Comic Book Sabbath

I need to fess up to my ignorance of China Town in Las Vegas. Living a huge chunk of my life near Vegas, and all the times I have taken road trips to visit, I just never realized China Town was there, or how amazing it is. Maybe I was just too dazzled by the strip and never took the measly 5 minute drive away from traffic and crowds to check it out. Or maybe my head was too full of ridiculous notions about how sinful and evil Vegas is to dare explore and, the gal, enjoy my time there. I would like to believe that China Town just wasn’t really there, or as pronounced, but let’s be truthful, the blame for missing out on some amazing food is entirely at my feet. Fortunately, getting to tag along as my partner presented research and won awards at a medical conference meant I had time to explore, and have one of the best meals of my life. Spending time on the strip and in the casinos of Las Vegas can net you some great meals. But too long there and you notice that most places a...

There is an old adage when it comes to the DC Comics Trinity: If you want to stop a meteor, call Superman. If you want to solve a crime, call Batman. But if you want to end a war, call Wonder Woman. I feel like Patty Jenkins absolutely understood this idea when she started making the Wonder Woman film. In the week leading up to finally getting to see the film, my social media was sprinkled with promoted ads that suggested I watch Batman V   Superman  to, "Get caught up on Wonder Woman". Yes, she was in that movie. Yes, she was the only good thing in that movie. I would be happy to rewatch just her scenes in that movie again. Is there a 10 minute version of that movie? But let's get real, I don't eat shit before I go to a Michelin restaurant, and I don't need that movie to make me worry about going to see Wonder Woman . I had high personal expectations going into the film. DC's track record has been terrible film wise. BvS  was borderline unwatchable. Suicide...

One thing that I have loved about every one of Marvel’s slate of Netflix shows is their opening scenes. Daredevil opens with the accident that would define Matt Murdock’s life and then transitions into the dark of the confessional booth. Jessica Jones pulls us in by letting us see the world through her camera lens. It sets up the way she deals with most of her city now; at a distance. Because if you get too close, things get rough. Just ask the guy she throws through her own door in the next scene. Luke Cage starts us off with, arguably, the deepest sense of place and culture. Pop’s Barbershop is full, hopping, and discussions about basketball and the dominance of King James are a bedrock of the day to day. The one thing that all of these opening scenes have in common, is that they communicate place, space, and character in such easy and effective ways. When I fired up the Roku to start Iron Fist , I was waiting for that moment, and I got it. Outkast’s “So Fresh, So Clean” sta...