This is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World.
This video analyzes two iconic villains who seek to rule over all, Emperor Palpatine and Dr. Doom.
Which is the better ruler?
Who would you rather live under?
How does their agenda make them great villains?
There’s a lot to consider when reviewing their personas, their backstories, and their capabilities. But when it comes to villainous rulers, these two set the highest of bars. Enjoy!
Filed under Jack's World, Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, Star Wars, superhero comics, YouTube
Over the holidays last year, I bought a subscription to Marvel Unlimited. For those who don’t know, it’s basically the comic book version of Netflix, but for Marvel Comics. It costs a little over $100 a year. And it’s an app that gives you access to Marvel’s massive catalog of comics, going all the way back to the Stan Lee/Jack Kirby era of the 1960s. If you’re at all interested in getting into Marvel comics without buying massive amounts of books, this is the way to go.
In addition to back issues, Marvel Unlimited also offers some exclusive content that you can’t find in a comic book store or a site like Comixology. Every week, Marvel releases a series of specialized comics designed to be read on a tablet or smartphone. They’re like traditional comics in terms of style, but they’re structured in a way that allows you to scroll down and read them in the same way you would a website.
It’s a very different kind of comic book reading experience, but one I’ve grown quite fond of once I got used to it.
And among those exclusive comics is a series about a character named Jeff the Land Shark. I promise you it’s not as menacing as it sounds. In fact, it’s the complete opposite.
Jeff The Land Shark is kind of what his name entails. He’s a shark, but a land shark. He can swim in the ocean like a shark. He can also walk on four legs, just like a dog. Also, his name is Jeff. It might be generic, but that’s not his most defining quality. What makes Jeff so special is that he is undeniably, unequivocally, unbelievably cute.
Seriously, look at him. In terms of cuteness, he checks every single box and then some.
His story and history is not that elaborate. He’s a fairly new character, having debuted in 2018. He’s mostly been affiliated with characters like Gwenpool, Kate Bishop, and the West Coast Avengers. Sometimes, he’s a pet. Sometimes, he’s a companion. But whatever his role, his primary effect is to be unabashedly adorable, lovable, and a little mischievious.
He’s basically to Marvel what Baby Yoda is to Star Wars. He is the perfect mascot for everything cute, uplifting, and happy.
Why am I singling him out?
Why am I dedicating an entire blog post to Jeff?
Well, there’s a more personal reason that I felt compelled to share. You see, in the past few years, I’ve become a proud uncle to multiple nieces and nephews. And I take my role as their awesome uncle very seriously. If I can lovingly spoil them, I will. That’s what awesome uncles do for their nieces and nephews.
And during our various holiday festivities, a couple of nieces and nephews wanted me to read them comics. That’s something I’ve done for them, even before I discovered Jeff and Marvel Unlimited. But now that I had access to Jeff the Land Shark, I discovered something that gave these wonderful kids a direct dose of unmitigated joy.
I first showed them a single issue of Jeff’s ongoing Marvel Unlimited solo series, It’s Jeff! I just scrolled through the comic, narrating it as any great uncle would, and guided them through the wonderful world that is Jeff the Land Shark.
And they absolutely loved it!
Every time we finished one issue, they laughed and asked for another. It wasn’t too long before we read through every single issue. And even afterwards, they asked me to read through it again. Jeff made that kind of impression. Even Baby Yoda didn’t get them this excited.
It surprised their parents as much as it did me. They often asked why they were cheering the name, Jeff the Land Shark. Then, I showed them a picture of who Jeff was and they immediately got it. Now, reading Jeff the Land Shark is kind of a tradition. I’ve yet to meet a kid that isn’t captivated by his cuteness.
For that reason, I hope Marvel and their Disney overlords take note. I doubt they’ve forgotten how much a boon Baby Yoda was for Star Wars. If they want to do the same for Marvel, they would be wise to leverage Jeff the Land Shark’s cuteness to the utmost.
That’s not just good advice.
That’s an urgent request.
My nieces and nephews want more Jeff the Land Shark content.
So, on their behalf, please get to work on that Marvel and Disney!
