Tag: writer

Hawkeye Had the Most Human Arc In ALL of Endgame

~ graysonbeane ~ Leave a comment

The spoiler ban has been lifted, but if you still haven’t seen Endgame please do not read this post until you have. I will be talking about some very spoilery moments from the movie.

So in the beginning of the movie we see Clint teaching his daughter how to fire a bow, while in the background his wife is setting lunch out on a picnic table with his two sons. It’s a scene to show the humanity of a person who has literally fought aliens and giant evil robots. It brings him down to earth and shows how much he has to lose as a person. His wife calls them over for lunch and when Clint goes to retrieve an arrow from the target he turns around and everyone is gone.

This scene hits hard with loss for Clint. Everything he held dear in life is gone, taken away from him because of an event he knew nothing about. We are shown a moment of confusion and fear from losing everything and having no explanation about what happened to the people that you love. We see fear from him and then the movie hard cuts to five years in the future.

The next time we even hear about Clint he has murdered an entire room of cartel members so fast that they did not even have a chance to remove their guns or fight back. The very next line of dialogue tells us that this is not the first time he has done this. Natasha and Rhodey talk about who they know it was him because this is not the first time that this has happened and Clint is presumably leaving a trail of bodies behind him.

Skipping over everything else we find ourselves in Japan with a beautiful single-shot scene that starts us on the side of the building and follows an unknown assailant through the building as guns are fired at them and people are killed. ending when a hooded figure and a Yakuza boss fly out of the window and land on the street. They have a quick fight and we see that this person who has been reeking all of this havoc has been the one and only Clint Barton aka Hawkeye.

He ends the fight with a perfect line that defines his entire arc in the movie and explains to the viewer why he has been going on a rampage against gangs. “You are done hurting people.” (I may be misquoting this, but you get the idea.) This Yakuza boss is done hurting people, because if Clint’s family were snapped out of existence and these people were not there is no justice. He took it upon himself to correct this wrong. His family was innocent and did not deserve to be erased from the universe and these people who do nothing but hurt the people around them miraculously survived.

THIS ARC IS THE BEST ONE NEXT TO IRON MAN! FIGHT ME! I am a huge fan of Red Hood from the DC universe because he is the Batman that makes sense and this arc is so reminiscent of Red Hood it drives me bonkers. I love it. Clint sees the injustice in The Snap and feels personally attacked by it even though he was not in the battle. His family was taken away and the only way that he can make sense of that trauma is to rid the planet, and I will say that again. RID THE PLANET of the people whose existence only hurts those around them. He does not care if he dies. Like Thor in “Infinity War”Clint has nothing left to lose and does not care anymore. All he wants to do is to make sure that the injustice of innocent people dying and evil people staying a live is to seek out evil and destroy it. That is the only thing that can make the world make sense again.

In a world and universe filled with gods, super soldiers, and children that stick to walls; Clint Barton, the man that never misses, brings us back down to Earth with perfect humanity.

The more and more I think about this character arc in just this film it confuses me as to why no one is talking about it. It shows tons of emotions and is really encapsulated with the line that Clint delivers to Natasha when she finds him. “…Don’t give me hope.”

Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man: The Best Peter Parker Book?

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Spoilers for Issue 1 Ahead!

It’s a little hard to go ahead and make assumptions since the first issue of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man just came out on Wednesday, January 9 2019. But, with a lengthy explanation of why the title was put out has my hopes extremely high.

The Spider-Man editor explained that this books was not replacing the . long running Amazing Spider-Man nor would it replace the Spectacular Spider-Man run, but it would focus on stories that were smaller in scale than the two of those. Where Amazing and Spectacular would focus on issues in Spidey’s life that impacted the whole of New York, the world, the Universe, or the multiverse; Friendly would focus on issues that were closer to Perter’s home and mainly his own neighborhood.

The first portion of the book Peter deals with being Spider-Man as well as helping out on of his elderly neighbors carry her groceries up the stair. He then is clued in about problems facing another resident in his building and he tries to help as Peter and then coming back and helping as Spider-Man. The problems are a bit too big for him to handle in one issue and we fade to black with Spidey going unconscious from a hit that he did not expect to be as strong.

This book shapes up to not really be about Spider-Man, but to be more about Peter Parker and his personal life. The book would be telling stories akin to my favorite Spider-Man stories of 2018 like Amazing Spider- Man 801 and Spectacular Spider-Man 310 where the writers say their goodbyes to the character in a story that truly defines what the character is all about.

