Reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale – Act 3 Scene 3 (part 1)

Posted on June 12, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! Act 3 scene 3 takes us to a new setting, a turning of the tide, and one of the bard’s most evocative speeches. 

With the drama of Hermoine’s trial over, we now pick up with Antigonus, who has charged to take Hermoine’s baby into exile in Bohemia. He arrives with a mariner, or a sailor, who has brought him here. They’ve landed on the shores of a wilderness, rather than some port city. While this isn’t the big shift in tone the play is about to have, this would be a good place for a filmed version to go big with a lush outdoor location, a chance to take a breath after the lengthy trial.

What if it was this mariner?

Antigonus and the mariner discuss how a big storm is on the horizon, and how the mariner can’t stay for long. The conversation begins with Antigonus asking “Art thou perfect” that this is Bohemia. My Folger edition states that “perfect” means certain in this context, but I wonder if this is classic Shakespeare wordplay, in that their situation is, in fact, far from perfect.

Perfect!

Antigonus sends the mariner back to his boat, saying he won’t be long. Does the mariner know what Antigonus is up to with the baby? It’s possible. He says the heavens are angry, adding the phrase “In my conscience.” Also, this is more Heaven and Hell imagery in the play. I’m envisioning a far-out fantasy version of the play where Leontes’ people are hellish demonic types and Polixenes’ people are heavenly angelic types. In this space, a storm-swept wilderness, can be a weird barrier-type setting that characters must pass through to get from world to the other. And yes, in some foreshadowing, the mariner also warns Antigonus of dangerous wildlife in the area.

Something like this.

Antigonus then goes into an excellent speech. I’m surprised this isn’t considered one of Shakespeare’s all-timers, because there’s all kinds of great stuff here for an actor to work with. He talks about spirits of the dead walking among the living. He tells the baby he saw a vision of her mother Hermoine, who instructed him where to leave the baby. In this vision, he says, Hermoine named the baby Perdita. The footnotes all agree that Perdita means “She who is lost.” Hermoine’s ghost also tells Antigonus he’ll never see his wife Paulina again.

A ghostly vision?

Antigonus’ description of the ghost is highly evocative, with her in white robes and head tilted to one side. (Does this mean Hermoine hanged herself? That could be one interpretation.) He says the ghost’s eyes are like “spouts.” None of my five books have a footnote for spouts, though I’m pretty sure we can interpret this as her tears. But in a far-out fantasy version, this could be glowing or fiery eyes.

Eyes like sprouts.

That leads to a bigger question of how the ghost is portrayed. Should we see this ghost on stage? She could appear on a balcony above Antigonus as he says this, in spooky lighting. In a filmed version, we could cut to a flashback with his voiceover, seeing ghostly Hermoine appearing in his cabin with some cool horror movie effects. We could have Hermoine say her lines from the part of this speech. On the other hand, if we see her walking and talking now, that could take away from the impact of her return at the end of the play, and instead focus on Antigonus as he speaks these powerful words.

She shrieks!

Antigonus adds more ghoulishness to the scene by saying the ghost shrieked as she melted into the air. He says he now knows that Hermoine is not only dead, but innocent according to the oracle. He places the baby on the ground with some items. The first, he says, is “thy character.” The Folger edition states that this means some letters describing where the baby came from, and that “character” used to refer to writing in general. I think this more clever wordplay, as we’ll see where Perdita goes from here. He also leaves her “this,” which the stage description says is a box. The Folger footnotes elaborate that the box contains money for when (or if?) someone finds the baby.

Bye-bye baby.

Antigonus concludes his speech with a sense of doom, saying that he is cursed, and unable to offer the baby a proper lullaby. He says he sees the heavens dim, for more Heaven/Hell imagery, and he finally says, “The chase is on.” But who’s chasing him? Why it’s… oops, ran out of time. We’ll get to the big moment next week.

Next: Let’s boo-boo.

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Fantastic Friday: Love is a battlefield

Posted on June 7, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #572 has a battle raging throughout the multiverse… and within the human heart.

In his newfound drive to solve everything, Reed has discovered the interdimensional Council of Reeds, whose science and achievements are beyond even his. Just as he’s volunteered to join them permanently, the Council’s headquarters is attacked by godlike Celestials. As this issue begins, the Celestials kill a bunch of the Reeds, saying that “this place” leads to other worlds and the Celestials are claiming it for their own.

One of the Reeds who has an Infinity Gauntlet accesses his own universe through a portal in the chest of another Reed (comic books!). This grants him the power of the Infinity Gems, localized to his own universe. This knocks back the celestials but does not defeat them. The Council’s leader gives orders to five other Reeds, including our own Reed Richards, to return to their home universes and find a solution. Reed returns to the Bridge, his portal to our universe, just as one Celestial reaches for him. Reed makes it back to Earth, severing the Celestial’s hand and bringing it with him.

Back at the new Baxter Building, Johnny and Ben take off to their vacation to Nu World (a recreation of Earth in yet another parallel universe that’s home to refugees from a disastrous alternate future). Franklin and Valeria were not invited to join them, so they stow away by riding this weird robot horse thing that’s attached to the Fantasticar.

While Reed is alone in his so-called “thinking room” with his calculations written all over the walls, Sue speaks to him through the intercom. She apologizes for their fight earlier. Not because she was wrong, she says, but because she forgets what it’s like to be him, that he sees crises to be solved that everyone else isn’t even aware of. She tells him to take all the time he needs, and she’ll still be there for him when he’s done.

