New Comic Book Reviews Fanboy Factor Wednesday 11/23/16 Anthony Andujar Jr

Comics of the week that I picked out for reviews. It's just been that kind of week. As usual, ben working on Chem home work, aside from the comic stuff and other things. In case I don't get to say anything, Happy Thanksgiving!

Action Comics # 968 (DC Comics): http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-action-comics-968-dc-comics/

Bloodshot USA #2 (Valiant) : http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-bloodshot-u-s-a-2-valiant/

Detective Comics #945 (DC Comics) http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-detective-comics-945-dc-comics/

I forgot to post these comic reviews from last week!!!!!!!

I've been really busy since classes are building up. Almost done with the finishing touches of my comic in addition to the sculptures that I've been working on. I forgot to post these comic reviews last week, and I have new reviews for this week Wednesday. Here are the comics from last week.

  The Comic Book History of Comics #1 (IDW) :
http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-the-comic-book-history-of-comics-1-idw/

Superman #11 (DC Comics) :http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-superman-11-dc-comics/

Batman #11 (DC Comics): http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-batman-11-dc-comics/

Artist Interview Artists 15 Jose Garcia audio by Anthony Andujar Jr 11/9/16

Artist Interview Artists 15 Jose Garcia audio by Anthony Andujar Jr 11/9/16

Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr.  Interviewee: Jose Garcia

I had a very difficult time trying to upload the audio since I had to jumble with devices, editing, all that stuff etc, etc. Now unfortunately I do not have the rest of the interview typed since I want all my friends and viewers who are deaf (hearing impaired) to be able to read this interview, I'm gonna add the rest of the interview typed on here. Until then for the meantime, people can listen to the interview on youtube. Its 4 parts. ENjoy.

I had to divide the 50 min interview with Jose in 4 clips. Here is 
Clip 1 :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IqZZzzsMH8

Clip 2:  https://youtu.be/AikpY-ZZbZE

Clip 3: https://youtu.be/8rt-WFvwOls 

Clip 4 Final: https://youtu.be/MUTfqVJT9Ms


Note: aside from adding the transcribed text of the interview ( which is gonna take me a few days due to studying , HW assignments, comic book related projects, reviews et,) I'll also have a link for the full interview as one whole video instead of seperate clips. 

Okay, I’m interviewing Jose Garcia, someone I’ve known for almost two to three years while attending Laguardia Community College?

Jose Garcia: Two years, three years.

 Q1. Is Art always something that was a part of your family and life, or something you stumbled upon?

JG: Actually I’ve found out after I started doing art, that my family had a big line of  artists. Fun fact i started drawing because my brother used to doodle. He never took it serious, so I used to copy him. But when he moved I started doing to preoccupy myself. after a couple of years doing that, people found that that I draw and would go “Oh man you draw, ? I draw too”. I found out that my grandfather , he was actually so good that he sat there , looked.himself for two hours and would do a self portrait perfectly. My uncles , my brothers etc.

Q. When did you take art seriously?

JG: I guess it would have to be right before he, I used to doodle and had a million black books. The real reason I started was because I didn't want to go to the zone school that I was going to, i wanted to go to a better school. So I had to figured that I wanted to do art, so.I had to take it seriously. Like, I never took.life drawing until High School, I was like, uncultured in the arts haha.

Q2. WHat are your influences? illustrative or music wise?

JG: I could easily say, musically, Coheed and Cambria. I've spoken to Claudio (lead singer), and told him this, and I was in cosplay when I told him this, but I don't think he took it as seriously as I meant it. I told him that I listened to Coheed and Cambria heavily, and it influenced my astral projection comic project , especially after listening to the album Afterman.  Because his albums are based on his own graphic novels. Also, Marvel, when I was younger, geared towards the younger crowd, and then DC Comics, because they were more harsh. But Coheed and Cambria is like the one that influenced me.

Q3. If you could continue or remake a movie, or franchise, what would be your film of choice ?

JG: Movie.. Easily, easily, and I've already actually written a way to do it, but Avatar the Last Airbender. Its one if the worst adaptation to anything ever. Aside from being biased, I lovely that series, but the movie sucked. Also not being biased  because M Night Shyamalan is a prick. I love for continuity errors when it comes to watching movies, I like to point out, “continuity error, continuity error”. But definitely that movie. Aside from that, but probably X-Men too, but you and I both know why but i'll stay away from that.

Ant A: sigh, I would do one movie, but i woukd try to do only one movie that caught the essence of X-Men. I just want to do one movie so people can say, ‘hey at least someone made a good X-Men film’, and then I'd leave it to someone else to do the next installment haha.

JG: Be like Tim Burton, haha. Came to Batman, and Batman Returns but was like, eh, fuck that I ain't coming back haha.

Ant A: Yeah , like Matthew Vaughn did for X-Men: First Class. Its not the most accurate X-Men adaption, but its a good X-Men film, and after he made that he was like ‘yeah I doing another one fam’ haha .

Q4. WHat is the most difficult part for you in terms of creating art?

