Marvelously Obscure

In the summer of 2014, Marvel released Guardians of the Galaxy and it was a runaway hit. In the fall of that same year Disney released Big Hero 6, which is also a Marvel property, and it too was a big hit. When both were announced many thought they would flop, because they were not the more popular and well known of Marvel properties. Except for Howard the Duck and Man-Thing, the obscure characters tend to do well or sometimes better than the more well known properties.

The first successful Marvel film was Blade. Blade was a supporting character in Marvel Comics’ Tomb of Dracula from the 1970’s. He was a minor supporting character that gained some stature as the series continued being published. When the film came out and became a surprise hit everyone was shocked. Marvel had not had a hit in film.  It did not help that the quality of those productions, Howard the Duck (1986), Punisher (1989), Captain America (1990), and Fantastic Four (1994) were not the best. Many of these were made by lower budget production houses.

When the Marvel movies started to breakout many people did not know who the X-Men were either. There have been some duds; this was before Marvel started to produce their own films as their own studio. The Marvel Studios as we know it started with Iron Man. Since that started they have been putting out many of the Marvel Comics heavy hitters. In my opinion that would not have been possible if not for the success of Blade (1998). Blade paved the way for the X-Men films, the Sam Raimi Spider-Man films, and ultimately the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

The reason why I think the more obscure Marvel properties are so successful is because the audience has no expectations. That means they can sit back and enjoy the ride. They do not see a new version of a character they think they know. They are able to take the film at face value. Also when I say obscure I mean obscure to mainstream films audiences. Comic book fans may be very familiar with these characters, but to the average folks out there, they have no clue.  It is easier to suspend your disbelief if you are new to a character.

Some characters people unfamiliar with Marvel’s comic book line up would be thought to be obscure are not.  For example Ant-Man, Black Panther, Wasp, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers), Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Quicksilver are all considered A-List Tier 1 Marvel characters.  Plus they are all Avengers.  Like the obscure, the least familiar characters because of mainstream influences are also clean slates. Hopefully after the third Captain America, Thor, and the Avengers: Infinity War films, we will see some of the more obscure and unfamiliar to mainstream audience properties utilized more.

With the first Marvel comic I bought for myself being the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, there are few characters that I am unfamiliar with and most of those popped up since 1995. Marvel’s Jessica Jones is one of those properties, I have glancing familiarity with the character, mostly second hand through Wikipedia and the like. I am not familiar with where the Captain Marvel (Carol Danvers) has gone since 1995, specifically since she gained the Captain Marvel moniker. Big Hero 6 I had a vague sense of those characters. With the Guardians of the Galaxy I knew many of the characters, but the film went in new and unexpected directions. Being unfamiliar or vaguely familiar definitely helps. This Has Been My Not So Humble Opinion.

Milepost 2 on the Road to Wellness

My pulled muscle continued to bother me trough the remainder of June and into July.  In the end of July beginning of August I increased my exercise regimen to two days of walking then one day off. I have been keeping that up; except for the weekend I had the Norovirus.  Due to the severe heat my lawn mowing has taken a down turn.  

In July, my menu had some serious mistakes. I had three potato dishes, two rice dishes, and one corn bread dish.  My diet also took a hit during my bout with the Norovirus. I ended up eating potatoes, broth, pea soup and rice.  Once again it was a very carbohydrate heavy month.  One dish I made was Quaker Oats meatloaf with Irish colcannon.  I chose colcannon instead of regular mashed potatoes, because the dish includes kale and leeks.  It was tasty, and I learned a substitution trick. If a recipe calls for the spice mace, use four times the amount in nutmeg.

In early to mid-July I weighed myself at Weight Watchers, inside the Cedar Hills Crossing mall. I ended up with 377.  I had gained 2 lbs. I was very disappointed.  I went down the wrong path and went off my diet that evening. One thing I am doing better with portion control, I am no longer using my dinner plates, but my lunch plates instead. I need to cut down, my fast food intake, seriously.

I went and had my blood work done at the end of July.  My doctor set up a phone appointment to discuss the results.  My triglycerides were a little high.  My doctor advised that I eliminate my red meat. I decided to limit it instead. For the month of August, I replaced turkey ham for ham and ground turkey for ground beef.  Mashed potatoes will be replaced with mashed cauliflower, to help with my carbohydrate intake. 

