So here’s a surprise: I liked a Marvel series that isn’t Jessica Jones!

The Punisher is back for a second season on Netflix, and not only is Jon Bernthal’s performance as Frank Castle a marvel of finding nuance in a one-note character, but the structure of this year manages to mostly avoid the pacing and padding traps that plagued the returns of Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist. Also, there’s a tragic tone that really cuts through the whole rah-rah-bloodshed stuff. Anyway, I wrote about it in this week’s paper.

And that wasn’t the only superhero series I covered! I also took a run through the first season of Titans, a DC Universe show that arrived on Netflix Canada last week, in this week’s Superhero Nonsense! column. (It’s not what it could be, but it might get there eventually.) I also checked out the extras on the Venom Blu-ray, because that is also technically superhero content and thus part of the gig.

It’s not all capes and slime, though; I write about art, too! Specifically Blake Williams’ Prototype, which is anchoring an evening of experimental 3D cinema at The Royal on Friday night. I talked to Blake about it for this week’s NOW screening spotlight, because I’m gonna channel some culture if it goddamn kills me. Probably you should go see it.

Oh, and if you missed it last month Peter Jackson’s powerful WWI documentary They Shall Not Grow Old is playing a couple of shows at the Lightbox this evening. It’s really something. Go see that too.