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In the latest installment of the DCEU, Zack Snyder brings Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Aquaman, and Cyborg together to take down Steppenwolf before he can bring an end to human civilization.

The general consensus of Justice League has been, “It was better than I expected” and “Not a great movie, but not terrible.” I don’t have an opinion that differs from those thoughts. While walking out of the theater, those were the exact thoughts I had. Sorry. I enjoyed Justice League much more than Batman v Superman, so that’s a plus!

This movie picks up not long after the events of BvS and it is highly evident. Black flags draped over buildings, huge newspaper headlines, in some ways, though, it was overkill for those of us that sat through the previous film. It also gave away a big moment that came later.

Snyder suggests through these visuals that the world hasn’t been the same since Superman died. While that might be true, there isn’t a good portrayal of the chaos that he wants us to believe is going on. We only see something is wrong when Batman encounters a parademon in Gotham City. Zack Snyder and Chris Terrio don’t give us a reason to care that the world is in danger, outside of this movie’s villain

Speaking of our villain, I have to say that he is biggest glaring issue with Justice League.

Sure, Steppenwolf was going to take over the world, but he didn’t really have the presence you’re looking for in a villain. I didn’t have a reason to be worried about who he was. In fact, his comic book origin is much more impressive. There should have been more of a play at bringing Darkseid into the DCEU, too. Granted, that would feel like a rip-off of Marvel bringing in Thanos, but it would have at least gotten us excited for what is planned. (And to top it off, making him a 100% CGI character was a terrible idea.)

Now that I’ve started talking about characters, it’s time to examine who we got in this movie.

Batman

The idea that Batman needed to put together a team of meta-humans seemed lost. Did Superman sacrificing himself in BvS really affect him that much? If so, it wasn’t that obvious to me. It served the general plot, but it was hollow. I happen to like Ben Affleck’s portrayal of the character, but I do have to agree with the opinion of Ben DeBono from The Sci-Fi Christian: he has nothing to do in this movie. Yes, he assembled the team and felt the need to sacrifice himself (which was not needed, period), but that was it. He was there to bring in people who were unfamiliar with the rest of the team.

Wonder Woman

I know a lot of people raved about her solo debut into the DCEU, but I wasn’t blown away. It was the best movie so far in the franchise and it did a good job introducing her while showing the strength of women. It just wasn’t a fantastic film. That said, I really do enjoy the character of Wonder Woman. For me, she’s the real glue that holds this movie’s team together. I vote she’s the leader and I really hope Gal Gadot returns to the role.

Aquaman

Aquaman is the first character in the film that we don’t get to meet beforehand. That, unfortunately, makes character development difficult. (That’s also an issue I have with the next two heroes.) While I haven’t seen Jason Momoa in much other than his stint as Khal Drogo in Game of Thrones, I did enjoy the majority of his depiction of Aquaman. The worst parts were the “surfer dude” persona that seemed to seep in every once in awhile. I’d like to see an Aquaman solo film to flesh out the character more, though.

The Flash

Obviously he was written to be the comedic relief for the movie. Unfortunately most of his lines are dropped into the trailer. That makes him less funny than he probably could be. Again, character development issues.

As much as I like Thor, the movies simply weren’t clicking for me. Then I saw the first trailer for Ragnarok.

When the first Thor film was released in 2011, I skipped it. It didn’t look interesting in the least bit. After renting it, I decided that while it wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t great. When The Dark World came out, I was much more invested in who Thor was thanks to The Avengers. (Also, he had lost those bleached eyebrows.) While that movie wasn’t great, it held an interesting place in the MCU, since it was one of the first crossovers with Agents of SHIELD.

As much as I like Thor, the movies simply weren’t clicking for me. Then I saw the first trailer for Thor: Ragnarok. I was immediately sucked back in. Bringing the Hulk in was also a bonus. Who doesn’t want to see the big green guy again? When the posters started showing up, I could feel that they were somehow going to go with a Guardians of the Galaxy feel. With colors that bright, there was no doubt in my mind. Again, points.

