Hello, and welcome to another long-overdue installment of Din’s Geek Reviews.
Let’s talk about vampires.
Today, there're more stories about these undead creatures of the night than one could imagine, ranging in genre from traditional horror to romance to action-adventure. Some are good, most are bad, and some even strike the balance between lame and awesome in such a way as to ascend to a new level of cool. But we’re not here to talk about Buffy.
When you think of vampires, any number of thoughts can come to mind. However, if you’re like me, there is one name synonymous with “vampire,” and name that has done more for the genre than any other. It’s not Angel or Spike. It’s not Lestat. It sure as fuck ain’t “Edward.”
No, the name I refer to is the best, the Dark Prince himself, Dracula.
Modern vampire fiction owes so much to Bram Stoker, it’s nothing short of amazing. Trace the history back, and you’ll find out that many of the elements we ascribe to the quintessential vampire come from Dracula, either in his various movie incarnations, or the original novel. Without him, there would be no True Blood, no Buffy, no Blade, none of the modern classics that have risen from the vampire mythos.
Which is why I was concerned when I learned that an official, estate-approved sequel to the original Dracula was to be written by Dacre Stoker, Bram’s great-grandnephew, and Ian Holt, a Dracula historian.
Well, being the dedicated fan that I am, I still picked the sucker up on release day, and, after several major distractions, have finally finished Dracula the Un-Dead.
But how did they do? With credentials like that, surely they could at least do a passable job, right? Maybe they can’t write all that well, but at least they’ll respect the source material, right?
Wrong. And that’s the thing that surprised me. But more on that later. First, the premise:
It is 25 years after the events of the original Dracula, and our band of heroes is in bad shape. Jonathan Harker has become an alcoholic. Doctor Seward is addicted to morphine, but is hot on the trail of a new vampire, perhaps even as deadly as Dracula himself. Arthur Holmwood has cut himself off from society, still distraught over the death of his beloved Lucy, Doctor Van Helsing is nearing death, and Mina Harker, the fair, innocent waif of Stoker’s novel, hasn’t aged a day.
This is the part where I warn you about the spoilers I’m going to reveal. Cut to the ending if you don’t want them.
The book mainly follows Jonathan and Mina’s son Quincy as he first struggles to become an actor, and later attempts to unravel the mysteries of a series of murders.
And that’s where the book goes wrong.
I’m okay with killing off characters. I think that's fine. But this novel is a slaughterhouse. Literally no one from the original party survives to the end. Some become un-dead, some just get rammed on spikes, but the result is the same. But the problem is, with the exception of Dr. Seward, these deaths don’t feel as tragic as they ought. Why? Because these are not the band of do-gooders from the original novel. These are people wearing their faces, using their names, and roaming their streets, but the real Mina, Jonathan, and Van Helsing all died in Transylvania, alongside the greatest vampire of all time.
Remember how I said that, if nothing else, this book would at least likely be true to source? Well, it turn out that the exact opposite is true. This book is actually really well written, using wonderfully vivid imagery, great dialogue, and an understanding of the historical period unlike any other novel I’ve seen. Quincy is an interesting character, mirroring Jonathan’s lust of justice along with Mina’s strong will, all amplified by the tainted blood in his veins. Mina’s conflicted psyche makes her a strangely tragic figure, Van Helsing’s madness is honestly unsettling, and Bathory, our new villain, is very good at the whole “pure evil” thing.
The problem?
That’s not how the characters were in the original novel.
That’s where this book falls apart: it is completely disloyal to its source. Mina, who was a conflicted, but pious woman in the novel, is now shown as truly in love with a monster. Van Helsing, the kindly old doctor, has now become a crazed maniac so hell-bent on immortality that he’s willing to endanger the entire world. And Dracula? What of the Dark Prince?
A total pussy.
You see, being un-dead doesn’t make you evil, it just gives you power. Dracula uses it for good. He’s a misunderstood creature, still doing God’s work even while being hunted. He loves Mina, he would never hurt her.
Oh, and he burns up in the sun. And holy relics don’t hurt him. And he’s Quincy’s father.
Gah!
That’s the main thing that bothers me: characterization. Not just of the characters, but of vampires in general.
Why does the world think we need our vampires to be love interests? Sure they’re sexy, but they don’t have to have souls. I think they could seduce us just as well without being tragic, misunderstood heroes. In fact, isn’t that what made vamps so scary, Dracula in particular? The fact that they are so appealing on the outside, but once you get close, they’re dead, rotten, predators bent on eating you.
Alright, but besides selling out the characters and the vamps, how did it do? It’s a sequel, so how does it measure up?
…
Seriously? You can’t guess?
If the book is willing to screw over the character of Dracula, you can bet they’re willing to screw over the book itself. In a (admittedly clever) bit of fourth-wall breakery, this novel retcons the events of the original novel into a hybridized version of the “actual” events, and a small vampire story that Bram Stoker (who is a character in this book, by the way) was writing. Doctor Seward, while drunk, leaked the story (or was it Van Helsing trying to become famous? I don’t think they ever cleared that up…) and so the novel, and the play based on it, are “real-world” artifacts that Quincy and other characters interact with.
Here’s the thing, guys. This would have been an amazing Dracula-based alternate-history book. It’s riddled with cool little tie-ins to history, from Jack with Ripper to the Titanic, and carries its story quite well. The characters, as they are, are consistent, believable, and really fun to read. You get that “holy crap, I’m watching a movie in my head” thing with this book, something that is becoming increasingly rare these days. The romantic bits are a little lame, and there are a couple (ill-advised) sex scenes, but hey, that sells, right? Heck, the book even fixes a lot of the connections to the historical Vlad Tepes, solidifying the relationship that many have suspected for years. It really can’t be faulted if judged on its own merits. It’s not perfect, but it’s good.
But it is not a good sequel to the true Dracula. There are simply a different set of standards once you tack on “official sequel” that must be met, and The Un-Dead fails at that. The characters, between the two books, are not remotely consistent. The authors throw away vast chunks of plot, text, and mythos in order to hammer out the story that they want to tell, regardless of what the primary document says. The fact is that Vlad Tepes and Count Dracula don’t synch up, and if you have to choose, you should go with the vampire. The amount of disrespect this piece shows the original novel is nothing shy of astounding, and I’d be hard-pressed to name a less-true sequel in all my years of fandom. The Phantom Menace was truer to its mythos than this book.
Which is really a shame. I enjoyed The Un-Dead a lot, and will probably read it again someday. Oh, it had a few pacing problems (suspense wasn’t handled well and the “big reveals” were easy to see coming) but over-all, it was a competent adventure/mystery. In short, a good vampire novel. But, by naming it Dracula, the authors committed themselves to failure, signing on to a legacy that they could have actually lived up to, but refused to. Alright, who am I kidding, they couldn’t live up to Dracula no matter what they did, but they could have come a hell of a lot closer. This novel didn’t have to be a disgrace to the name of Dracula, or the name Stoker.
But with the way the book ends, it’s clear they plan a sequel. And I’ll probably read it. But for me, there hasn’t been a real Dracula story since Bela Lugosi left the stage, and it’s likely to stay that way for a long, long time.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews #4 - The Top Ten Greatest Comic-Book Women
Hello, and welcome to Din’s Geek Reviews.
This time, rather than doing another long, sometimes tedious review of a comic or film, I have decided to be exactly like every other reviewer on the ‘net and do a Top Ten list. This time, we’ll be looking at what are, in my humble opinion, the Top Ten greatest female characters in comics.
