Brothers In Arms                    (4:12)  
  10. Unbroken                              (6:07)

Note: The album’s digital version includes three additional tracks.  Track # 11 is an alternate version of “Do What You Can” featuring Jennifer Nettles.  Track # 12 is entitled “Shine;” and the 13th track is entitled “Luv Can.”

REVIEW:

Tinged with undercurrents of Contemporary Country, Bon Jovi’s 2020 pursues a socially conscious creative direction associated with the likes of Bruce Springsteen and U2.  More akin to a pep rally than a sermon, 2020’s outcome, unfortunately, is a mixed bag. At best, the album sounds merely okay, as its identity struggles balancing social commentary with a radio-friendly presence. 

All good intentions aside, Bon Jovi’s tracks try too hard pushing an upbeat patriotic attitude, in spite of recent heartbreaking tragedies and ongoing uncertainty.  If deemed a rock time capsule for the pandemic era, 2020’s reflections on bleak reality often segues into generic, if not excessive, sentimentality.    

2020’s poignancy often comes off as more superficial than what the band evidently intended.  Track # 4 (“Beautiful Drug”), for instance, drones about the analogy of love as a fulfilling drug addiction making it likely the album’s worst inclusion.  As with other tracks, one can readily grasp 2020’s need to balance a sense of political relevancy and marketability at the time of its release.  Still, socially ruminating content in the 21st Century isn’t Jon Bon Jovi’s forte, as compared to his downloadable hair metal prime. 

2020, therefore, doesn’t rise to join Bon Jovi’s best works, as a single listening proves sufficient.                 

PACKAGING:

The case lists all ten tracks, but their running times are not included.  The insert booklet includes lyrics for all ten tracks; black-and-white images of the band; thank-you notes; and production credits. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                        5 Stars

Categories
Digital Movies & TV INDEPENDENT-Related (Comic Books & Graphic Novels) Movies & Television (Videos) Online Videos

THE SHADOW: THE MISSING LADY (1946)

SUMMARY:                            RUNNING TIME: 1 Hr.

Released by Pathe Pictures, Ltd., in 1946, The Missing Lady was the last of its three black-and-white Shadow adaptations starring the same primary cast that year.  The preceding films were The Shadow Returns and Behind The Mask.  From an original story penned by screenwriter/associate producer George Callahan, Phil Karlson directed this film. 

Note: The obscure Pathe Pictures, Ltd. was evidently associated with Monogram Pictures. Of interest is that The Missing Lady’s noir mystery-wacky comedy formula is reminiscent of a previous Monogram release: 1943’s The Mystery of the 13th Guest.

Murdering wealthy art dealer John Douglas (Lessey) in his home, a nocturnal killer then pilfers the prized statuette dubbed ‘The Jade Lady’ from a display cabinet.  Specifically, the jade statuette is of Quan Yin, the Chinese goddess of mercy.  Lamont Cranston (Richmond), the police commissioner’s crusading nephew, suspects the unknown culprit has stashed the so-called ‘Missing Lady’ somewhere within the city.    

After a month, the Douglas murder remains unsolved. Cranston’s (Richmond) amateur sleuthing has produced few leads, as his undercover stint in a seedy men-only motel leads to a clash with tough-guy mobster Ox (Overman).  As multiple femme fatales become involved, Cranston is subsequently framed for murder twice the same night in his own apartment building.  Compounding Cranston’s probe is a cantankerous and often-befuddled police inspector (Flavin), who would gladly arrest him rather than consider other suspects.    

Cranston (and his masked “Shadow” alter ego) must trace the elusive statuette first to catch the killer (or then again, perhaps there’s multiple killers).  Supporting Cranston are his bumbling valet, Shrevvie (Chandler), and, for their own reasons, the duo’s suspicious girlfriends: Margo Lane (Read) and Jennie Delaney (Kent).  Inevitably, others in pursuit of ‘The Jade Lady’ won’t mind resorting to deadly gunplay to possess this valued artifact.    

