Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Nostalgia

By Brandon T. McClure

As soon as Anson Mount swaggered off the transporter pad of the USS Discovery, fans fell in love with his portrayal of Captain Pike. Portraying the second captain of the Enterprise, Mount took on the legacy role originally held by the late Jefferey Hunter throughout the second season of Star Trek: Discovery. Fans immediately began a social media campaign for a spin off show centered around Mount’s Captain Pike and his crew of the USS Enterprise. Paramount heard their pleas and announced Star Trek: Strange New Worlds in 2020 to the cheers of Star Trek fans around the world. However, the show that many were hoping for was not the one they got. Instead, the show seems less interested in telling the story of Captain Christopher Pike, and more interested in setting up his replacement, the nostalgic Captain James T. Kirk. A character who casts a very large shadow over the franchise.

Despite what the general consensus of the internet would have you believe, there's nothing inherently wrong with prequels. They offer a unique opportunity to shed light on characters in ways that could fundamentally change the audience's understanding of said characters. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds found itself in a great position. It was far enough away from the events of Star Trek: The Original Series (I know it’s just Star Trek, but for the sake of my sanity it’s going to be called Star Trek: The Original Series in this piece), which gave it enough room to tell new stories in a familiar setting. Rebecca Romijn and Ethan Peck would reprise their roles as Una Chin-Riley (originally just referred to as Number One) and Spock from Star Trek: Discovery, but there was room to fill the bridge crew with brand new characters for fans to fall in love with. Nevertheless, it didn’t really work out that way.

Number One (Rebecca Romijn), Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) and Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds

While there were new characters introduced like Christina Chong’s La'an Noonien-Singh and Melissa Navia’s Erica Ortegas, most of the principal cast is made up of legacy characters. Jess Bush plays Nurse Christine Chapel, a part originally played by the first lady of Star Trek Majel Barrett, Celia Rose Gooding plays Nyota Uhura, a part originally played by Nichelle Nichols, and Babs Olusanmokun plays Dr. M’Benga, a part originally played by Booker Bradshaw. Like it was mentioned above, seeing these familiar characters isn’t inherently a problem. Afterall, M’Benga only showed up in two episodes of Star Trek: The Original Series and is therefore just as much of a blank slate for the writers as Lt. Ortegas. But after two seasons, the problem lies in how the characters have been used.

For example, Majell Barrett is considered the first lady of Star Trek, not only for her relationship to the “great bird of the galaxy” Gene Roddenberry, but due to the fact that she played three characters in Star Trek including Una Chin-Riley, Nurse Chapel, and Lwaxana Troi from Star Trek: The Next Generation, and then voiced the ship's computer until her death in 2008 (she has a brief vocal cameo in 2009's Star Trek that she recorded beforehand). Although, not many people would consider her Nurse Chapel a well rounded and engaging character. Most of her appearances in Star Trek: The Original Series sees her as Dr. McCoy’s sidekick or fawning over Spock due to her one-sided attraction to him. There’s room for “improvement” so to speak, and a prequel series with her as a lead could lead to a re-contextualization of her character. Even though the first season began to paint Nurse Chapel as a complicated, yet intelligent character, the second season reframed her entire character around her love of Spock. Bringing her back to square one. That’s the real problem, Chapel’s character in the original series centers entirely around other people, namely men. Season two of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds sees Chapel’s entire character arc revolve around other people again, the same men. There is plenty of time for this to course correct, but now that the writers sloppily got her through a relationship with Spock, they’re introducing her future husband Dr. Roger Korby (played by Cillian O'Sullivan). Hell, Chapel’s bisexuality was all but erased in a concerning trend within the once progressive franchise.

In contrast, Dr. M’Benga got some much needed character development in the first season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. His arc, especially in season one, is a good example of how this prequel series can positively develop a legacy character that enhances his appearance in Star Trek: The Original Series. In fairness, the writers fumbled his story in season two by forgetting that he was a doctor and focusing on Babs Olusanmokun’s martial arts training. While it’s cool that Dr. M’Benga has another side to him, it was frustrating that the second season focused so heavily on this side that it neglected the important side of him. But regardless, Dr. M’Benga is a step in the right direction for what this show can achieve when it focuses on its own cast of characters. Similarly, Una Chin-Riley has also benefited from being a featured member on this show.

But then, there’s the biggest legacy character of all. The one that the entire franchise revolves around. The future captain of the USS Enterprise, James T. Kirk. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds surprised audiences in the final episode of the first season by revealing that Paul Wesley had been cast in the role, making him the third actor to play Kirk. So far Wesley has shown up in four episodes of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, but only two as Lt. Kirk (time travel and alternate universes account for the other two appearances) and will definitely show up more and more as the show progresses through its final three seasons. Frankly, the question of whether or not Kirk needed to be in this show has to be asked constantly. Sure, his brother Sam Kirk, played by Dan Jeannotte is part of the crew of Pike’s Enterprise, but Akiva Goldsman (co-showrunner) and his team of writers don’t seem interested in developing Sam and Jim’s brotherly relationship, but do seem very interested in setting Jim Kirk up to take command of the Enterprise.

Captian James T. Kirk (Paul Wesley), Erica Ortegas (Melissa Navia) and Christine Chapel (Jess Bush)

Recently, during an interview for season three, Akiva Goldsman spoke about how the final episode of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds will show Kirk’s first day as captain of the Enterprise, saying “We will take the show to Kirk’s first day of command.” As if the show only exists to set up the events and characters of Star Trek: The Original Series. Which means this show will never be able to stand on its own. Much has been said about Star Trek: Enterprise, but at least it’s able to stand on its own as a Star Trek show first and a prequel show second. Of course nothing exists in a vacuum. Audiences have the original series in mind when watching Strange New Worlds, and it will be compared to it whenever it tries to do something new or different. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can’t magically come out first. Perhaps in another world where the shows came out in reverse order, an episode like “The Menagerie” would be considered “fan service” and writers would be trying to find ways to shoe horn in Captain Pike every three episodes.

Remember when WB decided that The Hobbit should be three movies and Peter Jackson wrote in a ton of references to The Lord of the Rings films? Legolas isn’t in The Hobbit but he’s all over the film adaptation. His arc ends when his father says he needs to go and find Aragorn. Legolas only exists in that movie to set up his appearance in The Lord of the Rings. He serves no other purpose and is arguably wasting space and taking the attention away from the story being told. That’s what Paul Wesley’s Kirk is doing to the cast and characters of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. From 1963 to 1994, Captain Kirk dominated Star Trek in both television and film, and then again in 2009 to 2016 when JJ Abrams rebooted the franchise around Kirk and the original series crew. There’s plenty of Captain Kirk. Like Legolas in The Hobbit, it’s fair to ask “why is he here?” In this instance, he overstayed his welcome before he even got there.

It’s only going to get worse. Now that the show has an expiration date, the writers want to “set up” the original series. Scotty, originally played by James Doohan, now played by Martin Quinn (the first Scottish actor to play the character) has now joined the main cast of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Rather than developing the resident Chief Engineer, Pelia, the writers have decided in their infinite wisdom that they need to set up Scotty and his relationship to the Enterprise and his future captain. Introducing a legacy character will always take away from the new characters. Always. It almost feels like the writers would have rather have written a reboot of Star Trek: The Original Series and consider this show a back door pilot to that. Which has been all but confirmed in every interview for the new season. It would not be a surprise if Dr. McCoy or Sulu were to show up by the end of season three or four.

The writers of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds seem to be of the opinion that the show's only value comes from how it can set up and lead directly into the original series. As if every story only serves to set up the next. The next story is the only one of value, so every story has to center around it. Rather, the opposite is true. It’s established canon that Kirk and Pike didn’t meet until Kirk took over the Enterprise, but in a world where Kirk’s story is the only one that matters and Pikes only exists to set up Kirk, then that needed to be retconned. This course devalues Pike's story. His crew doesn’t deserve to have a story of their own, rather their story only exists to set up or enhance what came before. It’s a shame, because Star Trek: Strange New Worlds should be able to stand on its own and not be beholden to a show that came out 60 years ago. We aren’t learning about new adventures that Pike went on, we’re learning about a footnote in the history of the Enterprise while Pike kept the seat warm for Kirk. Pike was in command of the Enterprise for 15 years, so surely there should be more reverence put on his tenure. Strange New Worlds should put its value on its crew, and not the set up of a crew that audiences are more than familiar with.

Streaming shows don’t have the real estate that network shows used to have. At the end of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ five season run, it will have fewer episodes than Star Trek: The Original Series did in three. The higher production budget that streaming shows get, demands less episodes, which is why serialized television thrives in the streaming era. Episodic television like Star Trek has a harder time. Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was born out of a desire to go back to the episodic nature that the franchise was known for. The benefits of that meant that audiences would be able to spend more time with the characters and get to know them without the writers having to worry about some looming threat or mystery that needs to be set up in every episode. While some characters have benefited from this, like Una Chin-Riley and M’Benga, others have not been so lucky. In 20 episodes, all audiences know about Lt. Ortega is that she “flies the ship.” Perhaps the writers could have cut a Jim Kirk (who’s a guest star at best) episode in favor of an Ortega's (who’s a credited lead) one. But maybe that will change in season three.

The problem is that nostalgia is a hell of a drug. Franchises have made billions on nostalgia, but that’s not what Star Trek is. Star Trek is a franchise about moving forward, learning from the mistakes of the past, actively building a better future for those that will come after you, and the hope that things can get better. It’s about looking to the future, and nostalgia is about looking to the past. Even though Star Trek: Strange New Worlds is a prequel, it can still carry those ideas and forge a new path with new and old characters. Telling stories that are progressive and relevant to today, and not be so focused on setting up a status quo that is, frankly, outdated. A 21st century Nurse Chapel shouldn't look or feel the same as a 20th century idea of Nurse Chapel. Ideas change all the time as we improve ourselves. Star Trek: The Original Series is progressive for its time, but it’s not perfect and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds shouldn’t be actively trying to emulate it. It should be forging a new path so that the characters of Ortegas, La’An, Una, M’Benga, Chapel, and even Pike can stand shoulder to shoulder with Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, and Archer. Star Trek: Discovery understood this, and while that show was also not perfect, it remains the most bold and progressive Star Trek show to date. 

All that said, there’s ways that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds can use its nostalgia to its strength. If the writers are so insistent that Jim Kirk be a regular guest star, then they should do more to set up his relationship with his brother Sam. That’s a character that was introduced as a dead body in the original series, so there’s plenty of room to form that relationship that can recontextualize the moment in the original show. Season one introduced the beloved Captain Angel, who was working with Spock's brother Sybock. This was a much maligned character when he was introduced in Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, but Strange New Worlds could build a relationship with Spock. Audiences have seen Kirk, they’ve seen Spock wrestle with his emotions, they’ve seen Chapel fawn over a man who doesn’t love her back. But there are still plenty of things they haven’t seen and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds should be focusing on those. It’s not too late either, they have three seasons left to course correct.

Star Trek: Strange New Worlds isn’t a bad show, and it’s certainly not a bad Star Trek show. It’s weirdly regressive, overly reliant on nostalgia and it’s starting to feel like a set up for a show Akiva Goldsman would rather write, and that’s just after two seasons. But it’s not a bad show. Its first season is one of the strongest in the franchise's history, and it’s incredibly well cast with loveable actors that make you forget the writers aren’t interested in developing them. It’s also got some of the most fun episodes the franchise has ever produced, with a crossover with Star Trek: Lower Decks and the franchise’s first musical episode. It just needs to dial up the progressiveness, and dial down the nostalgia. Focus on this cast, this crew, and stop focusing on setting up a 60 year old show.

A More Ambitious Attempt - A Review of Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II

By Brandon T. McClure

With Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers having been such a successful, if underwhelming, crossover event, a sequel was inevitable. Now Boom! Studios and IDW Publishing have teamed up once again for the aptly named Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II. But does this crossover offer more than the surface level thrills of the first volume? In some ways, the same problems still persist, but this is a more ambitious entry and offers more thrills, however slight they might be.

Like the first volume, Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II opens in medias res (starting in the middle of the action for those who don’t know) with an action sequence. Readers are introduced to a parallel reality version of the White Ranger who finds himself fighting Rita’s monsters in the Godzilla universe the last volume was set in. It’s revealed that, shortly after the events of the last volume, Rita teamed up with Astronema to steal parallel universe versions of the Power Rangers and amass their powers to take over the multiverse. Turns out, this White Ranger, who we never learn the identity of, though most likely a version of Tommy, has a piece of the Multiversal Focus and has been using it to find a way to stop Rita. Of course, Godzilla gets in the way, and the King of the Monsters and the White Ranger end up in the “prime timeline” where they team up with the “prime” Power Rangers.

Cullen Bunn returns to pen the story, but this time he’s joined by Baldemar Rivas on art, replacing Freddie Williams III who drew the first volume. Rivas brings a new energy to the book that feels far more cartoonish than the first volume, which isn’t meant to be a bad thing. More cartoonish art works better for a crossover event of this magnitude. The action and movement doesn’t feel as stiff or static. There’s a fluidity to the art this time around that helps the comic feel more fun to look at. However, Rivas is not the same detail oriented artist as Freddie Williams III, and that hinders what should be the biggest strength of the comic. The cool new and original designs that Rivas created for the book, such as the Kaiju Rangers, don’t get any moments to show off.

The Kaiju Rangers is a good indicator that Bunn is taking more swings this time around and attempts to create a more ambitious story than the first volume. He and Rivas use the two properties in unique ways that justifies this crossover. It happens very late in the story, but the Power Rangers need to amass more power, so Zordon, with the help of the Shobijin (Mothra twins), creates new power coins for the Rangers based on various Kaiju allies. These Kaiju Rangers are very cool, and the designs are great. There’s even Zords that go along with them. They are, by far, the best part of this story. That said, the story never slows down to get a good enough look at these cool new designs, and the action scenes are so stylized that you lose the detail entirely. It would have been nice to get just one good splash page with them.

The biggest problem with the first volume persists with this one. The characterizations are just not there. Constructive criticism, but Cullen Bunn is not a good Power Rangers writer. Every line of dialogue becomes very generic and could be spoken by any one of them. He loses the identities of the rangers in ways that previous Power Rangers writers, Kyle Higgins, Ryan Parott, Melissa Flores (currently writing Power Rangers Prime), and even Tom Taylor (shout out to Justice League vs. Power Rangers) never did. He doesn’t have a grasp on them as individual characters and only cares about them as generic heroes. The only exceptions are Rita and the White Ranger. Since the White Ranger spends most of the story explaining the experience, it’s pretty easy to differentiate when he’s talking, especially when he’s vaguely foreshadowing Tommy’s future. In Rita’s case, she’s so over the top that it would be difficult to get her characterization wrong. Even if it’s a cartoonishly over the top version, it’s at least in line with the TV show. On a personal note: Rita’s monsters are BEYOND annoying.

The other villains of the book are also non-entities. Astronema and her Psycho Rangers are devoid of personality to the point where you wonder why they’re even there in the first place. It’s a shame too, because the Psycho Rangers are using the powers of Godzilla enemies which is a very cool use of both properties. Like the Kaiju rangers, there isn’t a good look at them, however. But the biggest issue is that there are so many other Rita monsters taking up space, that the Psycho Rangers end up being blank slates that don’t offer the story much outside of a concept. Take out Rita and her monsters, and give the Psycho Rangers personalities, and they could (should) have been the main villains of Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II. With both them and the Power Rangers powered by Kaiju, it could have created a fun and unique take on the classic monster brawls of the Godzilla franchise. 

Like the first book, Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II is not without some positives. There are some very fun and cool surprises along the way for Godzilla fans, like the aforementioned Kaiju Rangers and their Zords. Fan favorite Godzilla character Jet Jaguar is a prominent character as well as his creator Goro Ibuki. Jet becomes little more than a plot device to move the story from one parallel world to the next, but he gets so little attention in the media, that he’s a welcome addition. While they go by very fast, seeing more parallel worlds, including a few familiar ones, is also cool. There’s also a moment where Godzilla merges with the DragonZord, that personifies some of the cool ideas that should have littered the original book. It’s something that can only happen in a comic like this and it’s nice to see Bunn take the opportunity finally. It would have been nice if the story was able to linger on any of these though, or utilized at least one flashy splash page.

For a crossover, that feels like it should be a slam dunk of a story, there’s precious little to latch on to. The Power Rangers aren’t interesting, the villains aren’t interesting, and the book moves so fast you’ll likely forget about it in a week or so. But there’s more ambition in Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II than there was in the first volume, and because of that, there’s more fun to be had. This story just cannot sustain itself on concept alone and if there is a third crossover event, then Cullen Bunn needs to let the story breathe and work on his characters.

Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II and Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers are available now on Amazon or your local book and comic book store.

Familiar and Fresh - A Review of Universal Monsters: Dracula

By Brandon T. McClure

Universal Monsters: Dracula is the first in a line of new horror comics from Skybound Entertainment, a subsidiary of Image Comics owned by Robert Kirkman, that aim to reimagine some of cinema’s most famous monsters. Released in 2023, Universal Monsters: Dracula was collected in hardcover format in 2024 and written by James Tynion IV with art by Martin Simmonds. It reimagines the original 1931 Universal Studios film starring Bela Lugosi. Dracula has to be one of the most adapted works of fiction in the world, so finding new and interesting ways to tell this story can be difficult for a creator. But Tynion and Simmonds are more than capable of retelling this story in a way that feels both familiar and fresh. 

Unlike other adaptations of Dracula, this comic does not readapt the 1897 Bram Stoker novel of the same name. It squarely sets itself up as a retelling of the 1931 film which immediately sets it apart from any other comic, film, or television adaptation. The biggest twist, however, is how it chooses to center the events of the film and its titular monster. Count Dracula is not a character, but a monstrous force of nature. Everything the reader learns of Dracula is through other people recounting events that the mysterious count was part of. Tynion frames him in the background, and only ever says one line of dialogue. 

Tynion decides to focus the action around the human characters of the story, most notably Dr. Seward and Renfield. On paper, retelling the story of the film but removing the title character doesn’t seem like it should work. However, rather than causing the reader to question where the monster is, the reader is able to share in the dread that each character is feeling. The characters become more sympathetic as you watch them hopelessly try to fight something they don’t understand. The arcs of both Seward and Renfield are standouts with incredible payoffs, but the likes of Mina, Harker and Van Helsing also get plenty of moments that add depth to the story being thrust upon them.

The ending benefits from this change in perspective more than anything else in the book. The original 1931 film has a rather anticlimactic ending that ends with Van Helsing killing Dracula off screen in his sleep. It’s a fine ending, but it’s not the thing people remember about the film. But here, that same ending is filled with emotions ranging from dread to relief to sadness. It’s incredible how the same narrative beats can elicit a different emotional reaction.

