The LXG Cinematic Universe

Ok, this one will be something of a "broad strokes" approach, as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is already a bricolage of other works loosely held together with narrative, so it doesn't really need any help in that regard. Since writing about both the divisive Sean Connery film and and the cult Alan Moore comics on this blog, I have been surprised to learn just how devoted some fans are to the film and how genuine the regret that it never spawned a sequel is. Whilst I'm not enthused to the same level as some, I do regard the LXG film in a more positive light than most and perfectly understand the desire for that bit more of a media that you love, so here's my short list of suggestions to get you going in that direction. For the sake of brevity, I'll be looking at film and television that features the main cast of LXG, rather than branching out into the broader world presented by the comics, but by all means check out some classic Fireball XL5 or The Avengers (the British television version) if you are so inclined.

So we're all pretty much agreed that the 1992 Bram Stoker's Dracula is about the best film version of the story, right? Yes both versions of Nosferatu are also excellent, but as far as a straight adaptation goes, Francis Ford Coppola got it bang on, with the right amount of sex and gore to slide into LXG with minimal effort. Personally, I have fond memories of the 1997 Mini-Series of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea starring Michael Caine as Captain Nemo, but that could be down to a particular scene in which Caine beats Brian Brown savagely. Certainly, Caine bears little resemblance to an exiled Indian prince, but most adaptations of the original text have this issue. In the 1980s, Richard Chamberlain did a couple of Alan Quartermain films that are about as good as one may expect, but still lean heavily on Colonial assumptions and can be a little uncomfortable to watch in these, somewhat more enlightened, times. '90s Kids will remember Jonathan Taylor Thomas, well he did a Mark Twain adaptation entitled Tom and Huck, which I haven't seen, but honestly looks pretty pedestrian. 

Ok, who's left? Well, Henry Jekyll and Edward Hyde have been adapted only less frequently than Sherlock Holmes and Dracula, but there hasn't really been a good modern version, and the 1931 film tends to still be the best option, if it is a little hokey by today's standards. Similarly, Claude Rains  is about as good an Invisible Man that you're likely to find in the correct cultural milieu, even if the character isn't quite the same. There is a 2009 film, Dorian Grey which is, honestly, a train wreck, but I feel that suits the tone of the version presented in LXG? Shall we not bother with Moriarty? I mean, for tone the Guy Ritchie Sherlock Holmes series is appropriate, but he's such a non-entity in LXG that I bet you can't even remember who kills him in the finale. Alright, enough of this nonsense, on to the regular nonsense we concern ourselves with around here. 

Superhero Media: Black Panther

Something I am never likely do to on this blog is a "Top 10" list of superhero films. There are a few reasons for this; the years-long backlog (I'm writing this in August 2020), the constant cycle of new superhero films and the fact I would have to justify many things not being on the list being just a few. However, one film that would certainly be in one of the top three spots would be Black Panther, the most important, if not the greatest, superhero film in cinema history. You may not personally like Black Panther, some people don't, but there is no denying the impact it had, or that it was masterfully assembled, acted and directed. Ryan Coogler had only directed two feature films before putting this together, that's hugely impressive in it's own right, but add to that star-making turns for Chadwick Boseman, Michael B Jordan and Letitia Wright and you have a damn masterpiece. Oh yeah, while we're at it, let's have career highlight performances from Danai Gurira, Winston Duke and Andy Serkis, a banging soundtrack by Ludwig Goransson and the first use of the Afro-futurist aesthetic in a major motion picture, and you have a movement. 

Thing is, if Black Panther was just a groundbreaking, glass-ceiling shattering, genre defining film as wasn't all that good, it would still be amazing on merit of intention alone. However, the film is also transcendent on a narrative level, even if it does borrow heavily from Hamlet, but it's called the monomyth for a reason, people. While I think of it, Killmonger is an excellent villain, but please stop trying to tell me "he was right", it just makes it clear you didn't understand the film. The contrast between T'Challa and Killmonger is that T'Challa is king for his people and Killmonger wants the throne for personal revenge on a world that has wronged him. Want proof? When T'Challa imbibes the Heart Shaped Herb, he sees the spiritual plane and the line of kings before him, whereas Killmonger sees his father and the apartment he grew up in. Even though T'Challa decides that the isolationist policies of the past are wrong in light of Killmonger's actions, he wants to help the world, not conquer it. Killmonger actually appropriates the language of the colonisers, "the sun will never set", as he advocates for the wholesale murder of billions of women and children. By Bast, this is a great film. 

