Disney/Fox Part 6: IT'S OVER!!!!!!!!!!

Previously-

• Disney/Fox Part 1: Comcast drops out.
• Disney/Fox Part 2: Marvel's cinematic history.
• Disney/Fox Part 3: Confirmation!
• Disney/Fox Part 4: Don't celebrate yet, kiddies!
• Disney/Fox Part 5: The home stretch is in sight!

Yep, our first Comic-Con present dropped, and it was a doozie.

Comcast finally threw in the towel, and gave their real concession speech to Disney.
They want to focus on buying Sky, which is the piece of the pie they wanted all along.

NOW you can pop open the champagne, and start planning all the fan crossovers you want to see.

And invest in a welding mask so Avengers 5 doesn't melt your face off.

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Happy 10th anniversary, The Dark Knight!

The old review.

The best Batman movie to date.
...well, the best live-action one.

We'll see how Matt Reeves does.

The same year saw Iron Man, which gave birth to....

....the whole goddamned MCU.
And I did that anniversary in May.

So, I'm doing Dark Knight's anniversary to see how DC has stacked up in comparison.
We'll go through how many Batman and Batman-adjacent films have come out since 2008.

For live-action wide-release theatrical films, we have...

...four.

Dark Knight Rises, Batman v Superman, Suicide Squad, and Justice League.
Batman/Bruce Wayne just cameos in Suicide Squad.

4 flicks in 10 years?
Not so good, DC, not so good.
Counting the Hulk cameo, Iron Man is in 9 of the MCU movies.


So, let's try to fluff up the count, let's do wide-release animated theatrical films!

The Lego Movie, and The Lego Batman Movie.

Suh-weet!
...but that's still just 6.


All right, now animated straight to video.
From 2008 onward, and just counting ones I reviewed for the blog....

• Batman: Gotham Knight 
• Superman/Batman: Public Enemies 
• Superman/Batman: Apocalypse
• Batman: Under the Red Hood 
• Batman: Year One 
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1
• Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2
• Son of Batman 
• Batman: Assault on Arkham 
• Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders 
• Batman vs. Two-Face
• Justice League: The New Frontier 
• Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths 
• Justice League: Doom
• Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox 
• Justice League: War 
• Justice League Dark 

Ones I didn't do...

Batman vs. Robin
Batman: Bad Blood
Batman: The Killing Joke
Batman and Harley Quinn
Scooby-Doo! & Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Batman: Gotham by Gaslight
Batman Ninja
Justice League: Throne of Atlantis
Justice League vs. Teen Titans

And I've seen them all but the Harley Quinn and Scooby-Doo ones.
They've all been pretty great...except Killing Joke.
*Heart breaks all over again*
*Sighs*

Anyway, that's 26 goddamned movies with the goddamned Batman.
That crushes even the MCU's movie count.
If that ain't enough to feed your fix, seek counseling.


Then, finally, on TV, we've got....

...Gotham, which is coming towards its 5th and final season.

And coming up, the CW/DC universe is adding Batwoman to their roster, and she's getting a spinoff.
So, soon as we lose Gotham, we're getting another Batman-adjacent show.

Also, there's supposedly a prequel series about Alfred coming to the DC streaming service.

So, despite lagging behind Marvel at the multiplexes, Batman did pretty fucking well for DC in the last 10 years.

And we owe a good chunk of it to Christopher Nolan.
Batman had a damaged brand-name until "Batman Begins", came along.

Cheers, "The Dark Knight".


And happy Batman, everybody!!


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Happy 2nd anniversary, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call!

Previously-

Year 1.

What's happened since last year...

• GB: ATC is finally coming to FX.
• Ghostbusters 101 wrapped up.
• Got the graphic novel of GB101, and all of RGB on DVD.
• I found lots of RGB references in ATC.
• GB101 turned 1 year old.
• "GB: ATC: What Dreams May Come", ran its course.
• "GB: Crossing Over", is 4 issues in.
• Here's the teams involved.
• Rachel Unglighter is in Ghostbusters: Crossing Over!
• Wrote an essay on why GB2 and GBATC are complimentary sequels.
• Also got the Ecto-1 manual. (which has ATC material)

Buildup to today-

• Happy 34th anniversary, Ghostbusters!!
• Happy anniversary, Ghostbusters 2, and The Video Game.

