Fantastic News: South Park, SD Comic Con, and Marvel's First Family

Will Rose: 00:01:15

Friends, welcome to another episode of what's News on your favorite, maybe your favorite pop culture podcast. The. The podcast that looks to explore all those new things that come out in the culture that pops, man. And there's no shortage of it.

There's no end in sight. There is so much to geek out about. And I can't wait to discuss with some of my favorite ecologists here.

Christian Ashley, Kevin Schaefer, how are you guys doing? We're coming off the high of the weekend Comic Cons and movies. Are you feeling fantastic?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:01:45

Fantastic.

Will Rose: 00:01:46

S going to be, well, pretty fantastic.

Christian Ashley: 00:01:48

I'm here suffering for Jesus at the beach right now.

Will Rose: 00:01:51

Oh, I'm jealous. Although I go to the beach a lot, so I can't be too jealous. But yeah, my favorite. My favorite spot. Yeah.

So, friends, thank you for tuning in to another what's News episode. And, and this is what we're going to discuss today. All right, So I hope you're ready.

We're going to discuss news out of San Diego Comic Con, the Comic Con that kind of started Comic Cons, news that came out of that. When it comes to comics and TV shows and movies. We're going to talk about that episode of south park that the world seems to talk about.

And a lot of memes are floating around. We're going to give you our hot takes on on that. And then we're going to give a review and hot take on the Fantastic Four movie.

Maybe the fourth time's charm. It's right there in the title. First steps. Did they, did they step in the right direction?

Well, we're going to find out today with some of your hosts here. And you know, I just want to also share that we will also do a super dirtastic review of all three big blockbuster movies over the summer.

That's going to be an episode onto itself. And we'll talk about all three movies of Jurassic World Re. Reborn. That's what it. Reborn. Re. Yeah.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:02:55

Rebirth.

Will Rose: 00:02:56

Rebirth, Rebirth. Reborn. You know, I'm caught up with keep track. I can't keep track with all the reboots when it comes to comics in my pop culture.

But yeah, Jurassic World and Superman, Fantastic Four are going to put them all together. We did a review beforehand. What we are excited about, we wanted to see.

And now that they're all out and out in the wild and we've seen it, we'll, we'll talk about that. We'll do that in the episode all by itself. But today, what's new in pop culture? A little lightning round. And what's going around all those things.

So thanks y'. All. We appreciate it. Hey, thanks for our patrons, those who support us, those who are subscribers on YouTube.

If you haven't subscribed yet, subscribe, like pass around, share with friends. We want to thank for our Patreon supporters.

John Augustine, thank you so much for your support and all that you do to help us keep moving forward in this podcast game and, and geeking out with everyone. And yeah, we, we love this. This, this is, you know, none of us are getting paid big bucks for this.

We like to hang out with our friends, geek out with each other and then process these stories that mean a lot to us. So thank you all for joining us on this ride.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:04:00

Thank you.

Will Rose: 00:04:00

Let's hop right in. Let's go into the lightning round. Did you hear that thunder? I did. So let's go around. Quick hits man.

Kevin, I saw some pics of you this past weekend geeking out hard. What's in your lighting around? What are you geeking out about?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:04:14

I'm gonna say. So I was at GalaxyCon Raleigh this past weekend, which Laura, host of the show, was also there. I didn't run into her, but.

But yeah, I met some big names, but the one that was just like they only they announced him late because there were some last minute cancellations and then they picked up some guests as backups. And the one when I saw his name announced, I was like, oh my gosh.

But the one and all the Andy Serkis was there, one of my favorite actors of all time. Not just from Lord of the Rings, obviously, that's a huge like portion.

But I mean Peter Jackson's King Kong, Tintin, the Planet of the Apes movies, like, I mean he gave birth to motion capture performances and really solidified that as a means of artistic performance. And and then also I mean you see him in live action as well where he's not doing motion capture like in the Batman and in Andor. He's incredible.

So I was just ecstatic to meet him.

So there's my picture getting to meet him and the really cool moment was so I guess I went up to his table, got to talk with him for a minute and he was very interested in my robot arm and he said that he actually has a sister in a wheelchair. So he was really, I was like, I should have, I look at that.

I'm like, I should have like tried to give him my email or something and be like, hey, I can, you know, connect you with people that manufacture these. But yeah, it was awesome. He was just as nice as can be. I also on the way out I said, hey, if Tintin 2 ever gets made, I'm there opening night.

He said he's like, bro, me too. I like, like I'm so ready for it to be made as well. But so that was awesome. But so that was by far the highlight. I mean there are some other great.

I got to meet Grant Gustin and Tyler Eklund and Jason Isaacs. That was really cool too. So really fun weekend. But.

And the other Lightning Round pick I wanted to share real quick is so very different movie from what we're going to talk about later today, but also has because like everything Peter Pascal is in it because, you know, where is that guy? Not in movies and tv. I will say he's. It's. He's not as big a role as you might expect from the marketing here.

This is very much Joaquin Phoenix driven movie. But this is the latest film from Ari Aster called Eddington. And I really love this movie.

I was surprised because I'm not the biggest fan of Hereditary or Midsommar. I know those are like, you know, huge and say, I mean I.

There's aspects of each I like, but also it's part of it where they were just too dark for me and like to. And then I've not seen Beau is Afraid yet. I am going to especially after this. But I thought Eddington was a masterpiece. This is actually this movie.

s set in the days of COVID in: 2020

So you can imagine that. But it's also, while it's dark, it's also really darkly funny. There's a lot of brilliant satire there about.

And I listened to an interview with Ari Asner where he said the Internet basically wrote this movie for him because he was trying to comment on the different conversations that were happening on. And I had saved even the conversations.

But just like the, you know, all of the activity on social media that was prevalent during COVID Floyd, all these things just, you know, where people are isolated and now, you know, ideologies are conflicting and there's misinformation and then there's also truth like embedded in there as well. And he wasn't trying to particularly take a side in this. He was just kind of showing different points here.

But he had really interesting characters and I thought it was an incredible film. And you know, I mean Joaquin thinks was incredible here that one of his best performances. So highly recommend. Again, not at all a lighthearted time.

So I would not go if you're in the mood for light escapism.

But if you're if you want a very engaging and exhilarating film that challenges things and I think that I will spark conversation, this is one to see.

Will Rose: 00:08:12

Well you're one of our definitely one of our hosts that's kind of the movie expert movie buff and your recommendations come high. So yeah I like all the actors in this movie so that's definitely something that speak much I did running my radar this summer at all. So love it.

Hey thanks. Thanks here who very nice. Thanks.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:08:32

Thank you. You are fantastic too.

Will Rose: 00:08:34

Yay. There you go. Lifting our spirits, folks. We have comments on our YouTube page.

If you're listening to this on the on the podcast, you can hop over and watch and see the pictures and the images on on YouTube and then we have comments there too where people chime in. We like to share them and be a part of the journey with us. Christian, what are. What's in your lightning round? What. What are you excited about?

