The 86-th Sun Bowl Florida State Seminoles vs Arizona State Sun Devils 12-31-19

Finally, I got to watch to a full Sun Bowl.  Usually, work interferes with me seeing the whole thing, but this time, even with a long halftime, it all fit in before I had to go.  I seem to remember, the only times I’ve gotten to see the game otherwise were when it fell on a weekend and that one time I was out sick (and fell asleep during the game). 

We have a new sponsor this year: Tony the Tiger.  He’s promoting fundraising for youth sports.  At first, the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl was a bit awkward, but eventually it grew on people.  Tony did a commercial to intro the game.  They’re using a new voice for him and it was awkward in general.  There was another one later where he was talking to an athlete that was more polished.  We got a “Grrrreat!” and that made all the difference.  Tony was at the stadium.  They showed him leading on the crowd on the sidelines.

It was clear, but cold up in the Franklin Mountains.  We’ll call it good football weather.  (One of these days, I gotta go.)  There was officially a slight breeze, but the broadcasters assured the viewers that it was stronger than that.  The crowd was listed at 42,000.  Arizona State is relatively nearby and Florida State travels well.  The good matchup probably attracted a lot of locals. 

It looked like a full house . . . except for that large construction area under the pressbox.  They started a major remodeling job right after the regular season and lost several hundred seats that might have actually filled.  They would have been nice seats too.  It was like they’d forgotten about this whole bowl game thing.  From the architect’s pictures, the lounge area is going to look great when it’s done.  Oh wait, I meant, Grrrrreat!  

The pregame reported that, due to draft considerations, both teams were missing their leading rushers.  This might have accounted for some problematic play in the game.  They showed ASU Coach Herm Edwards greeting travelling Arizona State fans in the stands.  I could hear Jon Teicher, voice of the Miners, doing the PA duties.  (I didn’t find the game on the radio.)  Teicher was in Florida calling a Men’s Basketball game the next day.  What a busy guy.  The CBS announcers were pretty giddy and having a good time calling the game.  Retired, long-time announcer, Verne Lundquist, was reportedly watching the game at home.

First Quarter

It was a nervous start for both teams.  ASU fumbled on their first play from scrimmage. Florida State was then intercepted in the end zone.  ASU nearly ran it back.  The Sun Devil player was only pulled down by his t-shirt by the last defender.  FS got the ball back.  On one play, their quarterback, James Blackman, couldn’t find a receiver and scrambled into the open field.  As he was about to go into a slide, he was leveled.  The back of his head bounced off the field.  The ASU player, Khaylan Thomas, then taunted him while on the ground.  Amazingly, the player was not ejected.  ASU blocked the FS field goal attempt.

There was another fumble by Blackman, this time on a sack.  ASU was deep in FS territory.  A touchdown pass was called back on a questionable penalty.  After another penalty, the announcers told the officials to pick up their flags and let them play.  ASU settled for a field goal. 3-0 ASU.  FS fired a super deep bomb that was broken up downfield with a great hit by Kej Markham.

Second Quarter

The broadcasters interviewed the new incoming FS coach, Mike Norvell, in the booth.  He would be taking over after this game.  ASU fumbled again.  On an FS punt back to ASU, a blocker pushed into returner, which set their starting point near their own endzone.  No problem.  ASU’s Kyle Williams broke off a 77-yard run off a screen from scrimmage from their own 10.  However, this only lead to another field goal.  6-0 ASU.  ASU intercepted on the next series.  Another touchdown pass waved off on review for the ball not being under control.  The receiver, AJ Carter, high-fived the ref after his initial touchdown call.  They settled on yet another field goal.  9-0 ASU.  The CBS director seemed infatuated with one of the ASU cheerleaders.  He kept showing her on camera.  (Good taste.)

Halftime

Unfortunately, they didn’t show any of the on-field activities, but just went back to the studio.  Like as last year though, one of the analysts got out a guitar and serenaded the season in college football.  That was pretty great actually.  Back to El Paso, there was a heartfelt broadcast team goodbye to a retiring camera operator on the field.  The gorgeous sideline reporter gave him a big hug afterward.

Third Quarter

FS made a long drive and scored a touchdown to make it, 9-7 ASU.  They had a two-pass trick play in the red zone to keep the drive going.  FS got the ball right back.  In a break, up on the big video screen, an FS fan proposed and it was accepted.  Blackman fired another deep bomb, this one from FS’s own 9, and it went for a touchdown by Tamorrion Terry.  Florida State took the lead 14-9.

Fourth Quarter

ASU came back with a field goal to make it 1, 4-12 FS.  A long QB run by Jayden Daniels and a pass interference penalty kept the drive going.  Blackman was intercepted again.  ASU’s Willie Harts ran it back for a TD.  They went for two.  It was broken up, but a penalty gave them a second try.  Daniels ran it in on a naked bootleg, surrounded by five defenders.  He managed to fake them out and just fall in. 

FS had the ball back.  They went for it on fourth down on their end of field and made it but didn’t make it on another fourth down on ASU end.  “The Butler did it,” the announcers said after Darien Butler broke up the play.  Let’s all groan at that prepared statement.  ASU punted, but then got another interception.  Kaylan Thomas made a very athletic pick.  James Blackman had four interceptions and a fumble to this point.  His teammates gathered around him on the sidelines to encourage him not to give up.

