Temporary Hiatus

Unfortunately, it seems as though my computer has decided to be stupid and not work properly.

Sadly, the NewtCave will be on temporary hiatus until the issue is fixed.

Review: Ultimate Spider-Man "Venom"

I will be reviewing the episode proper, but I need to get something off my chest. At some point, I'm planning on writing some kind of post on Jeph Loeb's work. But for now, there's an elephant in the room. And it's time to talk about it.

Recap: Ultimate Spider-Man "Venom"

Well, it's a Spider-Man show. Venom is required by Marvel law to show up eventually.

Section 3, subsection 15.

Review: Ultimate Spider-Man "Doomed"

The plot of this episode in one sentence.

"Hey! Let's go fight Doctor Doom!"

Recap: Ultimate Spider-Man "Doomed"

If you're looking for that one episode of the '96 Hulk cartoon with the same name, that's here. If you're looking for where potential goes to die, welcome to Ultimate Spider-Man.

Is there a law that "Doom" has to be in the title of any episode with Dr. Doom?

Review: Spectacular Spider-Man "Natural Selection"

Is this episode as good as the previous two? ...well, duh. It's Spectacular Spider-Man.

Recap: Spectacular Spider-Man "Natural Selection"

You know, I didn’t mention it in the earlier Recaps and Reviews (because I didn’t realize it at the time), but there has been a theme to the naming of these first three episodes. They all have to do with food chains, ecosystems, biology, evolution, etc. And because the episodes’ content is related to the titles, these three episodes form a story arc of sorts. As such, let’s begin our look at the final episode of the first story arc.

Wait a minute, Survival of the Fittest and Natural Selection are the same thing! I call foul!

From Spectacular Spider-Man to Ultimate Spider-Man, Part 2: Rebirth

So, as I hope I've made abundantly clear, Marvel did not cancel Spectacular Spider-Man. Now that I've gone over all that legal rigamarole, let's talk about what happened from a production standpoint. You know, the stuff that's less ire-inducing, but more intellectually interesting.

Don't click away. Don't click away!

From Spectacular Spider-Man to Ultimate Spider-Man, Part 1: Legal Crap

It begins.

Never before have I been so hesitant to tackle a post. The Ultimate Spider-Man vs. Spectacular Spider-Man ballyhoo is something that could easily have reached the status of the "Kirk vs. Picard" or "Mike vs. Joel" arguments. (Sisko/Mike, if you're wondering.) The main difference, however, is that about three quarters of the people doing the nerdtastic arguing are actually on the same side. The general consensus is that Spectacular Spider-Man was ruthlessly cancelled to replace it with an inferior piece of show. This is not true. Spectacular Spider-Man was not canceled to make room for Ultimate Spider-Man.

It's a long story that I'll try to simplify wherever I can. The blame can be put squarely onto the shoulders of a single movie.

A movie you never saw. Because they never actually made Spider-Man 4.

But before I can tell you that story, I need to tell you this story.

Why No Sketch Today?

I'm glad my title is asking me that question.

Basically, while you're reading this, I'll probably be at my new minimum wage job. Yep, I've got a job now! 'Cause this blog don't pay. Yep; I make no money off this blog. You see any spamvertizements? Nope.

This is not a real ad. But it should be.

What does this mean?

Not much.

There might be an occasional late post as I get my schedules worked out, but I've got a few future posts completed already, so there's some leeway for me.

So, yeah, no sketch today. Normal operations resume Monday.

Review: Avengers: EMH "Meet Captain America"

You know what I just realized? When Captain America threw his mighty shield, not everyone who chose to oppose his shield yielded.

0/10- SUCKS

Heh, jk. Let's review for real.

Recap: Avengers: EMH "Meet Captain America"

What's this? July is nearly upon... well, shoot. Usually I just copy and paste the intro from one of the Micro-Episode Recaps, but it's actually July now. Shoot.

Oh, well. Let's do this anyway.

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "The Hunted"

This is one of those episodes that leaves almost no impression on me. It's bad, don't get me wrong, but not offensively bad. Not bad in such a way that it leaves me angry, it just leaves me thinking that the episode was a waste of time. And you know what? It is.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "The Hunted"

Spoiler Alert: Crystal doesn't even get mentioned this week. So much for that status quo shake-up I was hoping for.

Why should I expect any different?

No Sketchbook Today

Sorry, Charlie. But I hope you all had a safe and happy 4th.

Review: Ultimate Spider-Man "Not a Toy"

This episode is a good one, though it's a bit confused about itself. It thinks it's an episode about using your noodle, brains over brawn, blah blah blah. But it's a fun romp, first and foremost. Emphasis on "fun." Seriously, though, how often do you hear someone say that an episode doesn't know what it's supposed to be... and then go on to praise that episode?

Recap: Ultimate Spider-Man "Not a Toy"

Yes, I'm skipping a few episodes ahead for this one. If you're reading this at a later date, then don't worry about it. If you're reading this the day it's posted...

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

'MURICA! ...sorry.

Yes, even those of you in other countries. You may not be having fireworks, or celebrating independence today like us Yanks, but I still hope you have a nice day. Because I care about you. Yes, even you, my one and only Brazilian reader. You know who you are. I know you use Google Translate, so I'm sorry for any errors that may super karate monkey death car.

Anyway, today, America is filled with mirth, as we cook our meat in the backyard, drink our fermented malted grain byproduct, and look at explosions in the sky. So please join me as I recap an episode featuring the greatest American icon since Uncle Sam himself.

No, not Chuck Norris. Shame on you for even thinking that.

Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 18) "Lo, There Shall Come a Conqueror"

Well, enough of the red, white, and blue. This week, it's the blue, green, and purple.

I checked Wikipedia's list of flag color combos. Blue, green, and purple isn't one. Also, there's a list of flag color combos.

Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 16) "If This Be Doomsday!"

...then what? "If this be Doomsday" is not a complete sentence. You could say "This be Doomsday," but then you'd sound like a fatalistic pirate.

Yar!

Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 15) "The Red Skull Strikes!"

Last time, on this very 'MURICA channel! ...yeah, the 'murica thing's getting old.

As if it ever wasn't.