I am very excited for more issues of this books run. It can only go up from the humble beginnings of issue 1. Hopefully it turns out to be everything I expect and even more.

Aftermath Part 10

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The day went by without Jareth having to use force at all. He came to the last house and knocked on the door. He waited out in the snow for what seemed like an eternity until it opened and he was greeted by the face of an old man walking with a cane. Looking at him it was obvious that this man did not have the physical ability to grow enough food to support anyone but himself, and the small garden beside his home left little to the imagination of the life this man lead during from spring to autumn. 

“I’m here to collect the tribute you owe the Blood Skulls for keeping you safe.” Jareth said trying to sound as authoritative as possible even though his upbringing had taught him to be respectful of everyone older than him.

“I know son,” The old man started. “Saw you coming a ways back and knew your purpose, but I gotta say you don’t look like the last one they sent ‘round here to get my tribute.” The old man studied him and placed the can in front of him to brace against the weight of standing.

“What do you mean I don’t look like the last one they sent here?” Jareth was confused and felt uncomfortable in the old man’s gaze.

“Well the last one they sent over was a giant of a man and had these big hammer like hands that I not sure I ever saw him open the entire time he spoke to me. “But, enough about the last time. Come inside you’ll catch your death out there.” The old man turned around and ushered him inside with a wave of his hand.

Jareth followed and was greeted with a strange sight as when his eyes adjusted to the odd darkness of the home. It was full of pre-conflict artifacts. Some were hung on the walls while some were laying on shelves that were overcrowded. Everything he had in the house would be worth a fortune if the world revolved around money and not power and survival.

As Jareth looked around at them a singular number kept popping up over and over. 45, he didn’t know what it meant but in every framed piece of paper 45 appeared on it over and over again.

“Where did you get all of these artifacts?” Jareth asked still looking around trying to see them all.

“They were given to me. You see before the conflict my grand-father kept all the records of the things that led up to it. All of the things that the leader of the country was doing to provoke it and he also kept things he thought would make a difference later. Things that if the world was destroyed or reset would help people remember what the world was like before any of the happened. My father taught me all about them.” He smiled as he watched Jareth look around and study the framed pieces of paper. “Those were called newspapers, back before the conflict they had almost died out of the paper form but my grand-father was more old school and wanted to hold it in his hand. That one talks about Old 45 and what he was doing to provoke the other countries into starting the conflict. He was sure that the united States would win.”

Jareth was confused. His family hadn’t taught him much about the world before the conflict, only how to survive in the aftermath of it. He didn’t understand the concepts of countries or what the United States was, but putting the pieces together he assumed it had something to do with the area they were in. He moved closer and started to skim the articles. He saw the number 45 a lot and saw posturing and chest pounding. It was no wonder that having a man like that in charge would cause something like the conflict to happen.

“I see you are reading about a year before the conflict. 45 did a lot to instigate other countries and make them want to attack the US. I will tell you though I have nothing to give you other than knowledge as far as tribute.” The old man looked down at the ground and sighed, “I do assume that will not be enough for your leader.”

“I was told to kill anyone that refused to give tribute to the Blood Skulls.” As he said this his left arm instinctively fell to his knife and he had to catch himself. The state was not all the way gone from that side of his body for whatever reason.

“I figured as much. Well, do what you will. I’d like for you to stay and learn about what happened, but I know you have your orders.” The old man walked to Jareth and looked at him.

It was the first good look at the man that Jareth had since he’d arrived. The man was short but that was because of the hump in his back. He was dressed warm in a gray coat and black pants with boots still on. His eyes were ice blue, a lighter version of Jareth’s own. His hair, or what he had left of it, was white and gathered around the side of his head. The old man seemed thin and frail, but the look in his eyes seemed to teem with knowledge that the part of Jareth that was not in the state desperately wanted.

Jareth stuck out his open hand and said, “My name is, Jareth. Unfortunately in the excitement I never got yours.”

The old man took his hand shook it and smiled, “My name is Paul. It was my father’s name and his father’s before him. It was supposed to be my son’s name, but I never got around to having any children.” Paul went into another room and beckoned Jareth, “Come further in and have a seat we have much to discuss.”

Jareth sat there in Paul’s living room listening to him talk just like he Logan, his own son’s age. The time came and went that he was supposed to get back to Red and hurriedly Jareth stood and collected his long brown leather coat to put over his navy blue t-shirt and bid Paul a farewell.

