From The Desk of The Don #1: I Have No Idea What I'm Doing

Is This Thing On?

Hello, everybody out there in comic book land. My name is George Serrano aka The Don, and this is the very first edition of From The Desk of The Don, a new blog that allows me to connect with you guys when it comes to current events, news, and updates over here at ComicBookClique.com! This way you guys can get my opinions on things not on the Major Issues Podcast, and get a sneak peek at next week’s content. It’s been a while since I wrote a blog, so bear with me. Let’s get this show on the road and you will realize- I have no idea what I’m doing.

I started Comic Book Clique over 4 years ago, as a way of battling my anxiety when it came to talking to others about the things that interested me, comics included. Since then we’ve created merchandise at TeePublic (Shop CBC), our very own podcast that is 126 episodes in, and now we write articles! I’m so proud of hard far we’ve come, and I’m always looking for new ways to add to CBC’s legacy and build its audience. Then Coronavirus arrived. My heart goes out to everyone who’s been affected by this pandemic that has no bias, and seemingly no quick end. To the front line workers, you are the heroes of this generation, keeping us safe as you risk your lives in this uncertain time. Thank you all.

Planning During A Pandemic

Planning content for CBC is always a fun but arduous task. We look at the calendar in hopes of providing hot topics to discuss on the podcast. If there is a new comic book movie out, we do our best to cover the comics it's based on and provide an in-depth review. If there’s a recent season of comic book television out, we do our best to binge as much as we can and do a full analysis of its character and themes. We had to set up schedules months in advance to give ourselves the time we need to tackle the subject matter at hand. This year we were prepared to cover the theatrical releases of Black Widow, New Mutants, and Wonder Woman 1984, the latter voted the most anticipated movie of 2020 by the Clique, but to prevent the spread of Covid-19 all those films had their releases postponed.

So what did we do? Well, we took a second to look at the world that was changing in front of us. The first film release impacted by the virus was Bloodshot starring Vin Diesel, which was removed from theaters around the globe. To compensate, we covered Justice League: Amazo Virus, a story that dealt with the team dealing with a dangerous contagion. As more cancellations came down the pike, we scrambled for new topics to cover. Luckily, my co-hosts had a list of comics and films they always wanted to cover but never had the time. Hopefully, it provides some entertainment until everything gets back to normal.

Comic Book Catch-Up

Read Justice League by Scott Snyder ASAP

Just like millions of Americans, I was furloughed from my job at a sign shop, giving me more free time than I was used to. In the meantime, I’ve managed to catch up on a few comics. Thanks to a recommendation by fellow Cliquer Yogi, I finished Scott Snyder’s Justice League run! Snyder wrote the first run of Batman that I followed issue to issue, so his Justice League run was right up my alley. Scott managed to bring big stakes to the Justice League book while changing some of the lore for the better. Lex Luthor also takes things up a notch in a way I’ve never seen before. Snyder understands the mechanics of that team and their villains, and I cannot wait for DEATH METAL, the sequel to Dark Knights Metal, which we covered here.

Dan The Comic Man mentioned wanting to reread A History of Violence, a graphic written by John Wagner which was adapted into a motion picture of the same name starring Viggo Mortensen. I had never seen the film but managed to finish the entire story in one sitting! What a tense and action-packed story that uses flashbacks and reveals to increase the pressure surrounding the main character. The next step is to watch the film, which I’m sure I’m going to enjoy. What I am NOT going to enjoy is having to rewatch Iron Man 3 for our Iron Man: Extremis review, where GT Rebirth and I will get into the psyche of one Tony Stark. As a Captain America guy, it will be fun to jump into the mind of a billionaire, playboy, genius, philanthropist. Lastly, I am hoping to read some Wonder Woman comics soon. I have never read a full Wonder Woman run and I feel she deserves some time on my reading list. Please recommend some good Wonder Woman stories to choose from!

Coming Up Next

The topic of the next episode of the Major Issues Podcast: Twilight of Superheroes!

As stated above, we are getting ready to tackle the 2018 run of the Justice League, which ran for nearly forty issues. It seems to have a lot to do with where the DC Universe is going in the future. Those issues are pretty dense, but I love talking to Yogi about the DC Universe because he is incredibly invested as a fan and as someone who works with comic books as a whole. I sometimes fear we might be a bit DC Comics heavy, so after our next couple of episodes, we will be walking back into the Marvel territory. There are also some Indy titles I’d like to review, and ultimately we have to return to Doomsday Clock, Sex Criminals, and all the other stories that have continued since we last covered them.

The very next episode of the Major Issues Podcast is going to be a unique one. Instead of recapping a film or reviewing a comic, we’ve decided to try to decipher Alan Moore’s pitch for a storyline titled “Twilight of The Superheroes”, which he tried to get made at DC Comics in the late 1980s. Moore (writer of The Killing Joke, V for Vendetta, and Watchmen) is known for his unique take on the superhero genre. The pitch itself is gritty, violent, and shockingly conclusive. Moore envisioned a definitive end of the DC Universe, and we will go in great lengths to talk about the good and bad of his premise. While probably not to the most mainstream topic, longtime fans of DC Comics need to hear this episode and hear Moore’s take on the superhero mythos in general. Make sure you listen to the Major Issues Podcast every Wednesday to hear us babble about capes, cowls, and capers every week!

Et Cetera

Harley Quinn on the DC Universe app is a riot!

I figured this is where all of my other random thoughts will go, so let's get on with it. Have you been watching Harley Quinn on the DC Universe App? It is amazing! Admittedly it took me a while to get the humor, and Harley as a character can be problematic if you keep her as Joker’s perpetual love slave, but I felt the show had a better handle of the character than Birds of Prey did. Seeing as I haven’t been blown away with 2020 Comic Book films (to be fair, there’s only been two) this show fills that void for me. It knows its audience. Speaking of knowing its audience, DC's Doom Patrol returns next month! Doom Patrol was hands down my favorite comic book show of last year, and I can’t wait to see what DC has in store for Season 2! We are also very close to the series premiere of Star Girl, but I have yet to watch a single episode Batwoman, so maybe there might be too much content out there right now for one Don.

What I was most disappointed by was the finale of the Flash this season. I know that the coronavirus has had massive effects on the shooting and script, but I can't shake the feeling that the show will never reach the heights that it did in Season 1. With Arrow gone, it's important that Flash right the CW ship while new characters like Black Lightning, Batwoman, and Star Girl join the fray. On top of that, CW has gained the rights to Swamp Thing, so a lot of people who had never been introduced to that character might get that chance soon. By then we should have all seen New Mutants, right? It also should be noted that Comic Book Clique stopped planning the podcast schedule shortly before the Fourth of July, so we'll have to come up with some hard-hitting content soon for those dates in the future. Is there a comic book, TV show, or comic book movie you would like us to cover? Let me know in the comment section. This is all I got for this week, but I’ll be back next week for more things "FROM THE DESK"!

Remember…You (yes you) Are Worthy
G.S.