If you went back in time to 2001 and asked my 10-year-old self what my favorite series was, I would have said Harry Potter. If you asked me, “Well, do you like Lord of the Rings?” I would have responded with “Absolutely not!” and told you it was stinky and lame. Little did I know that Middle Earth would soon cast its spell on me.
Concerning Hobbits … and A Fan of Such Folk
I didn’t watch The Fellowship of the Ring until about a year after its initial 2001 release. Like many, my best friend had the biggest crush on Orlando Bloom and Legolas, while I suddenly became fascinated with Middle Earth itself. In the end, it kicked off a growing love for the entire franchise.
I was enamored with the scenery, especially the Shire, and desperately wanted to become immersed in a world of elves, dwarves, wizards, and hobbits. At one point, my Legolas-obsessed bestie lived near an area filled with immense amounts of green foliage and tall trees, and we declared it the Shire.
Every chance my parents were able to, they bought me physical copies of each soundtrack, and extended edition DVD’s of each movie in the trilogy. Eventually, I got my own copy of the books and had two bookmarks: One that could be unfolded to unveil a map of Middle Earth, and another that had the One Ring tied onto the tassel.
And remember those Noble Collection catalogs filled with nerdy memorabilia you could buy? I calculated the total cost of every Lord of the Rings item and tried to convince my parents to get them all. Spoiler Alert: …the total cost was just under $10,000 USD and I was quite unsuccessful with my parents.
Nevertheless, my love of the Lord of the Rings grew and grew, and to this day, it has become one of my all-time favorite franchises. And while The Hobbit trilogy wasn’t necessarily on the same level, they were still enjoyable and I learned to have an appreciation for them. But even the excitement for those movies came to an end in 2014.
The Return to Middle Earth
Fast forward to the present where just a week ago, a new streaming series on Prime Video premiered: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. I had the amazing opportunity to watch the first two episodes in theaters, and it was quite a thrilling experience. To see Middle Earth on the big screen again, to be introduced to new characters, strange mysteries, and exciting adventures.
The thing about the fantasy genre, though, is that it has always been locked in a box, preventing better representation in a fictional world. Many fans, myself included, always wondered why we could suspend our disbelief for dragons, wizards, and otherworldly beings. And yet, we couldn’t imagine someone who looked different from the norm in a fictional setting. So, you can imagine how much more worthwhile it was simply seeing so many new and different faces represented in such a massive world.
And that’s the beauty of fantasy that we’re now seeing in The Rings of Power. I will always love The Lord of the Rings films, and the wonder and imagination it gifted me. It is precious to me (no pun intended), so much so that it has become a holiday tradition to watch every movie before the New Year. But I am immensely grateful for a new and refreshing batch of characters and the perilous journeys that await them.
Changing the Course of the Future
With characters like Galadriel, Arondir the Silvan elf, and even the Dwarves and Harfoots, old fans are cheering for The Rings of Power while intrigue has sparked within new fans. It’s always difficult to find ourselves represented or seen in fantasy-based media, and even harder to feel welcome in the spaces of such fandoms. It warms my heart to see people like myself be able to enjoy a new chapter for an already beautiful franchise, knowing how far it has come.
If there is anything I’ve learned being part of the Lord of the Rings fandom, it’s that our inclusive and welcoming voices are louder than those who refuse progress. After all, as my favorite Obscure Lord of the Rings Fact Guy says, “You are all welcome here.”
Autumn, the season of falling leaves and comfy sweaters is upon us! And that means it’s time to get cozy with some love-filled anime.
Some will make you laugh, some will make you cry, but all of them will make you appreciate the ones you love most. Here are three of my favorite romance anime I recommend watching this upcoming season!
Quintessential Quintuplets: For the Love of My Sibling!
Futaro Uesugi is an intelligent and gifted high schooler whose primary goal is ensure the well-being of his family. Any anime could survive off just that story line but this anime we’re talking about.
So instead, Futaro is suddenly hired one day by a rich family to tutor their five quintuplets. Sounds like a dream until Futaro realizes the task is going to be much more difficult than expected.
With only two seasons, Quintessential Quintuplets isn’t just about several of the girls being romantically interested in Futaro. There are several comedic aspects, especially considering each of the siblings tend to the butt heads with Futaro and would rather play around or have cooking competitions instead of study.