FS had the ball back with under two minutes left.  Blackman took a bad sack that put the team near their own goal line.  But next, he threw up a ball into double coverage.  The FS receiver, Keith Gavin, jumped up and got it for a big reception down field.  Unfortunately, Terry fumbled on next play to functionally end the game.  That was their sixth turnover.

20-14 ASU was the final.  Herm Edwards got a barrel of Frosted Flakes cereal dumped on him after the win.  The player of the game (as far I’m concerned) was the ASU kicker, Cristian Zendejas.  He was nails.  This wasn’t a well-played game.  It might not have even been a good game, but it was certainly interesting and close.  One day, I’ll see one of these in person.  (It’ll be one of those snowstorm games with high winds.  It’ll be great . . . errr . . . Grrrrreat!)

Aggie Men’s Basketball Journal December 2019

(And a couple of other sports included.)

12-3-19 vs UTEP Miners

Aggie Men’s Basketball beat the Miners in Las Cruces, 59-56.  I admit was kind of just listening in the background while I was at work.  I only took a few notes.  It was a very close game all the way.  At the end, good defense (or cold shooting) took over.  The Aggies didn’t score a field goal for the last six minutes, and the Miners didn’t for the last five minutes.  Foul shooting, however, was clutch on both ends.  CJ Bobbitt scored the last four Aggie points on free throws to put NMSU up by 3.  The Miners got two shots off in the final seconds, but couldn’t connect to tie it.

This was the Miners first loss of the season, but extended their 14-game road losing streak from last season.  Their star, Bryson Williams, had 27 points, and that was even being the focal point of the Aggies’ defense.  For the Aggies, CJ Bobbitt busted out with 14 points, including a pair of back-to-back threes.  Johnny McCants had 13, and Jabari Rice had 10. 

After listening to the Aggies’ postgame show, I flipped over to KROD out of El Paso to get the Miner postgame.  It’s great to hear the opposing coach praise your team after a game.  Miner Coach Rodney Terry singled out McCants, who’d scored well in the paint.  They’d done a great job defending on Trevelin Queen and Terrell Brown, but didn’t expect other guys on the team to make up the difference. 

I held on to listen to the Miner Talk call-in show.  A lot of the callers were at game, some were still stuck in the parking lot.  I thought I had heard a sizeable UTEP fan contingent during play.  The fans were mad at one particular Miner player that didn’t do well, and at the coach for leaving him in.  Casually, it was mentioned that their game broadcast has 20,000 listeners.  I have no idea what the Aggie listenership is.  (The Aggie broadcast also goes out to affiliates in other cities in the state and in El Paso).

12-7-19 vs Washington State Cougars

Aggie Men’s Basketball played on the road at Washington State on Saturday.  Dad and I were listening on the radio after being out that afternoon.  Neither Jack Nixon nor Adam Young were calling the game surprisingly.  The paper ran a story that Jack was taking time off for fatigue.  The article emphasized that he’d be back.  Jack was back doing morning news updates after the weekend.  I don’t know where Adam was, as he wasn’t calling this game or the Aggies’ NCAA Volleyball game.

  

While we had the Men’s game on, I set dad up with a new TV antenna.  He’s only been able to get two stations, so I got him a better antenna with better placement.  It worked fairly well.  There were some conference championship college football games on, but there was a heavyweight fight on a Mexican station. 

I’d heard about this bout from a co-worker, but didn’t know the time, so I was lucky to run into it.  I think I’d told dad about it, too.  I described it as some big fat guy boxing to defend a championship.  Indeed, it was Andy Ruiz (the fat guy) versus Anthony Joshua (a tall well-built black guy).  Honestly, just looking at the two, it seemed like a joke, rather than a serious boxing match. 

The fight was being held in an open-air arena in Saudi Arabia, which accounted for the odd start time.  Also oddly, it was raining there.  Give the fat guy credit, he could box.  He was quite quick and agile.  Anytime Joshua attempted to wrap-up with him, Ruiz would rain down blows on him.  However, Joshua mostly dominated the fight.  He put a cut over Ruiz’s eye in the first round, but that never really came into play.  The decision really wasn’t in doubt for Joshua.  Afterward, I found out Ruiz had come into the fight 15 lbs overweight.  The girlfriend of my co-worker had spoken to his trainer.  He told her that Ruiz didn’t show up for training for three months.  The only thing more unbelievable than that is that Ruiz is a top level boxer to begin with. 

I was muting the match between rounds to hear the radio, but obviously I missed most of the basketball game.  The Aggies were behind for most of it and never caught up.  WS was up by nine at the half.  Ivan Aurrecoechea missed most of the first half after collecting two fouls.  His appearance in the second half sparked the team to a comeback and got the Aggies within three, but 63-54 Washington State was the final.  Jabari Rice led with 14 points, Trevelin Queen had 12, and Ivan had 8.  17 turnovers killed the Aggies today, which led to 17 WS points.

