The Expendables Prequel Comic Book & Go to Hell Sequel Comic Book Duo Review

[00:00:00] This podcast is a production of Unfiltered Studios. If you would like to know more about joining Unfiltered Studios, please visit our website at unfpod.com for more information.

[00:01:35] So gang, you heard it from me, myself. We already talked briefly about our favorite Expendables movie villains. Now it's time to actually talk about leftovers of The Expendables for the Stallone-themed September. Believe it or not, Dynamite, believe it or not, made good use of the franchise's intellectual property by doing a prequel to The Expendables. I remember I was so stoked for the comic books. I downloaded them in the early days of Rapid Share. It was a four-part miniseries to predate the comic book.

[00:02:03] But yeah, the first one they did was in 2010, simply titled The Expendables. And then 2021, a crowdfunded comic book by Splato Comics came out. And trust me, it's not like the disappointingly crappy Colonel Trotman prequel or Rambo prequel comic book by the infamous Comicsgate.

[00:02:29] No, this is pretty good at the sequel, Go to Hell. And both are helmed by Chuck Dixon, best known for his work on The Punisher for Marvel, as well as DC characters like Batman, Nightwing, and Robin in the 90s and early 2000s. And Stallone supervises the story, of course. But yeah, I'll talk about the prequel first.

[00:02:52] You know, Stubb, Paul's artwork is very competent. Basically, it just shows that gives you some lead up to the South American dictators and the other intrigue they're going to ensue. Just I like the artwork of Lee Christmas, Jason Statham's character, as well as Hell's Caesar, Terry Crews' character. Plenty to like. Really is. I just always dug their spy and merc background, so, you know, we were only overdue for so long.

[00:03:21] And I actually have some of the artwork saved. So overall, the prequel moves pretty fast, but there's some dead space and missed opportunities, ultimately. And, you know, I like how it just gets to it, but I also wish they could have breezed through it a little less sloppy.

[00:03:44] And, I mean, there's, it's well-worn territory that doesn't feel like it makes solid use of its license. And, nor does it really have much to say, even in comic book format here. There are some alright characterizations, like I said before, but the whole thing doesn't linger on anything long enough or stay focused enough to really merit it.

[00:04:13] So, you see a little bit of Dolph Lundgren's character. And, you get a little bit on Jet Li's, you know, Yin Yang, and obviously Barney Ross is in here shouting commands, Stallone's character. But, yeah, despite liking the cover art, I just, it's really just, as a time killer, it's really not worthy of the franchise.

[00:04:42] You know, I'll say it, just because I love those 80s, 90s throwback movies so much, but that's a whole other story. Others won't have the patience. Now, The Expendables Go to Hell, this is so rare and hard to find. If you can find the rare item, you know, it was given to crowdfunders, please hunt it down on eBay. No pun. But, yeah, Richard C. Mayer also co-wrote this and developed it with Stallone.

[00:05:10] The storyline is drawn by Graham Nolan, who is best known for frequently collaborating with Chuck Dixon. He's done everything like The Phantom, Sunday Strip, and other Batman stuff for DC. Other artwork is by Kelsey Shannon, Butch Wise, and Jason Johnston. No, Johnson. Sorry, my bad. And they kill it. They tell, this artwork totally rocks. It fucks so hard.

[00:05:40] And basically, it's just, I love the descriptions. Like, League Christmas, Knife Fighter, Unlucky in Love, Gunnar Jensen, Sweet, Giant, Self-Medicates with Alcohol, Yin Yang. Rage quits the team every year or so, back for now, because he's broke. In Toll Road, Randy Couture's character. Neurotic. Small unit combat.

[00:06:08] Operations are his version of group therapy. It's like, see, I like this. This is actually way more snarky and witty than what's allowed in those movies. Because, you know, they're distracted by ego and how they, you know, have to complete these missions. But, like, it's basically a loose sequel.