Lamont Cranston / The Shadow: Kane Richmond

Margo Lane: Barbara Read

Shrevvie: George Chandler

Jennie Delaney: Dorothea Kent

Police Inspector Cardona: James Flavin

Police Commissioner Weston: Pierre Watkin

Rose Dawson: Claire Carleton

“Ox” Walsh: Jack Overman

Gilda Marsh: Jo-Carroll Dennison

Terry Blake: James Cardwell

Anne Walsh: Frances Robinson

Miss Effie (Elevator Operator # 1): Almira Sessions

Miss Millie (Elevator Operator # 2): Nora Cecil

Jan Field: George Lewis (aka George J. Lewis)

Lefty (Ox’s Associate): Anthony Warde

Harry the Bartender: Dewey Robinson

Waldo (Bar Drunk): Bert Roach

John Douglas: George Lessey

Alfred Kester: Douglas Wood

Motel Clerk: Tom Plank

Motel Guests: Hank Worden & Ted Billings

Cardona’s Plainclothes Cops/Interrogators: Lee Phelps, Eddie Dunn, & Ray Teal

Bar Patrons: Uncredited

Additional Motel Guests: Uncredited.

REVIEW:

This film’s opening credits playfully tease a fun Republic Pictures-style caper, like that rival studio’s serial cliffhangers were known for.  In that decade, Republic Pictures was adept at adapting comic book and pulp heroes (i.e. Captain Marvel/Shazam and Zorro) into campy three-to-four-hour epics.  Pathe Pictures, Ltd. instead ensures sixty minutes with their Shadow ends up a middling waste of an hour.  Peddling a Dashiell Hammett wanna-be mystery as its premise, The Missing Lady is, in other words, a standard-issue cheapie of its time.  That much Pathe’s paltry Shadow knows.     

For instance, despite the setting of an unidentified big city, contrivance doesn’t explain how the major players seemingly live in the same high-end apartment building where multiple murders occur.  More so, this film’s blend of deadly Maltese Falcon noir and insipid screwball comedy (i.e. Margo & Jenny’s vapid ‘jealous girlfriend’ antics; the wacky elevator ladies) doesn’t mesh as a formulaic substitute for a live-action Shadow thriller. It’s a shame to a degree, as the film’s watchable mystery elements are sabotaged by an excess of goofy comedy relief.

Though Kane Richmond is game to play both action hero and Cary Grant, the movie’s lackluster script strands him (along with a decent cast), with little elsewhere to go.  His vigilante ‘Shadow,’ aside from a black mask and appearing a few times in (where else) the shadows, contributes too little to the storyline.  Given how Richmond’s Cranston makes little effort to disguise his voice, it’s an eyeroll that this Shadow’s less-than-terrified targets fail to deduce his alter ego. 

Hence, the supernatural eeriness viewers should expect emanating from the vintage radio show and the pulp stories is devoid from this bland cliché-fest posing as a Shadow caper.  And perhaps the less said about Barbara Read’s silly Margo Lane the better.    

This Missing Lady, unfortunately, proves a weak whodunnit for Lamont Cranston and his Shadow. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     3½ Stars

Note: For a dose of slam-bang viewing from that era, at least two of Republic Pictures’ black-and-white cliffhanger serials are recommended.  One would be 1939’s Zorro’s Fighting Legion, and another treat is the first live-action super-hero film: 1941’s Adventures of Captain Marvel.

IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE

Categories
DC-Related DVD DVD/Blu-Ray Extra Movies Movies & Television (Videos) TV Series

BATMAN (1966)

SUMMARY:                  RUNNING TIME: 1 Hr., 45 Min.

Producer William Dozier had initially intended to make this film as a big-screen advertisement for the premiere of his same-named TV series.  Instead of a high-profile pilot film, Dozier had to settle for concocting the movie between the TV program’s first and second seasons.  Released by Twentieth Century Fox, the prolific Leslie H. Martinson directed the project off Lorenzo Semple Jr.’s original script.  Both Martinson and Semple had previously worked with Dozier on the TV series during its first season.   

Failing to thwart Commodore Schmidlapp’s (Denny) abduction, the Dynamic Duo (West and Ward) soon realize that their four most elusive super-foes: the Joker (Romero); the Penguin (Meredith); the Riddler (Gorshin); and Catwoman (Meriweather) have formed a sinister alliance.  While Batman and Robin decipher this quartet’s outlandish scheme, wealthy Bruce Wayne falls for an alluring socialite, Miss Kitka.  Taken captive, Wayne must somehow escape and return to action as Batman.  Attempting to free an oblivious Schmidlapp, the Dynamic Duo later engage their enemies in a fistfight atop an at-sea submarine.      