Martin Simmonds is the true hero of Universal Monsters: Dracula, however. While Tynion frames Dracula as a force of nature, Simmonds brings that force of nature to the realm of dreams. His brush strokes create an ethereal effect that evokes the fluidity of a half remembered nightmare. His splash pages deserve to be framed as singular works of art. Some of the characters that are possessed by Dracula have haunting pale white faces, an effect that adds to the evocation of said nightmare.

The “Universal Monsters” are some of the most iconic in all of film history and none are more iconic than Dracula. Creating a story based on the original film that feels fresh is a daunting task, but this book makes it seem easy. It’s exactly the type of story that long time fans of monster movies, and new fans, would absolutely love. It’s a strong start to a new line of exciting comics that might have set the bar a little too high.

Universal Monsters: Dracula is available at your local comic and book story or at any online retailer.

When Kathleen Kennedy Leaves, Who Takes Over Lucasfilm?

By Brandon T. McClure

Last month, Puck news jumped the gun by claiming that longtime Lucasfilm president was going to retire at the end of 2025. Those rumors proved to be false, when Lucasfilm representatives for Kennedy released a statement. However, those same representatives said that Kennedy is beginning to look for a successor. So while she may not leave at the end of this year, she is not going to be President of Lucasfilm forever. Truthfully, she’s earned her retirement. Having been with Lucasfilm since 2012, and taking over as President later that same year, she has earned the now Disney-owned company billions in revenue. So while she looks to a well-earned retirement from Lucasfilm, the question becomes, who takes over?

Kathleen Kennedy was in the film industry for many years before becoming a producer on E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial in 1982. It was this film that cemented her relationship as Steven Spielberg's go-to producer. She would produce all his films for the next 30 years and co-create Amblin Entertainment with Spielberg and her husband, Frank Marshall. Through her long career, she’s produced films like Back to the Future, Twister, and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. The latter of which is how she met George Lucas. Through more than 70 producer credits and 8 Academy Awards, her largest strength as a producer was realizing the director's vision.

In 2012, she stepped down from her other company, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, leaving her husband, Frank Marshall, to run the company on his own. After that, she became the co-chair of Lucasfilm alongside George Lucas. That was short lived, as Lucas would sell Lucasfilm to Disney that same year, for $4 billion, with the stipulation that Kathleen Kennedy become the President of the company. Her time as President under Disney has seen the company gross $6.3 billion, with her only theatrical flops being Indiana Jones and the Dial Of Destiny and Solo: A Star Wars Story. Both of which grossed under $400 million worldwide. 

Under Kathleen Kennedy, Lucasfilm has produced 14 Star Wars projects, and 2 non-Star Wars projects, including Willow and the aforementioned Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Of the Star Wars projects, most of them have been for Disney+. Some of those projects continued Lucasfilm’s long history with Star Wars animation, but most of them were live-action as she finally realized George Lucas’ dream of bringing big budget live-action Star Wars to the small screen. Since the end of the sequel trilogy with 2019’s Star Wars: Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, Lucasfilm has had various plans for more films outside of the five already made (4 of which grossed over $1 billion) with only one making it to production, The Mandalorian & Grogu. While this should be seen as Kennedy making sure the Star Wars brand is strong, refusing to put out a movie before its ready (something many have criticized Marvel of doing), this has been used by bad faith actors to “prove” her “incompetence” behind the scenes.

Through her entire run as President, there has been a very vocal contingent of fans (re: outrage merchants) that have called for Disney to fire her. This call is mostly coming from people who feel like she has mishandled the Star Wars IP. More than that, these people feel personally offended at how she’s handled Star Wars. They cite bad writing in the sequel trilogy, or an over-reliance on political messaging. All of these are smokescreens, of course, to hide behind their own bigotry and vitriol (the same people screaming about “DEI”). Many people online have made a career on YouTube claiming that “inside sources” have told them that Disney is upset that Star Wars: Episode VIII - The Last Jedi made $1.3 billion and not $2.3 billion. A ridiculous statement that makes it difficult to have any sort of good faith discussion around the sequel trilogy. The fallacy of these outrage merchants is that if they don’t like something, it’s Kennedy’s fault, but if they do, then it was made in spite of her (an ideology that sounds all too familiar these days). So in the court of public opinion, she’s already lost.

The numbers don’t lie and Bob Iger, CEO of Disney, likes her enough to have extended her contract, not once, but twice. But at 71 years of age, it does look like she’s looking to step down as president of Lucasfilm. Perhaps to go back to producing non-Star Wars films. She at one time tried to bring a non-Star Wars IP to Lucasfilm, an adaptation of Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, but couldn’t get it off the ground. Paramount is now adapting that series after Lucasfilm decided to stick to the IP they already had. Staying in one galaxy for 13 years has got to weigh on her on some level. Afterall, this isn't a world that she created. She just became the steward of it after those same outrage merchants drove George Lucas into retirement. So this brings it all back to… who could come in to replace her?

Well if you ask the internet, there is only one answer: Dave Filoni. Having joined Lucasfilm in 2005 as an animator to help George Lucas create Star Wars: The Clone Wars, he’s often seen as Lucas’ true successor. He’s currently serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Lucasfilm, as well as writer/director for Star Wars: Heir To The Empire and writer for Ahsoka season 2. In many ways, he’s already filling the role he’s perfect at. He’s a natural born storyteller who knows more about Star Wars then almost anyone alive. He’s clearly very happy to live in the galaxy far, far away for as long as Lucasfilm will have him. And why shouldn’t he? He’s the only universally liked creator that this franchise has ever seen. But he shouldn’t take over as President. To do this would take him away from the job he’s shown nothing but love for (maybe get a second writer on Ahsoka buddy).

The answer to “who should take over” is actually incredibly simple. But it would require a complete restructure of the power dynamic in the company. The answer lies in Disney’s competitor studio, Warner Bros. Discovery. More accurately DC Studios. This is not to say that Disney and Lucasfilm need to poach James Gunn and Peter Safran, but the model implemented in DC Studios is a shockingly simple, yet effective one. One creative producer and one “business” producer. Admittedly, as of this writing, DC Studios has only released Creature Commandos (Penguin was adopted by them), so it’s hard to tell if this model is going to work in the long run, but it’s a model that should probably become the standard for these companies that specialize in these niche franchises. 

For example, It’s likely that Kevin Feige, President of Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel Entertainment, is looking towards retirement. Feige is such a successful producer that every studio has either tried to poach him from Marvel or copy his success. But they haven’t been able to, since he’s a rare producer who is business savvy and creatively inclined. He’s frankly the perfect person to run a niche like Lucasfilm, Marvel Studios, or DC Studios. Many have even said that he should move to Lucasfilm when Kennedy retires. Perhaps he should, but even though he’s been running the company since 2008, it doesn’t seem likely that he’s planning on leaving anytime soon. Warner Bros, before Discovery bought it, found out the hard way that you can’t just call up a random director/producer and expect them to be like Kevin Feige (they tried three times).

While Lucasfilm has been under Disney, Kathleen Kennedy has had to act a lot like Kevin Feige. She’s had to go out on stage and list a bunch of movies and shows that are in development, just like he does. The problem with that, is that she’s not that kind of producer. While Feige is the kind of producer that will collaborate with creatives to realize a shared vision for the MCU, Kennedy is the kind of producer that will help creatives realize their own vision. Frankly, this is actually good for Star Wars since it lets those creatives play in the sandbox far, far away. But it’s also not what many fans seem to want. Now, there is no pleasing the outrage merchants. They have built their livelihoods on hatred, so you’ll never make them happy. It’s also not to say that Lucasfilm should just start giving fans what they think they want, that’s where their biggest creative mistakes have been. But the general audience seems to have soured on Star Wars, with both The Acolyte, Skeleton Crew, and even Andor not getting the viewership numbers that were expected of them. This could be for a number of reasons, but Star Wars doesn’t have a singular creative vision anymore, and that could be what people want from the IP.

So who takes over? Honestly, who knows. The answer may lie in the DC Studios model. One creative producer to envision a direction and guide the creatives through that vision, and one business producer to help them refine it. Star Wars has some exciting productions on the way, but they’re scattered through a timeline that only nerds understand and it’s overwhelmed the general audience. Star Wars will never feel as special as it did before Disney oversaturated the market with it (remember to blame Iger and not Kennedy for that one), but a singular and clear direction for the franchise could really help when Kathleen Kennedy takes her well deserved retirement. 

Star Trek: Legacy Exists. You Just Have To Read It

By Brandon T. McClure

As season three of Star Trek: Picard was coming to an end, showrunner Terry Matalas began talking about how he was using the season to set up a new show titled Star Trek: Legacy. This hypothetical spin off series would follow Seven of Nine as the new Captain of the Enterprise G and her crew, which consisted of various children of the Star Trek: The Next Generation characters. This idea resonated with many Star Trek fans who were watching the show so much that they launched various online campaigns to try and convince Paramount to greenlight Star Trek: Legacy. Since the almost 2 years since Star Trek: Picard season 3 ended, Paramount has cancelled Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Lower Decks, Star Trek: Prodigy, and only produced Star Trek: Section 31 and the upcoming Starfleet Academy. Despite the continued online desire for Star Trek: Legacy, Paramount doesn’t seem interested. But in a surprising twist of fate, Star Trek: Legacy does exist, just not in the way most fans would probably accept.

Comics are an often overlooked piece of media, Star Trek comics even more so. But with that said, IDW Publishing has been going strong with the Star Trek IP since 2007. They’ve published mini-series’ consisting of lost stories set in the Star Trek: The Original Series timeline, Terry Matalas has even written a Borg mini-series that was very reminiscent of his story in Star Trek: Picard season 3, they’ve explored the Mirror Universe of the TNG timeline, and even explored stories set in the Kelvin timeline. But since 2022, IDW Publishing has been publishing an even more special ongoing series set in the perfect spot of the expansive Star Trek timeline.

Simply titled Star Trek, written by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, collectively known as The Hivemind, along with tons of incredible artists, the series follows Benjamin Sisko having returned from the Celestial Temple because the Prophets believe he’s the only one who can stop a Godkiller. It takes some convincing, but Sisko convinces Starfleet to reinstate him with a ship and a crew and he goes out in search of whoever has decided to kill the gods of the universe. His crew consists of many familiar faces to the Trek timeline, including Data, Beverly Crusher, Scotty, and Tom Paris, as well as newcomers like Ensigns T'Lir and Lily Sato (herself a descendant of Hoshi Sato from Star Trek: Enterprise).

The series has also spawned a spin off called Star Trek: Defiant which is written by Christopher Cantwell and features a crew consisting of Worf, Spock, Ro Laren, B'Elanna and newcomer Nymira, an Orion doctor with a troubling past. This series sees Worf and his crew uncover the shadier elements of the Star Trek universe and sees them act more like bounty hunters than Starfleet officers. Both titles compliment each other while exploring different aspects of the Star Trek universe. They also never stray too far from established canon or themes. In fact, they play with them in a way that should delight old and new fans alike. Characters jump in and out like Harry Kim, Kathryn Janeway, or Shax from Star Trek: Lower Decks. But most excitedly, both series pick up characters and plot elements that the shows left behind due to their episodic nature.

Prior to the “Latinum Era” (or streaming era if you want to be boring about it), Star Trek was primarily an episodic show. There were attempts to move away from this with the final seasons of Star Trek: Deep Space 9 or Star Trek: Enterprise season 3, but the mandate for television was different in the late 80s to the early 00s. Viewers weren’t expected to follow a show week to week, they were expected to tune in and be able to jump into a new adventure without any baggage from the previous week. Serialization was very risky for television and only happened when networks were absolutely certain they had “appointment TV” on their hands. Even as popular as Star Trek: The Next Generation was, the show never went further than a two-parter. But a comic book doesn’t need to worry about that. A comic book can continue to build for 20, 30, or even 40 issues without concern for losing the audience. So Star Trek: Defiant, for example, is in a unique position to bring back characters like Berlinghoff Rasmussen (there’s a deep cut for the Trekkies), or the parasitic aliens from Star Trek: The Next Generation season 1. There’s a very cool revelation about those parasites in the pages of Star Trek: Defiant for example. 

Even the main plot of Star Trek centers around a plot thread from Star Trek: The Next Generation that no show ever picked up. Something that should have been a much bigger deal to the universe: what happened to Kahless II after he was made a puppet emperor of the Klingon Empire. The answer is that he formed the Red Path and went on a killing spree across the cosmos. Something that makes perfect sense when you remember that Klingon mythology states that Klingons killed their gods. Well there are more gods in the universe, and Kahless has a problem with that. This backdrop sets the stage of uniting the edges of the Star Trek universe in a surprising organic way. With deep cuts and obvious references weaving in and out of every issue. At the very least it creates an incredible father/son story between Worf and Alexander.

All these characters returning can only happen in a comic book. When you really sit down to think about it, the Star Trek: Legacy that fans want is frankly impossible. The budget needed to bring back so many characters from these shows would be way too much for Paramount+, especially right now. Not to mention, you’ll never get Avery Brooks back as Captain Sisko, he’s very happy in retirement. But comics don’t have the same budget restriction. That’s not to say there aren’t restrictions on what a comic can do, but the difference between filming a story where Captain Sisko, Worf, Spock, Data, Shax, and whoever else fighting Kahless II and drawing it is astronomical. Not to mention, it’s actually impossible to get Spock and Scotty together. Who among us hasn't wondered if Scotty and Spock reunited after Scotty turned up in the 24th century?

Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant are set in a kind of “Goldilocks” moment in the Trek timeline. A perfect moment in time between Star Trek: Insurrection and Star Trek: Nemesis when every character is on the table and could conceivably show up. This moment organically allows the writers and artists of these two ongoing comics to pay tribute to every era of Star Trek, and have even managed to throw in references to Star Trek: The Original Series, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Star Trek: Enterprise, and something special that won’t be spoiled here. From characters, to locations, to surprise cameos, these comics combine these eras in a way that makes it feel more cohesive than the shows can sometimes feel. Due to the very different production budgets of the various eras of Star Trek, the shows can often feel disconnected from each other. While fans can (mostly) accept that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Star Trek: The Original Series are set within the same decade for example, it helps to have a story that makes it easier to digest. 

Now, a big question posed by fans is the nature of canon. Whether or not a book, comic, video game or even a show, is canon is hotly debated in internet spaces. But the creator himself, Gene Roddenbery didn’t accept anything in print as canon (he also didn’t accept Star Trek: The Animated Series as canon). So comics, in this case, are considered non-canon (or Beta-Canon) and can be easily contradicted by current or future shows. But he’s dead and, while this won’t change the debate (many consider the entire Latinum Era non-canon), the only canon that matters is the canon that is important to you, the reader/watcher. The Force Center Podcast calls it your “emotional canon.” What this means is, basically, canon is what you decide it is for yourself. If you love a book, even if a show or movie contradicts it, then the only thing that matters is that you get value out of it, so it’s your canon. So who’s to say that a comic book can’t be canon? When your creators care as much about Star Trek as these, then it’s easy to accept this as, not just a love letter to every show and movie, but as canon. Just make sure you’re not a dick about it.

Currently, Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant are in their second crossover event, titled “Lore War.” This event sees Data’s infamous brother Lore rewrite the Star Trek universe in his image. Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly have called it Star Trek’s “Secret Wars,” referencing the reality altering Marvel crossover, many times. Sadly, IDW Publishing has announced that “Lore War” will be the end of Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant. Both titles will converge into Star Trek: Omega, an oversized one-shot that will serve as a conclusion to both books as the comic’s timeline catches up with the infamous events of Star Trek: Nemesis. As Q states in the final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “all good things must come to an end.” These kinds of comic book series are not the kind that can go for years and years, but it’s been almost three years since the launch of the Theseus with Sisko in the big chair, which is as good a run as any series can hope to get.

With 36 issues collected in 4 volumes and counting for Star Trek, and 28 collected in 5 volumes and counting, not to mention the “Day of Blood” and “Lore War” crossover events, there’s plenty here for Star Trek fans to enjoy. Every issue is better than the last and filled with more surprises then you could think was possible. Yes, it’s almost over, but the journey is still there for any old and new Star Trek fan to pick up and enjoy. Like coming to a TV show after the fact (be honest: not many of you reading this watched TOS as it aired), these comics will be there waiting for you to pick them up. If you’re still out there begging Paramount+ to give you Star Trek: Legacy, even though Terry Matalas has moved on, then you’re missing the Star Trek: Legacy that is right under your nose. 

Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant are the stories that Star Trek fans are demanding. They’re big, bold, fun, and can only be told in a comic book format. Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Christopher Cantwell, and their wonderful artists, are weaving their story through the canon of Star Trek like the Enterprise D flying through the bowels of a giant Borg Cube. It’s truly one of the best books on the market, not just for Star Trek. But many fans will overlook it because it’s “Beta-canon”, or not know it exists at all because it’s a comic book and not a TV show. Sure, it’s not the Star Trek: Legacy that fans were demanding Terry Matalas and Paramount+ make. It’s better.

Doctor Who: Why We May Never Get A New Multi-Doctor Adventure

By Brandon T. McClure

In 2023, Doctor Who celebrated its 60th anniversary with three specials simulcasted around the world through the BBC and Disney+. These specials brought back David Tennant, not as his previous 10th Doctor but as a new 14th Doctor. He reteamed with Catherine Tate’s, Donna Noble, and together they stopped an invasion, went to the edge of the universe, fought Neil Patrick Harris’ The Toymaker and introduced the world to the new 15th Doctor, Ncuti Gatwa. It was a big celebration of the show's 60 years. But for the first time in the show's history, the anniversary was not marked with a multi-Doctor adventure.

Every milestone anniversary that Doctor Who has celebrated has been marked with a multi-Doctor story. These stories are excuses for the creators of the show to bring back former Doctors and have them team up with the current Doctor for an epic adventure. Now, in fairness, Russell T. Davies did use a loophole in the third special, “The Giggle.” Due to some unknown reason, the 14th Doctor was able to “bi-generate” into the 15th Doctor. This controversial decision, allowed both the 14th and 15th Doctor’s to exist at the same time, so he was able to have a multi-Doctor storyline in a way. While he gets away with it on a technicality, it’s not entirely the same thing. 

The first true multi-Doctor story was the 1973 episode, aptly titled “The Three Doctors.” Within the universe of Doctor Who, it’s impossible for the Doctor to cross his own timeline. This is a handy explanation for why he doesn’t meet himself all the time. But for this episode, one Doctor wasn’t going to be good enough. The current Doctor at the time, Jon Pertwee’s 3rd Doctor, teamed up with Patrick Troughton’s 2nd Doctor, and William Hartnell’s 1st Doctor (who was rather ill at the time and couldn’t physically be there). Together, through much bickering, they solved the problem and went on their way.

Patrick Troughton as the 2nd Doctor, Jon Pertwee the 3rd Doctor, and William Hartnell the 1st Doctor

Ten years later, the BBC would air “The Five Doctors”, which saw the aforementioned Doctors, with Richard Hurndall stepping in for William Hartnell who had passed away, team up with the current Doctor at the time, Peter Davidson’s 5th Doctor. Interestingly, while it’s called “The Five Doctors,” Tom Baker’s 4th Doctor does not appear (only in archived footage) due to the actor declining to return, a decision he later regretted.