12-11-19 vs Denver U Pioneers

The Aggie Men bounced back with a 72-67 win over Denver.  I was listening over the radio at work and caught parts of it.  Terrell Brown sat out most of the game with an injury, so team was shorthanded.  The Aggies didn’t have a problem though, as they led by 18 before  the half.  Denver did not go away and played the Aggies tough at the end.  Some fatigue might have come into play there.  

Jabari Rice led with 18 points and led in assists.  Trevelin Queen had 15, Ivan Aurrecoechea had 14, and Johnny McCants had 12.  Two Denver players scored in the 20’s.  The Pioneers did not foul.  The Aggies only got their first foul shot in last five minutes of the game.  There were also apparently lots of Aggie fans there.  AD Mario Moccia did a good job bringing in alumni in the area.

12-14-19 vs UNM Lobos

I was listening to this game at home, but honestly didn’t feel like sitting around taking a bunch of notes.  It was basically a sellout at the Pit in Albuquerque for the game.  At the half, the Aggies led 33-31.  Jabari Rice and Johnny McCants hit threes and rest of the scoring was pretty well distributed.  The Aggie defense locked it down at the end of the half.

The Lobos went on a big run at the start of the second half and got the crowd into it.  At 42-35 Lobos, the Aggies took a timeout.  NMSU then went on a 12-point run and tied it at 44 on a Trevelin Queen three.  The Lobos came back and retook the lead, but the Aggies came back again from 12 down.  It was 56-54 Lobos, with three minutes left, when the Aggies gave up two offensive rebounds on one possession.  It was a bad precursor to some poor play.  The Lobos started to pull away.  Jack Nixon commented, “The Aggies look like the Keystone Cops.  I suppose very people listening got that reference.  We’ll just say they look very disorganized.”  69-62 Lobos was the final.

22 turnovers were the main difference in play.  The Lobos also made and attempted a bunch more free throws.  Trevelin Queen led all scorers with 19 points.  Coach Jans almost forgot to come out for the interview.  He sounded so depressed after losing both games to the Lobos this season.  Jack mentioned that injured AJ Harris was working out with the team before the game.  Jans answered, “Jack, I know you’re trying to make me feel better.  Thank you.”

12-18-19 vs Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions

The Aggies blew this one out 65-40 against the Golden Lions.  I totally forgot about the game.  I had it written down.  I had a window open ready to bring up the video or radio call (whatever was available).  I just blitzed it.  This was a significant game for the team, as former Miner, Evan Gilyard, made his debut.  He’d just gotten his eligibility to play this season.  Coach Jans asked him beforehand if he wanted to play or if he wanted to redshirt the rest of the season.  Evan said he was hurt even being asked the question; of course he wanted to play.  Ivan Aurrecoechea went off with 19 points to lead the team.  Bryce Rewalt, a local walk-on player, came in late and hit a three to the delight of the crowd.  There was also a Teddy Bear toss for Toys for Tots at the half.  It’s usually a pretty majestic sight as a multitude of teddy bears fly on to the court.

12-22-19 vs Mississippi State Bulldogs

This road game came on Sunday afternoon.  I was actually watching a couple of Women’s College Basketball games on Stadium when it came on the radio.  About halfway through the game, I went over to my dad’s apartment to watch the Cowboys’ game (the less said about that the better).  We kept listening to the Aggies though and certainly got more entertainment out of that than the football.

The Aggies were playing MSS (like I’m spelling out that state name every time) in Jackson, which isn’t the Bulldogs’ home, so this was technically a neutral site.  The Aggies were in their home whites.  Actually, both teams have the same colors.  The scouting report on the Bulldogs was that they were big, really big, like the second tallest team in the nation.  For the Aggies, Robert Brown has transferred out of the program.  (When does the NCAA start allowing trades and a having a draft?)  However, AJ Harris was cleared to play.

Both teams were extremely tight at the start of play.  Johnny McCants opened up the scoring with a three two minutes into the game.  AJ came in early off the bench, but fell down on his first play.  11 minutes in, the Aggies still only had one basket and one free throw.  The good news was that the Bulldogs weren’t doing that well either.  They did have an 8-4 lead, until Evan Gilyard came in off the bench to put down a couple of free throws.  He then gave the Aggies a 9-8 lead with a three.                  

Trevelin Queen added on with a stickback bucket in the paint.  Evan picked up a couple of assists, one to Ivan Aurrecoechea and a dunk by Trev.  Nick Witherspoon on the Bulldogs picked up his third foul and came out.  However, Ivan and Evan also picked up two fouls and came out.  The Bulldogs began a comeback, but AJ got his first points, a three, to make it 21-17.  It was 23-21 Aggies at the half.  The Aggies were +8 in rebounds to this point.

The second half started with a bang from McCants.  He got a steal and a jam and then followed up with a three.  Trevelin took the lead up to 30-21 with a layup after he momentarily lost the ball going into the lane.  After a McCants’ layup, the Bulldogs took a timeout.  Two minutes in and the Aggies were on 9-0 run.  McCants then got a block out of the break.  Witherspoon picked up his fourth foul going after Gilyard.  McCants popped another three, along with Jabari Rice getting his first points with a three.  38-27 Aggies.