Possessing Schmidlapp’s experimental dehydrator capable of rendering humans to molecular dust (and yet conveniently able to restore its victims to normal), the four villains pursue their endgame.  Specifically, they intend to target the United Nations’ diplomats and hold them as high-profile hostages to the world.  It’s time for Gotham City’s legendary Caped Crusaders to catch up and end this dastardly extortion scheme.

Note: This film is available in DVD, Blu-Ray, and digital formats.

Batman / Bruce Wayne: Adam West

Robin / Dick Grayson: Burt Ward

The Joker: Cesar Romero

Catwoman / ‘Miss Kitka:’ Lee Meriweather (Note: Due to Julie Newmar’s unavailability, Meriweather is her substitute.)

The Penguin: Burgess Meredith

The Riddler: Frank Gorshin

Alfred Pennyworth: Alan Napier

Commissioner James Gordon: Neil Hamilton

Police Chief O’Hara: Stafford Repp

Aunt Harriet: Madge Blake

Commodore Schmidlapp: Reginald Denny

Vice-Admiral Fangschleister: Milton Frome

Morgan: Dick Crockett

Bluebeard: Gil Perkins

Quetch: George Sawaya

U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson: The Green Hornet’s Van Williams (voice only)

U.N. Delegates: Teru Shimada; Albert Carrier; Maurice Dallimore; George J. Lewis; Robert Goodwin; Wolfe Barzell; William Tannen; Ivan Triesault; & Gregory Gaye

Man on Gotham City Rooftop: Jack LaLanne (cameo)

Voice of Bat-Computer & Narrator: William Dozier.

REVIEW:

Unlike big-screen outings during that era for The Saint, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., etc., the 1966 Batman caper enjoys a distinct advantage justifying its cult favorite status.  Chiefly, Adam West and Burt Ward’s sole Batman feature film isn’t derived by merely pasting two or three TV episodes together and then calling it a movie — usually released for overseas audiences. The film’s big-screen plotting is also independent of the TV series, making it deliberately easier to reel in casual viewers.  

Two impressive factoids stand out: 1. Lorenzo Semple Jr. somehow devised an original feature script in only a few days; and 2. The movie was subsequently cranked out in only a month’s filming.  Despite its expedited nature, the film delivers to fans of the iconic TV series a practically can’t- miss prospect.  Lee Meriweather’s one-time appearance, in that sense, doesn’t diminish Catwoman’s role whatsoever.

Afforded the movie’s bigger production values (i.e. the submarine fistfight), viewers score the most Bat-bang for the buck from a game cast.  Hence, the TV show’s uniquely colorful qualities are expanded enough without losing its creative grip.  All that is regrettably absent is Neal Hefti’s title song, which is replaced by Nelson Riddle’s cinematic instrumental score.  From a grown-up’s perspective, this element better distinguishes the film from the TV series.  Still, even a brief homage to Hefti’s pop tune at some juncture would have made for some welcome fan service.    

Another hiccup is that the film occasionally falls flat between action set pieces.  That isn’t surprising, as the TV series relied upon superior pacing in 25-minute installments.  Accordingly, its two-part episodes, as separated by their signature cliffhangers, were often high-caliber in conveying a live-action comic book.  If fairly compared to the TV show’s best storytelling, the 1966 film doesn’t surpass episodes where the cast is at the top of their game. The movie’s wacky (and, ultimately, message-laden) plot, however, is still well-anchored somewhere within the series’ upper half. 

This kid-friendly 1966 film delivers sufficient goods — even if its running time doesn’t mean more Batman is necessarily better.       

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Presented in anamorphic widescreen, this single-disc DVD’s aspect ratio of 1.85:1.  Audio options are: English (Stereo); English (Mono); and French (Mono).  Subtitles are available in both English and Spanish.  The primary screen provides: appropriately enough, ‘Bat Movie!!’; ‘Bat Features!’ ‘Bat Scenes!’ and ‘Bat Languages’ options.  The DVD’s scene selection insert identifies all thirty-two scenes.   