Richard Hurndall, Peter Davison, Jon Pertwee and Patrick Troughton

Since the show went off the air in 1989, there was no reason for a 30 anniversary celebration in 1993. However, one still happened. Doctor Who was still popular and in 1993, the annual charity telethon, Children In Need, aired a special mini-series titled Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time. This low budget, non-canon, and absurd crossover with the popular soap opera, EastEnders, saw every living Doctor, 3-7, return. The next anniversary special would come in the form of 2003’s Big Finish, the producer of many audio dramas starring former Doctors, audio drama, Zagreus. This story saw versions of the 4th, 5th, and 6th Doctors team up with the 8th Doctor. Big Finish would go on to release many multi-Doctor stories, including ones for the subsequent 50th and 60th anniversaries. But the next major anniversary special came in the form of the 50th anniversary special “The Day of the Doctor.”

Matt Smith (11th Doctor), David Tennant (10th Doctor) and John Hurt (War Doctor)

Serving as Matt Smith’s penultimate episode as the 11th Doctor, the story sees him team up with the returning David Tennant as the 10th Doctor, and the newly revealed John Hurt as the War Doctor, a secret regeneration between 8 and 9 that was unknown to audiences at the time. Interestingly enough, this was the second multi-Doctor adventure that Steven Moffat would write. Of the three modern Doctor Who showrunners, Steven Moffat has written the most classic style multi-Doctor adventures. His only competition is Chris Chibnall, who wrote one of them. The final episode of Chibnall’s tenure on Doctor Who, “The Power of the Doctor,” saw Jodie Whittaker’s 13th Doctor get some advice from many of the classic Doctors, 1st (David Bradley’s second turn in the role), 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th. Chris Chibnall also wrote an episode that introduced a previously unrevealed Doctor, Jo Martin’s the Fugitive Doctor, but this falls under the same loophole that “The Giggle” falls under. Supposedly Russell T. Davies had an idea for the 50th anniversary, but he left the show before he could put his money where his mouth was.

While Steven Moffat was a staff writer under Russell T. Davies’ first turn as showrunner of Doctor Who, Moffat wrote a special called “Time Crash,” where the 10th Doctor met the 5th Doctor (David Tennant’s real life future father-in-law). When Moffat became showrunner, he wrote two multi-Doctor episodes: The aforementioned “Day of the Doctor” 50th anniversary special, and “Twice Upon A Time,” the final episode of Peter Capaldi’s 12th Doctor in which he teamed up with the 1st Doctor, played by David Bradley (His first time playing the actual 1st Doctor). Steven Moffat is pretty positive on multi-Doctor adventures. Considering he’s made three of them, it’s not hard to believe that either. He’s stated a few times how much he likes the differing personalities clashing with each other, finding it fun to write. A sentiment other showrunners don’t seem to share.

Peter Capaldi (12th Doctor) and David Bradley (First Doctor)

When asked about why a multi-Doctor adventure wasn’t in the cards for the 60th anniversary, former and current showrunner, Russell T. Davies stated that “The Power of the Doctor” was the major reason why. “The Power of the Doctor” and the 60th anniversary are only 11 months apart, and it would have been overwhelming as a creator to do it back to back. This makes perfect sense, even if it ignores sixty years of tradition. Now the 20th anniversary of the show's return in 2005 is just around the corner. With the anniversary of the modern version of the show, Davies could have taken the opportunity to reunite the modern Doctors (and the 8th because I’m a fan) in an exciting new multi-Doctor adventure for this generation of fans. It’s alright though, because Davies has already shut down the talk of a multi-Doctor adventure. Citing the same issue as too many anniversaries in a row saying “no. Sorry. I don’t think that’s wise.”

He’s not the only one to show disinterest in a new multi-Doctor crossover, even though he’s created multiple ways for it to happen since returning. While the classic Doctors, including Paul McGann’s 8th Doctor have expressed enthusiasm to a potential return, most of the modern generations Doctors have outright declined this idea. Since his exit from the show, 9th Doctor actor Christopher Eccleston has been very outspoken about the abuse he received on the show and his disinterest (to put it kindly) in returning. He’s since softened this position and returned to the role through Big Finish audio adventures, including an upcoming season where he’ll return with Billie Piper as Rose Tyler, but he is still very against returning to the show. Steven Moffat reportedly approached him for the role of the War Doctor, who became John Hurt, but he obviously declined. Last year he stated his terms to return to the show by saying "Sack Russell T Davies, sack Jane Tranter, sack Phil Collinson, sack Julie Gardner, and I'll come back.” So he’s out.

Having returned twice to Doctor Who, as the 10th Doctor in “The Day of the Doctor,” and recently as the 14th Doctor, it almost seems inevitable that David Tennant would return for another multi-Doctor adventure. At one point, he was very eager to return, even going so far as to assume he would for the 50th anniversary. But when asked if he would return since the 14th Doctor is living on Earth in the same timeline as the 15th Doctor, Russell T. Davies said that he is “retired” from the role. Even though he, stupidly, opened the door for this return, Davies is now growing frustrated by the ask saying that "I think he died. I’m going to start saying that.” These are not David Tennant’s words but Davies seems uninterested in another appearance by the most popular actor to play the Doctor since Tom Baker. Perhaps he’s regretting the bi-generation (as he should).

Being the youngest actor to ever play the Doctor, Matt Smith has been historically uninterested in returning to Doctor Who. Understandably, he was more interested in building his post-Doctor Who career and not looking back. But recently, he’s changed his tune. Last year he was asked if he was open to returning and he said “never say never.” He’s never closed the door entirely, but this was the most he’s expressed interest in a possible return. It’s gotten long enough now that he misses the show.

Like Christopher Eccleston, the 12th Doctor’s Peter Capaldi is also not interested in returning. But for very different reasons. Capaldi, like David Tennant, was a lifelong Doctor Who fan and considered it a dream come true to become the Doctor. But when asked if he would return, he seems to be happy leaving well enough alone, stating that if he never comes back, then his Doctor is still out there, and that “there comes a time when you have to leave things alone.” He also said in 2021, that he feels “the more multi-Doctor stories you have the less effective they are, really,” and that he wouldn’t “really fancy” returning for one. He has no animosity towards returning, he just doesn’t want to diminish his experience.

Then there’s the unfairly maligned 13th Doctor, played by Jodie Whittaker, the first female actress to play the role of the Doctor. Of the modern Doctors, she’s the only one who has answered with an enthusiastic “yes”. Her enthusiasm for returning, and the fact that she’s already returned to do Big Finish dramas, something that Smith and Capaldi haven’t done yet, almost paints a picture that she didn’t want to leave in the first place. Considering the reception she had during her tenure, it’s heartwarming to see her enthusiasm hasn’t dwindled. Interestingly, she’s got the shortest time between leaving the show and returning for Big Finish audio dramas. However, while she’s incredibly enthusiastic about returning, as stated above, her former selves aren’t. Enough have claimed that they don’t want to return at all. So this paints a rather disappointing picture when considering a multi-Doctor special. But maybe a team up with the 13th and 15th Doctor would be enough.

There’s a lot of hurdles to overcome when creating a multi-Doctor story. Big Finish producers talked about the daunting task of doing them when they were developing the 60th anniversary special Once & Future. Even with the benefit of being able to record voices at different times and locations, it’s hard to not turn the story into pure fan-fiction. The same is true when it comes to the show. There are 12 living Doctors (not counting Jo Martin), and getting them all together would be a daunting task, especially with many of the advanced ages of the classic Doctors. Which is why a 20th anniversary celebrating the modern generation of the show would be an ideal compromise. But it wouldn’t be worth it if they all weren’t interested in returning. Especially if Russell T. Davies doesn’t want to write it.

What’s a little strange, is that Davies has actually written in a few ways to make a multi-Doctor story even easier to write. For the Tales of the TARDIS minisodes on the BBC iPlayer, he had the classic Doctors reunite with their companions to reminisce over the adventures they had. Admittedly, it was just an excuse to write a clip show, but he created an in-universe explanation for why the classic Doctors would look so much older then the last time fans saw them. Then he went on to introduce the idea of a bi-generation, a mythological variant of the regeneration trick that allowed multiple actors to play the Doctor. Sure, this explanation would only benefit David Tennant, but Davies decided that “he died.”

While Doctor Who writers, creators, and actors seem uninterested in multi-Doctor stories, fans are incredibly enthusiastic about them. The reason is very simple: Doctor Who is a very long running science fiction show that spans multiple generations. Each Doctor has a generation of fans who grew up with them and consider them “their Doctor.” A multi-Doctor adventure is tailor made for a show like Doctor Who, and personifies the very nature of why anniversaries are so special. Anniversaries are times for looking back at the journey that brought you to that point in your life. For Doctor Who, it gives fans a chance to look back at the past, reminisce with an old friend (Doctor), and look to new horizons. But it didn’t happen for the 60th, and it won’t happen for the 20th, so it looks like we’ll all have to wait for the 70th, if at all. But it’s not worth asking for it if their heart(s) isn’t in it.

Glorified Fanart - A Review of Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers

By Brandon T. McClure

Written by Cullen Bunn with art by Freddie Williams III, Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers sees Rita Repulsa travel to a parallel universe in the hopes of escaping the Power Rangers. The comic was originally released as five issues beginning in March 2022 before being collected later that year in one soft cover collection. On paper, this is a perfect match. Two legends of Japan (albeit one heavily Americanized) that have never shared the screen together before, now unite on the page. It’s a surefire hit. It’s unfortunate to say, then, that Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is a dull experience that completely squanders its potential.

The story begins when Rita Repulsa, Goldar, Scorpina, and Finster invade a temple in search of a gem called the Multiverse Focus. During a battle with the Power Rangers, Rita and her goons use the gem to travel to a new reality without Power Rangers, with the idea that that world will be easier to rule. As the title suggests, they end up in the middle of the Godzilla universe as Godzilla is in the middle of battling various monsters sent by the Xillians. Rita and her goons team up with the Xillians in order to help them defeat Godzilla, but the Power Rangers show up, Zords in tow, to help the King of the Monsters fight back.

As a “versus” comic, the book is very by the numbers and frankly incredibly dull. Bunn takes no opportunities in the book to deliver anything that hasn’t been seen before. Instead he tells a story that every comic reader has read before. The Power Rangers mistake Godzilla for one of Rita’s monsters, realize that he’s not, then they team up with Godzilla to defeat the villains once and for all. Normally this type of story wouldn’t be such a dull experience, but since one of the title characters is a monster, then the story needs to rely solely on the Power Rangers for any kind of character connection. Shouldn’t be too much of an issue, except Cullen Bunn can’t write the Power Rangers.

Many writers at Boom Studios have taken a shot at the original Power Rangers and delivered brilliant character writing, but Bunn is not one of them. The characters are such an afterthought in this story that you’ll likely not realize that more than one character is talking in a scene. There’s no attempt to differentiate the Rangers from each other, except to color code the word balloons. Each line of generic dialogue reads like it could come from any of them. The villains fare a little better in this sense but you’ll likely still find yourself forgetting whether or not Goldar or Scorpina were the ones talking. But, truthfully, you’ll learn quickly that the dialogue doesn’t matter at all.

If you're a casual fan of both properties, the novelty wears off around the end of issue two. If you're a hardcore fan of both then you'll quickly recognize this as little more than an excuse to draw some fun fan art you might see at a conventions artist alley. Someone had the idea of Godzilla standing next to the DragonZord and thought they could write five issues around that. Sadly, they could not. While the imagery and art are undoubtedly fun and interesting, this wasn’t something that could sustain five issues. Something shorter might have fared better.

Fans will find little more here than cool pin up art. But with a wafer thin plot, and the most uninteresting version of the Power Rangers, there’s just nothing here to make Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers memorable. Godzilla stories need human characters for audiences to latch on to, because it’s their journey that makes the story worthwhile. The Power Rangers and Godzilla feel like they belong together which makes a crossover between the two a no brainer. Perhaps with a better writer, this could have been something, but sadly it just comes off as an overly long piece of fanart.

Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers and Godzilla vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II are available now on Amazon or your local book and comic book store.

How A Dragon Ball GT Saga Can Help Dragon Ball Super

By Brandon T. McClure

Before series creator Akira Toriyama envisioned a tournament saga, Dragon Ball followed Goku and friends searching for the magical Dragon Balls. When brought together, the Dragon Balls can summon the mystical dragon Shenron who would grant one wish. Since then, the Dragon Balls have been used countless times to grant all kinds of wishes, from unlocking Piccolo’s latent potential, to, most recently, turning the Z fighters into kids. But more times than not the balls have been used to bring characters back from the dead. This specific use has caused the Dragon Ball franchise to develop a stakes issue in recent years. Luckily, the franchise had already dealt with this very issue once before.

Dragon Balls

When Dragon Ball Z was coming to an end in 1996, Toei animation had already developed a new follow up, titled Dragon Ball GT. This series would not be based on material created by Akira Toriyama, although he did provide character designs. Instead Dragon Ball GT was the brainchild of the writers and artists at Toei Animation, the animation company responsible for producing the Dragon Ball anime’s. The show was set after the epilogue of Dragon Ball Z and, in an attempt to recapture the feeling of adventure from the early Dragon Ball episodes, would introduce the Black Star Dragon Balls. These Dragon Balls would summon a massive red version of Shenron, called Ultimate Shenron, and would disperse across the universe after being used, which set off a galactic adventure (a Grand Tour some could say). The series would go on to introduce new villains like Baby, reintroduce old villains like Android 17, and of course introduce the famous Super Saiyan 4 transformation.

Arguably, Dragon Ball GT’s greatest contribution to the franchise was the final arc, dubbed The Shadow Dragon Saga. Due to the Dragon Balls' continued use over the decades, the Dragon Balls began to crack due to the massive amount of dark energy that had been stored in them. When Goku and his friends attempted to summon Shenron, smoke came from the balls and the Black Smoke Dragon rose in Shenron’s place. After refusing to grant any more wishes he split his essence into seven powerful shadow dragons representing the most selfish wishes ever made in the franchise. Goku and his friends had to track down and defeat each dragon before being able to cleanse the Dragon Balls. Now able to summon Shenron, the dragon explains that the Dragon Balls were never intended to be used as frequently as they had been; they were to be revered in a world where their power was unnecessary. At the end of the series, Shenron, Goku, and the Dragon Balls leave the Earth for 100 years in order to purge the balls of all the built-up negative energy. The final episode of Dragon Ball GT, titled "Goodbye, Goku… Until the Day We Meet Again" is often considered the best part of a much maligned series.

While the Shadow Dragon saga was meant as an ending for the franchise and Goku, that doesn’t have to be the case here. It’s not unreasonable to say that Dragon Ball Super has a stakes issue it inherited from Dragon Ball Z. As the rules of the Dragon Balls kept changing (remember when you couldn’t be brought back to life more than once?) they became more of a crutch than a benefit. Toriyama himself seemed to be aware of this since he wrote that Bulma almost exclusively uses the balls to make herself look younger. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero even explains that she keeps the Balls all the time in order to prevent anyone who isn’t a main character from making any wishes. Sure, that means a supervillain couldn’t find them and wish for immortality, but it also takes the Dragon Balls away from being a serious plot element in the show. No matter what happens in the story, the Dragon Balls will always be there to fix it once the threat has been defeated.

While this problem is very prevalent in Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Z had it as well. Throughout the various arcs of the show, Toriyama had to find ways to take the Dragon Balls off the table or limit their power. Krillin’s death at the hands of Frieza wouldn’t have felt nearly as impactful if he could be wished back with the Dragon Balls, which would have lessened the impact of the show's most iconic moment, Goku’s first Super Saiyan transformation. There are many moments like this in Dragon Ball Z that provided suspense for the audience because they weren’t sure if the Dragon Balls could be used. Fast forward to Dragon Ball Super, and while the battles are epic, there’s no real sense of danger to any of the characters. Shenron’s power has been greatly enhanced and he’s practically part of the family.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly left the door open to see more stories reinvented through Dragon Ball Super. In the original non-canon Dragon Ball Z films, Broly was an evil Saiyan who was motivated to kill Goku due to being stuck next to his pod as a baby. Toriyama was able to take the concept of the Legendary Super Saiyan and reimagine it in a more compelling way, which led to one of the most successful Dragon Ball films of all time. Like those original movies, it’s clear that Dragon Ball GT can no longer be canon, but the Shadow Dragons could be reinterpreted for a future arc within Dragon Ball Super. With two new sets of Dragon Balls introduced in Dragon Ball Super (one in the manga that hasn’t been adapted yet), and a new set introduced in Dragon Ball Daima, the franchise just keeps creating more powerful “get out of jail free” cards.

With, now six, sets of Dragon Balls (counting the Black Star Dragon Balls) known to the franchise, maybe making it harder for Goku and friends to use the Earth's Dragon Balls wouldn’t be such a bad thing. The abuse and overuse of the Dragon Balls are already in the text of the series so there’s no need to change that aspect of the story. Since Toriyama designed the Shadow Dragons himself, it would be easy to reuse the designs. The only difference would be the ending. Instead of Goku and Shenron going off for 100 years, perhaps defeating the Shadow Dragons causes the Z warriors to think twice before using the balls. Or maybe they won’t be able to use them for a certain number of years. Either way, this would be a fun way to take the Dragon Balls off the table for a bit and actually help the franchise bring back some stakes that are not just about which form Goku and Vegeta are going to reach next.

Now, mind you, death isn’t the only way to add stakes to a story but Dragon Ball Super has had a lot of fake-outs when it comes to death specifically, most recently Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero tried to make the audience feel like Piccolo could die at the hands of Cell Max. A move that ultimately felt emotionally hollow. While Master Roshi wasn’t revived with the Dragon Balls in the final arc of Dragon Ball Super, no one really felt he could actually be gone forever, even though his relevance in the series has long passed. All the universes that were destroyed in the final Dragon Ball Super arc were all wished back by the Super Dragon Balls. While it’s nice that those characters weren’t lost forever, a common complaint about the ending of the arc was that this move ultimately made the arc feel hollow. Admittedly, that’s the point of the arc, so whether you agree or disagree with the decision, it’s clear that fans are growing tired of the Dragon Balls being used as a crutch. 

There are five canon sets of Dragon Balls in the franchise now, not including the non-canon Black Star Dragon Balls. The Granolah Arc of the Dragon Ball Super manga makes the claim that any planet where a Namekian had settled could have its own set of Dragon Balls, meaning there could be any number of them out there in the universe. The dragon balls began as hard-to-find mystical orbs that often took a whole season to collect, but now they're so commonplace that Shenron feels like one of the gang. Dragon Ball Daima almost solidifies this by explaining Shenron will grant more wishes to his “regulars.” It makes it easy for Goku and friends to get crazy wishes like bringing back the dead or making yourself look five years younger. Hell, sometimes they just summon Shenron to ask him a question. If something is beyond his power Dende can just upgrade him at will. It’s not the only way to fix this but using a version of the Shadow Dragon Saga in Dragon Ball Super could create a fun way to put some weight behind the Dragon Balls again.