So, where are we this year?

Its pretty much done its run on Starz.
You can still call it up on on-demand, but I never see it in regular broadcast rotation.
But it's a shitty non-HD copy now for some reason.
May as well watch the blu-ray.

As mentioned above, its coming to FX.

A lot of people who were scared off by the hater-train during the theatrical run are catching it on Netflix, and saying they were pleasantly surprised.

The haters have moved on to "Star Wars: The Last Jedi", and now that Star Wars fans are getting a taste of toxic fandom, NOW they care.
They didn't care when it was GB:ATC.
I was warning everybody that this was a canary in the mine.
Well...I warned people about Trump too, but those third party and non-voters were heroin-high on self-righteousness, so...*shrug*

The cast of "Oceans 8", were on Today Show, and they brought up not just the hate for GB:ATC, but the harassment of the cast online, and how the media practically took the side of the toxic fans, trying to examine how it effected the poor little men.
Then they mentioned how this was pre-#metoo, and they wouldn't cover it that way now.
So, they got a little zing in on the media too.
Sweet, I loved it.
Kinda wished I saw Ocean's 8...but I haven't seen the others.

I almost ranted more on toxic fandom, but I think I said it all in the GB2/ATC essay.

Fuck 'em, let Star Wars fans deal with 'em now.
I finally get to enjoy Ghostbusters in peace.

Anyhoo...
I did the big all three movies marathon for the Ghostbusters anniversary.
Then the cut-scene movie for the '09 video game.
Then I spun RGB again over the next week.
Ahh, happy.

I worried last year if my love of ATC would wane.
Yes and no.
The stuff that isn't great makes me wince more, the parts I love I love more.
So, it's leveled off to tied with GB2.
I definitely love it more now that I found all those RGB parallels.
Also, GB:ATC:WDMC comics antidoted one of the jokes that used to make me cringe.
The only other cringe joke left is antidoted by the alternate takes in the bonuses.
So, I'm good.
Still dig the flick.
My fandom is locked in.

We're 4 issues away from the conclusion of "Crossing Over".
That's gonna be split into 2 graphic novels like "Mass Hysteria", was.

Still no goddamned word on the animated 4th movie.
Hoping for something at San Diego Comic-Con, but I don't find it listed.
Either as outright Ghostbusters, or as a Sony Animation presentation.

We've got to see something soon.
If it's supposed to come out in 2019, we need to see something now.
A title reveal, some stills, a teaser trailer, something.
And if it's coming out later than 2019, or not at all, we need to hear THAT!
Give us something, Sony!!

Well, we heard nothing about the animated Spider-Man movie for years, then we heard casting, then nothing again for another year, then BOOM, the title and trailer dropped out of nowhere.
So, Sony's sneaky with their animated stuff.

No word yet on what comics are coming after "Crossing Over", or if GB:ATC:WDMC gets a sequel.
The writer of "Crossing Over", said they were going to save it for the big 35th anniversary, but his partner said "no, fucking do it now", so I have no idea WTF they can do as a topper for next year.

I guess that's it for now.


How long will I do anniversary updates of ATC?
Until the new material for it stops, which doesn't seem like anytime soon.
It's a franchise within a franchise now.

If it were really the "worst movie in the universe", this sequel comic stuff wouldn't have an audience, and wouldn't exist.
Sony just did crappy marketing, and let trolls control the narrative.

Also, they spent too much.
ATC had to make fucking Ant-Man money to break even.
That's ridiculous.

We'll see if they learn their lesson next time around.


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Pop culture updates #5.

1. I don't h8 Twin Peaks anymore.
2. Fango lives!!!
3. Couple other random pop culture updates.
4. 90's TV revival updates!!

From 4 years ago here...

Well, the casting is officially out, and yep, Hamill, Fisher, and Ford are in.
As are Anthony Daniels, Kenny Baker, and Peter Mayhew.
No Billy Dee Williams though. :-(

Well, 4 years, and four fucking movies later....

BILLY DEE IS IN EPISODE 9 AS LANDO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

About. Fucking. TIME!


And, in news that only I care about, but I want to time capsule it anyway....

Rachel Unglighter is in Ghostbusters: Crossing Over!!!!!!

