This local comedy club is all about local Canadian talent and making people laugh
Located in downtown Hamilton on King St. W, the Levity Comedy Club & Lounge features live standup shows from around the globe, with a special emphasis on Canadian comedians.
Beyond the standup shows, the club also offers a lounge area with a bar and kitchen, open for food and drink service before, throughout and after shows.
The Levity Comedy Club is dedicated to creating a fun and engaging environment. They offer Amateur Nights on Wednesdays for those who are trying to break into the standup scene. Friday and Saturday nights are booked for seasoned comedians who are sure to deliver exciting shows. The club even hosts workshops on Tuesdays for people to step into the world of standup by trying some writing or getting on stage for the first time.
The club opened in 2019 by Patrick Coppolino, a born and raised Hamiltonian who has been doing standup since 2009. Coppolino started by producing multiple shows around the city in bars and other venues. There, he gathered experience running venues and regularly putting on shows. Coppolino, who was familiar with the owners of the Anchor Bar, then started Levity Comedy Club above the bar.
Coppolino works as the manager, booker and promoter of the club. As a comedian himself, he also occasionally performs and hosts Amateur Nights.
As Hamilton's only comedy club, the Levity Comedy Club has a unique role in the city. It is the only place in Hamilton to see professional standup shows or to try it out yourself.
Now open for five years, the club continues to attract audiences and to create a welcoming and encouraging atmosphere for performers and attendees alike.
"A lot of people end up hanging out afterwards. We have a lot of regulars now that became friends from being there together. They showed up separately, [then] met each other at the bar after. Now they just regularly come to the show, which is really cool," said Coppolino.
A lot of people end up hanging out afterwards. We have a lot of regulars now that became friends from being there together. They showed up separately, [then] met each other at the bar after. Now they just regularly come to the show, which is really cool.
Patrick Coppolino, Manger/Booker/Promoter, Levity Comedy Club and Lounge
Students can come for free on Wednesdays, as long as they show their student ID. Coppolino explained that it's a small incentive to get more youth exposed to standup. With the rise of standup on the internet, including on Instagram, TikTok and Youtube, the club is a great chance to experience comedy in-person.
The Levity Comedy Club is a great way to spend a fun night with friends. Additionally, students who want to work on their standup skills––or even their public speaking skills––can look forward to Amateur Nights and workshops. No matter what day of the week it is, The Levity Comedy Club promises to have you laughing and feeling lighter!
By: Hess Sahlollbey
Two anthropomorphic dog-women lay on a Grecian style bed in bliss while a cherub plays a horn amidst a mustard yellow background. The cover of J’aime les filles (I Like Girls) by Diane “Obom” Obomswin firmly establishes its surreal presentation.
A Montréal-based comics creator, Obomsawin originally lived abroad in France for 20 years before moving to Quebec permanently in the 80s.
Rent made Montréal more affordable than Paris, Obom found a home in the LGBTQ+ community.
Working as a graphic designer for magazines and advertisements, she was all the while studying animation in the late 1990s. A student at Concordia University, Obom was amongst one of the last groups of students to study traditional hand-drawn animation.
“It’s funny, I always seem to arrive at the end of things and beginnings of new ones,” said Obom.
The medium was shifting from colored plastic cells to hand-drawn sheets that computers and digital colours would then bring to life. As digital consumed the medium, Obom would use her newfound foundations and technology to shift her comics and storytelling to the screen.
“I got used to drawing on a graphic tablet… but I really miss that I have lost the opportunity to work with ink and paper,” said Obom.
While creating comics, Obom would soon fall in with the other creators in the arts scene of Montreal where the atmosphere was less cynical than France.
In Montreal, artists would openly discuss the poetry or their paintings without being looked down upon or facing pretention.
“It was a very collaborative time, but it was also the beginning of individualism, a time where collectively working on a project was on the decline,” said Obom.
This individualism would lend itself perfectly to comics and animation.
The mediums that call upon a tremendous amount of devotion, cartoonist and animators are often working in isolation for hours on end as they transition their characters through a story.
J’aime les filles, which is Obom’s latest collection published by Drawn and Quarterly, recounts short stories of lesbianism, first loves, affection and romantic expression. In 2016, Jaime les filles was adapted into a National Film Board of Canada short film.
“I was not aware of sexuality or of homosexuality as a child, but I knew I was attracted to girls and I would learn more about it later in life.”