Is a New Harry Potter Show the Right Move for Fans?

By Brandon T. McClure

When Game of Thrones was first adapted into a TV series, Harry Potter fans began wondering about the possibility of a series adaptation of Harry Potter. But a lot has changed in the 13 (going on 14) years since. Now it might not be such a great idea. 

In April 2023, 12 years after the final movie was released and 1 year since the end of the Fantastic Beasts trilogy, Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it had greenlit a series adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s world-famous novels. While there were certainly some excited voices, the temperature of the announcement was lukewarm at best, and due to Rowling's increasing unpopularity, this may prove to be another miscalculation from the struggling film studio.

The first Harry Potter movie came out in 2001 and launched an unbelievable phenomenon the likes of which have only been rivaled by the MCU. Adapted from the 1997 book of the same name Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, this marked the beginning of one of the most successful motion picture franchises of all time. Through 8 films in 10 years, not to mention the seven books, there was an entire generation that grew up with the franchise, characters, and actors. The hold the franchise has on the millennial generation cannot be understated. Warner Bros. was eager to continue the franchise beyond the books through a stage show, theme park experiences, and series of prequel movies, all under the “Wizarding World” brand and overseen by J.K. Rowling herself.

In 2013, Warner Bros. announced that they would be moving forward with a prequel film centered around the fictional author of the in-universe book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which would also be the title of the film. Fans were, of course, excited by the prospect of more within the Wizarding World, especially since it was going to explore the American wizarding community in the 1920s. The film would mark the screenwriting debut of J.K. Rowling herself! The film was released in 2016 to fairly good reviews from both critics and audiences (74% and 79% on Rotten Tomatoes respectively) and went on to gross $814 million. Sure it wasn’t the $1.3 billion that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 went on to make, but it would have been silly to expect it to. Warner Bros. had a hit on their hands and immediately greenlit the sequel.

A month before the release of Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them, J.K. Rowling told fans at a Fantastic Beasts event that there are five films planned in this prequel series. Two years later, in 2018, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald was released, but did not receive the same success its predecessor had. With only $654 million at the box office and a Rotten Tomatoes score of 36% (Critics) and 53% (Audience), things were not looking good for the sophomore outing of this prequel series. Then four years later, Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore was released which would signal the end of J.K. Rowling’s prequel series.

In the time between the release of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore, J.K. Rowling became a very unpopular figure. Beginning in 2018 she began down a “pipeline” that would reveal herself to be deeply, and viciously, transphobic. Millennials are often considered, with few exceptions, to be a mildly progressive generation. The reason for this is cited to be the media that they grew up with. Everything, including Harry Potter, taught lessons of inclusion and acceptance of other people's identities. So it was beyond disheartening when J.K. Rowling began spouting the belief that trans people don’t exist and are just “confused.” A timeline of her descent into transphobia was put together by theweek.com.

Many of the stars of the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts movies, including Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Eddie Redmayne, and Katherine Waterston (who was written out of the third film likely for speaking out), immediately spoke out in support of trans people’s rights to exist and began to distance themselves from her (which she has taken very poorly). Many Harry Potter fan communities, such as MuggleNet and The Leaky Cauldron, denounced Rowling’s views and tried to distance themselves from her as best they could. Melissa Anelli, of The Leaky Cauldron, told Variety that the reason why they haven’t updated their podcast was because “Every time we sit down to have a fun conversation about Harry Potter, the conversation becomes angry and depressing, and so we end up not publishing.” She continues by echoing the feelings many millennials have towards the Harry Potter creator: “It’s made it less pure and exciting and fun the way it used to be. All of that now has this layer of, ‘Right, but the person at the center of it all believes a certain faction of the population isn’t real.’” Any ethical consumption of the franchise is made difficult due to the amount of control she has over the franchise.

Her ravings and the poor quality of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald no doubt contributed to the general disinterest of audiences towards Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. Making only $400 million at the box office, the lowest in the franchise’s history, and reaching only a 46% critics score (in fairness it does have an 83% audience score). After the release of the film, Warner Bros. Discovery decided to abandon their plans for five films and settled for three. However, many reasons can be attributed to the failure of the film. 2022 was still a pandemic year, and audiences might have still been hesitant to go to the theater (even though three films hit $1 billion). The main characters of the prequel franchise were also struggling to connect with audiences in the same meaningful way as those from the original series. Maybe fans just weren’t interested in Newt Scamander. But, regardless, J.K. Rowling had become a rather unpopular figure since she was also the main credited screenwriter (Steve Kloves did return to co-write the third film), and critics agreed that she wasn’t a very good one.

Regardless of how critics and audiences felt about her screenwriting, Warner Bros. Discovery is devoted to keeping her on board for the new series. A spokesperson for HBO told Variety that “[we] are proud to once again tell the story of Harry Potter — the heartwarming books that speak to the power of friendship, resolve and acceptance,” the statement continued. “J.K. Rowling has a right to express her personal views. We will remain focused on the development of the new series, which will only benefit from her involvement.” Variety also notes that her entire online personality has been consumed by her anti-trans rhetoric. Posting over 200 times about her hateful views on X in the past two months. Conversely, she’s only posted about Harry Potter 8 times in that same amount of time. 

Another aspect going against the new series is the fact that there’s no evidence to suggest that the post-millennial generations even care about Harry Potter. Millennials are fiercely devoted to Harry Potter, even willing to continue supporting the franchise despite Rowling’s views. However, a survey from Morning Consult suggests that Gen Z has a very different opinion of the franchise. Many have made fun of millennials for their continued obsession with Harry Potter, and only 14% have identified as fans themselves. Gen Alpha is even less likely to be interested in Harry Potter, and they’re the generation that will be represented in the series. The series could likely win them over, but it’s very clear that the fanbase is very heavily skewed towards millennials.

The new streaming series is going to sport an astronomical cost. The first season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+, likely the untitled Harry Potter series contemporary, had a per-episode budget of $12 - $15 million. It’s unlikely the Harry Potter series will be made for less and the budget will only increase every season. If the goal for the series is to adapt a book a season, that’ll be seven seasons. In this current streaming market, shows rarely make it past three seasons. But, even with that said, the series will also air on HBO, rather than solely on Max. This means that the return doesn’t need to be quite as high as a streaming show. As Tylor Starr, Potter fandom expert and co-author of The Unofficial Harry Potter Vegan Cookbook, puts it “There are so many fans who deeply disagree with what Rowling is saying, but still want to engage in the Harry Potter fandom.” But the major question remains: Are millennials enough to get that return and will it attract Gen Z and Gen Alpha?

While the movies cast millennials in the lead roles, this new show will be looking to cast Gen Alpha in the roles of Harry, Ron, and Hermoine. But the landscape has drastically changed since the films came out. “You can’t fault somebody for wanting to do the job. But the internet and the fandom and the politics of it all are probably going to demand that they say something. If you don’t, people are going to automatically assume that you agree with Rowling,” Kat Miller, creative director of MuggleNet and coauthor of The Unofficial Harry Potter Companion says. She was mostly referring to the adult roles, but the same can also be applied to the child roles. Fans are often very outspoken on social media, and the comparisons they’ll likely make to the original film actors could potentially create a toxic environment for these kids. Kids who are 11-12 years old shouldn’t be subjected to that kind of environment.

There’s also the question of whether or not this is necessary. Like Disney remaking their beloved animated films into live-action, is there a demand for a more faithful adaptation of the books? The movies are so beloved by fans that it’s hard to imagine any other actors taking on those roles. Sure the books left many things out, but the consensus of the films is very positive. It’s incredibly unlikely that Warner Bros. Discovery could recapture the magic (pun intended) with this series. The movies are a generation-defining event, and the show will constantly be compared to them for however long it runs. With likely two years before each season’s release (just judging by the current production timeline of these types of shows), it’ll be hard for an audience to grow up with these actors, which was a large reason why the movies connected with audiences in the way that they did.

At the end of the day, who really knows how well this series will do? It’s aiming for a 2026 release and is currently being developed by Succession alums Francesca Gardiner, as showrunner, and Mark Mylod, as director. Casting is underway and a writer's room is being assembled. There is no stopping this series and WBD is determined to keep Rowling involved, despite many fan theories claiming they want to buy her out. The dismal quality of the Fantastic Beasts movies and her hateful personality/identity have clearly done some damage. But it's hard to know just how much until the series comes out. No matter what, HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery have an uphill battle ahead of them with this show.

INTERVIEW / Jim Krieg & The Tomorrowverse

Brandon McClure sits down with DC animation producer and Tomorrowverse creator Jim Krieg! Brandon asks all the questions that are burning in his mind and Jim Krieg takes the time to answer! The Tomorrowverse may be over but there are still lingering questions that are answered here!

For more, check out Brandon's write ups on the Tomorrowverse and stay tuned for more at Atomic Geekdom!

REVIEW / Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Two

The End Of The Tomorrowverse & The Future Of The DC Animated Original Movies

For audio, please check out the Atomic Geekdom Podcast to listen in.

REVIEW / Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong

By Brandon T. McClure

Published as a monthly seven-issue mini-series, Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong by Brian Buccellato with art by Christian Duce and Luis Guerrero has been collected into a single hardcover and can finally adorn the bookshelves of Monsterverse fans. The first inter-company crossover between Legendary Comics and DC Comics makes history by pitting the King of the Monsters against the Justice League for the first time. But this historical crossover may not end up being the triumph fans have been hoping for.

The story begins when the Legion of Doom (which includes Toyman for some reason?) interrupts Clark’s wedding proposal to Lois by breaking into the Fortress of Solitude. Through a series of unfortunate events, the Legion find themselves transported to the Monsterverse and, more specifically, Skull Island. Having stolen the Dream Stone prior, Toyman uses it to wish the Monsterverse Titans to the DC Universe to be taken more seriously as a supervillain. Now in a foreign universe, Godzilla and the other Titans attack various cities like Atlantis, Metropolis, and Themyscira. The Justice League are caught off guard when Superman is seemingly killed by Godzilla and a mysterious, yet familiar, beacon begins controlling the Titans.

The biggest sin that Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong makes is being boring. This is as surface-level as a crossover can get. Buccellato spends five issues setting up a major clash between the Titans, the Justice League, and the Legion of Doom but doesn’t set up why anyone should care about it. Action only matters if audiences care about the characters. There is tons of action though, so if you’re just looking for a comic where Supergirl punches Kong in the face, then flies around the world to punch Scylla in the face then this is the comic for you. But you might be out of luck if you’re looking for a bit more than that. Speaking of Supergirl, she plays a strange role in this book. She spends most of the book flying between action scenes and ends up in every single one until Grodd takes over her mind. It’s not bad or out of character, it’s just a weird decision.

Brian Buccellato is no stranger to writing in both the DC Universe and the Monsterverse, having written Flash, Injustice, and, more recently, Godzilla X. Kong: The Hunted. But here he may have bitten off more than he could chew. Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong has to serve many masters but seems to have fallen into the trap of assuming that people only want to see giant monster fights. Of course, it is very cool to see the DC heroes go up against Kong and Godzilla, but once the initial hype wears off, then what else is there? That premise can’t sustain seven issues, and unfortunately, readers don’t really care about the original Monsterverse Titans. But with all that said, what little characterization for the DC heroes there is, is solid enough to remain recognizable.

The only heroes that get treated dirty in the book are Hal Jordan and the other Green Lanterns. Hal comes across as the whining butt of most everyone's jokes and the other Green Lanterns exist as set dressing. Guy Gardner probably gets it the worst though since he only appears in the book to get crushed to death by Grodd (which no one seems to care about). John Stewart, Jessica Cruz, and Simon Bazz also show up but get only two or three lines of dialogue before they come together to make a construct mech to fight MechaGodzilla. This is undeniably cool, but you do find yourself wondering why the other Green Lantern characters are even there.

The Legion of Doom only exists in this book as placeholders. To the point that you wonder why they’re even there in the first place. There’s some bickering between Black Manta and Cheetah about who leads the team if not Lex Luthor, Toyman disappears after the first issue, and Deathstroke only shows up when he’s looking for the missing Toyman. But outside of these examples, there isn’t anything for the Legion to do. They just watch the Titans attack the heroes until the last issue when they decide to be part of the final fight scene. Outside of the major Legion characters, there are plenty of non-speaking cameos from many villains as the Legion of Doom is trying to boost their numbers. But they’re only there for a Shazam action scene that feels like it exists to fill a page count.

You could say the main villain of Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong is Lex Luthor. He discovers the pieces of MechaGodzilla and puts them together after Godzilla is chained to the seafloor after his fight with Tiamat and the Kraken (not the Monsterverse Kraken, the DCU one). Lex even builds MechaGodzilla in a way that allows him to pilot it from the inside, unlike how it was in Godzilla vs. Kong, which seems like a cool idea and allows for some great posturing from Lex in the field. But Lex pretty much disappears from the book once MechaGodzilla is unleashed. You might even forget that he’s inside MechaGodzilla since there’s no point for him to be there. There’s not even a hint that MechaGodzilla has possessed him like he did Ren Serizawa to explain away the lack of supervillain posturing.

The League of Assassins show up randomly on Skull Island to steal the skull of the Skull Devil also, and then disappear (that’s a lot of uses of the word “skull”). They show up again towards the end so the Bat-Family could have someone to punch, but they serve no purpose to the story. Even the newly revived (and redesigned) Skull Devil serves no purpose to the story, other than to give Kong someone else to fight while Batman fights MechaGodzilla in a new mech of his own. It’s frankly weird that the League of Assassins shows up at all. One of the middle issues ends with Ra’s Al Ghul menacingly watching the Skull be placed in a giant Lazarus Pit and then never shows up again. Christian Duce and Luis Guerrero take it upon themselves to redesign the Skull Devil as well. While the original design was simple, this new design is way too busy. It’s reminiscent of the poorly received MUTO Prime that appeared in the comic Godzilla: Aftershock. Like the MUTO Prime, it’s not a good redesign.

With all that said, there are still some interesting ideas and fun to be had. A beam clash between Godzilla’s atomic breath and Superman’s laser eyes, a mech created by five Green Lanterns, a cute Jaws reference with Tiamat and the Flash, and a transforming Batwing keep the book entertaining for readers only interested in having some fun. Most of the exciting aspects of the book show up at the end which makes you wonder why the book is seven issues long and not four. Probably the best thing in the book is the short-lived Kong and Green Arrow relationship. The two of them form a quick understanding while Green Arrow is scoping out the newly appeared Skull Island, but doesn’t really come to anything by the end of the book. It would have been nice to explore that a bit more. Green Arrow is also one of the better-written characters, for what little he’s there.

The Monsterverse Godzilla must be considered a complicated design for artists to draw because there are many instances in this comic where Godzilla has been traced from a screenshot of the previous Monsterverse films. It’s disappointing but you have to wonder if there’s a larger reason for it other than laziness. Perhaps Legendary doesn’t want artists taking any artist license with Godzilla. But outside of that, the artwork is good. The splash pages are dynamic, the Justice League looks great, and the action is easy to follow. It’s just too bad that Christian Duce and Luis Guerrero weren’t able to go really crazy with the art. While there are cool things they’re able to do, it does feel restricted by the story they’re drawing. 

The released hardcover is very beautiful and makes up for the lackluster story that it collects. The pages are published on the matte paper that most DC comic books use, which makes the book feel hefty and thick. Unfortunately, the colors don’t pop as much as you’d expect because of that but readers most likely won’t notice. The Dan Mora cover that makes up the dust jacket can be removed to show the Christian Duce and Luis Guerrero wraparound cover. Both covers are beautiful and were the right picks for this collection. But if you were hoping to see more of the stunning variant covers that were commissioned for this crossover, then you’re in luck. The back of the book includes the variant covers for every issue. Honestly, they could have published a collection of those covers and sold it separately. They’re worth the price of the book alone.

If you’re a Godzilla fan, or more specifically a Monsterverse fan, then this is a fun read. It’s just hard not to imagine a crossover that could utilize Godzilla’s entire rogues gallery, like Ghidorah or Biollante and not just the Monsterverse originals. It’s not that the likes of Camazotz or Behemoth aren’t fun to see, it’s just that they don’t have the personality or history that the original Japanese Kaiju do. Since this doesn’t sit anywhere in either continuity, it probably would have been beneficial to include monsters like Rodan or Mothra, who have appeared in the Monsterverse. Rights issues most likely prevented that from happening since none of those monsters have appeared in a Monsterverse comic book. Still though, while it may be boring at times, there’s enough here to not regret reading it outright.

Is There Going To Be A New Digimon Adventure Movie?

By Brandon T. McClure

On August 1st Toei Animation released a special livestream to commemorate the anniversary of the original Digimon Adventure series (Digimon: Digital Monsters season 1 in America). The stream consisted of newly animated footage from the original series and some announcements of new merchandise that fans can find in the coming months. While light on news this year, the stream ended with a mysterious date overlaid on a screenshot of a familiar image to Digimon fans. The date reads January 1, 2025, and tells fans to save the date for a special announcement. This could be just speculation at this point, but it could imply a follow-up to Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning.

While primarily anthological, Toei Animation has returned to the Digimon Adventure timeline a few times over the years. Digimon Adventure Tri, Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna and the Digimon Adventure 2020 reboot have been notable returns in recent years, but Digimon Adventure 02 (released in America as Digimon: Digital Monsters Season 2) was their first attempt to keep the timeline going. That series follows a new generation of DigiDestined and their partners, while also keeping the original cast of characters in mentorship roles. However, history hasn’t been kind to this sequel series. The general consensus is that it’s not a very popular series. While the above-mentioned films have returned to the timeline of Digimon Adventure, the characters introduced in Digimon Adventure 02 have been largely absent.

Digimon Season 02

The beginning of Digimon Adventure Tri shows the 02 DigiDestined falling to an unknown foe (that turns out to be Alphamon), and are hardly mentioned but never seen again. With every subsequent release of Digimon Adventure Tri, fans were hoping that they would return, but they never did. Due to the current reputation of Digimon Adventure 02, Toei might have assumed that fans wouldn’t care, but they were wrong. In 2020, two years after Digimon Adventure Tri concluded, Toei Animation released Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna. This film was meant to be the final concluding chapter of Tai and the gang's story and this time they brought along Davis, Ken and the other 02 kids. This was met with tons of praise, so Toei Animation quickly revealed that the next Digimon Adventure film would be all about Davis and his friends, called Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning.

Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning

Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning was released in Japan and America in 2023 and saw Ken, Davis, V-Mon, and the rest take the reins of the franchise for the first time since their series ended in 2000. The film follows those characters as they meet Lui, a DigiDestined who claims to be the first kid to ever partner with a Digimon. Lui claims that it was his wish for more friends that made the partnerships between Digimon and humans possible. As the initial hype of the film began to wear down, fans began to notice a glaring problem with it. It’s not about the 02 Digidestined. It’s about Lui, a brand new character that serves to retcon the franchise (for the third time?), and his struggle to reconnect with his Digimon partner Ukkomon. After years of asking, fans were given a film that has these characters play supporting roles to a brand new character. 

Hope springs eternal, however. While fans were left largely disappointed with Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning, there was still the chance that a new film could make up for it. After all, the filmmakers and Toei Animation still insist that the epilogue of Digimon Adventure 02  is canon (Despite all the evidence to the contrary). For those who may not remember, the epilogue of the original show jumps forward to the year 2027 and shows a world where everyone on the planet has a partner Digimon, including Tai, Matt, and Sora, who notably lost their Digimon at the end of Digimon Adventure: Last Evolution Kizuna. This is important to bring up because eagle-eyed fans immediately recognized the screenshot from the mysterious save-the-date message at the end of the Digimon Day stream as the exact shot that transitions the show into its epilogue. 

It’s important to mention that this is all wild speculation based on a single image. Well, a single image and one more thing. At the end of the Digimon Adventure 25th Anniversary Special, a special that consists of famous scenes recreated with new animation, there’s a shot of Agumon that doesn’t exist in the original series with a single line of dialogue: “Tai, see you later.” Well, of course, Digimon fans are going to run rampant with speculation about the inclusion of this scene. If the epilogue of Digimon Adventure 02 is still canon then at some point in the near future, Tai and the others have to be reunited with their Digimon partners. One of the exciting things that Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning did was get rid of the Digivices. Once a device believed to be the source of the bond between Digimon and humans, now serves no purpose. This severed element could be the first step to reuniting people with their Digimon partners since the Digivice seemed to dictate how long a Digimon could be with their Digidestined. Now no Digidestined would ever be faced with losing their partner like Tai or Mat did. A new movie could cover this story, but that would potentially mean sidelining the 02 kids a fourth time.
It’s hard not to feel lied to when it comes to Digimon Adventure 02: The Beginning. There’s no great new enemy to face, there’s no new digivolutions to experience, and it isn’t about the supposed main characters of the film. So of course Digimon fans are going to look into any tiny detail that could hint that a new film is on the horizon. Let's just hope that it’s actually about the 02 kids this time.

The Massive-Verse Coming To The Big Screen?

By Brandon T. McClure

In 2021, Kyle Higgins and Marcelo Costa began publishing Radiant Black for Image Comics, which launched what became known as The Massive-Verse. Consisting of books like Rogue Sun, Inferno Girl Red, and Dead Lucky, the Massive-Verse has carved out a successful corner of the world of comic books with no sign of slowing down. At this year's San Diego Comic Con, Kyle Higgins revealed a very exciting new project in the works, the Massive-Verse is taking a leap to the big screen. 

One of the most recent entries in the Massive-Verse comes in the form of No/One by Kyle Higgins, Brian Buccellato, and artist Geraldo Borges. This ten issue limited series has been a unique entry in the Massive-Verse due to its multi-media approach to storytelling. The series follows the aftermath of an event in Pittsburgh known as the Accountability Murders where a man going by the name Richard Roe began killing corrupt people in power. These people had been doxed by a keyboard vigilante known as No/One, whose goal was to bring their corruption to light. He signed off his initial message with “No one is above the law, and I am No/One.” The mystery surrounding No/One is at the center of the series, as well as the identity of a new killer, claiming to be the original Richard Roe. No/One’s centers on the theme of accountability and how every act, big or small, has ripple effects. Plus a little bit of The Purge mixed in.

No/One Preview Issue #1 - Artist: Geraldo Borges / Colorist: Mark Englert

No/One was paired with a in universe true-crime podcast called Who Is No/One, which was hosted by characters in the book played by Rachael Leigh Cook and Patton Oswalt as well as guest stars from the likes of Todd Stashwick, Yuri Lowenthaall, and Loren Lester as No/One. Each episode of the podcast picked up after the end of each issue, and discussed the aftermath of the comic books events. It created a very engaging and unique reading experience but the ending of the book still left many lingering questions. Most notably the question at the heart of the comic, “Who is No/One and why did he do this?”

During the “Enter The Massive-Verse” panel at San Diego Comic Con 2024, No/One interrupted Kyle Higgins with a video proclaiming that “I am No/One and this is my story.” This video was followed by the reveal that an in-universe feature length documentary is in the works. The documentary, titled I Am No/One, will recap the events of the comic and podcast and shed new light on those same events as well as act as a sequel to the series, and seemingly answer the question at the heart of No/One once and for all. I Am No/One will be directed by Kyle Higgins and is looking to start filming sometime next year. Seemingly, the cast is already set as Higgins stated he cast the podcast with an eye towards this documentary, but it’s unclear at this time how many are due to return.

For this ambitious project, director Kyle Higgins will utilize “sit down interviews, phone and drone footage, news coverage, and first-person GoPro and helmet videography from the “NO/ONE” operation itself” according to The Wrap. This may be Higgins first time directing a feature length film, but this isn’t the first time he’s done something like this. Higgins has directed many short films that have tied into his comics, most notably The League (tie-in to C.O.W.L.), Versus (animated short film from Radiant Black), and Power Rangers: Shattered Grid (promo for the comic event of the same name). He loves to experiment with multi-media stories, such as Bear McCreary’s comic/album The Singularity, so I Am No/One is the logical next step.

Massive-Verse / Radiant Black

At this time, there is no official word yet on how this documentary will be distributed but it is being produced by Black Market Narrative, ZQ Entertainment, producers Ara Keshishian, Petr Jakl, Stuart Manashil and Steven Schneider (Insidious, Late Night with the Devil, and Paranormal Activity), and, of course, Kyle Higgins and Brian Buccellato. As far as distribution goes, it’s likely this will be a streaming release, possibly on the Black Market Narrative YouTube channel, since there may not be a large enough audience for No/One to warrant a theater release. The Massive-Verse may be popular but an in-universe true crime documentary may be a tough sell to general audiences. But it’s hard to rule anything out at this moment since it’s still a ways away from release. Even if it’s incredibly niche to a general public, it’s still incredibly exciting for Massive-Verse fans. Especially for the fans who were hungry for more after the end of No/One

The collected edition of No/One is due out in November, and will no doubt find new readers looking for this kind of biting political commentary. But No/One has a very particular structure when paired with the podcast, so It’ll be interesting to see how the creators include the podcast without the benefit of a monthly publishing schedule. Likewise, the documentary may also struggle. While it’s exciting now, I Am No/One will likely be out two years after the book wrapped up. It’s not unreasonable to wonder if the hype surrounding this multimedia story will sustain that long. But Massive-Verse fans are in it for the long haul and will no doubt show up when the documentary drops.

The Massive-Verse started as one comic but has grown into one of the most exciting comic book universes on the market. It’s a truly exciting time in the Massive-Verse, as Radiant Black’s “The Catalyst War” event wraps up, a card game on the horizon, the return of C.O.W.L., an audio drama based on the first volume of Radiant Black due out this Fall, and the I Am No/One in-universe documentary. It’s an embarrassment of riches coming from one of the most exciting comic book universes the industry has ever seen.

OPINION: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire - Fails Its Lead Character

By Brandon T. McClure

The fourth entry in the Ghostbusters franchise (fifth overall) has arrived and was a modest success with a gross of a little more than $200 million. But while Ghostbusters fans and naysayers have largely left the movie in the past, there is one element of the film that people should still be talking about. If you start peeling away characters like Venkman, Podcast, Lucky, and maybe a few nostalgic fetch quests, the heart of the story is a queer star-crossed lovers' coming-of-age tale centered around Phoebe Spengler. Or at least, it should be and is only stopped from being so because Sony is scared of angering a very fickle fanbase. 

Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire sees the Spengler family move to New York City to take up residence in the old firehouse headquarters of the original film. This new film has a lot of moving parts and isn’t able to dedicate the kind of time that is needed for each one. This has the unfortunate side effect of failing arguably the most interesting part of the movie (and its successor): Mckenna Grace’s Phoebe Spengler. The Spengler family, and Grooberson (Paul Rudd), have fully embraced the Ghostbusting lifestyle, but after a particularly destructive run-in with the Hell’s Kitchen Sewer Dragon, the mayor, returning character Walter Peck, played by William Atherton, forces Phoebe to quit being a Ghostbuster. This devastates her, so she goes to the park after dark to play chess by herself (you know, like a teenager would do) but meets the franchise's first talking ghost named Melody. Melody and Phoebe begin to form a very queer-coded relationship, with Phoebe experiencing the equivalence of “gay panic” practically every time they meet. The story progresses with the two of them getting closer until Melody fulfills her unfinished business and passes into the afterlife. Leaving Phoebe alone. It’s a tragic ending to a queer awakening story, but one that has been told numerous times in different films throughout the 21st century and beyond.

The Spegler and Grooberson family (Carrie Coon as Callie, Mckenna Graces as Phoebe, Paul Rudd as Gary Gooberson and Finn Wolfhard as Trevor)

The only issue is it's not explicitly queer. The movie stops just short of explicitly saying anything one way or the other. It frankly feels like a miracle that any form of their flirting remains in the film. Sony has been so scared of angering the Ghostbusters fandom ever since the wildly toxic reaction to the 2016 remake directed by Paul Feig. The toxicity around that film was so bad that a disgraced former President released a video complaining about it before it was released (before he was elected). It’s been eight years since the release of that film and the fandom is still complaining about it. Ghostbusters: Afterlife is basically an apology to that fandom, so Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire couldn’t do anything but play it safe, otherwise they would risk the wrath of the outrage merchants and potentially alienate a fandom desperate for safety. Although it’s not like the movie broke any box office records, so maybe they should have just gone for it.

Right-wing grifters on YouTube have coined the phrase “identity politics”, to not admit they’re openly racist or sexist. It’s a hollow term that makes them sound like they know what they’re talking about when they claim that something has been made “political” or “woke.” But let's call a spade a spade here: these people only care about complaining that there are women, queer and POC characters in their movies now and they don’t like it. But Sony is so cowardly that they would rather hope to appease these people than incur their performative wrath. Sony isn’t even the only one, they’re just the ones that did it recently. This means that Phoebe's story is wildly undercooked and the potential of telling this kind of star-crossed lovers tale has been wasted by a studio with no backbone. If the filmmakers behind the new films are more interested in playing it safe by keeping a vocal minority happy, then why even bother to keep going?

Ghostbusters: Afterlife introduced a wonderful new character in Phoebe Spengler and fans of that film were looking forward to watching her grow and develop as the lead of a new Ghostbusters franchise free from the nostalgic confines of that film. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire had the responsibility to focus on Phoebe’s story and progress it to the next stage, but there’s so much going on in the film that she gets lost in the weeds. Not to say there isn’t an arc for her in the film, she definitely drops that chip on her shoulder, but the film is trying to please too many masters. So much so that you end up wondering why the film would rather spend so much time on a subplot between Slimer and Trevor (Finn Wolfhard) when it could be focusing on Phoebe. The lore of the film matters more than the characters. Between trying to please the executives at Sony, the fans of the original, and the fans of the new, it either loses sight of Phoebe as the main character or is too scared to take the film where it clearly wants to go (into Melody’s ghostly arms).

Melody (Emily Alyn Lind) and Phoebe (Mckenna Grace)

This is not to say that the movie isn’t good. There are lots of great moments between the main cast of characters and the main villain is pretty cool. Even what little of the queer story that is there is very sweet. Melody and Phoebe are incredibly cute together as they steal away little moments and grow closer through their desire for connection. The relationship isn’t even subtextual either, it’s very much in the text of the film. Through dialogue, stolen glances, and even framing, the film tells the audience that these two are falling in love. There was likely a cut of this movie that ended with a kiss between Phoebe and Melody, but that’s just speculation (and a lot of reading too much into their final scene). Melody’s final line “I’ll see you in the fabric of the universe” might be one of the most romantic lines in the history of film. It’s just a shame the story wasn’t fully realized in the final film.

Ghostbusters: Afterlife doesn’t work because the cast gets to say goodbye to Harold Ramis, or that Gozer is the villain again. It works because of Phoebe and her family. But in Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire they feel like an afterthought. It’s depressing to sit there and see the potential for more and know that the opinions of some angry YouTuber upset over supposed “identity politics” matter more than those who are desperate to see themselves represented. Phoebe’s queer awakening had the potential to be aspirational and meaningful to so many Ghostbusters fans around the world. But Sony has made it clear that Ghostbusters doesn’t belong to those fans, it belongs to the grifters.

REVIEW / Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Two

By Brandon T. McClure

The Tomorrowverse is coming to an end with a massive three-part adaptation of the seminal comic book event Crisis On Infinite Earths. While Part 1 was an inventive story exploring the Flash's life in the franchise, Part 2 serves little more than to set up the final entry. Directed by Jeff Wamester and written by James Krieg, Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Two picks up after the events of the first film. After stopping the first antimatter wave from destroying the entire multiverse, the heroes find themselves under siege by a horde of shadow creatures. But now the Anti-Monitor is revealing himself to the heroes, and they may not be able to stop him. 

"The major selling point of Justice League: Crisis On Finite Earths - Part 2 is the Tomorrowverse Batman (Jensen Ackles) teaming up with a multiverse Batfamily that includes Batgirl (Gideon Adlon), Huntress (Erika Ishii), Batman Beyond (Will Friedle), and a few Robins (Zach Callison), if you don't blink. At least, that’s what the box art and marketing would have you believe. In truth, they have minimal screen time, and the filmmakers seem uncertain how to utilize them effectively. Even the much-hyped return of Will Friedle as Batman Beyond merely serves as set dressing for an underwhelming action sequence. Batwing, mentioned earlier, appears in only one frame of the film, leaving one to wonder if his role was intended to be cut entirely

All that being said, there is an interesting premise at the heart of the Batman sequences. Audiences learned in Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part One that Bruce didn’t adopt Dick Grayson when he had the chance because he felt it would be irresponsible. Teaming him up with members of the Batfamily from across the multiverse allows him to see that he may have been wrong in his decision. It enables Batman to reflect on himself and learn what every comic book fan has known for decades: that Batman should never be alone.

Strangely enough, Psycho Pirate (Geoffrey Arend) has more to do in this film than Batman. Audiences learn a lot about Psycho Pirate’s Tomorrowverse history through a series of flashbacks. Audiences learn that he can travel the multiverse thanks to Earth 2’s Dr. Fate (Keith Ferguson), and they discover the events that lead him to becoming a supervillain. By the time the Anti-Monitor (Ato Essandoh) begins to influence him, you’re left wondering why this took so long. In truth, his story is kind of interesting; however, it halts the movie in its tracks whenever it cuts to one of his flashbacks. Therein lies the fundamental issue with the film: its flashbacks. 

While Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part One expertly used Flash’s time travel abilities to weave each flashback into a cohesive narrative, this film struggles to find a way to make the flashbacks feel organic. Each time the film needs to exposit some backstory, it cuts to a flashback or a flashback within a flashback. It’s a useful narrative device that is used quite lazily in this entry and stalls the pacing of the film (that and the fake accents, but that’s a franchise problem).

However, the film does have a shining light in the form of Supergirl (Meg Donnelly). This film reveals more of what happened to her between the destruction of Krypton and arriving on Earth in Legion of Superheroes. Through the use of, you guessed it, flashbacks, the film reveals a hidden parently relationship between Supergirl and the Monitor (Jonathan Adams). While these flashbacks also ruin the pacing of the film, they feel far more engaging than the ones about Psycho Pirate. You begin to understand how Supergirl was able to change the Monitor for the better, leading to his desire to save the multiverse. Their relationship forms the emotional center of the film and ends up being the true standout. The emotional crescendo of the story is well worth it and packs an emotional punch.

There are some decent moments in the film, like the return of Matt Ryan as John Constantine, but ultimately you’re left wondering if this needed to be a full feature. Or even if there needed to be three parts to this story. You can’t help but shake the feeling that this entry is just filling time before the finale. But now the stage is set for a climactic battle between the heroes of the multiverse and the Anti-Monitor. Hopefully, part three can bring the whole thing home with a satisfying conclusion.

Rating this 6.5/10

For more coverage, check out Brandon’s previous article: The End Of The Tomorrowverse & The Future Of The DC Animated Original Movies

Star Trek: Celebrations - So Close, Yet So Far

By Brandon T. McClure

With June in the USA being pride month many comic book publishers take the opportunity to celebrate their queer characters. Predominantly, DC Comics has published an oversized one-shot consisting of stories centered around their queer characters for many years. This year IDW is joining the fun by releasing an oversized one-shot called Star Trek: Celebrations. This new issue will feature stories written by queer creators, such as Vita Ayala (Children of the Atom), Steve Orlando (Commanders In Crisis), and Mags Visaggio (Cold Bodies), who will tell stories centered around the prominent queer characters in The Star Trek universe. But, just by looking at the cover, there is one show being represented more than the others: Star Trek: Discovery. Sadly this is shining a light on a worrying trend within the Star Trek franchise.

The solicitation for Star Trek: Celebrations reads “IDW proudly presents a one-shot anthology centering and celebrating LGBTQIA+ characters from across the Star Trek universe! Join legendary heroes from each era of the beloved franchise in stories that showcase the strengths of infinite diversity in infinite combinations.” The cover features Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp), Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz), Adira (Blu del Barrio), Gray (Ian Alexander), Jett Reno (Tig Notaro), Seven of Nine (Jerry Ryan), Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd), Christine Chapel (Jess Bush), Hikaru Sulu (John Cho), Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome), and Jennifer Sh'reyan (Lauren Lapkus). That makes five characters from Star Trek: Discovery, two from Star Trek: Lower Decks, two from Star Trek: Picard, one from Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, and one from Star Trek Beyond. 

It makes sense that Star Trek: Celebrations wouldn’t use any characters from before 2016's Star Trek Beyond because Star Trek didn’t have any queer main characters, at least none that were “out of the closet”. Looking back on the franchise, fans have speculated that many characters were queer, with some actors, including Andrew Jordt Robinson (Garak on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine) agreeing, which he made known to TrekMovie.com in 2020. While Star Trek didn’t have any queer main characters, it is littered with queer-coded characters and has always had a passionate queer fanbase with their own queer headcanons (Any Spirk shippers out there?). Due to the era in which the shows were made, queerness was relegated to background and subtext. But that began to change in the latter half of the 2010s.