Now, we need some ground rules here; after all, there are a TON of women in comics. It’d be easy to fill this list entirely from the X-Men series, or have the top five all come from Batman. To that end, I will only be allowed to pick one character from a series. Keep in mind, however, that this does not mean only one per universe. So I could, in theory, list Mary-Jane Watson from Spider-Man and Rogue from X-men, but I could NOT list Rogue and Jean Grey.
Secondly, keep in mind that this is not really a “favorite” list, nor is it a “best” list. Rather, I have selected women who were highly memorable for a number of reasons. With me? Okay, let’s go:
#10 – Mina Harker, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Yeah, yeah, not technically a comic-book character in her own right, but the way I see it, Alan Moore created a whole new Mina for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Based on the character from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Moore’s Mina is a girl of a completely different caliber. Taking the kind, gentle Mina of the novel, Alan Moore makes the one crucial alteration that changes her character completely without feeling forced: he makes her a vampire. Thus, John Harker has left his wife, and slowly she became bitter, angry, and cold. This, plus her raw supernatural powers, led to her becoming the leader of the team of Victorian super-heroes, an unexpected twist indeed.
Strong, calculating, and having weird taste in men, Mina is one vampiress that doesn’t sparkle. Just the way we like ‘em.
#9 – Mystique, X-Men
This one was tricky. You have a lot of choices from X-Men, as it is one of the few series to actually have a large number of thought out, complex female characters. However, when it comes down to it, you can’t top Mystique.
A shape-shifter, Mystique has been in almost every incarnation of the series, from comics to TV to movies. Why? Well, the most obvious reason is her looks – I refuse to deny the hawtness that is Mystique. Athletic, scantily clad, shape-shifting, and blue? Yeah. That is pure, unadulterated win.
But all that aside, Mystique is an interesting character. Ruthless, cold, and focused, she never, never loses her cool. I can’t say I’ve read enough comics to really know her motivations, but though she is certainly a terrorist, she is also a very loving character. She truly cares for her children (who, I might add, are quite possibly two of the most awesome mutants ever, Rogue and Nightcrawler [screw you Graydon Creed!]). What’s more, she’s an intelligent villain – she’s not just evil for evil’s sake, she really has thoughts behind her actions.
Mystique – cold as ice, hot as hell. If the mutants have to wipe out humanity, I hope it’ll be her that pulls the trigger.
#8 – Callie Liddle, The Wonderland Trilogy
This one is probably the least-known character on the list, but that doesn’t make her any less interesting. Callie, protagonist of the Wonderland cycle (a popular spin-off of Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales series) was just a normal middle-class highschooler, living her life, when the insanity of a dark, twisted Wonderland decided it wished to possess her.
What’s so great about Callie is the way she changes. She starts out just like any of us would – scared out of her wits – but she slowly begins to take power, eventually escaping Wonderland. But then, once free, she has to live with herself. At first she flees – again, like we would – but, as she sees that she can never truly escape, that Wonderland will always follow her, she finally embraces her destiny, becoming the very kind of ruthless killer needed to rain vengeance down on the denizens of the blackened fantasy realm.
But, even above all that is the fact that we have no idea if she’s even sane through all this. It’s entirely possible that Callie is actually stark raving mad, and that all the murders she believes to be the fault of Wonderland are really just her own actions whitewashed by her psyche.
Of course, she not mad, but it’s still an interesting angle.
Callie Liddle – a messed up girl in a messed up world.
#7 – Misa Amane, Death Note
Speaking of crazy chicks…
Misa Amane, from the hit manga Death Note, is probably not on anyone’s list of favorite characters. Over-emotional, utterly devoted, and kind of annoying, Misa can get on your nerves after a while.
Until you realize that she is blatantly psychotic, willing to lie, slaughter countless innocents, and even give up her own life (twice!) all to aid a boy who clearly dislikes her, admits openly to using her as a tool, and who is perfectly willing to kill her once her usefulness has ended.
But say what you will about her, Misa is memorable. You never forget her as the second Kira, and you even begin to pity her part way through the series. She is one of those insane people who honestly deserves help, not punishment. She could have been so much if not for Light.
Misa Amane – the girl many wish to sleep with, but no one wants as their ex.
#6 – Harley Quinn, Batman
Apparently all of the crazy girls go in a row here…
Anyway, any fan of Batman can tell you the history of Harley Quinn – created for the Batman Animated Series, Quinn is the Joker’s on-again/off-again henchman/girlfriend. Immensely popular, Quinn’s bubbly personality endeared her to fans, earning her a small cultdom all her own. Eventually she was adopted into the comics, where she even got her own monthly series for a while.
Originally a psychiatrist serving at Arkham Asylum, Harleen Quinzel became fascinated with the Joker. Eventually she snapped completely, falling madly (literally) in love with the villain. After breaking the Joker out, she took on the role of Harley Quinn, and has been running amuck in Gotham ever since, recently teaming up with Catwoman and Poison Ivy in the new Gotham City Sirens series.
Harley Quinn. Quite the wildcard. (please forgive that pun. It was… strained.)
#5 – Sakura Kinomoto, Cardcaptor Sakura
C’mon. If Misa made it here, you really thought an icon like Sakura wouldn’t?
For those of you not in the know, Cardcaptor Sakura was a long-running manga series by the creative team known as CLAMP. Together, they produced one of the most ADORABLE characters in history… with lesbian overtones. (ask if you want, but I’m not addressing it here)
Chosen by destiny to become the new guardian of a set of mystical monsters housed within the “Clow cards,” Sakura is led down a series of adventures. Hers is a charming story of believing in oneself, in the love of friends, and lots and lots of sparkles.
What endears Sakura to me personally are her facial expressions. She’s never unpleasant to look at – either her chibi expressions of anger or worry charm you, or her beautifully drawn smiles make your heart sing.
Sakura is one of the few honestly cute characters I’ve run into in comics. Hers is the story of a child, and for a brief time, you too can embrace that wonder along with her.
#4 – Gwen Stacy, The Amazing Spider-Man
Okay. I’ve never read a single issue in which Gwen Stacy appeared – I don’t read much Spider-Man, and besides, I grew up in the Mary Jane generation anyway.
But here’s the thing: the effects of her death are still being felt. Take a look at books like Sins Past, or even One More Day – Peter Parker is still an emotional mess because of that incident.
If you are one of the three people left in the world who knows nothing about Gwen Stacy, I’ll tell you this: She was Spider-Man’s girlfriend. Then she died. And she never came back.
Think about that. Then go read the Wikipedia article if you want to know more.
#3 – Naru Narusegawa, Love Hina
“What’s this,” you say, “Someone from a manga beating out Gwen Stacy, the girl who changed comics forever?” Damn straight.
Female protagonist of the quintessential “harem manga” Love Hina, Naru is on this list not because of anything she did in particular, but for what she became. In Love Hina, you really get to see a romance blossom, and by the ending, you are seriously emotionally invested in the characters, Naru in particular. She’s a well-written, multifaceted character in an otherwise fan-service heavy book, which leads to even more comic hilarity when she (inevitably) ends up with Keitaro’s face in her cleavage (I told you it was a harem manga).
That’s what Love Hina was great at in general – it might have hooked you in with cheap laughs and boobs, but in the end it was an incredibly well-written romance story, the likes of which only manga can do. Think of it; they’re actually allowed to end their comics over in Japan.
Central to all that emotional investment and romantic development was Naru Narusegawa – the girl who gave us nerds hope.
#2 – Mara Jade, Mara Jade: By The Emperor’s Hand
“CHEAT!” the masses cried in rage, “Mara Jade is no comic book character! Din’s Flame, you are a liar and a rogue, you handsome devil!”
Guilty as charged. Mara Jade is not originally a comic-book girl. Rather, she was created for the 1991 novel Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. She became immensely popular, going on to star in many other books, and even her own video game. In fact, she even got her own comic series in 1998.
