Tsunami Studios Poolside #29
Authentic Black & White!
My Favorite Spider:
Recently I’ve been in the process of thinning out some parts of my action figure collection. Nothing major, just a few lines I no longer collect or stuff that hasn't seen the light of day in years. One of the main things I decided to sell was my Spider-Man collection. A made the decision a couple years back that when it came to marvel figures I was going to stick to my main interests (Avengers, Horror/Magic/Cosmic, and street level) The two big groups to get the axe were X-Men and Spider-Man. So far I’ve nearly five hundred dollars worth of Marvel Legends from those teams. I have maybe three X-Men related figures left and a handful of Spider-Mans that I still plan on selling. After going through my bins there are maybe five Spider-Man figures I intend to big. A first appearance costume, Iron-Spider, Black-Suit, Mayday Parker… and Spider-Man Noir. Those are my five favourite iterations of the spider man suit, but the Noir suit is a cut above the rest. I love Spider-Man Noir. He is my favourite Spider-Man out of every single multiverse thing ever created by Marvel… And for some reason he is getting a TV series releasing this year.
Coming May of this year to Prime Video is Spider-Noir. A series that takes the idea of Spider-Man Noir but changes the name and origin and everything about it except for the costume. I have seen a lot of outrage from fans online about these changes, and I’m sorry to those of you who feel betrayed by this adaptation. My argument would be to let it go because this looks sick! Absolutely amazed at what this team is even attempting to do.
Nicolas Cage is starring as Ben Reilly in a high budgeted Noir story built around the names of Spider-Man characters? Sign me up. Thats all I need to hear. My connection to the Marvel Noir universe is based solely on appearance as opposed to story. It’s about the vibes. The Vibes matter more than lore or accuracy to whatever. Nicolas Cage can easily EASILY dish out some Bogie charm and do a drunk-off-his-ass Phillip Marlowe who gains spider powers. That’s a cake walk for him. He gets to wear a thick coat and turtleneck and beat up nazis. I can’t think of anyone more suited for that. He doesn’t use the name Peter Parker or have the classic origin of the young man from the comics but who cares. A guy is going to use electric rods somehow and call himself Electro and it’s gonna be more in line to a Detective story than a Spider-Man one. Thats all I need. A love a classic gumshoe tale about a terrible man caught in world he doesn’t know. In this one the main guy will wear stupid goggles and swing from a web (both of which look great in the trailer) Plus, it was shot for Black and White AND Color. They care about this, it means something to this team to be authentic to these types of stories and I love that.
They were never going to fully adapt the comic books. I’d be hard pressed to believe they would include the origin that the Vulture eats Uncle Ben, this is still Sony, they want to homage the forties while making it commercial. Which is fine by me, later Noir books would have Peter globe trotting and dealing with weird artifacts. As long as we have a femme fatale at a nightclub who goes by the Black Cat i’m satisfied. We saw The Sandman, Electro, maybe even the Vulture or Molten Man as well, and we know Silvermane is going to be a main villain. All of this works for me. Maybe it’s because I don’t care for Spider-Man as much as most comic book nerds. You can all enjoy Brand New Day… A movie that I think sounds super busy and annoying. I am not someone looking for a comic accurate Spider-man, it turns out I want black and white violence by an old man who used to be special learning he needs to be special again. That’s my Brand New Day.
There is also a whole line of Marvel Noir books that would make for cool adaptations. Iron Man and Luke Cage come to mind. Two character who equally fit in that retro pulpy world for different reasons.
So I’m all in. If this releases weekly I may do weekly reviews, but rest assured I will be talking about Spider-Noir again. Legal licensing stuff means we can’t do a proper Spider-Man on television. If we change a few things and use a different name then we can get by. It’s all still part of the Spider-Verse. Nicolas Cage voiced this character before, why not let him have fun here? I’m for it. As someone who likes his Ghost Rider I am ready to believe he's back in the comic book saddle looking to kick some nazi scum into the dirt. Love it. Let’s go!
Big Shake Ups in the Toy World:
New York Toy Fair is right around the corner but that doesn’t stop some major companies from announcing upcoming product. Like Mattel, who just the other day announced they have secured the master license from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The first time since the 1980’s anyone other than Playmates has held the license. While no new product was shown they were quick to announced everything that would be falling under the umbrella. Including new role-playing items, board games, interactive toys, and various lines of figures… For some people who aren’t in the know (Which is probably most people reading this) this is huge. Mattel has kind of been on a tear lately when it comes to boy centric toy lines. They unveiled TWO new Masters of the Universe lines to hit store shelves in time for the new film. They will be regaining the DC comics license the same year as TMNT. They are making strides, and it really shows.
