Captain America The Ghost Army OGN

 

TITLE-Captain America The Ghost Army

SOURCE-Marvel Comics/Scholastic Books

Written by Alan Gratz and drawn by Brent Schoonover this is a untold tale of Cap back in World War II. Over in Europe with Bucky,after fighting a bunch of ghosts of dead soldiers,our duo learn of the US Ghost Army. A troop of 10 or so soldiers that use various devices and tricks to make it seem like they are a huge army. Like huge speakers playing soldiers marching.

We also learn that Baron Murdo is here. Helping his grandfather aid the Nazis. That ghosts of dead soldier Cap fought,they are cause of Murdo's Ghost Machine. Which he wants to use to bring Dormamu to Earth.

Full of action and a few twists and turns this is a OGN made for the younger readers. Which is why Scholastic was co publisher. 

Gratz writes a story that is easy to follow and also from what I remember of Cap's WWII years this doesn't contridict anything. Plus the ending is a nice way to possibly get more books. With us seeing Murdo heading to meet the Ancient One. And another character heading to Wundogore Mountain.

Captain America The Ghost Army OGN gets a B.

Daredevil Born Again Marvel Premier Collection TPB

 

TITLE-Daredevil Born Again

SOURCE-Marvel Premier Collection TPB

Ahh Born Again the Frank Miller and David Mazzucchelli Daredevil run that is now becoming the newest season of the Daredevil TV show. And I'm guessing that show is why I found this TPB from 2024 in a local Walmart. Couldn't pass it up for 15 bucks.

I was 11 when Daredevil vol 1 #227 came out. I had read most of Miller's first run on DD. But by this time I was deep into other Marvel titles and a few indie books. Thankfully the comic shop owner talked me into adding Daredevil back to my pull list. 

Sat down the day after buying this TPB and unlike most comics I didn't just toss it into a stack and leave it unread for months/years. Nah those first 3 pages of issue 227 caught my attention and about an hour later I had read Born Again for the first time since I'm guessing 2003.

So what is Born Again? This was when  Frank Miller decided to revamp Daredevil. He lost everything,his law firm,his license to practice law,his home. Lost it all. And all because his old girlfriend Karen Page had sold him out. She had moved out west years before to do movies. Ended up doing adult films. Got on drugs and in the first 3 pages we see her desperate for a fix. Telling her dealer "I know Daredevil's real name" handing this man this info. Then over the course of a week seeing this info make it's way up the chain to Kingpin. A man  who wants to destroy Daredevil. And armed with this info will do that.That first issue ends with Matt Murdock at his now blown up home. Holding the tattered remains of his costume. 

The next issue titled Purgatory has Matt going and confronting Kingpin getting beaten almost to death. Then placed in an old car and thrown into the river. He escapes barely. And Kingpin finds out the car was found but no body in it. Which haunts him.

3rd issue has Matt homeless living with the bums in the alleys. He gets knifed by a guy in a Santa outfit. Ben ,a repoter at the Daily Bugle that knows Matt is Daredevil,is told to not investigate the Kingpin's war on Matt Murdock. After the knife attack a badly wounded Matt ends up being taken to the care of Sister Maggie.

4th issue Karen makes it back to NYC,thanks to a dealer that takes an interest in her. Ben after having his life threatened almost kills the story on Kingpin. Kingpin has a Daredevil costume made for a violent mental patient. And Matt learns Sister Maggie is his mother. Who he had been told died when he was born.

Issue 231 has Matt fighting the fake Daredevil in a brutal fight for a code approved comic in the 80s. Ben keeps working on his story which almost cost his wife her life. And a somewhat happy ending with Matt and Karen re-uniting.

232 Karen kicks heroin. And Kingpin uses his connections to bring in the semi failed experiment on the Super Soldier project,this time a Nam era soldier known as Nuke. Who is a upper addict and being used by a black ops group to go fight battles the US proper can't be in. Sent to Hell's Kitchen this super soldier might be more than Daredevil,who is just healed from the beating in the second issue,can handle.

233 is just perfect. The Avengers show up and take care of Nuke. Daredevil delivers Nuke to Ben's desk at the Bugle and a few people that helped Kingpin take down Matt Murdock flip on Kingpin. Sure Kingpin will not do time but he lost a major amout of power. We end with Matt and Karen in Hell's Kitchen celebrating they made it through all this alive.