Yep, this preview image went up on Twitter, and has spoiled that starting in issue #6, Rachel Unglighter is going to be part of the big uber-crossover of every Ghostbuster from every medium.

Rachel comes from a graphic novel where the Ghostbusters were sent to different times in history by a demonic spell, and a student of Egon, Rachel, rigs the Ecto-1 into a time machine, and goes to get them back.
She becomes a temporary 5th Ghostbuster, and an almost love interest for Peter, but sacrifices herself at the end.
But, in a vague comic book-y way that she could come back.
And, she clearly has.

Anyway, that book was "Ghostbusters: Displaced Aggression", and it was really fucking good, and a lot of fans, myself included, have both wondered if it was canon, and if not, wished it was canon.

With Rachel in the mix, yes, it is.
It's canon.
So, permit me to fangirl for a second.
SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!
*Hops up and down clapping hands*
Ahem, okay.

I know, I'm the only Ghostbusters expanded-canon nut in my circle of friends, but this excites me as much as the Billy Dee news.

Call me a weirdo, but there it is.

So, that's those two things.


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Happy 10th anniversary, Harry Hembock: Dark Designs!

• 5th.
• 6th.
• 7th.
• 8th.
• 9th.

There!! A decade of the one true blog-exclusive Harry comic.
What was I thinking saying last year was the cutoff point?
What a dummy.

I'll do the text version, and compile it (and this post) into the book whenever I get to it.
I got other secret projects I'm working on now.
A shitload of 'em.
I keep coming up with them, and it's hard to pick which one to stick to.
Although, I've got a pretty damned good idea which.

Anyhoo, a hard cider toast to the one idea besides Jade-Shade that cut through all the other bullshit distractions I wandered into.
Hopefully, the next thing will be even more cohesive.
Onward and upward!

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Big 2018 Movies Part 8.

• Part 1 (Black Panther)
• Part 2 (Ready Player One)
• Part 3 (Infinity War)
• Part 4 (Ash)
• Part 5 (GB:ATC:WDMC)
• Part 6 (Deadpool 2)
• Part 7 (Solo)

Between a long-ass gout attack, and the heatwave, I've been fucking housebound.
So, with the middle movies I had planned snipped out, we come around to...


Ant-Man and The Wasp (2018)

Previously on MCU phase 3....

• Captain America: Civil War 
• Doctor Strange 
• Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol 2
• Spider-Man Homecoming
• Thor Ragnarok
• Black Panther
• Avengers: Infinity War

And previously with Ant-Man...

• Ant-Man (first viewing)
• Ant-Man (second viewing)

And now the rundown...

• Ehhhh, s'alright.
• I mean, it's good, it's more Ant-Man, it's everything you liked about the first one.
• It's just....Infinity War is a tough act to follow. 
• I thought I'd see it, and go "oh!! HERE'S the reason they had to put it after Infinity War!!". Nope. Not really. 
• I guess they thought we needed the humor chaser for the Infinity War ending. 
• Stay tuned for both stingers. 
• Okay, now for theater stuff....
• I've bitched about parents not watching their small kids, on a similar note, don't take your mentally challenged relative out if you're not going to take care of them. There was a challenged dude who had a shit fit over something during the wait through the credits, and his people were pretending they weren't with him like fucking cowards. God, that pisses me the fuck off. 
• Drive home was like a dangerous video game.
• Y'know, I'm going to the other theater for awhile. The main theater I like to go to is nicer, and has the assigned seats, but some shit always goes down either there, or with traffic. The last 3-4 times there's been bullshit with people, or traffic, or both. I never have those problems with my backup location. Fuck it, next 4 movies, it's backup location. I need a vacation from bullshit. 

So, yeah, it's a fun flick, go see it, you need it for your Marvel collection at this point.
All Marvels are required homework now.


Next, I have to retroactively catch up, and do Solo again, and Incredibles 2.


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Ten years of Shmegalamonga!!!!!!!!!!

Like I said last year...

I'll do a big retrospective for year 10 like I did for year 4.
See you then!

Here we are, and here we go....

Year one.

I was a babe in the woods figuring it all out.
Very unsure of myself.
Ironic, given I got more visits and encouragement in those days.
I think it was because blogs were still more of a thing back then.
Everyone Facebooks, Instagrams, Reddits, and Twitters more now.