But under the surface of comedy, there are quite a handful of dramatic as well as touching moments. One could say that Futaro manages to bring the sisters closer together than ever before as their sibling love grows. And that is quite a feat when dealing with a troublesome set of quintuplets. More likely than not though, you’ll probably find yourself identifying with one of the sisters, unless, of course, you identify best with Futaro!
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War: No, YOU Hang Up First!
A war amongst our student council leaders? That’s exactly what happens when president Miyuki Shirogane and Vice President Kaguya Shinomiya turn out to be quite the perfect match.
Except neither of the two wants to be the first to admit their feelings to one another. This sparks a series of schemes and games to provoke the other to admit how they feel.
Kaguya-Sama: Love is War is a hilarious, knee-slapping romantic comedy. It may either get you to reflect on how you gained the affections of your partner or get you to plot against them now. Either way, the constant back and forth scheming will make you giggle and burst out laughing as each episode gets wilder each time.
With three seasons out currently, now is the time to get all your snacks ready and get binging. Oh, and maybe stay wary of your partner. You never know what they’re plotting!
Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Senpai: Selfless Acts Go A Long Way
What happens when you combine romance with supernatural and psychological elements? You get a riveting story about Sakuta Azusagawa whose life is greatly impacted when he meets Mai Sakurajima. After Mai’s encounter with Adolescence Syndrome which cause her to existence to fade, Sakuta sets out to help others who are impacted by the strange phenomenon. All the while, he grows closer and more in love with Mai.
While the anime tends to take on a more serious and dramatic turn, it’s absolutely one of the most emotional romance titles. It only has one season but the follow up movie, Rascal Does Not Dream of Dreaming Girl makes the entire ride worth all the tears shed. And oddly enough, this anime isn’t just about romantic love. It also discusses platonic and familial love, and appreciating those who are in your lives.
Whether you have a partner, siblings, or just want to hang with your besties, Rascal Does Not Dream is a must-watch with your loved ones, especially with cozy autumn weather coming up.
You can catch all three anime on Crunchyroll and Hulu.
Forrest Gump is hailed as one of the most beloved films of the 1990’s with Tom Hanks portraying the titular character. Most are familiar with the famous line, “Life is like a box of chocolates.” And many love the contagious feelings of hope and positivity that Forrest spreads.
After nearly 30 years after the release of Forrest Gump, Bollywood studios Aamir Khan Productions and Viacom18 Studios decided to create their own take on the movie. Just recently on August 11,Laal Singh Chaddha starring Aamir Khan was finally released.
There are some major similarities with minor differences to the original film but Laal Singh Chaddha succeeds in standing on its own to tell a vibrant tale. So, let’s dive into parallels between both films and what makes them both unique.
While both movies are identical in mind, I want to warn you that there may be a few minor spoilers ahead for Laal Singh Chaddha. Be sure to proceed with caution if you mind spoilers!
The Titular Leads: Forrest Gump and Laal Singh Chaddha
Forrest and Laal share so much in common, from the miracle of being able to run despite their disability to joining the military and saving the lives of their comrades. It’s no surprise that both have a tendency to have a positive effect on those around them whether they realize it or not.
Their good-hearted natures cause them to have a naïve outlook on life, it has always resulted on doing the right thing to help others who are in need. And whether it’s the affectionate relationship they share with their childhood best friends or the love they have for their caring mothers, Forrest and Laal are incredibly impacted by the women in their lives.
However, the major difference between the two is how much younger Laal is when history begins to impact his life. While Forrest’s biggest trial as a child is overcoming his disability and finding the strength to run, Laal is hidden from a frightening and violent world, and is ultimately forced to detach himself from his cultural identity.
Love At First Sight: Jenny and Rupa
In their eyes, Forrest and Laal’s childhood best friends, Jenny and Rupa respectively, tend to primarily be positive forces. However, as they grow apart from our main characters, Jenny and Rupa tend to live very different albeit reckless lives whilst treating Forrest and Laal differently.
As they grow older, Jenny doesn’t have much presence in Forrest’s life and only shows up occasionally. While Jenny seeks to be part of the anti-war movement, it’s clear that her unhealthy lifestyle has taken over her and affected the type of person she becomes. While running from her problems, she ends up less of a friend to Forrest and more so someone who pities him.
