Haunted by Ghosts: Kakashi Hatake

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk about all sorts of things going on in the world of Geekdom!

So today’s entry is about something that is actually pretty close to home for me. I grew up in a military family and I have myself served. With the recent global conflicts on terror raging on, we have had a lot of soldiers trade one hell for another. Soldiers find themselves as strangers in their own home, finding it hard to readjust to the civilian life and as such the suicide rate for combat rates is at 20 soldiers per day give or take.

So the question is why am I bringing this up? Well, I have found that for a lot of people in the service, fictional outlets such as comics, anime, movies, etc. are therapeutic and allow for them to have another way to connect with a society that they feel MILES away from. So every now and again I will be taking the time to write about a character from any fictional medium to spread awareness on PTSD and hopefully bring a light to any of my readers who may be suffering from some of these issues by finding a story that resonates with their own struggle and maybe even give them an idea or the hope they need to push through it. Anyways, today’s character profile is Kakashi Hatake from Naruto.

In all honesty, despite a horrific and obnoxious fan base, I would recommend this anime to anyone, ESPECIALLY veterans of combat. It is a story all about the struggle of war and for a project with no veterans attached to it, is incredibly on the mark for handling a LOT of issues that soldiers face. Kakashi Hatake is introduced in Naruto as the nonchalant, whimsical mentor of team 7, who is constantly pushing Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to come together as a team. He is known for his sunny disposition, and badass character design. However, in Shippuden (the follow up series) you get to find out a LOT about Kakashi, and what we find is a man that is haunted by the decisions he has made in war, so here is a character biography on Kakashi, the Copy Ninja.

Kakashi was the son of a prominent shinobi of the Leaf Village “The White Fang” of the Leaf village, and as such was a sort of childhood prodigy. However, tragedy found Kakashi before he could even reach the battle field. Disgraced for choosing to save the lives of his comrades and subordinates rather than complete a mission, Kakashi’s father committed suicide. He was not even 10 when this happened. The Shinobi code dictates that the mission comes first, that those who break the rules in the shinobi world are scum. After the suicide of his father, Kakashi strived to redeem his name and lived life to "t" of the Shinobi code. He became a stickler for rules, and by the age of 13 had reached the rank of Jonin in the village (Jonin being the most elite level of ninja outside of Hokage). The Third Great Ninja War roared on, and so Kakashi was given his first mission as a Jonin team leader where he led his old team mates Obito and Rin on mission.

Obit, Rin, and Kakashi as a part of Team Minato

This mission goes horribly wrong. They are intercepted by enemy Shinobi that outclass them and Rin gets captured. Initially Kakashi insists on pushing on to the objective rather than going to the aid of his captured comrade, clearly trying to avert the same fate that had once befallen his own father. However, Obito refuses saying “those who break the rules are scum, but those who abandon their comrades are worse than that.” Additionally Obito’s claim to idolize the White Fang of the leaf as a TRUE hero, cause Kakashi to reconsider his position and aids Obito in the rescue of Rin. However, again, they were going up against enemy shinobi that out classed them and while they were able to save Rin it came at a hefty price: Kakashi lost his eye, and Obito is mortally wounded. As he lays dying Obito bequeaths to Kakashi his recently awakened Sharengan (a visual prowess that is passed down through one of the village clans) to replace Kakashi’s lost eye as a present for becoming a Jonin. Obito makes Kakashi promise to always look out for Rin and Kakashi gets her to safety. However, war being ugly as it is, had other plans for Rin. Sometime later a rival village kidnapped Rin and tried to turn her into a host for one of the tailed beast spirits. Kakashi, unable to prevent this from happening, is forced to kill Rin using his own signature technique, the lightning blade, before she loses control of the beast and kills a lot of innocent people. Killing Rin haunts Kakashi and every night as he closes his eyes Kakashi sees her wide eyed expression as he takes her life away with his own hands. 