With an equal distribution of weight distributed to each panel of a page, the heart and emotion of the stories that Obom conveys take precedence over flashy, superficial art.
“[I find comics] more difficult because you always have think panels and find the relationship between each panel whereas in animation I simply have to think about the scene and what I want to convey.”
Obom often finds herself working for hours on end when animating. Her passion for the medium makes it easy for her to lose track of time.
“With comics I have to think so much more… so when I make a comic I often look for excuses to get up and eat and maybe talk to my dog,” explained Obom.
While many coming-of-age tales in cinema or books may evoke a certain pathos where the viewer shares in the trials and tribulations of the characters uncertainties and anguishes; Obom flips the script with her unique style.
Characters are rendered as anthropomorphic funny animals with unique physical traits that amplify their personality.
Telling her own stories and those of her friends became a more straightforward process once it was divorced from artistic realism.
No longer a victim to the conventional artistic rules of proportion, anatomy and perspective, she is liberated to take more creative risks.
This subversive aspect also allows Obom to inject a distance into the characters that allows her friends to personify their favorite animals and share their personal experiences with first loves and feelings while still maintaining a certain level of anonymity.
Sharing her own stories alongside her friends, Obom creates a solidarity amongst all the tales as they recount a childhood full of revelations and new experiences.
Adapting her comics into animation and vice-versa, Obom’s use of gentle animal figures to tell stories has netted her multiple awards including the Nelvana Grand Prize for Independent Short Animation at the Ottawa International Animation Festival.
A member of the National Film Board of Canada, Obom’s films and comic collections are readily available online and will be on display in May at the Montreal Comic Arts Festival.
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By: Hess Sahlollbey
If my tickets were refundable, I would’ve left the theater after five minutes and asked for my money back. What should have been a simple grudge match between two orphans before they team up to face a greater evil is encumbered by a lengthy and superfluous political story and abstract metaphors.
While Man Of Steel was an effective introduction to Superman, Batman v Superman: Dawn Of Justice can easily be surmised as Warner Bros. attempt to address the faults in Man of Steel. While technically a sequel, it rehashes the same themes, ideas and symbolism but with a much darker tone. This over-reliance on previously used material is what ultimately causes this movie to fumble out of the gate. The darker tone also adds a sense of hopelessness that creates an unattractive package.
Zack Synder is a man who’s not unfamiliar with adapting comics to the screen. His past credits on 300, Watchmen and on Man of Steel easily prove that. However a poorly measured ambition to pay homage to Frank Miller’s The Dark Knight Returns and Dan Jurgens’ The Death of Superman is what ultimately led to the direction losing its way. Snyder’s view is clearly on that depicts Superman as a poorly stitched together Christ-figure, while Batman comes off as a billionaire fascist.
While Man of Steel gave hints to Superman being regarded as a messiah, the symbolism and metaphors in that film were subtle. In BvS however, the references are overly pleasant and forced. One element that allowed Man of Steel to succeed was the solid story-arc. Clark Kent/Kal-El struggled and grew with a culminating scene where he overcame severe odds, defeated the evil Kryptonians and ultimately found his place as Earth’s saviour. Batman V Superman, however, doesn’t have a plot that can be recounted in a few sentences because there simply isn’t one. It’s a string of beats that are poorly tied together to form an abstract narrative. Multiple convoluted plots in the story falter near the middle of this film because the acts also fail to smoothly transition from one to the next. Superman and Batman find themselves in a situation where they must fight each other and only stop when a CGI Doomsday shows up.
A poor plot could be forgiven by strong characterization, but BvS mostly comes up short in that aspect too. Superman is a character that’s simply there but has no presence. The bulk of his scenes see him engaging in self-loathing and are a regression from all the emotional development he had in Man Of Steel. He has the least amount of dialogue and spends the majority of the film transitioning from one place to the next, gathering what is often irrational advice. Henry Cavill gives a paper-thin performance with no depth. It’s a stark juxtaposition to his endearing performance in Man Of Steel.
When Ben Affleck was first announced as the new Batman, there was significant backlash online from fans. Even I was unsure whether or not he could pull it off, but his was one the stronger performances in the film. While Batman’s methods of crime fighting were questionably brutal in comparison to previous depictions of the Dark Knight, Ben Affleck easily blurs the line between himself and the character. Jeremy Irons is equally delightful as Batman’s trusty butler, Alfred. His portrayal of Alfred sees him as more of a hand’s on mechanic, while also delivering some of the wittiest lines of dialogue in the film.