People do get that Wakanda isn't meant to be some big, anti-White People statement, right? The characters accept Everett Ross as soon as he demonstrates his humanity, but despise Klaw because he murdered for profit. Wakanda is an ideal, a post-needs society like the Federation in Star Trek, not perfect, but having perfected government for the benefit of the people. It's not explicitly said, but Wakanda doesn't seem to have money, and all of the industry is publicly owned, is the country a Socialist Monarchy? That would be really interesting, if a tad odd, I hope it gets explored at some stage. I actually like the introduction of Vibrainium as being some kind of "Handwaveium" fix-all, because I can see how that will come in handy as the Marvel Cinematic Universe matures and requires some leaps in logic to get things done. Like how Iron Man and Rocket can make an ersatz Infinity Gauntlet in Avengers Endgame or how space travel doesn't have any discernible "rules". Black Panther is always going to be important, but I hope it becomes only part of a broader series of equally "important" MCU films, eventually incorporating Queer, Trans and any and all rights movements that toxic individuals try to exclude from Superhero fandom. RIP Chadwick.  Wakanda forever!

Terrain Finished: Craters

A little while ago, I picked up a couple of one of the older Games Workshop craters and just got around to painting them. These are pretty nice if you can find them around, though may be a little on the big side for most 28mm games.

The reason I wanted a set of these for my Superhero gaming ties to an Osprey game called Of Gods and Mortals; a mytho-historical game I was pretty excited about, but never got into because I found the rules clunky and dull. One rule I really liked though was "Awe", which created a radius around two clashing Gods that Mortals would flee from.

So I was thinking about powerful superheroes clashing and causing destruction, like in any Dragon Ball Z fight or Superman Vs Captain Marvel, and how such a fight may affect the "ordinary" people around them.

I'm not sure as to how I'd actually implement it, but I think some kind of "Awe" system would work well in my Ultimate Alliance games, throwing off the rest of the battle when two suitably powerful characters clash. Where I'm stuck is just which characters get to use this rule, obviously Superman and Thor would qualify, but what about Iron Man and Green Lantern? I think I need to borrow a page out of Heroclix and start introducing symbols to represent certain abilities. I really need a visual designer to work with one of these days. 

 

Superhero Media: Incredibles 2

A decades-later sequel to a beloved film, Incredibles 2 is not only another brilliant entry in Brad Bird's filmography, but is a brilliant response to the original and the critical literature resulting thereof. Starting moments before The Incredibles finished, Incredibles 2 gives us the Parr family battling The Underminer, and really not doing very well at all, making mistakes, being out of practice and tripping over one another as they're not yet used to being a team. If I had to pick a single scene that turned people off this film, the opening Underminer fight would likely be it, as it robs the moment of triumph from the first film and injects a more harsh reality. Of course, it all makes perfect sense, as none of the family have done regular hero work recently and have not worked together long enough to get a good team dynamic going. As far as I'm concerned, it's a great place to start both the narrative and the metanarrative, as Incredibles 2 isn't just a sequel, it's a critical response. 

In my review of The Incredibles I mentioned the, sadly still prevalent, Objectivist reading of the film and how Brad Bird's own filmography is the argument against such a take, but it seems Bird was not one to take it lying down himself. The newer "Supers" of Incredibles 2, including Acid Reflux, Brick and Void, are heavily queer-coded, with the villain revealed to be a wealthy and privileged woman with a narrow view of progress and no understanding of heroes as individuals with needs. The contrast between Screenslaver and Elastigirl, especially as the two clash in the final act is easy to read as  a conflict between schools of theoretical feminism, with a mother fighting a "career woman", but Elastigirl's entire character arc, from the opening of The Incredibles, as been that she is who she chooses to be, undefined by anyone but herself. Of course Elastigirl is the best choice to spearhead the "relaunch" of superheroes into the public eye, she's never questioned that saving lives is where she belongs. 