In that series, Mara Jade: By The Emperor’s Hand, we got to see Mara in her earliest, purest form – as the Emperor’s Hand, an elite assassin used only for the Emperor’s personal agenda. She’s cold, perfectionist, a perfect spy, and honestly believes in the rightness of the Empire, so long as it remains under Palpatine. It’s an interesting spin on the whole “My Brother, My Enemy” story, and one that is made all the better by the book being written by both Zahn and Michael Stackpole, “the other greatest Star Wars author.”
The very definition of a fem fatale, she's the woman for all seasons. Mara Jade. She wins at everything.
#1 – Wonder Woman
Okay, tell me you didn’t see this one coming, I dare you. Seriously, how could I not put her up here? She’s friggin’ Wonder Woman for cryin’ out loud. The first female Super Hero! Without her, we wouldn’t even have half of the characters on this list.
Wonder Woman began life in WWII, and… okay, I don’t actually know much about her as a character. But I do know that she inspired a generation of little girls, and actually became a feminist icon (Seriously. Gloria Steinem even put her on the very first cover of Ms. In 1972).
Look at it this way. DC has three super heroes that have never been out of print since 1944. The first is Superman. Alright, first superhero ever, it makes sense. Then there’s Batman. Again, pretty obvious. He’s frikkin’ Batman.
And then there’s Wonder Woman.
She’s always been there – a strong, honest, intelligent woman, Diana Prince is Amazon, hero, and savior to the earth a hundred times over. She’s fought aliens, madmen, and even Hitler, and she’s always come out on top. She is Truth, and she is truly, truly, a wonder.
Conclusion
That’s all I’ve got folks. I wish I could have included more – this list wasn’t particularly in-depth, I know – and I’m sorry a lot of awesome characters got left out – I was particularly torn between Rogue and Mystique – but in the end, these are my top ten. Not all of them are strong, not all of them are sane, but every single one of them is memorable.
From the inner strength of Sakura to the raw power of Wonder Woman, from the influence of Gwen Stacy to the obscurity of Callie Liddle, these are my Top Ten Women of comic-books.
Further reading:
The League of Extraordinary Gentle: Volume 1
House of M, X-Men: Messiah Complex
Return to Wonderland, Beyond Wonderland, Tales from Wonderland
Death Note, Volumes 1 - 13
Harley Quinn: Preludes & Knock-Knock Jokes, Batman: Mad Love
Cardcaptor Sakura/Master of the Clow, Volumes 1 - 12
The Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Past
Love Hina, Volumes 1 - 14
Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand (soon to be omnibussed in Star Wars Omnibus: Shadows of the Empire)
Wonder Woman: Love & Murder
This time, rather than doing another long, sometimes tedious review of a comic or film, I have decided to be exactly like every other reviewer on the ‘net and do a Top Ten list. This time, we’ll be looking at what are, in my humble opinion, the Top Ten greatest female characters in comics.
Now, we need some ground rules here; after all, there are a TON of women in comics. It’d be easy to fill this list entirely from the X-Men series, or have the top five all come from Batman. To that end, I will only be allowed to pick one character from a series. Keep in mind, however, that this does not mean only one per universe. So I could, in theory, list Mary-Jane Watson from Spider-Man and Rogue from X-men, but I could NOT list Rogue and Jean Grey.
Secondly, keep in mind that this is not really a “favorite” list, nor is it a “best” list. Rather, I have selected women who were highly memorable for a number of reasons. With me? Okay, let’s go:
#10 – Mina Harker, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Yeah, yeah, not technically a comic-book character in her own right, but the way I see it, Alan Moore created a whole new Mina for The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.
Based on the character from Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Moore’s Mina is a girl of a completely different caliber. Taking the kind, gentle Mina of the novel, Alan Moore makes the one crucial alteration that changes her character completely without feeling forced: he makes her a vampire. Thus, John Harker has left his wife, and slowly she became bitter, angry, and cold. This, plus her raw supernatural powers, led to her becoming the leader of the team of Victorian super-heroes, an unexpected twist indeed.
Strong, calculating, and having weird taste in men, Mina is one vampiress that doesn’t sparkle. Just the way we like ‘em.
#9 – Mystique, X-Men
This one was tricky. You have a lot of choices from X-Men, as it is one of the few series to actually have a large number of thought out, complex female characters. However, when it comes down to it, you can’t top Mystique.
A shape-shifter, Mystique has been in almost every incarnation of the series, from comics to TV to movies. Why? Well, the most obvious reason is her looks – I refuse to deny the hawtness that is Mystique. Athletic, scantily clad, shape-shifting, and blue? Yeah. That is pure, unadulterated win.
But all that aside, Mystique is an interesting character. Ruthless, cold, and focused, she never, never loses her cool. I can’t say I’ve read enough comics to really know her motivations, but though she is certainly a terrorist, she is also a very loving character. She truly cares for her children (who, I might add, are quite possibly two of the most awesome mutants ever, Rogue and Nightcrawler [screw you Graydon Creed!]). What’s more, she’s an intelligent villain – she’s not just evil for evil’s sake, she really has thoughts behind her actions.
Mystique – cold as ice, hot as hell. If the mutants have to wipe out humanity, I hope it’ll be her that pulls the trigger.
#8 – Callie Liddle, The Wonderland Trilogy
This one is probably the least-known character on the list, but that doesn’t make her any less interesting. Callie, protagonist of the Wonderland cycle (a popular spin-off of Zenescope’s Grimm Fairy Tales series) was just a normal middle-class highschooler, living her life, when the insanity of a dark, twisted Wonderland decided it wished to possess her.
What’s so great about Callie is the way she changes. She starts out just like any of us would – scared out of her wits – but she slowly begins to take power, eventually escaping Wonderland. But then, once free, she has to live with herself. At first she flees – again, like we would – but, as she sees that she can never truly escape, that Wonderland will always follow her, she finally embraces her destiny, becoming the very kind of ruthless killer needed to rain vengeance down on the denizens of the blackened fantasy realm.
But, even above all that is the fact that we have no idea if she’s even sane through all this. It’s entirely possible that Callie is actually stark raving mad, and that all the murders she believes to be the fault of Wonderland are really just her own actions whitewashed by her psyche.
Of course, she not mad, but it’s still an interesting angle.
Callie Liddle – a messed up girl in a messed up world.
#7 – Misa Amane, Death Note
Speaking of crazy chicks…
Misa Amane, from the hit manga Death Note, is probably not on anyone’s list of favorite characters. Over-emotional, utterly devoted, and kind of annoying, Misa can get on your nerves after a while.
Until you realize that she is blatantly psychotic, willing to lie, slaughter countless innocents, and even give up her own life (twice!) all to aid a boy who clearly dislikes her, admits openly to using her as a tool, and who is perfectly willing to kill her once her usefulness has ended.
But say what you will about her, Misa is memorable. You never forget her as the second Kira, and you even begin to pity her part way through the series. She is one of those insane people who honestly deserves help, not punishment. She could have been so much if not for Light.
Misa Amane – the girl many wish to sleep with, but no one wants as their ex.
#6 – Harley Quinn, Batman
Apparently all of the crazy girls go in a row here…
Anyway, any fan of Batman can tell you the history of Harley Quinn – created for the Batman Animated Series, Quinn is the Joker’s on-again/off-again henchman/girlfriend. Immensely popular, Quinn’s bubbly personality endeared her to fans, earning her a small cultdom all her own. Eventually she was adopted into the comics, where she even got her own monthly series for a while.
