Celebrating July Fourth with Captain America

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

July 3, 2024

 

Since I was a kid, I’ve been a big Captain America fan. Captain America, a.k.a. Steve Rogers, not only tapped into patriotic little Ray, but, as I’ve written before, Captain America comic books planted in me a love of reading. That, of course, led to my own efforts as a writer.

So, here are some of my favorite quotes from Captain America for July Fourth, Independence Day…

 

“Doesn't matter what the press says. Doesn't matter what the politicians or the mobs say. Doesn't matter if the whole country decides that something wrong is something right. This nation was founded on one principle above all else: the requirement that we stand up for what we believe, no matter the odds or the consequences. When the mob and the press and the whole world tell you to move, your job is to plant yourself like a tree beside the river of truth, and tell the whole world – ‘No, you move.’” 

- Captain America, 

from Amazing Spider- Man #537 by J. Michael Straczynski

 

“As long as freedom may be threatened – Captain America must follow his destiny – wherever that may lead!”

- Captain America

from Captain America #100 by Stan Lee

 

“I will not tolerate – I will not allow – any talk of the necessity of necessary evil. I have spent my life on that line and every time I’ve seen someone cross it, death and horror and shame was what followed. So I refuse to entertain it.”

- Captain America,

from New Avengers (Vol. 3) #2 by Jonathan Hickman

 

“You know, the last time I was in Germany and saw a man standing above everybody else, we ended up disagreeing.”

- Captain America

from The Avengers movie

 

“The price of freedom is high, it always has been. And it's a price I'm willing to pay. And if I'm the only one, then so be it. But I'm willing to bet I'm not.” 

- Captain America

from Captain America: The Winter Soldier movie

 

“I fought your kind every day of that war, Zemo! You mocked democracy and said that free men were weak! Well feel this grip, Zemo — it's the grip of a man who loves liberty! Look into the eyes of your foe, and know that he will die for his freedom! The world must never again mistake compassion for weakness! And while I live — it had better not!”

- Captain America, 

from Avengers #6 by Stan Lee

 

Thanks to all of the comic book artists and writers who worked on Cap in his stand alone book and part of the Avengers, and got me interested in Captain America, including Cap’s creators Jack Kirby and Joe Simon. God bless, America!

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at

https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship.

 

Various books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• The Alliance of Saint Michael novels – Cathedral and Subversion – are at Amazon. 

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, and The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Thumbs-Up for Straczynski on Captain America

 by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

May 21, 2024

 

I’ve been a fan of Captain America since I was a kid. Indeed, as I’ve mentioned before, Captain America Marvel Comic books instilled a sense of joy for reading in me, and that led to reading more and eventually becoming a writer.

On a different front, I recently found and have delighted in the 1990s sci-fi television show Babylon 5. J. Michael Straczynski created and continues to be the driving force behind the Babylon 5 universe. Straczynski also has an extensive resume as a comic book writer, and starting last year, he’s been writing a run on Captain America comics. 

 

When I’ve parachuted in to read some comics in recent years, while there have been wonderful exceptions of solid storytelling, too much has offered uninteresting tales, poor-to-mundane artwork, and sometimes painful agendas. Questions came to mind. Among others, where have the great comic writers and artists gone, and where are the formidable new ones? 

So, Straczynski on the Cap title intrigued me. After all, Straczynski penned one of Cap’s all-time great speeches in comics (in a Spider-Man title - see below). 

I just finished the trade paperback collection of the first six installments in the series. I wasn’t disappointed.

 

Straczynski serves up an interesting story that jumps back and forth between Steve Rogers’ (before he becomes Captain America) early run-ins with Nazis in America, and current-day Cap helping others – from fellow superheroes to local neighbors – and taking on a dark, powerful evil. I also appreciated the role played by gangster Meyer Lansky with a young Rogers.

 

Straczynski drives home the essential issue that there really is no rest in terms of fighting against evil and for peace. This point coupled with the timeframe for part of this tale hit home for me as my Alliance of Saint Michael historical fiction touches on related challenges in the 1930s – with Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel soon to be followed by Subversion.

 

And yes, the forms that evil can take often repeat themselves.