Jesse Eisenberg who takes on the role of Lex Luthor, is a different story. While at first he appears as a Mark Zuckerberg-type billionaire with a sinister agenda, his ramblings make his character come off as more cuckoo. Historically the character has been portrayed as a super-genius obsessed with greed and besting Superman. In BvS however, his motivations aren’t just unclear, they’re non-existent. Eisenberg’s most captivating scenes are those where he operates silently because his conversations are filled with nonsensical biblical and theological ramblings. This dialogue again ties back into the movie’s overabundance of depthless symbolism.
The real star of this film however was Gal Gadot. She is an absolute show-stealer anytime she’s on screen. Gadot’s depiction of Wonder Woman is sexy, mysterious and most importantly sparse. She has few scenes in the movie but always leaves you wanting more. Gadot’s role in the film is the only place where Zack Snyder seems to be aware that less is more. It should also be noted that it’s the first depiction of Wonder Woman on the big screen and sets the bar very high for whatever comes next. The same can also be said of Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa and Ray Fisher who all appear as Barry Allen/Flash, Arthur Curry/Aquaman and Victor Stone/Cyborg respectively. We get brief peeks that leave us wanting more.
Despite months and anticipation and millions of dollars of marketing, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice is ludicrous in its reasoning and plot. A film whose purpose is to launch an expanded cinematic universe, the film has slivers of brilliance, but does everything else in the most inefficient manner possible.
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By: Hess Sahlollbey
Over the past week, the upcoming slate of adaptations based on DC Comics properties has been turbulent, to say the least.
For instance, Sandman, based on Neil Gaiman’s comic-book series lost Joseph Gordon-Levitt, one of the driving forces behind it, further curtailing the project. On the opposite end of the spectrum is Preacher, which is slated to debut this May with Seth Rogen as an executive producer and starring Dominic Cooper.
Hidden in all of this news was the fact that Scalped, also from DC, has been picked up for a pilot by WGN. While it’s not certain that it’ll become a series, I couldn’t help but revisit the comic-book series in anticipation.
Written by Jason Aaron and illustrated by R. M. Guéra, Scalped is a crime comic book series published by Vertigo Comics. Originally published in 2007, the series ended after 60 issues in 2012. Along the way, guest artists jumped on to elevate the ongoing quality of the series. Scalped has been collected into ten trade paperbacks and is also currently being collected as five deluxe hardcovers. So far, three of these books have been released with numbers four and five planned for April and August respectively.
The series, while fictional, is set in the present and is inspired by elements of Native American history. Specifically, story elements are derived from the American Indian movement and the Red Power movement of the 1970’s. Set in South Dakota, Scalped focuses on the Oglala Lakota inhabitants of the fictional Prairie Rose Indian Reservation. Our main protagonist, Dashiell “Dash” Bad Horse ran away from the “Rez” 15 years ago in search of something better. Now he’s returned home to find that nothing much has changed save for a new casino and a once-proud people overcome by drugs and organized crime. While his motivation for returning to the reservation is unknown at first, he soon finds himself working for Chief Lincoln Red Crow as a member of the Tribal Police. Unfortunately for Dash, neither his mother nor his old friends are happy to see him return. Little does anyone know that Dash’s real reason for returning is that he is actually an undercover FBI agent, tasked with taking down the corrupted officials.
With a premise as unique as that, it’s easy to see why a television network would want to adapt the comic. This is a series that wasn’t afraid to explore some pretty dark themes. Some of those explored themes include rampant poverty, organized crime, drug addiction and alcoholism, local politics and the preservation of their cultural identity. This series was never afraid to shine a light on a neglected part of society that is rarely depicted in the mass media.
Adding a neo-western setting, the series breaks certain cultural molds and could easily be seen as a contemporary western à la Breaking Bad due to its overall aesthetic. Much like western films, the idea of progress always hangs on the horizon. In the case of Scalped however, it’s the delicate lack of progress and stagnation on the “Rez” that makes the characters so interesting. The characterization is thus the strongest force behind this story. It’s fascinating to see the evolution that these characters go through over the span of the story. All of the characters feel organic and their problems and turmoil’s are captivating and depressing. While Dash Bad Horse may have a dark and questionable moral compass, Scalped showed us just how far a hero can fall from grace and still have the reader rooting for them.