Rupa, on the other hand, remains a long-term friend to Laal as her presence greatly impacts him in positive ways. While Rupa is often miles away from him, she remains honest and upfront with Laal, while chasing her own dreams. She faces her problems head-on and consistently protects Laal from the consequences of her own risky actions.
A Delicious Lesson: Box of Chocolates and Golgappas
“My mama always said, life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you’re gonna get.” One of the most famous quotes from Forrest Gump, it discusses the unpredictability of life and adapting to the circumstances you end up in.
Most of your life is outside your control and it’s up to each individual to make the best of it. With this mindset, it’s how Forrest manages to utilize his well-intentioned heart to help others, only to end up succeeding in the end as well.
“My mother used to say life was like golgappa*. Your tummy might be full but your heart never is.” A new and nuanced rendition of the original quote doesn’t quite touch upon how unexpected life can be but always having the ability to do and the capacity to love more. It’s as if to say you can accomplish all that you want in life and fulfill your list of dreams.
But it’s more important that what you do is out of the genuine goodness of your heart. Throughout the course of his life, Laal has been sheltered from the trauma of violence and conflict, and never thinks about what he can get in return for his actions. Instead, he remains innocent and genuine, and believes everyone is worth helping, no matter whose side they’re on.
While each quote has its own meaning, both utilize a popular and delicious treat to convey a strong message about life. It’s enough to always get you to question your purpose and path in life, while reminding you that things will happen whether you expect it or not.
*Golgappa: Also known as panipuri, it is a popular street food item consisting of bite sized puff balls, often filled with chickpeas, potatoes, onions, and spices, along with a tangy and spicy water.
Iconic Idols: Elvis Presley and Shah Rukh Khan
It’s an odd part of the lives of Forrest and Laal but it seems they consistently cross paths with people and opportunities that they never expect to be larger than life later on.
For Forrest, he meets the well-known and beloved Elvis Presley, whom he happens to teach some signature dance moves. That iconic dance move is one of the ways we remember Elvis best.
On the other hand, Laal comes across the younger self of a very famous Bollywood actor that we’ve all come to love and respect. Though his disability limits his moves on a rooftop in Delhi, Laal opens his arms to the rhythm of the music, and the legendary Shah Rukh Khan* mimics and adapts this iconic move.
*Shah Rukh Khan: An iconic Bollywood actor. His most notable movies include Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Mohabbatein, and Kal Ho Naa Ho.And yes, he does open his arms in every…single…slow musical number.
A Promise Kept: Bubba Gump Shrimp Co and Rupa Corporation
Everyone who’s seen Forrest Gump is familiar with Bubba Gump Shrimp Co, and maybe has even eaten there. The company and restaurant was founded in memory of Forrest’s late best friend and ally in the US Army, Bubba, whose love of shrimp inspired the name behind it all. With its surge in popularity thanks to the help of Lieutenant Dan, Forrest not only becomes financially stable but gives half of the profits to Bubba’s family.
Similarly, in Laal Singh Chaddha, the character of Bala, the counterpart to Bubba, has a long family history of designing and manufacturing undergarments. It’s an odd tradition compared to shrimp. But it makes sense when you realize the company is made in honor of Bala but renamed to Rupa Corporation, which is currently one of the largest undergarment companies in India. No, really, look it up! In this particular rendition, however, the man who helps Laal in ever-growing investments is Mohammad, an ex-enemy soldier whom Laal rescues during his time in the army.
Forrest and Laal Living Through History
The majority of the political climates and history events in Forrest Gump are pulled from the 60’s and 70’s, when monumental events like the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950’s and 1960’s were ongoing. Meanwhile, in Laal Singh Chaddha, it touches upon very sensitive moments in India’s history, from Operation Blue Star to the beginning of the Indian-Pakistani War. The presence of war and domestic conflict run deep within both stories, especially once both Forrest and Laal join the army and see upfront the horrors of war. While loss and trauma are inevitable for those around them, Forrest and Laal never lose their hopeful attitudes, and are both awarded for their terms of service and heroic actions.
Running Across America vs Running Across India
One of the most bizarre, hopeful, and inspiring scenes from Forrest Gump is Forrest running across America until he reaches back home again. As his run becomes more noticeable with crowds of people joining him, Forrest never gives a clear answer on his reason for running. But one thing remains true: His impact on society and even pop culture stay positive as he spreads hope throughout the country.