 

I appreciated that the writing stayed faithful to the Steve Rogers-Captain America character; enjoyed the writing; and, for the most part, the artwork in these first issues in Straczynski’s run on Captain America. I look forward to reading more.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com; and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries, the Alliance of Saint Michael novels, and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

The Disney Planner: The TO DO List Solution combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more.

 

Never miss any new book by Ray Keating by joining the Pastor Stephen Grant Fellowship with Ray Keating at

https://www.patreon.com/pastorstephengrantfellowship.

 

Various books by Ray Keating…

 

• The Pastor Stephen Grant thrillers and mysteries. There are 19 books in the series now.

 

• Cathedral: An Alliance of Saint Michael Novel is at Amazon. 

 

• Order The Weekly Economist III: Another 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, The Weekly Economist II: 52 More Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist, and The Weekly Economist: 52 Quick Reads to Help You Think Like an Economist at Amazon.com.

 

• Signed editions of Ray’s books are at www.raykeatingbooksandmore.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Disney Fans Should Know Jack Kirby

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #310: Disney Fans Should Know Jack Kirby – Sure, there’s Walt Disney. There’s Stan Lee, There’s George Lucas. But if they unaware of him, Disney fans should get to know comic book storyteller and artist Jack Kirby.

The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.

Eternals Was No “Love Letter” to Jack Kirby

 by Ray Keating

Commentary

DisneyBizJournal.com

January 30, 2022

 

Kevin Feige, the head of Marvel Studios, declared the MCU movie Eternals to be a “love letter” to Jack Kirby, the great comic book artist and writer who created The Eternals, along with creating or co-creating a host of other Marvel characters, from Captain America to the Fantastic Four.

 

Unfortunately, the Eternals movie is anything but a love letter to Kirby.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter in November, at the premiere of Eternals, Feige, referring to Kirby, said, “The whole movie is a love letter to what one man was able to do with a pencil, sitting at a little desk on the East Coast.”

 

The Eternals arrived from Marvel Comics in July 1976. I probably read the books when they were first published, but I confess to not recalling if I did or not. So, I just finished reading (re-reading?) Kirby’s run on The Eternals. This is not Kirby’s best story work by any means. It’s uneven, with some inspired moments and others that just fall flat. However, as is almost always the case with Kirby, the artwork is strong and dramatic, and has something of a cinematic quality to it. It’s easy to see how Feige or others at Marvel Studios thought it would be a good idea to bring The Eternals to the big screen, despite the fact that the books largely fell into the unread category for many, if not most, comic book readers.

 

Unfortunately, the film in almost every way is indifferent to or ignorant of Kirby’s work. 

 

As noted in my DisneyBizJournal review, Eternals came up short in so many ways, such as flat characters; mostly poor performances (though with exceptions); contradictions and nonsensical moments in the story and for certain characters; poor special effects; and supposed attempts to deal with big issues that simply come off as immature and embarrassing.

And if this weren’t bad enough, any real link to Jack Kirby’s work is nonexistent. The moviemakers use the names of Kirby’s characters, but that’s pretty much it. There’s no resemblance between the original comic book characters and those in the movie. Debate and complaints always seem to materialize when characters from comic books are presented on the silver screen. More often than not, however, the debate or complaints are over matters of degree. For example, the 2013 Man of Steel movie still generates debate over certain actions by Superman, but there’s no mistaking that this is Superman. That’s definitely not the case with the Eternals movie. It’s hard to find characters in the movie grounded in any substantive way with Kirby’s original characters. Indeed, most of this is quite egregious on the part of the filmmakers, including a dramatic change in Ikaris, who serves as the central hero in Kirby’s books but is presented as something quite different in the movie. If Warner Brothers had done to Superman what Marvel Studios did to Ikaris, I hate to think what Superman fans would have done. Luckily for the MCU, few knew who Ikaris was going into the theater. Of course, Jack Kirby certainty understood the characters he created, and it’s hard to believe that he would have seen the Eternals film as some kind of love letter.

 

Finally, one of the most damning issues for a movie, though, is that the pages of The Eternals drawn by Jack Kirby possess more cinematic magic than does the actual Eternals movie seen in cinemas. The Eternals was far from Jack Kirby’s best work, yet those comic books still beat the Eternals movie.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels and assorted nonfiction books. Have Ray Keating speak your group, business, school, church, or organization. Email him at raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

The views expressed here are his own – after all, no one else should be held responsible for this stuff, right?

