Book Review: Fantastic Four Ultimate Collection Bk. 1 by M. Waid et al.

Fantastic Four Ultimate Collection Book 1 written by Mark Waid and pencils by Mike Wieringo and Mark Buckingham

Waid and Wieringo had a popular run with Marvel's first family, the Fantastic Four. At the start, a couple of single issues set up the typical FF family dynamic, with the bickering between Johnny Storm/The Human Torch and Ben Grimm/The Thing and the parenting trials of Reed Richards/Mister Fantastic and Sue Storm Richards/The Invisible Woman. They have two children, Franklin and Valerie, who have minor roles in these stories. A large role is played by a couple of characters from a PR firm who manage the Fantastic Four's public image. Patents from Richards's invention only cover part of the expenses of the team. They also depend on merchandising and it's hard for the FF to stay in the celebrity lime light. Some of the marketers work with the team, meaning they get to go on the crazy adventures in alternate dimensions and micro-verses. 

The stories are fun and lean into the family dynamics: Reed has troubles with parenting (he is a geeky scientist, after all) and Sue with her immature brother Johnny (giving him a role in the financial department is a good idea according to her since it will help him be more responsible). The kids cause a little trouble for one story arc. The family dynamics are more fun than the scientific nonsense Richards talks about, which comes up quite often. The writer has fun making up stuff, maybe more fun than the readers. 

The book ends with Avengers #400, the first collaboration between Waid and Wieringo. That's a fun, epic story that I enjoyed.

Mildly recommended.

Dual/Duel Review: Eastwood on Alcatraz

Dual/Duel reviews are an online smackdown between two books, movies, games, podcasts, etc. etc. that I think are interesting to compare, contrast, and comment on. For a list of other dual/duel reviews, go here.

In the 1970s, Clint Eastwood had two movies that featured Alcatraz, the infamous island prison in San Francisco Bay. Readers will probably think first of Escape from Alcatraz, where Eastwood plays Frank Morris, a famous escapee from the brutal prison. The other film may not immediately come to mind, but it is the third installment in the Dirty Harry series, The Enforcer. A terrorist group kidnaps San Francisco's mayor and hides him on Alcatraz. Harry finds out, heads to the island, and dispatches the bad guys. Oddly enough, the Dirty Harry movie came before the escape movie. But is it the better movie?

The Enforcer (1976)  directed by James Fargo

Harry Callahan (Clint Eastwood) is up to his usual routine, which involves breaking up a hostage situation in a liquor store. And by "breaking up," I mean he drives his car through the front windows and shoots all the bad guys. When his supervisor gets the bill, Harry is busted down to personnel (Harry's complaint: "Personnel? That's for a--holes!" The supervisor's response: "I was in Personnel for ten years."). He is on a committee to review people applying for inspector, one of whom is Kate Moore (Tyne Daly). The mayor (John Crawford) wants to hire more women and minorities, so they've been all but instructed to fast-track her. Harry asks some tough questions to which she can barely answer, except on penal codes. Meanwhile, a group calling itself "The People's Revolutionary Strike Force" has brutally robbed an arms warehouse, stealing a lot of weapons and explosives, including anti-tank rockets. They intended to blackmail the city out of a lot of money because they are more in it for money than for political gains. Once Harry's partner DiGeorgio (John Mitchum) is fatally wounded on the terrorist case, the police decide to put Harry back on the street with a new partner...Kate Moore. They have an uneasy relationship that grows as they follow leads to the terrorist group.

The movie is an exciting action film. Eastwood is in typical fine form as Callahan, exuding the cynicism and righteousness of the character. Daly makes a good foil as Kate Moore, a woman with ambition but little experience on the street (she was also in Personnel!). Her character grows nicely even though she is stuck with the typical ending for one of Harry's partners. The story is a little haphazard, pulling in some seemingly random elements, like black militants and a priest too sympathetic with the terrorists. There is quite a bit of commentary on the mayor's scheme to look better by having and crediting female officers, even at times when no credit is due. The finale on Alcatraz is an exciting sequence with the usual Dirty Harry downbeat ending. Oh, and it has another funky jazz score that was so popular in the 1970s. I like it but it does sound dated.