I think we are seeing a power shift about to happen for high quality retail figures aimed for adult collectors. In recent times Hasbro has been the one on top with Marvel, Star Wars, Transformers and GI Joe… But come 2027-2028 even Mattel could be looking to surpass them. This is all opinion based but I think Mattel is a more reasonably priced company for what they are selling. Their WWE line has various tiers all ranging in pricing and if they apply that to their other boy toys it’s game over. Hasbro has been too expensive lately. Figures are going up in price and losing quality. I could spend an entire Poolside complaining about the practices but thats neither here nor there. Marvel is probably the worst for pricing, so I imagine in attempt to get collectors away from Hasbro the Mattel DC and TMNT lines are going be quite impressive.
We also don’t know yet how this is going to affect the other companies who make licensed Ninja Turtle project. Super7, McFarlane, NECA, they all have lines currently running with this characters. Does that all end in 2027? We scarcely see other companies do WWE or Masters of the Universe. I wonder if thats going to be the same here. I’m not against it. I would rather have a less expensive line of comic accurate turtle figures than spend fifty dollars for each new NECA one. So once again like Spider-Noir I am excited. This could be quite the feat. Let’s see how it goes.
Superbowl:
Did I watch the game? Sorta. It became clear to me the Sea Hawks had this one in the bag. Had no real need to keep watching after the second quarter. Did I watch the halftime show? Yes… But only after the clip was released online. Bad Bunny crushed it, a very entertaining and thought choreographed show. Loved it. While Bad Bunny is not my favorite artist currently, I respect the hustle. Dude can control a crowd like no one’s business.
Did I watch the trailers? Sorta. The Adventures of Cliff Booth does nothing for me. I really don’t give a shit about Tarantino in any capacity. If Fincher is happy adapting his script so be it. Other people will talk more positively about it. Didn't watch the trailer for Project Hail Mary for kind of the same reason. I’m sure this will be great. Looks big and expensive and fun. Lord and Miller are also producers on Spider-Noir so it’s good to see them making stuff again. Hope it’s fun. I am not going to read the book nor do I intend to engage with another trailer. Minions and Monsters though… That’s my jam. Can’t wait to see what those yellow assholes get up to. And then there was the Mandalorian and Grogu teaser. Which was an homage to the Budweiser Clydesdale horses but with Tauntauns. Looked bad, doesn’t leave me with any hope that this film is actually going to be good. Last week we talked about Dave Feloni taking over which left a bitter taste in my mouth. Well, this is partially his baby and I don’t like this baby. The whole advert reeks of desperation and failed nostalgia. I haven't anyone who is enthralled by this. What an ugly piece of advertising for a stupid looking movie. When did Star Wars sink so low… seems like this used to mean something in this country. Now it’s just another whatever franchise for one. Maybe we need a better toy line for Star Wars. Every day I am tempted to go to my local antique mall and buy their huge assortment of Power of the Force figures. I don’t have that feeling for any of the Black Series releases anymore.
Tickets coming soon…
Lots of Wuthering… Lots of Heights:
By the time this Poolside releases we are days away from the release of Emerald Fennel’s new take on Wuthering Heights. A film that has me endlessly curious about it’s going to be. I have heard… Mixed things about it so I’m jazzed up for this one. To prepare I did a deep dive into the world of Wuthering Heights. I’ve watched five previous adaptations of the novel. 1939,1958,1970,1992 and 2011. Five movies that I don’t think are perfect in many ways AND don’t do the novel justice for different reasons. Maybe this book is impossible to adapt. I am getting that sense. Spending this much time in the world of Wuthering Heights has been a tedious chore and I don’t know why I did it. To make out for it I decided to do a special episode of Movie Tales talking about all the iterations I encountered. So stay tuned to the YouTube channel for that.
Here’s the thumbnail. Happy Valentines day everyone. My Fiancé did not want to watch a single of these with me and instead we watch Big Fish and The Dirt.
The Return of Vertigo:
We talked a little bit about this a few months ago as DC was preparing for the return of its Vertigo imprint. A whole new slew of titles were announced and now we have our first one to look at. From Deniz Camp and Stipan Morian it’s Bleeding Hearts. The tale of a young zombie boy who struggles to fit in to the world of zombies. It’s a biting political commentary about society and our role in world of mindless drone. Really good stuff. You can check out my review HERE!
Recommendation:
Rip James Van Der Beek. A staple of television and teenage drama. I have been a fan of his for a long time largely in part to his work on the sitcom Don’t Trust the B——- In Apartment 23. A fun self aware role where he got to play a version of himself. It was a delight every time he was on screen. He will be missed.