Originally a psychiatrist serving at Arkham Asylum, Harleen Quinzel became fascinated with the Joker. Eventually she snapped completely, falling madly (literally) in love with the villain. After breaking the Joker out, she took on the role of Harley Quinn, and has been running amuck in Gotham ever since, recently teaming up with Catwoman and Poison Ivy in the new Gotham City Sirens series.
Harley Quinn. Quite the wildcard. (please forgive that pun. It was… strained.)
#5 – Sakura Kinomoto, Cardcaptor Sakura
C’mon. If Misa made it here, you really thought an icon like Sakura wouldn’t?
For those of you not in the know, Cardcaptor Sakura was a long-running manga series by the creative team known as CLAMP. Together, they produced one of the most ADORABLE characters in history… with lesbian overtones. (ask if you want, but I’m not addressing it here)
Chosen by destiny to become the new guardian of a set of mystical monsters housed within the “Clow cards,” Sakura is led down a series of adventures. Hers is a charming story of believing in oneself, in the love of friends, and lots and lots of sparkles.
What endears Sakura to me personally are her facial expressions. She’s never unpleasant to look at – either her chibi expressions of anger or worry charm you, or her beautifully drawn smiles make your heart sing.
Sakura is one of the few honestly cute characters I’ve run into in comics. Hers is the story of a child, and for a brief time, you too can embrace that wonder along with her.
#4 – Gwen Stacy, The Amazing Spider-Man
Okay. I’ve never read a single issue in which Gwen Stacy appeared – I don’t read much Spider-Man, and besides, I grew up in the Mary Jane generation anyway.
But here’s the thing: the effects of her death are still being felt. Take a look at books like Sins Past, or even One More Day – Peter Parker is still an emotional mess because of that incident.
If you are one of the three people left in the world who knows nothing about Gwen Stacy, I’ll tell you this: She was Spider-Man’s girlfriend. Then she died. And she never came back.
Think about that. Then go read the Wikipedia article if you want to know more.
#3 – Naru Narusegawa, Love Hina
“What’s this,” you say, “Someone from a manga beating out Gwen Stacy, the girl who changed comics forever?” Damn straight.
Female protagonist of the quintessential “harem manga” Love Hina, Naru is on this list not because of anything she did in particular, but for what she became. In Love Hina, you really get to see a romance blossom, and by the ending, you are seriously emotionally invested in the characters, Naru in particular. She’s a well-written, multifaceted character in an otherwise fan-service heavy book, which leads to even more comic hilarity when she (inevitably) ends up with Keitaro’s face in her cleavage (I told you it was a harem manga).
That’s what Love Hina was great at in general – it might have hooked you in with cheap laughs and boobs, but in the end it was an incredibly well-written romance story, the likes of which only manga can do. Think of it; they’re actually allowed to end their comics over in Japan.
Central to all that emotional investment and romantic development was Naru Narusegawa – the girl who gave us nerds hope.
#2 – Mara Jade, Mara Jade: By The Emperor’s Hand
“CHEAT!” the masses cried in rage, “Mara Jade is no comic book character! Din’s Flame, you are a liar and a rogue, you handsome devil!”
Guilty as charged. Mara Jade is not originally a comic-book girl. Rather, she was created for the 1991 novel Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. She became immensely popular, going on to star in many other books, and even her own video game. In fact, she even got her own comic series in 1998.
In that series, Mara Jade: By The Emperor’s Hand, we got to see Mara in her earliest, purest form – as the Emperor’s Hand, an elite assassin used only for the Emperor’s personal agenda. She’s cold, perfectionist, a perfect spy, and honestly believes in the rightness of the Empire, so long as it remains under Palpatine. It’s an interesting spin on the whole “My Brother, My Enemy” story, and one that is made all the better by the book being written by both Zahn and Michael Stackpole, “the other greatest Star Wars author.”
The very definition of a fem fatale, she's the woman for all seasons. Mara Jade. She wins at everything.
#1 – Wonder Woman
Okay, tell me you didn’t see this one coming, I dare you. Seriously, how could I not put her up here? She’s friggin’ Wonder Woman for cryin’ out loud. The first female Super Hero! Without her, we wouldn’t even have half of the characters on this list.
Wonder Woman began life in WWII, and… okay, I don’t actually know much about her as a character. But I do know that she inspired a generation of little girls, and actually became a feminist icon (Seriously. Gloria Steinem even put her on the very first cover of Ms. In 1972).
Look at it this way. DC has three super heroes that have never been out of print since 1944. The first is Superman. Alright, first superhero ever, it makes sense. Then there’s Batman. Again, pretty obvious. He’s frikkin’ Batman.
And then there’s Wonder Woman.
She’s always been there – a strong, honest, intelligent woman, Diana Prince is Amazon, hero, and savior to the earth a hundred times over. She’s fought aliens, madmen, and even Hitler, and she’s always come out on top. She is Truth, and she is truly, truly, a wonder.
Conclusion
That’s all I’ve got folks. I wish I could have included more – this list wasn’t particularly in-depth, I know – and I’m sorry a lot of awesome characters got left out – I was particularly torn between Rogue and Mystique – but in the end, these are my top ten. Not all of them are strong, not all of them are sane, but every single one of them is memorable.
From the inner strength of Sakura to the raw power of Wonder Woman, from the influence of Gwen Stacy to the obscurity of Callie Liddle, these are my Top Ten Women of comic-books.
Further reading:
The League of Extraordinary Gentle: Volume 1
House of M, X-Men: Messiah Complex
Return to Wonderland, Beyond Wonderland, Tales from Wonderland
Death Note, Volumes 1 - 13
Harley Quinn: Preludes & Knock-Knock Jokes, Batman: Mad Love
Cardcaptor Sakura/Master of the Clow, Volumes 1 - 12
The Amazing Spider-Man: Sins Past
Love Hina, Volumes 1 - 14
Mara Jade: By the Emperor's Hand (soon to be omnibussed in Star Wars Omnibus: Shadows of the Empire)
Wonder Woman: Love & Murder
Friday, September 18, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews #3 - A Special Report - Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles
“Come with me if you want to live”
Eight little words that, just shy of twenty-five years ago, began what is, to this day, the greatest action film series of all time. But the story of the Terminator series is not simply one of films. This is not a review of those films. However, the various aspects are pretty intertwined, so perhaps a little explanation is in order.
In 1984, a small independent film was produced. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn, The Terminator was the story of a young woman named Sarah Connor and her flight from a deadly, unstoppable cyborg.
In the future, Skynet, a global defense grid, has become sentient. When humanity attempts to rein it in, Skynet attacks the USSR, provoking a nuclear holocaust known as Judgment Day. But the few remnants of humanity band together, eventually destroying Skynet and its machines under the leadership of one man: John Connor.
Sensing immanent doom, Skynet uses the newly-developed Time Displacement Equipment to send one of its infiltration units – a Terminator – back in time to kill Sarah Connor, preventing her unborn child from ever becoming leader of the Resistance. Humanity, however, has sent Kyle Reese back to protect Sarah, and he, it turns out, is actually to be John’s father.
Well balanced between action and exposition, The Terminator became a monster of a sleeper hit, eventually making more than twelve times its initial budget.
This spawned a sequel in 1991. Even more well-received, Terminator 2: Judgment Day would go on to become one of the most popular films of the decade, and is still widely considered the greatest action film of all time. Introducing the “liquid metal” T-1000, this film saw a major reversal from the first film – rather than hunting Sarah, Schwarzenegger’s Terminator was actually sent from the future to protect her and her son John.
T2 was less wordy and more action-driven than its parent film, but at the same time kept the original’s feel. Both films carried heavy sci-fi undercurrents (other than the basic premise) and, though clearly action films, were actually about something. T1 was about the dangers of computers, and how, in all-too-short order, they might very well be able to compete with us as a species. Likewise, T2 was about the nature of the machine, and what you do with an entity so intelligent, yet unfeeling. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to feel?