JG: Um, well drawing, most difficult part for me is drawing figures. Its kinda a big thing for everybody. I mean its like drawing weird poses. Its like when you drawing poses that are in front of you and look like a weird big blob (foreshortening) . aside from that, colors is another challenge. I have so much black and white shit that I've drawn., like in have t shirt designs and I'll draw the outline,  do it marker and it'll look boss as shit. But by the time I do coloring its like ‘fuck!’ I don't wanna ruin it and start over. So I make copies and do that color variations on the copies until i see which ones I like and throw the rest in the trash.

Q5. If you were to make a film, novel, or comic book based on an album, what album or artist would you pick?

JG: Based on a album, ooh.. Wow. That's a hard question. I would say, it might be Korn. Because they just recently released an album. They just released 4 songs and made videos for and they’re bad ass. I mean Korn has like 10 albums, and been out since they were fuckinh teenagers, since the early, mid 90s. It's crazy because I love their early albums , i love at least half their albums all the time. Their last two albums, I wasn't really feeling , I wasn't really feeling the dub step and then they tried to go a different way. I mean even the stuff that Jonathan Davis does outside of the band, like the Queen of the Damned soundtrack, that shit was FIRE. His style was awesome, with their new album, I'd like to do some photography and drawing stuff due to that.

Ant A: It's the same for me when i listen to Radiohead, or Deftones , I look for ideas that are atmospherically dark and stuff, especially when I listen to TOOL.

JG: Yeah, it seems like you listen to TOOL a lot when you draw.

Ant A: Ya know, oddly enough, there's something appealing to me. I get the idea of different characters talking to one another. Its like there is something severe happening to society that society doesn't want to admit to itself. When you hear stuff in a different perspective , like a comedian feeling you truths. There is an impending doom kind of feeling where anything can go. But there is also a freedom of being able to say what you want to say. It's like Doctor Strange, like in the movie where there is existential stuff about the universe, along with Alex Grey’s art. There is certain songs that talk about multiverses and universes etc, and I guess that stuff appeals to me in a way. Not to sound pretentious, but most groups today that try to sound hardcore, they don't sound that unique or different that leave a lasting effect.

JG: That's the thing about music, where you get addicted to certain songs that make you want to do stuff. I don't know if you listened to Korns recent stuff?

Ant A: I remember a music video where they had clips with Miley Cyrus in it.

JG: Yeah, Korn’s “Spike in my Veins”. There are parts in the song where the singer says lines repeatedly to make it seem like you're going insane, and I hope to emulate that in the comic that we’re working on.

Ant A: Yeah, it kinda reminded me of TOOL’s “Vicarious” where it's kind of the fact that it's like humanity, kinda doesn't want to change.

JG: I've been studying consciousness in one of my classes. I even had to watch a bunch of videos. and they talk about that, where the conscious mind needs to be punished in order to learn. It has to struggle to gain its knowledge. Its like people want their heroes to not be heroes, that way people can relate to them. Its why I like Slipknot. I mean I like Stonesour, but they got a lot of sappy stuff. Its like the lead singer Corey Taylor who says that he is one of you, that he was a piece of shit just like you (us). I'm one of you, we're all maggots.

Ant A: It makes them relatable. People look for characters that they can relate to. That's an important thing, like when you're writing stories that you find ways to write characters and humanize them enough that when people read those characters that they don't find them unrelatable like how most people feel about Superman.personally  I love Superman, so I'm not hatin.

Q6. If you could speak to a deceased creator, who would it be? Why? And what would you hope to discuss?   

JG: I'm not biggest at knowing who created what. The only person could think of to talk to because I only met him once , and sorta took for granted,  it would be Jerry Robinson, the creator of the Joker. I met him at ComiCon. He was at a booth where one of the walkways are, and i saw this booth and i'm thinking he has to be somebody, and here is this old dude, and no one was paying attention to.the fact that he created the joker. I'd ask him about his thoughts on how the character has evolved in popularity.

Q7. If you could speak to any living creator, who would it be? What would you hope to collaborate with them on and why?

JG: I already met Stan Lee. But to be honest, whoever is handling , is Scott Snyder still writing Batman.

Ant A: No, he finished his run, he's currently working in All Star Batman with John Romita Jr drawing.

JG: I ask, because personally, Snyder's run on Batman was great. I felt that the way he was taking Batman, I thought about  ideas that could have been done etc. Even Geoff Johns when he was working on green Lantern, there is so much stuff you can do with GL , and it's like, how do you siphon those ideas? Imagine being a room , which is why I wanted to establish that with other artists where we would be in a  room hashing out ideas . those are the people that could be the next frank miller, the next legends  .

Ant A: I feel like thata an important thing which is why I made the Facebook group, like it's not just there for no reason or just there to be there. If there's somebody who has  something that they want to talk.about or play off or bounce off ideas with one another and make something on the spot if they want to or if they're comfortable with it. I mean, maybe it's a matter of time of when and where, but it shouldn't be that difficult if we have emails or google docs, it should not have to be that difficult.