Christian Ashley: 00:08:53

Yeah, real briefly. I saw the new Thai zombie movie, Zam being a playoff of Siam and didn't reinvent the wheel in any way, shape or form.

It's basically in a world where people aren't able to gain access to food anymore because of rising temperatures and animals being killed off.

The guy who becomes like the big CEO pretty much of Thailand at this point in time uses insect based stuff and he's trying to make this new thing that unfortunately causes people to turn into zombies. So what happens when you do that? You fight them with Muay Thai and that's what our main character does. Realism doesn't exist in this world. It's fine.

He survives way too many things. He should, but it's fun.

Will Rose: 00:09:37

Cool. Well, I'll chime in. Oh, you got another one. You got another one.

Christian Ashley: 00:09:41

Once again, the new Ultraman series, Ultraman Omega is releasing on these. If you can always watch it for free with subtitles because they're not dubbing this one just yet on the Tsuburaya Productions YouTube page.

It's a new fun play on it. They're making it to where Ultra isn't really inhabiting a human body this time around.

So it's him kind of learning what humans are like and it's a lot of good fun.

Will Rose: 00:10:04

So yeah, we like Ultraman. One of the, one of the original, one of the original heroes out there. We have Episode on that way back when, too. Oh, and I'll share mine.

Mine's the bear. I'm a fan of this show. I am. Season four is happening right now. Is all out there.

I have one episode left of the finale, the season finale to do as of today recording. So, man, that's gonna be tonight. I can't wait to see how this wraps up. But I adore the show. Again, like.

Like, Kevin, if you want, like, a really feel good, you're going to feel great about yourself. It's not necessarily, man, I don't know how to describe in terms of complicated family systems and relationships, and it gets tense.

There's a lot of yelling. There's a lot of cussing that can happen in restaurants and kitchens.

But, like, you know, you don't necessarily have to be a soccer fan to enjoy Ted Lasso because you just love the characters, and that's just the means and the tool by which they deliver these dynamics that happens in these relationships. The same way with the Bear, it's about cookies, about restaurants.

But it's more than that because that's just the tool that helped reveal deep issues and characteristics of the characters in this show. And I. I absolutely adore it.

I will say that season four, episode three is one of the most beautiful episodes of TV I've ever watched in terms of how it's edited, how it's cut, the music that's played, the dynamics, what you experience at the end, man, it was just an incredible and incredible episode. And so, yeah, I. I highly recommend the Bear. I love it. I can't wait to see what the finale says and where they. Where they go from there.

I'm on the edge of my seat. What happens next? You guys watch this one.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:11:45

It's on my list. This is actually the first year where I've actually watched most of the Emmy nominations. I was like, I watched White Lotus, Severance, Last of Us.

I'm watching the Pit right now. The Bear is like, one of my. Like, I will get to it. I know, you know, how critically acclaimed it is, how many people love it, but I just got to be.

Yeah, it's just one I got to commit to.

Will Rose: 00:12:04

I guess there's a larger discussion why it's categorized as, like, a comedy because it's not necessarily comedy. There's some dark humor in different things, and I guess there's a reason why they.

Where they put it in this category and genre, you know, to round out the categories and genres. I haven't really explored why they label it a comedy.

But it's definitely a drama and there's a lot going on with each and every character and this character growth within that as you go on each season.

So if for some reason you're like, man, it's so intense, you're in the first season, they're like, it's just a bunch of people yelling each other, yelling F bombs each other in a kitchen. Why would I hang out and do this? There, there's more growth and it evolves as the seasons go on. So hang in there, keep it going.

But I also understand if you're like, I have too much that my daily life or my family systems, relationships, I don't need it. My tv, I understand that as well. All right, let's move on to so other topics.

So this past week and weekend with San Diego Comic Con out in California, out in San Diego. And this is the Comic con that started it all.

Whatever local comic con or big comic con you go to in your local town, around the United States, around the world. San Diego was one of the original ones that was mainly revolved around comic books and, and sci fi.

Eventually when it became cool to be to like comic books and comic book movies and pop culture and sci fi and nerds and geeks became a money making machine.

Hollywood and, and TV came in and, and I know I don't want to be too strong words appropriated but, but they, they muscle their way in because they know of how big this, this Comic Con is and what it can do if you're going to promote a movie or a comic or an idea or a TV show. And so Hall H is one of the big, big places where they have panels that talk about what's coming up next or what happened.

And you know, I think now you guys correct me if I'm wrong, but I think because Disney and other places have their own and Star wars have their own conventions, they don't have as big a presence as they used to maybe at San Diego Comic Con they want to save the big news and the big breaking news for their own convention, for their own, you know, kind of place where they hang out and nerd out and share those things.

But, but still Comic Con still has the place where the best in the business when it comes to pop culture, comics, sci fi, go to table and to meet fans and to promote their work. That has been and coming up and it's also where they have the Eisner's which is like the Oscars and the Emmys for those in the comic book business.

So we're going to talk about some news that came. Came out of that. First of all, where do you guys want to start?

You start with comics to start with tv, movies, or what's something that excited you that came out of San Diego Comic Con that you were like, oh, I can't wait for that, actually.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:14:54

So this was a unique one this year that I wasn't necessarily really related to any particular media. Well, kind of. But it was George Lucas's first ever appearance at San Diego Comic Con, and he was there to promote his upcoming art museum. Oh.

So I thought that was fascinating. He was joined by Guillermo del Toro and several others.

And I mean, I don't know if I'll ever make it out to that, but that was just really cool to see. To think that someone, the creator of Star wars had never been to Comic Con.

I can only imagine being there this year, especially in a year where Marvel wasn't there at all. Age like they usually have because they had Fantastic Four come out this weekend and they, you know, they took a step back a little bit.

D.C. there was some news, but not like a huge amount. So it was a different kind of atmosphere, it seemed like. But to have George Lucas there, I thought that was incredible. Yeah.

Will Rose: 00:15:50

Now isn't there, like, didn't at some point when Star wars are just trying to get up and going, wasn't there some kind of push there back in the early 70s of like pitching this idea of Star Wars I think might be a legend?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:16:01

I do know that, like, I'm. Because I think Mark Campbell was going to like, before he was famous. I was going to like the first one was just being promoted.

Was going to like smaller conventions like that.

Because my creative writing professor from college is a pretty established science fiction author, and he was at a convention back then and he said Mark Hamill and. And Gary Kurtz were there. So you know, they like. So there were people like from before it was this pop culture juggernaut.

They were there promoting it even at, you know, smaller, more literary conventions because like you said, comic Cons were so different at that time than they are now. But yeah, San Diego, though, he had never been. So that was really cool.

Will Rose: 00:16:45

I've been to North Carolina Comic Con, some comic cons up and down the east coast. And. But I would love to go to San Diego, San Diego Comic Con at some point. And so my bucket list of places to experience.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:16:57

Yeah, yeah, I think it would just be. I mean, just to be in that atmosphere and everything would be incredible. But.