At the same time, the films explored the issues of time-travel. The duology straddled the lines between free-will and predestination quite well, never really picking a side. T2 ends with Sarah Connor speculating on the nature of destiny, that there “is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” At the same time, her son, John, was in and of himself a predestination paradox. It’s never declared what elements have to happen, and which ones can be altered.
These elements were largely dropped in 2003 for the next piece of the trilogy, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Much lighter-toned than the first two, the film suffered from an un-compelling villain and mediocre actors. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good movie, but it didn’t live up to the other two.
Though T3 contained some minor character ideas (John Connor wanting no part of his destiny, the Terminator losing control of himself, declaring himself to be a machine) the soul was lost.
And that’s where we come in. In 2007, the Terminator series took a turn for the episodic with the launch of the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Blatantly ignoring the sub-par additions of T3, TSCC picked up where T2 left off. Sarah, and her now teenaged son John, have been living a fairly good life, roaming from location to location, finally settling down. Sarah has a boyfriend, John likes him, hooray!
But all is not well. Sarah leaves in the dead of night, vanishing with John and beginning anew in a different town. But when John goes to his first day at his new school, he learns that no, the future is not set. Skynet is still gunning for the boy-who-would-be-leader-of-humanity, and has sent the new T-888 model to finish what the T-800 and T-1000 couldn’t.
Enter Cameron Phillips – advanced-model Terminator, protector, and super-hot lady. Straight, male readers may use this time to drool over Summer Glau. I advise the women to do something productive, like cure AIDS, or write a letter to your senator. We’ll be here when you get back.
…
…
…
Ahem. Yes. Cameron, attempting to buy them all some time, uses an emergency set of Time Displacement Equipment to sent the Connors forward to the year 2007, hiding them from the eyes of Skynet, but moving them that much closer to a 2011 Judgment Day.
Since the plot is so central to what makes this series great, I won’t spoil much more of it for you. Eventually, Sarah, Cameron, and John are joined by Derek Reese, Kyle Reese’s brother. Together, they begin to seek out and attack Skynet in one last prolonged attempt to stop Judgment Day completely.
But what makes this series so good?
Everything.
No. Seriously. This is great stuff.
Though one might suspect a special-effect riddled ‘spolsion-a-thon for a franchise like Terminator, TSCC is actually extremely well balanced. Based more on the first film as far as tone goes, the series is incredibly smart, asking deep, relevant, philosophical questions while still managing to blow stuff up a lot. For every episode spent shooting at robots, there is another one spent mostly in dialogue. Cameron is the most advanced Terminator model yet, capable of far more emotional development than previous models. This raises even more questions than T2 did: can a machine love? Can one (sanely) love a machine? At what point does humanity begin, and what, if any, responsibilities do we have toward such synthetic life-forms?
Other questions abound as well, and are explored with wonderful performances by the cast. Thomas Dekker captures the evolution of John Connor from boy to hero perfectly, really conveying the inner struggle of a young man “destined” for greatness, but still unsure of himself. Brian Austin Green’s Derek Reese shows the inner conflict of a man who saw the world burn, and must learn just how much of his humanity he may be willing to give up to prevent it.
But best of all is Lena Heady (*sigh*) as Sarah Connor. Heady gets that, while Sarah is sane, she is not perfectly sane. There was a reason she was in an asylum for so long in T2. That little touch of paranoia adds a beautiful underscore to her depiction of a woman torn by war and fear, yet willing to do anything to protect her son. A woman who truly cares for her boy, but doesn’t know quite how to deal with their changing relationship as he matures.
The cast is rounded out by other wonderful supporting actors such as Richard T. Jones as James Ellison, Leven Rambin as Riley Dawson, Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver, and, best of all, Garret Dillahunt as Cromartie. Though perfectly suited to playing a Terminator, Dillahunt proved himself a wonderful actor in Season 2, where he took on the role of John Henry, a child-like computer the size of a room. His scenes with Jones were nothing shy of amazing, showing an alternate side to the possibility of computer intelligence.
Amazing plot twists, brilliant characters, and deep themes all make TSCC great. But what about the action? You know, the special effects – robots, explosions, guns and lasers?
Well yes. That’s all there too. This is not a second-rate show in any way – the SEs are stellar, and the photography is nothing shy of gorgeous. Each episode renders the world with life-like precision – hell, this show looks a lot better than Terminator Salvation did. Rarely do you notice any issues with the CGI – it’s one of those rare cases these days where you really don’t notice the boundary between computer imagery and live-action (appropriate, no?)
Visually stunning, character-driven, story-based, philosophy-coated artistic genius, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a breath of fresh air in the world of television, bringing a faint flicker of greatness to a world of mediocrity and cheap thrills. It was a thinker’s show that could be enjoyed by anyone, an action show with deep ideas. Once in a while things could get a bit wordy, but it was a rare issue, usually balanced by a prolonged gun-battle later on.
So where did Sarah go?
Sadly, TSCC didn’t have particularly strong viewership. Like many other shows before it (such as Firefly) TSCC’s nature as a sci-fi series alienated enough of the population to prevent it from gaining a real foot-hold. This issue was compounded in Season 2, when the series was moved to Friday night in order to lead in to the Joss Whedon show Dollhouse. With Friday night prime-time a much harder fight than on Mondays, Sarah fell by the wayside. Things were aggravated by the fact that a large number of Terminator fans are, well, geeks. Translation? We know how to use Hulu. Although the official site at Fox counted hits towards ratings, Hulu, though far more popular, did not.
I watched more than half of the season on Hulu. My viewership, and those of countless others, went unrecorded, hastening the downfall of a truly stellar show.
Earlier this year, it was announced that The Sarah Connor Chronicles would not receive a third season. Some cite the waning numbers, others say they didn’t want the show competing with Terminator Salvation’s theatrical run. Whatever the reason, the show lost out. Though praised by reviewers and adored by fans, Terminator was done.
Or was it?
Even before the official announcement of TSCC’s cancelation, a website devoted to keeping Sarah on the air was made. http://www.savetscc.com/ was created to raise company awareness and organize fan support for the show.
Now a turning point has come. Rumors has leaked from within Warner Bros. that TSCC is being considered for direct-to-DVD films, and one can never rule out the possibility of a full Season 3.
To that end, SaveTSCC has launched a massive fan push to both celebrate the release of Season 2 on DVD, and to beg for TSCC’s continuation in some shape or form. Dozens of different fan activities are going on, with letter writing, priced-at-production sticker distribution, phone calls, billboards, and even ads in movie theaters.
I’m here to ask for your help. This fall could very well be the endgame for TSCC, and we must not let that happen.
How many of you wished for that 14th episode of Firefly? How many of you craved a 6th season of Angel? How many of you uttered “hasta la vista, baby” while wearing those new sunglasses, or quipped “I’ll be back” with the pseudo-Austrian accent?
If you are one of those people, or even just a person who wants to see more artistic effort on television, stand with us now. If you are someone who is sick of the mistreatment of intelligent programs, who likes to occasionally think while viewing, stand with us now. If you are someone who admires the talent, effort, and love it takes to tell a good story, to take fiction and make it so very, very human, stand with us now.
Get involved.
For the future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.
Save The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Save The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Facebook
The Terminator Wiki
The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Amazon
Eight little words that, just shy of twenty-five years ago, began what is, to this day, the greatest action film series of all time. But the story of the Terminator series is not simply one of films. This is not a review of those films. However, the various aspects are pretty intertwined, so perhaps a little explanation is in order.