If it was just those issues ,and they are recolored,it would be worth the 15 bucks. Nah we get more. We get layouts from Mazzucchelli. Then the complete script to issue 233. Plus the covers of all the TPB collections of this. Every cover in this collection without the logos and stuff.

Just a loaded collection. Sure it is a tiny bit smaller in height and width than a normal TPB. Still for this cheap price it is worth grabbing.

Daredevil Born Again Marvel Premier Collection TPB gets a A.

The Dream Team DVD

 

TITLE-The Dream Team

SOURCE-Universal DVD

Talk about a forgotten comedy. Might be it got overshadowed by Keaton's other big hit in 89,some film called Batman,might just be this wasn't as big as I thought it was.

Michael Keaton is a pathological liar and has anger issues, which means he has spent the last year or so in a Mental Hospital in New Jersey. His therapy group has Peter Boyle,who thinks he is Jesus,Christopher Lloyd,a neat freak that believes he is a doctor at the hospital and Steven Furst ,who only speaks in TV soundbytes. Their doctor arranges for them to go see a baseball game in NYC. But on the way they stop for Furst to take a piss break.  I know the feeling when ya gotta piss you GOTTA PISS.

While in an alley for Steven to piss,the doctor sees to corrupt cops kill someone. Doctor gets knocked out and taken to a near by hospital. Listed as John Doe. Furst gets back to their van but can't explain to them what happened.So you got 4 mental hospital patients loose in NYC and the wacky hyjynx start. 

Keaton of course is the lead. And I sometimes forget he was always great in comedies. For me though Boyle and Lloyd steal the movie. One scene has the four going into the  hospital to see their doctor. Boyle is dressed up like a nurse. Sees a man laying on a gurney in the hallway "You are healed my son. Get up and walk" Boyle tells him. They keep passing by and in  the background you can see the man attempt to stand and just fall flat to the floor.

Lloyd has a great scene where he goes to visit his wife and daughter. Both of whom he hasn't talked to since he went to the hospital. All thru out the film Lloyd has a clipboard with him. Won't let anyone touch it. But when his daughter asks for it to put her drawings on you can see him struggle to let it go but he does.

Of course our group saves the day. The corrupt cops get taken down. And all ends well. With Keaton even meeting back up with an ex-girlfriend.

While the premise is nothing but that part from Once Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest,when Jack takes the guys out for a day in the city,just expaneded to a full length movie. What makes this stand out is the casting. While Keaton,Lloyd and Boyle are still remembered for how great they are/were,Steven Furst is forgotten.. Back then he was a bigger name cause of St Elsewhere.

The dvd looks decent sounds good. And it is an older DVD release. The extras are a trailer and a few TV spots. I do know this has a blu ray release and I plan on  tracking it down soon.

The Dream Team while not even in the top 10 comedies from the 80s is still worth seeing.

The Dream Team gets a B-.

Honey I Shrunk the Kids DVD

 

TITLE-Honey I shrunk the Kids
SOURCE-Disne DVD

By the time this was out in 1989 I was rarely seeing any Disney film. But sometime in 1990 my mother was home for the weekend. Wanted to rent a movie. So up to Homeport Video I went got this and something else. Watched the movie, enjoyed it and never saw it again.

Sure I watched the TV based on the film, but not until it was on THE HUB all the time. Never saw the sequels and really had forgotten most of this first film. Then weeks ago at a thrift found it cheap. 

Mom was wanting something to watch after dinner. I knew I had this so put it one. Ok why was Disney release movies in 4:3 format on DVD?

Rick Moranis is a inventor.  Working on a shrink ray. It accidently gets triggered. Shrinks his two kids plus the sons of the next door neighbors,who are played by Matt Frewer and the lady that was Buffy's mom on Buffy the Vampire slayer tv show. 

The kids get sucked up by a dust buster and then put in the trash. Ending up in the far back part of the backyard. Most of the film is the 4 kids traveling the back yard. With some great action parts. Like when the son of Rick and the neighbor's oldest son end up riding a bee. The fight between the ant the kids train and a scorpion is also well done. Then you get that bit near the end with the lawnmower. Of course being a Disney film you know the kids survive and get made normal size at the end.

The FX work surprised me in how well it hold up. Lots of this was done on sets with oversized props so looks amazing. The green screen stuff doesn't look as good. While still not looking like total crap.

No extras on the disc. Wasn't expecting any when I saw it was 4:3. The audio is clear. The picture looks crisp.

Honey I shrunk the Kids gets a solid B+