JG: the problem is, this is why I don't do so much with a lot of people is because everyone is always worried about their own thing. You can't get your shit done without collaborating. I have no problem working on people's stuff, but at the same time if you're not putting in work for  your own shit. When it's my shit

Ant A: they probably won't put effort to do the same.

JG: Yeah.

Q8. What advice would you advise to the next generation or to your past self?

JG:

Q9. If you could go back in time to speak to your younger self, what would you say?

JG: I'd say to keep the things you ever created. When you're a kid, you don't really think about things.  I have old stuff that were on loose paper, doodles not finite, but in doodle form, is always better because it's in the moment.  If I could look back to those stories that are now lost that I threw away and didn't care about, I would tell myself ‘here is a box’. Everything , Even if you think it's fuckng stupid, put the idea in there. Draw it out, it could be a penis, throw in there. Cause one day you'll wake up and be like ‘ya know would be a good idea, if I drew a penis, for this’ and then you could back track.

Ant A: Fun fact, I Have a friend named Gabriel Aguirre, and he created a character that is actually a penis. I won't say the name of the character because I want him to copyright and trademark the character before I say the name. But the character is a fusion of a shark and a penis and it's hilarious. Everywhere he goes, people laugh because it so funny that it's genius. But its funny because I have people who approach me and ask me ‘why don't you create your own character ‘ and it's not like I don't have a character, I've made tons of characters over the years, but before I put them out there, I want to copyright and trademark them. In this day and age, you have to be really careful.

JG: Yeah because people could make money off of someone else's shit like its no tomorrow.

Ant A: Yeah man, when I found out you could change 60% of someone's image, and then that 60% is enough just for that image that you made , to become someone's else's image and they'll take credit for it. Its like, what kind of BS is that?

JG: That's why I'm scared of going to big companies with my ideas and people are like ‘oh just take the chance’. But all it takes is for me to not have something that's needed for them to except me. They'll already hear the pitch.  Let's say I don't have a script, they'll say I'll have to go back and refurbish ideas it's like Patton's. I know that usually it's for when you invent stuff, but there is a time period for those things.  

For example,if you Patton something, you'll have 90 days to come up with something for that Patton before the time limit expires and someone swoops in to take your idea. Imagine, working your ass off to do it and someone is just waiting for the patton to expire just to steal your idea.

Q10. What era of your life would you write a book about?  

JG: To be honest, I mean I've been through a lot. Not to put it out there, I mean I'm pretty open about talking about my life story. But if I had to pick any era, it would have to be high school to now. That's because before high school, I went through some stuff with my parents and everything, but all of that was out of my control. Right around high school, sophnore - junior year, that's when I realized, fuck what anyone else says, and I'm gonna do what I want for myself. That's when I started to actively trying to control my life, regardless of what anyone said. That lead me to graduating high school on my own, going to the military, and then now, I'm about to move to California. Within a two year gap, something crazy has happened, and its all my doing and my decision making. So I'd talk about that .

Q11. In terms of you as a person, do you feel your art, or  writing  or any of the arts that you feel best represents you?

JG: I guess my creativity on how income up with something. I don't have a specific style, I envy a lot of artists because they have a specific style that they can do all the time. I wish I could develop the whole DC roster in my own style. It's not that I don't have the creativity, it's just that taking that creativity from and translating it to paper it's not always the same. So in use reference since that's how I taught myself. But like ideas, if I could think of artwork and how to present them in a specific way , I'd feel my ideas would speak for themselves.

Q12. What fictional characters do you feel you relate to the most?

JG: that's a good question, I've never really thought about it. That's a really hard question.

Ant A: I know.

JG: Hahaha.

Ant A : I used to always ask that question since middle school and I'd ask them what character I reminded them of or in would think of characters that they remind me of. Its interesting what people think, and how you would think of other people as characters, and how you compare ways of thinking etc.

JG: That's what I'm trying to do, its really hard because when you see characters they're always on one side of the fence or the other, either light or dark. Even villains , I love villains that have good justification, when you see a villain that makes sense you say ‘ I agree with you’. You know its not okay to commit genocide but what that character is genociding for may make sense verbally. Maybe you may answer that, I'm kind of in the middle of like Batman V Superman Batfleck and 90s Spider-Man cartoon Peter Parker. That version is the best peter parker, but he went through a lot like when Mary Jane fell through a portal due to green goblin. You knew she wasn't dead, but you understood what it's like to lose someone in a instant. But at some degree Batfleck Batman, I understand at some degree that some times I'll have to beat the shit out of people, or metaphorically beat the shit out of something to move forward. I'm very realistic, there is no way that you can go through life pretending that everything will have a good outcome of that everything's fine. That we could all take a break and relax, until we have technology to the point that technology can take care of us. Even then the people who are fixing technology are gonna butch about the fact the people who aren't fixing get to live free and comfortable. I don't know I'll think about this a lil more.

Ant A: I'm surprised that I didn't hear Magneto at some point.

JG: I would say not Magneto, only because he's too extreme. I'm not at home plotting to ..