In the film, Thor finds himself on a mission to save Asgard and its people from Hela, Odin’s former right hand. He ends up on the planet Sakaar, where he is thrust into battle against their champion - the Incredible Hulk. The problem is, he still has to protect Asgard from their impending demise: Ragnarok.

Spoiler-Free Assessment

From the very first scene of Thor: Ragnarok, I had this inkling that this would be one of my favorite Marvel films to date. Thor’s opening monologue was a great way to refresh everyone on what was going on with him. We haven’t seen him in an MCU flick since 2015’s Age of Ultron. It also helped me make a new, more personal connection with the character. As you may know, character is what I love the most about movies. This one has a lot to love. More on that in a second.

Director Taika Waititi definitely found some tone inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s an extremely funny movie. Lots of great moments are sprinkled throughout and they’re still funny watching it a second time. The only complaint I have with it is that there are a couple of serious moments in the film where you expect a joke to come. Sure enough, they arrive. Minor complaint, I know.

The new additions to the MCU in regards to characters have made me excited to see where they’ll appear next. Let’s talk about Thor’s hodge-podge team for a bit.

I don’t know if any other reviewers think this, but I thought the re-introduction to the Hulk made him feel fresh. We haven’t seen him since Age of Ultron, either, and that was a sad departure. Here, we see a beloved warrior instead of an outcast. Hulk believes Sakaar is where he belongs. His chemistry with Thor makes this a fun buddy movie.

Loki is also brought back. Of course, he’s up to his trickster ways, but his character arc is interesting. We get to see a glimmer of hero in him. He’s also a great counterpart to Thor. Throwing the comedy element into their relationship was smart. Waititi and the writers have helped build upon what Joss Whedon started with The Avengers.

We meet Valkyrie - played by Tessa Thompson - might be a reluctant drunk, but she becomes a valuable asset to the team. She also holds her own when she’s on the screen with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Ruffalo. She never misses a beat.

Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster is… well, Jeff Goldblum. He gives the, um, ah, performance that you would, um, expect him to give. It’s droll, sarcastic, and a fun part of Thor: Ragnarok. I do have to say that I could have used less of him, though.

Skurge - Karl Urban - was one of my least favorite characters here. I like Karl Urban, but a lot of his character seemed forced in, like he had to be put in the movie because someone owed someone else a favor. We could have left him in his introductory scene and left h...

When the first Thor film was released in 2011, I skipped it. It didn’t look interesting in the least bit. After renting it, I decided that while it wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t great. When The Dark World came out, I was much more invested in who Thor was thanks to The Avengers. (Also, he had lost those bleached eyebrows.) While that movie wasn’t great, it held an interesting place in the MCU, since it was one of the first crossovers with Agents of SHIELD.

As much as I like Thor, the movies simply weren’t clicking for me. Then I saw the first trailer for Thor: Ragnarok. I was immediately sucked back in. Bringing the Hulk in was also a bonus. Who doesn’t want to see the big green guy again? When the posters started showing up, I could feel that they were somehow going to go with a Guardians of the Galaxy feel. With colors that bright, there was no doubt in my mind. Again, points.

In the film, Thor finds himself on a mission to save Asgard and its people from Hela, Odin’s former right hand. He ends up on the planet Sakaar, where he is thrust into battle against their champion - the Incredible Hulk. The problem is, he still has to protect Asgard from their impending demise: Ragnarok.

Spoiler-Free Assessment

From the very first scene of Thor: Ragnarok, I had this inkling that this would be one of my favorite Marvel films to date. Thor’s opening monologue was a great way to refresh everyone on what was going on with him. We haven’t seen him in an MCU flick since 2015’s Age of Ultron. It also helped me make a new, more personal connection with the character. As you may know, character is what I love the most about movies. This one has a lot to love. More on that in a second.

Director Taika Waititi definitely found some tone inspiration from Guardians of the Galaxy. It’s an extremely funny movie. Lots of great moments are sprinkled throughout and they’re still funny watching it a second time. The only complaint I have with it is that there are a couple of serious moments in the film where you expect a joke to come. Sure enough, they arrive. Minor complaint, I know.