Probably my favourite element of Incredibles 2 is the building of Edna Modes' character, essentially a comic foil in the first film, her encounter with Jak-Jak provides insight into her fixation with superheroes. Supers are Edna's link to eternity and something beyond the temporal world of fashion. Edna is not the ascended fan in the same ways as Phil Coulson, she is more a "Supergods" devotee, or Campbellian realist, inhabiting a world were the gods walk the Earth and she is lucky enough to brush their capes with her fingers. Robert's journey to accepting modern fatherhood is wonderful, unlike much I've seen in recent film, and whilst Dash and Violet don't get to do much, they remain consistent and the times they are prevalent are pretty entertaining. I get that Incredibles 2 may not be the sequel that people wanted, but I really find it hard to fault anywhere, as it answers questions left, engages with criticism and does move on the stories of several of the main characters. Whilst I wouldn't mind seeing more of the Incredibles, I feel that the Big Hero 6 television approach may work better, with Bird overseeing it. Only time will tell where this series goes, but I'm very happy with where it is right now. 

Miniatures Finished: Weird Science

Keeping to loose themes for a while, here are some science-related characters I painted up in-between other projects. 

Baxter Stockman: I wasn't planning on getting this character anytime soon, but I got him in a blister and couldn't resist a Playmates Toys style paintjob. Heroclix 

Weather Wizard: I have a growing collection of Flash's Rogues that I'll have to do something with one day. I love how crummy the colour scheme looks on this guy. Heroclix 

Metallo: A classic Superman foe I've wanted to get on the table for years, but kept forgetting to paint him. This classic Clix isn't a brilliant sculpt, but has plenty of character. Heroclix 

Mister Terrific: I considered painting my copy of this character up after watching Arrow, but never got around to him. I'm tempted to do a couple of "T-Spheres" on separate bases to buzz around him. Heroclix 

Robotman: Different base for this figure as I was using him as a "Plod-Bot" for Judge Dredd miniatures for a while. I guess now I'll have to get the rest of the Doom Patrol. Heroclix. 

Angstrom Levy: How could I not get this awesome antagonist from Invincible onto the table? A classic evil genius with teleporting powers, his knowledge of the multiverse makes him truly dangerous. Heroclix 

Superhero Media: Dragon Ball Z - Broly the Legendary Super Sayian

Oh Kami, I have three of these to get through now... Ok, so I'm not a fan of Broly, pretty much across the board, and that seems to cop me more flack from other Dragon Ball Z fans than when I point out that Goku has no personality, somehow. Starting with Broly the Legendary Super Sayian, the character has been a huge deal in the broader fandom despite not having any real character or personality until the Dragon Ball Super version, and none of his "movies" being all that good. It makes sense that Broly is popular, however, despite the fact he has little going for him, created by DBZ writer Takao Koyama, Broly is essentially an ascended OC, right down to the lack of real development and his creator continuing to insist that he is the "strongest" years later. For those blissfully unaware of the realms of fan-fiction, an OC is an "Original Character", created by the author and typically of unassailable power, even when compared to Goku and pals. Now, I've tried my hand at fan-fiction back in the day, so I can't point fingers too much, but yes, Broly is Koyama's pet OC, and the films suffer for that. 

In this first outing, Paragus, father of Broly, arrives on Earth and coaxes Vegeta to a "New [planet] Vegeta" so that he can be king. Most of the rest of the gang are dragged along so that Broly gets to beat on all of them, helping later "power scaling" arguments on early internet forums. After far too long, the team figures out that the "Legendary Super Sayian" they're looking for is Broly and the whole thing is a trap, with Paragus planning to kill Vegeta with a coming comet. You see, Vegeta's dad, Vegeta, tried to kill Paragus and a young Broly, because he feared Broly's power, so Paragus lures Vegeta to New Vegeta to get revenge on his dad, Vegeta. Meanwhile, Broly files into Hulk-like rages when he sees Goku, because Goku cried a lot when they were both babies. Ok, that's just dumb, but the odd thing? The fight is actually pretty good. It takes too long to get there through a mediocre plot, but once the battle starts, the action is solid, with a bit more bone-crunching than is typical in DBZ. 

