“Scott, if your life had a face, I’d punch it.”

I don’t know how Bryan Lee O’Malley coordinated it, but he somehow did a brilliant job at making 2010 contain “The Summer of Scott Pilgrim.” His comic series, which has been in production for the past six or seven years, is attaining a culmination that few original intellectual properties strive for.

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Tony Stark is such a badass. When you think about it, he has everything people want. Fame, fortune, intelligence, good looks, a way with the ladies, and he is a fucking superhero.

I loved the original Iron Man movie, and while I was sure I’d love the sequel, I still had some reservations. Chris and I love going to midnight premieres, so it wasn’t even a question if we would be attending the one for Iron Man 2. Armed with our Iron Man and War Machine cups from 7-11, and my purse filled to the brim with bottled water and candy from Target, we waited in line for what felt like an eternity.

We live in Fresno, California and for the most part it’s OK. For some reason, the freaks and assholes always tend to come out at midnight releases, and more often than not, it’s for a comic book movie. I’d bet every single one of my internal organs that over half of the people standing in line had no prior knowledge of Iron Man other than what they remembered from the previous film. A news crew was out there, filming the idiots of course, and I had to be next to this group of annoying teenagers who felt the need to sing loudly at random moments. It was when we got in to the theater where things started to really get juicy.

About 10 rows in front of us there was a very drunk Canadian man. How do I know he was Canadian? He said so, and I will take his word for it. Plus, I doubt America will want to claim that man as one of our own. Anyways, Drunkers was going through each and every row asking people for a high five, and for those who wouldn’t give it to him, he would point at them and loudly call them out as a “Debbie Downer.” Oh joy. So Chris, a huge germaphobe, and I, an introvert who would rather stay inside than have to deal with the morons that dominate our society, sat there dreading the moment when he would come to our row. When he did, he had to pass by this rather large Hispanic man, and that didn’t go over too well. The guy immediately stood up and got in Drunkers face, pressing his chest up to his like some angered cave man, and it ultimately ended with Drunkers getting shoved a little.

Next was us. Chris told him flat out he wasn’t touching his hand, and I didn’t even look at him although I did have it in me to flip him off. Drunkers would quickly find out that he was about to be engaged in a Round 2, but with a group of buff, highly aggressive black males. Every single one of them got in his face, and I don’t think Drunkers realized that he was in a poor location to fight – right on the stairs. Getting shoved for the second time, and it being much more forceful this time around, Drunkers stumbled backwards a few steps, but that was the end of it. **PHEW**

Once the actual movie started, we didn’t have to deal with many disturbances. The movie opened with Tony having to deal with the government telling him that he needs to hand over the “Iron Man weapon,” and if you know anything about Tony Stark, you know he won’t go down easily (That’s what she said! -Sneaky Edit from Chris). Without giving too much of the plot away, I will say that I enjoyed it. Robert Downey Jr. is Tony Stark, and he did another amazing job portraying him. Going into the movie, I was very skeptical about Don Cheadle playing James Rhodes aka War Machine, and I was pleasantly surprised. Not once did I think about Terrence Howard, or how he would’ve done a scene different. I did enjoy him in the original Iron Man, but I didn’t feel like his presence was missed this time around.

I was also worried about Mickey Rourke as Whiplash. Now, when I say that, it’s not because of Rourke and his capability as an actor because he is a very talented man. It’s because of what I had seen in the trailers. I don’t find a man with whips to be scary, but when I had the chance to find out more about him as a person in the film, it clicked. I loved how there were times you could see exactly what was going on in his head, his true motivation, and just how determined he was to take down Tony. Off the top of my head, the only thing I can say I felt was a bit of a let down was Nick Fury. I wanted Sammy L to bust out a line having ‘mother fucker’ peppered in, just once. JUST ONCE! Other than that, I thought he did a good job as Fury, and his performance was one I was looking forward to going in. I could talk about Scarlett Johansen, but all I have to say is this: boobs. BAM… done.

If somebody asked me what a favorite scene would be, I’d have to go with Tony during his birthday party. He has a huge bash at his house, and while going through a bit of a personal crisis, he decides to live it up. Incredibly drunk, and in the Iron Man suit, he does a little fake DJ bit (with the late DJ AM behind the turntables), and starts shaking his thing. I laughed so hard because I know that if it were my birthday, if I drank, and if I had an Iron Man suit, I would totally do the same thing! I bet you all would too! Mentioning that scene also makes me need to bring this up – the soundtrack. Iron Man 2 has such a kick ass soundtrack, and here is why: a couple of tunes by The Clash, Queen, 2pac & Dr Dre’s California Love, and Daft Punk’s Robot Rock. Obviously there are more songs in the movie, but the ones I listed are the only important ones

All in all, the movie was fantastic, and the special effects were top notch. I’d love to go and see it again, I think everybody should go and see it, and I’m so thankful for Jon Favreau because Iron Man is one of the rare comic book movies out there that isn’t shit. Favreau let it out in a recent interview that for the villain in Iron Man 3, he wants to do The Mandarin, and I can’t wait.

(btw… I highly suggest you stay for after the credits, and that’s all I am going to say)

A couple of weeks ago, I came across a link to a new comic that Mark Waid was working on.  I loved his work on Kingdom Come and Secret Origins, and the lead-in mentioned Kingdom Come, so I clicked and took a look.  What I saw was “Irredeemable”, a new monthly series from Mark Waid.  I love the premise, and I think it’s just a fantastic story to tell.  The story tells of the world’s greatest superhero, and his transformation into the world’s greatest supervillain.  Yes, there have been superhero to supervillain turns in comics before.  I haven’t read Mark Waid’s work on Empire, but I’ve heard that there are some similarities.  However, I think the thing that I like most about the premise is…well, read the next bit first.

Mark Waid describes the comic in this way:

“In superhero comics, pretty much everyone who’s called upon to put on a cape is, at heart, emotionally equipped for the job.  I reject that premise.  Irredeemable is…a pulp adventure tale of horror exploring how the lessons we learn about right and wrong as children can become warped and twisted when challenged by the realities of the adult world.”

The hero isn’t under a magic spell, being brainwashed by a supervillain, or being coerced due to hostages, etc.  The hero has genuinely become twisted by, I assume, his responsibility, and the simple meaning of right and wrong.  This is the hero’s CHOICE to become a villain, in the truest sense of the word.

I can’t wait.

-Because I said so