The level of realism in the series, combined with the depiction of Native American society easily makes Jason Aaron comparable to Honoré de Balzac. Adding to that, R.M. Guéra complements the series perfectly with his gritty, dirty art. While I didn’t enjoy it at first, it quickly grew on me as an acquired taste and was greatly elevated by the change of colorist from Lee Loughride to Giulia Brusco.
Casting for this series will be key, as Scalped will hopefully be a chance for Native American actors to get some prime time roles. Neither of Scalped’s creators are Indigenous and there has been some controversy in the past over how Indigenous people and their issues were depicted and treated over the course of the series. We can only aspire however that this project won’t turn out like Adam Sandler’s recent film The Ridiculous 6 where Native actors, actresses and a cultural advisor left the set in protest of the depiction of their culture. Here’s hoping that the TV adaptation will do this critically acclaimed comicbook series justice.
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By: Hess Sahlollbey
Since it began in 2010, Young Justice has been critically acclaimed and has garnered a passionate following. However, it wasn’t until Young Justice was added to Netflix at the start of February that the fandom has set the internet ablaze in a bid to push for a third season. When series creator Greg Weisman tweeted that Netflix was looking at viewing numbers to create a third season, I decided to pitch in and marathon it myself to help out with the campaign.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMs6_QOV10g
The show aired on Cartoon Network until it was cancelled in 2013. The main characters of the show are a group of sidekicks attempting to separate from their mentors and prove themselves as superheroes. In the first season, Robin, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian, Artemis and Aqualad come together to form the eponymous team with Zatanna and Rocket joining them later on. The team works together under the authority of the Justice League to battle a team of super villains known only as “The Light.” In the second season, the series jumps forward five years as we’re introduced to an even larger and more diverse cast of heroes and villains.
While grounded somewhat in reality, the show still keeps things consistent with the traditional DC Universe continuity. If you’re not well versed in the rich history of DC Comics, the show will ease you into this world gently with plenty of explanations as well as thorough introductions to characters. Young Justice is also not afraid to explore the subjects that terrify adults. Whether it’s a father’s inability to protect his daughter from super villains, the terrors of parents being separated from their children, or a darker storyline of child abduction that involves non-consensual experimentation.
In addition to beautiful graphics, the show has a strong soundtrack that fits perfectly with the tone of the storyline. In fact, it won an Emmy for animation not long after its initial premiere.
It should be mentioned that the show is not without its controversies. In 2013, Paul Dini appeared on Kevin Smith’s podcast Fatman on Batman where he claimed that network executives cancelled it due to too many girls watching the show.
However, Greg Weiseman has stated on multiple occasions since then that the show was cancelled due to toy sales being too low to fund additional seasons. Whatever the reason may be, if there ever was a television show that could benefit from one more season, it’s Young Justice.
[UPDATE] : Almost nine months to the date after this article went live a third season was officially confirmed. WB Animation also announced that original producers Greg Weisman and Brandon Vietti have both returned and that production has already begun with a premiere date to be announced later.
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By: Joe Jodoin
This movie isn’t a groundbreaking artwork. It doesn’t subvert the audience’s perceptions of superhero archetype. It doesn’t even have a clever sense of humour or any breathtaking special effects. However, a Deadpool movie doesn’t have to have any of these qualities to be a success because that’s not why we love Deadpool. Deadpool is a foul-mouthed, juvenile sociopath, who takes nothing seriously and constantly breaks the fourth wall to let us know he is perfectly aware of what the audience is thinking. In that respect, Deadpool is exactly the kind of movie the character deserves.
I was first introduced to Deadpool just over 10 years ago, when I began reading X-Men comic books. He was never my favorite character, but he was the kind of character that provided essential comic relief through the use of meta-humor that I found myself craving when the drama of the more serious superhero epics got overwhelming. Right now we live in an age of Hollywood cinema where most audience members consider dark and grounded to be essential characteristics of a good superhero movie. The miracle of Deadpool is that it has arrived at the perfect time; not only to provide much needed counter programing from your typical superhero movies that take themselves so seriously, but it reminds audiences that superheroes also have a fun side, providing escapism through high entertainment.
Deadpool’s character has always been someone people either love or hate and it has been largely due to this controversial sense of humor.
