Fantastic Four vs. Superman promised to be the showdown of the summer, but the real winners are comic book movie fans after a half-decade of mediocrity; Games Radar, July 30, 2025

 Bradley Russell, Games Radar; Fantastic Four vs. Superman promised to be the showdown of the summer, but the real winners are comic book movie fans after a half-decade of mediocrity

 "In one fell swoop, Fantastic Four and Superman have brightened things up and made everything fair game.

That's without even talking about the optimism and, yes, the punk rock of Reed Richards and Superman. We've had cynical heroes and self-destructive heroes aplenty. It feels good, in a real-world mired in turmoil, to have a set of heroes that are unabashedly working towards the greater good, sans the snark and snarling. They can use their stretchy fists and heat vision, respectively, sure, but they are emblematic of so much more – a chance to entertain and inspire a new generation of audiences and storytellers. Along the way, Marvel and DC had lost that idea. Now, it's back. DC may have just undergone a literal reboot but, for both, this resembles a creative reboot that should be the catalyst for the next decade of storytelling."

 Clay Wirestone, News From The States; For this Kansan, Fantastic Four and Superman films slice through grimness with moral clarity

"The films put me in mind of another Kansas Reflector columnist, Mark McCormick. Last week, he argued that attacks on the U.S. Department of Education undermine the common good.

“Increasing waves of politicians exalt qualities that should disqualify them as public officials: a mistrust of government, demonizing opponents, and supporting private schools with public money,” Mark wrote. “These qualities should stand as barriers to candidacy, not bona fides.“

Both the Fantastic Four and Superman devote themselves to the common good.

That’s why they’re superheroes — not because of their powers, but because of their morals. They serve humanity. They serve their country. They serve one another. The Fantastic Four literally contains a family: Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) and Sue Storm (the Invisible Woman) are a married couple, while Johnny Storm (the Human Torch) is Sue’s brother and Ben Grimm (the Thing) is a close friend. During the film, Reed and Sue welcome their son, Franklin, into the world.

“They are parents first,” director Matt Shakman told Variety. “They are scientists and explorers second. And they’re superheroes only when they have to be. I come at this as a dad and as a husband. That’s what makes it so special to me.”

Every summer brings superhero films. Almost every superhero film brings battles between good and evil. Yet these films, and this summer, suggest to me that both filmmakers and audiences yearn for more than thrills. They want clarity. They want warm, nurturing, uncomplicated goodness."

Obituary: Robert "Bob" John Marshall / Diner owner was bacon expert and more; Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, February 8, 2018

Dan Gigler, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette; Obituary: Robert "Bob" John Marshall / Diner owner was bacon expert and more

[Kip Currier: At Bob Marshall's funeral service in Crafton, Pennsylvania on Wednesday, Father John Gizler used the "power of story" to both comfort those in attendance and underscore Bob's lasting influence: recounting the kindness and personal "make-a-difference" touches that Bob tirelessly exuded in his diners--chatting with customers at every table, asking "how are you doing?" with genuine interest, a pot of piping hot coffee in one hand to refill their cups. Father John insightfully observed that, in a sense, each of Bob's diners were like individual parishes, where Bob "ministered" with comfort food, and a side of heartfelt caring.

Father John's concluding words left the audience with a touching and memorable image: Bob Marshall greeting the denizens of heaven at its newest restaurant: 

Bob's Heavenly Donuts.]

"Speaking with those who knew Robert John Marshall — “Bob” — the best, a few things are immediately apparent about how he lived his life: He wasn’t afraid to fail. He was beloved. He was a relentless optimist. And he knew his bacon.

Those are traits that are vital for the lifetime entrepreneur and businessman who founded the local chain of Bob’s Diners at four locations in the South Hills and western suburbs as well as a doughnut and sandwich shop...

“Bacon was his thing.”

So too, was treating his staff with dignity.

Gary Reinert Jr. worked for Mr. Marshall for the past six years as a manager at Bob’s locations.

“I could not have come into contact with him at a better time. I was out of work and he gave me an opportunity. He was a godsend,” Mr. Reinert said. “He gave me purpose, he gave the people he came in contact purpose and he made you feel you were valued.”"

Why We Shouldn’t Mourn The Obamas’ Departure From The White House; Huffington Post, 1/19/17

Zeba Blay, Huffington Post; 

Why We Shouldn’t Mourn The Obamas’ Departure From The White House

"The Obamas meant many things to many people. To some they meant the fruition of the American Dream. To others they meant the destruction of it. There are millions of Americans who are emphatically glad to see Obama go, who are blissfully excited about a Trump presidency and its vague promise to “make America great again.” 

And there are millions of Americans who feel as if a loved one has just died. But no one has died. If we should take anything away from the legacy of these last eight years, it’s that there is no president who can save us from our collective demons. Only we can do that.

For those whose hearts are breaking, it may seem pithy and banal to use the quote: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.”

But really. Don’t cry. Because the Obamas get to be citizens again, for one thing. They get to move out of the line of fire of an almost constant, condensed stream of racial hate. But also ― we got to witness this. For better or worse. We witnessed a black president. And for centuries to come, children of all races and backgrounds will see his face looking up at them from their history textbooks, and they will take for granted the profundity of it.  

There’s actually a streak of that intangible thing called “hope” to be found in the Obama’s departure. For many of us, the prospect of the next four years seems bleak. But if Barack Obama could get through eight years as a black president in America with his sanity and his dignity intact, and even effect a little change, perhaps there is room for some cautious optimism. At the very least, we can try."

Have Yourself a Merry Little 2017; New York Times, 12/24/16

Bruce Handy, New York Times; Have Yourself a Merry Little 2017:

"The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra has used the original lyrics before, including on the 2015 album “Big Band Holidays,” so it’s not as if someone fished them out of the trunk 72 years later to make a tart postelection point. I’m also well aware that our current challenges pale in comparison to fighting a world war with civilization in the balance. Let’s say we are somewhere on a continuum between that and facing a move from St. Louis to New York. Still, I have to confess the “it may be your last” line captured my near-apocalyptic mood — and maybe yours as well.

But the lyric that moved me to tears is the line that follows “If the fates allow” (and remained in Martin’s final lyrics):

Until then we’ll have to muddle through somehow.

How prosaic, even homely as pre-rock era songwriting goes, and yet how perfect. Muddling through, somehow, may not sound particularly inspirational, but perseverance is often the best option at hand, when just moving forward, one inch or foot or yard at a time, can be a kind of heroism. At least that’s how it struck me listening to Ms. Russell, her deeply felt performance offering a subdued and cleareyed but still genuine optimism...

In “Meet Me in St. Louis,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” is the catalyst for a happy ending: Tootie’s backyard rampage prompts her father to change his mind about the move, and we cut to a dazzling climax at the 1904 World’s Fair, electric lights and handsome beaus suggesting a fine future for all. Happy endings seem a little more remote in 2016 — miles away, as they say, or at least as distant as the next election. In the meantime, we muddle through. It’s a start."