McCants jammed another and Gilyard put in a three to make it 43-31 with 11 minutes left.  Fouls started coming into play.  Ivan came out with four fouls.  The Bulldogs dropped the Aggie lead from 12 to 4.  Witherspoon fouled out to the MSS coach’s disgust, but they were still overwhelming inside with a pair of treetops (6’10” and 6’11”).  The Aggies had no answer for them, as the Bulldogs took the lead with two minutes left.

It was a short-lived deficit.  Gilyard got the Aggies back in the lead, 55-53, with a layup with 30 seconds left.  McCants, who was just doing everything today, got a steal with 15 seconds left.  CJ Bobbitt hit a free throw.  Jabari got a turnover and was fouled.  He made a free throw to ice the game.  Aggies won 58-52.  Nice.

Johnny McCants had a huge game with 18 points and contributing in every other way in the game, except for selling concessions.  (Wait, let me check his Twitter.  Oops, my mistake.  There’s a picture of him selling popcorn in the stands at halftime.)  Evan Gilyard followed with 14 points.  Thanks for the early Christmas present UTEP.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns into a gift that keeps on giving.  Coach Jans was ebullient in the postgame and talking to the team afterward.  This was the first win for Aggie Men’s Basketball against an SEC team since the 90’s, but more so, the team really came together here against a squad of Goliaths.  Great job.

12-28-19 WBB vs Abilene Christian Wildcats

I remember the Aggie Women playing Abilene Christian here last year (11-20-18).  That game was a rude shock, though we did get treated to the sight of Brooke Salas coaching.  Consider that a preview a coming attractions one day.  This year, for this road game, the Wildcats were an even better team at 9-1 and the Aggies were much worse.  I remembered Dominique Golightly from the previous game, mostly for her name.  I had no idea “Golightly” was an actual name, apart from a fictional character.  The team also had a former Aggie commit in Makayla Mabry, who left when Coach Trakh left.  I missed the pregame, in spite of my best efforts, but the scouting report was that the Wildcats made lots of threes.  A couple of their players were shooting over 40%.

ACU jumped out to a good lead in the beginning of the first quarter.  This was mostly thanks to a couple of wide open looks for threes.  But, a couple of turnovers and a three by Amanda Soderqvist, got the Aggies back into it.  It was 18-13 ACU after ten minutes.  In the second quarter, the Wildcats started scoring on the inside and then shot some more from the outside.  They went up by 14 at one point.  I swear Aggie broadcaster Adam Young was starting to root ACU on because of their impressive play.  35-24 ACU at the half.

By three minutes into the third quarter, the Wildcat lead was up to 20.  Aaliyah Prince’s first points came as she made a bad pass off a defender, got the deflection, and put in a jumper.  Prince was bright spot in the quarter as she scored 8 points.  54-34 ACU after three quarters.  “Wright has done everything right.  Pardon the pun,” Adam commented on Breanna Wright’s afternoon as she came out late in the fourth quarter with 23 points.  A Wildcat player was injured late and had to be helped off.  Amanda took an apparent punch to the gut and then made two threes in a row.  Don’t make her angry.  The final was 67-54 ACU.

Coach Atkinson still sounded upbeat in the postgame.  No point in not being optimistic with a 3-10 record.  Actually she was pleased that the team had held the Wildcats under their season average of 90 points a game.  ACU also averages 20 turnovers on the opposition.  The Aggies only had 12.  The Aggies were -8 in rebounds though.  Amanda Soderqvist led the Aggies with 14 points on 4 threes.  Gia Pack had a quiet 13 points.  Interestingly, there was a cool jazz soundtrack in the background while Adam was giving the final stats.  They’re fairly classy there in Abilene. 

12-29-19 vs NNM Eagles

There was good news for Aggie Men’s Basketball right at the start of this game.  Clayton Henry was cleared to play.  Coach Jans asked him if he wanted to redshirt for the rest of the season, but he was good to go.  It’s encouraging that Clayton, AJ Harris, and Evan Gilyard all chose to play, even if it was only for half a season.  Jabari Rice and Terrell Brown were going to sit out this game for nagging injuries, but could have played.  On the Northern New Mexico side, in addition to being a DII school, they only had eight players with them.  They’d recently dismissed three players because of a fight on court, and their top two scorers weren’t there either.  It was going to be an uphill game for the Eagles.

Johnny McCants started the Aggie scoring with a three.  Two steals lead to layups.  AJ hit a three.  Timeout Eagles, two minutes in, and it was 10-2 Aggies already.  Clayton came into the game and his first shot of the season was a three.  Gilyard hit a three.  I think I can see a pattern here.  22-6 Aggies with 11 minutes left in the half.  Jack Nixon and Justin Hawkins kind of stopped giving constant score updates around this time.  The Aggies were subbing in and out a lot as the coach said he’d do today. 

I should mention I was listening to this game with earbuds in at my dad’s apartment, while watching the Cowboys’ final meaningless game of the season.  Suddenly, I’m hearing strange noise and my pants pocket was vibrating and flashing.  Oh, it’s my phone.  I’m still not used to his cell phone thing.  I left the room and turned off my radio and had a nice chat with an out-of-town friend for about a half hour.  It was getting late when I finished, so I ended up leaving afterward.