But yeah, that was one of my other really cool moments and then some others before. I do want to talk about the Peacemaker trailer, but some other news there, there.

So they did, I think dropped like an image from the upcoming Avatar Last Airbender next, like the next animated series that will be set after that. Looks amazing. Looks like seven Havens. It looks amazing. So they did talk about that. Very excited for that.

I think we'll definitely be talking about that on this show when that premieres. It'll be a big year for Avatar fans because we've got that along with the movie late in. I think it's like fall of next year.

That's also animated and it's a feature length. It'll be in theaters and I believe that one focuses on Aang and Zuko as adults set in that era. So really excited time for last year. Better fans.

That was really cool. Some of the comic news I saw, like the ultimate universe will be ending. Which, like kind of sad to see it go.

But also I'm glad they're not going to stretch it out forever. You know, I think if they have a good plan in motion, I want. I'm really excited to see where it all culminates.

Will Rose: 00:18:14

Yeah, let's pause there because I Christian Share. Ultimate Spider man has been one of your favorite Spider man books as the Spider man fan, and they're going to end it with me for I literally.

Christian Ashley: 00:18:24

Just bought the second volume earlier today at this new comic shop that just opened in Myrtle Beach. So I was looking forward to having more.

But it looks like is it actually ending or is this just like the Hickman reign is ending and someone else is going to do something after we deal with the maker. Like it's all over the place that it's making with them. Way too much money for them to quit, is my opinion.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:18:45

Yeah.

Christian Ashley: 00:18:46

Because consistently outselling Spider man, which is the reason why the Spider office does what it does because they can do whatever and people will buy it. So I reward good comics by buying them?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:18:58

No, I mean I do think it could like, I mean I know they're setting it up. Like I knew Denise Camp who wrote like the Ultimates is going to write the big crossover that ends it. But I agree, Christian.

I think it is because it's so popular and I've talked to many people who aren't even regular comic readers that have picked it up and have been really interested in the story, whether it's Spider man or Black Panther or any of the ultimate books. It's been really fascinating. Same with the Absolute universe in dc.

So I really enjoy it, I think, I mean, even if they do a big crossover that, you know, puts some kind of conclusion, I agree. It's been so popular that I think they'll find a way to keep it going in some way down the road. Because I want to see Ultimate Daredevil.

I want to see, you know, I mean, more of these characters that have been included here, but I want to see their own books. I just, I've really enjoyed this universe, so I would be happy to see it keep going as long as they have a good story to tell.

Will Rose: 00:19:53

And what they announced was this Ultimate Endgame, which is a five issue limited series that's going to come be the culmination of the Ultimate Universe and Marvel ultimate they've had so far and where the maker is coming back. And again, for those who don't know, the maker is an evil version of Reed Richards.

You can imagine, like the smartest man in the world or the universe or whatever becomes a villain and uses that mind and power for, for nefarious reasons or ways that it could be really, really scary. And so he is, I think, a great villain.

And I think when they turned him in to a villain way back in the first original version of the Ultimate Universe, I didn't know or maybe they, I don't know if they care predicted or known that he would have really stuck and, and really lasted this long. But, but he really is a great, great villain. And so for him, they've been anticipating his return and this is going to be his return.

And then what happens after this? Do they blow it up and start over again? Do they win? Does, does the maker win? I think that's what's fun about these alternative alternate universes.

You can kind of do whatever, you have the mainstream continuity that does their thing, but then with these alternate universes, you can play around with it and recon it as many times as you want. So that was kind of the big news they're able to reveal at this Comic Con.

It was cool at Comic Con though, you hear these announcements and they got to solicit to the local comic shop, but they can show images and have the creators at panels and at tables to talk about, you know, the origin of these things and showing first images and people ooh and ah at the artwork and what could happen and those kind and tease, tease, that kind of stuff. So I'm, I'm pretty excited to see what they, they would do with that.

Another big one that they announced DC is doing this big event Fall event called KO DC Knockout where it's going to be like Squid Game meets Mortal Kombat meets DC characters.

And they're going to have this massive tournament to see who gets to, to fight, I think as Omega King, Omega prime or whatever Apocalypse became in terms of Omega when it comes to this kind of all in absolute universe, all those things just kind of converging on this one big kind of tournament where who doesn't like to see like Street Fighter level heroes battling against each other, see who wins at the end, you know, I, I, it's Scott Snyder and another artist for guys. Let's see. Javier Fernanda. I don't know but it's, it looks, it looks really good. I'm there for it. I'm a big Scott Snyder fan.

I like what he does and I'm there for it. What did you guys see some images out of that? What do you think about this K.O. tournament?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:22:26

Yeah, I saw Snyder and I think Josh Williamson is heavily involved in it too. Yeah, so they like I've seen them promoting it loosely so it, it sounds cool.

I mean like I, you know, I think with the popularity of Squid Game, Hunger Games, all, you know that style of like apocalyptic sci fi, it makes sense to capitalize on that for the big two. So yeah, I mean it could be fun.

So typically I like more, I mean with D.C. i've mainly just been reading the absolute stuff and then I have read Superman Unlimited, but so I haven't really followed the main continuity as much but I'll probably check it out, see how it is.

Will Rose: 00:23:04

Yeah, fun stuff.

They also announced that Matt Fraction is going to do a new Batman number one and they released some of the artwork around that looks really, really fun, really cool. He was one of the first people I met at Hero Con in Charlotte Comic Con years ago.

My first Comic Con I ever went to was in Charlotte Hero Con and met Matt Fraction when he was writing Iron Fist and that was, that was a lot of fun. So have some nostalgia when it comes to Matt Fraction and what he creates.

Christian, anything else out there in Comic Con that kind of perks your interest in some images and news out there?

Christian Ashley: 00:23:36

Yeah, just real briefly since I know we have other things to cover.

There's the, we had the 30th anniversary of mobile Suit Gundam Wing where they had a little thing they had for that where they're going to re release the movie into theaters, which I could take it or leave it because it's kind of a sour taste in my mind. There's also Some hype about them possibly animating the sequel manga Frozen Teardrop, which I especially don't want to see animated.

But you know what? They're going to print money either way. They can do whatever they want. And I'm gonna watch it because I'm a SAP.

Then we got the trailer for Aztec Batman, which has caused controversies all its own in many ways. So I'm interested to see what they do with it and in the fact of they've combined essentially every Mesoamerican culture into one.

It's not just the Aztec people. It's kind of Mayans and Olmecs and Toltecs and whether you're representing in the right way.

Will Rose: 00:24:30

Yeah.

Christian Ashley: 00:24:30

And then there's also the whole, you know, human sacrifice thing, which was an actual part of the religion. But then you have the colonialism saved them from that. And that's kind of like the argument some people would make.

And that's being introduced somehow in this film.

Will Rose: 00:24:44

So interesting.