While a lot of it is on the nose, Kakashi's remorse and survivor's guilt is something that a lot of veterans can identify with. I feel that a lot of soldiers could watch this story and identify personally with the struggles of their own ghosts haunting them. However, the most important thing about Kakashi is that despite all of the bad, he is able to find light. You see, initially, in an attempt to try and cope Kakashi throws himself deeper into the ninja world, becoming a member of the special forces of the village doing the riskiest missions, hoping that as he stacks up an enemy kill count, he will find absolution in the deaths of his best friends. This goes on until eventually Kakashi’s mentor, the present village leader, Minato, removes him from the Black Ops after being confronted by Kakashi’s best friend and rival for being more distant than usual. Minato puts Kakashi as a Jonin mentor for students who had just graduated the academy to achieve the rank of Genin (a junior shinobi). Initially Kakashi takes the responsibility with little enthusiasm. He is arguably too strict in his selection method to determine if the teams of Genin would work as a team. At first it was a way for Kakashi to push people away and remain alone (after all if he was alone no one could get hurt). However, after being approached and thanked by students he had turned back to the academy for helping them realize the importance of team work, Kakashi feels like he is given new purpose. He dedicates himself to teach incoming Genin the importance of watching out for your comrades (and as a result, hopefully prevent the tragedies that happened to him from happening to the next generation). Eventually he even finds a squad that passes his test: Squad 7 (the squad of the main characters: Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura).

Sasuke, Naruto, and Sakura as team 7 with Kakashi in the Back

Despite all the horror he had lived through, Kakashi still found his way out of the dark and into the light. He found both redemption in being a mentor and fostered a next generation of shinobi to become new comrades. I feel that it is important for people to see that there is a possibility to reconnect and find new purpose in life. Kakashi came close to giving up, and had he not become a teacher, it honestly would have been a bad ending for him, similar to that of his father. However, he found new purpose and with that purpose found a way to live again. I think that such a story would benefit soldiers who have issues coming home from war, where it seems like they aren't able to connect with anyone over what happened. Anyways, if you know someone who has just come home from a war front and is having some issues, or if you yourself are one of those people. Don't be afraid to reach out, and hell maybe put on some Naruto and just hang out together. After all, what are friends and comrades for if not to enjoy a good show and hang out?

I hope you enjoyed and I hope to see you guys again next post! 

DCEU News Reel

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk about all sorts of things in the world of Geekdom!

Two Words: DCEU News-reel! The past two weeks have given us no shortage of DC news (and still no new Justice League trailer! Hey Zack, IT’S FEBRUARY DUDE! YOU SAID WE’D GET ONE BEFORE THE END OF DECEMBER!!!). In the past two weeks we have had updates on pretty much every film project you can imagine for the DCEU: SHAZAM gets split into two movies (with a first part dedicated solely to exploring Black Adam’s origin), Aquaman has casted Black Manta and is filming in Australia soon, Green Lantern Corps movie confirmed and will star both Hal Jordan AND John Stewart, and lastly Ben Affleck drops his name from the director spot on The Batman. So I am going to just go through and talk about each thing and give my two cents on it.

SHAZAM, just say the words… I cannot properly emote how excited I am to see a SHAZAM movie. Captain Marvel or SHAZAM cemented himself as one of my favorite DC character back in his appearance in the animated series: Justice League Unlimited in the episode where he fights Superman and gives an AMAZING speech that makes the entire Justice League feel like shitty people. I have always loved the idea of a 10 year old kid getting the powers of Superman and I feel that he might be one of the most unjustly treated characters in DC comics (he is barely utilized and in the New 52 he’s kind of written like crap). Add to this the fact that they have the Rock casted as Black Adam, I honestly could not be more excited. That being said there are obviously some worries I have, namely that the screen writer they have announced wrote the screen play for E is for Echo which was god awful, but I mean the Russo Brothers had You, Me, and Dupree on their resume and look at what they have done for Captain America.