Walking home, I had the radio back on.  They were just coming out of halftime.  I think the score was 63-12 Aggies.  They’d had a productive half.  They were close to setting a program record for threes.  Late in the second, Tennessee Owens, a local product and my favorite name on the team, came in and hit a three for his first points.  Another Las Crucen, Bryce Rewalt, came in to the cheers of the crowd.  He took a three that went in and out.  The crowd groaned, but he came back and hit the next one to the roar of the crowd.  He hit another which was the team’s twentieth and a new record. 

The final was 104-30 Aggies.  I’m almost embarrassed to write that.  Trevelin Queen led with 17 points.  Two others had 12, but everyone scored.  Coach Jans was happy in the postgame because there were lots of assists as well.  The Cowboys’ postgame was going on at the same time with Coach Jason Garrett, so I was flipping back-and-forth.  Bryce was interviewed.  He sounds like he’s fourteen.  Bryce also played football and golf in high school.  His sister is on the Cheerleading squad, and he had a bunch of friends and family at the game.  He told Jack that him and dad used to listen to him doing games, and it was unreal being interviewed by him.  Jack was nearly at a loss for words after that.

I’ve really struggled to keep up the blogging lately.  I’m lacking some motivation.  I don’t know if I’ll continue covering the Men’s and Women’s games this season, unless I’m at their games.  I plan on going to the Women’s games on the weekends.  I’m not sure how well they’ll do in conference.  I hope to go to one or two Men’s games.  I’m a lot higher on them.  They’re finally healthy and even have a good new transfer.  The rest of the WAC on the Men’s side seems to be having a down year, so this could work out well for the Aggies. 

Magazine Reviews: Star Wars, Arrowverse, and Carrier

Hey, a whole new wide open niche for Internet reviewing.  Why haven’t I ever done with before?  Probably because it’s way too obscure.  These three magazines should have pretty ubiquitous distribution and are sort of relevant to this blog (not entirely).     

Time Special Edition: Star Wars

This magazine was a Christmas gift, along with a hockey yearbook.  (I won’t be reviewing that one.  It looks interesting, but I’m not that desperate for blogging material.  I love hockey, but I don’t get to watch enough to comment on it for more than a couple of games.)  Is it just me or is there a subliminal American flag hanging out of Vader’s mouth on the cover?  Maybe it’s just me.  I have no idea what it would be signifying.  I may reedit this cover with Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan over What’s-her-name’s? picture. 

This magazine was produced to promote the latest film and Star Wars on Disney+ and the Star Wars attractions at their parks.  The sequel trilogy has already been de-canonized in the minds of many fans, especially after this current film.  I noticed that editorially the magazine takes shot after shot at the prequel trilogy, mostly to somehow enhance the sequel trilogy.  I saw a bit of a couple of prequel movies on Christmas Eve.  They’re still not good.  After the Phantom Menace, Star Wars fans would never again campout for the premiere of a Star Wars film.  That said, they are canonical Star Wars explaining what happened before the original trilogy.  You can disagree with the way they were made and certain elements in the films, but not really the story. 

The sequel films (of the two I’ve unfortunately seen) are derivative copies at best and cringey Agenda and toy marketing at worst.  They had no story other than, “Let’s make some Star Wars films to make money for Disney.”  Their mighty universal mythological theme was, “Let’s redo Star Wars, replacing the white males with flat tokens.”  I’ve heard it said that these films are for children, when you’re an adult, you don’t understand them.  I think adults understand them all too well and that’s why they don’t like them.   

The magazine starts with the facts about the franchise.  I thought this table of film details was interesting.  (Sorry I couldn’t get a great scan of it.)  This is followed by a brief synopsis of the films, except for Rogue One and Solo, which apparently don’t rate official treatment.  This section is less than insightful.

The commentary starts off innocently enough, but becomes slathering and spitting in SWJ rage.  An article on politics and Star Wars expresses sincere regret that Reagan and conservatives appropriated Star Wars terminology, when Lucas clearly meant for his films to be an indictment on non-democrats.  (In fact, I’ve read elsewhere, he saw the Empire as the US and the Rebellion as the Viet Cong.  Darth Vader was an honorable Green Beret-like warrior, who eventually figures out he’s fighting for the wrong side.)  This is followed by an embarrassing discussion about religion in Star Wars, not one of the franchises’ strong points.  Anything other than the vaguest concepts used in the movies tended to be way too on the nose. 

A discussion on feminism follows.  Carrie Fisher and all other feminists are still salty over the Slave Leia costume.  (Carrie had put on some weight after Empire and was angry as hell when Lucas handed her the bikini.  He was basically calling her “fat.”)  Fisher told Daisy Ridley to not let herself be, “Subjected to similar objectification.”  “Yes, and I shall also make sure my character never bathes and is completely flatchested to end all attractiveness.  My performance will shall only be judged by my acting ability.”  So much for that plan, Daisy.  How many women have voluntarily shown up at conventions in that Slave Leia outfit?  I don’t think those women are feeling oppressed.   

Then there’s an article on diversity, featuring Rogue One as the standard bearer.  There were no white male heroes at all in the movie.  (I’m surprised.  I didn’t know Cassian was Mexican.  I thought he was French.)  “The struggle modernize properties,” was the phrase used to explain their racism.  In other words, “How do we erase the presence of the people who made this stuff popular in the first place?”  “Disney had a problem on its hands with Star Wars, all of the heroes were white and male.  (Billy Dee Williams kicks back a Colt .45, “Whatever.”) 