“Paul, it was a pleasure to sit and listen to you, but I have to get back the the headquarters. Red will already be furious that I am late and I haven’t even begun to think of what to tell her about leaving you empty handed.” He rushed to the door fearing that Red would take his tardiness out on his family. As he was halfway out the door he called behind him, “Thank you again! I’ll see you soon!” Then he was out the door with it closing behind him and running towards the rundown hotel.

Into The Spider Verse Is THE Best Spider-Man Movie of All Time

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Photo Credit

Let me start this with one simple phrase: I LOVE SPIDER-MAN! Alright, that is out of the way. Spidey has had a great few years, cinematically at least, starting back with Holland’s appearance as Peter Parker in Civil War and everything coming to a head in Spider-Man: Into The Spider Verse. 

Spider Verse tells the story of Miles Morales and how he becomes the one and only Spider-Man, sort of. He is Spider-Man as well as Peter B. Parker, Peter Porker, Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker from the 1930s, and Penni Parker. After getting bitten by a radioactive spider and gaining the ability to do “whatever a spider can” these characters try to teach him what it means to be Spider-Man. Everything about this movie brings back great memories of comics from this year, TASM 801 and Spectacular Spider-Man 301 truly told readers what it was to be Spider-Man and this movie does the same for everyone who loves Spidey, but doesn’t want to read the comics.

MIiles quickly learns that being Spider-Man is not easy and that doing the right thing is not always easy. He learns that the key to being Spidey is that it is a leap of faith. When he accepts that he truly becomes Spider-Man. 

Spider Verse shows the best version of every spider person ever as well as the most important thing about the character, being a hero isn’t easy or clear cut. Most of us with powers would just be some kid running around trying to the most good possible and the best way possible. It also shows that no matter how great of a character Peter Parker is Miles’ story being more complicated makes him a far more interesting character to read.

The action and the story in the film are incredibly paced and the visuals are absolutely stunning. The use of color really brings the comic to the screen. The animation style also utilizes the old comic style of coloring with the dot coloring becoming more detailed as the camera zooms into the masks and faces of the characters.

All in all the movie isn’t perfect, but it is the best Spidey movie that has been aired and can make anyone fall in love with at least one Spider when they walk out of the theatre.

Aftermath Pt.9

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The world looked strange being this bright. It was somehow worse than the constant cloud cover that had been the reality for most of Jareth’s life. There was enough son to raise crops for his family to eat, but from autumn to winter the world was colored grey by the overhanging clouds.

Jareth was taking a more scenic route to the HQ this time. Needing time to figure out what is going on with his eye and with him in general. He has never used this ability as much as he has recently and it seems that pain is the trigger. He pondered and pondered as to why he was half in the state that he hated going into. 

Could it be that because my shoulder is in pain I never fully left the state? He thought to himself, but remembered that when he woke up after killing the Hammerfist his stomach was still throbbing. That couldn’t be it. Maybe he was losing control over the state and it would eventually become him. He would lose all the aspects of himself that he liked. 

The HQ came into view and he quickened his pace hoping his last thought was not what was going to happen to him.

Even the lobby that was already well-lit was washed out by the ever present brightness of the sun. He folded his collar down as he went to see Red and what she would tell him to do today. 

The room was dark except for red light bulbs. It was an odd change of pace but the dark was a welcome break on Jareth’s eyes. He scanned the room but found nothing and no one. He removed the eyepatch and closed his right and rescanned the room. Again he saw no one but heard the doors close behind him. He turned quickly, and there standing in front of him dressed in a more revealing dress, that Jareth did not think was possible, was Red.

Her smile caught him off guard. It was not the murderous smile he usually saw on her face. This one had something else behind it and seemed more innocent and wanting. 

“Ah, Jareth, there you are. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to show up today. I know your shoulder must be giving you problems.” Her voice was sing-songy again, but did not have malice at the seems. 

“I took a longer route. Wanted to enjoy the scenery. It isn’t often that the sun is out during the winter.” He said placing the patch back over his eye.

“Is there something wrong? Why are you wearing the patch?” She asked a similar question that his wife had asked him this morning.

Jareth sighed and began, “I have it on so I can see in the dark more easily. An old trick that my father taught me.”

Red chuckled and moved towards him. “So since it’s dark in here why did you put it back on?” She reached for the patch but was stopped short by Jareth’s left arm.

“I have it on a different eye now. Resets it so I can see in the dark a different time.” He looked down and was amazed that he caught her eye and was still holding it there with very little issue. “Did you need me to do anything today?”