The new additions to the MCU in regards to characters have made me excited to see where they’ll appear next. Let’s talk about Thor’s hodge-podge team for a bit.

I don’t know if any other reviewers think this, but I thought the re-introduction to the Hulk made him feel fresh. We haven’t seen him since Age of Ultron, either, and that was a sad departure. Here, we see a beloved warrior instead of an outcast. Hulk believes Sakaar is where he belongs. His chemistry with Thor makes this a fun buddy movie.

Loki is also brought back. Of course, he’s up to his trickster ways, but his character arc is interesting. We get to see a glimmer of hero in him. He’s also a great counterpart to Thor. Throwing the comedy element into their relationship was smart. Waititi and the writers have helped build upon what Joss Whedon started with The Avengers.

We meet Valkyrie - played by Tessa Thompson - might be a reluctant drunk, but she becomes a valuable asset to the team. She also holds her own when she’s on the screen with Chris Hemsworth, Tom Hiddleston, and Mark Ruffalo. She never misses a beat.

Jeff Goldblum’s Grandmaster is… well, Jeff Goldblum. He gives the, um, ah, performance that you would, um, expect him to give. It’s droll, sarcastic, and a fun part of Thor: Ragnarok. I do have to say that I could have used less of him, though.

Skurge - Karl Urban - was one of my least favorite characters here. I like Karl Urban, but a lot of his character seemed forced in, like he had to be put in the movie because someone owed someone else a favor. We could have left him in his introductory scene and left him there. He didn’t add anything to me.

Of course, we have to talk about Cate Blanchett, who played Hela.

What secret connection do both Batman and The Joker share with a strange and mysterious young girl? After she’s kidnapped by The Joker, Batman must plunge deep into the underworld of Gotham City and race against time to find out where she’s being held. The stakes are high, and for Batman, it’s personal!

Batman is currently dominating the DC Comics universe right now with Scott Snyder and James Tyrion VI’s DARK KNIGHTS: METAL storyline. I plan to talk about that soon, but there were a couple of other Batman titles that caught my eye: Sean Murphy’s WHITE KNIGHT and the story I want to talk about today - THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING.

As much as I love reading current comic issues, I find the task overwhelming. There are so many tie-ins and crossovers to keep up with. David and I talked about this in [Infinity of Tie-Ins], so go back and listen to that to hear more. When I saw that there would be some non-canon Batman releases, I knew I needed to track them down.

I do want to let you know that this episode does, in fact, contain spoilers for the book, so if you’re planning on reading it, be sure to pause this episode at the spoiler warning. If that doesn’t bother you, then ignore the warning.

THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING is written and drawn by Enrico Marini, an Italian artist that I’ve never heard of, but would love to see more of.

From the get-go, it’s easy to see this is a Batman/Joker story. Considering Joker has been missing for some time in the mainstream DC continuity, it’s quite a treat. So, what is the storyline here?

That’s a little hard to talk about without spoiling anything, so I’ll read the official synopsis and go from there:

What secret connection do both Batman and The Joker share with a strange and mysterious young girl? After she’s kidnapped by The Joker, Batman must plunge deep into the underworld of Gotham City and race against time to find out where she’s being held. The stakes are high, and for Batman, it’s personal!

What is intriguing about THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING right out of the gate is Enrico Marini’s artwork. For me, great art will pull you into a comic story quickly and he does a fantastic job here. He doesn’t, however, let that get in the way of the story. He takes the characters you know from Batman and makes them fresh.

For instance, when the story begins, you see the Joker. Not only do you get Marini’s visual depiction, but you also instantly get the feeling that he is much more of a gangster who likes to do some of his own dirty work. He isn’t the laughing crazy guy we’re used to seeing in recent years.

Batman is more brooding and angry here, too. I’ve seen him more as an emo character as of late, but Marini brings back the feeling of the dark detective. He brings out the more human side, which is very much needed in the storyline.

