By Madelyn Novick

Comic book fans across the world are having to cope with the tragic loss of comic book legend, Stan Lee.

    Stan Lee was a very well-known comic book artist and creator. Many consider him the Godfather of comic books due to his various famous creations.

     Lee’s cause of death was recently revealed, even though the famous artist died on November 12^th after being rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. His death certificate lists his cause of death to be both heart and respiratory failure caused by aspiration pneumonia, which occurs when food, saliva, or stomach acid is inhaled into your lungs.

    Lee was the creator of various famous Marvel comic book characters during his time as Editor-in-Chief of Marvel Comics, including Spider-Man, Iron Man, Black Panther, Thanos, the Fantastic Four, The Avengers, The X-Men, and so many more. It’s almost impossible to find a corner of Marvel comics he was not involved in creating.

    During his time, Lee’s passion could be felt by the fans. Lee also made various talks about topics that mattered to him, such as redefining the Comics Code Authority, discrimination, intolerance, and drugs.

    Lee was also a World War 2 veteran from the Signal Corps Training Film Division. The Signal Corps is mostly known for its war changing inventions such as radars and the extremely useful walkie-talkie.

    Later on, in the war, Lee learned how to string together communication lines, and helped in the research to help bounce radio waves off of the moon. Lee was assigned to the Film Corps division of the Signal Corps, where he and 8 others worked on making propaganda, public relations pieces, and information sharing documents.

   Lee recalled, “I wrote training films, I wrote film scripts, I did posters, I wrote instructional manuals, I was one of the great teachers of our time!” Notably, Lee worked with Theodor Giesel, better known as Dr. Seuss.

    Many people believe Lee’s time in the war is what gave him the idea for Captain America.

    Lee’s death has affected many due to his impact on the entertainment world as a whole. Many of the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s cast have tweeted out their condolences.

    Robert Downey Jr., otherwise known as Tony Stark, posted on Instagram, “I owe it all to you,,,Rest in Peace Stan.” Chris Evans, who portrays Captain America, also went on to tweet, “There will never be another Stan Lee. For decades he provided both young and old with adventure, escape, comfort, confidence, inspiration, strength, friendship and joy. He exuded love and kindness and will leave an indelible mark on so, so, so many lives. Excelsior!!”

    One of the more in-depth posts came from Hugh Jackman, the actor of Wolverine, who tweeted, “We’ve lost a creative genius. Stan Lee was a pioneering force in the superhero universe. I’m proud to have been a small part of his legacy and …. to have helped bring one of his characters to life,” and then stated on The Tonight Show, “I remember Stan as a true gentleman who had this glint in his eye. He’s a creative genius. He thought outside of the box. He created a whole universe that changed the lives of many people – mine included.”

    While we will all miss the creator of many childhoods, we must remember that he lived a good life, and had the privilege to be able to influence us fans. So, in remembrance of Lee, let us all remember his favorite phrase, “Excelsior!”

By Sydney Wilks

Say goodbye to new year, new me and hello to brand new movies making their way into theaters in 2019.

    With the holiday season ramping up and 2018 finally coming to an end (did you know there was an Olympics this year?), a slew of new movie trailers and release dates have come out.

    First and most importantly (if you’re a Marvel fanatic), the fourth Avengers movie is being released May 3, 2019. This movie is so badly anticipated that the creators have kept even its title under wraps, among many other things.

    Thanos has wiped out half the universe out of existence and is hiding out somewhere. Now the wait for our remaining heroes to pick up the pieces and return the world to its former glory is on. Shoot, was that a spoiler? Yikes, sorry!

    If you’re a fan of the Avengers, you’re most likely a Star Wars fan as well. Keeping with the theme of releasing the next episodes around Christmas, Star Wars: Episode IX will be released December 20.

    This movie will serve as the finale to the previous two and answer some of those ever-so persistent fan questions.

    Taking the top (and only) spot as the only DC movie Marvel and non-Marvel fans alike would actually pay to watch in theaters, Wonder Woman 2 is coming baby! Is everybody ready for our Amazonian queen to come back in November? Hopefully!

    Captain Marvel? Captain Marvel. As the local girl-power legend that may be putting Captain America out of business, Captain Marvel takes not only the spot as the strongest character in the MCU, but also the first female superhero in the MCU to make in onto film ever!

    Have you had enough of Tom Holland yet? Of course not! Which is why everybody’s more than ecstatic to see Spider-Man 2 coming out in July. Especially after his heartbreaking departure in Infinity War. Was that another spoiler? Whoops, sorry!

    Don’t worry though, the Marvel, DC (kind of), and Star Wars universe won’t be ruling all of 2019. For those who enjoy clown-horror mixed with humor, never fear! It: Chapter 2 floats (haha, get it?) its way to theaters September 2.