The Caped Crusaders: Adam West & Burt Ward supply an optional audio commentary.  This special edition’s other features consist of a Batmobile tour; a making-of-the-film featurette; a photo still gallery; the theatrical trailer; and its pre-release teaser.    

PACKAGING:

The contents are confirmed as exactly as the DVD’s case advertises. The disc is firmly enclosed.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                         6½ Stars

Categories
Digital Movies & TV Movies & Television (Videos) Online Videos

MYSTERY OF THE 13TH GUEST (1943)

SUMMARY:                RUNNING TIME: 1 Hr., 2 Min.

Released by Monogram Pictures Corporation in 1943, this black-and-white film is a remake of 1932’s The Thirteenth Guest.  Both films were adapted from Armitage Trail’s 1929 crime pulp novel, The 13th Guest.   

Note: Trail’s real name was Maurice R. Coons.

Arriving the night of her 21st birthday at the long-shuttered Morgan family mansion in New York, heiress Marie Morgan (Parrish) is startled to find someone has installed multiple working telephones within the home.  In the dining room where its posh table and thirteen chairs were last used thirteen years before, Marie briefly recalls her terminally ill grandfather’s (Ingraham) last family dinner party. 

Seated with him were his eleven heirs (some of whom are children) and the family attorney.  Told that they all must wait thirteen years for Marie’s 21st birthday to learn of any possible inheritance, nearly all of the heirs share a mutual disdain amongst one another. Oddly enough, given that children are present, the grandfather openly hopes that at least of some of those present will also meet their graves by the time 8-year-old Marie is deemed old enough to appreciate the inheritance.

The flashback sequence ends by shifting back to the present-day. Per her late grandfather’s instructions, Marie opens his sealed last will and testament finding it consists only of an enigmatic code or possibly a safe combination.  Moments later, in the darkened study, she is seemingly killed by electrocution.  The police subsequently find Marie’s seemingly frozen corpse stationed at her assigned seat in the dining room, like she was at Grandpa Morgan’s dinner party.

Meanwhile, having been hired by Marie’s worried uncle (McVey), savvy private investigator Johnny Smith (Purcell) takes the lead in probing a series of homicides linked to the fateful Morgan dinner party.  Along with his bumbling police counterpart (Ryan) and a squad of dim-witted cops, Smith realizes from a hand-drawn diagram that someone is eliminating the family’s surviving heirs per the party’s seating arrangement. 

As shown, from a hidden room, a masked culprit is utilizing a rigged telephone at the Morgan mansion to electrocute victims and then returns their statue-like corpses to their spots at the dining room table. 

It’s up to Smith to figure out who is out to kill for the Morgan inheritance.  More so, are there still other conspirators implementing their own greedy schemes to access a fortune by any means necessary?  Smith’s list of Morgan family suspects expands when Marie turns up alive.  The question becomes: will a masked killer try to eliminate Grandpa Morgan’s evidently favorite heir a second time?  Or is there more to Marie than first meets Smith’s eye?          

Marie Morgan (adult) / Marie’s Impersonator: Helen Parrish

Marie (child): Shirley Jean Anderson

John “Johnny” Smith: Dick Purcell

Police Lt. Burke: Tim Ryan

Tom Jackson: John (or Jon) Dawson

District Attorney: Addison Richards

Harold “Bud” Morgan: John “Johnny” Duncan

Harold (child): Robert J. Anderson

“Speed” Dugan/McGinnis: Frank Faylen

Marjory Morgan: Jacqueline Dalya

Marjory (child): Uncredited

Adam Morgan: Paul McVey

Tom Jackson: John Dawson

Tom (child): Uncredited

Grandfather Morgan: Lloyd Ingraham

John Barksdale: Cyril Ring

Uncle John: Dick Gordon

Dr. Sherwood: Herbert Hayes

Police Sergeant: Mike Donovan

Carter: Lester Dorr

Joe: Joe “Snowflake” Toones

Uncle Wayne: Richard Neill.

REVIEW:

Apart from a ridiculously contrived Laura-like twist early on, Mystery of the 13th Guest packs too few noir surprises.  For instance, the masked villain’s identity reveal won’t likely bewilder anyone.  More disappointingly, no explanation is given for the culprit’s wicked methodology, let alone the teased significance of the empty thirteenth chair, as greed is the only implied motive. Hence, welcome intrigue from the plot’s initially macabre tone turns out mostly for naught.  