 

Get more out of 2022 with The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution! It combines a simple, powerful system for getting things done with encouragement and fun for Disney fans, including those who love Mickey, Marvel, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Pixar, princesses and more. Also, “The Disney Planner 2022: The TO DO List Solution” comes with a handy spiral binding for easy use. 

 

Keating has three new books out. Vatican Shadows: A Pastor Stephen Grant Novel is the 13^th thriller/mystery in the Pastor Stephen Grant series. Get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed books at www.raykeatingonline.com. Past Lives: A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story is the 14th book in the series. Again, get the paperback or Kindle edition at Amazon, or signed book at www.raykeatingonline.com. And order the 15th book in the series What’s Lost? A Pastor Stephen Grant Short Story – grab it at Amazon.com or signed editions at www.raykeatingonline.com. 

 

Also, check out Ray’s podcasts – the Daily Dose of Disney, Free Enterprise in Three Minutes, and the PRESS CLUB C Podcast.

Stan Lee Found Happiness in Work

Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #260: Stan Lee Happiest When Working – Love your work, and you might feel like Stan Lee who said he was happiest when working. 

The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.

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Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating – Episode #203: Bob Iger Serves Up A Lesson in Free Enterprise – A Bob Iger quote covers a lot of why free enterprise works.

 

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The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.

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The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.

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The “Daily Dose of Disney with Ray Keating” podcast serves up a Disney or Disney-related quote each day, with DisneyBizJournal’s Ray Keating offering brief, additional thoughts on how each dose ties in to life, career, business, entrepreneurship, creativity, storytelling, work, or just plain fun.

Disneynomics: Disney’s Near-Infinite Opportunities with Marvel

 by Ray Keating

Disneynomics Column

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 27, 2020

 

When The Walt Disney Company purchased Marvel for $4 billion in 2009, then-Disney CEO Bob Iger said, “This is perfect from a strategic perspective. This treasure trove of over 5,000 characters offers Disney the ability to do what we do best.” But I doubt that Iger at the time fully grasped the vast opportunities that would open up.

Looking at what’s happened at the box office for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, with 23 movies raking in almost $23 billion, the success of this deal should be obvious to all. Toss in all of the related revenues, and simply based on the movies so far, Disney’s purchase of Marvel turns out to be one of the greatest deals in Hollywood history. Ah, but there is and will be so much more.

 

Indeed, as time passes, the Disney-Marvel deal should prove to be far more lucrative and impressive, as long as storytellers continue telling quality stories, of course. The gains promise not only to come via movie theaters (post-COVID-19), but thanks to the Disney+ streaming service.

 

Consider a couple of recent news items regarding Marvel and Disney+. 

 

Variety reported that, according to sources, Samuel L. Jackson will be back as Nick Fury in a Disney+ series. It was noted, “The exact plot details of the show are being kept under wraps, but multiple sources say Jackson is attached to star with Kyle Bradstreet attached to write and executive produce.” Jackson’s Fury has played a key role in the MCU on the big screen.

And then there’s the release of an extensive trailer for the forthcoming Disney+ series WandaVision, starring Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff, a.k.a. the Scarlett Witch, and Paul Bettany as Vision. WandaVision looks fascinating and reportedly will arrive on Disney+ in December.

 

Also coming to Disney+ is The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Loki – some time in 2021. What If…? will be an animated series also coming in 2021. What else? Reports point to Disney+ Marvel shows titled Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Moon Knight, and She-Hulk. 

 

What makes the Disney-Marvel deal increasingly fascinating, even though it was signed and sealed eleven years ago, is that with 5,000+ characters, Disney now has  multiple times 5,000 stories to tap. For one of the great storytelling companies in history, this equates to a near-infinite amount of resources. Tales from the pages of decades of Marvel comic books have been waiting to come alive via the silver screen and now via online streaming. That time is now.