    Any children’s movies fans in the crowd? Yes? No? Maybe? Well, at any rate, to cut through the frankly serious and highly anticipated reboots and sequels are some pure children’s movies receiving reboots and sequels of their own!

    Since children and teens alike cannot simply “let it go”, Frozen 2 is making its way to theaters November 27. Who knows, maybe viewers will find out how Olaf stays frosty when it isn’t snowstorming anymore!

    Couldn’t get enough of the first Lego Movie? Well maybe, you really could have, but that’s not the point. The point is, The Lego Movie 2 and all their Minecraft-esque characters are coming back February 8!

    Everybody hold the phone, a live action Aladdin is being released and that means we’ll be able to witness Will Smith play the iconic genie. Don’t you wish this movie would come out before May 24?

    With Andy off to college, we all thought it was the end of an era. However, Toy Story 4 is all set to return June 20 as Buzz Lightyear and Sheriff Woody reach for the sky to find Bo Peep and bring her back home.

    Can anyone tell us what the 40’s were like? Somebody, anybody? Well, at any rate, the originally 64-minute Disney short Dumbo is finally getting the justice it deserves and being turned into a live action film to be released late March.

    Remember The Lion King? Hopefully you have and still do, because a live action version of The Lion King is coming mid-July! From animated movie to broadway adaptation and now live action, this movie has come a long way.

    One of the most popular animated movie series of all time, How To Train Your Dragon, will reach its conclusion in March 2019. Hiccup is now a grown man with a beard that would put Steve Rogers to shame (no shade though!).

    It also seems as though Toothless is getting himself a girlfriend. As it turns out, he wasn’t the last of his species. Cuffing season can be any season, right guys?

    Although 2019 may seem like a long time away (and it really does, you’re not alone), there’s a plethora of movies to be looking forward to and many more that weren’t listed here. There’s going to be something for everybody.

    If all else fails, and you really dislike movies, there’s always a bingeable series on Netflix or Hulu.

By Savannah Ross

Every year it is a traditional to watch as many Christmas movies as possible, and these 10 are a must see!
   It is that time of year again: Time to decorate your house, wrap the presents, drink hot chocolate, and of course, watch every Christmas movie that you can.
    The first must see is The Polar Express. On Christmas Eve, a young boy embarks on a magical adventure to the North Pole on the Polar Express, while learning about friendship, bravery, and the spirit of Christmas.
    The second Christmas movie to get you into the holiday spirit is Elf. This movie is sweet and funny, though it cannot quite seem to make up its mind whether people should need proof of Santa’s existence or not.
    Another must see christmas movie is definitely Home Alone. This is a good-natured, albeit unrealistic, family film that both kids and adults will enjoy.
    Hundreds of people believe that this movie is “one of the best funny Christmas movies ever made very funny anyone can watch.”
     The Santa Clause movie, as well as the sequels, are a must see as well. Divorced dad Scott (Tim Allen) has custody of his son (Eric Lloyd) on Christmas Eve.
    After he accidentally kills a man in a Santa suit, they are magically transported to the North Pole, where an elf explains that Scott must take Santa’s place before the next Christmas arrives.
    The jokes in this movie are funny for adults as for kids.
    The fifth Christmas movie to watch during the holidays is Miracle on 34th Street. This is a must see classic made in 1947.
    An old man named Kris Kringle (Edmund Gwenn) fills in for an intoxicated Santa in Macy’s annual Thanksgiving Day parade. Kringle proves to be such a hit that he is soon appearing regularly at the chain’s main store in midtown Manhattan.
    The Grinch who Stole Christmas has been watched worldwide since 2000. On the outskirts of Whoville, there lives a green, revenge-seeking Grinch who plans on ruining the Christmas holiday for all of the citizens of the town.
    A Charlie Brown Christmas is always essential holiday viewing, even after over 50 years. Charlie Brown, is having trouble getting into the festive holiday spirit.
    In true Charlie Brown style, his response to this perfectly natural feeling is to beat himself up with an extra helping of self-loathing.
    The ninth best Christmas movie to see at least once is Christmas with the Kranks. Finally alone for the holidays, Luther (Tim Allen) and Nora Krank (Jamie Lee Curtis) plan to eschew the Christmas traditions and take a cruise in the Caribbean instead.
    This doesn’t sit well with their Christmas-obsessed neighbors Vic Frohmeyer (Dan Aykroyd) and Walt Scheel (M. Emmet Walsh), who are determined to win the annual “best decorated street” competition.
    The last must see Christmas movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. Although there has been high debate whether or not this movie is a Christmas or Halloween movie, regardless which one it is, it should be watched.
    The film follows the misadventures of Jack Skellington, Halloweentown’s beloved pumpkin king, who has become bored with the same annual routine of frightening people in the “real world.”
     When Jack accidentally stumbles on Christmastown, all bright colors and warm spirits, he gets a new lease on life and plots to bring Christmas under his control by kidnapping Santa Claus and taking over the role.
    Now that you know some great, classic Christmas movies to watch during this Holiday season with your family: grab a fuzzy blanket, some warm, hot chocolate and cuddle up on the couch! Happy Holidays!

