The Three Stooges Blu Ray Collection: A Frustrating Blunder

On July 23, 2024, Sony will release a 20 disc Blu ray set of The Three Stooges. Fans have hoped for the boys' 190 short films to be remastered in high definition for a Blu ray release.  Not to be outdone, the set will also include 14 Shemp Howard solo Columbia shorts, 10 Joe Besser solo Columbia shorts, 4 Joe DeRita solo Columbia shorts, 2 feature films with Curly, 5 feature films with Joe DeRita, and the 2000 biographical TV movie produced by Mel Gibson, all in HD.  Plus more extras like cartoons and TV appearances. 

So why did I title this article "A Frustrating Blunder"?  Because the set will only have 100 of the Boys' 190 shorts!  Even more ridiculous is that all the feature films will be on separate discs, artificially bloating the set to 20 discs. Three feature films could fit on a single disc, while the extra discs could have had the remaining 90 shorts.  

Unless I could get the set at a slashed clearance price, I am making the hard decision not to buy this set.  It is just too asinine to make a 20 disc Blu ray set, but not to include all 190 shorts.  This is being promoted as a limited edition set celebrating the 100th Anniversary of Columbia Pictures, which rationalizes only 100 shorts.  But still... no... it has to have all 190.

I hope Sony will eventually reissue the Blu ray set after Columbia's 100th, to include all 190 shorts.  Or license it out to ClassicFlix to get it right.  As far as I'm concerned, the 190 shorts, the 14 Shemp solo shorts, the 2 feature films with Curly, and the Boys' TV pilot Jerks of All Trades, are essential.  Anything less than that is a pass. I could do without the Joe DeRita feature films and most of the other extras. But a box set must include the essentials to be worth buying.

If you would like to make your frustration and displeasure known to Sony about this, you can email them at consumer@SPHECustomerSupport.sony.com and SPE_Feedback@spe.sony.com and to tahra_grant@spe.sony.com

If you would like to contact ClassicFlix to suggest they license the Stooges catalog to reissue the box set correctly, you can contact them at support@classicflix.com or by using their contact form www.classicflix.com/contacts

Review: Shazam #11

Once again, this issue by the new creative team, reads like a 2000s Disney Channel sit-com. The plot deals with The Vasquezes trying to legally adopt the Flashpoint kids, and during the social worker's interview with the kids, a bunch of Man-Bat like creatures attack.  The kids go through hi-jinx to make sure the social worker remains ignorant of the battle. 

For some reason, Mary looks like Daphne from Scooby Doo in this issue. One of the more interesting aspects is that Billy and the Captain are becoming even more separated to the point Billy has no memory of what happens when he is the Captain.  The backstory from the 2017 movie is made canon, where Billy was abandoned by his mom, and now the adoption is put on hold because Billy's mom returns and wants him back. Why the adoptions of the other kids have to be put on hold also isn't explained.  

It is really becoming a chore to get through this series.  This issue earns another C-.

Review: The Three Stooges Centennial

American Mythology is back with another Three Stooges one-shot.  This one features a lead story written by Three Stooges podcaster, and employee of C3 Entertainment, Andy Pagana, and features Curly Howard's real life grandson Brad "Curly G" Server.  For those who don't know, Andy and Brad do a live stream podcast on YouTube titled "StoogeTalk Live", among several other projects. The story is a kind of behind the scenes look at the podcast. They are trying to figure out what to do for this comic book, and as they spitball ideas, it turns into a Three Stooges Greatest Hits type of thing. I would guess this happened for real, and Andy just transcribed it and embellished it a bit, and turned that in for the script. Brendon and Brian Fraim turn in their usual fantastic artwork and also of note is this story marks Joe Besser's very first appearance in the American Mythology series, and probably his first appearance in any Three Stooges comic.

The second story is written by SA Check, with art again by the Fraims, and is a lot more plot heavy, dealing with Larry being mistaken for a pianist who is receiving a lifetime achievement award. And you can just imagine what happens at the banquet ceremony.

The third story is a classic reprint by Norman Mauer and features Shemp as the third Stooge, and there are three text pieces (remember when all comics had them?) including one by Saxon Sitka, the son of long time Stooge supporting player Emil Sitka.  This issue earns an A.

Review: Superman '78: The Metal Curtain

Superman '78: The Metal Curtain, the sequel to the brilliant Superman '78 miniseries from a couple years ago, seems like the idea was to take the basic premise of "what if Superman IV The Quest For Peace was more of a Cold War era action-adventure of America vs the USSR?". There is a Soviet Metallo instead of Nuclear Man.  It also incorporate aspects from the first miniseries, like Jor-El and Lara being alive in the bottle city of Kandor, and some modern DC continuity such as Lois' father being an Army general, and still works in Gene Hackman's version of Luthor.  With such an agenda, somehow writer Robert Venditti pulls it off and proves that he should be the head writer on the main Superman titles.

But where this sequel falters a little is in the art. Gavin Guidry replaces Wilfredo Torres, and while Gavin does a good job, his art can be rough at times, not as polished as Torres. Some panels border on caricature art like you would find in Mad Magazine.  Most panels capture the likenesses of the actors, but there are quite a few panels where the likenesses aren't there, and it is generic superhero faces.

Even so, this is an excellent miniseries, even if both the script and art a bit more workman like than the predecessor.  It earns a B+.

Review: Shazam #10

Issue 10 starts a new arc and introduces a new writer, Josie Campbell.  After Mark Waid's underwhelming and disappointing run, one would hope Campbell would be an upgrade. But it's not to be. This issue reads like a Disney Channel sit-com from the early 2000s.

The plot deals with the foster family moving into the new house Zeus magically created for them in the previous arc.  Only Billy and Mary find out it has multiple portals to different realms, and hi-jinx ensue. Also, Freddy gets his driver's license and buys a van (but not a Winnebago), and Billy and the Captain continue to develop different personalities.  There is a mistake where Billy says Shazam to Mary but does not change. The artwork by  Emanuella Luppacchino and Mike Norton is good, and has an animated quality to it. Despite the new creative team, it's still more of the same from this series.  I am officially predicting this series will be cancelled before its 25th issue, unless DC can find a writer that really gets Captain Marvel. This issue earns a C-.