I’m finding it very hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, so let me give you my simplified review: the art is incredible and pulls you in, while the story keeps you intrigued - between seeing how Batman is handling the situation and how the Joker is using it to his own advantage. It’s a dark book without coming off depressing. There is a lot of emotion going on in the first half of this storyline. It’s a $13 hardcover book, but well worth the money. If you like Batman and Joker stories you should pick this up.

Spoilers Ahead

The main plot point in this book is that it appears Bruce Wayne fathered a child with a woman years ago. The mother filed a paternity suit for $100M in addition to public admission. Joker decides he needs to capitalize on this.

Batman is currently dominating the DC Comics universe right now with Scott Snyder and James Tyrion VI’s DARK KNIGHTS: METAL storyline. I plan to talk about that soon, but there were a couple of other Batman titles that caught my eye: Sean Murphy’s WHITE KNIGHT and the story I want to talk about today - THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING.

As much as I love reading current comic issues, I find the task overwhelming. There are so many tie-ins and crossovers to keep up with. David and I talked about this in [Infinity of Tie-Ins], so go back and listen to that to hear more. When I saw that there would be some non-canon Batman releases, I knew I needed to track them down.

I do want to let you know that this episode does, in fact, contain spoilers for the book, so if you’re planning on reading it, be sure to pause this episode at the spoiler warning. If that doesn’t bother you, then ignore the warning.

THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING is written and drawn by Enrico Marini, an Italian artist that I’ve never heard of, but would love to see more of.

From the get-go, it’s easy to see this is a Batman/Joker story. Considering Joker has been missing for some time in the mainstream DC continuity, it’s quite a treat. So, what is the storyline here?

That’s a little hard to talk about without spoiling anything, so I’ll read the official synopsis and go from there:

What secret connection do both Batman and The Joker share with a strange and mysterious young girl? After she’s kidnapped by The Joker, Batman must plunge deep into the underworld of Gotham City and race against time to find out where she’s being held. The stakes are high, and for Batman, it’s personal!

What is intriguing about THE DARK PRINCE CHARMING right out of the gate is Enrico Marini’s artwork. For me, great art will pull you into a comic story quickly and he does a fantastic job here. He doesn’t, however, let that get in the way of the story. He takes the characters you know from Batman and makes them fresh.

For instance, when the story begins, you see the Joker. Not only do you get Marini’s visual depiction, but you also instantly get the feeling that he is much more of a gangster who likes to do some of his own dirty work. He isn’t the laughing crazy guy we’re used to seeing in recent years.

Batman is more brooding and angry here, too. I’ve seen him more as an emo character as of late, but Marini brings back the feeling of the dark detective. He brings out the more human side, which is very much needed in the storyline.

I’m finding it very hard to talk about this book without spoiling anything, so let me give you my simplified review: the art is incredible and pulls you in, while the story keeps you intrigued - between seeing how Batman is handling the situation and how the Joker is using it to his own advantage. It’s a dark book without coming off depressing. There is a lot of emotion going on in the first half of this storyline. It’s a $13 hardcover book, but well worth the money. If you like Batman and Joker stories you should pick this up.

Spoilers Ahead

The main plot point in this book is that it appears Bruce Wayne fathered a child with a woman years ago. The mother filed a paternity suit for $100M in addition to public admission. Joker decides he needs to capitalize on this.

The mother shows up at Wayne Manor and confronts Bruce. He refuses to pay any money and turns them away after observing needle tracks on her arm. Later, Joker slams a semi into a car with the mother and daughter (Alina) and kidnapps the girl.

The book seems to suggest that Bruce really is the father of Alina through Alfred’s dialogue, “I’m afraid you won’t like the results.” This, of course, send Batman into a rage and onto Joker’s trail. It leads him to Arkham and then to Killer Croc’s hideout,

I've been following JR Forasteros around the internet for the last few years, impressed with his knowledge of geek culture, as well as the way he pastors his church in Rowlett, TX. When he asked me to talk about his new book, Empathy for the Devil, on the show, I absolutely had to say yes!