Recommended, especially for Dirty Harry fans, though you can probably watch this without seeing the first two films and be fine.

Escape from Alcatraz (1979) directed by Don Siegel 

On a dark and stormy night, prisoner Frank Morris (Clint Eastwood) is taken by boat to Alcatraz, the most famous and least escapable jail on Earth. He goes through the typical inmate routine--he's stripped of his clothes, put through a shower, given some prison garb, marched to his cell before he can dress, etc. The prison is full of all sorts of rough criminals. The warden (Patrick McGoohan) is just as tough and expects no nonsense from any of the prisoners. Anyone who steps out of line (even if it is only in the eyes of the warden) will lose privileges or have to spend time on D Block--solitary confinement in a cell with no light. Frank starts to navigate the social order of the prison, coming into conflict with a gay prisoner who wants his way with Frank. He refuses and beats him up in the showers. Later, the guy has a shiv and plans to kill Frank in the yard. Another prisoner warns Frank, who foils the plan. The fight lands both of them in D Block, though Frank gets out much earlier. Frank starts planning an escape with a neighboring cellmate. Two brothers join in because they have both the will to escape and the jobs that let them gather materials needed to break out.

The story is harrowing and realistic. The film was made on Alcatraz. Director Siegel had worked with Eastwood many times before (including the first Dirty Harry movie) and they work well together. Eastwood gives a typically good performance and the audience roots for him because he's Eastwood and he has a rough time on The Rock. It's hard not to root for the guys trying to escape from an inescapable prison; the movie all but leaves out the previous crimes that put them into a maximum security prison. McGoohan is good as the warden (quite a departure from his more famous role as The Prisoner), exhibiting aloofness and brutality while having his underlings do the cruel work. The escape plan is fascinating and plays out with the usual last minute problems. If you can't visit Alcatraz, watching this movie may be the next best thing.

Recommended.

Which is better?

Eastwood is fine in both films. He had settled into the Dirty Harry character (who isn't quite as dirty here as he was in the first film) and the film thankfully spares viewers from a romantic relationship between Harry and Kate. It's a solid action picture with a visual style and score that is reminiscent of the 1970s. As Frank Morris, Eastwood is still Eastwood--he will never be known as an actor with a huge range. He shows the cunning and intelligence of the character (the real Frank Morris was in the top 2% of Americans by IQ). The movie sympathizes with Morris without making him sentimental. He's not a wronged man getting justice. He's a criminal mastermind that figured out all the details needed to escape. The story is interesting though a lot of subsequent jail films borrow heavily from this (The Shawshank Redemption immediately springs to mind). 

This choice is a closer call than I would have thought. The Enforcer has a more likable leading character but Escape from Alcatraz has a more compelling story to tell. Both movies go for a realistic feel with Alcatraz having more gravitas. It is the better film even though The Enforcer is more fun.

Winner:

Loser:

 

Alcatraz

While in the San Francisco area, we visited Alcatraz, the most famous jail in the world. It's now owned by the National Parks Service, though they don't run the ferries out to the island. We used City Experiences to get there. On Pier 33, the launch point, they have a large model of the island we were about to visit.

The far side of the island/model

More of the model

The long view

The ferry was a fun, quick ride. We rode in front which normally would have wave hazards but the bay was fairly calm.

My kids on departure

The top of the bridge is in the clouds!

The bay was still windy

A good view of the island from the boat

Housing and the prison at the top

Since the island has almost no natural resources (they have to ship in potable water!) and bad weather can make the boat ride challenging, the people who worked at the prison lived there too. Later on in this post, well see what's left of the warden's house.

From 1850 to 1933, the island was occupied by the United States military and used as a fort to protect San Francisco. The entrance was heavily guarded, though the watch tower is from the prison era (1933 to 1963).