Laal Singh Chaddha follows the same formula, with Laal instead running throughout the different states of India until he stops one day because he is “tired” and returns home. Hoards of people followed him for the same reason as Forrest: He gave them hope, whether they thought he was running for environmental reasons, for international conflict to end, or perhaps for his own personal reasons.
One more thing remains the same: Both runs occur after spending an evening with the love of their lives, only to find that they’ve left by morning.
Films of Inspiration
In many ways, the remakes or renditions of movies we’ve seen don’t always meet our expectations and don’t capture the essence of the original. The same cannot be said for Laal Singh Chaddha as it gives the same energy that Forrest Gump does with its familiar tones and heartfelt messages. While both films share many similarities, on their own, they tell a story that is enough to inspire anyone.
I immediately contacted him and ordered a Miles Morales print, followed by an original art commission.
What I got in the mail just a couple weeks later would surpass any expectations. The attention to detail, the mixed media page, the Peter Porker remark — it was instantly one of the coolest pieces I owned.
I’ve since had the pleasure at gettin to know the man behind the art and so, we sat down with Branflakes to talk about his early days creating!
Nerd Initiative – How did you get into art? Do you have early memories creating when you were young?
Branflakes – I started collecting comics and playing DnD at around 8 years old.
The monsters manuals blew my mind. My favorite part of role playing was creating/Drawing my characters along with various beasties. Dragons, ogres, dwarfs, I was quite partial to the Tarrasque as well.
Who would you say we’re and are your artistic inspirations?
As a kid, I was immediately drawn to the works of Sam Kieth, Simon Bisley, Borris Vellejo, Whilce Portacio, Jae Lee, Dale Keown, and the ToddFather of course (to name just a few). Image was brand spanking new at the time and everything they produced had me hooked.
Jim Lee won my heart with Deathblow. It was just so dark! I can’t forget to give writer Brandon Choi some credit for Stormwatch, WildC.A.T.S., Wetworks, Deathblow and Darker Image (I have every variant #sentimentalvalue).
I would have to say though, The Maxx, Pitt, and Cyberforce were probably the GOATs. Don’t get me wrong, Marvel and DC definitely had its moments. I’ve been working on a Thanos Piece so I dug out the old Infinity Gauntlet run to spark some inspiration. I had forgotten just how much this story meant to me. Then there is Lobo! What a fricken immortal bada$$!
It wasn’t until my college days in 2001 that I got obsessed with graffiti. I stumbled upon a website called “Art Crimes: the writing on the wall” created by Susan Farrell. It was anything and everything graffiti and I was obsessed.
I experimented with styles on local spots around campus until I got caught. My short lived adventure foiled by measly porta potty art which was traced back to my other shenanigans. This almost got me removed from school. After that I mostly stuck to black books.
I may or may not have returned a few times overseas. Some tags in my Navy days. It wasn’t until nearly 20 years later it dawned on me to combine a sort of lowbrow comic style with what I like to call “Urban Contemporary” (a fun term I recently discovered). My last key element of inspiration of course being the music. There is never a dull moment on my playlists. Weaving through genres like death metal, hip hop, bluegrass, epic movie soundtracks (Hans Zimmer) and back again.
How did you start doing art involving superheroes?
Comics and DnD is where it all started. I would Flip through Monster Manuals and my favorite comics and just try to achieve that same feel.
Try to dissect and reverse engineer what these artists achieved. Destroying countless bricks of printer paper. Practice, practice, practice. There was no YouTube back then so it was all just kind of like shooting in the dark. This allowed me to find some of my own techniques in the process.
What are some of your favorite pieces you’ve created over the years or even now?
A lot of my favorite pieces were part of my college portfolio until it was stolen.
These days though, My favorite pieces are my more abstract ones. After learning basic fundamentals, its fun to kind of de-evolve and just let creativity take the wheel.
What do you love most about what you do and the art you make?
The freedom of creativity, Inspiring others. The hardest part of the process is starting it.
After time though, there is a moment when everything comes together. All the pieces start to fit. It is at this moment where the work starts to flow smoothly. This is where the fun begins. You’re kind of on autopilot watching this artwork make itself. That moment is the best feeling in the world.
What’s your creative process like? How do you come up with ideas!!
Sleep deprivation and malnutrition are key to the most vivid ideas (JK). Which is quite counterproductive being an avid weightlifter.