Aquaman, oh boy let’s talk Aquaman. Aquaman is quite possibly one of the most ridiculed characters in comic books. I honestly don’t think there is a more powerful character that has somehow managed to become the bud of everyone’s jokes (hint it’s the bright orange and green costume). However, Jason Momoa is looking to swiftly change the opinions of the masses by his barbarian looking, badass Aqua man (which truthfully reminds me a lot of the animated Aquaman from Justice League).  With an outstanding ensemble already together (Jason Momoa, Amber Heard as Mera, Willem Dafoe as Vulko, and Patrick Wilson as Orm/ Ocean Master) the James Wan vision for Aquaman was already looking to be one of the most promising projects of the DCEU. However, the gift just keeps on giving as they have announced that Get Down Actor, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II , has been offered the part of Black Manta. Now I have a bit of a mixed opinion on this, not because I dislike the actor or Black Manta. It’s mainly because doing two villains in a movie is difficult but doing the two MAIN villains of Aquaman for his first solo outing I feel is WAY too risky. Now granted, if they go the New 52 route (which I really hope they do) Orm could probably hold off on being the villain till the next film as Orm actually wasn’t evil in the New 52, and was merely a villain of circumstance by being goaded into a war with the surface. New 52 Orm genuinely cares about Arthur and had only taken the crown of Atlantis because Arthur abdicated it to him, so, I would be down with having Orm be an ally of Aquaman in the first movie that sees the worst of the surface world through Black Manta and that puts him at odds with his brother in the next outing. I think my biggest apprehension toward having both of these villains in the same movie as primary antagonists is due to the animated feature Throne of Atlantis where they utterly ruin both characters with poor writing and not enough time to develop both. However, I am not too worried about it, James Wan is an incredible director and I am sure he has a killer creative team and that the Aquaman movie is going to kick ass.

Aquaman Cast doing their Table Read

Green Lantern is back for redemption! After the utter failure of the Green Lantern film starring Ryan Reynolds, fans everywhere were wondering when exactly we would see the Lanterns join the DCEU. Well the time is now apparently as DC has already begun looking for its new Hal Jordan and for John Stewart. Now out of the news that was released this is the one I have the least input on. I honestly think that the Green Lantern Corps is great, but I would have much rather had the new Justice League trailer than Green Lantern Corps news, especially since their film isn’t slated to be released for another 3 years. However, the Green Lantern Corps being confirmed is still big news and I am excited to see John Stewart coming into play as he is the first Green Lantern I got to experience the Justice League cartoon growing up.

Last, but certainly not least, there is a huge and controversial update on the DCEU solo Batman film. Ben Affleck’s performance was easily the BEST part of Batman vs Superman. I don’t think there are many that will argue it, I know there are some, but the general consensus is that Ben Affleck utterly owned that role and was amazing. Since it was announced that Ben Affleck would write, direct, produce, and star in his solo Bat venture, the hype has been real. Ben Affleck’s success as a film maker is nothing to shrug at as films like The Town and Argo received critical acclaim and were nominated for several Academy Awards. The pressure behind that has been insane though as rumors flew across the internet on almost a daily basis due to the mixed reception of BvS and Suicide Squad as people started to fling rumors about the project being in danger. However, it seemed for a while that Ben Affleck had quelled a lot of those rumors during interviews for latest production Live by Night. However, Live by Night not only tanked at the box office, but it fell really short on the critical reviews, so when Affleck announced he was stepping back from the director’s chair there was a lot of rumors that WB forced him to do so due to the film’s lack of success. I want to put a lot of this to rest. Ben Affleck spent TWO YEARS building Live by Night: he wrote the screenplay, directed it, starred in it, and produced it. He put his blood sweat and tears into that movie, but when it was released and he was being interviewed about it all anyone could do was ask him Batman questions.

I am sure he may actually feel as sad as he looks in the picture right now...