What this film instead has going, strangely enough, is an enthusiasm for witty screwball humor.  It’s sufficient compensation considering this obscure whodunnit is otherwise hampered by razor-thin genre stereotypes posing as characters.  Despite their caricatured roles, Dick Purcell, Tim Ryan, Frank Faylen, &, in her limited screen time, Jacqueline Dalya, playfully pitch and catch jokes without disrupting the storyline too much.

Case in point: there is a hilarious gem at the end where Ryan’s exasperated police detective unloads on Faylen’s incompetent “Speed” for falling asleep on the job for the umpteenth time. As unremarkable as so many other scenes in this movie are, this sequence’s punchline demonstrates the black comedy potential in the script these actors have some fun with.

By comparison, most of the ensemble cast blandly play their roles exactly as one might expect for a 1943 ‘B’ film. In co-lead Helen Parrish’s case, unfortunately, her average damsel-in-distress’ I.Q. inexplicably diminishes in the story’s second half. It’s no wonder that her “Marie” becomes a forgettable love interest for Purcell’s detective and relegated to the supporting cast.

Mystery of the 13th Guest, in that sense, surely isn’t a must-see.  Catching this witty caper, however, once as a freebie might be an unexpected treat for fans of comedic whodunnits. It also makes for a decent double-feature option for either 1945’s And Then There Were None or 2009’s spoofy Dark and Stormy Night (both in black-and-white).

Trivia Note: Passing away in August 1944, Dick Purcell was cinema’s first live-action Captain America.  Purcell’s 1944 cliffhanger serial also posthumously made him the headliner of the first Marvel Comics-related theatrical production.    

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     4½ Stars

IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE

Categories
Agatha Christie-Related Books & Novels Mystery & Suspense Sherlock Holmes-Related

HOLMES, MARPLE & POE

Written by James Patterson & Brian Sitts

SUMMARY:

Released by Little, Brown and Company in 2023, this 339-page hardcover debuts an enigmatic New York City private investigation firm consisting of: Brendan Mark Holmes; Margaret Marple; and Auguste Poe, all brilliant detectives in their own distinctive ways. 

Each eerily resembling their familiar namesake: this Holmes, among other possibly dark secrets, possesses both a supernatural sense of smell and perhaps unmatched mastery of forensic science; the compassionate and insightful Marple is their best undercover tactician; and the suave Poe, who understands handheld weaponry seemingly better than anyone.  Sharing a massive library at the refurbished industrial factory serving as both office and home, the detective trio can recite their literary inspirations at will. 

Quickly solving a young attorney’s sensationalized disappearance/murder, the three sleuths launch their new firm to public acclaim and instantly earn the scorn of the city’s police commissioner.  Worse yet, the firm brings their first case’s ugly details literally to the doorstep of New York City’s mayor.  Unsurprisingly, a humiliated Mayor Felix Rollins becomes another formidable enemy they may think twice of crossing. 

NYPD homicide detective, Lt. Helene Gray, and FBI Special Agent Brita Stans both become involved in the team’s investigations of several ongoing mysteries.  Among them include: a socialite’s kidnapped daughter; a baffling theft of literary artifacts from a sleazy billionaire’s impregnable safe; a grisly discovery of multiple corpses linked to an unknown serial killer; and the death of a Texas model. 

Marple also becomes determined to end a tragically unsolved ghost story: the 1954 homicide of a teenage girl on the premises of their present-day headquarters, which was once a bread factory.  The team’s invaluable new secretary, Virginia, soon joins Marple in seeking to put this cold case at last to rest.    

Risking their lives multiple times, Poe, Marple, and a potentially self-destructive Holmes find danger lurking in unexpected corners.  Suffice to say, the team racks up fresh victories as often as they incur more threats drawing even closer to home.  Though naturally suspicious of her new rivals, Gray finds herself reluctantly attracted both to Poe’s sophisticated aura and to the trio’s unorthodox mastery of crime-solving.

Yet, the rules they keep bending and established law enforcement procedures the trio flagrantly ignore makes Gray both their best ally and now possibly their worst enemy.  The question becomes: given their shadowy pasts, who are Holmes, Marple, and Poe, really?  The answer may be a smoke-and-mirrors mystery that Gray can’t and perhaps shouldn’t solve.  