By Jessie Karn

The play that will have you laughing every single minute and wishing you were on stage.

      A play about six misfits who are trying to take the title of Putnam County spelling bee champion. The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee is a comedic musical that features over 20 songs. The cast brought the characters to life and at some points of the play, it felt as though it was an actual spelling bee.

     The spellers consisted of  Logainne Schwartzandgrubenierre, Leaf Coneybear, William Barfée, Marcy Park, Olive Ostrovsky, and Chip Tolentino.  The judges for the spelling bee are Rona Lisa Peretti and Vice Principal Panch. Mitch Mahoney was the intimidating but kind security guard who had to send the spellers off after they missed a word.

       Logainne is played by Kayla Holiday, who capsulated the perfect image of a girl who really wants to win the spelling bee title to impress her dads. Ethan Cox plays Leaf, he embodied the unique boy who was always seen as not too smart by others, many doubt Leaf considering he was second runner-up in the qualifying bee.

     Charlie Massey plays a boy who believes he has a magic foot which gives him all the answers for the bee; his character is known as William Barfée. Marcy is the girl whom all the spellers fear due to her rapid spelling skills, Marcy is played by Sedona Taloma, who portrays the character perfectly.

     Emily Boyer plays the part of Olive, a girl who feels lost due to her parents not being able to come to see her compete in the spelling bee. Chip is played by Carson, Carson’s character was last years winner, who does not make it too far in the spelling bee due to some “becoming a young man” issues.

      The host of the spelling bee, Rona, is played by Sarah Smith, who captures Rona in an incredible manner. Rona wishes to go back to her glory days when she won the spelling bee. Vice Principal Panch is a judge for the bee who has a past history of aggressive outburst when the contestants are distracted, Liam Shannon encaptures the character flawlessly. Mitch Mahoney, the volunteer security guard, is played by Adnan Maksoud and he nailed the part by showing tough guys can have big hearts. The rest of the cast also crushed it overall through the extra energy they brought to the stage.

      At the beginning of Act 1, audience members were called up to the stage to participate in the spelling bee. The audience participation created a fun environment and caused even more laughs. Every time the spellers from the audience went up, a fun fact about the speller was stated before they were given the word they had to spell. The on the spot facts they came up with caused a lot of chuckles from the crowd.

      The drama program put together an incredible play, from the costumes to the choreography. Every component was executed remarkably, Jacob Beaver put together choreography that perfectly fit the play and created a sense of cohesiveness to every scene. Brigit Colwell, Emy Francisco, and Mia Hanson created costumes that helped with telling the stories of the characters, bringing even more personality to the show. Every part of the production staff created a marvelous show that made you wish you could have been a part of the show.

     MVHS Drama never fails to disappoint, so if you did not see The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, make sure to see their upcoming plays. Their upcoming plays are The Adventures of Pinnochio, IB One-Act Plays, Mayhem Dinner Theatre, and High School Musical. Tickets for the upcoming plays can be purchased at mvhsdrama.com or at the door.

Find out what is to come through your zodiac sign

     Horoscopes are known to show your future and how it affects you, as well as the people around you. Your birthday defines which zodiac sign you belong to. Depending on your zodiac sign, what you expect this December will vary.

     An Aries, this month you may experience some difficulty with patience for other people. After the long and tiring journey of the year 2018 this month will become the tranquility you have imaged in your head. That may include finding the winning lottery numbers and winning millions.

    The December horoscope for the Taurus highlights many important points. People born with this sign will experience increase in their abilities. This month will bring lots of stress, so remember that you should finish this month peacefully.

     December would really help a Gemini build up their confidence and focus on a goal they would like to achieve. Your self esteem should rise and help point you to the right direction. A Gemini will finally be able to strut their stuff with confidence.

    This month, for a Cancer,  will help them realize that they are hard working and have been all along. Although there are benefits, you may experience betrayal connecting to someone you truly care about. It may be tough for a Cancer but they will get through it.

    Next month a Leo will face some challenges, but all will turn into good. The month of December could also give Leos a chance to reconnect with their family. They will deal with unfinished work but once its done it will fill them with much relief.

