Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffAvatar: The Last Airbender 2024: Older Audience but Charming EnoughSokka and Katara work well as squabbling siblings, while Aang’s playful optimism is still very likeable. Characters and scenes are…·3 min read·Feb 24, 2024----
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffAvatar: The Last Airbender…Who Was this for?The long-hyped show has returned, now live action with cool special effects. And it does look pretty as well as menacing, violent, and…·3 min read·Feb 23, 2024----
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffThoughts on The Marvels or “Because the scriptwriter said so”Of course, “The Marvels” as it’s called is framed as a sequel to three stories: the Captain Marvel film that’s set in the 90s (and in fact…·7 min read·Nov 17, 2023--2--2
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffWho is Sabine Wren? Her History with Mandalore and the DarksaberThe show Star Wars: Rebels (2014–2018) begins with the conventional Chosen One story: Darth Vader announces, “The Jedi Knights are all but…·17 min read·Aug 24, 2023----
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffStar Wars: Ahsoka and Sabine the Mandalorian Jedi (Really?)Star Wars: Ahsoka certainly took off running! Ahsoka herself is introduced doing the Indiana Jones temple grab, complete with calling on…·5 min read·Aug 23, 2023--1--1
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffWho Is Hera Syndulla?The cartoon Star Wars: Rebels (2014–2018) followed close on the heels of Clone Wars after Disney’s purchase took the franchise in a new…·16 min read·Aug 22, 2023----
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffWho is Ahsoka and why do we care?Okay, live-action Ahsoka showed up in Mandalorian season 2 as a survivor of the Emperor’s purge, insisting she’s no Jedi and has left that…·8 min read·Aug 22, 2023--1--1
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop OffTeaching Kids Online — Merging Pop Culture, Literature, and FunAs school begins, whether in-person or (increasingly) homeschooled, I find myself teaching a spectrum of light and silly classes. SAT…·3 min read·Aug 16, 2023----
Valerie Estelle FrankelinPop Off“Is it more sexist not to hit you?”- The Women of DeadpoolPoster for Deadpool·12 min read·Jun 24, 2023--1--1
Valerie Estelle FrankelMy ParodiesFree Selections from Spoofs of The Hobbit31 min read·Jan 20, 2023----