Reed returns to the Council, where the Reeds manage to drive back another Celestial. Then we learn it was a new weapon invented by Reed that managed to do this. One of the leaders reports that five Celestials escaped through Bridges, chasing other Reeds to their home universes. Our Reed is asked to stay behind and take care of the wounded. One of the other Reeds wants to keep fighting, but our Reed tells him there’s more to life. The injured Reed says none of the other Reeds have wives or families, that they gave up those things to join the Council. He argues that Sue and the others will eventually lose patience with him. He says, “The cost of solving everything is everything.” Reed refuses to accept that, but the injured Reed says, “You always come back.”

Then it’s another flashback to young Reed. His father Nathaniel says he’s leaving, and he can’t where or for how long. For a final word of advice, Nathaniel says the world is an ugly place, but Reed should never compromise what’s in his heart. In the present, Reed gives an order inside his thinking room to erase, and the walls instantly go blank. He has more flashbacks to Sue and his family. He opens the door to find Sue waiting for him, as the memory of his father’s voice says, “Reed, be a better man.”

Unstable molecule: The Marvel Wiki reports that Reed officially quits his membership in the Council of Reeds this issue, but we’re not done with the Council yet.

Fade out: Why is Sue kneeling on the floor when Reed steps out of the thinking room? Are supposed to think that when she said she’d wait for him, she meant it very literally?

Clobberin’ time: Ben says it’s a one-hour flight from New York to the Nu World portal, which was last seen at the Earth Trust, near the North Pole. I’ll let you figure out the math of how fast the Fantasticar is, then.

Flame on: Johnny is looking forward to all the women of Nu World not knowing who is, so he can make a big impression. But shouldn’t they know who he is from their history?

Fantastic fifth wheel: As the flashbacks progress, Nathaniel is more like the world-weary time traveler we know him to be. This includes his distinctive facial hair.

Four and a half: Even though he’s depicted as older now, Franklin continues to be into cowboys and Western stuff, as he uses a robot horse and lassoes a ride onto the Fantasticar.

Our gal Val: Valeria brings a high-tech device with her while stowing away with the Fantasticar. She says this is “insurance.”  

Trivia time: One of the alternate universe Reeds wields the power of the Star Brand. What is this? It’s a living all-powerful bio-energy weapon that’s able to bond itself to one inhabitant of a planet to act as that world’s planetary defense system. But, like the Beyonder, the origins and purpose of the Star Brand have been re-written and retconned many times over the years. The comic series Star Brand was meant to be the flagship of Marvel’s doomed yet fascinating New Universe experiment. All the New U characters were eventually brought into the classic Marvel Universe, and the Star Brand was a big plot point in Avengers recently.

Fantastic or frightful? This storyline ends so abruptly that I wonder if it was originally meant for several issues and had to be shortened for some reason. The Celestial attack ended up not mattering, just an excuse for some action scenes. The real story of the issue is the drama between Reed and Sue, but it’s unclear whether this is meant to be a happy ending, or if we’re left to wonder what will happen next. I can see why the Council of Reeds was controversial among fans, because I’m forced to admit this issue is a frustrating read.  

Next: Out with the old…

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale – Act 3 Scene 2 (part 3)

Posted on June 5, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! The lengthy act 3 scene 2 comes to a close, with two characters facing life with new attitudes.

We’re still in the middle of Hermoine’s trial. Young Prince Mamillus has died, Hermoine has fainted and been carried off stage, and Leontes has had a sudden repentance. If that wasn’t enough, then Paulina enters the scene. Remember that she’s one of the ladies of Leontes’ court and is married to Antigonus, who will soon…. exit, pursued by a bear!!! Paulina unleashes a long list of insults at Leontes before finally revealing that Hermoine has died.

The Perils of Paulina.

Here’s a fun question: Why does Hermoine faint, only to be dragged offstage and then die minutes later? Why does she not collapse and die on stage, in front of the audience, for maximum drama? Maybe attitudes toward violence on stage had changed so Shakespeare could no longer do the big murders that he’d done in the likes of Julius Caesar and Titus Andronicus. Or, maybe, he didn’t want to dilute the impact of Hermoine’s reappearance at the end of the play.

No Ides of March for you.

Paulina makes with more foreshadowing, daring Leontes to bring Hermoine back to life. She uses the phrase “heat outwardly,” predicting Leontes’ line “She’s warm” at the end of the play. But just as Leontes had a sudden change of heart, so does Paulina. She begs forgiveness. She calls herself a fool, and she promises never to speak of Hermoine again. It’s possible that she’s being duplicitous as she says this, and that would be an interesting way for an actress to play it, but more likely she’s just wracked with change and tragedy as the rest of the characters are at this moment.  

Heating outwardly.

In his final (for now) speech, Leontes speaks very plainly. He orders that Hermoine and Mamillus be buried in a single grave, with their causes of death carved onto the tombstone. He swears that someday he will visit the grave, and “tears shed there shall be my recreation.” Again, more foreshadowing for the magical ending of the play. Note that Leontes also says, “Nature will bear up with this exercise.” This is also foreshadowing… we’ll get to that next week.

“What do you want on YOUR tombstone?”

Next: Into the woods.

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Fantastic Friday: Councilmen

Posted on May 31, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. The so-called Council of Reeds is a controversial subject among fans. In issue #571, we get to know them and learn what their deal is.