Christian Ashley: 00:24:46

That's what people think without actually having watched the film. We can't say either way.

So then, of course, the Mighty Nein has been announced as like the sequel series to Vox Machina, which was the D and D group made with critical role. And we got. Our first images is from Mall Shadow Lord and Ahsoka Season 2. And I think without going any further, that's where I'm at.

Will Rose: 00:25:07

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. And they. They did some. Yeah. Darth Maul, Shadowland, Ahsoka Season 2. And then there's a Percy Jackson Season 2 trailer. They dropped.

And then Rick and Morty is spinning off. President Curtis is getting his own kind of spin off from Rick and Morty, which. I'm a Rick and Morty fan. I find it clever. And. And so that.

That would be pretty, pretty fun. There's also more footage from Tron Aries. And I guess I saw the bigger trailer with that when I. When I went to see Fantastic Four.

And man, I, you know, going way back to the original Tron, me being a kid and Disney and computer graphics, I just. I'm a continued sucker for Tron. I just want more Tron. It's not that, like, I'm a huge Tron fan.

It's just when I see the images and the music and the light cycles, I'm there. Yeah, I'm sold. I'm. I don't care if it's good or not. I'm gonna be there. Just.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:25:59

That's one. Like, I don't even have any real attachment to. But I. But I'm really looking forward to that one as well.

It just looks, it looks a ton of fun and just effects wise like. And then Predator as well. They've got the like. I think that's the only alternative. Something about yes with Schwarzenegger in it. So.

Yes, that'll be really cool as well. Yeah. But yeah, yeah, no Tron I'm there for. And then, and then the last in Peacemaker Season 2 trailer was a big. For me. I'm very excited for.

Will Rose: 00:26:28

When is Peacemaker Season 2 drop? When is in about a month.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:26:32

August. Less than a month. August 21st, I think.

Will Rose: 00:26:35

Okay.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:26:36

Yeah, man.

Will Rose: 00:26:37

I was thinking it's going to remember Super.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:26:39

Oh no. It's like Superman will still be in theaters and then, you know, you can watch the season two.

Will Rose: 00:26:44

Well, there you go folks. There's San Diego Comic Con. Let's move over to South Park. Season 27, episode 1 Sermon on the Mountain.

If you're watching this on YouTube, there is Jesus talking to the crowd, talking through his teeth, trying to tell them to chill the F out while they're sitting on the mound. Sermon on the mount.

I, yeah, so I, I heard about, you know, the new season, the hype and the deals being made and the controversy around Paramount and Colbert and Trump and people being sued and payouts and south park got a billion dollar contract and then like a week later they dropped them. They. They massively troll the big boss of trolls in their, their episode 20 season 27, episode 1. And, and I'm not a big South Parker watcher.

I'll watch every now and then. I know it's cultural significance and I do find their humor is pretty much right up the alley with my own humor, you know, for better or worse.

And so I was like, man, I gotta watch this. So I was at my mom's and she has cable and I pulled it up.

Not with my mom, but later on my brother and I sat and watched this together and I could not believe what I saw. I cannot believe what they got away with. I can't believe that they, they did what they did.

And as someone who admire, you know, game respects game when you happen like this new administration and what they do with AI and trolling Obama or other people, what they did in here to, to flip. It was masterful. Whether you agree with the language and the crude humor or not or how they portray Jesus or not.

Game respect game in terms of, of how they, they flipped it back. They flipped the tables as, as maybe Jesus might have done on, on corporate America. So Christian Chime in. Do you want to do a quick summary?

I mean, what's a quick summary of this episode and then what unfolded?

Christian Ashley: 00:29:44

So new season, new president coming in. We have Jesus being brought into school to talk to people.

And that, of course, offends people because, you know, are you introducing religion to school? Separation of church and state, and that causes issues. Now, PC principle is no longer political correctness principle.

He is now power Christian principle because he has given up on the woke stuff because he doesn't see it winning anymore. So what do you do when you're down in the dumps? You find Christ and he quite literally does find him and bring him into school. Distant.

Will Rose: 00:30:21

Literally brings Jesus to school.

Christian Ashley: 00:30:22

Yeah, he literally brings escalates to the point where people are going after Mr. Garrison, who was their Trump figure for many years, but now they have decided to just make him completely separate. And we have essentially our new Saddam Hussein characterization.

And look for Donald Trump, who reacts much in the same way that Saddam Hussein would in the earlier seasons of the show. Just like saying nonsense and telling people to just relax and just to get in line with everything.

Will Rose: 00:30:56

And he.

Christian Ashley: 00:30:56

And he's suing people. And it gets to the point where Jesus has his sermon on the Mount in a very play. I mean, it's obvious they.

They know a little of Christianity to bring up specific verses and stuff like that. And he's like, look, guys, you gotta relax. You can't be doing this. He says it way worse than I am. South park language.

And just feel like, look, in a very meta way. Paramount has to bow to our new overlord here, who has caused Colbert to lose his show and all these other things.

And the merger maybe won't happen, but they got their money. So what Trey and Matt do they make fun of everyone. They made fun of conservatives, they made fun of liberals, and they made fun of themselves.

And that's what I ask of them, that they keep making fun of everyone. Because there were parts of, like, I felt uncomfortable. There are parts where I was laughing out loud like, it's just a fun episode.

Because eventually they give in. They. They. The town itself sells out to Trump and gives a message of.

If you've watched any TV or you've been on Reddit at all, you've seen the advertisement for he gets us. And I died laughing when I saw the message.

Will Rose: 00:31:57

They did.

Christian Ashley: 00:31:58

He gets us. He trumped us.

Will Rose: 00:31:59

Yes.

Christian Ashley: 00:32:00

It just gets 10 out of 10. I'm done.

Will Rose: 00:32:02

Yeah. And. And it goes to say, like, the beginning starts with Hartman being upset that they Canceled.

His favorite podcast, which is on npr, which he finds really, really funny and entertaining. And the fact that he finds it very, very funny of these news.

News podcasts about people suffering in war and starvation, he's like, that's really funny. I can't believe they canceled my. My npr. And he gets really depressed. And then Jesus shows up at school, and people are like, why is this guy here?

And if at first you're like, is this, like a hologram? Are they playing? No, he just really, really shows up. But. But, yeah, I. It's lampooning, is parroting, is trolling.

And, and like you said, south park has known nobody's safe when it comes to these guys, right? And so everybody has their time of being, you know, holding up a mirror to expose what. What are you really trying to say?

And really trying to communicate. And, and, man, they. They troll Trump and that he's literally sleeping with Satan. He's literally in the bed with Satan. And there. There's full frontal.

In this. Full frontal, they. They show Trump's private parts. But it's so, so small, y', all, you know, that it's almost overlooked that it's so small. But.

But I think, yeah, I. As someone who understands all kinds of sense of humor, the question is kind of, did they go too far? Did they go too far with Trump?

