Everyone here at MLD is a fan of something. Sometimes our interests are wholly our own, but often they intersect and suddenly there’s a lot to talk about. Brian and I have been watching professional wrestling for decades, and this Summer has seen a lot of new interest in what’s happening on World Wrestling Entertainment‘s television programming. It seems to be one of the rare points in time where the business could take a huge leap forward, but it may be fizzling as quickly as it started.

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As a fan of food trucks, I thought The Great Food Truck Race might be another offering from Food Network that was right up my alley. Unfortunately, it’s a reality show first and foremost. All the hallmarks of that genre were showcased in the season opener, and I really just want a straight up food competition.

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 If ever there was a movie that was basically review proof, it’s Conan The Barbarian. The title spells out the concept very clearly. Either it appeals to you or it does not. And if it does, then I promise you that Marcus Nispel’s Conan film pulls no punches and delivers some hardcore barbarian action complete with countless beheadings and (as they’re credited on IMDB) plenty of “topless wenches.”

The film’s opening moments are slightly awkward as we experience a series of prologues including a voice over that introduces us to some of the sinister history of Hyboria, followed by Conan’s birth in the midst of battle, and finally his emergence as a warrior as a young teen and the murder of his father. From that moment forward, the film places a laser tight focus on the adult Conan, played by Jason Momoa (Game of Thrones), and his quest for revenge against his father’s killer.

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We’re at the midway point of both Marvel’s Fear Itself and DC Comics’s Flashpoint. Each series has its share of strengths and weaknesses, but after four issues of Fear Itself it’s becoming difficult to envision a satisfying conclusion. We’ve seen a lot of worldwide carnage and destruction. Heroes like the Hulk and the Thing were corrupted by the Serpent, and Bucky Barnes, the current Captain America, was killed. Much of the impact of these events is just missing however. The series has an incredible number of tie-ins and mini-series telling different aspects of the story, but without having read them, the main series has at times seemed like a set of recap pages. Fear Itself #4 is an improvement, but where things have gone and how they have developed leaves something to be desired.

Spoilers for the issue and series will follow.

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DC Comics’ Summer event series, Flashpoint, hit the mid-way point this week as issue #3 arrived in stores. Flashpoint has perhaps become the most important series in the DC Universe with the announcement that every DC Comics title will relaunch after Flashpoint #5. The series got off to a strong start with big revelations and worldwide tension in the first two issues. There’s another significant revelation here, but generally the pace has slowed as we reach the middle.

Spoilers for Flashpoint and some of its associated tie-in issues may follow.

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