In many ways, Broly reminds me of Venom, in that they're both dark inversions of the protagonist, with dodgy vendettas and cool designs, but not much else going for them. Somehow, that kind of character is always popular, as Broly clearly demonstrates, no matter how much I still don't get the appeal. There's no nuance to Broly, he just hits things and gets stronger, yes, the Dragon Ball Super version is better, but that's not the one that got things started, this is. The reason Freiza gets to keep coming back is that he has a personality and complex motivations beyond just wanting to destroy, even the continual bevy of Androids programmed to kill Goku have more personality than Broly. I'm really not looking forward to the next two films, but I'll push on for the sake of completion. Oh, and please stop asking me if you can play as Broly in the various DBZ card games, of course you can, but the deck, like the character, is pretty uninteresting.

40K Superheroes

A while back, a friend and club mate was sharing a laugh with me at how I'd managed to slip superheroes into yet another game (I believe it was Pirates? I did The Phantom) and he said the one game I'd never manage it was Warhammer 40,000. The comment wasn't intended as a challenge, and 40K in this context referred as much to the setting as it did the specific game, as neither of us had played in years and it was before Kill Team was released; but we were both enamored with the universe still, for all that it offered in terms of setting and background. Again, this wasn't a challenge, but it set wheels spinning in my mind for a few years. 

Fast forward to my making my Kill Team Aesir for Kill Team and 40K, and I found myself contemplating that some of the characters, especially Thor and Valkyrie, actually did work really well as "superheroes" within even the grimdark 40K setting. That said, a team of Space Marine superheroes was a bit dull as a concept, as well not not really gelling in my mind, as the 40K universe has no real "good guys" to speak of, being more shades of terrible than anything else. So how would a superhero team form in the 40K universe? Could it, with how antagonistic every faction is with each other? Well I got to thinking after re-reading Avengers Forever, and came up with this. 

The Avengers 40,000 
In the grim darkness of the far future, there is only war. To many of the inhabitants of the galaxy, this state of existence is accepted as part of life for every living creature. There are a few souls in the vastness, however, for whom the light of hope still flickers, individuals who believe that there is a better future waiting for all. Or perhaps, a better past? Of all the Ordo of the Inquisition, the Ordo Chronos, charged with protecting the time-stream itself, are among the most enigmatic and unknowable. Is time travel possible, beyond warp-travel mishaps, or is there something else happening? Do people and creatures from the ancient past and far future wander the galaxy, pursuing their own agendas? And if they do, what goals could they possibly serve? 

Kang - Ordo Chronos Inquistor 

The man known as Kang has worn many masks in his long life, as Rama-Tut, he ruled ancient Egypt, as Kang the Conqueror, he controlled the galaxy in the 24th century, and once, he led the Avengers themselves through the Destiny War. Weary of ruling his present and failing to conquer his past, Kang turned to the far future for a new challenge. Now in the distant 41st millennium, Kang was dismayed to find humanity waning under the heel of a corpse and aliens more horrific than even the Badoon. Turning to leave, Kang discovered his access to the time-stream blocked by "warp-storms" and other etherium phenomena new to his experience; now stuck, Kang had no choice but to accrue power once again. 
Soon a member of the Ordo Chronos, Kang roamed the galaxy searching for a workable method of time travel that could get him back to his own era. The tragedy of the decaying Empire of Man wore heavy on Kang, who saw no way to alleviate the endless horror, until he remembered his greatest foes and sometimes allies, The Avengers, Earth's Mightiest Heroes. Kang began a search though the galaxy for heroic individuals, assembling a team to combat the darkest threats of the 41st millennium, proving that when they are needed, the heroes will arrive.


