I strolled through the living room of my childhood home on a sunny California afternoon. A random book my 11-year old brother had pulled off the library shelf lay on the table, and I picked it up. The premise— a boy caring for his autistic sister in a magical garden growing rapidly out of control— piqued my interest, and I started to read, having no particular expectations. And I was completely blown away. Mighty Jack and its sequel, Mighty Jack and the Goblin King, are perhaps my favorite graphic novels of all time. They’re written for a middle-grade audience, but I’ve enjoyed them just as much as my younger siblings. The characters are fascinating, the worldbuilding full of mystery, and the artwork fun to look at. Our hero, Jack, is instantly sympathetic, as we see his love for his financially struggling single mother and autistic sister, Maddy. He finds himself in way over his head after Maddy inexplicably instructs him to buy seeds that turn out to be magical. His headstrong neighbor, Lily, gets involved— followed by dragons and ogres. Things only get worse until the climactic disaster that leads into the second book. And this is where the series really stands out. In Mighty Jack and the Goblin King, the stakes are so real that the characters’ fear, anger and love bleed right into your own. The story successfully melds the looming darkness with age-appropriateness for its target audience, and thus becomes capable of seizing the imaginations of young and old alike. The final triumph of goodness is so much more powerful for the genuine threat posed by the monsters our heroes must overcome. Themes: One aspect of Mighty Jack that makes it so compelling is the familial love on display. Jack’s primary goal is to protect his sister, and although his own fear and selfishness sometimes conflict with that, his love for her shines though in the end. Content: The climactic battle in Mighty Jack and the Goblin King has a few panels of blood and violence. My siblings weren’t bothered by it at all, but some Amazon reviews said it gave their little kids nightmares. Conclusion: The two Mighty Jack books are delightful in every way. I’d recommend them to any child or adult looking for an excellent story in graphic novel format. There’s a third book, Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl, which is a crossover with Ben Hatke’s Zita the Spacegirl series. My brother and I eagerly awaited its release, but were sorely disappointed. The plot makes no sense, character development is out the window (except for one touching moment with Lily) and the intimidating villains of the last book are reduced to oafs. On the plus side, the artwork is awesome— I loved seeing portrayals of our characters as a few years older than we last saw them. Mighty Jack and the Goblin King provides a satisfying ending to the series, and in my headcanon, it is the final book.
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“Boys, handle the military. Mommy will be right back.”
I left the theater in April 2019 with a feeling of satisfaction. The movie I’d just finished watching, Avengers: Endgame, was a lumbering behemoth, with glaring flaws to match its moments of sublime beauty and sheer awesomeness, but it offered the one thing I wanted most out of Marvel’s storyline: a conclusion. The character arcs of Captain America, Black Widow, Iron Man and Hawkeye had all come to together in a fitting climax. With that, I resolved to let the end be the end, have none of this Phase 4 nonsense, and exit the Marvel fandom. Then Marvel released a sitcom mashed with a psychological thriller, starring two of my favorite characters. Wait, what? The opening episodes of the new series WandaVision so utterly defied Marvel’s typical formula that I (against my better judgement) took my sister’s recommendation and let myself be sucked back into the franchise. And, wow, am I glad I did. Some reasons: The concept is wildly innovative (if it seems too weird at first, hang in there. All shall be revealed in good time). Character development is excellent. I really enjoyed Wanda’s internal transformation, and how each of the side characters forced her to change and grow. There are NO fight scenes for the first eight episodes (the finale features the epic battle that is the sine qua non of any Marvel story). Instead of physical combat, we get tense confrontations and deeply meaningful family interactions as Wanda struggles to love her husband and children while navigating the moral minefield she’s placed herself in. And did I mention the humor? The first few episodes had me laughing my eyebrows off. The final episode is about as good as I could reasonably expect it to be, given that it’s made by Marvel. There’s enough resolution that I could watch it and be happy— no need to follow the franchise across another 800 movies to find out what happens to these characters. Several loose ends are left as teasers for future productions, but I’m fine with never seeing those tied up. Themes WandaVision contains some troubling themes, mainly regarding ambiguities as to what, exactly, constitutes a human person. In the show, new life is created by unnatural means, and the moral implications of that aren’t seriously explored. However, that’s something I have to put up with, as I live in a culture which seems to only be getting more and more confused about what it means to be human. I can still enjoy WandaVision while acknowledging its flaws. In fact, if I want a better story, I’ll have to just write it myself. And so I will. On a positive note, the show does an excellent job portraying Wanda’s struggle with her grief, how she handles it poorly, and how she’s able to face it by the end of the show. Even villainous characters help her change for the better, which I enjoyed. Content A few raunchy jokes, but nothing particularly concerning. One character is a ‘witch’, although one who flies around and shoots colorful balls out of her hands rather than engaging in actual occult practices. Conclusion If you’re willing to give Disney your money, WandaVision is a good reason to do it. All nine episodes are currently available on Disney+. |
Progress on Doombear, Rough draft:10%
Progress on The Lore of Yore, third draft:
100%
"In truth, by leaving, I was seeking only one thing. A journey."
-Oathbringer, pg 981 Types of blog posts:
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