“Audience expectations had changed: parents now demand diverse heroes for their kids.”  Said no one ever, even the article writer.  I was actually shocked by one throwaway line in an article where all criticism of the new Star Wars films was reduced to coming from racist, sexist Internet trolls.  It was as if these films are beyond being seriously criticized for their stories or direction.  Frankly, the meta-societal Agenda in these movies can also be questioned.   Woke is neither a shield nor an answer to criticism.    

There is an interesting excerpt from a book on how Lucas wrote Star Wars.  The creative process was painfully detailed.  Or should I say that the creative process was just painful?  (And I can say from experience, that’s how it’s been for me too.)  I nearly gagged to death reading the fawning interview with “Jar Jar” Abrams.  Before the first movie had even come out, they were saying how much better a job he was doing handling the franchise than everyone else, especially George Lucas.  Unfortunately, the article writer had to acknowledge, even without having seen the final product, how unoriginal everything was in The Force Awakens, my main criticism.

Then there’s this missive in the interview: “It’s entirely possible to read Star Wars as a movie about white men fighting to regain their rightful position as rulers of the universe, against a man who, if he’s not actually black, wears all black and has the voice of a black man.”  Take note that the article writer said, “Rightful position,” not me, but I appreciate the tacit acknowledgement.  Of course, Darth Vader was actually working with said white men to rule the universe, but don’t let that stop you from making such a strong point.      

There’s some unintentional comedy as the actress playing Captain Phasma was quoted for being so proud of playing female part that wouldn’t be judged by her looks (since she’s in a full Stormtrooper outfit), just her actions . . . such as being stuffed into a garbage chute and being a complete joke character.  She is every feminist.  We don’t know how she got her position, she made sure she looked good (with that shiny special feminist armor that deflects all criticism), but she failed horribly in the end without further comment.         

Worse than that interview was a puff piece on John Boyega from the sequel trilogy and what a piece of work he is.  For a middle class British actor pretending to be an American in the film, he’s sure taking the part to the next level by pretending to be oppressed as well.  Obviously, he couldn’t use his English accent in the movie, because that would mean he’s a villain, like Rey.  His “woke-ness” has even led him into conflict with other SWJ’s questioning his wokeness.  (That statement doesn’t make any sense to me either, but it’s the only way I can describe what I read.) 

I already said before, Donald Glover should have gotten that part.  (And I was right.  He ended up being cast as young Lando in Solo, where he ended up being a joke for having sex with droids.)  I’m glad my further idea for making a buddy picture with Finn and Poe didn’t happen.  Now that I know him a little better, I wouldn’t have wanted him to have been likeable on screen.

They reprint the magazine’s original reviews of the Star Wars films, which is sort of historically interesting.  To be honest though, Time is not known for their movie reviews.  After the first film, all the reviews explain how the last film wasn’t that great, but this current film is awesome.  The reviews for the two sequel films are positively hyperbolic in praise, especially compared to the prequels. 

There’s articles on Star Wars TV projects and Disneyland and Disneyworld attractions.  There’s a fairly arbitrary list of the top 40 moments in Star Wars.  (The sequel moments were lame.  The prequel moments were all given a backhand in passing.)  Finally, there’s some obscure Star Wars trivia. 

There’s lots of pictures in this, but it’s actually fairly meaty in prose.  Unfortunately, the words are all nonsense.  Needless to say, I do not recommend this $15 magazine for anything other than self-loathing regret for having purchased it.  (Thankfully, this was just a gift for me.  I only regretted the time lost reading it.)  Look, bottom line on the Agenda, the problem is that you’re doing what you’re doing for racist/sexist reasons.  What you’re criticizing from the past was not done for the same reasons.  We know this because those producers weren’t going out to the media and saying that that’s why we’re doing it and expecting a round of applause.  Your work will simply not stand on its own with that kind of foundation.

Entertainment Weekly: The Ultimate Guide to the Arrowverse

I have been enjoying CW’s Crisis on Infinite Earths.  (I’m writing this before I’ve seen the ending, so hopefully I won’t be eating those words.)  I found myself unable to resist picking up this promotional magazine.  The magazine has brief series recaps, brief recaps of the previous crossover specials, and interviews with the series’ stars. 

The recaps were really more of a tease than comprehensive.  This goes especially for Legends of Tomorrow.  Some of the past events they mentioned for that show, that I hadn’t seen, were truly enticingly bizarre.  Black Lightning was also mentioned, though given a short-shrift compared to the other shows.  While he’s an established DC character, BL usually does its own thing on TV and isn’t even entirely compatible with the other shows in tone.  He is in the crossover though.  I wonder if he’ll be integrated more after Crisis.   

Stephen Amell, Green Arrow, is a handsome fellow.  Unfortunately, his interview was chopped into inarticulateness.  Grant Gustin, the Flash, came off as a pretty enthusiastic comic book fanboy.  Neither interview was terribly insightful.  These two are the heart and soul of the Arrowverse.  They are good enough actors and charismatic enough to carry their shows, even when the story material is, at times, subpar.  It’s too bad Stephen is leaving after Crisis.  