They go too far with our leaders. Go too front, too, too far with evangelical Christianity with their portrayal of Jesus. Jesus, for me, I stand. Yeah. There.

Even me, someone who it is hard to offend. I. I laugh at most things. There were moments when I felt slightly uncomfortable and. And, yeah, that's the point. I'm glad it did.

If I didn't feel uncomfortable, I would. I would be a little worried. And. But. But to understand what they're parroting and.

And what they're lampooning, to kind of hold up and show what's going on in the world. I thought.

Thought is necessary at this time, Kevin, if someone hadn't seen the episode but seeing clips and around the world, what around galaxycon that you were at, where people talking about it was there. Whispers. What. What's. What's the word on the street?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:34:15

I made a group chat from, like, we were from church, where we call it, like, Nerd Herd because it's a bunch of geeks. Like, I got, like, one of them texted, like, last Thursday, like, guys, have you seen the south park episode?

And so everyone was talking about it there. So, yeah, I've seen it. That conversation. I mean, I agree.

I mean, everything from What I've seen, I, you know, and like, I haven't watched a ton of south park over the years. It is like you, it is very much the humor I enjoy. I just haven't gone through a lot of it.

But I really admire Trey Parker and Matt Stone and I think they, they, this episode in particular is very bold comedic storytelling.

And I also, because I saw the Jon Stewart episode last week that was in the aftermath of the Colbert cancellation and that also his rant there was, I think, one of the best things I've seen in late night TV in a while because he was able to just go full throttle on the network that he works for too, which was hilarious.

And so I think in this era right now, when there are leaders that I would say the majority of people are against and, you know, everything is chaotic, I think comedy is one of the best tools we have to really pull back layers and, you know, expose hypocrisy and, you know, and satirize everything and kind of get and spark this kind of conversation.

So, so, yeah, I mean, I, I realize this is not everyone's cup of tea and it would make other, many uncomfortable, but it's also, this exemplifies like, what great satire, what great comedy can do.

Will Rose: 00:35:49

I agree. And I think, you know, similar to what we are, conversations around righteous gemstones, it's not for everybody. The humor is not for everybody.

But in terms of whether you're laughing at yourself or is holding up a mirror or parroting something that you need to take a, maybe a closer look at to say, why is this funny? Why does this make me feel uncomfortable? Why is this something that they're lifting up as like, hey, is this how people really truly see us?

And if I don't like being seen that way, what am I doing that leads people to think this way or to stereotype me in this particular way? Where, where it's Christianity or, or going to church or my politics or who I voted for, they went, they went out pretty hard.

And, and I know if, if you, if you're a Trump supporter or you vote voted for him, this, you're probably not watching this, this south park at all or, or this particular episode. But I would be curious. I mean, I'm going to put it out there if you're a listener and someone who voted that way.

And when you watch this episode, what are your deep feelings? What are your critiques? What are you thinking? Are you able to laugh at it? Does it, does it strike a nerve? I would love to know. You could DM me.

You messaged me personally. I'm not going to attack you.

I am just genuinely, genuinely curious if how this landed with, with somebody who may, may have voted Trump or, or as a MAGA supporter. That's, I'm genuinely curious how this lands, if you watched it or not and what you think about it. Anything else? What?

Yeah, this isn't something I'm going to show at youth group, but this may be something that, that in terms of a small group of friends that I really, really trust to watch with and say, what did you think? What did you find was funny? What did you think was off putting? What do you think this says about our nation and where we're at in our world today?

And, and in an age of polarization, everything's getting leveled up to a higher, higher, higher level. You're just leveling up so much. Is there a ceiling? Is there a place where we will go too far?

I am uncomfortable with, with portrayal of people using AI and what, how it can be used, whether it's Trump using AI, of showing Obama getting arrested in the Oval Office and then flipping it around to Trump walking in the desert being stripped down, literally knowing that that's not really him acting, but it looks really like it.

I mean, part of me is, is funny, but part of me, part of using that you be using AI imagery like that to portray someone who looks really, really real does start to make me feel feel uncomfortable. And I have to ask, like, how are we using this tool and, and how do we treat and love our, our neighbor and our enemy? So that's where my mind goes.

Where. In terms of my humor, but also how far is too far? I guess. And it's, it's not, not necessarily a rhetorical question. It's not necessarily.

There's an easy answer after this. I'm just proposing it and throwing out there because I think it's important to ask.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:38:38

Yeah.

Christian Ashley: 00:38:39

With shows like Fair is Fair, if you're going to retreat as the president of the United States and AI generated the image of Biden being captured in the back of. And then this happens, you don't have the right to say you can't do that. You would have the right to say no to that if you hadn't have done it.

That doesn't mean you get to bully people. That doesn't mean that you can bring people down. But look, fair is fair.

And as the token conservative, the show, as Joe and I were joking about the other day, none of this offends me in that manner, but the idea of using AI to do something like this does offend me to an extent. But once again, fair is fair. I hate to say it, you did it. It can be used against you, too.

When you're making regulations against this or for it just because you like what it did when you were going against someone else. You don't get to whine and complain when it's used against you. Like, yeah, that's just how things work.

Will Rose: 00:39:31

That's good response. I like, I like that, Chris. Yeah, it's one point. You're like. You get to a point and you're like, gloves are off.

You know, you drew a line on the sand, you crossed it. Where. Where do I do it?

And I guess part of me, at some point, you know, in terms of the authentic Jesus of how do we find a third way to find peace of loving and taking care of neighbor has. Has to be entered into the conversation. I.

What I found super funny about this, that I really connect with him on the mount and talking to the people, and he's talking through his teeth and telling people to really calm down, and then he's handing them bread and going, just eat the bread. Just eat the bread, folks. All I want you to do is just eat. I'm feeding you. Eat the breads. Shut up. Let me talk to you. What was really going on?

And I, I can't. I. I gotta be honest, when I was serving communion this past week, I was just like, all right, folks, just eat the bread. Just eat the bread.

It's that simple. Just eat the bread. It was going through the back of my mind, unspoken, but that. But that was unspoken. Kevin, anything else to chime in there?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:40:28

I mean, I get. I have a whole episode on just, like, uses of AI and what I think about there. I know that's all conversation, but.

But I tell, you're right about just like, as far as holding a mirror to everything. I mean, if you look at the White House official, like, social media page right now, it's just a mess of memes and all that stuff.

So, I mean, and they name it.

Will Rose: 00:40:48

They name it this episode when. When Trump is in bed with Satan and he's like, hey, are you in the mood? He goes, not right now.

You're too busy with all your memes and, and controlling people out there. It's just like, I can't help but giggle and laugh at it. It's like, yeah, that's. Is basically what's. What's going on. So not wrong, right?

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:41:04

It's holding a mirror to it. So I have no problem with that. But yeah, when it comes to like AI use, that's a whole conversation I have just how it's used anxiety today.

But, but holding a mirror to just how absurd things are. Yeah, I mean, I think that's what good comedy and satire is all about.