My wonderful nieces and nephews need his cuteness and so does the world!
Filed under Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, real stories, superhero comics
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This video essay revisits a galaxy far, far away and delves into the Philosophy of Star Wars. Through every comic, game, and movie trilogy, the notion of good and evil is a frequent refrain. It often draws clear lines between the Empire and the Republic or the Sith and the Jedi. But what actually goes into drawing those lines?
Where does this notion of good and evil come from? In multiple movies, as well as the books and games, it often comes back to a certain point of view. And in this video, I explore the merits and substance within those views. Enjoy and may the Force be with you all.
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. This is video a fresh entry in my ongoing “Jack’s Comic Gems” collection. And this gem takes us to a galaxy far, far away to the world of Star Wars. Back in 2015, Marvel Comics launched a fresh line of Star Wars comics. These books took place between the events of A New Hope and Empire Strikes Back, expanding significantly on the lore between.
There were a lot of notable moments during this emerging era of Star Wars, but one of the best came courtesy of Kieron Gillen with Darth Vader Volume 1: Vader. This simple, but impactful story gave us more than just the Empire’s most feared Sith Lord doing what he does best. It laid a new foundation for the character while giving us a bold new face in Dr. Aphra, as well. It turned out to be a hell of a gem and one I’m eager to talk about. Enjoy!
Halloween is almost upon us. Unlike last year, we might actually get to enjoy it this time. Even if you’re not a big fan of dressing up or hearing The Monster Mash every five minutes, I encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy this holiday.
Whether it involved dressing up, trick-or-treating, passing out candy, or watching horror movies, I say go the extra mile this year. Be a little more elaborate with your costume. Drink a little extra pumpkin ale. Give out more candy than usual. Seriously, after last year, we all need it.
I certainly have plans this year. I really do want to make the most of Halloween this year. In the spirit of inspiring others, I’d like to share one of my fondest Halloween memories from when I was a kid. This is a memory my parents and siblings probably know, too. I hope they are just as fond of it as me.
For this particular Halloween, I was still in grade school. I was also finally at an age where I could go trick-or-treating without my parents having to be chaperones. The only stipulation they gave was that, if I went out trick-or-treating, I had to go with a friend. Thankfully, I had that covered, courtesy of a friend who lived three houses down.
We both made it a point to be ambitious this year. We were going to try and get to as many houses as possible and maximize our haul of candy. I distinctly remember us plotting out how we would cover every block in our neighborhood. It was probably the most excited I’d ever been for Halloween.
In terms of costumes, my friend and I kept things simple. He dressed up as Han Solo, complete with a vest, boots, and a fake blaster. Him being a Star Wars fan, that was hardly surprising. For me, I dressed up as Johnny Bravo. If you had been watching Cartoon Network at all during this time, as I had, chances are you were familiar with him.
His style was simple, but his personality was what stood out. He basically carried himself like Elvis Presley, Bruce Lee, and the Fonz. Since I wasn’t the most extroverted kid in the world, it was a stark contrast from my usual persona. I still embraced it in the spirit of Halloween.
Like my friend, my costume was simple. I just put on a pair of blue jeans, a tight black shirt, and a pair of sunglasses. To fully complete the look, I doused my hair with hair gel and slicked it back so that I had that distinctly Bravo look.
It wasn’t perfect or in the mold of a professional cosplayer, but it was still serviceable for a kid my age. It also gave me an excuse to talk like Elvis for an entire night. I’m not gonna lie. I had a lot of fun with that. Remember, I was a pretty shy kid growing up. Me being that outgoing was a major shift. It was jarring, but in a good way.
With our costumes ready, my friend and I ventured out as soon as the sun set. It certainly helped that the weather that night was perfect Halloween weather. It was cool and crisp. There weren’t any clouds in the sky and we had a full moon. It was as perfect a Halloween setting as you could get without a psycho in a hockey mask.
My friend and I took full advantage of that weather. We started hitting houses as soon as we could, starting on our own block and working our way out. We were thorough, but efficient. We didn’t linger too much. We just showed off our costumes, got our candy, and moved on.