In all seriousness though. my best ideas always come at night when I should be sleeping. When I find myself blocked I go back to the old comic collection and just start flipping through or browse social media.
My feed is 90% art, 10% funny dog videos. Once an idea has popped in my head, I’ll start a first draft for composition (usually on my wacom). First, gather all reference material needed. This sometimes means taking photos of myself attempting goofy ass poses.
Once I have my composition down, it’s time to perfect my line work. This line work will be transferred and further rendered over my already prepared final draft paper. Usually consisting of newspaper, comic panels mod podged over heavy duty acrylic paper.
I then like to add a first layer of what I refer to as trash tags. Like many walls of graffiti, you will find years of history painted over each other again and again. I try to mimic this feeling on paper. Layering graffiti and textures over and over. Then The line work is transferred over the top along with the actual words I want to be seen.
They can be the ones in capes and colorful outfits, those protecting our freedoms each and every day, or just a humble comic book artist, who happens to be a master of his craft.
Though he’ll deny it every chance he gets, John Romita Jr. is a hero to so many.
It’s well-known that if you intend on getting an autograph from the Marvel legend at any convention, plan to wait … and wait … then wait a little longer.
Why? Because Romita spends time talking to and reconnecting with fans, friends and colleagues throughout his appearances. No matter who you are, the icon enjoys hearing your stories, about your passion for Spider-Man or Daredevil and truly relishes his role in your fandom.
Stand by his table at conventions and you’ll hear more than once a comment on Romita’s character, love for his work or simply how he’s, “one of the nicest guys in the industry.”
We got a chance to sit down with the legendary artist to talk about stepping into the family business, his first experience with superheroes and what his work means to comic book lovers around the globe.
Real Life Superheroes
There’s too many Romita hits to name — Hobgoblin, Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, the Prowler — but one accomplishment stands above all the rest for the man, but “for the wrong reasons.”
After the events of 9/11 in Romita’s hometown of New York, no one knew how to properly carry on with life in America, especially hobbies like comics.
But Romita, Scott Hanna, Michael Straczynski and others decided to put out a special black cover of Amazing Spider-Man #36.
“It ended up being an important piece,” Romita says, explaining the cover and story came about because “There are no words” to describe such a tragic event in our history.
“That’s the part that became the basis for the story,” he continued. “It’s a product I’m very proud of, but for the wrong reasons.”
What he is proud of, even emotional about, is what the issue and his work has meant to so many, including real-life heroes like the brave men and women of the New York City Fire Department.
“Scott and I went to a comic book store in Las Vegas to sign that issue,” John explained about the time shortly after 9/11. “It was maybe 6 to 8 weeks after the attacks … a bunch of fire fighters came in.”
The group of New York heroes had connected with fellow fire fighters from San Diego after driving cross country in the middle of the night to make it in time to share their appreciation for what John, Hanna and others had done.
“Scott and I sat there with tears running down our cheeks that these guys acted like we were important and … these guys are superheroes,” he says, fighting back his emotions about the story.
“So, we vowed to take that book and remark it every single time it was in front of us. We’re gonna get them all and it’s a point of honor for us,” he added.
While he may be humble about his impact on the world, even in the toughest of times, it’s pretty clear art, comics and superheroes can be just what people need in the midst of real tragedy.
So, all I can say to that is thank you JR. For how you inspire us all, no matter what — Thank you.
“Less than 2% of speaking characters in major movies released between 2017 and 2019 were Muslim. Additionally, “more than one-third of those characters were depicted as ‘perpetrators of violence,’ while more than half were shown to be victims of it.”
As a reaction to this reality, muslims have developed an automatic fear/distrust when they see a muslim character in media. We have been conditioned to believe that the muslim character is either the victim or the enforcer of violence.
This misrepresentation hurts. It is like looking into a distortion mirror: it makes everything that you love and cherish about yourself unrecognizable. There’s always this sense of dread and skepticism whenever someone that looks slightly like us shows up on tv.
That same dread came back when I heard about Ms. Marvel. I was scared that I wouldn’t recognize myself in the first muslim superhero character of the MCU. I was preparing myself to be misrepresented.
I was scared that my religious community will be hurt yet again. I was afraid that my Marvel community would see an untruthful version of my identity. However after a bit of research a new feeling emerged in me: Hope.