“Yes, I did.” She took her arm back and moved past him letting her arm linger around the front of his pants. She placed herself on her throne and looked down. “I need you to take tribute from the people in our territory. If you are met with excuses or empty hands kill them and take it from them.” 

Her demeanor changed and she was back to her normal homicidal self. Jareth was taken aback from her demand and he fumbled for words.

“W-what? You want me to kill the people in the territory if they don’t give me anyhting?” Jareth stammered out.

“I did not stutter. Do as your told. Your family does not need to give anything. Your work is tribute enough.” Red said and waved him away. 

“Red I can’t extort these people. They are my neighbors and friends!” Jareth exclaimed not sure what to do.

“Lieutenant I did not stutter. Would you prefer I kill you precious Maria and you children in front of your eyes and then make you collect tribute?” Red was bearing down on him from her throne.

“No, I would not.” Jareth said and then turned around and moved towards the door. He stopped in front of door and thought about saying something, but thought better of it and went through and headed back out into the blinding light.

Aftermath Pt 7

~ graysonbeane ~ Leave a comment

He flung the body of the Father down onto the ground in front of Red. It flopped unceremoniously at the base of her throne and she stared at it intently, taking in everything about the being on the ground in front of her and the fact that Jareth’s eyes were a bright white. So bright that they nearly shone like flashlights. She tried to look directly into them but it burned her eyes.

“How was it?” She asked her tone more sing-songy than ever, “I trust they weren’t too much trouble for you and all your news toys.” Her grin widened and she giggled. Not a cute giggle that would have been heard from a woman her age before the conflict, she had the sort of giggle that a killer had after a kill.

“There were more than I expected but this one was the only one that gave me any trouble.” Jareth said pointing down to the body of the Father. “He was powered. Seemed more like a snake than a man.”

“I can see that.” Red said walking around the body inspecting it. “His skin is greener than it should be and if you look close enough you can see scales instead of skin.” She squat down next to the body and pulled the collar down to reveal textured skin with the pattern of scales.

“If that is all you needed I am heading back home.” Jareth said and began to turn around to leave.

“Actually, I have something for you.” Red said and stood up raising her bottom first and rolling her spin until she was upright. She approached Jareth and handed him a knife. “For the work you have done.”

Jareth inspected it and saw that it was a Bowie knife not unlike his own but more suited for combat. Its handle was at an angle to the blade and the guard curved down at the fingers and up at the back where the hand would go. The pommel curved up at the fingers as well creating a faux hang guard. The blade had a deeper fuller ground into it and made it lighter than his own. He took it and attached it to his belt on the opposite side of his family knife. He moved the axe to the back of his belt and then met gazes with Red.

She had been eyeing him hungrily as he maneuvered the weapons around his belt, and had moved closer than he would like even in the state he was in now.

“I’ll be taking my leave now. I will return tomorrow, let me know what I need to do then.” Jareth said staring into Red’s eyes with his glowing white ones.

“Very well.” Red said and moved in swiftly and placed a kiss on his cheek and letting her hands linger around his groin for longer than she should have. “I will see you tomorrow.”

Jareth turned and left with haste. He felt like he had been violated but knew if he brought it up to his wife, Maria, or Red, his boss, then he would have more to deal with than he wanted to.

On the walk home he inspected his surroundings. The air had started to get warmer and it would soon be the end of winter and the beginnings of spring. Planting would have to start soon which meant raids on farming homes. He saw the old paths of the raiders and the ashen look of the worn dirt. They led in criss-cross directions but led to one singular point, home and the other farms. Now that he felt he had more control over himself in this state he thought he could repel the raiders on his own should they try.

he arrived home and opened the worn wooden door to his small cabin. His children were asleep, as they should be for how late it was. Maria was in a chair in the front room and book on her lap and a blanket covering her. She had fallen asleep waiting on him to return. Jareth moved over quietly as not to disturb hr and kissed her on the forehead and made his way to the back and the room where he and his wife slept together on nights he was not out as late as he had been.

His head hit he pillow and he fell asleep fast. It was not a restful sleep. He was plagued by nightmares the entire night…

Looking at the Spider-Man “Back to Basics” Story

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Wow, I’ve been gone a while. Let’s get back into it talking about something that I have loved in my time away from the blog. Spider-Man specifically the new comic run that started after the events of “Going Down Swinging” and the fight with the Red Goblin.