Melissa Benoist, Supergirl, wanted pants for her costume.  It’s all about the Agenda on Supergirl.  Maybe Melissa could be up there with Stephen and Grant, but her character is almost inconsequential most of the time on her show.  Little wonder, I’ve seen her totally phone it in on some episodes too.  The cast interview with the Legends was reasonably interesting.  Some of them were wearing the Agenda in the cast pictures.

Lastly, Batwoman was promoted as the first gay character to headline a CW show and with an openly gay actor, though Ruby Rose is actually “nonbinary” and can’t technically be gay.  (Of course, this is all nonsense.)  There are already a multitude of gay characters on the other DC shows.  They going to run out of “firsts,” at some point.

Overall, I can’t recommend this for fans of the CW DC shows.  There’s just not enough detail on the shows or insight into the actors or production to satisfy a fan.  I feel like a sucker for having bought this fluff.  The content is slightly irritating, but I really expected more meat about the shows and actors.

Smithsonian Air & Space: Carrier-City at Sea

At last, here’s a magazine purchase I can recommend.  (Actually, the hockey yearbook seems pretty good, but I haven’t read most of it.  The latest issue of Baseball America features some interesting postseason awards.)  If you’re interested in aircraft carrier operations, this magazine will give you what you want.  If you want more, you’ll need a book on the subject or talk to some sailors who’ve been on the big boats. 

There’s quite a bit of detail.  It might even be a little too technical in places.  They explain the Ouija board (a model representation of the ship showing aircraft location), the Meatball (a visual track that puts pilots on the right path to land), and catapult operations, including the Boot Shoot (shooters firing their boots off the deck on the last day of their tour). 

There is a frightening description of a “Night in the barrel,” where a pilot has trouble landing.  A British correspondent wrote a book about being on a carrier, which is excerpted here.  There’s even a possibility of taking a “Tiger Cruise” yourself, if you know someone on board.  Family and friends can ride aboard the ship for a couple of days as it comes into port.  (And way cheaper than a commercial sea cruise, but accommodations are bit more primitive.)

I realize the pilots are the stars on the carrier and in Top Gun, but I dig the deck crew guys.  It is fascinating to watch them do their thing.  They’re dirty, grimy, dangerous jobs, but they look cool doing them.  The magazine lists the significance of the crew color scheme: yellow (shooters, air boss assistants), blue (moving planes), green (catapult), brown (aircraft maintenance), purple (fueling), black and white (inspectors), red (ordinance, firemen), and white (landing).

Here’s the money shot of the magazine, a cross-section of the carrier.

                                                     

OMG, sometimes planes land on the wrong carrier.  This may result in copious graffiti before the plane is ransomed back to its ship.

Doesn’t that deck look somewhat in climate?  There are articles on carrier planes going back to WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Tomcats, Hornets, and the newest F-35 Lightning.  Strangely, the longest article is on the C-2 transport plane that resupplies the carrier, but isn’t actually stationed on board.  The tilt-rotor Osprey is scheduled to replace it.  Finally, there are war stories in the back. 

Again, if you’re interested in the subject, you’ll be pleased with this purchase.  I wish the other two magazines had been more like this one. 

Review of Sabrina the Teenage Witch trade paperback

I’d read the first issue of this series in the Sabrina Super Special.”  I was really impressed with it.  There was an ad in the magazine advertising for this trade, so I kept an eye on the racks for when it was supposed to come out.  I picked up the only copy I saw at Barnes & Noble.  A week later, I noticed there were two more on shelf, so maybe it’s selling well. 

I’ll start off by saying that I like and recommend this trade to anyone who is inclined to like Archie Comics, Sabrina, or magical girls in general.  This may be the most visually appealing version of Sabrina in her history.  (Apologies to Melissa Joan Hart and Kiernan Shipka.  Further apologies to Kiernan, whom I misidentified in the Special review as looking like she was in her late 20’s.  She actually just barely turned 20.)  Artist Veronica Fish has definitely enhanced a classic look.  The colors by Andy Fish (I’m presuming that was his main job) are incredibly warm and enticing.  The basic premise for the teenage witch needed no updating and pleasantly wasn’t.  The story by Kelly Thompson is also a fun, romantic, and adventurous read. 

    

Having said all of that upfront; most of the rest of this going to be a bunch of bitching.  There is an undercurrent in this and most other current comics.  This is especially present in the comics written by feminists, which seem to be the only kind of female comic book writers there are.  (Don’t get me started on the male “feminists.”)  This attitude didn’t ruin the comic, but it was hard to totally ignore.  I tried watch the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina Netflix show.  I couldn’t even get through the first episode before the Agenda forced me to turn it off.  Funny, I was sure the demonic horror element would cause me to stop watching, but the real world horror show got me first.  (And I’d heard the show wasn’t as bad as the comic book it was based on, which I’d read a little of and was repulsed by.)

