The Arcs of Characters and Human History in Avengers: Endgame

The character arcs of Marvel’s Big three parallel prominent views regarding the shape of history.

Aladdin is Not Quite a Whole New World, Thankfully

The old world was just fine, and just enough of it still shines through

“I Review You, Pikachu!”

As with the games, I can’t help but loving the core conceit so strongly as to overlook a litany of gripes

Shazam! is Lacking in Magic

You won’t believe a man can fly

New Brunswick officially changes nickname to “Cowboy’s Junction”

Speculation remains rampant as to the true identity of The eponymous Cowboy

The Middling Captain Marvel is Best as a Period Piece and Prequel

Captain Marvel excels as a period piece and a prequel, but it’s far from the feminist equivalent of Black Panther

The Secret Origin(s) of the Joker

Do you want to know how he got those scars?

The Year that Was My 2018

It was nearly the best of times, and it was nearly the worst of times

J.R.R. Tolkien and History as the “Long Defeat”

“I do not expect ‘history’ to be anything but a ‘long defeat’— though it contains… glimpses of final victory”

Klaus and the Crying Snowman

Klaus is mythological enacting the same celestial beneficence our agrarian ancestors relied upon back when Yuletide meant something to someone for the very first time