While Star Trek Beyond features Star Trek’s first queer character, it was Star Trek: Discovery’s premiere in 2017 that is most notable in the history of the franchise. Star Trek: Discovery launched a new golden age of Star Trek for the streaming era and immediately made an impact with its historic representation. Star Trek: Discovery has broken down barriers when it comes to positive queer representation since many of the main characters and principal actors belong to the LGBTQIA+ community. For a franchise that has been so progressive in the past, it was severely lacking in queer representation, and Star Trek: Discovery was in a position to change that. With Star Trek: Discovery acting as the “flagship show”, it boldly led the likes of Star Trek: Lower Decks and Star Trek: Picard into a new progressive future. But seven years and five shows later, Paramounts priorities seem to have shifted.

The first season of Star Trek: Picard saw the return of Jerry Ryan as Seven of Nine, a role she originated on Star Trek: Voyager. She became a key player in the series, as did her on-again/off-again girlfriend Raffi Musiker. The final episode of the first season of Star Trek: Picard implied a relationship between Seven and Raffi was beginning to develop. But they broke up between seasons one and two only to spend the entire second season getting back together again. Now the stage was set for the relationship to blossom. Except they broke up again between season two and three. The two of them never spent time together as a real couple and while the end of Star Trek: Picard put them in command of the new USS Enterprise - G, it wasn’t as a couple. Sure, the show could get “brownie points” for putting queer characters in charge of the Federation's flagship, but if it’s not shown on screen, does it count? If Star Trek: Legacy happens, will the two of them get back together, or will the writers spend another season teasing their relationship, only to not take it anywhere?

It’s important to note that while Seven and Raffi weren’t together on screen, there is a story that explores their relationship between seasons one and two of Star Trek: Picard. Written by Kirsten Beyer, Star Trek: Picard - No Man’s Land is a full-cast audiobook that tells the story of the Fenris Rangers asking Seven and Raffi for help with a “beleaguered planet.” For her part, Beyer has written many Star Trek comics and was a co-creator of Star Trek: Picard in season one before Terry Matalis came on board in season two. The inclusion of this audiobook implies that Seven and Raffi are allowed to be complex queer characters, just as long as it’s not on screen. Matalis did try to explain himself by saying that he thinks “Starfleet regulations have a lot to say about them being officially together which is why we had them apart to begin with. We knew we were ending here and that would be a big conflict of interest on the bridge.” So it’s not homophobic, it’s just that the fictional organization of Starfleet told Terry Matalas that they couldn’t be together. To his credit, he did end the statement by saying “will this ABSOLUTELY be a story you want to tell in the future? A story about a Captain who loves her First Officer and vice versa? Absolutely.”

Sometime between seasons two and three of Star Trek: Lower Decks, Becket Mariner and the Andorian Jennifer Sh’reyan formed a romantic relationship. The show didn’t dedicate much time to this relationship but it clearly made Mariner happy and it certainly made the fans happy to see. In the second to last episode of the show, Becket is blamed for a bad interview with a Federation journalist named Victoria Nuzé and Jennifer breaks off the relationship. More than anything, this feels like a story that the creators of Star Trek: Lower Decks wanted to tell, but the finale gives the audience the sense that Mariner is not going to try and get back together with Jennifer. Perhaps it’s got more to do with Mariner’s self-destructive nature and less to do with a decree from Paramount, but the loss of this queer relationship is one more symptom of an ever-growing problem. It’s also very noticeable that Jennifer only appears in the background of season four a handful of times.

While progressive for the time, the original Star Trek struggled when it came to its portrayal of women. Probably none more so than Nurse Christine Chapel. Originally played by Majel Barret, she was often used to support Dr. McCoy in the sick bay and when she wasn’t doing that, she was lovesick for Spock. Flash forward to Star Trek: Strange New Worlds and Christine Chapel once again occupies the Enterprise sick bay, this time played by Jess Bush. It appeared that Star Trek: Strange New Worlds was interested in adding some much-needed depth to this maligned character and one way they decided to do that was to make her bisexual. Jess Bush also identifies as bisexual and was likely interested in exploring that new aspect of the character and delivering positive bi representation to the world of Star Trek. There was plenty of room left to explore the character, her relationships, and history which would add depth and context to her relationship with Spock. Sadly, the second season did away with all of this. All implications of her bisexuality were scrubbed from the scripts and her complicated, and frankly uninteresting relationship with Spock became the primary focus. Much like her original series counterpart.

It's not controversial to say that the online reception to Star Trek: Discovery has, itself, been controversial. However, many Trek fans were delighted to see this kind of representation in their favorite franchise. The world of Star Trek was beginning to look more and more like the beautifully diverse world we live in. A home to many and the next step in realizing Gene Roddenberry’s vision of utopia. But if you look at these shows today you would likely never know that any of these characters listed above are queer. For years a segment of the Trek fandom, spurned on by bad faith actors within the right-wing community, has been bullying the show's creators, actors, and fans due to a perceived agenda to push “identity politics,” a term implying that someone's identity is inherently political, but only serves as a smokescreen to try and hide a more sinister term. Paramount seems to want to desperately please these “fans'' by going back on much of the progress that was made in the initial years. Star Trek: Discovery has been the only show that was able to retain its overt queerness, but much of its last three seasons have been filled with TOS or TNG nostalgia in the hopes of bringing these “fans” back to the franchise. 

No matter what happens, characters like Mariner, Chapel, Seven, and Raffi are still queer but because the shows have decided to largely ignore this aspect of their identity, they might as well be straight-coded. It’s not enough to say these characters are gay, bi, or trans. That’s not representation, that’s throwing the fans who want to see themselves represented scraps. These characters mean a lot to fans and it feels like Paramount is trying to force the franchise back into the closet. The frustrating thing about Paramount doing all this is that it’s not going to work. The bigoted fandom will never come back to Star Trek, if they ever watched it all. They’ve all grown up with a weird fictional “apolitical” version of Star Trek and have become the villains in the show they claim to love. Paramount+ is not a streaming giant so they probably feel like they can’t afford to alienate what they believe to be a large section of Trek fans, but all it’s going to do is alienate the ones who do love the franchise and want to see it evolve. Paramount is sending a message to those fans: “You don’t belong in the future, because it makes people mad.” 

Last year saw the end of Star Trek: Picard and this year will see the end of Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Lower Decks. After this year, every explicitly queer character will be gone from the Star Trek universe, except for Nurse Chapel. Sure, new shows could pick up the slack and surprise fans with positive representation, but it’s depressing to think that the sole remaining queer character is going to be Nurse Chapel. Since the writers of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds have decided that Chappel’s queer identity (or identity in general if we're being honest with ourselves), is less important than setting up her ill-fated love affair with Spock, all eyes are on future Trek shows and movies. With a Starfleet Academy show and Section 31 film on the horizon, fans are eagerly awaiting to see if they will continue what Star Trek: Discovery started, or will Nurse Chapel be the death knell of queer Trek characters. If the Star Trek: Celebrations comic returns in 2025, will there be new queer characters to add, or will we be seeing the same characters over and over again until the franchise lies dormant again?

A comic book like Star Trek: Celebrations should be a celebration of how far we’ve come in the Star Trek franchise and not a reminder of what we’ve lost. It may be conspiratorial to say that Paramount is targeting queer stories and demanding they not be told, but something is going on, or else these stories wouldn’t be consistently downplayed. Star Trek: Celebrations is a wonderful idea and should be celebrated as the milestone it is, and it’s a shame that it’s made so many realize how little has changed since 2017. The difference between comic book readers and television watchers is in the millions. These milestones should be celebrated on the television shows that inspired generations to look up at the stars and work towards a better tomorrow. It’s important to tell queer stories in every medium, but it’s such a shame that all of the work to showcase queer love and queer stories on the television screen has been relegated to one issue of a comic book in June.

Will Dr. Ben Song Return Home? - Quantum Leap Canceled By NBC

By Brandon T. McClure

“Dr. Sam Beckett never returned home.”

So ends the final episode of Quantum Leap in 1993. One of the most heartbreaking endings in television history as the entire premise of the show was built around the hope that Dr. Beckett (Scott Bakula) would find a way home. It is apparently the fate of all Leapers to never find their way home as, more than thirty years later, Dr. Ben Song (Raymond Lee) will suffer the same fate. As Quantum Leap fans found out on April 5, 2024, the sequel series of the same name has been canceled by NBC.

Originally created by Donald P. Bellisario in 1989, Quantum Leap aired for five seasons on NBC and followed the time traveling trials of Dr. Sam Beckett as he attempted to put events right that originally went wrong. Thirty years after the show's cancellation in 1993, Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt revived the show with a new cast of characters and a new leaper, Dr. Ben Song. Together with his friends in the present, including his hologram and fiancé Addison Augustine (Caitlin Bassett), he attempts to put right what once went wrong, all the while trying to discover the larger mysteries surrounding the Quantum Leap program.

There have been talks of a new Quantum Leap series for decades and at one point Bellisario had suggested a movie could come to fruition. Ever since the finale's title card, fans had been hoping that someday Sam Beckett could return home. Practically every convention or public appearance made by the cast or Bellisario had them saying “maybe”. But that changed after the death of Dean Stockwell who played Sam’s best friend and hologram Al. It was Bakula’s belief that there was no Quantum Leap without Stockwell’s Al. But shortly after Stockwell’s death, NBC ordered a revival of the cult classic series centered around a new Leaper. Fans had wondered if Bakula would return but he set the record straight just before the new series began airing. Before the series aired Scott Bakula confirmed that he would not be returning, leaving the new show with a large shadow hanging over it. But the show prevailed and was able to find a dedicated audience, admittedly not a large one. While the first season wasn’t the smash success that NBC was surely hoping for, it was successful enough to get a second season.

Unlike the original show, this new Quantum Leap leaned on serialized storytelling, in order for it to compete in age of streaming television. The first season centered around the mystery surrounding his fiancé, Addison’s future death. Ben had somehow manipulated his leaps to arrive at the point where he could save her life. The second season found Ben at the whim of Ziggy, the supercomputer that seemingly controlled the leaps through time. Through the season Ben unknowingly manipulated the life of a a young woman named Hannah Carson (Eliza Taylor ).

Quantum Leap quite brilliantly began to implement a story that was reminiscent of the Doctor and River Song’s story from Doctor Who. Ben had told her who he was and she would help him through his leaps. All the while, Hannah was working on something in the background as her knowledge in quantum physics grew. She appears in many of the episodes of the second season, and audiences began to wonder if she would discover how to bring Ben back to his own time. As it turns out, she had created a code that would help Ben in the future, but it didn’t bring him home,. Instead, it brought Addison to him in the past. The finale of the second season set up a third season where Addison and Ben would be reunited, leaping through time putting right what once went wrong. Interestingly enough this is not the first time this idea was presented.

In May of 2019 a video was uploaded to Reddit which confirmed that there was a filmed alternate ending, should the show be renewed for a sixth season. This alternate ending was going to send Al through the quantum accelerator to find Sam, who was now leaping through time as himself, rather than in the bodies of other people. This suggests that the sixth season would have Sam and Al leaping together through time, working as a team without the limitations of the hologram idea. Even though Bellisario is only an executive producer and not a creative voice on the show, his original idea (which he denies he had even, though there’s proof) still found its way into the new Quantum Leap writers room. This means that both shows were cancelled before this exciting idea could come to life.

But now the excitement has been replaced by disappointment as NBC has seen fit to cut its losses. The show struggled during its second season, like many shows, due to the studios’ greed driving the writers and actors of Hollywood to go on strike. Quantum Leap struggled in the ratings and will probably never receive the same cult-like fandom the original has, but it had fans and they deserved better. So like Dr. Sam Beckett before him, Dr. Ben Song never returned home.

The End of The Tomorrowverse & The Future Of The DC Animated Original Movies

By Brandon T. McClure

For 17 years, Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment have been releasing successful direct-to-video animated films through an imprint known as DC Animated Original Movies. These films were based on some of DC’s most iconic characters and comics. In 2020 they released Superman: Man of Tomorrow, a new adaptation of Superman’s origins that launched what would become known as the Tomorrowverse. Meant as a fresh start for the line of movies, the Tomorrowverse laid the groundwork for a new and unique take on DC’s most iconic characters. But after only four years, the Tomorrowverse is coming to an end, and it’s possible this may signal the end of the DC Animated Original Movies.

In 2007, Warner Bros. and DC Entertainment launched the DC Animated Original Movies line with the launch of Superman: Doomsday, a trimmed-down adaptation of The Death of Superman and The Return of Superman. The goal of this new line of films was to appeal to a more adult audience, often getting “PG-13” (and sometimes “R”) ratings and allowing for more faithful adaptations. With this new line of films animators, writers, and directors, could adapt comic storylines more faithfully than live-action films and shows, and represent the various art styles of the adapted comics. Many popular films came from this line including Justice League: Doom (which saw the return of many cast members of the Justice League animated show), All-Star Superman, Superman vs. The Elite, and many more. Save for a few exceptions, each film was a standalone movie, unconnected to any larger storyline. But that changed in 2013 with the release of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox and the start of the DCAMU.

Bruce Timm has been working exclusively with DC Animation since 1993 and was one of the major producers of the DC Animated Original Movies. He wanted to take a step back to focus on Green Lantern: The Animated Series, so James Tucker came on board to produce the next film, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, and effectively took over from Timm. Tucker had been a part of DC Animation for many years at this point but suddenly found himself in charge of a new DC Universe. According to Tucker, Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, based on the popular comic event Flashpoint, was initially going to be a standalone film but they learned pretty late into production that the “higher-ups” were interested in using the film to launch a series of interconnected films. This series would be dubbed the DCAMU and would go on to release 15 films, and 2 Constantine specials (one posthumously released in 2022 not produced by Tucker), including Justice League: War, Son of Batman, Death of Superman, Wonder Woman: Bloodlines, and more.

Constantine: The House of Mysteries - MAX

It’s important to note that the DCAMU, like many universe designations (Arrowverse, DCAU, etc.) is a fan name that only applies to a particular set of films. Between 2013 and 2020, Warner Bros. Animation released 23 direct-to-video animated films through the DC Animated Original Moves line, but only 16 (including the Constantine special), were part of the DCAMU. Batman: Assault On Arkham, Justice League: Gods and Monsters, Batman: The Killing Joke, and others were all released during the period of time that the DCAMU was running, but were not considered a part of the universe. The DCAMU had a distinct art style and saw most of their voice actors return throughout the entire run, which helped differentiate itself from the other films in the DC Animated Original Movies line.

The DCAMU ended up being a blessing for James Tucker in more ways than one. Before it, Warner Bros. was releasing three unique animated films every year, each by the same team of animators. Since the animation styles were often very different between films, the team would have to start from scratch each time. Creating a “house style” for a franchise allowed them to reuse character assets, which had the added benefit of cutting down on budget and time, and increasing the amount of films that could be released in a year. By 2018, they were releasing four films a year, which generally had one film be a standalone feature and the other three be part of the DCAMU. Probably the most important benefit of the DCAMU was that James Tucker was able to use the franchise as a way of introducing other characters. WB has always been hesitant to greenlight any movie that didn’t have “Batman” or “Justice League” in the title (This is a problem across DC as a whole). For reference, the DC Animated Original Movies have released 20 movies with “Batman” in the title, the most out of any character. With a franchise like the DCAMU, Tucker was able to introduce characters and spin them off into other films. This is how the likes of Justice League Dark, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, and Teen Titans: The Judas Contract were able to get made. In an interview with the Word Balloon podcast, after Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was released, he mentioned that it was important for him to showcase other characters, even though it was always a struggle to get them made.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips - MAX

Sometime before 2019 (the timeline is unclear, but likely 2017 or 2018), Tucker was told that the DCAMU would be coming to an end with the, already greenlit, Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. To this day, he claims he doesn’t know why the films ended and there has been no official word from WB. Critics and fans have thrown out ideas for why the DCAMU ended but most just say it was because “they were bad”, which is a ridiculous statement considering their Rotten Tomatoes scores were often within the “fresh” threshold. One theory suggested that the films ended because James Tucker stepped down, but he made it clear that it was not his plan to end. He likely used the ending as an excuse to step down and not the other way around. What’s more likely is that the sales weren’t what WB was interested in seeing. Only two of the nine films released between 2017 and 2020 grossed over $4 million in sales. 

To put this in perspective, the DC Animated Original Movies were relatively inexpensive to make. Each one would cost roughly $2 million or less, so $4 million is a profit for them. These films are also easy to market and repackage for continuous sales over long periods of time. What’s more, Warner Bros. streaming service, MAX (formerly HBO Max), could stream these movies till David Zazlov (head of WBD) wants to save some more taxes. So these films aren’t unprofitable or not successful, but there has been a significant downward trend. The most successful film they’ve ever made was Batman: Under the Red Hood in 2010, which made $12 million according to the-numbers.com. While some Batman films have gotten close to that number, the entries of the DCAMU never made it above $6 million and began to plummet in sales. The highest-grossing film was Son of Batman with $7 million in 2014 and the lowest-grossing entry was Wonder Woman: Bloodlines in 2019 with only $1.7 million. The hope with any film franchise is that there would be growth in sales, but if audiences were voting with their wallets, then it was pretty clear that interest in the DCAMU was waning.

Justice League: Warworld - MAX

Even so, James Tucker was just as surprised as anyone that the DCAMU was ending. He didn’t have a plan for one and was hoping that he could continue for many more years. He had hoped to one day get to do another Teen Titans film, but those desires had to be put aside. He had already gotten WB to greenlight a new Justice League Dark film and now had to find a way to turn that film into a universe-ending epic. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War starts after Darkseid has already taken over the world and many of Earth's heroes and villains have died. Constantine gets a team together for one last-ditch effort to destroy Darkseid and in the process frees the Justice League and the remaining heroes. But so much had already been lost in the battle so Constantine convinces Flash that the only way to fix everything is to reset the universe in the same way that he did during the Flashpoint (the events of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox). It’s revealed in Constantine: House of Mystery (a short film released after the end of the DCAMU in 2022) that Constantine used his magic to help Flash, which made it so Darkseid couldn’t find the Earth in the new universe that would be created. Darkseid had been an ever-looming threat in the DCAMU, and this plan would allow the new universe a fighting chance, but it opened up Earth to a new, more dangerous enemy.

Regardless of why WB ended the DCAMU, plans began for a new universe that would be dubbed the Tomorrowverse. Named after the first film in the franchise, Superman: Man of Tomorrow, the Tomorrowverse began months after Justice League Dark: Apokolipse War. This new universe was spearheaded by Butch Lukic, Jim Krieg (who wrote Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox), and Kimberly S. Moreau. There was one big difference between the DCAMU and the Tomorrowverse that fans didn’t know, and that was it was always going to end. Butch Lukic told Cinemablend, in January of 2024, that “it was just preplanned. [It was] five, six years ago where we laid out 10 movies that we were gonna do. Because we were basically given 10 movies only, and then you’re out, you’re done.” This marks a stark contrast to the development of the DCAMU, which had no set ending until WB decided it was time.