After the crises of Civil War, Secret Invasion, and Dark Reign, Reed has created a device called the Bridge, which allows him to see how his theories do and don’t work as they play out in alternate timelines. This is all in his new drive to, as he puts it, “solve everything.” Through the Bridge, Reed is contacted by a group of other Redes who tell him they can help him reach his full potential.

This issue begins with all the Reeds on another Earth, in battle against Galactus. The next morning, Reed joins the family for breakfast as they go over the guest list for Franklin’s upcoming birthday party. Sue gets Reed alone and fusses about how he’s spending so much time in his work. He says he won’t apologize for the work he does, but then he breaks down and asks her to give him one more week.

In another universe, one of the other Reeds shows off an entire planet used to grow wheat, to feed the hungry on his own Earth. He and the other Reeds encourage our Reed to think bigger, saying “Pretend there is no horizon.” Three days later, our Reed helps a wizard-like Reed fight an alt-universe Dr. Doom. Wizard Reed says the big decisions require necessary evils, and he demonstrates this by using a device to destroy Doom’s higher brain functions. This leads to an underground cavern called the Hole, where all the mind-wiped Dr. Dooms from across the multiverse are kept. Wizard Reed says he knows how Doom thinks because a small part of Dr. Doom’s DNA was spliced into his.

On day four, Reed and another alt-universe Reed grow to giant size, towering over stars and planets. They perform surgery on a star, saving the lives of 8 billion people on that universe’s Earth. Back at the Reeds’ HQ, the giant Reed asks our Reed, now that he’s seen what they have to offer, if he’s ready to join them and solve everything.

Back home, in the middle of the night, Reed can’t sleep. He has a flashback to his childhood. He’s upset because the other kids think he’s cool. He takes this as a sign that he’s different from the rest. Reed’s dad Nathaniel encourages him to use his talents to help people and change the world for the better.

On day six, Reed tells the other Reeds that he’s ready to join them. But then an alarm sounds, as invaders are breaking through the Bridge. One of the Reeds admits that people he thought were gods got into his mind and made him reveal everything the other Reeds were doing. Then we see these gods are the Celestials, who break through the bridge and attack.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: As seen in the last issue, some of the Reeds have Infinity Gauntlets, complete with all six Infinity Gems. But the gauntlets are useless outside of their universe of origin. This detail was established in the landmark JLA/Avengers miniseries, so I guess that’s canon after all.

Fade out: Reed says that despite all his great accomplishments, Sue is the subject he’s studied most of all. This is what prompts him to ask her to give him one week on this “project.” Her response to this remains ambiguous.

Clobberin’ time: Ben is only in one scene, joking about how Reed looks like he needs coffee. He then encourages Reed to make good with Sue so the whole team doesn’t suffer.

Flame on: Franklin asks Johnny if he can invite Spider-Man to the birthday party. Johnny says he, as the Human Torch, will be there instead. Franklin says he thinks Spider-Man is cooler than Johnny.  

Four and a half: Franklin’s other birthday guests include Jack and Katie Power, two his former teammates from Power Pack, and Artie and Leech, two precocious kid mutants from various X-Men comics. Franklin befriended Artie and Leech during the Daydreamers miniseries.

Our gal Val: Valeria is in only one panel, giving Reed a hug as he shows up for breakfast.

Fantastic fifth wheel: In addition to working in Reed’s lab, the H.E.R.B.I.E. robots are also at work in the kitchen, serving food and doing the dishes. Freakin’ H.E,R.B.I.E. the robot.

Trivia time: Who are the Celestials, again? Godlike beings – or gods, if you prefer – who have been around since the dawn of time, and who create and cultivate life on other planets. In the original Eternals series, they were responsible for the creation of the Earth, although I don’t know how close Marvel holds this to canon. The Celestials are often depicted standing motionless in space, lost in deep contemplation, and only jumping to action when absolutely necessary.

The family is seen eating a “Hulk Smash” breakfast cereal. There really was a Hulk cereal, made in 2003 to promote the Ang Lee movie.

Fantastic or frightful? I’m tired of the whole multiverse/alternate realities thing, and yet I’m aware that this is what Marvel Comics is now – and this won’t change any time soon. Also, once again I thought we had resolved the thing about Reed spending too much time in the lab than with his family. But we’ve got a new writer on the series now, who’s using this as a starting point for Reed’s development. I suppose we’ve reached the point in Marvel history where there’s less character growth over time, and more keeping characters at a certain consistent familiarity. Or maybe I’m wrong. We’ll see where this goes.

Next: Worlds gone mad!  

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale – Act 3 Scene 2 (part 2)

Posted on May 29, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! Here’s the second part of act 3 scene 3, the midpoint of the story, and the point of no return.

As Hermoine’s trial continues, she says whether she lives or dies is based on Leontes’ wild imagination. He seems to agree with her, saying, “Your actions are my dreams.” He describes dreaming she had a “brat” with Polixenes, and that the child was cast out. Is this the baby from act 2 scene 3, who will soon grow up to be a main character, or is all this happening in Leontes’ increased madness? It can be played either way.

On trial.

Hermoine says to spare his threats, because the “bug” that he’s using to frighten her is better than the reality of her situation. The footnote on my Folger edition says “bug” means bugbear. I thought those were made up for Dungeons and Dragons, but I guess they go back to olden days. My Pelican edition goes one step farther in its footnote, saying bugbear is another word for “boogeyman.” My Oxford edition’s glossary entry for bugbear says “terror, bogey.” In D&D, bugbears are 7-foot-tall humanoids related goblins, bred solely for the purpose of battle. If we’re staging an epic fantasy retelling of The Winter’s Tale, would it be worth it to portray a bugbear in person, somehow menacing Hermoine? I don’t think so, because it would take away the intensity of the actual bear that’s going to show up soon.

Exit, pursued by a… bugbear?

Where were we? Hermoine gives another great speech about all the things she’s lost, listing them one by one. This is another good one that a talented actress can really run with. She concludes by saying she will leave her fate to what the Oracle said. The lord character who’s been hanging around throughout the play calls for the Oracle’s messengers. Here’s where Hermoine mentions her father, the deceased Emperor of Russia, and how heartbroken he’d be to see this. This speaks to a whole other backstory for her we don’t get to see.

What if Hermoine pulled an Anastasia to become queen.

An officer shows up with Dion and Cleomenes, the two messengers from the oracle. There’s another “swear by the sword” moment, though I imagine this one would have to be less dramatic than the one from earlier. In a low-budget staging of the play, the lord and the officer can easily be combined into one character. The two guys read the message from the oracle, which states Hermoine is chaste, Leontes is a jealous tyrant, and “the King shall live without an heir until that if that which is lost be not found.” If we’re going to have the oracle appear in person, this would be the part to do it. On stage, she can pop up on the balcony under a spotlight, as if stating these words as an apparition projected from far away. In a film, we could cut to a flashback of her saying this to the two messengers.

And maybe Pythia can look like the DC Comics version.

Leontes confirms that the message was read correctly, and then he says, “There is no truth at all” and “This is a mere falsehood.” When staged, I imagine there should be a long pause before he says this, as if he’s considering the oracle’s words while everyone else waits breathlessly to see how he will respond. The film version can do a slow and quiet push in on the actor’s face before he says these lines. Everyone else on stage can react with fear.

The madness of the king!

Then there’s more drama, and it happens fast. A servant rushes in to report that Mamillus, Leontes and Hermoine’s beloved son from the start of play, had died! Hermoine faints and taken off stage. Leontes has an immediate change of heart, thinking this is the god Apollo seeking revenge for denying the oracle, and for his treatment of his wife overall. (Remember that the Oracle of Delphi represents the Temple of Apollo.) The timing of this would indicate that if it’s not the gods, it’s at least fate that has brought about the boy’s death.

Leontes wouldn’t want to anger these guys.

This is still all happening during the trial. Leontes then admits all his plots in front of the lord and officers, including the plot to murder Polixenes and then Antigonus’ reasons for leaving. He pleads for innocence for them both. Leontes’ change of heart happens so fast. How do you stage and perform this? The actor would have to have a true breakdown at this point. On the other hand, The Winter’s Tale is categorized under Shakespeare’s comedies, so this could be done to make Leontes look buffoonish. Or, in a film version, we could do some edits to show the passage of time, and then set the rest of this scene in a new location, visually illustrating Leontes’ change of mind.

All the drama.

But the scene’s not over yet, with even more drama to come. We’ll get to that… next time.

Next: Pawn takes queen.

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Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Fantastic Friday: Hicksville

Posted on May 24, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Issue #570 has a new writer and artist, and yet another far-out new concept for us to wrap our heads around.

This is the first issue of Fantastic Four for writer Jonathan Hickman, one of the biggest stars of modern Marvel. Hickman writes big, sprawling epics that influence Marvel continuity in huge ways. This includes the 2015 Secret Wars, which took over the entire Marvel line for a bit, and the years-long Krakoa storyline in all the X-Men books, which just recently wrapped up. Artist Dale Eaglesham has worked in comics steadily since the 80s. He’s best known for DC’s Villains United, and Justice Society of America.

We begin with a flashback to young Reed and his dad, where his dad encourages him to make a big jump from a treehouse, saying Reed will never know the outcome if he doesn’t try. Cut to the present, where the FF is in the middle of a battle against a giant robot who says it has been programmed for one purpose – to destroy the Fantastic Four. They defeat the robot, and Reed deduces that it was piloted clones of the Wizard. In his base, the Wizard makes speeches about “the failure of creation” and fathers being disappointed in their sons.

Reed uses a teleporter to follow the Wizard’s signal to his HQ. They have a brief debate about playing God with science, all while the Wizard is surrounded by his clones in the form of infants and young boys. Reed apprehends the Wizard. Cut to later, when Reed is telling the story of this to Franklin and Valeria before bedtime. Franklin asks what happened to the little boy clone, and Reed says people are at work finding him a new home. Franklin drifts off to sleep asking if Reed will help the boy.

Johnny offers Ben a gift of a vacation, to get Ben’s mind off his recent breakup with Debbie Green. The vacation is he and Johnny spending three days in Nu World. You’ll remember this an artificial Earth constructed in a parallel reality that is now home to refugees from an alternate dystopian future. (Comics!) Reed and Sue worry about Valeria getting smarter and smarter. Reed flashes back to his conversation with the Wizard, who says he’s made the same calculations Reed has, and he’s seen that a world-ending disaster is imminent. Reed tells Sue there’s some things he needs to deal with.

Reed goes to his private thinking room, the one with the writing all over the walls that we’ve seen off and on since Civil War. Reed reflects on the Bridge, his device that shows how events played out in other universes. And he muses on his 100 ideas for improving the world, with “Solve everything” being idea number 101. He goes into yet another secret room, where the Bridge is once again functioning and operational.

Reed activates the Bridge, which is more like a Stargate-ish portal, and three mysterious figures appear. Reed asks them, “How do I solve everything?” The figures step through the bride, and it’s three alternate versions of Reed. One is wearing some futuristic armor, and the other two have Sue and Johnny’s powers. The armored one tells Reed, “There’s something you need to see.”

The other Reeds take our Reed to a large building floating in space, that they describe as a construct, described as a construct inside a fabricated pocket of reality. They go inside to see the building with all kinds of alternate reality versions of Reed. The Reeds are working on stopping a Galactus attack on another world. Then three more Reeds show up, each one wielding an Infinity Gauntlet with all six Infinity Gems each. They say they’re the ones who built this place, and it’s time for our Reed to reach his full potential.

To be continued!

Unstable molecule: For unknown reasons, artist Dale Eaglesham has drawn Reed incredibly muscular and wide-shouldered. Perhaps this is so we don’t lose sight of him when he’s surrounded by other Reeds.

Fade out: Reed warns Sue that Valeria will someday be even smarter than Reed is, and this is of great concern to Sue.

Clobberin’ time/Flame on: Johnny’s game for Ben is to pick a vacation from one of three sealed envelopes. After he makes his choice, Ben opens to other two envelopes to reveal they’re all the same.

Fantastic fifth wheel: One of the H.E.R.B.I.E. robots can be seen working on the Bridge. Freakin’ H.E.R.B.I.E. the robot.

Four and a half: Franklin and Valeria waited out the robot battle inside an interdimensional panic room in the top floors of the building. (Is everything going to be alternate dimensions/realities/universes in this comic from now on?)

Our gal Val: Valeria gives her age as three years old in this issue, though she’s drawn almost the same height as Franklin.

Trivia time: The Marvel Wiki has the complete list of all the alternate Reeds, if you want to be bothered. Some of them have names like “long-haired Reed” or “cape-wearing Reed” so I don’t think a lot of these new characters will last long.

Fantastic or frightful? Instead of a fresh new start with a new creative team, writer Hickman is picking up where previous writers left off, taking the Bridge concept from Dark Reign and taking it to its next step. I know this business with all the different Reeds is controversial among fans, but as of this issue I’m interested in seeing where it’s going.

Next: Councilmen.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale – Act 3 Scene 2 (part 1)

Posted on May 23, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! In Act 3 Scene 2, we head to the courthouse for Law and Order: Shakespeare Unit.

Here’s the first third of another monstrously long scene. It’s Hermoine’s trial. We begin with lots of lawyer show stuff. Leontes gives a speech where he says this will clear him of “being tyrannous.” There’s a bit of interesting wordplay where he says there will be either guilt or “purgation.” My Folger edition states that purgation means acquittal, yet we the audience can’t help but think of it as religious analogy. Leontes thinks there’s only Hell or Purgatory, but Heaven – or, in this case, innocence – is not an option.

Very Shakespearian!

An officer reads the charges against Hermoine. In addition to adultery, she’s now also charged with conspiracy to murder Leontes. Did I miss this detail earlier, or is this Leontes going harder and harder in his attacks on his wife? Another charge is her conspiring to sneak away in the night. I imagine accusations like this one go hand in hand with accusations of adultery. Hermoine gives a lengthy speech, with lots of great stuff for an actress to work with. She pleads not guilty, while also stating that she doesn’t think that would help much. Then she says if “powers divine” were to see this trial, they would blush. Once again, I imagine a far-out epic fantasy version of the play where Leontes and company are hellish demons and the Bohemians as angelic beings. That would certainly add weight to these lines.

Very, VERY Shakespearian!

Hermoine makes the case for her innocence, saying her faithfulness was as great as her misery is now. She describes herself as daughter of a great king. A line later in this scene will state this was the king of Russia. My surface-level googling hasn’t brought up any good info on who her dad was. I’ll just bet that can be found in Asimov’s Guide to Shakespeare, which is all about comparing the plays to the real-life history they’re based on, but an affordable copy of that book has long eluded me.

Someday, I will have my own copy.

Leontes dismisses Hermoine’s words, so she continues. She says she loved Polixenes only as her honor or duty required it. If we’re to stage the play as if there really is something between her and Polixenes, these lines could be played with heavy double meaning. If we’re staging it if she’s truly innocent, these lines would be an opportunity for Leontes to get even more unhinged as he misunderstands what she’s saying.

Law and Order never did a Shakespeare-themed episode? This pic was the closest I could find.

Hermoine says a powerful line with “My life stands in the level of your dreams.” The Folger edition states that “level” in this context could mean a firing line. She’s saying that whether she lives or dies depends only on what he’s imagined, rather than what’s real. If there are extras on stage playing guards, perhaps Hermoine could place herself in front of their weapons at this point, to illustrate this visually for the audience.

But maybe not this.

That’s the first third of this scene. The next part will be… next time.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Fantastic Friday: Back in quarantine

Posted on May 17, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Between issues #569 and #570, Marvel published this one-shot, the Fantastic Four Cosmic-Size Special. But it might not be as cosmic as you’d think.

We begin with a few pages of action as Reed and Ben are in a pocket universe battling alien carnivorous plants. They escape after Reed collects a sample. Back at the new Baxter Building, Reed and child genius Valeria debate about whether the alien plant can be grown on Earth to supplant the dwindling rainforests. We also learn Valeria’s birthday is coming up. Outside, Ben also has one of the alien plants. He wants to give it to Valeria as her birthday present, under the logic of “girls like flowers.”

Johnny is on his way to a date when a force field stops him. The building’s computer tells him it’s a level 5 lockdown. Turn the page and we see that Reed has put the entire building under a force field quarantine. Although everyone feels fine, Reed says he and Ben brought an airborne virus back with them from the pocket dimension. Reed says the effects should be minimal and run its course over 48 hours.

Everyone jokes about this will be easy, but cut to later and the arguments begin. Reed argues about how he’s come to the rescue more often then Ben, Sue says she’s been kept out of the loop again, Ben says he’s sick of Reed’s know-it-all attitude, and Johnny chides the others for not having a life other than superhero-ing. Things get worse when Reed cuts off communications to make improvements to the building’s IT infrastructure.

Sue uses a sandblaster to give Ben a bath (!), and Johnny loses control of his fire powers while playing a video game with the kids. Then there’s a tense moment where Reed finds the birthday present flower Ben brought back. Reed says the flower is incredibly dangerous and he destroys it, chiding Ben for his foolishness. Ben had been using incense to hide the flower’s smell. This leads to more arguing among the four heroes.

Ben tells Valeria she won’t get a birthday present from him this year, and Johnny covers Ben with flower petals, saying Ben still stinks like the alien plants. Ben chases Johnny throughout the building. Sue practices using her force fields against Reed, only to reveal that it’s not Reed but a life model decoy of him that the FF happen to own. Valeria suspects something is up, so she and Franklin spy on everyone with the building’s security cams. They spot all four of the FF accessing the high-tech weapons stash, unlocking a lock so advanced that Valeria can’t yet crack it. We see more bickering among the FF, with their arguing turning to threats of violence. Valeria and Franklin get a micro-camera inside the weapons room, where they find the alien flower that Reed destroyed earlier, still alive and well. The flower is intelligent, and making the FF see whatever it wants them to see.

Valeria contacts everyone over the building’s PA system and says she’s taking over the FF. She goes into full supervillain mode, tying up Franklin and saying he’s the biggest threat in the family. She acquires a Kree omni-wave cannon from the weapons room and threatens to use it on Franklin. This inspires the FF to attack. Sue destroys the cannon, while Ben and Johnny bust into the weapons room. Johnny blasts the entire room with flame, destroying the flower for real this time.

Everyone gets back to normal, as Valeria and Franklin say it was all an act to get to the FF to attack. She had refitted the cannon with harmless light rays. Reed apologizes to Sue, telling her she’s always been his equal. (We don’t see him apologize to Ben, sadly.) The quarantine is over, and the whole family takes off in the Fantasticar for Valeria’s birthday dinner. Reed says they’re going to yet another mysterious, unexplored dimension… New Jersey.

But wait, there’s more! A big selling point for this special was a newly recolored reprint of issue #237, where writer-artist John Byrne introduced the iconic Marvel villain Spinerette. It’s always a delight to revisit the Byrne years, and the new colors are certainly bright and vibrant. I wonder why this issue with this minor character, though. Was this to test out some new coloring process? Did Marvel need to retain a copyright on Spinerette? Did the comic need to be double-sized for printing and/or post office reasons? We may never know.

What’s all this, then? The cover calls this comic Cosmic-Size Fantastic Four, but the inside front page calls it the Fantastic Four Cosmic-Size Special. The Marvel Wiki prefers the latter.

Unstable molecule: Life model decoys are a big deal in various S.H.I.E.L.D. comics, where you can never be sure who is real and who is an LMD. The Marvel Wiki states that this is the only appearance of Reed’s LMD, with no explanation of how or where he got it.

Fade out: We get a long-winded explanation of how Sue’s force fields work. They are psionic in nature, manipulating ambient energy and light waves into fields of various sizes and strengths. I’m assuming the “ambient energy” is the energy Sue got from the cosmic rays.

Clobberin’ time: There’s also a bunch of sci-fi speak about Ben’s rocky skin. He has a “calcified dermis” lined with tiny flaws. The initial virus came through inside a “micro-fissure” on Ben, which allowed the virus to penetrate his bloodstream.

Flame on: We don’t know who Johnny’s date was with. I’ll assume this romance didn’t last.

Four and a half: Franklin helped save the day by writing all of Valeria’s supervillain dialogue for her.

Our gal Val: Valeria states that Franklin still has his reality-bending mutant powers, just that they’re dormant. Or maybe she just said that to mess with the FF.

Trivia time: This special had a very small footprint on Marvel continuity. The alien flower, the Kree weapon, and the LMD were never seen before or after this.

Fantastic or frightful? It’s a pretty funny joke that this is a “Cosmic-Size Special” and yet the characters don’t leave their house the whole time. Beyond that, it’s a fun throwback to the old days of the FF’s funny bickering, but there’s not much more here.

Next: Hicksville.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Fantastic Friday: Now there’s a Wynch

Posted on May 10, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Reading the Fantastic Four comics from the start. Writer Mark Millar’s dark and violent Marquis of Death storyline comes to a dark and violent ending in issue #569.

Gimmie a gimmick: This issue has a wraparound cover, a single image with Johnny and Ben on the front half, and Sue and Reed on the back.