Will Rose: 00:41:23

Cool. All right, let's go to something a little bit more uplifting.

More, more people we can get on the same page with maybe perhaps a movie that, that talks about a little bit more wholesome, wholesome things that you could take the whole family to.

When I went to go see Fantastic Four, I saw older adults, retirees, middle aged people like myself, 20 year olds, my daughter and little kids between like 5 and 10 years old. We're all at, at this movie Fantastic Four. And here we go. Yes, super fantastic. We've completed the three. It's out there in the wild.

All right, let me just say that I really liked this movie a lot. I thought it was solid. As someone who's familiar with the comics and this first family of, of Marvel, I think it was a super solid movie.

Now one thing, when I came out of the movie, I wouldn't say that I was like so blown away that I, I was just amazed and blown away by it because I am really familiar with this story and these people and they didn't do necessarily anything new in, in terms of plot, but in terms of the look.

The aesthetic is kind of like retro futuristic world that's right out of like a world, you know, Disney Tomorrowland of episode of, of the Jetsons meets MCU kind of thing. It. I could watch this movie and couldn't take my eyes off of this movie the entire time. I love the look, I love the feel.

I thought they captured the characters perfectly. The look of Galactus Silver Surfer man, her surfing on, on Lava. I was like, whoa, someone's a sir who's a surfer.

Must have, they must have used a real surfer to consult, like what it looks like to ride a surfboard. So I, I thought it was super cool, super fun. I really like this movie. Was it better than.

Well, we'll talk more about Super Dratastic and where we rank all those things. But, but I really like this movie. Christian, where are you? We'll get to you. Kevin in just a second said, no, there's something hanging there.

Christian, what'd you feel and think about this?

Christian Ashley: 00:43:25

I think I texted you guys like, you know, I, I ultimately I'm very positive on this film, but I do have some gripes. I think I'm gonna give it an eight out of ten. Pedro's Reed. Perfect. The scenes he did in this movie were pretty dang good.

Of like, realizing he's not adequate enough and why he has these anxieties. I love that. Vanessa Kirby as Sue.

Will Rose: 00:43:47

Right.

Christian Ashley: 00:43:48

I loved her. I think she did a fantastic job, you know, being a mother, but also the emotional center of the team.

Not in a, like, stereotypical fashion, but someone who legitimately loves these people as family. Then Galactus. Perfect. That's exactly what I want.

Will Rose: 00:44:05

Yeah. Yeah.

Christian Ashley: 00:44:06

I want him to look like that and act like that. And they kind of captured that perfectly. The fight scenes are really well done.

The aesthetic of this film, I'm not one who normally cares about that, but, like, they went full on with it and they did. Fan. I mean, sorry. Fantastic. I figured I'd just use that pun. My. My gripes just real quick, just not go too far.

I'm not big on what they did with Johnny here. They made him far too smart, and they did a tell not show for his womanizing instincts. And that fell really flat to me.

Silver Surfer, I'm kind of iffy on. It's like, okay, why does it. She needed to be shallow ball.

And there was really no reason in the film to do so other than like, we're gonna, like, work off of the tell, not show for Johnny's flirtatious attitude. And that didn't work for me either. But the. The scenes with the surfboard, though. I'm with you there. They look really good. And also the fact.

Sorry, spoilers, by the way, doesn't show up until like, the very end of the film again after having that confrontation. So there's nothing that's really built up there because we're lacking in Alicia Masters and we're lacking the watcher.

And I'm not big on those being removed from the film. Ben does have a little love interest. Like, he's fine in the film, but it should have been Alicia Masters.

And I guess they didn't want to do Rise of the Silver Surfer again. But if you're going to adapt this story, adapt it, right. So. But at the end of the day, like I said, I am more positive. I love this film.

I'm eager to see them in Avengers. This was fun.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:46:21

So I'll start with the things I like. I mean, no question, the casting, I thought was great here. Everyone just really. This was. These characters brought to life.

I love Pedro, Vanessa Kirby, Joseph Quinn from Stranger Things. Eva and Moss Blackrock, I think is how you say it from The Bear, all of them are great. I love the aesthetic and the production design.

said, it really captured the: 1960

But I have to say, as a movie as a whole, I felt very underwhelmed. I thought it was a very lackluster script to begin with, where it lacked any real tension, you know, for essentially. I mean, I. I know.

I know the comparison probably gets old, but I'm gonna do it anyway because the Incredibles is still the best Fantastic Four movie and will always be. But, I mean, just when I think about that movie versus this one, that movie has depth, it has characterization, it has drama.

You have this dysfunctional family navigating a world. In that case, it's. They're in a world where superheroes are now outlawed and Mr. Incredible is struggling to let go of his past.

But then a new threat arises, and there's so much tension and so much intrigue here in that movie and in here, it just felt like all of that was missing. I mean, I know, yes, like, they become parents here in the movie while this big threat comes to their world.

But at no point did I feel like there were any genuine stakes, like, they weren't gonna be fine. I mean, they don't really deal with the family dynamics that much.

And other than they had the family dinner scene, which was cool, but again, they're all kind of just happy. Go lucky there. There's not as much tension there in the way. And so that was lacking. Sorry. Well, I'm just. And, you know, I mean.

And I thought they could have done so much more with the parenthood aspect of, like, okay, what is it going to be like for them to become parents while this big threat comes to them? And that never really solidified.

It just like everything was pretty much, like, always going to work out, you know, in every scene, there was never really a big drop. The other thing, from a visual standpoint, like I said, I love the production design and the aesthetic.

And this may sound nitpicky, but I don't think it really is.

This is after, like, I love the first five minutes of the movie, and then after that, one of the things that it struck me, and as soon as I started thinking about it, I couldn't stop is so. I know this is a lot of movies today, but it was particularly noticeable here, where there's about a thousand shots a minute.

And by that, I Mean, the camera is constantly cutting back and forth unnecessarily.

So if they're just in a scene where they're talking, the camera has to cut back and forth every time a character is speaking, and it doesn't give you any room to breathe. That, to me, was very reflective of the film's pacing. And it's just. It was rushed. It was. It really fell flat for me there.

So, yeah, when I think about it all, and. And again, by the end of it, it was just like, okay. They didn't, like. I don't. I didn't feel like there was any real arc for them. You know, they.

They start off in the movie when, okay, read and sue find out they're pregnant. I was like, okay, that's a great, you know, segue here. What were they going to do there? And then there's never.

And, you know, there's not a lot of scenes where they are really reflecting on, oh, we're, you know, we're parents now. We're dealing with this. You know, obviously, they have to.

When Galactus comes, they have to deal with the element of, you know, do they sacrifice Franklin in order to save the world? But, you know, they find a workaround around that. It just felt too. It. This really felt like.

Because Doomsday is going to put so much chaos and be, I think, very much more in line with Infinity War for all of the heroes. It felt like this movie was like, okay, let's have a little light fun, you know, adventure before that with no end. That's fine.