Note: This title is also available in large print, digitally, and as an audiobook.

REVIEW:

With co-author Brian Sitts, James Patterson has concocted another potential TV or movie property just waiting to happen. Some readers might have preferred one singular murder-mystery vs. this hodgepodge, but the latter approach still engages the audience with equal depth to each of its rotating mysteries.

The less said about outlandish plot contrivances the better, as Patterson and Sitts focus far more on delivering a potent, hard-edged thriller. The intriguing cast of characters makes an ideal fit for the multiple plot threads coherently weaved throughout the novel.  Hence, it may take a few reads to absorb every detail lurking within this unique whodunnit. 

Overcoming its heavy doses of implausibility, Holmes, Marple & Poe makes for an entertaining, high-concept ride.      

ADDITIONAL FEATURES:

There is a biography page, with a paragraph allotted to each co-author.

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                              8 Stars

Categories
Digital Documentaries Digital Movies & TV Movies & Television (Videos) Online Videos TV Episodes & Movies TV Series TV Series (Specific Episodes)

MURDER CHOSE ME: TRAPPED IN PLACE (Season 3: Episode 5)

SUMMARY:                      RUNNING TIME: 42:00 Min.

Retired Shreveport, LA homicide detective Rodney L. “Rod” Demery hosts this TV series revisiting cases he had investigated earlier in his law enforcement career. 

Demery’s on-screen narration is supplemented by interviews with fellow law enforcement personnel and journalists familiar with the case in question.  The episode, otherwise, consists of dramatic reenactments (with actor John Nicholson portraying Demery).  First airing on Investigation Discovery on May 27, 2019, “Trapped in Place” examines a fatal domestic incident that occurred in Shreveport on or about Christmas Eve in 2008. 

At a rent-controlled Shreveport housing complex, an adult male suffers a broken neck causing full-body paralysis.  The victim’s girlfriend states that he had fallen and fatally hit his head during a night of drinking with her and two of her adult relatives.  Within a matter of days, as the victim is unable to either move or speak, he dies in intensive care.  Prior to his death, the victim makes one faint nod that ominously hints towards what had really happened to him. 

With the police’s assigned investigator deeming the matter an alcohol-related mishap, the victim’s suspicious sister contacts Demery for help.  Skeptical of the initial investigator’s laziness, Demery’s interviews with law enforcement and medical personnel indicate that the victim’s severe injuries weren’t likely accidental.  Inconsistent answers from the victim’s girlfriend about his tragic fall has Demery pivoting back towards her and the two others he was partying with.  Specifically, Demery senses that there has been a cover-up leading to the victim’s homicide.

This episode includes corroborating interviews with former Shreveport police detective Shannon Mack; local TV news journalist Keristen Holmes; prosecutor Dhu Thompson; and coroner’s investigator Erin Deutsch. 

Note: The reenactment’s cast is left uncredited. 

REVIEW:

Aside from excellent production values (including the real Rod Demery’s convincing narrative), this episode doesn’t hold any surprises.  Per the case’s eventual outcome, it’s a disappointing reflection of how the American criminal justice system sometimes works in securing some degree of justice.  Though slickly produced, the storytelling of “Trapped in Place” may still give viewers pause for thought. 

One: Despite playing up rising tensions with the initial investigator on-screen, nothing remotely critical of Demery’s own investigation is presented.  Hence, is this episode’s depiction of Demery’s case fair and accurate, as none of the interviewed guests contradict him?  Without sufficient independent research, there’s no way to know, to what degree, Murder Chose Me has packaged its storytelling for this particular case.     

Two: is this episode (or really the series itself) exploitative and/or self-serving to satisfy fans of sensationalized ‘true crime’ entertainment?  Given how Murder Chose Me hypes itself (i.e. eye-rolling close-ups teasing potential suspects before or after scenes), the show’s credibility loses some momentum – in spite of Demery’s no-nonsense demeanor.    

If deemed an educational (and teen-friendly) alternative to Hollywood’s take on TV cops-and-robbers, then Murder Chose Me works as is.  Despite muddling entertainment with real-world crime, “Trapped in Place” presents solid one-time viewing. 

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      6 Stars

IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE