Geeking out about higher ed since 2013.
Civil War is an embarrassment of riches, as this third outing for Captain America features a bunch of other superheroes, as well as the introduction of Spider-Man and Black Panther to the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).
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Here's what I'm geeking out about this week:
I recently saved this article that highlights some great Batman & Superman episodes from their own respective animated series as well as the Justice League animated series. I hadn't really watched any of these series growing up. I was more into the Spider-Man and X-Men animated series of the '90s and other random shows of my youth. They now exist on various streaming platforms, and they held up to the test of time, so I figured I'd check out some choice episodes. I haven't watched everything from this list yet, but what I have watched has been good and inspires me to check out more of these series in the future.
I have been anticipating this movie for a while. In the shadow of Deadpool and Batman V Superman, Civil War looks to be a standout comic book movie that handles a lot of characters as well as important themes well, a unique spot that sets it apart from these two movies. Deadpool was great because it was a smaller scale movie, and BvS had a lot of its own problems to deal with, so it read this post if you want to go there. Anyway, Civil War has been getting awesome early reviews, and I'll be sure to share my full thoughts about it after I see it this weekend with my brother to help celebrate his birthday. #TeamCap
I am moving down to Maryland this weekend for my new job, which I am very excited about! I'll be getting my first apartment, living with my partner, building our life together, and all of this is taking place while I start a new job at an awesome new company and live in a cool area neighboring two great cities. I'm looking forward to getting settled in and exploring my community. I know it is going to be a bit stressful getting to that point, but I know it will be worth it. I'm hoping this move and period of newness won't interrupt the regularly scheduled programming here on the blog and elsewhere. I'm going to do my best to plan ahead and have stuff scheduled to go out ahead of time. Wish me and my partner luck as we make this big move!
Here is what I am geeking out about this week:
So many of you may have already heard through social media, but I proposed to my partner, Jenn, during our trip away (more details on that below). She said yes and we are very excited to start our lives together. We've been together for over two and a half years, and as she graduates and we job search together, I felt inspired to let her know how I felt about her and our future. I was really nervous in the moment when I asked her and forgot a lot of the things I wanted to say, but I eventually got out of my head and laid it all out to her. We're so pleased with everyone's joy about our engagement, and it was nice to hear from so many people from our lives congratulating us and wishing us well. Now, onto figuring out wedding plans!
I had a great time over the past few days with my partner taking our road trip around New England. We stopped at Portland, ME, Portsmouth, NH, and Burlington, VT. We ate good food, visited some breweries, saw five new college campuses (University of Vermont was especially cool!), and toured the Ben & Jerry's and Cabot creameries. It was an awesome time together, and I am happy to relax a bit more before work starts back up in full next week.
A new trailer dropped this week and it was amazing! We got our first glimpse of Spider-Man (I liked it!) and somewhat of how he will figure into the story. We're less than two months away from this movie coming out, and it is looking to be an intense one, with our heroes going full force at each other. I'm expecting more twists and turns to happen in this movie where anything is possible and the future of the MCU is at stake!
Marvel's Civil War was a 2006-07 crossover event that involved the entire Marvel Comics universe choosing sides in the aftermath of a national tragedy. The United States government, faced with growing public pressure, sets a mandate that all super-powered people must register (and reveal their identities) or face imprisonment. It divides the large roster of heroes and villains right down the middle, with Captain America leading a rebellion against registration, and Iron Man leading those who have been tasked with enforcing this policy.
What I really enjoy about this event (in addition to the prominent featuring of Spider-Man) is the depth of storytelling, where we get perspectives from individual characters on each side as well as the civilians on the front lines. Also, there is such a deep moral and philosophical quandary being played out a midst the epic superhero fights. From a certain point of view, Civil War was ahead of its time, dealing with the overreach of the federal government, surveillance, privacy, and freedom before such matters were national debates in light of recent revelations surrounding things like social media, and our government listening to our phone calls.
While reading through the different comics in this event, you witness the debate between Captain American and Iron Man especially, as they try to reconcile with each other. Both have their own values and beliefs, but as they take their stances, neither is entirely right or wrong. It's all a matter of perspective, which makes the dilemma that much more intriguing to me.
I love having these sorts of debates. I'm a very relative person when it comes to taking sides on things. I can see stuff both ways and understand where people are coming from. Often people can get very dug into their points of view, and can't relate at all to where someone else is coming from. It's important to be open to different perspectives, and even if you don't agree with each other, you can perhaps get to a compromise since typically each side will want the same thing in the end. Patience, open-mindedness, and empathy are all traits we all should embody as we work together to improve our teams, our departments, our communities, and our world.
We'll see this story arc adapted for the upcoming film, Captain America: Civil War, which I am very excited for. I hope it does the comics justice, and from the first trailer, it seems like it has the right angle.
Here's what is going on in my world this week (for the first time in 2016!):
I spent two weeks down in New Jersey and Delaware seeing friends, family, and taking in all of the local flavors and sights that I've been missing (even though I was down in October). I continually miss the area more and more since I can only visit a few times a year. I sort of took it for granted when I was there, so now every time that I go back, I try to soak it all in since life in Maine is far different than life down in New Jersey. There is more diversity, more awesome food, more cool things to do, and I can also pop down to where I grew up in Delaware to check in on everything to see what has changed and what has stayed the same. While visiting new places is nice, it is also nice to go back to your favorite spots too.
In anticipation of the upcoming movie, Captain America: Civil War, based on this pivotal comics crossover event, I've been trying to dig into all the nooks and crannies of this story-line, since it is one of my favorite events in Marvel Comics. There is so much interesting stuff that happens, especially everything with Spider-Man since it leads up to my favorite Spider-Man arc that I've read, One More Day. While I know the movie is going to be a pretty big departure, I just really enjoy the philosophical and moral dilemmas of this story-line. Whether it is reading the comics or seeing the adaptation on-screen, I know it will be enjoyable and entertaining.
This is the first big movie of 2016 that I am excited for. It finally looks like they're doing the character some proper justice on-screen and I'm really stoked to see it. It also is going to be far different than any other comic book/superhero movie to come this year (or perhaps ever) so I'm absolutely going to see it in theaters when it comes out in February. What is usually a dumping ground for less entertaining fare at the beginning of the year, Deadpool is a bright spot for me that will get me out to the cinema (which I always enjoy doing when it is worth my time).