Tag Archives: Mike Perkins

Mar 27 2017

Iron Fist 1

Today, Patrick and Taylor are discussing Iron Fist 1, originally released March 22, 2017. As always, this article contains SPOILERS.

“Chose a job you love and you’ll never have to work a day in your life.”

Confucius

Patrick: I’ve always been fascinated by this idea that one can recognize their own state of perfect happiness and fulfillment when they encounter it. How can you follow this ancient wisdom, and chose a job you love, if you can’t identify “a job you love”? After all, we engage in all kinds of activities in our day-to-day lives that may bring fleeting happinesses or that may dull the pain of the mundane world, but that’s a far cry from something we love. Iron Fist 1 opens on a Danny Rand who is very much mistaking one for the other, trying to find oneness in fights with petty criminals. That should fit the bill, right? Nah — Danny doesn’t love fighting, he loves the fight. Continue reading →

May 3 2016

Doctor Strange 7/Doctor Strange: Last Days of Magic 1

doctor strange roundupToday, Spencer and Taylor are discussing Doctor Strange 7 and Doctor Strange: Last Days of Magic 1, originally released April 27th, 2016.

dr strange div

Doctor Strange 7

Spencer: Science vs. magic, in one form or another, has been a debate since the beginning of time. Those fighting this battle defend their side vehemently, probably because the conflict taps into a number of elemental aspects of the human condition, such as the origin of life, the idea of a higher power, and perhaps most fundamentally, the balance between order and chaos. The thing most people lose sight of, though — especially the Imperator of the Empirikul, villain of Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo’s Doctor Strange 7 — is that it isn’t an either/or proposition. Science and magic can, and should, exist side-by-side. Continue reading →

Mar 31 2016

Captain America: Sam Wilson 7

Alternating Currents: Captain America: Sam Wilson 7, Drew and Patrick

Today, Drew and Patrick are discussing Captain America: Sam Wilson 7, originally released March 30th, 2016.

Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.

George Santayana

Drew: Perhaps its ironic that I never knew the origin of the oft-paraphrased quote above, but it actually comes from the first volume of Santayana’s The Life of Reason, published in 1905. In its original context, the quote seeks to balance progressivism with retention of the past. Of course, it’s possible to take that too far, and some might argue that superhero comics are too obsessed with their own history to make any meaningful progress. It’s a difficult balance that I certainly don’t envy trying to strike — fans want new stories, even as they want their favorite stories and characters celebrated — but its one that Captain America 7 aims for. Marvel assembles one hell of a creative lineup for this celebration of Captain America’s 75 year history, but circumstances may have put them all in a no-win situation. Continue reading →