It was as perfect demonstration of just how effective trick-or-treating could be for a couple kids our age. I’m genuinely proud of how much ground we covered and how much candy we got.
We still found time to have a bit of fun. Most of the houses we visited recognized my friend as being Han Solo. They weren’t as sure about me. I had to explain to them who Johnny Bravo was, which often involved me dropping some lines from the show.
At times, I was a bit more animated than necessary, but I make no apologies for that. I also like to think those people still know who Johnny Bravo is to this day. They may have never seen the cartoon, but they remember the trick-or-treater who visited them that night.
Overall, my friend and I were out for nearly two hours that night. We ended up almost entirely filling our pillowcases with candy. I don’t remember how much of it we ate that night, but I remember it being extra delicious. The fact that we worked so hard to get so much out of Halloween that year just made it so much sweeter.
After that, there were other Halloween festivities. There were other costumes and other elaborate trick-or-treating efforts. However, none were quite as successful as that fateful night. On a night when Han Solo teamed up with Johnny Bravo, we created the ultimate Halloween experience and for that, I am proud and thankful for my friend.
He knows who he is. I don’t know if he’ll read this, but I hope he remembers that night as fondly as I do. I also hope that inspires others to make the same effort for this Halloween that my friend and I did all those years ago. Also, I can safely say all that candy went to good use.
Filed under funny, Jack Fisher's Insights, real stories
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. It’s a video about subverting expectations, but in a way that I hope won’t every fan of Star Wars or Game of Thones. A lot has been made of this narrative trope. It has gained a bad reputation and for good reason. However, I still feel it has merit and, as it just so happens, there’s one underrated movie that has show just how great it can be.
That movie is “Megamind,” a movie I’ve praised before and will likely praise again. This incredible animated gem once again shows it was ahead of its time in that it demonstrates how to properly subvert expectations. I hope this video makes the case that this tactic can still be done and done well. Enjoy!
Filed under movies, outrage culture, Star Wars, superhero comics, superhero movies, YouTube
The following is a video from my YouTube channel, Jack’s World. In this video, I wade into the world of shipping wars, which is something long-time romance fans like me tend to do often. As much as I love romance, there are certain romantic pairings that evoke a special kind of passion from the fans. One such ship is Reylo, the romance between Kylo Ren and Rey Palpatine in the Star Wars sequel trilogy.
Now, I know this pairing is controversial among fans. I know the Star Wars sequel trilogy is controversial among the entire Star Wars fandom. This romance is often part of that controversy. As such, it’s worth exploring. This video is my way of breaking down the appeal, the strengths, the flaws, and the possibilities of this unique pairing. Enjoy!
Talking about politics is ugly.
Talking about issues like “cancel culture,” which I put in quotes for a reason, is often revolting.
Sometimes, though, we can’t avoid it. When it makes headlines, it’s like a massive traffic accident. We can’t look away. It’s just how we’re wired. It’s a problem that plays right into the flaws of human nature.
It affects us on an emotional level, appealing to tribalism and hate. It brings out the worst parts in some people. For others, it brings out a sense of greedy opportunism that is nothing short of exploitative.
This brings me to the ongoing saga involving Gina Carano, the new face of “cancel culture” after Disney fired her from “The Mandalorian.” She’s been making a lot of noise in the media lately, which is kind of ironic for someone claiming to be silenced or censored, but that’s beside the point.
However, a good chunk of that noise came out of her recent interview with Ben Shapiro of the Daily Wire. Now, I’m inclined to believe that Gina is sincere in her statements. I’m also inclined to believe that she’s not a hateful person, even though her words and tweets tend to the wrong message.
Reasonable people can have reasonable discussions about how justified Disney was in firing her. Those same people can have reasonable discussions about the merits of “cancel culture” and how conservatives are viewed in the media. Those are discussions we should have.
The problem is that Ben Shapiro is not a reasonable person, for the most part, nor are many conservative-leaning blowhards like him. Gina herself might already know the kind of person he is, but I doubt she fully grasps the bigger picture of who this man is and why people like him are not true allies.
It’s fine to be a conservative.
