Marvel's Jessica Jones has been correctly if exhaustively interpreted as a critique of abusive relationships and rape culture. It also lends itself to more general readings. The clash between David Tennant's Kilgrave and Krysten Ritter's Jessica Jones highlights the importance human beings attach to the idea of functional agency. Many of the show's characters seem…Read more “That’s Not for You to Decide” – On Choice, Identity and Self-forgiveness in Marvel’s Jessica Jones
Marvel
“Do You Really Think This Will Change Anything?” – How Marvel’s Daredevil is a Half-Measure
Superheroics are inherently stupid, and the best comics acknowledge this. The Batman canon has wallowed in this harsh truth for years, with its characters (in every medium) openly wondering if the Caped Crusader does more bad than good. Moore famously designed his seminal superhero text Watchmen to be the genre's epitaph. Its central cast of…Read more “Do You Really Think This Will Change Anything?” – How Marvel’s Daredevil is a Half-Measure
Captain America: The Winter Soldier or How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Stopped Working
This is not an essay designed to bash The Winter Solider. Taken on its own merits the most recent Captain America movie is a pretty good thrill ride, ranking easily as one of the best of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Yet, its status as part of a much larger whole is where one finds fault…Read more Captain America: The Winter Soldier or How the Marvel Cinematic Universe Stopped Working
Film Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)
In the third Iron Man film, the adage, "A hero is only as good as his villain," certainly applies. Iron Man 3's baddie easily eclipses such forgettable foes as Whiplash and Obadiah Stane in terms of banality. However, what's worse is that the film's eponymous hero, portrayed once more with a snarky playfulness by Robert…Read more Film Review: Iron Man 3 (2013)
Adam Mohrbacher 