Dr. Doom’s long-lost mentor the Marquis of Death has arrived after wreaking havoc across the multiverse. He dispatched with Doom by taking him back in time and feeding him to a dinosaur. Then he decided to meddle with the FF in various ways, ultimately summoning a bunch of other Fantastic Fours from other realities to attack the new Baxter Building.

This issue starts with some business where the rest of the FF think Reed is one of the alternates, as he’s just been teleported in from his experience with the Marquis. After the team sorts out that it’s the real him, the Marquis reappears. He explains that he gave the other FFs a choice, to destroy this FF or see their own worlds destroyed. Ben and Reed compare notes, that the Marquis is actually Clyde Wyncham, a man from yet another alternate universe with reality-bending powers. Reed says he could have killed Wyncham in the past, but refused to do so. Ben questions his own personal code, saying he can take the FF’s pogo plane to area 87, where this timeline’s Wyncham is being kept. Reed lets Ben go, while Sue, Johnny, and child genius Valeria shore up the building’s defenses. Valeria suggests using an energy-draining device, and old invention of Reed’s, and he tells her she’s not thinking big enough.

Ben arrives in the desert outside area 87. He says this will be more like euthanasia than homicide. The Marquis’ unnamed apprentice appears and attacks Ben. Ben punches him out with a classic “It’s clobberin’ time!” Ben enters area 87 and finds present-day Wyncham, still attached to the device mind/energy draining device where he ended up after the Marvel 1985 miniseries. Ben muses that it’s not very heroic to kill the bad guy before he becomes the bad guy, and then says, “I never been the hero type.” Back at the Baxter Building, Reed is overwhelmed by the alternate universe Reeds, only for them to get knocked out by a series of explosions. Ben and a revived Wyncham teleport into the building. He says there’s been a chance of plans, and that the comic-reading Wyncham is a big FF fan. The Marquis reappears again, saying that Wyncham now is nothing compared to what the Marquis will become in the future.

Time for everything to get all cosmic and psychedelic as Wyncham and the Marquis facing off. First they summon a bunch of Marvel heroes and villains, and then they summon some of Marvel’s godlike beings. Then they all fight. Whether this is actually happening, or if it’s all in their heads, or if it’s on some otherworldly plane of existence. The Marquis wins the fight, even though it drains him of some of his power. He boasts that he still has enough to defeat the FF, but then Reed says he uses his power-draining device to gain the powers of all the alt-universe FFs. He and his teammates now have the power of thousands of FFs, but their bodies can’t handle it. Reed says they only have twenty-three seconds before their hearts explode.

The clock ticks down as the FF use their new powers to pummel the Marquis. At fourteen seconds, Reed tells Johnny to burn at a temperature of ten to the thirty-second power, which he says is the temperature where time and space break down. The Marquis says this will rupture the entire multiverse, and Reed says, “You picked the wrong Fantastic Four this time.” Johnny unleashes the blast right at twenty-three seconds. The FF survive, and the Marquis is reduced to a weakened, skeleton form.

Then the Marquis’ apprentice appears (everybody’s just teleporting all over the place in this issue). He takes Dr. Doom’s mask back from the Marquis, and says he let Ben defeat him back in Area 87 to avoid suspicion. The apprentice punches out the Marquis, puts on the mask, removes his hood, and reveals he’s been the original Dr. Doom all along! He explains that he survived being in prehistoric times and lived throughout the centuries by mastering heretofore unknown mystical powers. He transformed every molecule in his body (!) so that his old teacher would not recognize him. He became the Marquis’ new apprentice, and bided his time until this moment, when he could take revenge and return to power.

The Marquis revives, and he finally says he’s proud of Doom. Responds by saying “Silence.” He then burns up the Marquis’ body. Ben and Johnny are ready for a fight, but Doom says his rivalry with the FF is over, and they are no longer of consequence to him. But then he says they will die if they cross him again.

But there’s more drama to deal with. It’s wedding day for Ben and Debbie Green. Except Ben is running late. No one can find him, and Reed is concerned. The FF wonder if supervillains are to blame, but Debbie sneaks away and finds Ben drinking at a nearby pub. She tells him that she knows the FF live dangerous lives, and she’s okay with that. He says, “I can’t do it to ya, Debs.” He reminisces about all the other superheroes who have lost their loved ones. The wedding party finds them at the pub, only for Ben to tell them all that he and Debbie are splitting. Everyone commiserates for a bit, and Sue and Debbie part with a hug. Reed and Johnny join Ben inside for another drink, with Reed saying, “I’m buying.”

Unstable molecule: All the Reeds from other universes monologue while attacking our Reed, who wonders if he sounds like that when he fights.

Fade out: Sue turns Debbie invisible to sneak her past the paparazzi at the wedding. She promises Debbie that they’ll always be friends.

Clobberin’ time: Despite threatening messages on the FF’s answering machine, Reed says all the superheroes have Ben’s back. We’re not told what villains are leaving messages, but one of them mentions owning a python.

Flame on: Johnny’s ‘roided up supernova flame is described as “planck temperature,” which is the opposite of absolute zero. I’ll take their word for it.

Fantastic fifth wheel: She-Hulk and Storm are seen in the Wyncham/Marquis cosmic battle. She-Hulk and Luke Cage are both guests at the wedding.

Our gal Val: We’re not told what the energy-draining device is that Valeria and Reed come up with, except that it has a history. My guess is that it’s from Fantastic Four #57-60. The power-stealing device from that story was never named. The Marvel Wiki has designated it “the power cosmic infusing machine.”

