Post Avengers AOU Speculations

Avengers: Age of Ultron did not beat my favorite 3 Marvel Cinema Universe movies (Avengers, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and Guardians of the Galaxy). But the movie did leave me with more questions. Most of them center around the future for specific characters.

There will be spoilers discussed from Marvel movies and comics. To push the bigger spoilers further down, I will name my 3 favorite characters from Avengers: Age of Ultron:

1. Vision. He was perfect!! His look, the way he carried himself, his voice, and his manner. I don't just mean as an adaptation from the comics. He was very captivating.
2. Hawkeye. We got to see more of the character, and he's pretty funny. I like that he prepared himself for any future brainwashing. He interacted with the other characters well too. I like that Hawkeye and Black Widow stick together in the field instead of partnering up with a superhuman for protection. 
3. Ultron. I like that he sometimes echoed Tony Stark and they had a kind of father and son relationship. My favorite parts are when he seemed more human. Like when he pleaded with Wanda to not fight against him. That moment touched me. He did not lash out in anger for her betrayal. He seemed to still have a bond with her. Not a romantic one, but a comrade one.

And now, here are my questions and speculations for what may happen in the Marvel Cinema Universe: 

Ultron

Ultron was the process of uploading himself into the artificially made body. The Avengers interrupt him from reaching 100%, but some of his consciousness still uploaded into the body, right? Scarlet saw Ultron's plan through the artificial mind, and Vision knew how to limit Ultron.

In the comics, Ultron is destroyed but always comes back in an improved body. One time, Ultron overrides or hacks Vision's body and forces him to build Ultron a new body. So even though the last Ultron robot was destroyed, Ultron could come back through Vision. Where is there room for this comeback in the Marvel Cinema Universe? Maybe Vision will have an inner conflict during a bigger storyline.

Maybe that subtle bond between Ultron and Wanda I mentioned before is the base point for Vision and Wanda? Or maybe she will be spooked to find Ultron's influence in Vision.

Hulk

When will he return? Will he have returned from Planet Hulk (a harsh comic storyline)? Will Hulk and Black Widow get another chance, or will she meet someone else during his absence? I would like to see more of this relationship because it barely began and does not exist in the comics.

Wanda (Scarlet Witch)

When the credits appeared, it hit me that Pietro did die. I was surprised because I was expecting him to connect with the Inhumans in the future. I still have hopes that he will return somehow or at least be a big influence on his sister, Wanda. In the comics, Wanda can manipulate probability. Eventually, she can even alter reality. Will she be tempted to use her powers to bring back her brother like Full-metal Alchemist? Or will a villain like Thanos promise to bring back her brother in order to recruit her? The second question is not based on a comic event. I thought of it because it could fit with Thanos' quest for the Infinity Gauntlet.



Who were your favorite characters, or whose future are you most interested in seeing?

Marshmallow

Did you know that the giant snowman that Elsa made is called Marshmallow? I really like the character because of his credits scene (shown below), but I didn't know his name until my recent trip to Disneyland California.

After drawing Marshmallow in the Animation Studio, my sister and I had our picture taken with him.

Rawrrr!

My sister is the big fan of Frozen. I've made a shirt design of the two Disney princesses in her honor.We each modeled for the hands. :) It's available at Neatoshop and Society 6.

"Sisters"

Katniss Art Nouveau

I haven't seen Mockingjay yet, but here's a beautiful Art Nouveau styled piece by Megan Lara:

Available at Society 6

Most of the story elements shown are also Katniss' identity. The fiery dress from the 1st Hunger Games movie falls down, and Katniss is in her real image (from the 2nd movie Catching Fire).

I'm assuming the flower is the one her father named her after. More obvious elements are the silver parachute and the split mockingjay pin. The symbol of her home, Distract 12, is tucked in the upper right corner. In the background, the hexagons represent the force fields from the games. Maybe because Katniss pops out of the shapes, we're suppose to see her as free from the boundaries. Of course, not after hard efforts. 

Katniss, both the girl and flower, even overlap the French titles for "The Girl on Fire," "District Twelve Tribute," and "The Victory Tour." I think the message is that Katniss' real identity is beyond the games.

Thanks, Megan Lara for this beautiful piece and all the thought you put into it! :)

Ukulele Cat shirt

Hey cat and music lovers! I have a new shirt design for you!

"Ukulele Cat" is available without text too.

From November 2-4, "Ukulele Cat" is on sale at TeePublic for $14. Afterwards, the price rises to $20-22. There's more shirt color choices than navy and black.

Here's a closer look at the musical notes:

I left in sketch lines in the design.

Spread the word and enjoy, cool cats. :)

Infinity Pebbles Shirt

Hi guys. Here's another Marvel parody shirt I created.

