So what have you guys been watching lately?

[Ack]

I'll just leave this here...

http://www.vulture.com/2015/06/holy-wow ... ooted.html

[MrPopo]

No sale if there's no guitar duel.

[Luke]

The next season of Daredevil apparently will feature both Bullseye and the Punisher.

Besides once punching someones face inside out with one blow, the Punisher has done little for me. Archie vs. The Punisher wasn't bad either, but besides being a violent killer he doesn't bring much to the table. In Marvel's Civil War he shows up, drops off Spider-Man, and...well that's it.

But he can bring a lot to this show as it is already gritty and has a dark sense of humor. My money is on the fact that the Punisher will be used wisely and possibly sparingly as the writers of Daredevil seem to challenge themselves with new ideas while also keeping "comic legacy" in tact.

I know it's iconic, but I hope they ditch the skull shirt. Daredevil dressed like the dread pirate Roberts was way more intimidating than a dude in a red skin tight suit.

[Ack]

The next season of Daredevil apparently will feature both Bullseye and the Punisher.

Besides once punching someones face inside out with one blow, the Punisher has done little for me. Archie vs. The Punisher wasn't bad either, but besides being a violent killer he doesn't bring much to the table. In Marvel's Civil War he shows up, drops off Spider-Man, and...well that's it.

But he can bring a lot to this show as it is already gritty and has a dark sense of humor. My money is on the fact that the Punisher will be used wisely and possibly sparingly as the writers of Daredevil seem to challenge themselves with new ideas while also keeping "comic legacy" in tact.

I know it's iconic, but I hope they ditch the skull shirt. Daredevil dressed like the dread pirate Roberts was way more intimidating than a dude in a red skin tight suit.

What, not a fan of Dolph?

[Luke]

What, not a fan of Dolph?

Too much naked man ass.

The Dolph one is okay, but not much more than loud noises. It feels empty. With Frank we know he loved his family, his family was killed, and then he shoots a lot of people. He shoots stuff a lot, punches stuff, but hasn't established his character on-screen. It's nuts to believe that the man becomes a killing machine and doesn't have any inner turmoil. Robocop showed more emotion and he was a cyborg.

"Revenge" isn't enough to make a character interesting. Give Mr. Castle some depth.

[samsonlonghair]

What, not a fan of Dolph?

Too much naked man ass.

The Dolph one is okay, but not much more than loud noises. It feels empty. With Frank we know he loved his family, his family was killed, and then he shoots a lot of people. He shoots stuff a lot, punches stuff, but hasn't established his character on-screen. It's nuts to believe that the man becomes a killing machine and doesn't have any inner turmoil. Robocop showed more emotion and he was a cyborg.

"Revenge" isn't enough to make a character interesting. Give Mr. Castle some depth.

Vietnam flashbacks are good for that. It has long been established that Frank Castle fought in Vietnam. The writers will probably have to modernize this aspect though. If Castle is a Vietnam vet, that would put him in his early sixties right about now. I guess the modern equivalent puts Castle in the war in Afghanistan just like Robert Downey Junior's take on Tony Stark.

[nullPointer]

The Dolph one is okay, but not much more than loud noises. It feels empty. With Frank we know he loved his family, his family was killed, and then he shoots a lot of people. He shoots stuff a lot, punches stuff, but hasn't established his character on-screen. It's nuts to believe that the man becomes a killing machine and doesn't have any inner turmoil. Robocop showed more emotion and he was a cyborg.

"Revenge" isn't enough to make a character interesting. Give Mr. Castle some depth.

Man, this is an extremely unpopular opinion among fandom (for whatever reason), but IMO the Garth Ennis run on Punisher did more irreparable harm to the character than continuity has been able to undo in 10 years time. You can thank Ennis' story lines for turning the Punisher into a mindless meathead killing machine. Ugh. I still get hot under the collar thinking about it, but people certainly seemed to eat it up when it was current.

Done properly, The Punisher should basically play out like an underpaid, low-tech version of Batman, minus the conflicted views on morality (although granted - it's this exact inner conflict that does make Batman the more compelling character).

[Ack]

Man, this is an extremely unpopular opinion among fandom (for whatever reason), but IMO the Garth Ennis run on Punisher did more irreparable harm to the character than continuity has been able to undo in 10 years time. You can thank Ennis' story lines for turning the Punisher into a mindless meathead killing machine. Ugh. I still get hot under the collar thinking about it, but people certainly seemed to eat it up when it was current.

What Garth Ennis did is still worlds better than what Christopher Golden did with him. What Ennis did revived the character in an attempt to make him relevant again. You may argue it was unsuccessful, but the alternative was to see him disappear.

[Luke]

Man, this is an extremely unpopular opinion among fandom (for whatever reason), but IMO the Garth Ennis run on Punisher did more irreparable harm to the character than continuity has been able to undo in 10 years time.

Very unpopular indeed, but I agree with you. Most of my pals see Ennis's run as THE PUNISHER. And to each his own, but I think the art had a lot to do with it. I could be wrong, and I probably am, as I have never seen a solidified Frank Castle.

If we need to move this to the comic thread, lets.

I'm very story driven. Action is awesome, but knowing a character means much more to me. In my eyes, X-2 had a great balance of action and character development. I also think that a Punisher in his 60's is a brilliant idea. He shoots people. People who are in their 60's can certainly shoot people. Kids could also learn a thing or two about the brutality of the Vietnam struggle.

[nullPointer]

What Garth Ennis did is still worlds better than what Christopher Golden did with him. What Ennis did revived the character in an attempt to make him relevant again. You may argue it was unsuccessful, but the alternative was to see him disappear.

You're absolutely right, and that's the real clincher. The Ennis stories were totally a net win for the title, I just lament that the character had to be dumbed down in the process. OTOH I'm probably being far too generous to suggest that the character was ever really intended for a 'sophisticated audience'. I suppose in a way Ennis was just bringing old school British comics sensibilities in the vein of of say 2000 AD to an already established title. I should probably attempt to go back and reread his run at some point, as having a bit of critical distance might help me to view it differently, but at the time I found it to be quite the tough pill to swallow.

Edit:
Luke is (naturally) quite right about a slightly divergent topic. Steering the train back onto the rails:

Goddamn, last night's Game of Thrones...

EPIC

FUCKING EPIC!!!!

Winter has come......

I haven't seen this episode yet (TBH I've been saving up episodes for a binge viewing which is the only way I've ever viewed Game of Thrones), but I'm still pumped about it because members of Mastodon appear as white walker extras. Badass!