Trivia time: Does this issue mean that from now on, Dr. Doom is an immortal who’s been around since dinosaur times, and who has godlike arcane powers? Not so much. An Avengers story shortly after this would do a retcon, establishing that Dr. Doom actually time traveled to the future just after surviving the dinosaur, and then become the apprentice.

The comic doesn’t say if Wyncham is dead or merely knocked out. This is the final appearance of Wyncham and/or the Marquis of Death, so Wyncham’s fate remains unknown. This is also the final appearance of Debbie Green.

The FF’s old mailman Willie Lumpkin is at the wedding, with a pretty brunette girl sitting next to him. Could this be his niece Billie? She was the mail carrier during the team’s Pier 4 era (era), and there were unresolved hints that something sci-fi was going on with her. If that is her, it’s nice to know Marvel hasn’t forgotten her.

Fantastic or frightful? The idea of superheroes who’ve sworn never to kill has led to lots of great drama over the years, mostly with Batman, but also with goody-goodies like Superman and Spider-Man, when the go into a dark place and are pushed to the edge. I don’t know if this trope can be applied to Fantastic Four, however. Only a few panels are given to Reed and Ben wrestling with the morality of this, and it’s not really resolved. The better version of this would have Ben driven to the edge of killing Wyncham, and that being the catalyst for him calling off the wedding. That, plus the team being powered up for only a few seconds at risk of their own lives has little consequence. It just works, and that’s it? The story is more interested in the reveal of Dr. Doom as the apprentice, and it seems like everything else is hurried to get to that point and then wrap things up. In the end, the whole Marquis of Death story might be ambitious and provocative, but it just doesn’t work.

Next: Back under quarantine.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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Reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale – Act 3 Scene 1

Posted on May 8, 2024 by Mac McEntire

Re-reading Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale! In Act 3 Scene 1, and we’re all about the Oracle of Delphi. Who was that, again?

Delphi today. What really happened here?

In previous scenes, King Leontes sent two men, Cleomenes and Dion, to visit the Oracle of Delphi and ask about Queen Hermoine’s true intentions. In this scene, the two guys get their moment. They reminisce about their experience of visiting Delphi and seeing the oracle in person. They describe the idyllic island, and the fine dress of the oracle’s attendants, called “grave wearers.” They describe the oracle as having an “ear-deafening” voice, comparing it to the thunder of the gods. Then they say how hopeful they are that this information can help the queen, and they go on their way. Short scene.

Would you trust this oracle?

Why are we only hearing about meeting the oracle after the fact and not seeing it played out on stage? This could have been a big, show-offy scene like the “boil and trouble” scene with the witches from the Scottish Play, or the scene with Margery Jourdain and the spirit from Henry VI Part II. Perhaps there was a desire to keep the story moving, as the dramatics between Leontes and Hermoine are more important. Or it could be a question of resources, with space concerns or a limited number of actors. We can only speculate.

On the high seat.

Just who is this oracle, anyway? There is so much online about the Oracle of Delphi, also known as Pythia, that it’s overwhelming. I could spend year or more reading all this stuff. Also, the overlap of myth, classic literature, and actual history has a huge overlap, so I’m finding it difficult to sort out what’s real and what isn’t. The gist of it is that visitors, many of whom were powerful and important, traveled to the temple of Apollo in Delphi to ask advice from Pythia, who answered in future-telling prophecy.

There’s also a lot written about Pythia being associated with snakes.

By most accounts, there was more than one oracle over the years, each one taking the name Pythia upon getting the job. Apparently, there are some early stories where Pythia is a male goat-herder (!) wandering about the fields. But for the most part, Pythia is described as a virginal young woman. This version of Pythia is described as sitting on a high chair, sometimes strapped or even chained to the chair, as magical mists or clouds surround them, giving her the gift of prophecy.

There was even a Pythian Games, similar to the Olympic Games. I’m sure they looked just like this.

If the trope of the ambiguous prophecy did not originate with Pythia, she certainly helped popularize it. One story I’ve seen repeated many times is the Emperor Croesus asking Pythia for guidance. She told him if he marched his armies into Persia, it would be the downfall of a great nation. Croesus attacked Persia, believing victory was his, only for the great nation to be his own.

That’s our Babs.

These are cool stories, but how much of this is real? A common explanation is that these girls were exposed to natural gases on the island of Delphi, such as methane or ethylene, which put them into a hallucinogenic state, after which their visions would be interpreted as prophecy. Others speculate that the girls were given hallucinogenic plants that grow on the island, for similar effect. These stories, however, have been disputed by a huge number of historians and archeologists. The debates are endless.

And I’ve been listening to this band all week. They ROCK!

Who were these girls who served as Pythia? One article I read suggests they were daughters of nearby villagers given to the temple as tribute. But who were her handlers, the ones responsible for interpreting her prophecies? This would seem to be something of an unknown, at least based on my reading over the past week. It just goes to show that the study of history is not complete, and there’s still a lot of unknowns out there just waiting to be discovered. 

Next: Trial and error.

* * * *

Want more? Check out my ongoing serial, THE SUBTERKNIGHTS, on Kindle Vella. A man searches for his missing sister in a sprawling city full of far-out tech, strange creatures, and secret magic. It’s a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid full of action, romance, mystery, and laughs. The first ten episodes are FREE! Click here for a list of all my books and serials.

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