I've been following JR Forasteros around the internet for the last few years, impressed with his knowledge of geek culture, as well as the way he pastors his church in Rowlett, TX. When he asked me to talk about his new book, Empathy for the Devil, on the show, I absolutely had to say yes! So, in this episode, I have more of a discussion about the book than a review. (Bear with me, I was up late reading and recording.) Huge thanks goes out to JR. and InterVarsity Press for sending me a review copy.

* Book Synopsis: Do we have anything in common with the villains of the Bible?

The sins of wrath, idolatry, and abuse of power are closer to us than we think. How do we guard against them? We learn not only by following moral exemplars—we also need to look at the warnings of lives gone wrong.

In this fictionalized narrative, JR. Forasteros reintroduces us to some of the most villainous characters of Scripture. He shows us what we can learn from their negative examples, with figures such as Cain, Jezebel, King Herod, and even Satan serving as cautionary tales of sin and temptation. Forasteros vividly tells their stories to help us understand their motivations, and his astute biblical and cultural exposition points out what we often miss about their lives.

We soon discover that we might have more in common with these characters than we would like to admit. Take a fresh look at the scoundrels of Scripture, and find sound pastoral guidance here to walk the path of righteousness.

* Rating: 5/5

* Favorite Section: Satan

You can order a copy of Empathy for the Devil buy using any of these links:

* Amazon (Affiliate)

* Barnes & Noble

* EmpathyForTheDevil.com

You can check out JR.'s 12 podcasts, sign up for his weekly newsletter, Stuff You Might Like, or listen to his sermons from Catalyst Church Rowlett at JRForasteros.com

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* None for this episode

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Share Feedback

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* Subscribe to Geek This! on Apple Podcasts or Android

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Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services we have an affiliate relationship with. We may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, we won't recommend something we don't like. If you choose to make a purchase through these links, we appreciate your support of Geek This!

I've been following JR Forasteros around the internet for the last few years, impressed with his knowledge of geek culture, as well as the way he pastors his church in Rowlett, TX. When he asked me to talk about his new book, Empathy for the Devil, on the show, I absolutely had to say yes! So, in this episode, I have more of a discussion about the book than a review. (Bear with me, I was up late reading and recording.) Huge thanks goes out to JR. and InterVarsity Press for sending me a review copy.

* Book Synopsis: Do we have anything in common with the villains of the Bible?

The sins of wrath, idolatry, and abuse of power are closer to us than we think. How do we guard against them? We learn not only by following moral exemplars—we also need to look at the warnings of lives gone wrong.

In this fictionalized narrative, JR. Forasteros reintroduces us to some of the most villainous characters of Scripture. He shows us what we can learn from their negative examples, with figures such as Cain, Jezebel, King Herod, and even Satan serving as cautionary tales of sin and temptation. Forasteros vividly tells their stories to help us understand their motivations, and his astute biblical and cultural exposition points out what we often miss about their lives.

We soon discover that we might have more in common with these characters than we would like to admit. Take a fresh look at the scoundrels of Scripture, and find sound pastoral guidance here to walk the path of righteousness.

* Rating: 5/5

* Favorite Section: Satan

You can order a copy of Empathy for the Devil buy using any of these links:

* Amazon (Affiliate)

* Barnes & Noble

* EmpathyForTheDevil.com

You can check out JR.'s 12 podcasts, sign up for his weekly newsletter, Stuff You Might Like, or listen to his sermons from Catalyst Church Rowlett at JRForasteros.com

Thanks for your podcast review!

* None for this episode

Announcements

* None for this episode

Share Feedback

* Comment on the show notes

* Email [email protected] (audio files welcome)

Connect

* Subscribe to Geek This! on Apple Podcasts or Android

* Like the Facebook Page and join a community of other geeks

* Follow Dave on Twitter

Disclosure

This post may contain links to products or services we have an affiliate relationship with. We may receive compensation from your actions through such links. However, we won't recommend something we don't like. If you choose to make a purchase through these links, we appreciate your support of Geek This!