Ant A: ..do away with humanity! Haha

JG: Yeah haha.

Ant A: I'd say that Wolverine , not because of your military background but because when you gotta do what you have to do, its like you have to like it but you'll get things done. I'd say Deadpool too when we get wacky haha. But the 90s version of Peter Parker that was voiced by Daniel Barnes,

JG: Even Spider-Man and Wolverine both have opposite personalities but they go about things in a similar fashion mentally. Like spider-man is like “I'm not gonna fight you because you're a good guy, but I'll have to kick your ass”, and Wolverine is like “Fuck it, I'm a good guy, I'm gonna kick your ass”. They both come together and work perfectly because of that.

Q13. What Superpower would you want and why?

JG: For everyday life, Invincibility. Like Luke Cage or Colossus, or think of Juggernaut. I Would love to just walk around and have nothing bother me. But anything , no holds bars, I'd say, Phoenix Force.

Ant A: Woah, that's a different answer from anyone I know.

JG: yeah man, it's a entity with space powers , like some space ju just, that can amplify others powers like it did with the X-Men.

Ant A: I'd like Teleportation, or at least Aquaman’s powers. I mean the earth is mostly covered by water, he has control over ocean life, can breath underwater, he has a hot wife Mera, and is super strong and has a mystical trident, the power of poseidon, and he has magic infused abilities which helps him go toe to toe with Superman since superman has magic as one of his weaknesses aside from Kryptonite or being under the red sun.

JG: Flashpoint Paradox, that animated movie, Aquaman was whooping everyone's ass. Not many people really know the actual potential these characters have.

Ant A: His powers are practical for everyday life. You wouldn't worry about drowning. You know how many people die from drowning every day B? Haha

Q14. What are your artistic regrets?

JG: Not diving into colors sooner. I wish I got into color. There was a point where I completely stopped using pencils and used pens and ink learned how to go over mistakes etc. regardless of medium , i could see what people can do with color and I'm like fuck, I can't do that.

Q15.  What do you draw on a daily basis?

JG: Most of time I'm just doodling. I literally scribble and if I have an idea  I'll do it three or four times, and if I don't get an idea, I'll practice my graffiti tag.

Q16. Biggest Fear?

JG: In general ? Being alone. I can't stand being alone , because I've been like that most of life. Not like it's a hard fear, I mean if I'm living alone I can deal with it. But the idea to not have someone else to validate anything that i'm doing kinda sucks. I hate doing stuff and it becomes pointless. Pointless shit pisses me off, so if I'm doing anything for anybody, if they're not actively there telling me what they want. It's not like I need to the reassurance but I don't like the idea of failing people. I mean I can fail myself a million times over but failing, I'm scared of that, like that stuff sucks.

Closing Statement:

JG: For anybody who does any kind of art, just put it out there. I know we talked about stuff and being scared of what could be taken from you, but just get your knowledge up to par to knowing what you can and cannot do or what you can and cannot release, or who you can and cannot talk to about certain things. There are definitely enough people who are willing to pretend and really they're actually up against you. If anything, just be smart , if you need to be reserved to hold back, cool. But don't shy away from asking for help or for reference. Even you , when I ask you for a reference sketch, it's not a bad thing to need constructive criticism. Everybody always helps each other.  

Artist Interview Artists 15 Jose Garcia audio by Anthony Andujar Jr 11/9/16

Artist Interview Artists 15 Jose Garcia audio by Anthony Andujar Jr 11/9/16

Interviewer: Anthony Andujar Jr.  Interviewee: Jose Garcia

I had a very difficult time trying to upload the audio since I had to jumble with devices, editing, all that stuff etc, etc. Unfortunately I do not have the rest of the interview typed since I want all my friends and viewers who are deaf (hearing impaired) to be able to read this interview, I'm gonna add the rest of the interview typed on here. Admittedly, I'm attempting to transcribe all of the interview to text, but since I'm only one guy who happens to be working on some projects, it's a lot for me to focus on. I may or may not be able to get all of the information down. Until then for the meantime, people can listen to the interview on youtube. It's 4 parts. ENjoy.

I had to divide the 50 min interview with Jose in 4 clips. Here is 
Clip 1 :   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IqZZzzsMH8

Clip 2:  https://youtu.be/AikpY-ZZbZE

Clip 3: https://youtu.be/8rt-WFvwOls 

Clip 4 Final: https://youtu.be/MUTfqVJT9Ms


Note: aside from adding the transcribed text of the interview ( which is gonna take me a few days due to studying , HW assignments, comic book related projects, reviews et,) I'll also have a link for the full interview as one whole video instead of seperate clips. 

Fanboy Factor Comic Book Reviews of the Week and my Superman story 11/9/16 by Anthony Andujar Jr

     Despite the troubles of America, and the frustrations that are reflected around the globe, It's times like these where one needs a temporary place of escape to find some sort of peace, or to calm themselves down despite the outrage of who has been elected as President of the United States.I don't want ot have to make this a political post since I've already posted some thoughts on social media, so I'll leave it alone. Despite my disappointment with current events, here are some reviews on comics that offer and encourage a bit of optimism.