But you still have to have drama and tension and stakes. And I felt all that was lacking here. So it just felt way too safe. I was just. Yeah.

I mean, I hate to say it, how underwhelmed I was, you know, especially because there were elements that really worked and really shined, but the movie as a whole, I was just kind of like that.

Will Rose: 00:50:35

Was it interesting? Interesting, yeah, I can see that there's parts of me. It felt like it was a setup for Doomsday.

We got to introduce this family and give you a quick best hits Fantastic Four and let you know who they are, where they come from and their nature and their character so that they can make a big difference in Doomsday.

Christian Ashley: 00:50:55

I.

Will Rose: 00:50:56

For. For me, I guess the base going in, kind of optimistic and hopeful and loving these actors. It was short. I was like, man, this is less than two hours.

I was thinking there was going to be another big reveal, that it just kind of. It got rid of Galactus pretty quick, and I'M like, okay, is there something else? There's another surprise coming. It just didn't happen.

But for me, I felt like, finally, similar to the Superman movie, that this was a comic book movie that wasn't embarrassed of its source material and embarrassed of the comics. They're like, we're going to lean in hard to what the comics actually do. Whether it's the.

The Mole man or whether it's Galactus or whether it's Silver Surfer. We're gonna like, not be embarrassed to. To what. What it is, which is a comic book movie. I felt like Superman did a similar thing and.

And again, they dropped you right into the middle of the universe that they're already established. They're already there. They give some recaps similar to if you read a comic book, you jump right into, you know, fantastic four 457.

You have a recap page at the very beginning, and then you hop in, you're right into the story. If you want to find out more, read a couple before, read a couple after, jump in the story.

And I felt like the movie did that too, which I really felt refreshed. Refreshing aspect of Superman and Patrick's four. He just popped me right in. It's not a big, long origin story. Just pop me in the universe and.

And let's go with it. So that's kind of. Kind of where it was. And I understand, you know, people like, what wasn't Silver Surfer. Like a dude. Where. Where is Norrin Rad?

Where. Why does it have to be a swat? But I think them placing it in an alternate universe 828, which you find out later why they name it that.

But so it makes sense that, oh, this version is. Is female. And the connection of her backstory of her daughter or her family connecting with Sue Storm and.

And her motherhood and want to protect her child was very kind of paralleled side by side. Which again, spoilers.

Hope you watch this movie before you listen to this, that Silver Surfer came out to help in the long run, which happens in the comics no matter what version of universe, Silver Shirt is going to help the heroes and fight against Galactus. So I like those aspects of the movie. Yeah.

Christian Ashley: 00:53:07

I'd agree a little more if she had had moments with sue instead of Johnny. Well, I think that would have been much better.

Kevin, in one of your earlier points, I also agree that there was some tension removed from this film, especially the scene where sue leaves the Baxter Building with Frank. That was the second worst turn to crown speech. A crowd speech.

I've heard in the mcu, the first of course being Falcon and Winter Soldier, where the Falcon or actually Captain America at that time is like, hey, do better. And he doesn't actually tell people how. And it's just like, do better. Okay, but that's great. But like that's like.

If I had a sermon, I was like, hey, be like, Jesus. So that's great. But like, can you tell me how to do it? It's not really that effective.

Will Rose: 00:53:47

I don't disagree me. Yeah, yeah.

Christian Ashley: 00:53:49

That's kind of why we're here. So like. But you know, it's fine. I get it.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:53:54

I also. This is my spoiler alert here. But the one that really got me, that made me cringe was the fake death scene at the end with sue where they.

I was just like, you got to be kidding me. Because like again, that felt like they're like half baked attempts to add tension in there.

Like we didn't know she wasn't going to be healed by Franklin in that moment, you know. And it just like, despite Pedro Pascal and Scirby giving great performances there. That was just like, come on.

We've seen this particularly in the MCU a million times and it was not earned there at all.

Christian Ashley: 00:54:30

I think that was more for regular moviegoers who don't know who Franklin Richards is. But yeah, I agree. I saw it coming from a mile away. And the other thing I would say that's under baked is the Doom and Latveria side of things.

Because of course that is the post credit scene after, well, the first one where he shows up. And because we have to tip people off about who it is, we have to have the mask off of his face and it's so. It's poorly done there.

But there's like one scene we see that the Latharian spokesperson or ambassador isn't there and that's it. Like, couldn't you have had a scene where like they didn't have enough resources and maybe like out of nowhere supplies from Latveria come that way?

You know, Doom is interested.

It explains why he doesn't show up to help them or go after Galactus because, you know, he lives on the world too, so you think he'd be interested in doing something. But you know what?

Will Rose: 00:55:19

It's.

Christian Ashley: 00:55:20

It's an imperfect film. But I'm still giving this an 8 out of 10 because I really enjoyed it.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:55:23

Sure, sure.

Will Rose: 00:55:24

I. I will say I'll push back a little bit on the death scene because I. Because it was eight to eight. Because this is In a different universe. I kept thinking, wow.

Like, they could do anything they want here because it's not MCU proper. It's not that, you know, 616 is they, like, they could kill off a character. They could take away this baby.

He could get sucked out into the portal with Galactus, and they're grieving the loss of their baby. He could.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:55:51

Sue.

Will Rose: 00:55:52

Could die in this universe. And then they get in the universe and they're missing their own Sue Storm from this particular universe for.

So for me, I was on the edge of my seat, like, are they going to do this? Are they really gonna do this? I can't believe they're doing this. And they're like, okay, they're brought back.

That makes complete sense because of where he is. And my. My daughter, who doesn't know this, know the Fantastic Four really a lot at all. She was out there. She's like, what are they gonna do?

Are they gonna kill that baby? Are they gonna kill that mom? She was touched. And they even had like, a little tear at the end. Like, I can't believe she did this for.

For her family and is gonna die. So watching through who her eyes was. Was a little. Was a little different for me.

And I'll say that, like, on the way into the movie, them asking for like, do I need to know anything? I gave him a little bit of a backdrop, like, look, this was the.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:56:36

The.

Will Rose: 00:56:36

The first real hit for Marvel comics with Jack Kirby and. And Stan Lee. And so they're the first fan of comics. And so that's why they call it First Step. So I had some.

Some coaching there that its place in, like, comic book history and what they tried to do with this movie for three times. And then finally now they're trying to get them off and going into MCU proper. A little bit of coaching there.

But as a standalone, they were able to understand the story, their powers, and what's going on, and felt like I liked it. Christian.

Christian Ashley: 00:57:05

Yeah, real quick. I would have also appreciated if Galactus had actually called Franklin a mutant as well as talked about the power cosmic.

But my family's about to rebel on me because we need dinner. So I'm gonna have to leave this conversation. My recommendation is a South park episode. Love you guys. I will see you later.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:57:22

Thanks, Gretchen.