[00:06:29] And I really wish that, other than Indiegogo, you know, raising over $275,000 in total for this imprint comic book. Oh, man. Like, this should have been so bigger. I think it just came out too late. But, you know, even if you weren't impressed by the first few Expendables sequels, like, this will appeal to everybody.

[00:06:56] Unfortunately, Terry Crews' Hell Caesar does not appear. That's the only dent I have against that. That character could have been explored so well. That being said, they give equal screen time to most of them. Lee Christmas gets to have sex with his girlfriend, only to realize it's actually, like, a witch. You know, some demon. Some person imposing as her. So, it's kind of a fun kind of B-movie aspect from that standalone nature.

[00:07:26] Barney Ross, I kid you not, he goes to hell with some of the other Expendables. And they're fighting on, like, fantasy creatures and horses. And they use the spirit of real-life war legend and action movie icon, Audie Murphy. I'm not kidding. To fight the various demons. And they take on everything. Demons, samurai, Romans, war elephants, monsters, Norse, Valkyries, Nazis, dragons, and knights.

[00:07:55] And the goal is to win the war and fight their way out of hell. But there's side quests to it. There's the bridge where Barney finds his still-living friend, Tool, played by, you know, Mickey Rourke trapped in hell. It's like, this is what they should have done in the movies. Because they got good performers, but they kind of wasted him. The next story is Christmas in hell, where Lee Christmas is lured away from the team, where he's needed the most. And then there's Barbarians Holiday, where Dolph Lundgren's character, Gunnar Jensen, makes the most of a bad situation.

[00:08:22] And see, he has a lot of dry, snappy lines that work pretty well. And I like how they're raiding this Dominican mission building built by the French in 1869. And I like how they're like, the Vatican D sectioned this church in the 20s, just showing, implying how they're going to blow it up now. And it's so funny.

[00:08:51] It's like, when Stallone's Barney Ross first meets Audie Murphy in hell, he's like, you're, is like, Audie's like, we know each other. And Barney's like, everyone knows you. And Murphy's like, I get that a lot. I'm like, hee-hee. I see what you did there. It kicks ass.

[00:09:15] You know, one thing I didn't like about The Expendables 2 was it was a little too over meta. Some of it was too cute for its own good. It was fun, but it wasn't great. And, but it's funny. They revisit how Billy, who was played by, you know, Thor actor Chris Hemsworth, brother Liam, from those Hunger Games movies, you know, gets killed by Jean-Claude Van Damme's Jean Valand.

[00:09:43] And here they encounter both of them again. Billy's, you know, in the afterlife and they're helping him out. He's fighting alongside them and saving their bacon in a car with a machine gun. And this is, here's the main reason everyone should buy this comic. Van Damme is the most, his character is Jean Vilain, you know, play on the word villain. And as I said before, it's a total send up of the role that made him famous.

[00:10:13] Like he ends up fighting them while dressed as his blood sport alter ego. It's so awesome. I think we mildly see Stone Cold's character because that had been a joke. Let's bring back his twin brother who, you know, since Barney Ross killed him. It was like, that would make sense. But, you know, in real life, Sloane did not want to bring him back because he got injured making the movie. But so this comic makes use of unexplored avenues. So fans of the movies will like it.

[00:10:43] Fans of comics definitely will like it because it's kind of supernatural. And it's, you know, if anything, this is proof why the Expendables are so good. It was like they went through hell. But let's like they take on all the dictators, you know, it's like they take on. And I kid you not.

[00:11:03] Caligula, Saddam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, Maximilian, Rosperi, Mayose Tung, Adi Dada. So it's like, yeah, they have some obscure cuts. And I like how Dolph Lundgren's character, Gunnar, is like the villains are going. We've waited a long time for you. And he's like, I'm honored, I guess. The artwork is pristine. It actually looks like the characters.

[00:11:31] I like how, again, just they're fighting each other. I like how Stone Cold's character is going, oh, make you eat that sword, pal. Actually, no, I think it's Randy Couture's character. Anyway, so and it's just like, yeah, it's like it's.