       

Kelly Thompson’s forward set the SJW tone, saying that Sabrina was better than Betty and Veronica since she had “real power” and her life didn’t revolve around a guy.  I’m questioning how much Betty and Veronica Thompson has actually read.  Those girls have their own lives and date other guys, and it’s not like women don’t fight over hot guys in real life.  This is especially ironic as Sabrina is stringing along a couple of guys in this story.  She’s beautiful and charming and has magical powers, but is somehow disadvantaged in life.  Of course, Sabrina has an ethnic pudgy budding lesbian BFF, like the author inserting something like a teenaged version herself into the story.  In consistent fashion though, Thompson’s life doesn’t revolve around some man either.  From her Instagram, it appears to revolve around her cats.  (I like cats too.  I don’t blame her.) 

You can see the devolution of the audience for comics.  Originally, the opinion was, “Comics are for kids.”  Later, it became, “Comics aren’t just for kids.”  Then it was, “Comics aren’t for kids anymore.”  This was never said out loud, but it was kind of obvious from the titles being produced.  This volume seems to say, “Comics aren’t for boys anymore.”  (This will be followed by, “Gee, whatever happened to comic books?  Does anybody still make them?)  Marvel Comics seem to specialize in this maxim.  Archie Comics have always mostly been aimed at girls, but had an appeal for boys.  I doubt Archie can really afford to section off what’s left of their audience.    

I do believe the staff of the comic genuinely loves the character.  In that respect, this reminds me of Tania del Rio’s manga Sabrina.  I reviewed that on an Archie fan forum once and called it a, “Labor of love.”  That fits here too.  For whatever Agenda items were mandated or inserted into the material, they wanted to make a comic that appealed to everyone to share their enthusiasm for Sabrina.  They couldn’t make the comic more Agenda-driven and have it be anything but ugly. 

Regardless of my questioning of the motives of the writer, the story and setting are basically really good.  It’s certainly light-hearted compared to the Chilling Adventures, but there’s supernatural action here too.  In the best tradition of the character, you get teenaged angst and the magical trials of a witch.  Sabrina herself is sweet, but tough and capable.  She’s fickle in love, but without being cruel. 

Sabrina’s relationship with Salem is a bit contentious, but not to the point of acrimony.  Salem is a cursed wizard and a cat, but can’t help being fond of his charge.  He isn’t always helpful, but is Sabrina’s friend.  The aunts are loving and somewhat nervous caretakers of their ward, but are much more enigmatic in their own affairs.  (What do Sabrina’s aunts do for a living in any version of their characters?)  Is it just me, or does Zelda looks like Magik from the New Mutants?  (Illyana is one of my favorite comic characters.  I’m okay if this is a ripoff.)

Harvey is a love interest, along with a cooler kid, who has a sister who becomes Sabrina’s social nemesis.  For whatever reason, Harvey’s had to face a revolving door of suitors for Sabrina’s affections in the last several versions of the comic.  Much of the high school setting for the comic is a bunch of really tired tropes.  I swear I’ve seen most of this setup (including the gay best friend) exactly repeated in a couple of other unrelated stories recently.  You wonder if the writer actually went to public high school, or only remembers what she read in books and watched in movies and on TV.       

The villain for the story felt like something out of Scooby Doo.  There was some ambiguity about the morals of Sabrina’s fellow students who were working with the villain.  The villain thinks he’s entitled to power, but gets a lecture from Sabrina that he has to earn it.  Funny hearing that attitude from a current day comic book professional, most of whom seem to have gotten their jobs because of what they are, not what they’ve done.  In any case by the end, the matriarchy in Greendale is firmly established as a girls-only club.       

The physical production of the trade is smaller than a full-sized comic.  The cover is thick, but pliable and meant for repeated readings.  The pages are sturdy and slick.  The bright colors pop off them.  There are five issues reprinted in the volume.  There are a couple of pages of character sketches and then a gallery of alternate covers.  This would seem kind of thin, but lastly, there’s a first issue of Archie and Sabrina romance series.

There was a decided lack of Sabrina in that sample issue.  Moreover, I thought Jughead and Sabrina were an item.  Maybe they were just friends.  What’s the deal with hooking up Archie with yet another established female character anyway?  At this point, it’s probably quicker to name the name the Archie Universe girls he hasn’t been with.  Josie?  Only because they might be related.  Black Josie on Riverdale is not canonical in any way as far as I’m concerned.  Melody?  Okay, I have no idea why he’s not hitting on her.  I’d dump Betty and Veronica for Melody.  I’m sure there’s a couple more.  (Sh*t, on Riverdale he banged Miss Grundy.)  The story had an interesting setup, but not interesting enough to get me to want to buy it, especially since this was totally decompressed in format and little to nothing happened.  For the current price of a floppy, something better darn well happen. 

For all the salt in my review, I totally recommend this.  It looks good, has a good premise, and has a good story.  If there’s another volume, I’ll probably be looking for it.  I’m sorry this rambled and went off on so many tangents.  I’m obviously very frustrated with comics in general.  This reminds me of CW’s current Crisis on Infinite Earths series with their DC heroes.  It’s so much fun, but their usual shows are so Agenda-driven, they’re almost unwatchable.  In other words, they’re capable of doing a good show, but choose not to.  Every instance of Agenda in this comic only pointlessly detracted from it and added nothing to it.  It’s sheer bitter indoctrination to anyone susceptible to it.

Do better.