It’s fine to disagree with major liberal talking points.
Men like Ben Shapiro take it several steps further and cross way too many lines. He’s as much a conservative as Bugs Bunny is a real opera singer. He’s nothing more than a mouthpiece funded by a couple of oil billionaires, who are also huge funders of the religious right. These are people who think the only women’s right that matters is the right to obey her husband and pump out babies.
These are not people you want to ally with.
These are not people who have the best interest of America, women, and Star Wars fans in mind.
They have an agenda and Gina is nothing more than a tool, as are her fans. However, I don’t expect anyone to just take my word for it. The YouTube channel, Some More News, actually went through the trouble of creating a one-hour video detailing why Ben Shapiro is not a serious person who should be taken seriously about anything, let alone real conservatism.
Please, I implore both Gina and her supporters to watch this video and think carefully about who they’re throwing their support behind. As multiple Star Wars movies have shown us, making a deal with the dark side rarely works out for anyone who isn’t already in power.
Filed under Current Events, politics, psychology, Star Wars, YouTube
There are certain topics that I find difficult to talk about, but I’ll still make the effort because they’re worth discussing. That’s why I’ll write something about abortion or religion every now and then. These are serious, emotionally charged issues. There’s merit to discussing them.
Then, there’s “cancel culture.”
I’m sorry, but I’ve yet to see a single discussion about “cancel culture” that has ever been productive. Some say it’s a threat to free speech and western values. Some say it’s not really a thing. I say both are wrong and both aren’t helping by making sub-par arguments.
Every few months or so, it starts trending and for bullshit reasons. Usually, what some bemoan as “cancel culture” depends heavily on their political affiliation. A conservative won’t see Colin Kaepernick being shut out of the NFL as cancel culture, but they’ll whine endlessly about Rosanne Barr getting fired from her show.
Conversely, a liberal will cheer when Lou Dobbs gets fired, but will make endless excuses for liberal celebrities who say objectively dumb shit. It always seems to boil down whether you’re politics align with whoever or whatever is canceled. It’s arbitrary, it’s petty, and it’s absurd. I really don’t have any other way to describe it.
Now, I could rant for hours about bullshit “cancel culture” arguments. However, I’d rather do something more productive with my time. I’d also prefer not to add to the whining. The only reason I’m bringing this up is because that’s all anyone has been doing since the story about Gina Carano broke.
If you’re not up to speed, consider yourself lucky. I won’t recount the details. The long and short of it is she got fired by Disney for some stupid tweets that mentioned the holocaust. Now, I won’t give my opinion on the contents of these tweets. Again, that’s not a productive use of my time or anyone’s time, for that matter.
However, I don’t want to bring this topic up just to rant about it. Instead, I’d like to use the ongoing whining about “cancel culture” to offer some perspective about what it is, what it isn’t, and why it matters. I could try to put it into words. Thankfully, people far smarter and more talented than me already have.
The following image that I found on Twitter sums it up nicely.
If that doesn’t get the point across, please see this helpful little image detailing the paradox of tolerance by Karl Popper.
In short, being tolerant is a good thing. Protecting free speech is a good thing. However, there are lines, limits, and context. Failing to understand them will only cause more outrage and whining. The world already has too much of that. Let’s not add to it.
Jack Fisher's Official Publishing Blog 
Tales From The Comments Section: When Hypocrisy, Lying, And Trolling Converge
Even the most luxurious palace has a septic system that contains its foulest shit. It’s not just a fact of life. It might as well be a law of physics. In the same way the brightest light still casts a shadow, there’s always a dark underbelly to any world we explore.
The internet is no exception. If anything, the internet has more dark underbellies than most and I’m not just referring to porn sites or nefarious Google searches. Those are all plenty disturbing, but if the internet has an overflowing septic tank, it’s the collective comments section of many sites.
They’re not just the comments section to certain news sites.
They’re not just anonymous image boards like 4chan that pride themselves on excess shit-posting.
Even the comments section of mainstream websites like YouTube, Facebook, and Reddit have comments sections that will give your faith in humanity a hefty gut punch. They come in many forms, but they tend to follow the same patterns.