Will Rose: 00:57:23

Take my. Dude, you. Yeah, I mean, that's where I kind of. Kevin, I. I like that. You know, we have lots of hoes and. And lots of perspectives on.

On the show that we can say, like, this is. This is what landed well. This is what didn't.

And for me, I guess I kind of went in with this super Dratastic, you know, hey, this, this summer is going to be great with movies. And some I have favorites more than others, but I, I'll reveal how I rank these on that episode coming up soon.

But, but I will say that like our whole family was like, yeah, we liked as a whole Superman better and we had a lot more fun, but this was a solid movie that we enjoyed. Made a nice setup where.

Nice addition to the MCU and, and where they take it further with this family is a great addition to, to how they move forward and the grand universe of things.

Kevin Schaeffer: 00:58:10

And like you said too, I definitely see a lot.

It was interesting the parallels between this and Superman, particularly in the setup, you know, throwing you right into a universe like not doing the origin. I loved all of that. But yeah, I just think, you know, Thunderbolts was easily my favorite MCU movie this year and my favorite in a while too.

I mean, I've seen, seen every MCU movie in theaters. I've been a loyal fan a long time. I've seen all the ups and downs.

But, but in Thunderbolts, what I, that I think I really liked the emotional crux to it. The cast, you know, the story. It just all came together really well. This one, yeah, I just thought, I don't know, it was lacking a lot there.

And again, visually that, that was really what bothered me was the, you know, great aspect of the aesthetic and the tone juxtaposed with what I thought was really poor camera work and editing that made. So that's where I wasn't as like glued to the screen the whole time.

I was like, oh, this is kind of disorienting here in terms of how the action plays out. But yeah, I mean, again, there's definitely. And I also, the best part of the movie is the, the Jack Kirby tribute at the end. I was.

I mean it's taken, what, 30 something movies for them to really give Kirby the praise deserved. So I was very happy about that. That.

Will Rose: 00:59:23

Yeah, I, I agree. They named this the Earth 828 and the Multiverse of, of Earths. And. And that's because it's, It's Jack's birthday.

August 28th is, is Jack Kirby's birthday.

If, if, uh, you're new to the show or new to Geek and now new to Fantastic Four, new to comics, uh, do, do yourself a favor and explore and do a deep dive on who Jack Kirby is and what he means to the Comic book industry in terms of his art and creators creativity and you know, there's a couple Easter eggs out there.

When it came to like some of the street signs and the store signs and a timely comics poster on the wall of people who are writing the comics for Fantastic Four.

Because that's all part of marvel history from 40s, 50s into the 60s and then what we understood as Marvel comics in the 70s when it comes to Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider man and Thor and Hulk and Avengers and X Men, Stan and and Kirby were all part of that. So it's cool that they named it that and gave a tribute to him.

And really the character of Ben Grimm, the thing is patterned after Jack Kirby in terms of growing up in the Bronx and a thick accent and being kind of a brawler and have a cigar hanging out of his mouth and, and you know, feeling like he's a fish out of water as, as someone who's Jewish in the Bronx in the times of the Depression and growing up and Post World War II, all those things really identified with that character and it shows in here. So I, I, I really enjoyed the movie.

I understand the, I understand some of the, you know, nitpicks that people have or where things didn't land quite right. It did feel awfully short.

It did seem like oh, we're going to just set up this team and they're going to introduce this team to those who don't understand they are and then we're going to really use them and really amp it up. And in the Avengers Doomsday.

And I will say that I'm kind of tired of it does I, I want to see set up in credit scenes but I want them to focus on just like one movie. Not just the constant setup to the next big event or thing which I think comics does often too.

That often I get, I get fatigued with, with just telling your story. I did feel like this had a coherent story. It wasn't choppy. The story held together a little better than.

It doesn't seem like there are too many rewrites or too many cooks in the kitchen when it comes to presenting the story. I thought that the plot flowed a little bit better than other other. That's what I liked about thunderbolts as well.

Kevin Schaeffer: 01:01:55

Yeah, well I think too also Matt Shackman comes from the director comes from a TV background. I mean it's an interesting thing because he directed Wandavision which is one of my favorite MCU things ever.

And I wonder too, I wonder about this river that's For a long time before this movie came out. With the movie failures in the past, I'm like, would it work better as a show?

I realized there's budget issues you have to deal with that being able to make a big spectacle on a TV budget. But still, I just wonder if that the serialized storytelling works better for Fantastic Four.

Will Rose: 01:02:25

Interesting. Yeah, yeah, good point, good point. It's like when I see it as a TV show, there are times where I'm like, oh, I would love to see this as a movie.

Just do a movie. And then when I see like, it was like, this would have been better with a TV show. So I don't know. All those forms exist.

Kevin Schaeffer: 01:02:37

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Will Rose: 01:02:39

Cool. Well, let us know what you think friends in the YouTube comments like and share. Reach out to us on the socials.

We'd love to know your thoughts on these things. Again, we're going to talk about super chastic episode when we talk about all three movies and our rankings.

Maybe we'll have more systematic ecologist hosts on there as a round table to really dive in and see what's going on.

We could get really heated in there and start throwing things and, and maybe stretch across the table and white write equations up on, on chalkboards to try to figure out who's better, who's worse when it comes to their opinions. I think we need Reed Richards to really help us kind of map out and solve the problem of who has the best opinions, who has the worst opinions.

I think that could work. I think that could work. But yeah, we couldn't do this out with you guys. Thank you so much.

If you're gonna talk, Kevin, if you were gonna recommend one thing that we talked about on this show today, one thing, one thing only you're gonna recommend.

Kevin Schaeffer: 01:03:37

What would you recommend? Kind of a cheap but adding pen. And then go. After you watch the movie, go listen to the A24 podcast episode with Ari Aster and Bill Hader.

It's excellent.

Will Rose: 01:03:47

Ah, I really, I really like that. Yeah.

For me, I would say, you know where wherever you are in the political religious spectrum, I think watching the south park episode and, and with an open mind and to say, what are they critiquing? What are they going after?

What has gone on in the world that has brought us to this point in history of comedy, parody, politics, religion, all those things swirling, I think there's the case study.

I think some history teacher is going to get in a class and, and really pick apart and dissect why the world has brought us to the point where south park feels like it has to do an episode of that just from a study point of view. And if you have good sense of humor, you might. You might laugh a little bit, too. So that's. I recommend that as well.

And I'm a cheat, too, and say, go see Fantastic Four and just, you know, a marvel. Marvel at the aesthetic and what they put together in terms of set pieces. I was like, man, they spent of time, a lot of money on.

On how to create this world.

Kevin Schaeffer: 01:04:50

Huge budget.

Will Rose: 01:04:50

Yeah, huge budget. Huge budget. Thanks, y'. All. We love you. We appreciate it. We're going to just start rolling out here, and there'll be more episodes coming up.

Kevin Schaeffer: 01:05:02

Hey, be fantastic to each other, and we will see you next time.