Brunhilde - Deathwatch Vanguard Veteran 

Formerly from the Little Sisters Space Marine Chapter, Brunhilde distinguished herself defending nearby systems from the rampages of Necron Tomb Fleets and Genestealer Cultists, quickly coming to the awareness of Watch Fortress Asgard. It wasn't long before Brunhilde's skill with a blade helped her to rise through the ranks of the fearsome Valkyrior, becoming a Veteran Sergeant and often being the first into every fight. As the years of endless conflict wore on, Brunhilde saw more and more alien societies fall to the sword, regardless of their ways or culture, but merely because they weren't human. One day, in the gem-studded ruins of a crystal city, Brunhilde found herself putting down her Xenophase Blade, and taking a seat on the hull of a crashed ship to consider the purpose of her life. It was at this moment that Kang found Brunhilde and offered her another path. 

Ridley - Drukhari Solarite 

Once a feared pirate and gang leader known throughout the Dark City, Ridley earned a reputation for ruthlessness and cunning even among his own kind. Ridley was a notorious gambler, raconteur and daredevil, fleeing debts and leaving a trail of enemies and rivals behind him, knowing that his skill and speed would keep him out of harm's way. This lifestyle came to and end however, when Ridley crossed an infamous Haemonculus known as Kartarirya, whose reach was long down the winding alleys of the Dark City. After a stint of years in Kartarirya's flesh workshop, Ridley was released, warped and monstrous, to find his followers and riches long gone. Seeing, for the first time,the brutality of his race laid bare, Ridley wanted a better way to live. Seeking to free the galaxy from the suffering inflicted by his people, Ridley began an impossible quest, to end the threat of Slaanesh once and for all. It wasn't long before he encountered a mysterious Inquisitor named Kang who wanted to help facilitate his dream.


M'Baku - Imperial Guard Ork Hunter Veteran 

Born on a world that had slid into barbarism and tribalism, M'Baku used his superior strength and cunning to ascend to the leadership of his tribe and become the most feared warrior on the planet; at least, that was, until the Orks came. Crashing out of the sky like angry gods, the Orks laid waste to the primitive humans, and soon only the Jabari village stood, with M'Baku manning the walls, slaying greenskins left and right with swings of a captured choppa. Even the ferocity of M'Baku would have failed however, if not for the timely arrival of the Imperial Guard. The tribes-people were quickly indoctrinated with the Imperial Creed and equipped to fight back against the Orks, M'Baku fast distinguished himself, turning the brutal tactics of the Orks against them. With his war-paint, scavenged armour and blood-drenched choppa, M'Baku quickly gained the nickname "The Man-Ork". After his home world was cleansed, The Man-Ork was transferred to a platoon of Veteran "Ork-Hunters" where he continued to distinguish himself. When requesting Imperial soldiers through his Inquisitorial writ, Kang singled out M'Baku, knowing that the brutality of The Man-Ork would be a valuable asset. 

Gue'vesa Shas'o Mar'Vell - Tau Commander

Carol Danvers was a celebrated Ace Pilot in the Imperial Navy for years before her squadron was sent against the emergent Tau Empire on the Western fringe. Despite her experience and skills, Danvers was outmatched by the more technologically advanced Tau spacecraft, and was shot down, though not before she made an account of herself. Waking up in a Tau medical centre, tended to by humans and aliens loyal to the cause of the Greater Good, Carol started her journey towards becoming Gue'vesa Shas'o Mar'Vell. After some 'friendly' deprogramming, Danvers enrolled in the Air Caste Gue'vesa and began to progress up the ranks of pilot once again, quickly gaining accolades and the Tau name "Mar'Vell", meaning "War Bird" in translation. Despite her skill and record, Danvers had a slow rise to a senior position due to her habit of resorting to more human tactics, like the use of close combat weapons and cased ammunition, which no amount of "education" seemed to be able to cure her of. It was this combination of idealism and battle-hunger that made Kang track Danvers down and recruit Mar'Vell to his cause.