Watch Tower

The main way in from the dock

A canon aimed to repel invaders

Fresh water tower

One of the buildings was turned into a mortuary for the prison, though very few prisoners died while incarcerated, even though a lot of them were "lifers."

Mortuary

The prison tour features an audio guide (in multiple languages). My brother-in-law worked for the audio guide company back in the day and stayed on the island, providing background noise like prisoners shouting and stuff. 

Prison entrance

The audio guide walks visitors through the incarceration experience. The first room is the shower room, where prisoners got their prison clothes and had to shower in front of everyone to make sure they weren't smuggling anything in.

Shower room

The prison had four cell blocks, A through D.

Hallway between blocks B and C

All the prisoners had individual cells, ten feet deep and four and a half wide. They don't provide much space considering the bunk, toilet, and sink using up a lot of room. Of course, the inmates had minimal possessions, so they didn't need a lot of space.

A typical new cell (toilet missing!)

The end of the blocks by the entrance to the cafeteria was called Times Square. 

Times Square

Another famous spot (that we were not able to visit) is the recreation yard. Prisoners would spend a few hours outside. They would play sports or games or just hang out in the sunshine (if there was any). 

Picture of the yard

D Block was the solitary confinement area of the prison. Any misbehaving prisoners were moved here. Some of the cells were completely sealed off from daylight, making time served there very difficult.

Door to D Block

Regular cells on D Block

A typical cell

Famous inmates (Al Capone on the far left!)

The "no light" cell

The prison had a library. Convicts could read magazines or books, sometimes getting a better education than they received on the outside.

No more books in the library

Inmates worked at menial jobs at the prison and made menial salaries. They could spend the money on cigarettes (though they received a couple of packs each week regardless of whether they smoked or not) though many inmates took up hobbies like painting or playing musical instruments.

A cell for a painter

The prison did have an area for visitors to see prisoners. The windows are very small and allowed no physical contact.

Visiting area

Only four bays for visitation

Some of the cells are more decorated with what was typical back in the prison years. A cell is made up like Frank Morris's. He's the guy who lead two other prisoners in an escape in 1962; they were never found. The cell shows the hole in the vent and a fake head used to fool guards into thinking he was still in his cell.

An escapee's home

The final stop on our inside tour was the cafeteria. This room was one of the most dangerous in the prison. The inmates had utensils and they were all together in a close space. A handful of guards would be in the room. The walls had tear gas canisters attached in case a riot broke out (though the handful of guards would be out of luck!). The cooking area is behind bars and the set of larger knives was hung with silhouettes behind them so the cooks could know if any potential weapons were missing.

In the cafeteria

Knife rack

As I mentioned earlier, Frank Morris and two other inmates "disappeared" from the prison in 1962. The next year the prison was closed without much fanfare.

Photo of the last day

The exhibit just before the gift shop provides information about prisons and prison populations in the United States and abroad. They also discuss various laws and show some "tools of the trade." 

Handcuff technology through the ages

Wants his sister to stay

Outside, the landscape has pockets of flowers and vegetation, brightening up an otherwise dreary island.

Roses of Alcatraz

More flowers

The administration building has some exhibits on the guards and other workers on the island.

Entrance to the Admin building

Guard's uniform

 A Thompson sub-machine gun (popularly known as a "Tommy gun") is on display with an ad that claims "It's the safest gun to shoot in city streets!".  

"Safe" if you are holding it

The administration building give a good view to the city.

View of San Francisco two miles away

Mom and son

Right by the administration building is the lighthouse and the warden's quarters. The home was originally for the commander of the fort then used by the warden. It has not been maintained. 

Lighthouse and warden's house

No entry allowed, just like in the prison days!

Another angle on the warden's house

A small garden by the warden

On our way out of the island, we got another view of the watch tower and I saw a cool passageway that sneaks around the house with the canon.

Didn't Dirty Harry blow that up?

Follow that costumed docent!

The island is also famous because it was occupied by Native Americans in 1969 for nineteen months. They were protesting the U.S. Government's treatment of their people.

Alcatraz is a fascinating place to visit.