"Come on, man- this is my wanking hand!"
So this is it, almost: the penultimate episode. After Thursday next week (the '20s!) I'll have that day of the week back. It will no longer have been hijacked by this addictive little web series that has had me so thoroughly hooked.
These last two episodes are back to the original plot thread with the Baroness and Falsworth Manor, and this episode is pretty much here to set up the finale. There's the usual wit, the usual excellence in incidental music from Tasha Fights Tigers- using a guitar sound from the general lineage of post-punk (with a bit of QOTSA in there? Perhaps the Wildhearts? The Libertines?) , the usual fight scene peppered with much amusing dialogue, as all fights scenes should be. But intriguing things are being set up, too- Joe and Romany are skint, having quit their jobs yet still trying to stop the Baroness. Early on they get approached by a chastened Gavin, who has also quit MI5 after the horrors of last week. He is hoping they'll join his "Invaders Initiative", an obvious reference both to the WWII-set Roy Thomas title from the '70s and to the post-credits sequence of Iron Man. Set-up for a second season? I hope so. Marvel, kindly make this series official and throw lots of money at Mark Garvey and co for another one. Understood? Good.
We conclude, after a showdown between Joe and Grausum in which our Joey wins against the odds by fighting dirty, with our heroic couple ensconced, alone, in Fasworth Manor, awaiting either glory or certain death. I'll be there next week, when the Chrimbo Limbo will be over and days of the week will exist again.
Showing posts with label Tom Gillson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tom Gillson. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 December 2019
Friday, 15 November 2019
Union Jack: Fate
"I've got a Pomeranian."
"I don't know what that is."
Another episode, another disclaimer at the start, and more of the rather well-crafted superhero sitcom with likeable characters that we’ve come to know and love. A lot happens, too; the Baroness gets to drink some blood at a mysterious pre-dawn ceremony and continues to be a rather cool fourth wall-breaking baddie, Ken tragically turns to dust as the sun rises in a flash of rather impressive visual effects, and there are a lot of those rather amusing combat sequences with lots of top comedy banter from our lad Joe. I also need to mention the music from Tasha Fights Tigers, whoever they are- they’re really rather good.
I like the little comedy scene introducing us to Edith, with some nice bits of dialogue including a line asking Joe if, as Union Jack, he might be a little bit of a right wing nationalist as you’d probably assume. There’s a bit of an implicit acknowledgement that Joe is supposed to be from Manchester but has never, either here or in the old Marvel issues I happen to have read, sounded remotely northern. And we have Joe’s boss Gavin turning up to save the day, proving himself to be more than just a git.
But the Baroness has won and... could she be pregnant? That’s this first arc seemingly over, then, but I’m sure we’ll see more of the Baroness.
Splendid stuff, and it’s here: https://youtu.be/7sL5wnnTbjI
"I don't know what that is."
Another episode, another disclaimer at the start, and more of the rather well-crafted superhero sitcom with likeable characters that we’ve come to know and love. A lot happens, too; the Baroness gets to drink some blood at a mysterious pre-dawn ceremony and continues to be a rather cool fourth wall-breaking baddie, Ken tragically turns to dust as the sun rises in a flash of rather impressive visual effects, and there are a lot of those rather amusing combat sequences with lots of top comedy banter from our lad Joe. I also need to mention the music from Tasha Fights Tigers, whoever they are- they’re really rather good.
I like the little comedy scene introducing us to Edith, with some nice bits of dialogue including a line asking Joe if, as Union Jack, he might be a little bit of a right wing nationalist as you’d probably assume. There’s a bit of an implicit acknowledgement that Joe is supposed to be from Manchester but has never, either here or in the old Marvel issues I happen to have read, sounded remotely northern. And we have Joe’s boss Gavin turning up to save the day, proving himself to be more than just a git.
But the Baroness has won and... could she be pregnant? That’s this first arc seemingly over, then, but I’m sure we’ll see more of the Baroness.
Splendid stuff, and it’s here: https://youtu.be/7sL5wnnTbjI
Thursday, 31 October 2019
Union Jack: Tradition
“So... Captain Britain!”
This is a web series made by fans, and it’s on YouTube here. It’s completely unofficial and, rather winningly, starts with the plea for Marvel not to sue them. Let’s hope they’re not such big meanies as to do that, because I rather enjoyed this.
So, Union Jack. I have no idea whether this is based on a limited series or something as I stopped reading current comics in the mid-‘90s, as the siren call of beer and heavy guitar riffs distracted me. But I remember the Roger Stern stuff in Captain America back in the '80s, as well as a rather embarrassing story in Marvel Comics Presents, but that's it. So I'm coming in relatively cold.
And you know what? This may be low budget, it may have no stars, but it's really rather awesome. It's much swearier than any official version would be, which is a good thing, but it does exactly the right thing and relies on character, dialogue and humour, from the first scene. This is a very British sitcom, with characters you care about and very real dialogue. The set-up is delicious too, with Sam O'Hara Childs' laddish but likeable Joseph Chapman teamed up with his girlfriend Romany as the brains, while Rachel Cuthill gives us an equally genre-savvy Baroness Blood who likes to celebrate the fruition of her dastardly schemes with a "cheeky Nando's". There's lots and lots of violence done to the fourth wall here, which is exactly how I like it. It all feels a bit like a British Joss Whedon series in the best possible way. For a Halloween event this is much, much better than sodding Brexit.
For a first episode with lots to do this does a superb job of fitting lots of necessary exposition and set-up into just thirty-minutes while also hooking you in. I'll be watching next week.
This is a web series made by fans, and it’s on YouTube here. It’s completely unofficial and, rather winningly, starts with the plea for Marvel not to sue them. Let’s hope they’re not such big meanies as to do that, because I rather enjoyed this.
So, Union Jack. I have no idea whether this is based on a limited series or something as I stopped reading current comics in the mid-‘90s, as the siren call of beer and heavy guitar riffs distracted me. But I remember the Roger Stern stuff in Captain America back in the '80s, as well as a rather embarrassing story in Marvel Comics Presents, but that's it. So I'm coming in relatively cold.
And you know what? This may be low budget, it may have no stars, but it's really rather awesome. It's much swearier than any official version would be, which is a good thing, but it does exactly the right thing and relies on character, dialogue and humour, from the first scene. This is a very British sitcom, with characters you care about and very real dialogue. The set-up is delicious too, with Sam O'Hara Childs' laddish but likeable Joseph Chapman teamed up with his girlfriend Romany as the brains, while Rachel Cuthill gives us an equally genre-savvy Baroness Blood who likes to celebrate the fruition of her dastardly schemes with a "cheeky Nando's". There's lots and lots of violence done to the fourth wall here, which is exactly how I like it. It all feels a bit like a British Joss Whedon series in the best possible way. For a Halloween event this is much, much better than sodding Brexit.
For a first episode with lots to do this does a superb job of fitting lots of necessary exposition and set-up into just thirty-minutes while also hooking you in. I'll be watching next week.
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