Marvel Phase 2 – Comparative Opinions S.2 E.9

Welcome to the Comparative Opinions podcast! Sorry for the late podcast, but we wanted to still get in an episode this week – from our Marvel Cinematic Universe rewatch, before Avengers: Infinity War hits this weekend! Join hosts Holly and David as they discuss Marvel Phase 2!

Comparative Opinions is a weekly half-hour-ish podcast hosted on ComparativeGeeks.com. Subscribe for new episodes every Sunday, or for our weekly news podcast, Week in Geek.

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Music is by Scott Gratton: http://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Gratton/Intros_and_Outros

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Review of Ant-Man: Second-Chance Man – A Graphic Novel

Marvel timed the release of Second-Chance Man beautifully, especially for those who were unfamiliar with the character. The audience’s curiosity was already piqued, people were curious about a superhero who shrinks to (roughly) the size of an ant (yes, there was much scepticism). It gave readers a chance to explore Scott Lang before the release of the Ant-Man movie.

There is a quote on the front cover by ComicVine.com, and I found it particularly apt ‘Get ready to be able to say you are now an Ant-Man fan.’ So many people have told me how much they love the character, granted that’s mainly because of the fantastic movie, but there is a lot of truth in the quote. You will certainly become a fan if you pick up a copy of Second-Chance Man.

You don’t need the backstory to know that Scott Lang is down on his luck, and seeking a way to turn his life around – to make his daughter proud. He got a second chance, was brought back from the dead, and now he’s looking for a fresh start and a new job. It’s where the graphic novel begins. Though in usual Scott fashion, he has an unorthodox way of going about things.

His unique style makes him perfect for the job of security advisor for Tony Stark, but even with a job offer from Iron Man himself, things don’t go according to plan. When Scott discovers his ex-wife is moving to Miami, he makes the decision to follow his daughter. Once there he establishes Ant-Man Security Solutions, runs into and old foe, the Taskmaster, takes on two employees and finds himself smack bang in the middle of a trouble – again. Worse, his daughter’s life is in danger.

It’s a fun adventure, and the action never stops. Here are a few of the reasons I loved Ant-Man: Second-Chance Man.

Character Study: Scott Lang (Ant-Man)

Real Name: Scott Lang

Powers: Thanks to Pym Particles, Scott (Ant-Man) can shrink to the size of an ant. He can also communicate telepathically with insects. When he shrinks, he retains his human strength.

Abilities: Scott has expertise in electronics.

Background

Scott Lang is the current Ant-Man, though he achieved the title by unorthodox means. He stole the Ant-Man suit from Dr. Henry (Hank) Pym, in order to save his daughter’s life. Not the first time Scott stole in order to support his family. He turned to crime when he was no longer able to support his wife and daughter, and became a skilled thief as a way to make ends meet. Of course this path didn’t end well, and Scott spent a time in prison.

After his release, he worked in the design department at Stark International; trying to turn over a new leaf. When he discovered his daughter had a fatal heart condition, he decided to call on the help of Dr. Erica Sondheim. It turned out she had been kidnapped by Darren Cross of Cross Technological Enterprises, who had a heart condition of his own. Scott stole Hank’s suit to rescue Dr. Sondheim and save his little girl. The mission was a success, and Hank allowed him to keep the suit – as long as he continued to use it for good.

Comics LitFlix 2015

This is a really skimpy year for comic book movie adaptations. Unlike the next several years – with so many movies just from Marvel and DC, plus some from Fox and then who knows how many independent comics will make their way to the screen!

This year though? I know of four. Yep, four. And the comics movies tend to stake their claim on a date early: just look at those Marvel and DC links above! I don’t think we’ll be adding much to it. So I may read a book or two to supplement! I’ve already read the short story that inspired Predestination, after all! We may even end up renting a couple of these as well instead of seeing them in theaters. So what am I reading? Read on for the (short) list!

Marvel Phase 3 – They’ve Given Us Too Much to Talk About

Okay, when Marvel leaked their Age of Ultron trailer last week, I was excited. And we were starting to get some rumors on the next movie in the works, Captain America 3. It’s going to have Iron Man! It might be Civil War! With those little tidbits, I figured that would be it for a while. After all, we’re seven months out from the next Marvel movie, and we just got the first trailer for it…

Then last week, DC announced all of their movies between now and 2020. I haven’t even had a chance to talk about these – so check out the post about them on We Minored in Film to cover that! The announcements are both exciting and expected, as they are movies for the members of the Justice League. The Marvel equivalent would be announcing Hawkeye, Hulk, and Black Widow movies to go with the existing titles.

And I feel that there’s an element of DC forcing this play, but maybe it was always planned. Marvel announced all of Phase 3, all in one go! With release dates, subtitles, and everything! I should add, though, that it seems their plan was to announce all of these movies – and then show the trailer for Age of Ultron that evening. By which point, there would have been way too much for one day.

Alright, so to try to keep this halfway manageable, there’s a great article on The Mary Sue about the movie announcements already. So I’m going to add a bit of my own speculation and excitement about the movies!

Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics

Update: Also, check out some thoughts from We Minored in Film: the good and the bad.