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Tee Morris

Writer, podcaster and video game streamer

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Blog

The Hero’s Journey: A Spoiler-Free Review of AVENGERS ENDGAME

May 2, 2019 by Tee Morris Leave a Comment

When the Iron Man trailer first appeared in theatres, there was a sense of optimism shared between moviegoers. We all thought the same thing: This looks pretty good. Iron Man was also the truest definition of “high risk, high reward” that studios rarely if ever do today. Instead of reboots and sequels and low-hanging fruit box office talent, Iron Man dared to launch Marvel Studios — a studio independent of the bigger institutions like 20th Century Fox and Sony — with a superhero not as familiar as X-Men or Spider-Man (still property of the earlier mentioned studios) and with a leading man saddled with a lot of bad baggage. Robert Downey, Jr. was well known for being an actor’s actor with talent to spare, but he also had a darkness that overshadowed his talent. His infamous quote to the presiding judge about his addiction “It’s like I have a loaded gun in my mouth, and I like the taste of metal.” made him, regardless of his talent, a potential powder keg of negative publicity. Still, in 2008, Marvel Studios kicked off their ambitious “Phase One” with a lesser-known superhero and a risky leading man.

But we had seen the trailer, and we all thought “This looks pretty good.”

What we didn’t know was how good Marvel Studio’s Iron Man would be.

Here we are, eleven years and twenty-two films later, and we have reached Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame. This is not so much of a sequel as it is the conclusion to what Marvel started in 2008. Endgame is exactly what the title says. Doctor Strange tells Tony Stark at the end of Avengers: Infinity War “We’re in the endgame now.” just before vanishing with half of Earth’s population. We now see in Endgame the remaining Avengers attempting to cope with the loss, and it is not going well. That is until a glimmer of hope from the last place anyone would expect it offers a way to make things right. If I say any more or get more specific, spoilers will be revealed so I will just leave it at that. This is all you need to know about Endgame, other than this film is the destination for storytelling that began over a decade ago.

If Iron Man is a definition of “high risk, high reward” then Avengers: Endgame is the definition of a “slow burn” in storytelling. There are call backs to many of the films that have come before, and this is what makes Marvel’s storytelling so exceptional. Everything connects, and does so without feeling shoehorned or contrived. Crossovers become essential moments in a story arc that began with Tony Stark meeting the unassuming Agent Phil Coulson of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division (“Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D.”), all leading to the events of Avengers: Endgame.The success of Marvel Studios other studios have attempted to capture, most notably DC Studios; but what Marvel took five films to build up to, DC attempted to do across two. And it showed.

Another way Marvel managed to succeed in this incredible storytelling odyssey was in focusing on the story at hand. Details? Backstory? That would come. Bucky’s fate we discover in The Winter Soldier, the sequel to Captain America: The First Avenger. What about Peter Quill’s ability to hold on to an infinity stone with his bare hand? We didn’t find out until Volume 2 of Guardians of the Galaxy. How does Carol Danvers become Captain Marvel? We find this out near the end of her film. Marvel was never in a rush to get to Endgame, and we as an audience are given opportunities to know these superheroes as people. Not as Iron Man, Captain America, Black Window, or Captain Marvel, but as Tony, Steve, Natasha, and Carol. As for things we didn’t quite understand straight away? In Marvel we trust. They would get to it. This journey across the extended Marvel universe has always been something unique, something special. In 2012, The Avengers was regarded as the most ambitious undertaking a studio ever took on — a build-up across five films to this.

Turns out The Avengers was merely Act One.

Avengers: Endgame serves as the coda to a cinematic opus centered around the original vanguard of Marvel icons. Obviously, Marvel Studios is far from done in making movies that both casual and hardcore comic book fans line up for at the box office. Endgame, though, is a curtain call, beautifully captured in the end credits. Torches are passed. The team grows. New stories await to be told. This has been one amazing ride, and looking back on where it all began with Iron Man (which is exactly what we did the night after), it is astounding to see how far we have come since that first step in 2008. We still have other adventures to undertake, but until then, it’s time to take a breath and enjoy the view. There is only one thing left to say at this point…

Thank you, Marvel, for everything.

Filed Under: Writing Tagged With: 2008, 2012, 2019, Avengers: Endgame, epic, Iron Man, Marvel Studios, MCEU, movies, review, risk, Robert Downey Jr., slow burn, spoiler-free, storytelling, superheroes, thank you

Getting My Awesome On: AwesomeCon 2019

April 25, 2019 by Tee Morris Leave a Comment

Welcome to Washington DC’s premier pop culture event!

