LESSON 2: WHO IS SIMBA'S SON?

Hey and Welcome to the next Lesson.

With Disney still churning out remake after remake, it was only a matter of time till they got to The Lion King. Whatever your views on the newest iteration are, you can’t deny the massive impact it left on films as a whole. So much so, when I went to trivia night at my local bar, the subject was The Lion King.

It was fine, I had fun, the night was going great until . . . I got to one question specifically: At the end of The Lion King, who was Simba’s son?

I put down “Kion”, knowing that’s the correct answer – correct answer now, anyway.

And I got it wrong.

Now, this is a trick question for 4 reasons.

If you’re like most of us, you may immediately respond with, “What? Simba didn’t have a son, he had a daughter, Kiara.” And, to that, I’d have to say, yeah! You’re right!

. . .But the truth is much deeper than that.

During production, the animators at Disney had no real faith in Lion King’s success. In fact, they were referred to the “B Team” while the “A Team” worked on the next film, Pocahontas. (insert irony here) So, when the film came time to wrap and Rafiki held up the lion cub, the animators never even named it.

It was simply called “Fluffy”.

So, he didn’t have a name?

Well, not exactly.

After Lion King’s release and before the release of the direct-to-video sequel, there were books released to continue on the stories of the Lion King called: “The Lion King: Six New Adventures”.

In these stories, Simba does have a son. Kopa.

So, okay, there you have it! He does have a son and his name is Kopa!

But…what about Kiara?

Well, in truth the books weren’t made by Disney themselves. Creator Alex Simmons openly admits that Kopa was all his idea.

“Yes, Kopa was my creation all the way.”

So, when Lion King 2 came around, the creative team didn’t even know about Kopa’s existence. As such, when they made the movie, they started over and made his cub a girl named Kiara, effectively wiping away Kopa from continuity.

So, he doesn’t have a son? Well. . .kind of.

In 2015, Disney launched a spinoff show called The Lion Guard. In it, we see Simba and Kiara, but now she’s a cub and no longer an only child. This is where Simba’s son is introduced as Kion, the newest and current son of Simba.

 So, knowing all this, when I was faced with the question, I put “Kion” and the answer to be revealed was “Kopa”.

The trivia MC got the answer wrong and, because of that, I didn’t get my point.

At first, I was mad, but then I decided to do some digging.

Turns out, when asking Google this same question, the first answer to pop up is Kopa…but with inconsistencies ie: a picture of Simba. And directly beneath it, it’s revealed his son’s name is Kion.

So, I didn’t get my point.

I guess someone should’ve told the MC the real truth; it’s clear he needed to Be Prepared.

Well, that’s all for now. So, until the trivia MC gets his answers right or Disney makes Kopa canon, I’ll see you for the next lesson.

Until then, class dismissed!

LESSON 1 PT. 3: HOW TO READ COMICS

Hey and Welcome to the next Lesson.

You’re almost there! First, we covered the basics, then the looks of it all, now some buzzwords you may hear in your trek into modern mythology. May seem kind of corny, but it’s could mean the difference between knowing what “feats” means and sounding like an out-of-touch parent trying to make “fetch” happen.

Fetch is never going to happen.

BUZZWORDS for NEWBIES!

• Alternate Universe (AU)
  • If a story takes place on another Earth/setting/timeline, they would all be considered AU.
    • Ex: Superman Red Son, Kingdom Come, Marvel Zombies
• Canon
  • This is what is referred to continuity. All events that pertain to the overall plot and story are considered canon.
    • MARVEL NOW, ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT, DC REBIRTH, NEW 52
• Events
• Much like Avengers films, comics’ stories also tend to build up to great big stories known as events
• Ex: War of the Realms, Dark Knights Metal, Blackest Night

War of the Realms (2019)

• Feats
  • A term used when showcasing a characters abilitiesIceman freezing to absolute zero instantly, The Flash outruns death, The Hulk holds up a mountain
• Fridged
  • In Green Lantern #54 (1994), Green Lantern’s girlfriend is murdered and stuffed into his refrigerator. Fridged is a term used for a trope when a female character is raped, murdered or otherwise maimed to in service to a male character’s development.
• Issue (#)
  • What is a chapter to a novel is an issue to a trade. Usually consisting of 20+ pages, issues are released bi-weekly or monthly to continue stories
    • Batman #20, Superman #3, Invincible Iron Man# 4
• Mary Sue / Gary Stu
  • This is a term thrown around for characters who face no adversity in their story and already have strides to prove how great they are; for every problem, they already have the answer – one who can do no wrong.
    • Ex: Rey, Riri Williams, Batman
• One-Shot
  • A story whose plot starts and stops with this its own pages: no backstory, no build up and no continuations
    • Superior, Watchmen, Supercrooks
• Pre/Post Crisis
  • When referring to DC’s biggest, most influential reboots, you would use this to see when a specific moment took place.
• Publisher
  • The company that that particular stories is being released under
    • DC Comics, Marvel Comics, YouNeek Studios, Etan Comics
• Reboot
  • When canon starts anew with a newer/different direction
    • New 52, DC Rebirth, Crisis on Infinite Earths