In 1984, a small independent film was produced. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, and Michael Biehn, The Terminator was the story of a young woman named Sarah Connor and her flight from a deadly, unstoppable cyborg.
In the future, Skynet, a global defense grid, has become sentient. When humanity attempts to rein it in, Skynet attacks the USSR, provoking a nuclear holocaust known as Judgment Day. But the few remnants of humanity band together, eventually destroying Skynet and its machines under the leadership of one man: John Connor.
Sensing immanent doom, Skynet uses the newly-developed Time Displacement Equipment to send one of its infiltration units – a Terminator – back in time to kill Sarah Connor, preventing her unborn child from ever becoming leader of the Resistance. Humanity, however, has sent Kyle Reese back to protect Sarah, and he, it turns out, is actually to be John’s father.
Well balanced between action and exposition, The Terminator became a monster of a sleeper hit, eventually making more than twelve times its initial budget.
This spawned a sequel in 1991. Even more well-received, Terminator 2: Judgment Day would go on to become one of the most popular films of the decade, and is still widely considered the greatest action film of all time. Introducing the “liquid metal” T-1000, this film saw a major reversal from the first film – rather than hunting Sarah, Schwarzenegger’s Terminator was actually sent from the future to protect her and her son John.
T2 was less wordy and more action-driven than its parent film, but at the same time kept the original’s feel. Both films carried heavy sci-fi undercurrents (other than the basic premise) and, though clearly action films, were actually about something. T1 was about the dangers of computers, and how, in all-too-short order, they might very well be able to compete with us as a species. Likewise, T2 was about the nature of the machine, and what you do with an entity so intelligent, yet unfeeling. What does it mean to be human? What does it mean to feel?
At the same time, the films explored the issues of time-travel. The duology straddled the lines between free-will and predestination quite well, never really picking a side. T2 ends with Sarah Connor speculating on the nature of destiny, that there “is no fate but what we make for ourselves.” At the same time, her son, John, was in and of himself a predestination paradox. It’s never declared what elements have to happen, and which ones can be altered.
These elements were largely dropped in 2003 for the next piece of the trilogy, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Much lighter-toned than the first two, the film suffered from an un-compelling villain and mediocre actors. Don’t get me wrong, it was a good movie, but it didn’t live up to the other two.
Though T3 contained some minor character ideas (John Connor wanting no part of his destiny, the Terminator losing control of himself, declaring himself to be a machine) the soul was lost.
And that’s where we come in. In 2007, the Terminator series took a turn for the episodic with the launch of the television series Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.
Blatantly ignoring the sub-par additions of T3, TSCC picked up where T2 left off. Sarah, and her now teenaged son John, have been living a fairly good life, roaming from location to location, finally settling down. Sarah has a boyfriend, John likes him, hooray!
But all is not well. Sarah leaves in the dead of night, vanishing with John and beginning anew in a different town. But when John goes to his first day at his new school, he learns that no, the future is not set. Skynet is still gunning for the boy-who-would-be-leader-of-humanity, and has sent the new T-888 model to finish what the T-800 and T-1000 couldn’t.
Enter Cameron Phillips – advanced-model Terminator, protector, and super-hot lady. Straight, male readers may use this time to drool over Summer Glau. I advise the women to do something productive, like cure AIDS, or write a letter to your senator. We’ll be here when you get back.
…
…
…
Ahem. Yes. Cameron, attempting to buy them all some time, uses an emergency set of Time Displacement Equipment to sent the Connors forward to the year 2007, hiding them from the eyes of Skynet, but moving them that much closer to a 2011 Judgment Day.
Since the plot is so central to what makes this series great, I won’t spoil much more of it for you. Eventually, Sarah, Cameron, and John are joined by Derek Reese, Kyle Reese’s brother. Together, they begin to seek out and attack Skynet in one last prolonged attempt to stop Judgment Day completely.
But what makes this series so good?
Everything.
No. Seriously. This is great stuff.
Though one might suspect a special-effect riddled ‘spolsion-a-thon for a franchise like Terminator, TSCC is actually extremely well balanced. Based more on the first film as far as tone goes, the series is incredibly smart, asking deep, relevant, philosophical questions while still managing to blow stuff up a lot. For every episode spent shooting at robots, there is another one spent mostly in dialogue. Cameron is the most advanced Terminator model yet, capable of far more emotional development than previous models. This raises even more questions than T2 did: can a machine love? Can one (sanely) love a machine? At what point does humanity begin, and what, if any, responsibilities do we have toward such synthetic life-forms?
Other questions abound as well, and are explored with wonderful performances by the cast. Thomas Dekker captures the evolution of John Connor from boy to hero perfectly, really conveying the inner struggle of a young man “destined” for greatness, but still unsure of himself. Brian Austin Green’s Derek Reese shows the inner conflict of a man who saw the world burn, and must learn just how much of his humanity he may be willing to give up to prevent it.
But best of all is Lena Heady (*sigh*) as Sarah Connor. Heady gets that, while Sarah is sane, she is not perfectly sane. There was a reason she was in an asylum for so long in T2. That little touch of paranoia adds a beautiful underscore to her depiction of a woman torn by war and fear, yet willing to do anything to protect her son. A woman who truly cares for her boy, but doesn’t know quite how to deal with their changing relationship as he matures.
The cast is rounded out by other wonderful supporting actors such as Richard T. Jones as James Ellison, Leven Rambin as Riley Dawson, Shirley Manson as Catherine Weaver, and, best of all, Garret Dillahunt as Cromartie. Though perfectly suited to playing a Terminator, Dillahunt proved himself a wonderful actor in Season 2, where he took on the role of John Henry, a child-like computer the size of a room. His scenes with Jones were nothing shy of amazing, showing an alternate side to the possibility of computer intelligence.
Amazing plot twists, brilliant characters, and deep themes all make TSCC great. But what about the action? You know, the special effects – robots, explosions, guns and lasers?
Well yes. That’s all there too. This is not a second-rate show in any way – the SEs are stellar, and the photography is nothing shy of gorgeous. Each episode renders the world with life-like precision – hell, this show looks a lot better than Terminator Salvation did. Rarely do you notice any issues with the CGI – it’s one of those rare cases these days where you really don’t notice the boundary between computer imagery and live-action (appropriate, no?)
Visually stunning, character-driven, story-based, philosophy-coated artistic genius, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles was a breath of fresh air in the world of television, bringing a faint flicker of greatness to a world of mediocrity and cheap thrills. It was a thinker’s show that could be enjoyed by anyone, an action show with deep ideas. Once in a while things could get a bit wordy, but it was a rare issue, usually balanced by a prolonged gun-battle later on.
So where did Sarah go?
Sadly, TSCC didn’t have particularly strong viewership. Like many other shows before it (such as Firefly) TSCC’s nature as a sci-fi series alienated enough of the population to prevent it from gaining a real foot-hold. This issue was compounded in Season 2, when the series was moved to Friday night in order to lead in to the Joss Whedon show Dollhouse. With Friday night prime-time a much harder fight than on Mondays, Sarah fell by the wayside. Things were aggravated by the fact that a large number of Terminator fans are, well, geeks. Translation? We know how to use Hulu. Although the official site at Fox counted hits towards ratings, Hulu, though far more popular, did not.
I watched more than half of the season on Hulu. My viewership, and those of countless others, went unrecorded, hastening the downfall of a truly stellar show.
Earlier this year, it was announced that The Sarah Connor Chronicles would not receive a third season. Some cite the waning numbers, others say they didn’t want the show competing with Terminator Salvation’s theatrical run. Whatever the reason, the show lost out. Though praised by reviewers and adored by fans, Terminator was done.
Or was it?