Deadpool has received a generally positive response from film critics, but occasionally gets criticized for being the exact film that it ridicules. It has one of the most typical superhero origin stories ever conceived, with an upbeat but tormented protagonist, and a one-dimensional villain with no character development. There is the standard love interest, standard comic relief and sidekick characters, and standard cameos from other superheroes that some fans will recognize from other movies.
The storylines shows that this typical narrative is so overused because it works. The villain is underdeveloped so the lovable hero can get more screen time; the love interest gives the film heart; the comic relief calms you down after a brutal torture scene or a draining action scene. It reminds us that the reason superheroes exist is to provide escapism from daily life, and Deadpool is its ultimate manifestation.
The actors all do a fantastic job, espectially Ryan Reynolds, who was born to play Deadpool. He has previously tried to play other comic book characters such as Hannibal King or Green Lantern and has been perfectly serviceable, but his performance as Deadpool ranks among the greats such as Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man, or Hugh Jackman’s Wolverine. Stefan Kapicic as Colossus was another major standout of the film. The character of Colossus has already been featured in three other X-Men movies, but on none of those occasions was he ever done justice. In Deadpool, he is portrayed as a big brother-like figure to the other X-men, who also has a heart under his shiny metal exterior.
The movie’s lewd sense of humour is another defining aspect, although whether it is a good or bad thing will be up to the individual viewer. Deadpool’s character has always been someone people either love or hate and it has been largely due to this controversial sense of humor.
Overall, this movie isn’t perfect, but I loved every single scene. You can pick apart this movie for things like its cheap special effects, countless dick jokes, or lack of originality, but those are exactly what make this the perfect Deadpool movie.
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By: Hess Sahlollbey
While we might still be over a month away from seeing Superman and Batman together for the first time on the big screen, a team-up of more epic proportions is already playing out in the pages of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
With Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2 on the verge of release later this year, the recently released six-part monthly miniseries also figures as an excellent appetizer to whet your appetite on.
The story begins in Gotham City where evil ninjas from the Foot Clan have been committing raids on scientists and researchers. Somehow they’ve crossed over to another dimension and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are hot on their trail. The Batman of Gotham might not be able to get along with the TMNT, but they’re all going to have to work together if they’re going to stop Shredder, Killer Croc and a host of other villains who have also teamed up to threaten the fabric of reality.
Written by long-time Batman scribe James Tynion IV, I knew that the properties were in the hands of a more than talented writer. The same can also be said of star artist Freddie Williams II. While I’m personally not a fan of his writing, his work in Robin, Captain Atom and authoring the phenomenal DC Comics Guide to Digitally Drawing Comics meant that the project was in competent hands. However, I was still sceptical and feared that I wouldn’t enjoy the serious; fortunately, I was wrong on both fronts. Not only is the characterization fully intact for the Dark Knight, but the wacky antics of the Ninja Turtles allows the two groups to have excellent chemistry as their conflicts progress.
Seeing the serious and gritty Batman deal with the immature Michelangelo, the temperamental Raphael or even the nerdy Donatello more than validates the cost of admission for this series. Freddie Williams II style of art makes this series fall perfectly in line with the 1980’s TMNT TV series and James Tynion IV keeps thing simple with a plot that’s not too convoluted. The Sci-Fi elements of how the Turtles ended up in Batman’s universe is played down to ensure a more fun book with witty dialogue.
The plot however is not without its faults. Too often, James IV takes his time and far too frequently bogs down the narrative by having overly long segments of narration and inner-monologue. This is in stark contrast to the sense of urgency that the Turtles have to return to their own world and creates a very choppy pace.
On the surface, this crossover seems like the kind of fantasy we all had growing up. Reading this story instantly created a sense of nostalgia, taking me back to elementary school where Batman and the Ninja Turtles reigned supreme in the thoughts and dialogues of my friends. I could never have imagined how well the crossover could be done, especially since I can vividly remember the TMNT/Power Rangers TV Special from 18 years ago.
This a golden age to be a fan of comics. We have the privilege of seeing the characters we loved as children reach greater and greater heights in contemporary pop culture. So far, three issues have been released with a trade paperback containing the whole story scheduled for mid-July.
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By: Hess Sahlollbey
Mired in controversy from the moment it was first announced, including a petition from “One Million Moms” to have the series removed from television, Lucifer is finally here. And while it’s not the first crime procedural to feature the occult, it’s definitely the most stylish thanks in large part to its title character.