My doctor also suggested I increase my seafood intake. At first I thought I could not afford it.  I later realized I could, if I went the canned or frozen routes.  My mom came back at the beginning of August and bought my some crayfish to help with what the doctor suggested.  I do have my Fred Meyer sushi splurge every 2^nd of the month.

The cooking is still on a serious learning curve.  I had not lost my touch with my signature dish Filipino adobo. I made Filipino chicken pancit for the first time, it was everything I remembered.  There are a few tweaks needed for that.  Carrots need to be put in at the end and the bean threads need a longer soaking time, possibly with boiling water.  The pancit recipe I use utilizes mung bean threads, so it is low in carbohydrates, high in protein, and gluten free. I made grandma’s zucchini casserole again in August; it also needs a few tweaks too.  This was the first time I baked it in a regular oven instead of using the microwave. Eggs need to be better beaten and it needed to be in the oven longer.

I need a smaller frying pan for tortilla Española AKA Spanish tortilla.   Flavor-wise it was spot on.  In June I received a Puerto Rican cuisine cookbook and in early August I picked up two Mexican cuisine cookbooks.  One was Mexican Cooking for Dummies and the second my 1000 Mexican dishes. The second was chosen for having a pipian dish; pipian is a sauce the uses seeds or nuts.  The version I was looking for used pumpkin seeds.  I had it once and loved it.  I lost my previous cookbooks with such a recipe.   The Mexican Cooking for Dummies was chosen, because before the cooking from scratch in May I always bought pre-packaged salsas and other Latin sauces.  There is even a recipe to make your own crema sauce.

I am able to do more than I was back in March or even last year.  Still trying to get some yard work done, but the summer heat is making it a difficult prospect.  I am walking late at night/ early in the morning in order to not cause issues. I think I pull my muscle in June, because I did too much in a small period of time without resting.

On August 7^th, 2015, I was weighed by my doctor and again on the 12^th by my dietitian.  I weighed in both times at 368 lbs.  My total loss is currently at 34 lbs.  My current goal is to be at 350 lbs by December.  Fifty pounds a yeas seems like a healthy weight loss.   I should at that weight also be down a couple more pants sized and down to 3 XL tall for shirts.

Goals from now on, I am working to increase the number of vegetarians dishes to two egg and two non egg based dishes.  The non egg based dishes can have egg in them, but they are not the central ingredient.  I need to trim the fast food down to once a week, the once every other. I plan to increase my walking in September to three days walking one day off, then in October four on, one off, and so on until I am walking daily with the occasional day off from time to time. Then I get to walking daily, I increase the distance.  Hopefully, I will get to increase the speed too. I plan to decrease my red meat intake to two or three dishes a month, not including eating out a few of times a month.   That means choosing better options, even when eating out. 

This is a lifestyle change, so it will be a work in progress.  I am constantly learning.  I am constant changing what does not work and keeping what does.  I have to constantly remind myself this is a marathon, not a sprint.  In the four and a half months since I stated this path since the end of March 2015, I have learned so much and much about myself.   I am handling it better than I thought I would have.  

Grim & Gritty

One of the conversations happening about comic book properties, specifically in film, is about the difference in approach between the big two, Marvel and DC, in their cinematic universes.  Marvel is going for a brighter tone that does not apologize for the four color comic book silliness of their superhero world.  DC has been taking the gritty realistic approach. My first observation is that this is slightly amusing.  Based on the comic books one would assume the two companies would take the opposing approach than they are.  This is the film universes I am talking about.  DC Comics’ approach for their television universe with the Flash and Supergirl tends to follow the same idea as what Marvel is doing with both their cinematic and television universe, which are the same universe.

A problem I have with the DC Comics’ cinematic universe approach, is that it loses sight of what made its characters so interesting. Certain characters like Batman and Green Arrow or groups like the Suicide Squad and the newer versions of the Secret Six lend themselves well to the grittier approach.  As vigilantes and characters with villainous pasts, they deal with human crime, so it makes sense to have a harder edge.  Superman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, the Atom, Shazam/Captain Marvel, and Wonder Woman are the bright shiny paragons.  The darker, more realistic style clashes with their core concepts and mythos.  Superman is supposed to be a symbol of hope not fear.  Batman is supposed to instill fear in the cowardly lot that is the criminal world.