I Facebook, but the blog lets me organize and illustrate my thoughts better.
I'm never giving this thing up.
This is my show.

Year two.

We crossed over into the 2010's.

I got the Dingoo. Holy shit, that's 8 years old now!!
I fiddled with that just yesterday.
Played Rampage via TV output.

Was still trying various things out.
Political commentary, etc.
Was still figuring it out.

Year three.

2011 was a rough year.
"The year of Hell", started here.
Still have the trauma from that.

In spite of that, finished off Dark Designs, and created the original Krazy for decades, which evolved into En-Mike-lopedia, and I created Dr. Herbert, who ended up in Jade-Shade.

All of that while having my first and worst bout of gout.

Not bad, actually.
I looked down on this year in year 4's retrospective, but I was shaken by depression and the shit I was going through.
I was actually plugging away pretty heroically when I think about it.

Year four.

Quite possibly the most creatively explosive year ever.

Published the first Harry book.

Did the first En-Mike-lopedia.

Did the first big blog overhaul.

Found Hyla, and he started his blog.

Hmm, damn, shrugging off the gout, and my mother not being dead really lit a fire under my ass!

Year five.

Gotta say, that's still my favorite logo ever.
And I created it by accident.
A random series of button pushes in Irfanview I can't re-create.

All the stuff I started in year 4 was continuing on, and I started Jade-Shade.

Got all the Harry books published.

Did the second big overhaul.

Started the calendar pages.

Damn, the rocket from year 4 was still strapped to my ass, I was really going for it!

Year six.

Still sequel-izing everything from years 4-5.

Still chipping away at Jade-Shade.

I did a superhuman bingewatch of shows I missed.

I did the hardest Halloween ever, and almost crippled my brain.

Shit, I really busted my ass on year 6, I was not slacking.
Safe to say, I'd figured out what I wanted to do, and was chasing it with confidence and gusto!

Year seven.

Arrgh, that's my least favorite logo.
I really hate it.
I should have broken the sacred rules, and changed it.

Still sequel-izing everything from years 4-6.

Still pecking away at Jade-Shade.

I think I had a comfy groove going on.
I never again busted my ass as hard as in year six.
That was way too much.
I think I frightened people.

Year eight.

Ecch, ugly logo.
Was trying to re-capture year 5's.
See how hard?
Can't be done.
Still better than year 7 though.

2016, mass celebrity die-off, and fucking Trump election.
Not a good year.

Well, except it being the big Ghostbusters:ATC year.
I'll always fondly remember that.

Abandoned En-Mike-lopedia.
It was the start of me whittling away the things I don't need in favor of the things I really want to focus on.

Still pecking away at everything else, including Jade-Shade.
Still in a comfy groove.
Perhaps too comfy....

Year nine.

Finally finished goddamned Jade-Shade!!

Hyla quit his blog, and erased himself from the internet like he's hiding from federales or something.
*Shrug* go figure.
No clue what's up with that.
But I'm not gonna play hide-n-seek either.
Too old for that bullshit.

Still in my uncomfortably comfy groove, and starting to rebel against it.

This year.

Did my gigantic 90's retrospective that I had an absolute fucking blast with, and was a big dose of therapy for me.

Did a big tour/overhaul of the whole blog in preparation for today.
That was a nice memory lane bit of therapy too.

Abandoned calendar day.

I'm not doing big Halloweens anymore.

I'm not doing big Christmases anymore.

I overhauled movie reviews to go by year instead of season.

The MCU turned 10.

Ghostbusters ATC is still being sequel-ized in comics.

Still tapping my foot waiting for the animated GB movie.


Plus, the usual personal anniversaries...

Harry turned 29.

The Harry books turned 6.

Jade-Shade turned 5.

Krazyfool's Den Of Delusion turned 19.

Harry Hembock: Dark Designs turned 9.

Krazyfool Show turned 18, didn't observe it.


Aaaand, yep, that's all of that.

In final review, years 1-8 I was building up, years 9-10 I was tearing down, and streamlining.

And now, for year 11's logo.

Purty, eh?
Yeah, they finally have speedy automated logo making sites, so I don't have to struggle anymore.
I'll never hand-make one as good as year 5 again, I'll leave it to the programming geeks.


And, that's been a decade of Shmegalamonga.
Hope you've enjoyed it!
Now to get started on decade two!!


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