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Watching Daredevil Ep 1 - How The Marvel Cinematic Universe Makes Sense - Bleeding Cool Comic Book, Movie, TV News

Drawing heavily on Frank Miller's interpretation, the first trailer from Marvel's Daredevil on Netflix strikes the right tone. The Marvel Cinematic Universe on television is growing in complexity and scope with Marvel's Agents of Shield and Agent Carter on ABC providing a very "mainstream" narrative. I say mainstream because its clear Netflix will be a space to introduce classic characters to a public without a lot of understanding. While fans are excited, not many people know Daredevil, Jessica Jones or Iron Fist.  Thanks to the success of the films, the world of SHIELD is very well known to the general public. As a result, ABC shows are extending an established narrative supported by billion dollar movie franchises while Netflix has comics with decades of stories, but not widely known. Will comics fans get Netflix to see this?  I think the answer might be yes.  Marvel wins.

Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix Panel from NYCC. DD on Netflix is another bold move on Marvel’s part. The street level crimefighter battling to make us safe is particular fantasy tableau to present to a US audience struggling with the implications of a changing American city. It will be interesting to see what happens.

  With Guardians of the Galaxy setting box office records , Marvel Studios has rightly decided to reminds us all how they made it this far. At the end of the day, Marvel films are taking the best from 75+ years of comic book stories.  With that much material to draw from, you can do great things.  The company's success does go beyond having a deep history to exploit. In the end, Marvel's style differs from DC in an essential manner. While DC offers a pantheon acting as heroes (think Greek gods), Marvel has always been about real people rising to face a challenge.  It is a easier and more accessible story to tell.

The new trailer is out today!  Excited?

   Captain America: Winter Soldier seems to engage the audience on many levels. Given our current political climate, there is more than enough suspicion of the power that be to go around.  The benefit of engaging in these speculation in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is the heroes can find a way to win.  The question becomes what the audience can draw from the hero's struggle.

  With roots that run deep in U.S. popular culture, Marvel's 75th anniversary offers an opportunity to assess the cultural legacy from the "House of Ideas."  Long lauded for its emotive storytelling and engaged fandom, Marvel contemporary experience cannot be divorced from broader media concerns. The success of Marvel Studios adapting Silver Age characters to the big screen has made Disney, Marvel's parent company the home of two fantasy franchises with major cultural appeal (the other being Star Wars ).  The question become is the new Marvel merely a tool to deliver media ready content or is it still a house with ideas that challenge the audience and intrigue newcomers?

Thor: The Dark World is a better film than 2011's Thor . Many people were not excited by Thor, but Thor: TDW would not have been possible without the solid foundation created Kenneth Branagh 's vision in the first film.  In many ways, the source of Thor: TDW's superiority rests on the extension to the first film.  Characters are more engaging, Asgard and the nine realms given a bigger scope, and key elements of the Marvel Comics print universe Asgard are presented and embellished for fans of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  This was a great movie going experience. I don't want to spoil anything, but there is a tremendous Captain America: Winter Soldier   clip before and an amazing post credit sequence. In many ways, Thor: TDW adds to our understanding of Marvel Studio Phase 2 events and sets up an awesome Thor 3!

I'm a fan of Joss Whedon.  Why deny it?  Everything about Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. reminds me of Whedon's best work. Buffy (and Angel) were all about the ensemble.  Get the right people together and magic happens.  Whedon and his collaborators have a knack for finding the right people. This is core of his success.  The real focus of his project is not the adventure so much as the falling in love with the characters.  Once he has you in love with the characters, you come back week after week to see how the heroes will change. I'm looking forward to it.

One element of Iron Man's appeal in print is the armor's continual evolution .  You could look upon it as "boys with their toys," but it runs deeper. Superior technology combined with solid values have always been a part of the American framing of defense . Iron Man's Cold War roots have allowed the character to easily play into this narrative.  With the current focus on anti-terrorism, technology has gotten both praised and scorn in the public discourse.  Our reliance on surveillance satellite and code breaking so well suited for nation states missed the threat of asymmetric warfare posed by terrorist groups.  After a decade of conflict however, the appreciation of technology has returned .  The debate about military drones is the public face of this new engagement, but the impact is widespread.  Iron Man 3 bring these ideas into the film narrative. Like the United States, Tony Stark's victory will likely hinge on superior tech, reinforcin...