They’re degrading, insulting, whiny, vulgar, immature, and just plain wrong on multiple levels. I’m not calling for them to be censored or banned, outside the kind of comments that incite violence in the real world. I’m just pointing out that this is the ugly side of the internet and we can’t deny its stench.
I say that as someone who has spent many hours, much of them wasted, in comments sections and message boards over the years. Even during the early days of the internet, complete with dial up and AOL keyword searches, I’ve seen this ugliness firsthand. I also don’t deny that there are times when I’ve contributed to it. That’s something I genuinely regret.
While all toxic comments are different, they often employ similar rhetoric. It really hasn’t changed much from the AOL days. Just the other day, I made the mistake of browsing the comments of a YouTube video. I saw the same whiny, angry ranting that I saw on old message boards in 1999.
The topics may change. The verbiage may differ. Even the arguments made, if there are any, tend to be fairly similar. I could single out plenty of ugly comments I’ve encountered. However, I want to highlight one that I’ve seen a lot more of lately, especially among fans of superhero comics, Star Wars, and Star Trek.
They usually go like this.
It’s a sweeping, generalized statement. It’s usually said out of a mix of hate, resentment, and tribalism. Ironically, it’s often Star Wars fans who say stuff like this when talking about characters like Rey. It’s ironic because Obi-Wan Kanobi himself once said, “only a Sith deals in absolutes.”
It doesn’t help that these kinds of absolutes are total bullshit encased in wishful thinking that’s built entirely around head-canon. Certain fans want to believe that everyone agrees with them and those who don’t aren’t “true” fans.
It’s basically the old “no true Scotsman” fallacy, but this one is laced with a mix of lies and hypocrisy. That’s because it’s demonstrably provable that these kinds of sweeping statements are wrong.
Not everyone hates Rey, Captain Marvel, or whoever else is the object of resentment at the moment. For one, Captain Marvel’s movie raked in $1 billion at the box office. Clearly, more than a few people liked her.
The same can be said for Rey. You can go onto Amazon and readily find merchandise featuring her. She may not be on the same level as Luke Skywalker, but that’s not a reasonable bar for a character who has only recently entered the franchise.
I can also attest that Rey has plenty of fans. It’s not just that I’m one of them. I’ve been to comic book conventions. I’ve seen women, young girls, and even a few men dress up as Rey. I’ve seen even more dress up as Captain Marvel. She clearly has plenty of fans.
That makes the whole idea that “nobody likes this character” or “everyone hates this character” demonstrably false. Those who say it aren’t just lying trolls. They’re hypocrites.
Now, I’ve made the mistake of arguing with these people before. I can safely conclude that it’s not a productive use of my time. These people will never be dissuaded. They still want to live in their head-canon where everyone hates exactly who they hate and anyone who thinks otherwise is just part of an evil conspiracy out to get them.
It’s a dangerous, toxic mentality that extends beyond fandoms and into politics. We saw just how bad it could get on January 6th during the Capitol riots. I’m not saying angry Star Wars fans are that bad, but the mentality is the same and it’s just as dangerous.
Again, I freely admit I’ve posted my share of dumb comments. I’ve said dumb things before, as well. Everyone has. We’re only human. We’re not perfect and never will be. I believe in free speech strongly and I understand that this is a byproduct of that. I’m willing to accept that.
I’m also willing to use that same freedom to point out the idiocy and hypocrisy of those kinds of comments. They’re not just a useless waste of bandwidth. They’re a symptom of a much larger problem. For now, the best thing to do is ignore these people and let them live in their fanciful head-canon. It may not fix the problem, but it’ll keep it from getting worse.
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Filed under Current Events, psychology, rants, Star Wars, superhero comics, superhero movies, television
Tagged as 4chan, angry trolls, Brie Larson, Captain Marvel, comic books, comments, Gina Carano, human nature, human psychology, hypocrisy, internet, internet subculture, Pop Culture, popular culture, psychology, rants, Reddit, Rey, Star Trek, Star Wars, superhero comics, trolls, YouTube, YouTube Comments, YouTube Comments Section