During an interview with ComicBookMovie.com, Jim Krieg and Butch Lukic discussed what it was like to pitch the Tomorrowverse. “Butch and I had this idea that we would have a long time to build to Crisis,” Krieg said and added “I remember [Butch] and I talking to Sam Register (president of WB Animation) and saying, ‘Maybe we can have twenty films and then end in Crisis?’ I think he said, ‘How about three?’” Judging by this, Sam Register and WB Animation weren’t all that interested in another long-running universe. Krieg and his team went into the pitch meeting with the idea that they could have, at least, as many films as the DCAMU. Krieg told  ScreenRant that “we would have been happy to do 20. But when you want to do 20, and someone offers you 10, you'd say yes anyway," Krieg and his team were insistent and had big plans, but ten movies were all they could get. Butch lamented in the ComicBookMovie.com interview that he “originally wanted to keep doing a slow build with movies like [Batman:] The Long Halloween and [Superman:] Man of Tomorrow. I wanted to take as long as possible and once we gave them our pitch, they said they wanted Crisis involved and they wanted it done in ten movies. That’s why we had to fast-track some of these stories and build it towards this.” Through every interview, it’s clear that everyone is happy with how the Tomorrowverse has played out, but they had to condense 20 movies into 10.

Batman: The Long Halloween

Many of the criticisms that have been lobbied towards the Tomorrowverse make more sense with the realization that they only had ten films to work with. One of the issues that the series was plagued with was the quick-moving and eclectic way the story unfolded. It makes it very difficult for audiences to engage and get emotionally invested in characters and character arcs if the story isn’t properly unfolded. This is not to say that the Tomorrowverse doesn’t work. Many of these films are very good, despite the limitations (except Justice League: Warworld). Batman: The Long Halloween is a near-perfect adaptation of the comic it’s based on and Legion of Superheroes is a great story centered around Supergirl and her journey in the 31st century. The Tomorrowverse, while short, has been very good at utilizing characters outside of Batman and Superman. Characters like Green Lantern and the Justice Society don’t often get the same attention that DC’s heavy hitters do in animation, so it’s been great to have a franchise attempt to change that. As standalone films, they’re all strong features with good voice casts and expressive animation. The connections and the universe-building have just been the Tomorrowverse’s weakness. But, that said, Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths could make it all come together in the end as one complete ten-movie arc. It just feels like it’s ending before it even got to start.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part 1

Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths is not the first time WB has adapted Marv Wolfman and George Perez’s seminal event. Famously, the Arrowverse aired a five-part adaptation on the CW that crossed over all their shows at the time (which ended up being the beginning of the end for them) in 2019. But Butch Lukic revealed to ScreenRant, that they’d been working on the animated version since before that by saying “we already were figuring out that we were going to do Crisis before they even were filming anything on their Crisis.” This lines up with what has been revealed about the timeline of when they were told how many films they would get and a particularly weird trend within WB at the time.

It appears that there was a point in WB’s history that saw many DC departments interested in adapting Crisis On Infinite Earths. From TV to animation, to movies, everyone was racing to get theirs made, and the Arrowverse was just the one to make it to the finish line. Before James Gunn and Peter Safran became the head of DC Studios, a man named Walter Hamada was the head of DC Films. After he exited the company in 2022 (in the wake of Batgirl’s tax write-off), The Hollywood Reporter found out that he had been mapping out a new trajectory for his DC films that would culminate in a big-screen adaptation of Crisis on Infinite Earths. Hamada was so confident in this plan that one of the filmed endings to The Flash (the movie) saw Barry receiving a call from Ben Affleck’s Batman that would reveal they were now on separate Earths. Sadly, the changing of the guard at DC meant that this plan was scrapped and a new ending was filmed (this is why the George Clooney ending exists).

While Krieg and his team may have known that an animated Crisis film would be the end of the Tomorrowverse back in 2019, fans did not. But rumors began swirling of the animated Crisis adaptation in 2021 when Journalist Matías Lértora tweeted “An animated TRILOGY adaptation of CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS is coming” and “It is expected that all the DC animated Universes will come together.” Finally, at the 2023 San Diego Comic-Con, it was revealed that 2024 will see two ambitious releases from the DC Animated Original Movies line, Watchmen, based on the Alan Morre and Dave Gibbons comic, and the rumored Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths. Only later was it revealed that Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths would be a three-part ending to the Tomorrowverse. No new information has been released about Watchmen at the time of this writing.

Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths - Part 2

The first part of Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths is out now (with part two out in April) and follows Flash as he travels through time and universes to try and stop an Anti-Matter wave that is destroying the multiverse with the help of the Justice League and alternate universe heroes. Matt Ryan’s Constantine makes a surprise appearance in the film to connect the Tomorrowverse to the DCAMU, which was alluded to in the aforementioned Constantine: House of Mystery. It seems that when Constantine and Flash changed the universe, they hid it from Darkseid but opened it up to a new threat, likely the Anti-Monitor, the villain of the original comic. While the first part of the rumor turned out to be true, it remains to be seen if the second part is. So far, no familiar heroes from other DC animated universes have popped up but Krieg and Lukic said to stay tuned. Indeed a rumor came about that suggested that Kevin Conroy had reprised his role as Batman for one last time in a future installment. 

One of the more fun aspects of animated shows crossing over is the opportunity to utilize the unique animation styles of the various shows (see any Teen Titans Go! crossover for examples). It’s now been confirmed that Will Friedle will reprise his role as Terry McGinnis/Batman from the wildly popular animated show Batman Beyond, in Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths - Part Two, but he will appear in the animation of the Tomorrowverse. It appears that, rather than having different universes represented by different animation styles, in order to celebrate the animated history of DC, the creators opted to keep it simple. It was likely more of a budget choice than a style choice, honestly. Besides, Justice League: Crisis on Infinite Earths needs to act as an ending to the Tomorrowverse first and foremost. While multiverse stories can be a fun way to celebrate the storied history of a property, they need to serve the story of the main characters they’re following. The allure of nostalgia is strong and this is something that multiverse stories often struggle with (see The Flash for examples).

When asked about the future, Krieg said that "whatever happened afterward would be someone else; a couple of producers would do another universe, which turned out to be the James Gunn-verse." It’s unclear what he means by this, however, when James Gunn was asked on Threads if Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths has anything to do with the start of his new DCU, Gunn simply said “They do not.” Considering the timing of his hiring and when these films would have been in production, it is very unlikely that he had anything to do with this. But there’s also the case of his plans for the DCU throughout all mediums. In his original announcement, Gunn stated “It's one of our jobs to make sure the DCU is connected in film, television, gaming, and animation. That the characters are consistent, played by the same actors, and it works within one story.” Gunn said this after implying that the disconnected nature of the various DC projects was diminishing the brand and many shows were canceled in the wake of his hiring. The question of what exactly he means has come up far more times than not. Does he mean that there will be entries in the DCU that are video games or animated films? Or does he mean that all future video games, animated films, and so on will be part of the DCU? The distinction is an important one, but not one that has been made.

To be clear, DC Animation isn’t going anywhere. Harley Quinn: The Animated Series is still a hugely popular MAX show, with a Kite Man spin-off on the way, and it’s just been announced that Gunn will produce a big-screen animated adaptation of Daniel Warren Johnson and Juan Gedeon's comic

The Jurassic League. They’re just now being developed by DC Studios, along with everything else DC-related. Gunn seems like he wants to keep the door open for unconnected stories, like The Batman Part II, but wants to make it clear to audiences that they are “Elseworlds” stories and not part of his DCU. So while there will be video games, animated shows, and movies connected to his DCU, that’s not all there will be. So there is still room for something like the DC Animated Original Movies, even though there might be a significant downsizing in the amount of films made. 

The DC Animated Original Movies are not huge releases for Warner Bros. and with studios insisting that physical media should die out, it’s not outside the realm of possibility that the line of films could be ending (whatever happened to that Milestone movie announced in 2021?). David Zaslav has come into Warner Bros. to clean house (and probably sell it for parts) and has become a ruthless player in the studio system. Not only has he canceled shows, but erased shows and movies to never be seen again. All in the name of tax breaks. Nothing stops him from looking at the measly $2.6 million that Injustice made in sales (the previous six movies didn’t do much better) and deciding that the entire line of films isn’t worth the money anymore.

While it’s undeniably sad that the Tomorrowverse is coming to an end, the future of the DC Animated Original Movies remains unknown. No films have been announced for 2025, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any, some could be announced at this years San Diego Comic-Con as is tradition. As for this year, two animated Justice League: Crisis On Infinite Earths films and a Watchmen animated film (possibly two) are still on the schedule and Warner Bros. Animation is  hard at work on Creature Commandos, the first part of James Gunn’s new DCU, which is likely out at the end of the year. So that begs the question, is the future of the DC Animated Original Movies, to end with Watchmen? Or will they continue under the watchful eye of James Gunn to either be part of the DCU or somewhere in his multiverse? Or will they just continue as is until David Zaslav notices they exist and comes barging into their offices with a flamethrower to burn it all down? Only time will tell.

COMIC REVIEW: Godzilla X Kong: The Hunted

By Brandon T. McClure

The Monsterverse is no stranger to tie-in comics. It's a staple of Legendary Pictures to publish prequel graphic novels through their publishing arm Legendary Comics. So it should come as no surprise that they’ve done it again with Godzilla X Kong: The Hunted by Brian Buccellato, Dario Formisani, Drew Johnson, and Zid, a graphic novel that sets up the events of Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. Previous Monsterverse graphic novels have ranged from solid entries in the multimedia saga, to rather disappointing ones, and this one falls right in the middle.

The story follows Raymond Martin, notably named for Raymond Bur’s character Steve Martin from the 1954 original film, as he builds a large mech suit in order to hunt Titans in the Hollow Earth. He hates Titans and wants to level the playing field, much like Apex Cybernetics tried with MechaGodzilla. While he’s going through this, Godzilla is pursuing Skylla, who is attacking various nuclear power plants for some unknown reason. Skylla is upsetting the natural order, and most likely trying to make a play for the title of King of the Monsters, so Godzilla will not take that threat lying down. Elsewhere, Kong is surveying his new kingdom in the Hollow Earth, until his story links up with Raymond Martin towards the end

Prequel comics come with perceived limitations. They can’t do anything that alters the status quo and the ending has to set up the film. They exist as marketing for the “more important” medium of film. So it’s hard, as a comic book fan, to get overly excited and expect more from these comics. Writer Brian Buccellato delivers exactly what he was meant to. There are some really interesting aspects to the story but it’s pretty anticlimactic. Nowhere is this personified more than in the Godzilla segments. Just as Godzilla catches up with Skylla, the comic literally stops the story to say “To Be Continued In Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire.” As a marketing tool, it’s fine, but as a standalone story, it’s lacking.

The most interesting part of the story is Raymond Martin, who would actually have made a good antagonist for a feature film. Martin is a wealthy man who’s turned into a big game hunter, and that’s meant literally. He was in San Francisco during the events of the 2014 film Godzilla and lost his entire family to that attack. This has given him a personal vendetta against Titans, but he’s not ready to go after the alphas just yet. It’s through him that we’re introduced to a new Monsterverse Titan called Spineprowler, who’s basically just a giant jaguar (not the first giant cat Titan that Zid has designed). It’s honestly a shame that he’s killed at the end because there’s some potential here, especially with that name.

The Monsterverse comics have come under fire due to tracing allegations. Some of the images from Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong were clearly traced from screenshots of the various Titans. You would hope that when translating the Titans to a comic book, the artist could take some artistic liberties with the designs. Godzilla: Awakening by Max & Greg Borenstein was able to allow their artist team of Eric Battle, Yvel Guichet, Alan Quah, and Lee Loughridge the ability to take these liberties due to there having been no film at the time. But there doesn’t seem to be any obvious tracing in this book.

Mostly, the art is pretty good in Godzilla X Kong: The Hunted. It’s very dynamic and the design of the Titan Hunter is interesting. Fans of the Skull Island: The Birth of Kong comic will no doubt recognize a familiar style as Zid has been the artist on many Monsterverse books. He’s not alone here, of course. The artist team consists of Zid as well as Dario Formisani and Drew Johnson. The three of them mix their styles well since there doesn’t seem to be a clear division of pages between them.

Those looking for an exciting entry in the Monsterverse might be disappointed, but that’s not to say that there is no value in this comic. Raymond Martin is a cool character and there is plenty of Titan action. The major issue is that it doesn’t operate as anything more than a marketing tool for Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire. It doesn’t reach the heights of the best of them, but it doesn’t hit the lows of the worst of them. It’s a perfectly fine and fun entry in the franchise. If you’re already a fan, then you likely won’t regret picking this one up.

6.5/10

Godzilla X Kong: The Hunted is available at your local comic shop, bookstore, or here and the latest entry in the Monsterverse, Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire is in theaters every started March 29th.

Monsterverse Ranking By Brandon T. McClure

By Brandon T. McClure

I came to the Godzilla franchise in 1998, with the infamous film that came out the same year. Afterward, I would watch the Japanese films all the time whenever a new one came into my local Suncoast (remember them?). I had always hoped that an American company would take another crack at adapting the franchise, but I knew it would be difficult. American films are constantly pushing VFX to be bigger and more lifelike, and while I like the suitmation of the classic films, it was hard not to imagine a world where we got to see Godzilla rendered with state-of-the-art visual effects the likes of which could only be achieved in Hollywood (at the time anyway). The Monsterverse isn’t perfect but they’re solid, fun films and I’m happy to have them. With Godzilla x. Kong: The New Empire on the way, I thought it would be fun to share my ranking of the Monsterverse entries, including the two shows, starting from the bottom.

#6 Godzilla vs. Kong (2021)

D: Adam Wingard/W: Eric Pearson & Max Borenstein

Coming off of Godzilla: King of the Monsters, my expectations were low for something any deeper than a monster brawl. The marketing for the movie was very clear that this was the rematch of the century. Godzilla and Kong are at odds again for the first time since 1963. The Monsterverse exists so that this movie could be made. Luckily it delivered exactly what it was meant to. Godzilla vs. Kong is very much the film that monster fans pretend they want over a film like 2014's Godzilla (just to keep the examples in the family). I can’t lie and say I don’t enjoy a good old-fashioned monster brawl. So why is this at the bottom? The simple answer is that something has to be at the bottom of a ranked list.

The major strength of this film is in the monsters themselves. This time around, the film opts to center on Godzilla and Kong as the main characters rather than “waste time” on the human drama. In a film like this, the human characters do actually get in the way. That’s not to say that there shouldn’t be a human story at the center of these movies, but if you know you’re not going to succeed there, then you should focus on the major draw that’s going to get butts in seats. The action is much cleaner in Godzilla vs. Kong, than in the previous entry, and is well-shot and choreographed. Each monster gets a chance to shine in various environments. Both monsters on the poster are able to get the upper hand in each fight, with Godzilla coming out on top in the end. 

One of my favorite things about this film is how Adam Wingard frames the monsters' personalities. Through camera techniques and expert VFX work, Wingard and his team are able to convey what each creature is thinking and feeling, which allows the audience to connect with them on a deeper level. Framing Kong as the underdog also helps audiences connect with him as the emotional center of the film. One of the best scenes in Godzilla vs. Kong is when he reveals that he can understand humans and can use sign language. Kong signing “home” is surprisingly powerful. Kong is by far more expressive than Godzilla but both are able to convey their thoughts and struggles throughout the movie. It’s honestly impressive. We also learn a lot about the Titan's history on Earth in this movie, which was cool.

It’s very cool that Godzilla vs. Kong frames the monsters as the emotional core of the film, but the actual people don’t get the same love. Godzilla vs. Kong has the worst characters in the Monsterverse and it’s not close. Even the returning characters of Maddy (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mark Russel (Kyle Chandler), are acting wildly out of character. Chandler’s Russel went on a journey of self-discovery in Godzilla: King of the Monsters, learning that Godzilla is important to the natural order of the world, but as soon as he appears in Godzilla vs. Kong, he’s not even willing to entertain the idea that something could have caused Godzilla’s “change of heart”. One other character who suffers in this film is Ren Serizawa. He’s probably the most useless character that had the most potential. The film doesn’t explicitly tell the audience that he’s the son of Dr. Serizawa and he hates Godzilla because of his dad's obsession with him, but that’s who he is. There’s just no time devoted to that story at all. In every scene he’s in, he’s scowling in the background or being pushed around by the head of Apex Cybernetics, Walter Simmons. Then he dies (?) when Ghidorah’s consciousness takes over MechaGodzilla’s body. 

While the villains and “Team Godzilla” don’t get a lot of love, there are some “Team Kong” characters that do. The best character, by miles, is Jia, an indigenous person from Skull Island who is deaf. We learn pretty early on that she has a special connection with Kong. Admittedly it’s this connection that makes her a stronger character than the others, but even Alexander Skarsgard and Rebecca Hall are able to get a few good character moments. I do want to shout out one character on “Team Godzilla” and that’s Brian Tyree Henry’s Bernie. I just think he’s always delightful.

In order to have characters driving the plot forward, the film splits up the main characters into Team Kong and Team Godzilla teams. Team Kong wants to get Kong to the Hollow Earth, while Team Godzilla wants to find out why Godzilla has suddenly “turned” on humanity. I’m sure this worked on paper but it’s painfully clear that all the character work in the script has been edited out of the final film. Who knows if this would have made the movie better, but it does feel more chopped up than the other Mosterverse entries because of it. 

Godzilla vs. Kong has flaws, but it’s very fun. It’s also a tight film, coming in at just under two hours, and paced well enough so you’re never too far away from the next monster brawl. The characters are cut to ribbons, but they’re still fun enough that you don’t get bored when you’re with them. At the end of the day, if you leave the theater entertained then there’s some merit to that. 

#5 Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019)

D: Michael Dougherty/W: Michael Dougherty & Zach Shields

This is probably the one that I end up watching the most. There are many reasons why Monsterverse fans prefer this film over the others, and the one that is sighted the most is that it has more monster action than the previous Godzilla film. That may be true, but I have one major issue with the film that brings it way down. That’s not to say that I don’t like it. There are many things I love about this film. Godzilla: King of the Monsters has my favorite Ghidorah (it’s also cool that they kept his alien origin) design and the Rodan chase scene is one of the coolest scenes in the Monsterverse. What’s more, Monarch’s flying base, The Argo, is exactly the kind of crazy sci-fi nonsense I like to see in monster movies. So why isn’t this higher?

For one thing, while the special effects are truly top-notch (true across the entirety of the Monsterverse), they’re obscured by an excessive amount of particle effects. Every single fight scene is either covered by a rainstorm or snowstorm, making it very hard to admire the technical mastery being shown on screen. Another issue that comes up with the VFX on display is that Michael Daugherty doesn’t have the eye for scale that his predecessor has. This has the unfortunate side effect of making the monsters feel smaller than they are. This was most likely done to give the audience a better view of the fight scenes, but since they’re obscured so much, it just compounds the issue. Ultimately, I just find the film to be visually ugly, and the fight scenes pretty dull. There are cool things in the fights like Burning Godzilla, but there’s not a lot that “wows” me about the action scenes. 