Even when Marvel does a dark storyline like Captain America: Winter Soldier, it comes out with a bright shiny superhero exterior. We are talking about a guy that literally dresses up in a flag inspired costume.  The Flash television show (2014 –present) does the same thing; they even have their characters poke fun at the absurdity of the concept of people running around in bright shiny costumes fighting crime.  Part of the reluctance to use a lighter approach by DC is to avoid the campiness of the 1966 Batman.  The 1975 television show, Wonder Woman, and the 1978 film, Superman: The Movie, were able to straddle the absurdity of the concept without devolving into complete camp.

Another thing about their differing approaches is that DC tries to make Superhero films, Marvel makes films and television programs with Superheroes in them.  Captain America: The First Avenger was a World War II drama.  Iron Man was a corporate intrigue drama as well as a personal journey story. The Guardians of the Galaxy was a space opera.  Marvel’s Daredevil was a crime drama.  Captain America: Winter Soldier and Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were spy dramas.  The Incredible Hulk was a fugitive drama.  The reason the Nolan Batman trilogy worked was it was a crime story that just happened to have a guy dressed up as a bat in it. Previously with Green Lantern and others, DC has made a habit of making Superhero movies, not movies with Superheroes in them.

Let’s get back to the subject at hand.  The grim and gritty movement began in the mid 1980’s.  The two chief works attributed to starting the trend were Watchmen (1986) and the Dark Knight Returns (1986).  Alan Moore (Watchman) and Frank Miller (The Dark Knight Returns) were trying to show are more serious side to the superhero genre.  At that time the comic book format was not taken very seriously by mainstream society. These works and Maus (1980-1991) started to change those attitudes. The comic book industry has a history of taking a successful idea and beating it to death.  That resulted in grim and gritty for most of the latter 1980’s and the 1990’s.  This approach was hit and miss.  It worked for characters like Batman, Green Arrow, Punisher, Wolverine, Swamp Thing, and Daredevil.  Other characters like Aquaman, the Flash, Green Lantern, Captain America, and the like it was less successful.

Alan Moore, one of the architects of that movement, in 1999 worked to bring back the bright shiny four color world with America’s Best Comics. Some works in that imprint were darker, but with others like Tom Strong, Promethea, and Top 10 he went back to the Golden and Silver Ages of comic books for inspiration.  Some writers bridged the more serious tone with the wildly out there concepts like Grant Morrison, Warren Ellis, Garth Ennis, and Mark Millar.  The comics industry went too far with the grim and gritty portrayals in the late 1990’s, afterward the industry moved away from using that approach as much.  There are still many books that use the approach, but they are not as many as they were in the 90’s.

The DC cinematic approach with a more serious tone started with Batman (1989).  In 1997 with Joel Schumacher and Batman and Robin the approach went too campy, and that soured the studio. In 2005 when Christopher Nolan rebooted the Batman films, he went back to the more realistic and darker approach.  That seems to be the blueprint DC Entertainment is using.  That resulted in 2013’s Man of Steel.  I have problems with Man of Steel, by going grim and gritty it loses the emotional and moral center of the character. 

In 2008 Marvel started their cinematic universe with Iron Man. Marvel continued through with their phase one including the Incredible Hulk (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Thor (2011), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), and in 2012 the Avengers. They tackled the silliness of costumed heroes, armored heroes, superpowers and mythic beings. They just rolled with it.  I am worried about the 2016 Superman v. Batman: The Dawn of Justice film. It is borrowing heavily from Dark Knight Returns without much of the history that was part of the story’s setup.   We will see how it goes.

               

Some works lend well to grim and gritty like Judge Dredd in 2012’s Dredd, 2015’s Marvel’s Daredevil, Punisher, 2013’s the Wolverine, and similar characters. DC Entertainment needs to be careful and look to their Television properties like The Flash.  Supergirl and DC’s Legends of Tomorrow seem to follow the Flash’s lead.  Bringing the wonder, the joyful abandon and the silliness to comics’ properties reminds of us of the youthful optimism of Superheroes that was part of in their earlier history.  DC’s over seriousness about their characters reminds me of a line from 2008’s Dark Knight, when Heath Ledger as the Joker says, “Why so Serious?”  Marvel has proven that all out craziness and fun can work and make a lot of money too.  This Has Been My Not So Humble Opinion.