    A Virgo may caused to become more careful during December. You need to balance out your advantages and disadvantages. Most importantly you need to figure out what you want. But if you aren’t ready to receive then you must wait.

     Libras will pull themselves out of their comfort zone and decided what it is that they need to change in your life to become happier. This chance will come if Libras try to seek it. It may be difficult and frustrating at times with the people around them but clearing it up should be very easy.

   For a Scorpio, there is a chance that one of their  talents or skills could play a huge role in the month of December. A stranger that  a Scorpio meets might be an answer to what you have been searching for.An item that has meaning to you that has been lost may even turn up in this month.  

    A Sagittarius, may start the month of December with a little bit of negative feelings about an event and how it will plan out. There is a possibility that you will also make a new friend based off of something you both have in common.  

    December = Capricorn season!  December may help a Capricorn release some feelings they have been keeping hidden from them self and others. Capricorns will find someone that they trust and let all that they have had on their mind out. they will feel freedom once their emotions are finally out in the open.

    An Aquarius will find themselves concerned about the amount of money they spend. You may be lodging on something you would like to get that you don’t physically need but think it may make you happier. An argument can surface around the middle of December for an Aquarius. Be extra cautious and don’t say everything that comes to mind.

    Finally, for the Pisces, they will  realize that one of their past actions has affected other people. they might experience betrayal and a rivalry between two very close people.  Yet, by the end of the month a Pisces will or should have many reasons to celebrate.

    December will bring lots of joy and stress for all the zodiac signs but everyone should enjoy the joy that is brought for the mount of time it lasts.

By: Michael Murg

With the return of Diablo Heat in its 22nd season, the challenging task of the show lies within the hands of this year’s cast and crew.

    Mission’s annual tradition of the comedy and news show, Diablo Heat, came to a halt last year. Instead of Diablo Heat, the film program at Mission took a different approach and became more of a film-school styled class.  After the year ended, it was apparent that the faculty and students at Mission had a great desire for Diablo Heat to return. Now that desire will be fulfilled

    Although you may have just heard that Diablo Heat is returning, or maybe you just learned what Diablo Heat is, members of the cast and crew have been working on the show even before the school year started. Mr. Harnack, the teacher for advanced video at Mission, scheduled three workshops over the summer to better prepare the class for the upcoming year.

    The three workshops focused on news, comedy, and opening titles. For the comedy workshop, Mr. Harnack was able to get Mission graduate and Comedysportz legend, David Neil to help get the team off the ground. David led a table write for the show’s first comedy sketch, “Freshman Survival Guide”, which is a piece about different strategies freshman can use to “not die” at Mission. This sketch is obviously  not meant to be taken seriously, but for entertainment purposes instead.

    For the news workshop, cast and crew discussed new and upcoming events at Mission, that would be good to inform the students of MVHS. Some members of the crew were able to film the first two football games at mission, with camera angles from the booth, sideline, and end zone.

    The team met again, and was able to write the opening titles for this years show. They would later film the opening titles during the last weekend of summer at Doheny State Beach. These opening titles have inspired this years Diablo Heat logo, which is Pablo the Diablo surfing on a  massive wave.

    Although the team is working hard and putting much effort into to the show, are they really ready to put on a 20 minute show?

    I was able to ask Caitlin Ree, the producer and head editor of the first show, how the making of the first show has been going. She replied, “Because we didn’t have it last year, it’s been a new process for all of us. But the cast and crew have come together, and I look forward to this new year.” She seemed very optimistic towards the cast and crew, and their adjustments to the new format.

    The Diablo Heat cast and crew consists of twelve students in total; one senior, one sophomore, and ten juniors. Although there is only one senior on the team, nine of the twelve students  have participated in Video 1 and Video 2 at Mission. However, there is a big leap from doing the morning news show, “What’s Up Mission”, to completing a 20 minute show.

    Mr. Harnack was asked about how he would compare this year’s Diablo Heat cast and crew to years in the past. “ They are very good, just as good as any other cast and crew I’ve had. They are a little in-experienced because we missed a year… We don’t have seniors leading the way.” Although they have lack of experience, after 21 previous seasons of Diablo Heat, it is good news that he has faith in this years cast and crew.

    Kayla Holliday is one of the ten Juniors on the team, and she will be on the cast for season 22. Kayla had not participated in Mission’s Film program until this year. When asked how she has adjusted to the class she said, “It’s been good, the team has been very welcoming to the new members, and have taught me new things about the art of video”. She later exclaimed that everyone gets along in the class and they have had a lot of fun so far.

    Episode 1 of Season 22 of Diablo Heat aired during tutorial on September 21st. Cast and crew hoped everyone watched  and enjoyed their hard work. There is much to look forward to for Diablo Heat this year, not just for the students making it, but for the ones watching as well.