Fox’s new series Lucifer is based off Mike Carey’s comic-book series, Lucifer. The Lucifer comic, a spinoff of Neil Gaiman’s depiction of the devil in The Sandman, was published under DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint. Much like Netflix’s Jessica Jones, Lucifer is inspired by the source material and isn’t a direct adaptation à la Walking Dead.
What if the devil got tired of reigning over all of hell and damnation and decided to take a vacation? That’s the basic premise of the show as we get to see how things unfold for him. Lucifer Morningstar (Tom Ellis) decides to relocate to the City of Angels and open his own piano bar called Lux. However everything changes for Lucifer when a friend from his past gets gunned down in his arms outside of his night club. He then teams up with Detective Chloe Dancer (Lauren German) to solve crimes and bring criminals to justice by using his supernatural powers.
If this all seems ridiculous, it’s because it is.
They managed to pull it all off by perfectly casting Welsh actor Tom Ellis in the title role. The writing of this character, combined with Ellis’ devilishly charming performance is what makes this series so great. Viewers begin to sympathize with the devil as his character slowly evolves and faces an existential crisis. He just oozes swagger and charisma and right away we learn that the big skill that’s helped him become such a success in our realm: he’s able to make people confess their darkest desires. This adds a fun motif to the show as people blurt out what they want or are thinking to him.
Lucifer is also a very stylish show. The direction is awesome and so is the soundtrack selection and set design. The opening shot of Lucifer in his convertible was perfectly set to Cage the Elephant’s devil-themed “Ain’t no Rest for the Wicked.” Combined with scenes of Lucifer in his bar drinking and playing the piano, the whole presentation really gives the viewer a good sense of who Lucifer is. It’s also very effective at setting the series’ mischievous tone.
However, as bold as Fox was to raise a little hell and have a series with Satan as the main character, I’m disappointed that they stuck to the case-of-the-week crime procedural format. The first case Lucifer solves is enjoyable, but the mystery was still paper-thin.
While it’s fun to see Lucifer use his supernatural powers to get what he wants, the secondary characters are shallow. Detective Chloe Dancer is still your typical no-nonsense tightwad who’s been paired up with a more eccentric character. Chloe may have a fun and unconventional back story, but I fear that her relationship with Lucifer may be played too safely as the series continues. Also bogging down the series is Archangel Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) who occasionally pops up trying to convince Lucifer to go back to hell. His performance is stiff and a real detriment to the narrative. I can’t help but wonder if the show would have been better by simply having Lucifer gallivant in L.A. without all of the police work.
Taking into consideration the ongoing success of DC’s other comic-book shows, it’s safe to assume that they’re going to continue adapting more comics to TV. Lucifer proves that there is room for not just one more comic book—based show, but for an occult mystery show that is accessible to viewers. However the success of this show boils down to whether or not Ellis’ Lucifer can bring some light to the tired crime procedural genre and be a hit.
Photo Credit: John Fleenor/ FOX
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By: Hess Sahllolbey
Ever since Iron Man hit the big screen almost a decade ago, Marvel has been creating a universe that’s only become bigger and better. After having seen every episode since its debut on Friday, I’ve decided that Jessica Jones is no exception. I’m still reeling from how realistic, dark and amazing it is.
The second series from Marvel’s four-show agreement with Netflix after Daredevil, Jessica Jones is the latest addition to the growing mythology of the Marvel Comics Cinematic Universe. For the fans of the original Alias comic book by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos, it should be noted that this is not a direct adaptation of the comic. Where something like The Walking Dead follows the narrative of the comic books linearly without ever drifting from it, Jessica Jones is merely inspired from certain concepts in the comics. That’s not to say that elements from the comics are lost; instead, Jessica Jones takes its own unique spin.
Jessica Jones is far darker than anything else in the MCU and focuses on the seedy side of New York City. Taking place after The Avengers saved NYC from an alien invasion in the first Avengers film, the series sees Jessica investigating superhuman threats in the city.