Even before the official announcement of TSCC’s cancelation, a website devoted to keeping Sarah on the air was made. http://www.savetscc.com/ was created to raise company awareness and organize fan support for the show.
Now a turning point has come. Rumors has leaked from within Warner Bros. that TSCC is being considered for direct-to-DVD films, and one can never rule out the possibility of a full Season 3.
To that end, SaveTSCC has launched a massive fan push to both celebrate the release of Season 2 on DVD, and to beg for TSCC’s continuation in some shape or form. Dozens of different fan activities are going on, with letter writing, priced-at-production sticker distribution, phone calls, billboards, and even ads in movie theaters.
I’m here to ask for your help. This fall could very well be the endgame for TSCC, and we must not let that happen.
How many of you wished for that 14th episode of Firefly? How many of you craved a 6th season of Angel? How many of you uttered “hasta la vista, baby” while wearing those new sunglasses, or quipped “I’ll be back” with the pseudo-Austrian accent?
If you are one of those people, or even just a person who wants to see more artistic effort on television, stand with us now. If you are someone who is sick of the mistreatment of intelligent programs, who likes to occasionally think while viewing, stand with us now. If you are someone who admires the talent, effort, and love it takes to tell a good story, to take fiction and make it so very, very human, stand with us now.
Get involved.
For the future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves.
Save The Sarah Connor Chronicles
Save The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Facebook
The Terminator Wiki
The Sarah Connor Chronicles on Amazon
Monday, August 31, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews - Wednesday Shuffle #4
Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment of Wednesday Shuffle, your weekly source for comic-book rundowns.
Okay, that’s a lie. I blatantly admit to having missed this past week outright (which is a shame, as there were some good books). However, I propose that the facts that I was ill AND my mother was in the hospital last weekend excuse me. So here we go: a little late, but not useless.
Gotham City Sirens #3
Blatant fanservice at its finest
Plot
The story of GCS#3 is a pretty straight-up detective story. The Riddler, who has gone straight apparently, is now a private eye, working to clean up the streets of Gotham City. To that end, he takes on a job which, he believes, to be part of a serial murder case. Each murder has small, subtle clues leading to the next victim, much like Mr. Nigma’s former work.
The entire issue is pretty much a game of wits between the Riddler and Batman (Dick Grayson) as they both try to predict the next murder and prevent it from being carried out. The Riddler discovers that this Batman is not in fact the Batman, but decides to let it go.
So yeah. Noir crime-fighting all around.
Art
The art in this issue of Sirens is quite doable. You’ve got a fairly decent line style, and the colors are very well done. As an issue centered on the Riddler, much of this book has a faint green tint to it, giving it a sense of the underground, as if the majority of the book were being cast in neon light.
Not much to say beyond that. The Batman is dark and shadowy (though his nose is a tad pointy), but well-represented, the Riddler’s facial expressions are quite good, conveying a wide range of emotions, and the admittedly overt fanserice is done in such a way that, though you can be looking down a woman’s shirt every-other page, you certainly don’t have to.
Writing
I really enjoyed the writing of this issue, more than the first two, certainly. The Riddler is handled perfectly: as a villain, he was always a little second-rate, a wannabe standing amongst giants (The Joker, Two-Face, etc) Now that he’s good, Edward Nigma is still the dramatic, eccentric man he always was, but he also stays true to himself as a pretender. But rather than fancying himself a master criminal, he now fancies himself a hard-boiled detective. Which, in fact, he might very well become, if given the chance.
The main feature of this book is the inner monologue of the Riddler, which turns this comic from cheap Batman spin-off into almost a parody of old noir comics and movies. It’s a welcome break, proving both a tribute to, and a stab at, Batman’s previous history. The book is solidly written, and well characterized.
Thoughts
Despite the praise I’ve given this book, I have to say it is still dead wrong. This book should not exist. Why? Because this is a book called Gotham City Sirens, a book about Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. The female villains of the Batman rogues gallery. The Riddler doesn’t belong in this book.
I counted. Including a brief flash of Harley on a TV screen, the main girls appear in a total of five panels in this book. Five. That’s it!
This book would have made a killer one-shot. I don’t know why they had to hold up the action with Isley and Kyle, but it was a tad misleading to even feature them on the cover.
In short, a great comic, but a pretty awful issue of GCS.
It's $2.99, and you should pick it up. Just don’t expect Harley, Ivy, or Selina.
Legacy #39 – Tatooine, Pt. 3
A somewhat lesser time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
Plot
Set roughly 100 years after the “current” events of the Star Wars Galaxy (that’s circa 160 years after A New Hope) Legacy follows the adventures of Jedi-turned-bounty-hunter Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke’s through his son, Ben.
There is no real point in explaining why the galaxy is like it is now. It would take more time and pages than anyone in their right mind would care to read (I, of course, have read it all).
Summary:
The Sith rule the galaxy again, and want Cade dead, because he’s one of the handful of people who know that Darth Krayt, former Sith Emperor, has been killed. To that end, Darth Wryylok, currently ruling the Empire as Regent, has hired some Anzati assassins to kill Cade.
However, he is also being pursued by Imperial agent Morrigan Corde, (who is also Nyna Calixte, as well as Cade’s mother) and his (secret) half-sister Gunner Yage.
Blahblahblah, stranded on Tatooine, blahblahblah, lost in the desert with Yage, blahblahblah.
This issue opens with Cade and Yage scrambling for cover from an approaching sandstorm. Where do they end up? Why, the Lars Homestead, of course!
So, while waiting for the storm to pass, Cade and Yage have a brief pissing contest and then debate the politics of the Sith/Imperial War. Elsewhere, their pursuers continue to… pursue.
Eventually, Cade falls asleep and has a Force-vision confrontation with his mighty ancestor, Luke Skywalker. There is some exposition, and then they fight!
However, Luke shows Cade that, should he continue as he has, he will become an agent of evil the likes of which the galaxy has never known. Only for Cade to wake up and find himself and Yage under attack by the assassins! Then there’s more fighting.
Art
Okay. You remember how last week I said that KotOR had awful art, and that it wasn’t how Star Wars should be done? This is how Star Wars should be done.
Jan Duursema is a bloody goddess. But when she’s teamed up with the Parson/Anderson ink/color team? Well, you get Legacy. Really, really, really pretty Legacy.
What makes this art so great, you ask? Well, let’s begin with the characters. Each of them is very distinctive, with unique character design, expressions, and equipment. Colors are simply amazing, with lush shadows and bright colors, but the colors remain muted by their surroundings.
Action scenes feature an organic flow to them, and characters bend realistically while fighting. Events progress logically, making the fight scene both exciting, and simply a pleasure to look at.
The number of panels-per-page vary greatly, meaning that you have a nice balance between splash-art and smaller, intimate shots. It is simply a really, really well-drawn book, the likes of which we rarely see. Now, of the five Star Wars titles currently in print, I’d say Dark Times has the nicest art, but Legacy certainly has the best. This issue is a great example of that: Jan can take something as plain and boring as the Tatooine desert and making it an interesting shot.
Writing
Let’s get something straight. I don’t know many comic-book writers by name. Sure, Alan Moore, Neil Gaimen. But, just below that, comes John Ostrander.
This guy is great. His run on Republic was simply stellar, and since he has been in charge of Legacy since day one, he’s really had a chance to shine.
This issue is a decent example. Ostrander continues to provide organic, immersive dialogue, interjecting the standard Star Wars banter with blips of Hutteese and in-universe terminology. Characters are well done, with believable motivations. In this issue we get Cade’s irritating immaturity, Yage’s military-crispness, and even a taste of ol’ Luke Skywalker: Jedi Master himself.