It is bad enough that the movie did not get the acclaim Affleck had hoped for, but what was even worse was the fact that no one seemed to care about his film in the first place. That was 2 years of his life that he will never get back and all people care about is Batman. The amount of pressure that comes from that, and the IMMENSE blow to his confidence as a film maker for that, is incomprehensible I bet. Ben Affleck has stated time and time again that he won’t make a Batman movie that isn’t going to be good, and I see this as him ensuring that he can give his best to this project. He will still be a producer and he still cowrote the script with Geoff Johns (with some additional rewrites from his friend and Argo screen play writer,), which means that he will still collaborate on the direction of the film, but he is focusing mainly on ensuring that his Batman gets the attention it deserves from the acting perspective. He is ensuring that his performance lives up to the promises he made and honestly I applaud him for this decision. I am sad that he won’t be directing it, but that is mainly generated from the fact that I feel that it is due to a loss of confidence and feeling the unbearable pressure, and as a fan who is probably just as guilty as those reporters for not caring about anything other than Batman, I can’t help but feel a measure of guilt for weighing him down with that pressure. However, the shortlist for directors for the Batman solo film is nothing short of incredible. The two big names on this list are George Miller (Mad Max Fury Road) and Matt Reeves (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) both of whom are OUTSTANDING film makers and their experience would do nothing but be beneficial to the solo Batman project. It is okay to look for a helping hand every once and a while, and it is clear that this was a burden that Affleck felt that he could no longer undergo alone and I respect his decision and it shows good judgement to realize that you need help. A lot of people in that community would allow their ego to get in the way, but it shows Affleck’s determination to make this the best movie he possibly can, so good for him. Don’t despair, I am still sure that Batman’s solo outing in the DCEU is going to be incredible.

Well that pretty much wraps up all I have on DCEU news! I think I have done a pretty good job of catching people up and making up for my two week absence! Hopefully it won’t happen again, but life sometimes gets in the way of things, so if it does, I hope you don’t hold it against me!

See you next time on Comic Relief!

Civil War II Redeemed in "The Oath"

Welcome to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk about all sorts of things in the realm of Geekdom!

                           

A little while back I wrote a fairly negative review of the 8 issue comic arc: Civil War II. As I had stated in the review, Civil War II can be described as anticlimactic and suffocated by too much exposition. Well last week Marvel released the epilogue to Civil War II: Civil War II: The Oath. What is so incredibly interesting is that this issue is nothing but exposition, however it packs more of a punch than the ENTIRE Civil War II event, and quite possibly redeems the whole arc by showing how it sets up the upcoming Secret Empire event.

Look up Civil War: The Confession and You Will Find Something Identical Except in Reverse

So Civil War II: The Oath is a one shot epilogue to the Civil War II event that is scribed by Nick Spencer (current scribe for both Cap titles).  Following on the heels of the crossover event, it shows a familiar scene except reversed. In this issue we see Steve Rogers talking to a catatonic Tony Stark and venting about the big fight between Tony and Carol. This is of course a BRILLIANT homage to Tony Stark doing the EXACT same thing at the end of the first Civil War by talking to the corpse of Steve Rogers after he has been shot. Just like then, this issue can be described in one word: confessional. In this one shot Steve Rogers puts everything on the table, and it is nothing short of masterful.

Before I start talking about the story and scare everyone away with spoilers, I first want to congratulate the artistic team. Holy shit is the art in the book impeccable. Between the excellent style for the actual art to the method of coloring (not sure if it’s ink, or pastel, or water color, but whatever it is it is gorgeous). Honestly a book that is comprised of almost solely of exposition is either made or broken by artwork, and boy does the art team just absolutely conquer it. Each panel is beautiful and lends itself to the dialogue perfectly. The use of dark tones throughout the issue perfectly captures the dark times that the world is spiraling to in this upcoming event and it’s just brilliant. With that said, for those who don’t want them SPOILERS are ahead.

An Sample of Excellent Writing and Artwork

So Nick Spencer made big news with his Steve Rogers: Captain America title back in 2016 with the HUGE reveal of Steve Rogers being a Hydra agent. Well as I said this issue can be summed up in one word: confessional. That’s the exact feeling of this book. Steve Rogers tells Tony Stark EVERYTHING. Of course Tony is in a coma so it’s not like he can understand or do anything. Honestly the way this whole exchange is written can only be described as masterful. I think the words gut wrenching (in the best possible way) is the best way to describe Steve in this issue. Spencer again shows how he is able to make Steve feel like the same old character we love, but twist it so that he betrays everything that the Steve Rogers we know and love stands for.