"Infinity Pebbles"

It's a mashup of Thanos with the Infinity Stones/Gems and Fruity Pebbles cereal. It was a fun project. Thanos seems happy with it. The shading on his armor reminds of a boss character in old game graphics. I'm really happy with how the bowl of cereal came out.

So far Thanos has appeared twice in the Marvel Cinema Universe. I went with his look in the comics, but more cartoony.

Credits clip of Thanos in Avengers

 

Thanos in Guardians of the Galaxy

And since Guardians of the Galaxy, there has been 4 of 6 Infinity Stones/Gems in the movies so far. They've also been called Soul Gems in the comics.

Infinity Stones in Marvel Cinema Universe

 The colors of the stones in the movies don't match-up with the comics, but the colors weren't always consist in the comics either.

If there is only 2 stones left, then how much longer until Thanos has a bigger role in plot? And when will see the Infinity Gauntlet again?

The Infinity Gauntlet was a Easter egg in Thor.

All this apprehensive excitement is why I made Infinity Pebbles. :)

Chris Pratt in SNL

I loved the movie Guardians of the Galaxy. My favorite 2 songs are from when Star-Lord dances: "Come and Get Your Love" in the abandoned temple and "O-o-oh Child" in the dance-off.

Based on his performance in The Five-Year Engagement, I thought Chris Pratt would do well as Star-Lord. :) Pratt was recently on SNL, and they make fun of his and Marvel's success. Here's the skit:

Hahaha.

Monster Love

I was thinking the other day how picky I am for designs of Frankenstein's monster. Then TeeVillian released some that pleased me. :)

"The Bride Dollmaking"

One of my new favorite artists, Medusa the Dollmaker, created a cute and elegant design for The Bride of Frankenstein.

I'm not sure who the green buck-tooth monster is, but did you see Frankenstein's monster? He looks like he's hugging his bride. :)

The design is available as a tee and tank top until July 5 for $11.

Another design I enjoy on TeeVillian is the mashup with Calvin and Hobbes below by Mephias.

"My Fiendish Friend"

It captures the monster's innocence even though the scene becomes tragic.

The design is available until July 5th as a tee, v-neck, and tank top.

Mephias' design encourages me even more to connect Frankenstein and the image below of Groot. Did anyone else think the same when watching the Guardians of the Galaxy trailer? Groot is innocent too.

Groot hands a flower to a girl.

And I'll end on an image by Teo Zirinis of two figures settling their differences.

"Newlyweds"

Art Communication

Neal Adams

The trading card company Upper Deck interviewed Neal Adams, a famous comic artist.  I was pleased by this statement he gave, 

"I believe that a drawing is a communication between 2 people: the artist and the person who receives the artwork."

I think almost everything has a story.  Sometimes it takes a while for a viewer to come along to join the conversation.

Below are a few sketch cards by Neal Adams.

Iron Man

From Guardians of the Galaxy

Here's the second trailer for Guardians of the Galaxy with more details about the movie:

 

Maleficent Has Arrived!

My Maleficent design "Beware" is available as a $10 shirt at teeVillain! Limited time only. At the time of this post, there is about 21 hours left!

My design "Beware"

Available in 3 shirt colors:

Share with fans of Maleficent. :)

Invite Maleficent or Beware

My shirt design "Beware" for Maleficent,
the villain in Disney's Sleeping Beauty

Hey guys, my design "Beware" will be printed at teeVillian for 24 hours on Saturday, May 10! :) I will wear the shirt myself when watching the Maleficent movie.

I challenged myself with this design by using only text and negative space (blank empty area). I also came up with the words.

I will post another reminder on the scheduled day for teeVillain. That day you can also see the answers I gave for their Q & A, which interviews you as if you were a villain. Haha. Or more appropriately, Mwahahaha!

If you are interested in "Beware" on another format like a coffee mug, then check out my Society6 shop. This week Society6 has free shipping for participating artists.

I used my design "Tea Party" to advertise the promotion.

Click HERE to receive free shipping on most of the items in my Society6 shop.  The promotion ends on May 11 at midnight (Pacific time).

Watch Captain America 2!

If you have not already, then I recommend watching Captain America: The Winter Soldier!  Here's a photo I made promoting the movie to my friends. :)

Fun facts about the image:

1. I took it over 2 weeks ago and Rotten Tomatoes still has the movie at 89% fresh rating.
2. I posed twice as Black Widow and the Winter Soldier. :) It was a fun double take experiment I've wanted to try. Photoshopping the 2 images was easier than I expected! 

Captain America: The Winter Soldier is my second favorite Marvel movie. The first is The Avengers because of the different interactions between the heroes.