Action Comics #967 (DC Comics): http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-action-comics-967-dc-comics/

Detective Comics #944 (DC Comics) :  http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-detective-comics-944-dc-comics/

Doom Patrol #3 (DC Comics) : http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-doom-patrol-3-dc-comics/

The Flash #10 (DC Comics) : http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-the-flash-10-dc-comics/

Aside from this, I'm currently working on finishing 5 extra pages that my co-writers and I are still hard at work completing for the comic that's been in progress since May. Despite other things, I've been editing a short story piece that I made for an assignment for my Children's Literature course taught by Professor Terry Cole. It's not necessarily, a children's class per say, more of a class that focuses on the legends, myth's ,fables, folk tales, fairy tales, novels, poems and comic books/ strips that have influenced or have been changed by society to be accessible to the sensibilities of the children of today. My professor handed everyone a sheet full of characters that the class had covered from the various formats of literature. The assignment required students to pick three characters from the list of 20 of the listed characters, and write them down on to a card. Once the student makes their picks, they give the card to the professor and the professor would then decide which specific character would be assigned to each student based off the choices that were listed. I thought my professor was gonna play devil's advocate and send Wonder Woman my way since he knew that I'm an avid and somewhat well versed comic book fan, who appreciates comics as a literary medium which can be viewed as underrated at times. I was coming up with ideas and concepts on a Wonder WOman short story that would focus on her views and place amongst humanity, but to my surprise, I was assigned the granddaddy of all superheroes.

Superman Is a huge favorite of mine for a variety of reasons:

1) He is an Immigrant, an extraterrestrial from Krypton who bears human features, but still, an immigrant.

2) Although he has god like powers, he was adopted by a young american couple and raised with humanistic, idealistic american values. Since his adopted parents are farmers, he knew what it was like to be poor. That's something Batman never dealt with, yes he has been dealt with tragedy, but at the end of the day he has always had a butler, and a fortune that would ensure his wealth for as long as he lives and beyond. Beyond being human, batman isn't that relatable to working class citizens when you consider this.

3) Superman is essentially the last of his kind aside from Supergirl and Superboy. but long before they came along, he was essentially alone for most of the prime years of his career. He has to constantly play a balancing act between being, Clark Kent (Humanity), Kal El (Culture), and being Superman (ideals of what humanity could be). The world is literally on his shoulders, and every move he makes is targeted for political, religious, and scientific debate. When you think about that, that has to be a lot of pressure, and rough on an individual who has to bear all that on a daily basis. Especially when there is barely anyone who understands what it means to be the last of your culture, making one feel isolated than involved within society.

SO I wrote a 20 page short story based on questions of what society would think of Superman, and focused the story more about Clark Kent than his publicly known alias. This is just one of many projects that I've been working on in between everything.  

In addition, I've been making some art pieces for my Art and Design Seminar class. So I decided to make a piece inspired by a great day where my Violet Flower Maria and I went to see Doctor Strange (my second viewing) and enjoyed it again just as much as I did the first time. It was such a great day that I decided to do a representation of that day and capture that moment based off of a selfie that she and I took together. 

 Also, I recently interviewed an artist friend who I'm collaborating on a project with, Jose Garcia, so that interview should be showing up sometime during the weekend.

EIther way, I hope you enjoy the comic reviews of the week, and I hope everyone has a cool and level headed mindset despite the temporary chaos that is plaguing society and America

Doctor Strange Fanboy Factor Movie Review and Comic Reviews 11/2/16 by Anthony Andujar Jr

Dr Strange IMax 3D Nov 2nd movie screening Review by Anthony Andujar Jr

  Its funny, I always liked Dr Strange but he was never a fave marvel character to me in terms of comics. I always liked seeing him as a guest character or side character like in Brian Bendis’s early 2000s New Avengers run or Jonathan Hickman’s late 2012 New Avengers Illuminati run. I've always been familiar with Dr Strange, and ever since  Favreau and Downey’s Iron Man (2008), I was wondering at the age of 14 years old, reading Secret Invasion at the time, “will we ever get to see all of these characters?” Fast forward from 2008 to 2016, 13 Marvel Studio films in and the public feels a bit of fatigue. The Marvel Studios formula has become synonymous to audiences, and its left audiences wondering if the MCU has enough in the tank to get everyone to stay on long enough to finally arrive to the Russo Brothers upcoming Avengers: Infinity War film and it's sequel. So as the 14th Marvel Cinematic Universe entry, does this film help revitalize the MCU and bring something refreshing and different to its wide genre blending pallet? The answer is a non exaggerated yes.