(Flashpoint 2011)

• Retroactive Continuity
  • Retroactive Continuity (Retcon) is a term used to change what was already considered canon, post launch
    • Captain America as a Hydra Agent, Hal Jordan didn’t turn evil, Bucky didn’t die, Darth Vader knew about Luke Skywalker
• Run
  • A term used when one is describing a particular creator on a specific project
    • Geoff Johns’ run on Teen Titans, Brett Booth’s run on Titans, Tom King’s run on Vision
• Tie-In
  • A specific issue that runs parallel to an comic event
    • War of the Realms tie-in, Civil War II tie-in, Flashpoint tie-in

[ Sam Wilson: Captain America #11 -- Civil War 2 Tie-In (2015) ]

• Trade / Trade Paperback (TPB)
  • Also known as volumes, trade paperbacks are a collection of 5-7 issues of an overall story.

And now you’re ready!

You learned how to find comics, the anatomy of a trade and now you mastered several key terms. With all these under your (utility) belt, the only question left is. . .
Where will YOU start?

Well, that’s all for now. So, until I become a millionaire or CBR answers my emails, I will see you for the next lesson.

Until then, class dismissed!

LESSON 1 PT. 2: HOW TO READ COMICS.

Hey and Welcome to the next Lesson.

You found what you were looking for and you’re interested to see where the story goes, but you happen to hear words like “fridged” and “retcon”. What’s more is you turn the book over and you see names like Geoff Johns and Mark Millar. What do those mean and who are they? Well, you since you found your comic, it’s only right to see what happens when you turn the page.

LOOKS!

If you’re in a bookstore of sorts, you may see things in common like color schemes. Typically, Marvel Comics uses striking colors like red and white while DC uses cooler whites and blues. If it’s on a shelf with his spine out, you’re given the following pieces:

1.    The Title

a.    All volumes will come with a subtitle for those collected issues

2.    The team behind it (writer, penciller, colorist, etc…)

3.    The Publisher

4.    The volume number (mostly)

a.    The reason there wouldn’t be is if it’s a one-shot title.

5.    The collected issues.

Most of these will be mirrored on the cover, front or back, once you pick it out and are equally important for different reasons.

TITLE

The title should be the dead giveaway you need. Wanna read Superman? Find “Superman”. Wanna read Avengers? Find “Avengers”. Sounds cut and dry, right? Well, not exactly.

While it is true most titles are self-explanatory, there also may be variations of the topic such as: “Thor”, “Thor: God of Thunder” and “Mighty Thor”. It’s important you pick up the right title as not every title is the same story. Example “Unworthy Thor” is a title that delves into Thor Odinson’s introspective journey after losing his hammer, Mjolnir where as “Mighty Thor” is the adventures of Jane Foster taking up the hammer and becoming the next Thor.

Each title has its respective story; so you’ll want to stick with one particular title to see a story arc through to the end before picking up another.

TEAM

Much like how film trailers promote an upcoming movie by having a director’s name and accolades in their careers, comics run off the same principle.

If you find a story you’re enjoying the comic you’re reading, it helps to know who wrote it. If you’re blown away be the art in the comic, you should memorize the name of the artist so that you can follow them as not all team members stay on a certain title for long. Following them to their next project would also help you to explore other comics and stores, as well.

PUBLISHER

It’s no secret that certain publishers publish certain titles. If you’re looking for a certain kind of story, doing a big of research can go a long way when picking out a title from a certain publisher.

Like Marvel movies? Go with Marvel. Prefer DC? Search for DC. A fan of the Walking Dead? Image Comics is the one for you.

VOLUME NUMBER

While picking out a certain title is the most important thing, the volume number goes hand in hand.

Picking out a particular volume would effectively put you in one particular spot in the entire story. If you pick up volume 2, for example, it’s assumed you’re already 5-7 issues into the overall story and just want to see how the story continues. Think of it like picking a scene from a Blu Ray film or a certain track on an album. If you pick up “Black Widow Vol. 2”, you’re on the “2^nd scene/song”.

ISSUES

While it isn’t required to go volume by volume, as volumes tend to put footnotes of previous events in their thought boxes, there is nothing like continuing the journey of these heroes as switching titles may cause just little confusion. Trust me, the only issue you’ll want is the one with the following number on it.

That spot there is the easiest way to tell just exactly where you are in the overall story.

So, you know what you want when you see it – great! Hopefully, I was able to shed some light on your lessons and make things a bit easier for you…but what the heck does “annual” and “New 52” mean? Next time, we'll finish our guide into comics with basic terms to help make your journey even smoother.

That’s all for now and I will see you for the next lesson.

Until then, class dismissed!