There are 3 big things that happen in this story. First thing is first: Steve Rogers gets sworn in as director of SHIELD after new legislation is passed that essential allows for SHIELD to operate without boundaries in the efforts of global security because who better to trust than Captain America with this? The second thing, which in my opinion is the BIGGEST reveal, is that the original Cap is not gone, in his confession to Tony, Steve says some things that show the hand that Hydra Steve and Normal Steve are two different personalities existing in the same shell, with Hydra Steve being the dominant one at present. The third, which is a nod to the Secret Empire, shows the real truth behind the vision of Miles Morales killing Captain America that spurred the final act of Civil War II. That is the Hydra uprising that Cap has been orchestrating in his series was successful. That his vision of Hydra won and came to fruition in conquering the US and the world. This issue gave me goose bumps it was so good (and honestly scary due to the parallels between it and what is going on in the country currently).

 

Top Right Panel is the Scene from Civil War: the Confession

If you are looking for an AMAZING read, check out Civil War II: The Oath. It honestly hits the highlights of Civil War II and does it in a one shot with a much more compelling narrative that will have you holding your breath between each panel. Mesmerizing artwork and beautiful writing really make this book stand out as a must have. I have already bought 2 versions of it (one for collection purposes, and one for me to read over and over again till it falls apart).  

The Bat Discovers What Evil Lurks in The Hearts of Men

Welcome back to another edition of Comic Relief! Where I talk to you about all the things going on in the world of geekdom!

So in my New Year’s Resolution post, I had resolved to write to you twice a week, and I have utterly failed that here in the past two week. It’s not for a lack of material by a long shot, just finding the time or the right inspiration to write. I would rather take my time and compose the best possible material that I can here for you. So over the next few days I am going to be writing a whole bunch of things to make up for lost time, I have a lot to write about.

Two weeks ago DC comics released a few of their April solicitations for upcoming titles and cover art for future issues of ongoing series. Among them was a particular announcement that had me giddy. For the first time in 30 years, Batman will be crossing over with Pulp hero The Shadow.

Murder has come to Gotham. Gotham’s protector, Batman, discovers a trail of evidence that leads to a suspect by the name of Lamont Cranston. The only problem is—Cranston has been dead for over fifty years! As Batman attempts to unravel the enigma surrounding Cranston’s life, the mysterious Shadow will do everything in his power to stop him from learning too much

So I realize that there are probably quite a few of you who are scratching your head and going: “Who the hell is The Shadow?” That’s the big reason I decided to write this here today, to promote the miniseries that is arriving in April by bringing to light the story of one of the most iconic characters that no one knows.

“Who knows what evil lies within the hearts of men? The Shadow knows! Ha ha ha.” This expression was the tag line of the famous radio show The Shadow by Orson Welles back in the late 30s. Lamont Cranston, rich playboy, was a man of a dark heart. Corrupted by the vices that so frequently seduce men, he had become a savage opium lord in the East. However, he was captured by a Tulku (a wise man) who showed him the dark that lies in all men’s heart and reformed Lamont to use the darkness of his own heart to punish the wicked criminal echelon of society. Using his training the Tulku provided, Lamont is able to cloud most men’s mind rendering him invisible…all that is except for his Shadow (hence The Shadow). Cranston wages his war on crime alongside his partner Margo Lane, and together they solve mysteries and bring justice to the wicked.

The Shadow radio show was a huge hit and went on for a very decent run. The Shadow and his crusade inspired many great characters in the comic genre, most notably Batman. However, his story did not end on radio, when comics became a big deal it did not take long for him to transfer over. Many people have penned The Shadow over the years (and there was even a cinematic outing for the character back in 94 in a feature with Alec Baldwin starring, this movie is my guilty pleasure film as I grew up on it). His iconic red scarf, cloak, and hat bring fear to the criminal underworld. Armed with his .45 caliber pistols, and his psychic arsenal (clouding mends minds extends to reading their thoughts, persuasion, casting illusions, and even staving off death temporarily to gain information), The Shadow is a hero not to be trifled with (especially since he has no qualms with ending life for: “the weed of crime bears bitter fruit.”)

Batman and The Shadow have crossed paths from time to time in the comics. However, their last outing was some time in the 80's, so seeing the World’s Greatest Detective face the World’s Greatest Enigma (with the ever so talented Scott Snyder scribing) is a spectacle to look forward to for sure!

some amazing art from the book