I also prefer Thor's character in The Avengers than the two Thor movies.  He may have been my favorite in that movie. But who is my favorite Avenger based on all the Marvel movies so far? Hmm. It is still Iron Man.

From Madam Tussad's wax museum 2 years ago

Blind Connection

Hey guys, I had fun messing around on Photoshop again. The picture below refers to the movie Anchorman 2 because Will Ferrell is the voice of Lord Business (on the left).

How Have the Tables Turned?

"For A Change" by Teo Zirinis

I wrote a blog post before called The Monster & the Victim about how monsters and women (the victims) were portrayed in posters for The Creature From the Black Lagoon. Artist Teo Zirinis has this monster shirt design up for vote on Threadless. The words at the bottom say, "The tables have turned!" I took a closer look to see how the horror poster has changed.

Teo Zirinis flips the poses of monster and victim, but is "The Hot Woman" a victor and against who? 

The woman in the monster's pose visually gives her power over him, but did she defeat the monster? Going by old horror posters, she should be a threat to the monster.

The Curse of the Werewolf from 1961

Because she looks docile and dainty, juxtaposition and comedy results in the consideration that she defeated the monster. The artist probably gave her closed eyes to reflect the kidnapped women in horror posters who are usually drawn as having fainted or screaming. She has no signs of harm on her body or clothes so "The Hot Woman" is no longer a victim of violence. However, she also lacks signs of a fighter so she is not a producer of violence either. The poses, but not the roles, have been switched. 

Interestingly, she does not look pleased to be the one still standing and conscious. Her closed eyes make her look sad.  Does she mourn the monster's rampage which is now over or can she not bear to see the monster's defeated body? She is still portrayed as sexy, which leaves room for attraction.

Close-up of  the figures.

The title says she "Carried" the monster not "Defeated," "Destroyed," or "Killed." You cannot defeat someone by carrying them. The worst you could do is injure the person's pride. The act of carrying someone shows strength, compassion, and affection. She looks more like his savior by gently carrying the monster above the sharp trees pointed at his body. With this train of thought, the title reads more as "The Hot Woman Who Loved the Monster." Maybe she had enough of the violence from both sides.

Another way she is no longer the victim is by consenting to be in the monster's presence. She is not there by force or by accident. The monster is unconscious or dead so we cannot tell what he wants. We just assume he is like the usual monster who comes into our society and finds attraction in female humans. Usually in werewolf movies, the cursed man bonds with a woman before he becomes a monster. Most of the time, the woman does not reject the cursed man after his transformation. Okay, now it definitely sounds like Beauty & the Beast!

It is questionable if this horror poster woman has become a victor or hero. We do not know if she "Carried" the monster because she defeated him or saved him after someone else defeated him. On a poster, she has not stepped up to a contributing role yet. In the title she is labeled as sex appeal.

What do you think? Do not forget to vote for the shirt design at Threadless! If the shirt is printed, I hope it leads to conversations over horror poster portrayals.

The Lego Movie is Awesome

Hey guys, I enjoyed The Lego Movie this past weekend for plenty of reasons. I hope you found many as well.

Because I work at Legoland California, I was familiar with the sets and movie characters before knowing the story. I had wondered if the movie would feel weird from my familiarity with Lego pieces and working in a Lego gift shop. This question would apply even more to Lego fans though. Instead of feeling weird, I laughed even more from recognizing Lego pieces, their multiple uses, and their limitations. If you are a Mystery Minifigures collector, then you will enjoy appearances from different series.

If you have a chance to visit Legoland California, then check out the special exhibit called The Lego Movie Experience with Lego model scenes from the movie including the dad's workspace. The opening was Feb. 20, but the exhibit is available for a year. The location is next to Studio Store on the left side of the park.

The Lego Movie Experience at Legoland California

The Lego Movie had some humor similar to Muppet humor. It is not so much the literal vs. figurative meaning of words. I have not been able to label it yet. I do not want to list examples of this humor either so you can enjoy the moment. I also cracked-up over the sound effects and use of Lego pieces for special effects such as explosions.

An explosion example of a special effect with Lego pieces.

Those of you who have read my other blog posts know I love Meta and dystopias. Well, The Lego Movie has both aspects! :D

Two of my favorite characters are Metalbeard and Benny the 80s spaceman. Since I saw the Lego set Metalbeard's Duel, I thought Metalbeard looked cool with his many unique pieces. My friends and coworkers know very well that I like puns and cheesy corny jokes. Yesterday at work, I kept pointing out the chest pun in Metalbeard. He is great to watch and hear on the screen.

Metalbeard

I wish this "Spaceship!" tee had Benny's whole body.