 

It’s already is well under way, of course, with some classic comic stories feeding into the movies, and now, apparently, into WandaVision. Yes, the stories of the Scarlett Witch and Vision, together and apart, offer a wealth of potential material, from the madness of Wanda to Vision trying to synthesize a normal life – with dire consequences in each case. (What? Hey, read the comics, man!) Consider these backgrounds, and check out how Disney describes WandaVision: “The series is a blend of classic television and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in which Wanda Maximoff and Vision—two super-powered beings living idealized suburban lives—begin to suspect that everything is not as it seems.”

 

And Nick Fury? Well, in the comics, his stories range from the battlefields of World War II to espionage and running SHIELD to saving the world from afar.

So, consider everything you’ve already seen at the movies with the MCU – along with what Fox and Sony have offered, such as the X-Men and Spider-Man – the ABC television shows Agent Carter and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., the Marvel shows that appeared on Netflix (i.e., Daredevil, The Punisher, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist and The Defenders). Add in what we know is coming from Marvel for Disney+. 

 

Oh, yeah, and note the forthcoming Marvel movies – Black Widow on May 7, 2021, Shang Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on July 9, 2021, Eternals on November 5, 2021, Thor: Love and Thunder on February 11, 2022; Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness on March 25, 2022; Black Panther 2 still scheduled for May 6, 2022, and Captain Marvel 2 on July 8, 2022.

 

“Wow” would not be an unreasonable reaction to all of this. And yet, it barely scratches the surface of what’s available for Disney thanks to Marvel. Sure, Disney’s deal to get Star Wars was impressive, but it likely will pale in comparison to the ongoing results from buying Marvel.

 

__________

 

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

 

Also, get the paperback or Kindle edition of Ray Keating’s new book Behind Enemy Lines: Conservative Communiques from Left-Wing New York.

 

PRESS CLUB C Podcast with Ray Keating – Episode #10: Streaming Fueling the Nerd, Including the Disney Nerd

Ray Keating goes full nerd in this episode – with plenty from Disney and on Disney+. He mainly focusing on how online streaming services are fulfilling many of his nerd dreams pertaining to DC comics and movies – the Snyder Justice League cut! – Marvel comics, movies and shows, Star Wars, Star Trek, film stuff, and yes, Chuck. Join Ray, and embrace your inner nerd.

Disney’s Salute to Jack Kirby Terribly Disappointing

by Ray Keating

Review

DisneyBizJournal.com

September 21, 2019

On August 23, just over a week before I would be journeying to Walt Disney World, Disney announced that Hollywood Studios would be celebrating Jack Kirby for a limited time. I was pleased that this event would be open while I was visiting. 

Disney’s tribute comes before the release of its November 2020 The Eternals movie. Kirby created The Eternals. But, of course, Kirby created or co-created (often with Stan Lee) a very long list of characters, with many becoming part of mainstream pop culture, such as Captain America (created with Joe Simon), the Avengers, Iron Man, Bucky Barnes, the X-Men, Baron Zemo, the Warriors Three, the Red Skull, Silver Surfer, Nick Fury, Ant-Man, The Wasp, the Fantastic Four, Thor, Black Panther, Loki, the New Gods, and many, many more.

Kirby was a fantastic artist, wonderful storyteller, an innovator, and a fount of creativity. 

So, would Disney do a salute right with “Jack Kirby: The Man Behind The Eternals”? Unfortunately, the answer is no.

This salute was limited to one room, with a few Kirby items on display, including an issue #1 of The Eternals, and a wall of artwork/covers.

It was disappointing. This tribute came across as something done in slapdash manner with little serious thought or heart. Quite frankly, it was all very un-Disney.

Jack Kirby has long been recognized as the “King of Comics.” But he receives woefully little attention today for his vast contributions to comics and pop culture beyond the comic book community. Disney could have started to rectify this situation with a worthy tribute to Kirby. But they didn’t, unfortunately. 

However, it’s not like they won’t have another chance. The Eternals was all Kirby, but it also arguably was one of his more minor contributions. Well, that is, unless The Eternals hits it big at the box office. Perhaps then Disney will take real steps in celebrating Kirby, and all of his work; letting the rest of the world know what the comic book community has understood for decades – that Jack Kirby was a unique talent.

Ray Keating is the editor, publisher and economist for DisneyBizJournal.com, and author of the Pastor Stephen Grant novels. He can be contacted at  raykeating@keatingreports.com.

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