   This film really delivers in providing something that is uniquely different from what has come before in the MCU while also providing familiarity to the MCU formula without being slave to the formula entirely. The film does a surprisingly good job at mixing various genre elements that haven't been displayed in such a distinct manner aside from Ant Man. As I walked out of the theater, and spoke to a friend (Jimmy), we discussed how interesting it is that the obscure characters such as Guardians of the Galaxy, Ant Man and Doctor Strange have opened the door to threats that The Avengers have no idea about. While The Avengers deals with the political, and physical realm, these other characters such as Doctor Strange, deal with more grander threats that are much more large scale as far apocalyptic proportions go.  Doctor Strange as a film has opened the door to what largely looms for not just Strange but quite possibly for the rest of the MCU going forward as a whole. The cast in this film was wonderfully selected and I can't imagine a better cast that could have pulled it off in such a feat that rivals Iron Man (2008). I'll go into detail in terms of each cast member and how they did in terms of performance.

The Protagonist:

   Doctor Strange is obviously the main title character, but the question that is on everyone's mind is this: Is Benedict Cumberbatch solid as a believable Sorcerer Supreme? Well..Yes. If anything, I think he fits the role as much as Downey's performance as Iron Man.  Cumberbatch does a convincing job at making Strange an unlikeable guy when audiences are introduced to him. In terms of unlikeable I mean that he is really cocky, and is hugely egotistical that he alienates everyone around him. He has a god complex, always feeling the need to shine his intellect over everyone else's. This sets him apart from Downey’s already likeable (from beginning to end) Tony Stark. Audiences know by now that Stark despite how cocky he was, never gave off vibes that made him unapproachable to anyone, especially if Stark were to make small talk, at least he would make it look like he's engaged. Cumberbatch's performance as Stephen Strange during his precursor to becoming Sorcerer Supreme really makes the audience convinced that he would be the kind of guy who wouldn't think much of the loss of life, especially if it's only one person's life at stake.  He starts off as an arrogant, unlikable a hole. Yet despite harsh beginnings,  through an incredible experience he transitions through his situations becoming more humbled and likable.

   There is a real character development that mirrors the way Spider-Man (another Stan Lee and Steve Ditko character). By that I mean that both Strange and Spider-Man are both characters that had no clear noble aspirations. All they ever originally wanted was fame and accolades rather than doing genuine good for their fellow man.  Strange really makes a full 360 transition that makes sense. He doesn't want to be a hero, nor Sorcerer Supreme, he just wants to continue the profession that he excelled in that attracted his wealth in the first place. Seeing him as he wrestles through the various processes of hand therapy through exercises, and failed western treatments really cements the agony that Strange dreads before he is set on the path to find a cure for his condition. But in the case of Strange, sometimes what you want isn't what you need. He learns this as the plot of the film progresses. This change of heart through trial by fire is what helps cement Strange’s transition to Sorcerer Supreme because he learns that it's not about him anymore, that there is more to life than accolades and what he thinks he knows.  Each character is portrayed well and each serve a purpose beyond just being cardboard cutouts.

 Tilda Swinton as the Ancient One did a phenomenal job playing this character. Originally in terms of comics continuity, the Ancient One is portrayed as an elderly Asian man. This attracted controversy a year prior when need broke out that Swinton would play as The Ancient One due to the idea that Hollywood was whitewashing an elderly Asian character. It was a damned if you do, damned if you don't sort of risk where it could have easily gone in the stereotypical direction of having an Asian actor play solely as a typical Asian elderly man. But luckily, this film proves the naysayers wrong due to her performance and the ambiguity of the Ancient ones past.  There is a clever way that the original comic aesthetic of the ancient one is portrayed in the film with a different individual before Swinton makes her presence known.

   What's most enjoyable about her performance Is that in the comics, readers never saw much from the ancient one. Readers never got a chance to see what the character was like beyond being a dying sage character. But this film, Swinton’s interpretive take on the Ancient one, humanizes the character in a way that was never really done before in the comics, which makes her character a welcoming presence every time she graces the scene. If you loved Swinton as Michael the Angel in the Keanu Reeves Constantine (2005) film, then you'll enjoy how she performs as the Ancient one.

Chiwetel Ejiofor plays Baron Mordo. Obviously for those who’ve been long time Dr Strange fans, or have read tons of Avengers books, know what becomes of Mordo and his fate in terms of where he will stand with Dr Strange. Again, in the comics, whenever there is backstory that displays a character such as Mordo, there isn't a lot of connection that is displayed between himself and the Ancient One besides being an apprentice with motives. In the film, Mordo and the Ancient One are written in a believable way that displays just how deep he places his faith  and trust in the Ancient One. He is displayed as a brotherly mentor figure to Strange, and when circumstances happen to Mordo that makes him question all he has learned and believe, it's done in such a human way that makes the audience sympathize with his own existential crisis of knowledge and belief. It's the most human interpretation of a long time mainstay character that will play a much more prominent role in Dr Strange’s life down the road.

  Rachel McAdams is  a delight and a believable supporting character that actually does not fall in the trap of cinematic romantic tropes. She plays the character doctor Christine Palmer who is a fellow surgeon of Strange and longtime friend who has had a romantic history with Strange, but once Strange’s hands are damaged and he is set on the path he is on, you actually feel the strain that her character goes through so when they come across each other again, she breaks from usual cinema (Let alone MCU) tradition of not being a typical woman that welcomes a man back after all the struggles that they've been through. There is believable chemistry between her and Cumberbatch that convinces the audience that there is a believable relationship and history between Palmer and Strange. It doesn't feel forced like prior films, and it feels natural. Her character is written well and hopefully audiences will get to see her again in some form of way? Clea anyone? Oh wishful thinking I suppose.