My family knows I am drawn to funny-voiced characters such as King Candy in Wreck-It Ralph and Shrek the Final Chapter. This fact is one reason why spaceman Benny is a favorite character of mine. Thanks voice actor Charlie Day! ;)

The main reason I like Benny has to do with his attempts to build a spaceship. I will keep an eye out for a good shirt with Benny. By the way, he is based off of the Lego figure Blue Classic Spaceman.
Rumpelstiltskin in

There are more things I enjoyed and laughed over, but one last aspect I'll say is that the story's messages are awesome. :) I recommend watching it. If you have already, who was your favorite character?

Frozen But Still Moving

Here is one of my favorite aspects of the new Disney movie Frozen:

Elsa's statement on marriage is a step forward from most Disney princesses.

Olaf

I was also pleased with the act of true love. :) I could not blink back the tears like I did at the beginning. The act of true love reminded me of another cursed princess movie with a non-traditional resolution. I recommend the movie Penelope with Chritina Ricci and James McAvoy. <3

I love conflicts of emotion and powers. In the case of Elsa, I was both surprised and pleased by her knowledge of her powers.

Before Frozen came out, I feared that Olaf the snowman would have long tangent annoying moments that dominate the scene. Having seen it now, I don't think Olaf strayed or dominated the scene. He added to it. :) Props to the voice actor Josh Gad too.

Problems I Had

What did bother me about Frozen seem to be ways that the movie did not step forward.

Elsa on r and Anna on left.

Elsa wore too much makeup. I don't know if it was to differentiate Elsa from Tangled's Rapunzel or for more color because Elsa's face and hair is pale. If the first possibility is the reason, then maybe that is why Anna has a lot of freckles. Anna's freckles make her more adorable and are natural, but Elsa's makeup does not add to her character. You could argue that she is closer in age to becoming a woman, but both girls grow in the film.

I am fine with their faces looking similar to Rapunzel's face because they are princesses created in the same decade. I don't like that Elsa probably has more makeup than any other Disney princess.

I also questioned why both sisters were isolated. The best answer I could think of is for plot twists to occur. I thought the line "First time in forever" sounded like Rapunzel's first time outside the tower.

I liked Frozen and would watch it again because of warm adorable Anna, but I feel that more time should have been spent on the movie. Adding to the sisters' shared isolation, I also could not get over how both girls wore a similar colored outfit with a magenta cloak. My sister noticed that their mother wore a magenta cloak too so maybe royal women wear magenta cloaks in Frozen.

What are your thoughts on Frozen? :)

Ash and Amy

Hey guys I entered another Shirt.Woot contest. This time a mystery celebrity chose the theme TV show mashed up with an album cover. The hint given for the celebrity's identity is not Tony Shalub. What if the celebrity is from Doctor Who for the 50th anniversary?

This weekly contest is the first time I've submitted 2 entries. :) Tomorrow is the last day for votes so if you're a Shirt.Woot customer, then please vote for my entries. Anyone can help by sharing my entries. The links are the entry titles. Thank you! :D

"Born to be the Very Best" is a mashup of
Pokemon & Bruce Springsteen's album "Born In the U.S.A."

"Amy + the Time Machine" is a mashup of
Doctor Who & Florence + the Machine's album "Lungs"

I feel I have progressed with limited colored shirt design on Photoshop.  The movie Catching Fire energized me enough for a second entry. :D I'm glad because Amy Pond and the weeping angels has been on my list of designs-to-make.

Maleficent Shirt and Trailer

If my entry for most shirt design contests doesn't get picked, then I still have to wait a few month to submit the entry somewhere else. I'm able to now use the Maleficent text entry I did for Shirt.Woot.

"Beware"

On RedBubble, you can get it as a shirt:

On Society6, you can get as a mug or tote bag. Both sites have a print.

I have two other ideas with Maleficent, who is one of my favorite Disney villains. The movie for this 2014 spring motivates me! Here is the first trailer:

I like the scene when they interact!

More Hunger Games Humor

Surprisingly no one has used the Gaston book meme for The Hunger Games yet. I made one: 

For some reason I like photoshopping Beauty & the Beast more than any other Disney princess or movie. 

Here are some funny images I found in time for the 2nd Hunger Games movie, Catching Fire! After the Pocahontas one, they have some Catching Fire spoilers, especially the last one. A few of them I saw last time, but waited for the second movie. Enjoy. :D

Hope you get the song reference. XD

I laughed harder than I thought I would.

Hipster Peeta

It's awesome that Effie has a meme.

Reference to Catching Fire

New character in Catching Fire.

It might be funny only if you read the book.

BIG spoiler