Uncle Sam is one of those characters that even in post-comics media exist in an alternate continuity, and for good reason. Even with all the potential weirdness that exists in a less cynical and superserious DC universe I don’t really see him fitting in. The concepts he was created in, and at this point I don’t see signs of a Comic Magazines/Quality shared universe (maybe as we continue down this path), just doesn’t work within the DC mythology…and we have a dude that’s essentially “what if Billy Batson was Captain America and really, really old while having the same power source as Lady Liberty” in the form of General Glory. (Not to be confused with Major Glory from Dexter’s Laboratory, though I suspect they’d be best buds with each other and Sam.) It certainly doesn’t fit modern DC lore since today’s writers hate anything remotely silly outside of quirky dialog that makes you want to shoot someone.
Chapter by Chapter features me reading one chapter of the selected book at the time and reviewing it as if I were reviewing an episode of a TV show or an issue of a comic. There will be spoilers if you haven’t read to the point I have, and if you’ve read further I ask that you don’t spoil anything further into the book. Think of it as read-along book club.
For those of you who missed chapter 1, we’re looking at the husband/wife performance group Pocket Vinyl as they planned to do all fifty United States in 45 days, a breaking of the previous 50 days record. While they planned to do this unofficially due to money and logistics, it will still count to them.
This is a longer chapter than last time, at 25 pages. As a prose novel that would drive me nuts. As a comic that’s still a pretty long chapter in a graphic novel that is still 11 chapters long. Still, it might not be as bad as it sounds. Considering how many novels I had to do two or even more chapters for because they were so short, it’s only my personal time that concerns me. That’s not a criticism. Nobody expects a reader to be reviewing a book one chapter at a time. Chapters are supposed to be a good place to take a break in case you have to do other things like go to the bathroom, go back to work, go to bed, prepare for open heart surgery…I don’t know what you guys do for fun. Sometimes there are even breaks in the chapter because for whatever reason they want to have more than one scene in one chapter.
That’s one thing I’ve never really figured out: why writers (or in this case comic creators) put breaks where they do. Is there a formula or is it just where the writer thinks it’s best…and why? Maybe someday I’ll find out, but for now let’s see our duo prepare to officially begin their tour.
If you’re wondering how she knows what “isekai” is…look who she works with.
Over at The Clutter Reports this week, circumstances forced me to break out the video filler as we watched a man declutter his shed so he could use it as a pool room. He’s Scottish, but doesn’t swear nearly as much as the Critical Drinker. This audience will be surprised. There is some good advice in there for declutterers.
Here this week we continue the Chapter By Chapter review of How To Completely Lose Your Mind as well as the second act of the pilot script for CBS Transformers. Whatever else happens this week we’ll find out. Have a great week, everyone!
And so began one of the most underrated shows that aired on ABC Family. The Middleman is based on a series of graphic novels by Javier Grillo-Marxuach. Being a TV creator as well he managed to bring his show to sadly only one season of awesome fun. The comics, which I reviewed an omnibus of, are just as fun as the show, as said show is mostly faithful to the comics, a rarity in Hollywood, but I guess having the comic writer being the show producer helps.
The franchise is told from the perspective of Wendy Watson, an artist who lives in an “illegal” sublet with another artist and their musician next door neighbor. She’s drawn into a secret comic book style world behind the scenes when an explosion at the lab she’s the secretary for ends up creating a monstrosity of some kind. Her coolness around the weirdness earns the respect of The Middleman, a “Men In Black” style crimefighter who doesn’t swear and is squeaky clean outside of the whole killing monsters thing, who works for the Organization Too Top Secret To Know (O2TSTK). He takes Wendy on as a sidekick and trainee, aided by the wisecracking robot Ida, who has taken the form of a grumpy and frumpy older woman. The comic ran for four graphic novels and unlike the show ended on a cliffhanger where the Middleman was presumed dead, and Wendy having to be further trained by his predecessor…spoilers necessary to follow along with tonight’s Showcase…her long lost father! At least that’s what it appeared to be.
Grillo-Marxuach crowdfunded a fifth volume which I sadly have yet to get and read, but considering how much I enjoyed the omnibus of the first one, the comic adaptation of the unaired episode, and the “Tales Of The Middleman” short stories that re-imagined the cast in other genres, I really want to. I decided not to spoil myself by watching this one but it’s been in the coffer way too long so I’m at least sharing it with you. What follows is the cast of the TV show doing a live reading of the fifth volume story, reprising their roles from the show but in the continuity of the comic and continuing after the cliffhanger. What’s next in comic Wendy’s life? I hope to find out someday but you get to find out now, unless you already read volume five or decide to wait as well. Enjoy.
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Posted by ShadowWing Tronix on March 31, 2026 in Movie Spotlight and tagged commentary, gender swap, Hollywood, race swap.
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