Adult themes and subjects are not off limits in the show, including graphic depictions of rape, substance abuse and PTSD. All of those themes bring us a much darker and tormented hero, unlike any of the mainstream Avengers heroes. And that’s all thanks to the perfect casting of Krysten Ritter and David Tennant. Krysten Ritter has always brought a captivating presence to anything that she’s starred in. Her past shows like Breaking Bad and Don’t Trust the B in Apartment 23 solidified her as the perfect actress that could play the sarcastic, anti-social, quick-witted type that would still set aside their inner demons to help others. Anytime Ritter is on screen as Jessica Jones, she easily gives her career-best performance as she conveys Jones’ damaged psyche and emotional turmoil in a genuinely realistic manner.
Adding to that stellar cast is David Tennant as Kilgrave, the main antagonist of the series. This character, also known as the Purple Man, is dastardly creepy. A smile creeps across my face any time Tennant is on screen. He plays the role so terrifyingly well that I was always at the edge of my seat, holding my breath in anxiety and fear of what he was going to do to his next victim. His mere presence creates an unsettling atmosphere, coupled with his superpower to make anyone do whatever he tells them to do.
Mike Colter, Rachel Taylor and Wil Traval were all fantastic respectively as Luke Cage, Trish Walker and Nuke. They had lots of chemistry and intrigue as their stories played out. On the contrary, Eka Derville, Carrie-Anne Moss and Erin Moriarty’s characters felt extremely one-dimensional with no depth or development. Their scenes were often stiff and boring to watch. I also can’t help but compare the sex scenes in Jessica Jones to those in Orange is the New Black. In Jessica Jones, they’re run-of-the-mill and overly explicit; on the other hand, Orange is the New Black’s sex scenes are funny, messy and heartbreakingly real. The scenes however still contribute to the noir drama and help flesh out the characters more.
In the end, Jessica Jones is one excellent package. It contains all of the classic film-noir elements including saxophone music, jump scares, shadows through glass, long panning shots and voice-over monologues that left me wanting more. In fact, this neo-noir psychological thriller had such an abundant supply of detectives, superheroes and super villains, that it made me wonder why we even need the Avengers films when all the real drama is playing out on the small screen.
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By: Hess Sahlollbey
One of the most highly controversial TV shows this fall, Supergirl finally aired and blew me away. From the moment the six minute preview appeared online, fans of the character were quick to write the show off as being too clichéd.
Having now seen the first three episodes, I’m better equipped to judge the show than I was after seeing the preview.
In Supergirl, Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El (Melissa Benoist) is a fish out of water. Having grown up on Krypton, Kara has come to earth as a teenager to escape Krypton’s destruction. While she might not have been born on earth, she’s more than ready to prove that she can get by just fine without help from her famous cousin, the Man of Steel. That being said, the show did feel a little too much like a chick flick since it had all the usual tropes: A best friend who is not so secretly in love with her, a shitty job where she fetches lattes for a Devil Wears Prada type boss, and a handsome new co-worker who can make Kara instantly forget how to speak. The suspension of disbelief can get to be a bit much when Kara has a luxurious apartment despite being a columnist with apparently no job security. Kara also disguises herself in plain sight by wearing her hair in a ponytail and glasses just like Clark Kent does. Later, she rids herself of both and receives compliments from her crush.
In Supergirl, Kara has her heart set out for Jimmy Olsen. And while their flirting may be sweet, it again feels a little too formulaic. In defense of the show, this was a pilot and its purpose is to set the stage. I’m already looking forward to the development of their romance — it feels more natural than the usual unresolved sexual tension of a will-they-or-won’t-they that we see on most shows.
Another point that interested me was the discourse between Kara and her boss, media publisher Cat Grant, over whether or not Kara’s superhero alter ego should be known as “Supergirl” or as “Superwoman.” As Superman’s cousin, Kara finds it insulting, telling Cat, “I’m a woman.” Cat, however, laughs in her face and says, “No, honey. You’re a girl. I’m a woman” as Cat attempts to take back “girl” as empowering.
Later there are subtle Superman cameos that don’t take the spotlight away from Kara. Anything from a blurry vision of him jumping in at the last minute to lend a helping hand to Kara, to the text message exchanges they have from time to time. While it would be nice to see the Last Son of Krypton, I can’t say that I miss him. Melissa Benoist is very likable as Kara all on her own.
If you’ve been craving more female centric superhero shows then rejoice in knowing that Supergirl is definitely worth a watch. What I like most about it is that the show has a lot of heart. Unlike 2013’s Man Of Steel, which had audiences divided on the cynical portrayal of Superman, Supergirl is a very family-friendly adaptation of the comics.
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