Your Friendly Neighborhood Spiderman (sn1)

Leading up to the latest Spiderman movie, I needed to join the hype train again. Friendly Neighborhood takes place in a universe adjacent to the MCU, referencing many key events like the Battle of New York, The Sokovia Accords, and the battle of the airport. The key difference is Peter Parker isn’t mentored by Tony Stark but Norman Osborn as he learns what it means to be a hero.

In the year since it debuted, I’ve heard so many mixed reactions and reviews to this series so I tried extra hard to go in neutral. Overall I had a damn good time. The voice cast does a damn good job, especially Coleman Domingo as Norman Osborn, balancing the warmth of a fatherly mentor, cold hearted business tycoon, while foreshadowing the villain he’ll become. I also love the series’s take on Lonnie Lincoln’s turn to Tombstone. Scorpion was a complete psychotic badass and one of my favorite interpretations. Peter’s overall story is really well done.

One of the best flaws I saw was it’s pseudo ties to the MCU. Most of the characters look and sound like their MCU counterparts while dropping easter eggs left and right but it doesn’t sync. Peter doesn’t participate in Civil War but the outcome is still the same. There is time travel and dimension play in the beginning and end circa Dr. Strange. I’m mixed on the origin reveal for the season finale, but it leads into my biggest problem with the first season overall. There’s a lot of giant plot threads left hanging, major ones that lead to major story arcs that could take multiple seasons to fill if done right. That got me peeved admittedly.

I hate to have to include this section, but its sadly the world we live in. I’ve heard so many reviews bash this show because of the diversity on display. It’s super apparent but feels natural. I come across different people each and every day and seeing all kinds of folks made the show feel more real, because Spiderman is there for everyone. Thats how it should be. So if it bothers you, maybe you need to learn what Spiderman was about in the first place.

In the end, I had a blast with this show and I can’t wait for more in season 2. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Moon Knight: The Midnight Mission

Marc Specter is a man of many faces trying to atone for many sins as a former CIA contractor and the Fist of Khonshu. The Midnight Mission was established by Mr. Knight as a refuge for the weak and downtrodden, no matter their past. However, no good deed goes unpunished as someone or something is trying to break the Moon Knight as he tries building his life up again. New and old friends and enemies arise but where is Marc Specter?

This is my first Moon Knight comic and damn it was a fun ride. I loved the dark, supernatural side of Marvel. Moon Knight is a fascinating character to read as well as his multiple, equally cool personalities. The artwork is badass, beautiful, and damn creepy at times. As someone dealing with my own mental health journey, it was cool seeing Mr. Knight attend therapy and deal with the stress of being honest and open, and trying to heal. The side characters were a interesting bunch, ending with the Zodiac reveal as the main bad guy. Hunter’s Moon was a awesome parallel to Knight as the second Fist of Khonshu. In the end, this is a damn good place to start reading Moon Knight and I can’t wait to read more. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spiderman: Brand New Day trailer 2

The latest Spiderman movie has me more than curious. The character list is pretty eclectic and we have a wide variety of story arcs going on. I’m glad me get to see Spidey beat down Scorpion. I’m extremely confident Sadie Sink is playing Jean Grey after this trailer. I’m super pumped classic Hulk is returning but I’m a little disappointed we haven’t gotten any glimpse of Tombstone yet. In the end, this trailer actually got me pretty hyped and I can’t wait to catch it this summer. May the gaming gods bring you glory.