  Benedict Wong plays as … Well.. Wong! First off , how cool is that! An actor playing as a character that he shares the same name with. Destiny? Fate? What am I talking about. In all seriousness, Wong does a fantastic job at playing a very humorous but very steadfast version of Wong. He is dutiful and plays that role well. There is a funny scene where Strange is trying to make dry, witty jokes and Wong doesn't buy any of it. But you see how he and Strange develop a kinship that will mirror what longtime fans are largely familiar with in the comics, as for newcomers they'll grow to love how they bond.

The Villain:

    Mads Mikkelsen is known for playing very sinister villains in film. I have to admit that If there is any complaints that many viewers and fans such as myself always felt about the MCU is that there is a lack of solid villains with solid motivations beyond the typical “I want to rule or destroy the world” thing. Loki is usually the villain that most people tend to talk about as a villain that has played a large role since the Avengers (2012). Although audiences are aware of the arrival of Thanks since the MCU has been building up to this point, there hasn't been a lot to see from him other than him sitting in his chair and then him getting up and seeking to use the gauntlet to get the infinity stones himself. With that said, Mads Mikkelsen's character Kelesis is a villain that I hope to see return down the line. He is a great villain that really brings an interesting ideological conflict that challenges the morals and perceptions of Dr Strange, and Mordo.

    Kelesis is a character in the film that was a former student of the Ancient One, but somewhere down the road, he felt that Ancient One was hiding secrets that could provide a pathway to everlasting life. This path pushes him on the brink of obsession due to the realization that for him Time, is an enemy, it waits for no one and engulfs life no matter what. Due to this existential realization, he seeks to find a way to prevent death, but in order to do so, he’ll have to access power from the forbidden dark dimension. Thus path causes him to become the antagonist to Strange and when they cross paths, there is a existential and philosophical debate that lends itself to such themes that very well tie into classical Renaissance discussions of death and its meaning in the universe.

 Yes, the film isn't just a typical marvel film with a typical “Roar Roar” villain. Mikkelsen is actually intimidating as Kelesis, and is probably the most brutal villain in the MCU in terms of how he is able to use methods of Magic alongside hand to hand combat. His motives are clear, he feels that using energy from the dark dimension can provide life and prevent time from taking life away, or at least that is what he is blindly led to believe. It's a shame that we get a villain that is not only brutal and way more intimidating than Loki, yet are unaware of whether or not we’ll see his character again. I personally enjoyed his performance as an antagonist that played no games, no speeches, is about his work and does it with swiftness.  

 Benjamin Bratt is also in this film. Side note, when I was a kid, I always used to think of him as a good candidate to play as Doctor Strange, especially if it was an late 90s or early 2000’s take on him. So I was happy and surprised to find out that he is in the film. His character isn't too much of a focus, but he serves his purpose as the one that Strange seeks out in order to find his way to Nepal to find the Ancient One.

Special Effects:

   The Special Effects in this film I feel, personally, will definitely set the bar in terms of what was set before. For years audiences have seen films such as the Wachowski siblings The Matrix (1999), the anime film Paprika, it's Christopher Nolan inspired homage Inception (2010) that dabble with bending the viewer's perception of reality, and including existential ideas of one's subconsciousness, and place within the universe. With that said, when I mean that the crew within this film literally went all in in terms of crafting all the wacky Steve Ditko inspired imagery of the multiverses that Dr Strange has a beautifully inspired LSD sorta trip, they go all in. Its colorful, its fast paced, when he's flying through the universe and astral plane in his astral form, it's like they mixed Alice in wonderland and Kubrick's 2001 and flipped it upside his head. Heck at times, it felt like I was watching a Tool music video (Vicarious for example ) where there is a lot of abstract imagery such as hands growing from hands and then transitioning into faces.

  The CGI for all the various spells and tools such as the Sling Rings which allow strange to travel through various destinations, or the Cape of Levitation behaving in a manner that reminds viewers of Aladdin’s Magic Carpet, really shine in this film. When Strange is able to use certain spells, the textile imagery that is displayed with every magical gesture is beautifully rendered that it really dazzles the eye to the limitless amount of potential that lies beyond the realms of cinema. If there was a Full Metal Alchemist live action film, Dr Strange would definitely be a good precursor on how to approach visualizing the alchemy from that anime/manga. Also, when a certain long time Villain shows up, he looks freaking amazing and intimidating in figure and size. Anyone that has an idea of the dark dimension, will know the villain that I'm speaking of. This character shows that if Marvel Studios were to ever retain back the rights to the Fantastic Four, or the X-Men, lord only knows how awesome they would translate Galactus or Sentinels given how wonderfully the CGI is made and used within this film.