“Back to Basics” is a great Spider-Man story line. While it is only in it’s beginning stage on the 4th issues of a twice monthly release comic. It started the story by undoing what I have called the “Peter Parker Success Story”. Without getting too spoil-y, Peter has left Parker Industries and is the science editor for the Bugle. An AI finds out the Doctor Octopus wrote his Doctoral thesis(during the events of the Superior Spider-Man comic) and Peter is subsequently fired from the Bugle after being accused of plagiarism and has his doctorate taken from him because the work was not his own. This sets the ground work for Peter being more of an average guy than being a baby Tony Stark.

The story plays with the idea of Parker not being able to be in two places at once and the age old situation of can he have a girlfriend, job, go to school to re-earn his degree, and be the web-slinging superhero Spider-Man. The writer introduces a fresh take on the concept by having the classroom in the basement of the University. As the story progresses Peter and Spider-Man are split because of a lab accident and that is where the meat of the story is taking place. The reader gets to see how Peter’s life is without the Spider-Man part of it and what Spider-Man would be like if he was a full time superhero. In all honesty this irks me a little. It is written well and works with story elements but for my personal taste Spidey is written a bit too much like a G/PG-13 rated Deadpool. In movie terms take Tobey Maguire’s Peter Parker and Andrew Garfield’s Spider-Man. It serves a purpose but the Spider-Man is a bit too over the top for me.

Since issue 5 and later are not out it is impossible to know where the story is headed but I am very excited to read it and find out.

I’m going to try and get back the weekly posts about fantasy and story structure and should soon be posting the rest of the Aftermath parts. I hope you enjoyed the review!

The DCEU’s Main Problem When it Comes to Movies

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justice-league

photo credit

Zack Snyder. Article done, we can all go home.

Honestly I wish it were that easy. We can all agree that Snyder has never read a single comic book or seen a single good DC cartoon and he makes a mockery of the characters. But, the main blame lies somewhere else.

Honestly, as much as I dislike Snyder for what he has done to DC more of the blame rests on the shoulder of the DC/WB executives that are so desperate to have a movie compete with a Marvel film/show they take everything good about the characters in the comics and ruin it by changing them dramatically. WB doesn’t care about the characters or what makes them great characters.

They don’t care if the fact that Superman is not an unfeeling god but really just a chill guy that loves burritos who was raised in Kansas. They don’t care to show that even though Superman is from Krypton he is a human first and Superman second. His character is so much more than his powers, but all mainstream media has really seen him fir is the powers first and Clark Kent second. Just look at the image below and tell me you see an unfeeling god character.

IMG_20180727_072626 (1)

Superman is a good man first and Superman second. Always.

They don’t care that Batman isn’t some gun toting badass à la Red Hood(who is a better character than angry Batman). BvS makes a mockery of the character that I knew and loved when I grew up and read when I was in college. Batman puts life first and this can be seen in the comics. It’s why he raises Dick to not become him. (We’re not going to touch Titans and what Dick Grayson has become.) Like in the Justice League show when he talks to Ace while she is dying and makes sure that she is comforted when she dies. Just watch below and you can get the real sense of the character.

Or recently when he is trying to groom his son, the newest Robin, Damian into not an unfeeling killing machine the Ra’s al Ghul wanted when he trained the boy from birth. Batman may be the most detached because of childhood trauma but that doesn’t mean that his view on humanity is as grim-dark as the DC movies would want you to believe.

Let’s look at the shows and the other problems that comes from them. Everyone is a Batman Dominatrix. Take Arrow for example, Oliver Queen is the most removed from his comic counter part. Green Arrow is more Iron Man in his personality than Batman, but because of Smallville he had to become Batman for legal reasons. He disappears, is dark and moody, and even his costume is dingy and dark. GREEN ARROW IS BASED OF ROBIN HOOD. He is not supposed to be in dark green and sneaking around. Arrow wearing leather is fine it slightly fits the base character, but there is another show in the Arrow-verse that puts the characters in leather that makes no sense.

Flash. Flash runs faster than light. Leather cannot stand up to that kind of friction, very few materials can. In the comics his suit is specially crafted to reduce the amount of friction so that it doesn’t burst into flames at a moments notice. When the first images of Wally West from the Flash show were released my first thought was: “Why is he in leather?” Then I did research and found everyone is in leather so it’s ok? Credit where it is due though Flash and honestly Super Girl give the most care to the characters out of all of the DCEU. This may change before SHAZAM releases because it looks promising.

Where did the problems come from? Christopher Nolan is where. His Batman movies were some of the best comic films to be released during that time. They were different from anything else with the dark tone and realistic portrayals of the characters, but as Marvel started to mature with their movies and crank out great film after great film the things that made the Nolan films great became what made them not stand up and the poison to the DCEU as a whole. WB made everyone Batman after those movies came out. Hell, everyone wanted to be Batman (or the Joker) after the films came out but it was based on the edgy 1980’s Batman and not the one that was currently in the comics.