You see, while I was researching the character of Ms.Marvel I found this huge community of creators from different religious and ethnic background that loved Kamala Khan. Suddenly this fictional Pakistan-muslim American teenager allowed me to connect to so many people that shared my love for authentic representation.
Watching the show was an emotional moment for me. I cannot express how I felt when I saw my identity celebrated instead of feared. I was watching Kamala and I felt seen for the first time. I felt my inner child heal…It was incredible.
Now was the Ms.Marvel a perfect show? No it wasn’t. I still believe that the Djinn plotline was unnecessary. HOWEVER, was it an amazingly authentic representation and first step into something greater? Absolutely!
The Hope given by Kamala Khan created so many new connections in my life:
I was able to find the Nerd Initiative: a safe space for all creators to have a conversation about fandoms.
A group of South Asian, Muslim, Female creators was created:
I reached to Neebz once again to sort of write a ”conclusion” on this chapter of Ms. Marvel.
His thoughts are below and I have to say that I quite agree with him:
“When I first heard about Ms. Marvel, I had mixed emotions. I was excited to finally have a Pakistani superhero. However, when you’re Pakistani it’s hard to be excited about any type of representation. We have a long history of bad representation. Some may even say that we have gone thru 20 years of trauma seeing ourselves either portrayed as terrorist, oppressed, or caricatures of ourselves. For this to work it would have to be incredibly authentic.
So for the months leading up to the release of Ms. Marvel I started talking about the character to get people familiarized with her. I was dispelling rumors and inaccuracies about the show. As I started talking about the show, amazing opportunities started coming my way. The people at the Pillar Fund got me a NYC screening and then the people at Brown Girl Magazine got me onto the Red Carpet and let me interview Iman Vellani, Sana Amanat, and many more. This show was not only opening doors for the Pakistani actors, but even Pakistani content creators like me. I put together a weekly series called “Ms. Marvel Cultural Eidster Eggs”. It got a lot of attention and really helped people understand the subtle references in the show. This got me invited to a lot of podcasts and I had such a great time sharing my culture and religion with people.
So the question everyone wants to know after this show ends is “Is Ms. Marvel good representation?”
And the answer is still “no”. This show is not “good” representation because there is no such thing as good representation. This story is fiction, not a documentary.
To think this show can represent 1 billion Muslims is an impossible ask. One that we shouldn’t even entertain. However, the problem isn’t the show. The problem is the question. The question we should be asking is “Is this authentic representation?”
To this question, I can wholeheartedly say yes. As someone who is Muslim, Pakistani, and 10 minutes from Jersey City. I promise you this show was like looking in a mirror. When critiquing representation, we shouldn’t be using words like “good” but instead words like “responsible” and “authentic”. When we frame the question like this, it’s easy to see that this show has left an incredible footprint on the Pakistani community.
My hope for Kamala is to see her come into her own. I’d love to see a story similar to Civil War that has her stand up against her idol Carol Danvers and become her own person. I’d love to see her explore her powers a lot more and learn more about her origins. I think making her a mutant is very exciting and can’t wait for them to explore this more. “
The full season of The Orville New Horizons is now streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
It’s returning after three years and was picked up by Hulu vs Fox, so there were a lot of changes including the name from The Orville to The Orville New Horizons.
Donavan Rose (TheDonavanRose) and Johnny Chou (Marvellous_Jonathan) from Nerd Initiative sat down and discussed their thoughts on each episode and the season as a whole.
They discussed how Peter brought Bortus to life, what it was like working during the pandemic, the hopes of a possible season four for The Orville, and more!
Hear his story of how he started a collection which now holds over 500 Marvel Funko Pops and Replicas, his growth on social media, and what his future looks like here at Nerd Initiative.
Netflix’s The Sandman is the platform’s latest attempt in adapting a popular comic book franchise onto the screen, falling in line with other Netflix series like Locke & Key and Daredevil.
Although the character Sandman (created by DC Comics) first debuted in 1939, the current Sandman (Morpheus/Dream) was created by Joe Simon (co-creator of Captain America), Michael Fleisher, Jack Kirby, and Ernie Chua. Then in the 1980s, Neil Gaiman took the character and wrote what is now one of their most successful Sandman stories and thus where Netflix drew its inspiration from for the series.