IMAX 3D :

  I'll be the first to admit that I usually watch films in standard rather than 3D. Although despite my preference of seeing the film in standard, this film is actually fantastic in 3D. I forgot that I had 3D glasses on due to how well the 3D rendering of the film was able to transition so much information in terms of displaying the Special Effects in an effective manner. I had a blast watching the film in 3D and I admit that if you are to see the film in 3D, it's worth the price for that visual eye candy.

 Director Scott Derrickson shows that he really knows his stuff and does a superb job at making a proper Doctor Strange film, and understands the character and the world that he inhabits. This film would have been in no better hands than Derrickson since he has displayed all of the technical sides of magic as well as the awe inspired, beyond belief aspects of Magic. WHether it’s talking about the Dark Dimension, The Mirror DImension, The Eye of Agamotto, The use of Sling Rings and its use of instant travel, The Cloak of Levitation, Derrickson Truly understands the character and his world. Given that he has done tons of horror films and sci fi films, he wonderfully shows that he had the chops to bring Doctor Strange to full fluid life.

 Derrickson did a commendable job at introducing concepts in a streamlined and easy way where the audience isn’t overwhelmed by cerebral themes, but at the same time aren’t dumbed down by the CGI and action. He provides a good balance of direction, making sure that humor is placed appropriately, and whenever there is a threat, he wonderfully displays that severity without half assing it. The story structure may be typical marvel fare, but Derrickson, along with his co writers Jon Spaihts, and C. Robert Cargill do an excellent job at crafting a film that although it develops in the usual marvel movie structure, finds ways of breaking away from certain tropes and plays around with it a bit, which help to make it as refreshing as it is familiar. One wonders what DC Comics Green Lantern could have been since Doctor Strange executes the relationship of mentor, apprentice, rookie and master sort of themes.

  The sound track by Michael Giacchino is has its own cinematic flair. It’s not as strong as The Avenger’s score soundtrack by Alan Silvestri but it does a good job of providing it’s own impression, and has some Addams Family/ Beatles vibes at times. It’s definitely one of the more stronger soundtracks because the MCU films don’t often have that, but thankfully, this soundtrack is a welcomed edition alongside Guardians of the Galaxy and Avengers.

  In terms of the film. In terms of art direction, existentialism, abstract themes, textile design, and story development, it's more darker than any of the MCU film's. By dark I describe it as dark by MCU film standards where characters get killed in more visual ways than it's often shown or shied away from in most MCU film.efforts prior to Doctor Strange.  The art direction is beautiful in terms of how each set feels lively, and the display and design of the environments that Strange inhabits feel natural as they are beyond that.When the dimensions and multiverses are displayed in this film, it dwarfs how complex and awe when witnessing the microverse that was displayed in Ant Man. There is a cool and subtle Stan Lee cameo where he is reading Aldous Huxley’s Doors of Perception as Strange is fending off kelis's in the mirror dimension.

I wonder how they will balance out his abilities along with all of the other avengers members. The Russo Brothers Captain America: Civil War was a good example of how to balance characters, conflicts and motivations in a plausible light that made viewers enjoy the story as much as they enjoyed the CGI slugfest. In terms of the upcoming Avengers: Infinity War film and its sequel, I wonder how Doctor Strange will balance out with all of earth's mightiest heroes. That's gonna be a big challenge for the Russo’s in regards to juggling the varying power sets that are established in the MCU. If there is any complaint that I have with this film, it's probably due to the fact that I'm left wondering whether Mekkelsen will ever return as Kelesis because I feel that there is so much that we have yet to see of this antagonist, and I'd like to see his backstory fleshed out more.

There is a mid and after credits scene that connect itself not only to the MCU as a whole, but also opens a doorway to what will be expected in the next installment of the Doctor Strange sequel.

If anyone is a art student, illustrator,  printmaker, philosophy major,/anime/ manga or are fans of films/tv shows such as Doctor Who, The Matrix, Aladdin, Mortal Kombat, Paprika (film), Inception, Alex Grey, Salvador Dali, Aldous Huxley , Neil Gaiman, Grant Morrison, existential, surrealist, interior design, textile design lover or fan, then they will love this film as much as long time comic book fans of Marvel and the character will. If you're not really much into comics, understandably so, I think as a viewer you might find something in the film that will appeal to you in a way you may not have originally perceived.  Obviously this is solely my opinion, you can see the film yourself and be the judge. I went in with low expectations and came out of the theater surprised at what was displayed and I'm pretty sure regardless of expectation, other will feel the same. Overall, it's an enjoyable movie, and I can't wait to see where Strange will show up next.

Also, I didn't get to post this on here back on Wednesday, so here are the reviews I did for the Comics that I read today:

Batman #10 (DC Comics): http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-batman-10-dc-comics/

Superman #10 (DC Comics): http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/comic-review-superman-10-dc-comics/

Dr Strange Review on the site In case you prefer to read it there for whatever reason : http://fanboyfactor.com/2016/11/movie-review-doctor-strange-disney/