For the first 20 minutes or so, I thought going to this was a mistake, but then it found its footing, and I enjoyed the rest.  Almost everything bugged me or didn't work for me in the first bit:

Happy was an asshole.   Then he spent the rest of the movie in a coma, so big win there.

None of the dialogue was funny.  Then the kid showed up, and seemingly gave the movie a spark that didn't go out the rest of the way, whether he was around or not.

The entire action scene at Tony's home annoyed the shit out of me.  First of all, that he blatantly put his wife, the "one person I can't live without," directly in danger.  Secondly, that he managed to get nothing but a few scrapes from the most ineffectual missiles ever devised.  And third, the incoherent underwater scene.

And the Mandarin was stupid.  I was glad it turned out how it turned out, because it's the only way it could be explained without being stupid.  Kingsley ended up being pretty funny.

All great folks, forum members and comic book makers....why haven't I been listening to the show religiously?  Rhetorical question.  There's no good reason (except maybe that I'm an idiot.) 

Happy anniversary from a (soon to be) listener! 

Was listening to this week's podcast and agreed with a lot of the discussion about how good the Marvel comics have been.  I too was ready to dump the WHOLE thing around the time that Marvel NOW got announced.....but as everyone said, the comics have been really good.

I wonder if part of the explanation could be the Disney influence.  I remember when Disney bought Marvel and everyone was talking about $3.99 books that I said that Disney's MO isn't to offer cheap products.....their MO is to offer premium products at premium prices.  I wonder if we're seeing that now.

What would you say would be the impetus for such a change?  All Disney can do is hire different people.  Change production standards.  That sort of thing.  Since the books are printed the same way, and basically the same people are making these books as always, that doesn't seem a likely cause.  There's no such thing as a "make better comics" mandate.

Karma, Tim! 

Robert Downey Jr. should use all that money to build a robotic suit of armor.

 

Only the very finest 19 year olds have the training and experience to be crack SHIELD agents.

"Printing" guns?  What the hell is this?  Did I pull a Rip Van Winkle and wake up 100 years later?  I'll take my Earl Grey, hot, Mr. science fiction machine.

I didn't mean for My response  to come off that way.

Oh, I'm not offended or anything.  You may well be right. 

Don't be so sure. They could always combine this, and the one shot before it, into a volume.

Do I sound sure?  Guesses imply uncertainty.

Just my educated guess.  If I'm a big fan of AV, and don't want to risk missing it or having to track it down later, I might not rely on it eventually ending up in a collection.

Hmmmm I've been gettin the trades of American Vampire, I wonder if this will get collected?

It's $8 on its own, plus it isn't part of the series proper.  My guess is that it won't be. 

Great line-up of artists, and...great line-up of artists!

"If you didn't like the first few issues of the comicbook, spend over fifty bucks on this big, honkin' tome.  Which isn't even his complete story."

I've heard (read) some variation on the following several times: "Book A, I really love, so I get each issue as it comes out.  Not so sure I like book B, so I think I'll wait on it and get the collection later."

Huh?  I don't get that.  If anything, it seems to me like the opposite would be logical.  The stuff you want to pay the big bucks for and taking up shelf space should be the stuff you really dig. 

Guess I've missed the bad stuff about this guy.  I funded, but then again I really like Gladstones' and wanted to see more of them.  He might be an asshole, but he's told a few good stories.

I hope it works out for you and you get your book.  He has a pretty horrific track record.

Actually he will probably use it to print the New Brighton books, which was the first kickstarter that he did. He has made a mess of that one also, by pulling out of Image publishing it. Now he is stuck. I have talked with someone in the know about a few of these things, and it's a mess all around. more then has even been talked about.

Geez.  And to print the Gladstone books he'll, hmm...I got it!  Do a $10,000 IndieGogo campaign for "Mark's Funnybook Follies!"  What a knob. 

I did notice that, and it actually turned me a little against the movie from the trailer phase. "Oh, another young rich inventor type with a grudge against Tony?" What made it different in execution, aside from the superpowers, was that Killian actually had a story. He was a complete villain, which Hammer wasn't.

Also, did anyone else notice those dragon tattoos on Killian's chest at the end? Combining that with the whole fire breathing thing... I have a feeling he's supposed to be a surrogate for Fin Fang Foom.

I kind of loved it. Yeah, it was forecasted pretty early on, but it worked completely for me for two reasons:
1) Execution. Gwenyth Paltrow OWNED that fucking sequence. It wasn't just a dainty movie star inexplicably punching out dudes twice her size. Everything from the FX to her physical performance made it convincing and cool and *satisfying* to watch.

2) As typically happens to the hero's love interest in these types of movies, she becomes damsel in distress for the THIRD time. That can get pretty boring (echoes of Kirsten Dunst screaming "Spider-Man, look out!" ...again). So, by ACTUALLY doing something to her, she gets to turn the tables and become one of the heroes.

Also, I like how the end narration says, "I got Pepper sorted out," rather than "cured." It leaves open the possibility for her to retain a stabilized version of Extremis. Never the damsel again.

I disagree.  Clearly

And furthermore

and the part where he swallows the chicken was

if you can even fit that many stewardesses in a Volvo.

That is CRAZY.

Yeah!  I thought people worldwide were supposed to hate arrogant American capitalists.  

But now, this spam nonsense, this guy truly is an asshole. 

Not enough of one, somehow; he has managed to get funded again. 

Mark my words:  he'll use this money for something else (probably shipping international order on Sullivan's) and then come up with some lame ass excuse he needs more money to make good on the promises of THIS campaign.  And he'll keep pulling stunts like this until people stop giving him their money.

In 5346 (first in the set page) or 5169 (first chronologically)?

5346

Thanks for the response, David.

David, why do you look like an escaped fugitive in that first picture of you?  

A few questions, if anybody wants to help me live vicariously through those who went:

Who's the surprised looking fellow from Image 5276?

The "horns" guy in 5234?

The intently staring guy from 5214?

The cheerful man with Vince in 5213?

The "this beers for you" guy in 5187?

I may have taken him just a tiny bit for granted, but that's just because he was always there, making me believe that skeletons could take up a sword and fight heroes, and that mechanical flying owls were real.  He animated my imagination, brought it to life, and helped fuel a lifelong love of the fantastic.  Thank you, Mr. Harryhausen.  RIP.