I read The Sandman: Prelude and Nocturnes for the first time last summer and absolutely loved it. It was a story like no other.
Although it’s set in the same DC Comics universe as our other beloved characters like Superman and Batman, he hardly interacts with them since he mostly deals with his own affairs in the Dreaming. But what’s really fascinating about the story is how it explores human nature and the relationships between some of the more abstract ideas like dream, desire, despair, death, and so on.
I had the chance to watch the first season of The Sandman when it was released on Netflix and I was really impressed by how well they adapted the comic books to the screen. Just like any adaptation, it won’t be a 1:1 conversion, but I think that’s what we need to keep in mind when we do a critical analysis of attempts to transfer a story from a comic book to the screen.
So here are a few quick things I want to point out to show how well they were able to make this adaptation.
The Panel-By-Panel Adaptation
If you are a fan of the comic book, you probably noticed how a lot of what you watched was exactly like seeing the comic book come to life. In many of the scenes of The Sandman, not only do they replicate the scenes, but in many instances they were able to replicate the composition as well as the script of the story. Below are a few images for comparison for the composition adaptation
And what’s really impressive about these side-by-side shots is that for the longest time, because of how complexed some of these concepts and art are, the comic was once thought of as unadaptable.
Now, it’s easy to point out how a scene from a tv show based on a comic is faithful when the composition is pulled straight from the comic.
But what if there were instances where they weren’t a direct copy from the original story? Is it still faithful in its adaptation?
I argue yes, and here are two examples of how this is done.
Despite Changes To Its Appearance, The Being Of Morpheus Is Still Captured
One
One of the most noticeable differences that Sandman comic fans will notice is Morpheus’ appearance. In the comics, he is portrayed as having really big, brushy, black hair with his eyes as completely pitch black with small, white pupils.
But in the Netflix series, his appearance is almost the opposite. So why not the comic book look? Neil Gaiman explained it himself in a tweet that they actually did try to replicate the look, but it didn’t work:
You'll see the classic Dream eyes sometimes. (Look for them in episode 1 and Episode 2.) But yes, we tried the black contacts and the paper white skin and the big big hair and they didn't really work. When we got to the look we have now it felt right. https://t.co/NMdjB9yOhh
But honestly, despite not being able to have this look, actor Tom Sturridge nailed the spirit of Morpheus with his emotions, movements, and tone of voice.
I truly thought that I was watching the character come to life with how well he was able to become the person of Dream and make us believe that he was the King of Dreams.
Story Changes: Lucifer As Dream’s Challenger
In Episode 4, A Hope in Hell, we see that Morpheus is attempting to retrieve his helm from a demon. So the demon challenges Morpheus to a duel and picks his champion to be Lucifer, the sole ruler of Hell, to battle against him.
But for those who recall the comics, Lucifer did not fight Morpheus but instead was the demon (Choronzon) that was challenged to begin with, and Lucifer was not the sole ruler of Hell but was one of three rulers.
So why the change, and is it still faithful?
Keep in mind that Lucifer and Hell only appear in this episode (and one other brief scene in another episode), so imagine from a story perspective to try to explain the three leaders of Hell to the audience that, in turn, would have not moved the story forward at all.
So for the sake of the story and in the age of the MCU, it makes sense to not adapt this part of the story and avoid giving a “false clue” as to what may be happening in future seasons of The Sandman if you have the three rulers introduced to an audience that is not familiar with the story.
Now, why did Morpheus battle against Lucifer and not Choronzon? Again, because Lucifer is only in this one episode, they probably wanted to make it more of a dramatic interaction by having them battle each other instead of Lucifer being in the background, especially when you are demonstrating how powerful each being is. That and the fact that Lucifer will more than likely appear in a future season as an adversary of Morpheus, this was a good call to replace the demon with Lucifer to set up that anticipation of a future showdown between the two beings.
Now of course, there are other scenes and instances in the show that I can call out on in terms of adaptation and what worked and didn’t work (e.g. Episode 6 The Sound of Her Wings was a really powerful story, but ultimately could have been omitted and still wouldn’t have impacted the overall story that much).
But hopefully this will spark a conversation to talk about how comics are adapted on the screen and how changes from the comic to the screen can still be seen as faithful to the comics. The Sandman is a great study on how one can do this successfully and still capture the spirit of the story entirely.
The Sandman Season One is currently streaming on Netflix.
