With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series
This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the last two episodes of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.
Filed under: Television | Tagged: a marvellous escape, a marvelous escape, the escapist, the watcher, ulton, what if | Leave a comment »
I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. Because What If…? wrapped its first season last week, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at the show.
In particular, What If…? demonstrates one of the tensions within modern pop culture. How does modern pop culture measure the worthy or value of a particular story? Historically, stories have been judged on their own quality, making arguments for their own value. However, with the emergence and evolution of shared universes like the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it increasingly seems like audiences are being told that they should measure the value of a given story by how it “matters” to the continuity of the larger franchise. A story no longer has worth because it is good, but because it promises a return down the line.
You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.
Filed under: Television | Tagged: episodic, Marvel Cinematic Universe, meaning, Narrative, serialisation, Television, value, what if, worth | Leave a comment »
With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series
This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the sixth and seventh episodes of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.
Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: a marvellous escape, a marvelous escapse, Black Panther, captain marvel, continuity, iron man, killmonger, marvel, mcu, thor, what if | Leave a comment »
With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series
This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the fifth episode of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.
Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: cannibals, marvel, marvel zombie, marvel zombies, monsters, superheroes, what if | Leave a comment »
With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series
This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the fourth episode of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.
Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: a marvellous escape, a marvelous escape, alternate universe, doctor strange, fridging, marvellous escape, marvelous escape, what if | Leave a comment »
With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series
This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the third episode of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.
Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: amy campbell, avengers, canon, continuity, hank pym, kc nwosu, nick fury, the avengers, what if | Leave a comment »
I published a new column at The Escapist today. I’ve been covering What If…? for A Marvelous Escape, and it’s been a very fun experience. However, I have noticed that’s there’s a weirdly pervasive school of criticism that argues that the show has turned characters like Peggy Carter and T’Challa into “Mary Sues”, a criticism that has become increasingly common in discussions of modern franchise media.
Of course, it’s often very hard to come with a clear definition of what a “Mary Sue” is that doesn’t manage to encompass characters that the person using the description would never describe using such a term. It often seems like an “I know it when I see it” accusation, which can apply to Rey Skywalker but not Luke or T’Challa but not Steve Rogers. More to the point it demonstrates how blind some observers are to the appeal of these sorts of empowerment fantasies, and the double-standard that they appear to hold in an era where most franchise media is effectively fan fiction.
You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.
Filed under: Television | Tagged: comic books, Comics, fan fiction, fandom, Luke Skywalker, Mary Sue, rey, superheroes, what if | Leave a comment »
With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series
This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the second episode of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.
Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: a marvellous escape, a marvelous escape, amy campbell, Black Panther, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY, kc nwosu, Star Lord, t'challa, the escapist, what if | Leave a comment »
I published a new In the Frame piece at The Escapist this evening. With the release of What If…? on Disney+ and the trailer for the anime series Star Wars: Vision, it seemed like a good opportunity to take a look at how best to approach the idea of an animated spin-off.
Animation is a unique medium, with its own particular strengths and weaknesses that distinguish it from live action filmmaking. The best animated films and shows understand and exploit this distinction, and it’s frustrating how committed What If…? is to trying to emulate live action rather to take advantage of the opportunities that animation provides like Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse or The Animatrix.
You can read the piece here, or click the picture below.
Filed under: Television | Tagged: animation, animatrix, spider man, spider-man: into the spider-verse, star wars, star wars: vision, the animatrix, the matrix, what if | Leave a comment »
With a slew of Marvel Studios productions coming to Disney+ over the next six months, The Escapist has launched a weekly show discussing these series
This week, I join KC Nwosu and Amy Campbell to talk about the first episode of What If…?, streaming on Disney+.
Filed under: Podcasts!, Television | Tagged: a marvellous escape, amy campbell, captain america, captain america: the first avenger, kc nwosu, marvellous escape, mcu, peggy carter, what if | Leave a comment »
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