WB wants to be on top of the Superhero movie genre and they don’t understand that having people that know the characters and that will take the care to show the true character underneath will make the movies better. Look at Wonder Woman, the director took great care with the character and made a great movie despite having that DC tag on it.

DC comics along with Marvel were the things I was raised on. I grew up with these stories and learned all about them their origins and what makes them so great. DC isn’t bad it just wants to compete and the studio doesn’t care about its.

Also, Tim Drake is the best Robin and Red Hood makes more sense than Batman.

The MCU and the Ever Present Power Struggle Between Spider-Man and Captain America

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spiderman-america-captain-115732

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I love the MCU and I love comics, but recently I re-watched Civil War and with Infinity War out as well I feel like this needs t be touched on. The MCU is trying to make Captain America the strongest hero in the MCU when that unfortunately is not true.

I understand that for Marvel, at least in the movies, Cap is their Superman. This is all well and good except for the fact that if it’s broken down Spider-Man is really more the Superman mirror in the comics. Let me explain, Superman and Spidey both work for a Newspaper, they both have a multitude of super powers, and probably the biggest is that they both wear the iconic red and blue outfit. Captain America is like Superman in the fact that they both stand for “truth, justice, and the American way.” But, more to my point Spider-Man is more powerful than Captain America.

I will back up these claims with facts. Captain America has super strength there is no doubt about it. He is on the same level as Black Panther and Bucky. Spider-Man is much stronger than him. The only members of the Avenger that is truly stronger than him are Thor and Hulk(I’m not counting Iron Man because his strength is not form him or an accident but a suit). They have the abilities of a god and a giant green rage monster that only gets stronger the angrier he gets. Spider-Man has the proportionate strength of a spider but for a human. His base strength is approximately 10 tons, his muscles are dense not large making him quick and strong.

Cap is another animal all together. The best way his power can be described is that he has the strength of 10 men. His base strength with a bench press is around 1200 pounds. Still a lot, but not close to Spidey. He is the cream of the crop compared to other humans, but as far as super strong he is not.

Why did I go on a tangent about this? Because the MCU has a problem where Captain America is the strongest possible when it helps the narrative, and I get that I really do. All I want is a little more continuity with the comics. Just make Spider-Man strong, keep Cap as the symbol, but when he over powers Sider-Man is Civil war it’s just not possible Unless, Peter’s heart wasn’t in the fight and he let himself lose just like in the comics.

Let me know your opinions, I’m sure there are going to be many. Keep it civil and I eagerly await the responses of anyone and the discussion to follow.

The Different Types of Fantasy and What Is Fantasy?

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Recently I have been posting my original story Aftermath here. I decided to take a break from posting on here to get a little bit ahead on my Patreon. Today I wanted to talk about the different types of fantasy out there and what really constitutes the term “fantasy”.

The most common is the sword and sorcery fantasy in a medieval setting where technology doesn’t exist in the terms of the modern world and this can be cut into two subgroups: 1. High fantasy where magic is very present and the problems face the world and plate armor is the armor of choice for every warrior. 2. Low fantasy that focuses more on the people and smaller problems, less war more personal conflict.

Then it starts to get a little bit more weird with Modern Fantasy. It starts to blur the line of fantasy and sci-fi. The marriage of technology and magic can begin to become more of science than fantasy. But, that brings up the point of what constitutes as fantasy? Is there a hard line drawn or is it more ambiguous and all encompassing?

I have been labeling Aftermath as a fantasy series because I focus more on medieval style of combat than a modern one. There is not a magic system per se but there are various people in the story that have extra abilities. Abilities that would give them an advantage in a fight. It’s definitely more on the comic book superhero end of fantasy, but I believe is still a fantasy story.

Fantasy is really anything that couldn’t happen in the real world. This means that superheroes are fantasy and that Science Fiction is fantasy as well. They are both on different sides of the fantasy spectrum but still on it. There are some people that would argue this with me and honestly I encourage it, I would love to talk more about this subject one on one with any one. But, it comes down to is there something that sets others apart from the common folk in the way of magic, powers, or science? If yes then it is a fantasy tale.

Again, I encourage the discussion, if you agree with me let me know and tell me your reasonings. If not then tell me why you disagree (politely). I would be happy to have a discussion with you about your viewpoints and opinions.