[00:12:01] There's some other off color lines. Toll Road says to the samurai who's fighting him, he's like, you got me, Sushi Man, but not before I snapped your neck. And yeah, when Ben Dam's Volan is fighting, you know, Barney's like. This is the first of your eternity of death, Ross. It's having a very over the top fight. It makes great use of its material.

[00:12:31] I really do wish they could have done more of these. God damn it. Way to pass over that. And Stallone's Barney actually gets pretty philosophical, surprisingly. So, yeah, very neat stuff. It's just it kicks absolute ass. And I think I'm more annoyed by it because I wish they could have respected this franchise a little more.

[00:12:58] You know, I don't know why it's so fucking hard to make these movies. So too much ego, Stallone wanting to do it, but not really, you know, just for money. It's a real shame. Whatever. This comic is better than it has any right to be. And if you just liked the first or second or third movie, you should get something from it. If you like the alter egos of these personas, read it anyway. You won't regret it.

[00:13:27] So that's all for now, folks. I hope I entertained your eardrums and sold you on it. You will not be let down for fans of 80s and 90s action movies, fans of over the top comics. I mean, what's next? You know, them fighting Constantine or Spahn. This is the closest you're going to get. Enjoy it. You know, you can read the Expendables prequel online, you know, if you just want just little sloppy seconds.

[00:13:56] But the rare collector's item that is the going to hell comic that check that out. That is a B plus for sure. We'll return after these messages. All right, folks. How's back here? We've got a 90-minute weekly Shack Stop. It's growing all over the world. Find it at 2 p.m. and 10 p.m. Eastern Time on Mondays. Then 3 p.m. on Wednesdays.

[00:14:26] Then 7 p.m. on Thursdays. You can catch it on many more radio stations. 99.9 KERV. 1 p.m. Central Time. 2 p.m. Eastern on Mondays. Then catch the Encore on Thursdays at 5 p.m. Central Time, 6 p.m. Eastern. Then catch it Wednesday mornings at 11 a.m. Eastern Time, 10 a.m. Central on 1077 K-Twins.

[00:14:51] Then hang out with us Wednesday afternoons on MXTR and House Shack Radio, 3 p.m. Eastern Time. Then Thursdays. Get up bright and early with us on 95.7 Web Radio at 6 a.m. Pacific Time, 9 a.m. Eastern. Of course, we've got the Friday covered as well.

[00:15:12] 12 p.m. Eastern Time on MXTR FM and 10 p.m. Eastern Time, 9 p.m. Central, 1077 K-Twins. Find everything on HouseShack.com. HouseShack. If you like small town mystery, crazy news, and wild history, then the Florida Men on Florida Man podcast is for you.

[00:15:37] Each week, Josh Mills and Wayne McCarty bring you the absolute best Florida has to offer. So if you're looking for a show that's safe for the family, but funny enough to help you escape everyday life, then listen to the Florida Men on Florida Man podcast. That's Florida Men, plural, on Florida Man podcast. Do you ever find yourself thinking about who would win in a fight between Goku and Superman? Hi, I'm James Gavsey, and on the Who Would Win show, me and my co-host Ray ignore anything

[00:16:05] important happening in the outside world and debate fictional battles between characters from comics, movies, and video games. We got a new show every week, and almost always am I the winner. Yeah, not true, Ray. In the past, we've discussed such matches as Captain America versus Darth Vader, Solid Snake versus the Iron Giant, classic matchups like Robocop versus Terminator, and even the Muppets versus Sesame Street. That one was crazy. So if you're a fan of geek culture and love a spirited debate, check out the Who Would

[00:16:34] Win show wherever you get your podcasts, or check us out at whowouldwinshow.com. Follow us on the web on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The podcast is available on Podbean, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Anchor, Apple, and anywhere else. Podcasts are available. Feel free to review our show and leave comments on any of those sites.

[00:17:04] Thanks a million for listening. It's a jacked up.