issue 11 // volume 44

arts // no. 9

The future of Marvel and DC films may
be more comic-influenced than ever

> After ‘Thor: Ragnarok; more superhero movies may be on the same track

Veronnica MacKillop
Contributor

 

he latest Thor film brought an

upbeat change in tone and displayed
plenty of similarities to the comic book,
which may have been just what fans have
been looking for from Marvel and DC.

Thor: Ragnarok hit theatres
last weekend, and Marvel fans were
thrilled with the third installment
of the Thor series. The movie is
unexpectedly hilarious. Marvel tends
to incorporate humour into their films,
but Ragnarok almost seems more
like a comedy than anything else.

Apart from humour, the movie uses
bright, bold colours, fast-paced action
sequences, and architecture reminiscent
of older Thor comic books. Marvel
Studios President Kevin Feige has stated
on Twitter that the movie was heavily
influenced by Jack Kirby’s art in the
Thor comics from 1962 to 1969, and this
influence is easy to spot. From costumes
to the green, orange, and blue focused
colour palette, right down to the jokes
and references, influence from the 1960s
series is seen all throughout Ragnarok.

It seems that more comic book
movies nowadays are taking artistic
inspiration from the stories that sparked
them. The first two phases of the Marvel
Cinematic Universe (MCU) seemed more
like kid’s movies, with simple colour
palettes and jokes that verged on cheesy,
easy humour. The trend shifted towards
a more extreme yet whimsical approach
of bright, colourful, and funny with
Guardians of the Galaxy in 2014. Many
fans thought this movie was funnier than
previous MCU films, perhaps because
of the more adult-oriented humour. The

space adventure film may have started a
tonal shift for the MCU, and if fan theories
are correct, the fourth phase of the MCU
will take place pretty much entirely in
space, so the theme is probably here
to stay—for the next while, anyway.

Even DC seems to be taking a
break from its dark and brooding past.
Since the first few movies after the Dark
Knight Trilogy didn’t perform as well
as was hoped for, the DC Extended
Universe (DCEU) is trying to regain its
fan base. 2016's Suicide Squad, though
widely regarded as a flop, did make some
interesting choices in terms of bold colour
palettes, heavy comic book influences,

 

and, of course, humour. Given Wonder
Woman’s success, and the upcoming
Justice League film, the DCEU may be
on the right track. With the casting of
Ezra Miller as The Flash, we can expect a
few quick-witted one-liners, and judging
from the snippets we've seen in trailers,
the classic comic book style colour
choices of bright yellow, orange, green,
and blue seem to be prevalent in Justice
League, rather than DC’s usual palette
of dark blue, grey, and muted red.
Marvel’s Black Panther, hitting
theatres in February 2018, may be taking
style notes from movies such as Guardians
or Ragnarok. The surreal Wakanda setting

Image via marvel.com

is breathtaking, and the heavy uses of

blues and purples are not only similar to

the comic, but are sure to fit in well with

the MCU’s upcoming intergalactic theme.

Based on the trailers, Black Panther seems

like it will be taking on more of a serious

tone, rather than the humorous one of

Ragnarok, but that is true to the comic,

so this makes sense if the MCU is trying

to emulate comics more in their movies.
As we know, both DC and Marvel

have at least the next few years of

movies planned out, and many hope

that the whimsical comic-book-

inspired style is here to stay, as well as

the humorous tone from Ragnarok.

Chairman of the Board: Hump Day at the races

> ‘Camel Up’ board game review

Ed Appleby
Senior Columnist

 

kkeknkn

W: have a long history of betting on

animals, but rarely is the excitement

of the track translated into board games,
since it’s usually more relegated to casinos
and carnivals. In board games, we desire
control over what we wager on, and we're
not willing to give that up for fear of it
becoming a straight-up gambling game.

Camel Up (2014) is a wagering board
game for two to eight players designed by
Steffen Bogen and published by Z-Man
Games. In the game, players bet ona
camel race by guessing which camels will
win each leg and win the overall race.
The players can affect camel movement
by placing mirages and oases, as well as
deciding when camels move. The player
who makes the most money wins.

The camel movement is very slow—
only traveling from one to three places at
a time—and the game has a very unique
stacking mechanic where camels in the
same space stack on top of each other,
with the camel on top considered in the
lead. This adds to the challenge of betting
on camels as their order can change
very swiftly from round to round, and
the order in which they move makes as
much of a difference as how fast they go.
It is safer to bet on camels later during
gameplay, but the potential profits are
much higher the sooner you act, which
promotes some very risky betting.

I love this game. The rules are
simple enough for family play, and there
is enough complexity to appeal to more
experienced players. Games are short,
and you can play several rounds in the
time you would play a much longer game.
The gameplay is chaotic and exciting,
with as much luck as strategy. I would
highly recommend you check it out and
maybe add this one to your collection.

7

Pry

 

hd
o

Illustration by Ed Appleby