Last month, the 2019 convention season kicked off and kicked off with a grand time out west. My wife-of-infinite-awesome, Pip Ballantine, and I were Guests of Honor at Clockwork Alchemy, a steampunk event just outside of San Francisco, California. It was a good time, without question, with an additional bonus of a terrific sushi place across the street from the convention. Very convenient. Very nommy.

We have quite a few events ahead of us in 2019, but the one upcoming is more about me than about me and Pip, and this is where and when I begin to feel the butterflies kick up in my stomach.

[Read more…] about Getting My Awesome On: AwesomeCon 2019

Filed Under: Writing

The Best “Thank You” to an Author

December 29, 2017 by Tee Morris 1 Comment

The final adventure of Books & Braun — OPERATION: ENDGAME — is now live on all digital platforms. (Audio and print coming in January.) Both Pip and I are hoping this final chapter will offer up a finale that leaves you wanting more.

But when you are done with the read, I got a favor to ask…

Filed Under: News and Appearances, Steampunk, The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, Writing Tagged With: Amazon, blog, book, book release, ending, finale, image, Kobo, new title, Operation: Endgame, promotion, review, reviews, series, Steampunk, The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences, word of mouth

The End of a Series: Saying Goodbye to Wellington and Eliza

December 27, 2017 by Tee Morris Leave a Comment

Hey, everyone.

So it has been a while since I’ve been blogging, and for good reason. I’ve been hard at work with the final book in the story arc of Wellington and Eliza — Operation: Endgame. The good news is that, yesterday, Pip and I released the digital edition of the steampunk spy series out into the wild, and today you can not only pick up a copy of Wellington and Eliza’s swan song, you can also pick up a copy of Curse of the Silver Pharaoh for free!

I wrote up a reflection on this experience over at The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences blog, so feel free to jump over to that article to read more.

Watch this space for new content and a new look in 2018. I’m in a transition phase right now, so hang on and wait for new surprises in the new year!


When I think of exceptional endings, there are a few that spring to mind…

Captain Jean-Luc Picard dealing out a new hand to his officers.

“Sam Beckett never went home.”

The final scene in Black Adder Goes Forth.

Saying goodbye is always hard, and I won’t lie or pretend it didn’t happen, but when I finished the final chapter of Operation: Endgame, I felt a lump in my throat. My eyes welled up a bit. I had to take a breath. It was over. Nearly a decade of writing, over half a million words, two wildly successful Kickstarters, a role playing game, hours of podcasts, and six books in print. Pip and I go into more detail on this in the latest episode of The Shared Desk, but yes, wrapping up the adventures of Wellington and Eliza was not easy. A part of me wonders if I was subconsciously making this book a little harder to write as this brought everything (mostly…) to a close.

Click here to read the entire article…

Filed Under: Writing

Something for today…

October 2, 2017 by Tee Morris Leave a Comment

This struck a chord with me today…

We’re still finding out details, and we need to wait until the facts are in, until we know as much as we can. The one thing we cannot — should not — do is to be afraid. There are other things more important than fear.

Tell someone you love them.

Do something good for a total stranger.

Remember what is important.

There are things more important than fear, and there is risk in everything we do, everywhere you go. Don’t stop living on account of fear. Life is too precious. Kia Kaha, everyone.

Filed Under: Rants, Opinions, and Overall Observations

The Orville, Con Man, and First Impressions in Comedy

September 18, 2017 by Tee Morris 1 Comment

photo by P.J. Schnyder

When it comes to comedy, I like to think I know what I’m doing. MOREVI: The Chronicles of Rafe & Askana, amidst its swashbuckling action and romance, indulged in some well-needed comedic scenes. The Case of the Singing Sword is my homage to mystery noir and epic fantasy, and takes great joy poking fun at both. The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences offers up intrigue, twisted tales, and cliffhanging moments. There are also moments of whimsy that steampunk allows.

And before my life in between a book cover, I was treading the boards bringing to life comedy from Christopher Durang and William Shakespeare and making laughs up as I went with the good people at ComedySportz.

So yeah, I know a thing or two about comedy.

This is why I was a little disappointed and somewhat troubled by the early reviews of The Orville, a new science fiction comedy from Seth McFarlane. When the trailer dropped, the hype was the The Orville looked more like Star Trek than Star Trek’s upcoming Discovery. [Read more…] about The Orville, Con Man, and First Impressions in Comedy

Filed Under: Geek Chic, Rants, Opinions, and Overall Observations Tagged With: Alan Tudyk, comedy, ComedySportz, Con Man, first impressions, FOX, Galaxy Quest, impressions, laughs, mood, Nathan Fillion, Science Fiction, Seth McFarlane, Star Trek, television, The Orville, timing, tone

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