Even though the villains, including Vera Farmiga’s Dr. Emma Russel, are lacking in strong characterizations, Godzilla: King of the Monsters still has some standouts. The likes of Bradley Whitford, O'Shea Jackson Jr., and Thomas Middleditch all get some fun moments and quippy lines that are worth a laugh. The movie tries, in vain, to make the Russel’s family drama work, but there’s not a lot on the page for any of the talented actors to work with. Maddy (Millie Bobby Brown) and Mark Russel (Kyle Chandler) are more bland than the colorful cast of characters that surround them, but they’re interesting enough to move the plot forward.

Another one of my issues, which is minor, is the killing of Dr. Graham (Sally Hawkins) in favor of Kyle Chandler’s Mark Russel. Since Sally Hawkins is a returning character, audiences are already familiar with her and therefore can connect with her more easily. I’m not saying she’s a massively well developed character from the previous film, I’m saying that it’s easier to connect with a returning character than it is with a new one, such as Dr. Mark Russel. For some reason, the creators of the film decided that killing both Dr. Serizawa (Ken Watanabe) and Dr. Graham was a good idea. Certainly, the death of Serizawa is earned and a beautiful moment for the character, but it was Graham who should have been placed as the head of Monarch after Serizawa in my opinion.

Speaking of Monarch, something that I really enjoy about the Monsterverse is the creation of the organization. In Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Monarch gets an upgrade from a few people chasing monsters to a bonafide monster containment force. I really like this expansion because it helps the franchise more organically lean further into some fun sci-fi tropes and pivots away from relying on the military to drive the plot. The opening scene with the newly hatched Mothra is a really good way to showcase how Monarch are really the only people qualified to deal with the return of these massive creatures. 

There’s a really cool Mothra easter egg that’s in this movie that I wish they went further on, or at least could pursue in the future. The movie dabbles in the more mystical side of the Godzilla franchise with the inclusion of Mothra and is able to sneak in the “Mothra twins” because of it. In the original Japanese canon, Mothra always has two twin fairies that are connected to her. Godzilla: King of the Monsters includes all the previous fairy actors as former Monarch agents and implies that Dr. Chen & Dr. Ling (both played by Ziyi Zhang) are the new iteration of the twin fairies, by implying that her family has a supernatural history and connection with Mothra. I hope that future films or even Monarch: Legacy of Monsters could expand on this idea.

Truthfully, Godzilla: King of the Monsters isn’t as hollow as I originally thought. While the big-budget monster action is definitely the point of the film, it does attempt to tell a story about humankind's relationship with the natural world. The idea of “good radiation” is weird, but the movie’s heart is in the right place. Everything the villains do is in favor of bringing the world back to its “natural state”, where the Titans rule and the humans serve under them. It probably would have worked, but Ghidorah isn’t from the Earth so it puts a wrench in their plans when he starts making everything go wrong. Even the heroes know that Godzilla is the true protector of the natural world and the only way humans can survive is through a harmonious relationship with Godzilla/the natural world. It’s pretty surface level but it works more often than it doesn’t. Speaking of Ghidorah, I hope we’ll see more Toho original monsters in future installments.

The biggest thing that I love about this film is its soundtrack. Bear McCreary is a composer that I’ve loved since Battlestar Galactica. But with Godzilla: King of the Monsters, he really brings his “A”- Game. The new renditions of both Mothra’s theme and Godzilla’s theme are excellent, truly delivering the idea that these creatures are gods and protectors. He also creates new themes for Ghidora and Rodan that are instantly iconic. To my memory, the two of them didn’t have themes in the original Japanese films (I could be wrong), so it’s very cool to get some true bangers here. Not to diminish the other composers in the Monsterverse, especially because I like Alexandre Desplat’s score for the first film, but McCreary delivered something a cut above.

While the environmentalism message is a part of the film, it ultimately succumbs under the weight of expectations. There’s a prevailing issue in Western audiences' views of monster movies, which is that human drama gets in the way of monster action (hopefully Godzilla: Minus One changed that). So Godzilla: King of the Monsters is constantly trying to find the balance of human drama and monster action but is ultimately falling short. I wish I loved it like my fellow monster fans but it doesn’t quite reach the heights of the earlier entries.

#4 Skull Island (2023)

Created By Brian Duffield

The show that has, sadly, become the red-headed stepchild of the Monsterverse. The one that many people don’t even know exists. But it does! It does and I will continue to sing its praises to anyone who will listen. Netflix’s Skull Island is a great addition to the franchise that expands Kong’s world and the world of Skull Island. We obviously get plenty of Skull Island action in Kong: Skull Island, but Godzilla vs. Kong took any future stories off the table, so I was very excited to see the Monsterverse return to Skull Island, even if it is only in the past. While the show is really strong, it’s not complete and there doesn’t seem to be any interest in a second season. With future seasons, this could easily rise through this list.

Right off the bat, I was already skeptical because I’m not a huge fan of Powerhouse animation. Most of the animated shows like Castlevania and Blood of Zeus all suffer from the same stiffness issue that dials down their expressions to remain more lifelike. I prefer my animation to be more expressive, so I was genuinely surprised at how often the show didn’t feel as stiff as the others. It’s got the same house style, but the characters are allowed to be more expressive in their movements. This helped the characters shine more. Each one is genuinely well-written and often very funny. There are standouts, like Annie and Dog, or even Cap, but even the smaller characters get some solid moments before the end of the show.

It being an animated show, allows there to be a lot of monsters and some of them are very inventive. There are awesome new creatures that are designed to fit right in with the world of Kong: Skull Island, like the Aloe Turtle or the Rock Bug, but the coolest new monster is the Kraken. This new antagonist has a personal vendetta against Kong due to it being another alpha Titan. It wants to take Skull Island from Kong, but can only do that if Kong comes to the water. Speaking of Kong, he doesn’t get a lot to do in the series. He makes a few brief appearances before the end of the series, but the show keeps him away for most of it. He does get a very cool action scene between him and the Kraken at the end of the series, which makes up for it. Kong also has a bit of a tragic story in this show which adds to Kong being the most relatable monster in the Monsterverse.

The biggest issue I have with the show is that it doesn’t really feel connected to the Monsterverse. Kong: Skull Island created such a unique and wonderful vision for Skull Island and the show doesn’t really pick up too much of that. There are cool monsters, but some feel pretty generic or something that’s meant to be in Castlevania. Skull Island itself doesn’t really look like the one from the movie, most notably because the perpetual storm that surrounds it, is not in the show for some reason. If you weren’t in the know, this would look like an unrelated show about King Kong.

Skull Island surprised me. It’s very fun, and the funniest entry in the Monsterverse, easy. I’ve been a fan of Brian Duffield since I saw Love and Monsters and he has continued to not disappoint. I desperately hope it gets a second season, not only to resolve that cliffhanger but because there’s so much to explore with the Monsterverse Skull Island. To leave that potential on the table indefinitely would undermine the inherent benefits of having a franchise like this.

#3 Monarch: Legacy Of Monsters (2023)

Created By Chris Black & Matt Fraction

The Apple TV+ show that shocked the nation! As you’ll see as you keep going up the list, I’m a big fan of the 2014 Godzilla film. So I got really excited when I heard that the upcoming show would be set pretty soon after the events of that film. But truthfully, I had no idea what to expect. It became pretty clear that the creators of the Monsterverse weren’t interested in developing characters, so how would translating the big-budget monster franchise to a TV show work? Well, against all odds, it worked and is one of the strongest entries in the franchise to date (some would say the strongest). I’m very glad it exists, even if it didn’t make it up higher on my list.

It’s certainly not perfect though, but it’s only one season in so any faults that it could develop in the beginning will no doubt be ironed out with subsequent seasons. But about halfway through the show, I felt like the 2015 plotline wasn’t as compelling as the 1950s one. Of the two, I always found the 1950s plot more interesting, due to just being more interested in that kind of story, but I was interested in where the 2015 plot could go. I liked the characters and I enjoyed the arc they were on as they uncovered the secret of Monarch and the mystery of what happened to their father. But something shifted, and it started to feel like the 2015 plotline was spinning its wheels until it got to the point where certain main characters entered the Hollow Earth.

For me, I’m not one of those people who thinks the show should have dedicated its entire runtime to the 1950s plot, but I really loved seeing the development of Monarch. I loved watching the trio of Bill Randa, Keiko, and Lee Shaw uncover the mystery of the Titans and discover more and more as they try to prove that these monsters aren’t a threat, but a natural part of the world. I also found their love triangle very compelling and enjoyed watching the three of them grow together. I can’t gush enough about how much I loved that story. I’m always a fan of period genre shows and movies, and I’ve always had a fascination with Monarch’s history, so the 1950s plotline was basically tailor-made for me.

This is not to ignore the 2015 plotline, because there’s a lot to love about it. I enjoyed all the characters, especially Tim, and loved seeing how the world reacted in the aftermath of the MUTO’s attack on San Francisco, which they call “G-Day”. Each character has their own motivation for being on this journey and I thought that the characters were well rounded and developed. I also loved the connections to the other entries in the Monsterverse, both big and small, like Ford Brody’s (Aron Taylor Johnson) aunt being Tim’s partner, or seeing the origins of Apex Cybernetics (who would go on to create MechaGodzilla). I also really liked the inclusion of John Goodman and the scene of him on Skull Island sometime before his death.

One of the coolest things the show did was cast Kurt and Wyatt Russel as the same characters in the different plotlines. Trying to piece together why the character of Lee Shaw didn’t look or act 90-ish years old was one of my favorite things to do after every episode. It wasn’t a prevalent question, but it was one that had an incredibly satisfying and emotional conclusion. The ending when he finally reconnects with Keiko after 57 years is incredibly emotional. The two of them are certainly the standout performances of the show for me.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters isn’t a show that is reverential to its source material, which ended up working for the better, I would say. At almost every turn, it retcons previously established Monsterverse lore. Which is kind of a silly thing to say since it’s a four-movie franchise, with some semi-canon comic book entries. Obviously, the comics can be retconned because hardly anyone reads them (I say this as someone who has read every Monsterverse comic). Something that surprised me though was that it was able to effortlessly retcon a lot of what was said and shown in Kong: Skull Island. Hell, that movie claims that Harry S. Truman founded Monarch in 1946, but the show makes it pretty clear that that isn’t what happened. The reason why I’m saying all this is because it doesn’t matter. The story has to come first and it was refreshing to see a franchise show understand this. I’m always okay with bending canon to fit the story that needs to be told. 

Every episode also includes a giant monster. Godzilla is in the show a good amount of time and the VFX work on him is great. This show has a crazy good VFX budget, which was not something I expected. The scene where a mountain range is revealed to be Godzilla is one of the best-looking shots in the entirety of the Monsterverse. The new monsters like Ion Dragon or Frost Vark are also really cool new additions to the franchise. The Monsterverse has made tons of new monsters, but I think the ones introduced in Monarch: Legacy of Monsters are better than the likes of Behemoth or Skylla (I don’t get why people like Behemoth).

The reason why the show falls short for me, as alluded to up top, is because the 2015 plotline started spinning its wheels after they found their dad. Don’t get me wrong, there are still good character moments, especially when they’re trying to find May or when they convince Monarch to reveal themselves to the world. The other, much smaller, reason is that I’m a lore-obsessed geek and it’s made the Hollow Earth really complicated. These aren’t big issues, and the character issue is more a problem with the current streaming age than the show itself. At the end of the day, it all comes together in an excellent final episode that even sneaks in a really cool Godzilla fight scene.

We are in an age where franchises can jump from film to television, as evidenced by mixed results by the MCU. So the question always has to be, how can this show complement the big screen franchise? Monarch: Legacy of Monsters is probably what I would pick to be the blueprint for this type of multimedia franchise. The way this show is able to weave in elements from every Monsterverse film, from Bill Randa (Kong: Skull Island) to Apex Cybernetics (Godzilla vs. Kong) is shocking. I expected the show to just be this fun side adventure, but it’s necessary world-building for the Monsterverse and something that I feel was desperately needed.

#2 Godzilla (2014)

D: Gareth Edwards/W: Max Borenstein

Depending on the day, I might put this film at number one. But for right now, I’m confident in its second place placing. I have been a Godzilla fan for decades, and my excitement for this film was only rivaled by 2009’s Star Trek before it. A big Hollywood studio had already attempted to make a Godzilla movie and the results were less than desirable. But it really felt like WB and Legendary Pictures had nailed it from the trailers. Thankfully, the film delivered a very cool new take on Godzilla that stays true to his origins and launched a franchise that I never dreamed would be possible.

There are things I really like about this movie, but I’ll focus on the things that hurt the film for me. Ford Brody, played by Aaron Taylor Johnson, is just not a compelling protagonist. There’s an idea in the film about how legacy affects those that come after, but Ford isn’t engaging with that theme, so it doesn’t receive the attention it needs to flourish (Monach: Legacy of Monsters runs with it though). Ford’s lack of an engaging character is made all the worse by Bryan Cranston’s Joe Brody stealing most of the first act. Johnson is a good actor, but he’s just not given a lot in the script to really deliver anything of substance. Cranston is, but they kill him pretty quickly. You have to wonder if the roles were reversed, would this be a stronger movie? It’s hard to say really. Johnson is too much of a passive protagonist who doesn’t actually do anything of note to push the story forward. He just gets pushed along to one set piece after another. They set up his role in the story as a person who’s really good at disarming bombs, but he never gets to disarm a bomb in the movie. So why is he even there?

One of my favorite elements of the film is the inclusion of Monarch, a secret organization that studies Massive Unidentified Terrestrial Organisms (what later films would call Titans). On paper, Monarch feels like the Monsterverse’s answer to SHIELD, but in execution serves a much different purpose. Since the Monsterverse has a massive amount of mythology to explore, Monarch is the perfect solution to create organic exposition about the mythology. I’m a huge lore geek. What many people see as background nonsense, I see as a new obsession. So when this first came out, I loved exploring the lore of the Monsterverse. This idea that Godzilla and the MUTOs are part of an ancient echo system just fascinated the hell out of me. It lit up my imagination in a way that no other Godzilla film had ever done before. I really like this concept that these creatures are supernaturally tied to the natural order of the world and Godzilla exists to keep the balance. Every time a new movie was announced, I hoped that Monarch would remain a part of the story so we could get to explore the lore further. 

I wouldn’t say that any entry in the Monsterverse feels like it was created by a committee of producers, but Godzilla is the movie with the strongest singular voice. Gareth Edwards had only directed one film before Godzilla and he cemented himself as a director with a unique filmic style. Everything from the sound design (the best in the franchise) to how shots are framed is specifically crafted by Edwards. I wish he had gotten to make Godzilla: King of the Monsters and lament that we’ve lost his voice in the franchise. 

This is by far one of, if not, the strongest directed entry in the Monsterverse. It fumbles its themes, but what entry doesn’t? I love the slow build-up of Godzilla throughout the film and the set pieces and sound design are spectacular. The sense of scale is unlike anything else that had come before it. This film succeeds despite the issues with the main character because of Edwards’ strong directing voice.

#1 Kong: Skull Island (2017)

D: Jordan Vogt-Roberts/W: Dan Gilroy, Max Borenstein & Derek Connolly

Kong: Skull Island is the best film in the Monsterverse. For a while, I honestly thought the top of my list would be Godzilla but Kong: Skull Island is just a much stronger film. Jordan Vogt-Roberts set out to make an anti-war/post-Vietnam monster film and he delivered. Kong: Skull Island has a more clear message and clearly defined characters that affect the plot in a meaningful way. It’s actually hard for me to think of anything that I don’t like about this movie. Perhaps this entry will be shorter than the others!

Like many American monster fans, I have a soft spot for King Kong, both the 1933 film and the 2005 film are some of the best monster films ever made. But how many times can you tell that same story? Jordan Vogt-Roberts apparently felt the same way. Instead, he opted to tell a post-war monster film that pays tribute to the original film in many ways but moves Kong into a new setting, which frees the monsters to explore new avenues. It’s actually a really exciting film, in the sense that it opens up limitless possibilities for, not only Kong but Skull Island as well (something that GVK squandered). 

The MonsterVerse likes to play with the idea that these monsters are godly beings, and Vogt-Roberts wanted to bring that to Kong. His massive size is meant to convey his godliness as he looks out over his domain. Other creatures in the film follow the same “god of their own domain” idea but take it in a different direction. While previous Skull Island’s have used dinosaurs, this Skull Island creates flora/fauna hybrid creatures. This is one of my favorite things about the movie since the creature design in the film is one of the most unique in the Monsterverse. Then there’s the Skull Crawlers. Of all the major villains of the films, they’re my favorite. The designs are really interesting and menacing, and this idea that they’re from beneath Skull Island like devils lurking is so well executed. 

There are a ton of characters in this movie, and many of them don’t really get to do much. In fact, loads of them die. But just because the movie is populated by “red shirts'' doesn't mean there aren’t plenty of great characters to get to know. John C. Reilly, John Goodman, Samuel L. Jackson, Brie Larson, and Tom Hiddleston are all really fun characters to follow. What brings this film above Godzilla is that they are directly engaging in the story and theme of the movie. Where Aaron Taylor Johnson’s Ford Brody is being shepherded through the plot of Godzilla, all these characters are driving the plot of Kong: Skull Island.

While the likes of Goodman and Hiddleston all get standout moments in the film, including Hiddleston’s awesome action sequence, it’s John C. Reilly who brings it home for me. His performance as Hank Marlow is one of the best in the franchise. He’s funny as the man who’s been stranded on Skull Island since World War II, but also incredibly sincere and heartfelt. He also has the duty of holding the weight of the anti-war message of the film and does so masterfully. His speech about his fallen brother-in-arms, Gunpei, lays out the central theme of the film “Take away the uniforms and the war… and he became my brother”. Unlike Godzilla or Godzilla: King of the Monsters, Kong: Skull Island is very front and center with what it’s about. It’s definitely spoon-feeding the audience a little but it’s also a movie about a giant monkey so it’s not meant to be subtle.

There are some incredible set pieces in this movie, probably the best in the Monsterverse, which is a pretty high bar. Kong taking down the helicopters and Packard’s (Samuel L. Jackson) attempts to kill Kong, all rank very high in the film. But the standout is the final fight between Kong and the Skull Devil (the big Skull Crawler). That fight sequence showcases some inventive and fun monster action from Kong trimming a tree to him using the propeller of a ship as a weapon and finally pulling the guts out of the evil creature. Every sequence constantly has me going “This is awesome”. There are so many perfect moments that I could single out and gush about, but I’m not here to recap the movie.

I love this movie very much and hope to see Jordan Vogt-Roberts return to the Monsterverse. I love seeing the franchise get into the crazier, more sci-fi, and mystical side of monster movies, but sometimes I wish we could go back to the likes of Kong: Skull Island and Godzilla. I love the Monsterverse and enjoy every entry, but Kong: Skull Island is the gold standard for me, and I hope that someday it’ll reach these heights again.