Marvel’s What If…?: Disposable by design, intermittently powerful, ultimately frustrating

Comic books are disposable entertainment by definition. They started out as stories for kids printed on cheap pulp, serialized in weekly, easy-to-digest installments. A century later, the paper stock might be nicer, the budgets for creative talent higher, and the storytelling far more sophisticated, but this disposability remains inherent to the medium. This is not … Continue reading Marvel’s What If…?: Disposable by design, intermittently powerful, ultimately frustrating

Black Widow review: Finally, Natasha Romanoff gets to be a whole person

Black Widow is a lot of things. It’s long overdue. It’s a great deal of fun. It’s a bit of a mess. It’s admirably quirky and original, until it isn’t. It’s a significant entry in the genre of feminist superhero films. It’s too little too late. We waited a long time for this film. Not … Continue reading Black Widow review: Finally, Natasha Romanoff gets to be a whole person