But what Ostrander really does best here are relationships. Yage and Cade both have their mother’s intelligence and ferocity, but completely different upbringings, and that friction is really well done. At the same time, Corde and Syn (Cade’s co-pilot) get to have some nice flirting (ew, ew, ew!) and even the dynamic between the three assassins (particularly the two Anzati) is really interesting (can anyone say Spike & Dru?).
Thoughts
This is how Star Wars is supposed to be: lush visuals, deep characters, galaxy-changing stories and that perfect hybrid of gunslinger action and lightsaber swordfights.
Now, this by no means makes this issue perfect. Cade can come off a bit whiny (but then again, with his ancestry, who can blame him?) and the fun-with-Force-visions does mean that other characters get a tad left behind.
Mainly, this issue suffers from “New Reader’s Nightmare,” which is both its greatest strength, and greatest flaw. Tatooine, Pt. 3 makes no qualms about being part of a larger story, and if you haven’t been following Legacy for the previous 38 issues, you will likely be in the dark. This issue in particular and this story arc in general trade off accessibility for immersiveness, meaning that we get deeper, more inter-woven stories and characters, but at the risk of leaving newbies in the dust.
John and Jan are always a safe bet. If you have slightly higher than average understanding of the Star Wars galaxy, I recommend them whole-heartedly. If not, it might be a good idea to do a little research first. On its own, Legacy #39 goes for $2.99.
Ms. Marvel #44
She’s kinda like Superman, only people care about her as a character. And she has boobs.
Plot
I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this book. This is the first issue of Ms. Marvel I have ever picked up, so I can only offer my impressions on the greater plot of the comic.
From what I can tell, Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel, is dead, and Norman Osborn has installed Karla Sofen in her place on the Avengers. However, out of the blue, the “real” Ms. Marvel attacks Osborn, his bases, and the pseudo-Marvel.
The book opens with Ms. Marvel having been subdued by Lily Hollister, knocked-up –Goblin wannabe. Osborn thinks the situation is under control, but Karla does not. She points out that a pumpkin-bomb is barely enough to make Spider-Man flinch, and that there’s no way Danvers went down that easily. Nevertheless, Osborn takes “Ms. Marvel” into custody.
Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely, Catherine Donovan, a writer who also happens to be the genetic twin to Danvers, arrives in New York to enquire about the whole Ms. Marvel situation.
Let’s recap, shall we?
Carol Danvers is the original Ms. Marvel.
Karla Sofen is the acting Ms. Marvel
Catherine Donovan is the genetic equivalent of Carol Danvers.
Gah.
So anyway, Osborn tries to imprison Ms. Marvel, but she seems to be getting stronger by the minute. At the same time, Donovan arrives at Avengers Tower, only to be swarmed by guards when scanners ID her as Danvers. Ms. Marvel, who apparently has a psychic link to Donovan now, warns her to flee, which she does, only to be captured by the Dark Avengers, including Venom, Hawkeye, and the Iron Patriot himself, Norman Osborn. In the end, it is Sofen who brings her in.
Sofen believe that the two – Marvel and Donovan – might be connected, becoming stronger the closer they are together. To that end, while Osborn tries to fend off the escaping Ms. Marvel, Sofen attempts to execute Donovan. Suspense!
Art
The artwork here is pretty above-average, actually. Characters are well-drawn, action is conveyed well, and expressions are fairly emotive. All things considered, the art in Ms. Marvel is better than many other books out right now, keeping the brightness of the Marvel Universe without exaggerating it. That’s a hard feat, and for pulling that off, I salute them.
Writing
Okay, this book is a great example of how a long, continuous, and relatively unpopular superhero book should be done. The action is fast, in your face, and plentiful, while at the same time the plot is interesting enough to hold your attention. In many ways, Ms. Marvel harkens back to the earlier days of comics – sure, there’s a large, sweeping plot going on, but it’s perfectly alright to just jump right in without any background knowledge of the character.
Dialogue is good, and characterization better. I really like how Norman Osborn is portrayed as being kind of brash, while Sofen, though a villain, seems to actually have a good head on her shoulders. Donovan is an interesting character – as a normal person, she reacts how anyone in their right mind would to being confronted by the likes of Venom – she hesitates, and then runs like hell.
Thoughts
I’ve never read Ms. Marvel before, and I kinda doubt I’m going to start now, but the fact that such an obscure character (as far as the mainstream Marvel universe is concerned) could be so instantly engrossing, so very likeable, is really quite impressive. This seems to be a strong, doable superheroine book, and if you’d like something a little less mainstream that Spider-Man or a little less dark than Captain America, I highly recommend it. Ms. Marvel #44 retails for $2.99
Closing
Once again, I apologize for the late update.
What we have here is actually a very solid, very inexpensive week in comics. With a splash of DC, Marvel, and tie-in, it’s very well-rounded, and since you have issues focusing on mystery, action, and plot-development respectively, you end up feeling satisfied with each issue in completely a different way.
Add to that the fact that you can get the entire line-up for $9, and you’re just sitting pretty. No $4 one-shots, no $5 event comics. Just a great set of issues at a great price.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28
Invincible Iron Man #17
Tales from Wonderland: Tweel- you know what? Screw it. I’ll just review it when I see it.
Okay, that’s a lie. I blatantly admit to having missed this past week outright (which is a shame, as there were some good books). However, I propose that the facts that I was ill AND my mother was in the hospital last weekend excuse me. So here we go: a little late, but not useless.
Gotham City Sirens #3
Blatant fanservice at its finest
Plot
The story of GCS#3 is a pretty straight-up detective story. The Riddler, who has gone straight apparently, is now a private eye, working to clean up the streets of Gotham City. To that end, he takes on a job which, he believes, to be part of a serial murder case. Each murder has small, subtle clues leading to the next victim, much like Mr. Nigma’s former work.
The entire issue is pretty much a game of wits between the Riddler and Batman (Dick Grayson) as they both try to predict the next murder and prevent it from being carried out. The Riddler discovers that this Batman is not in fact the Batman, but decides to let it go.
So yeah. Noir crime-fighting all around.
Art
The art in this issue of Sirens is quite doable. You’ve got a fairly decent line style, and the colors are very well done. As an issue centered on the Riddler, much of this book has a faint green tint to it, giving it a sense of the underground, as if the majority of the book were being cast in neon light.
Not much to say beyond that. The Batman is dark and shadowy (though his nose is a tad pointy), but well-represented, the Riddler’s facial expressions are quite good, conveying a wide range of emotions, and the admittedly overt fanserice is done in such a way that, though you can be looking down a woman’s shirt every-other page, you certainly don’t have to.
Writing
I really enjoyed the writing of this issue, more than the first two, certainly. The Riddler is handled perfectly: as a villain, he was always a little second-rate, a wannabe standing amongst giants (The Joker, Two-Face, etc) Now that he’s good, Edward Nigma is still the dramatic, eccentric man he always was, but he also stays true to himself as a pretender. But rather than fancying himself a master criminal, he now fancies himself a hard-boiled detective. Which, in fact, he might very well become, if given the chance.
The main feature of this book is the inner monologue of the Riddler, which turns this comic from cheap Batman spin-off into almost a parody of old noir comics and movies. It’s a welcome break, proving both a tribute to, and a stab at, Batman’s previous history. The book is solidly written, and well characterized.
Thoughts
Despite the praise I’ve given this book, I have to say it is still dead wrong. This book should not exist. Why? Because this is a book called Gotham City Sirens, a book about Catwoman, Harley Quinn, and Poison Ivy. The female villains of the Batman rogues gallery. The Riddler doesn’t belong in this book.
I counted. Including a brief flash of Harley on a TV screen, the main girls appear in a total of five panels in this book. Five. That’s it!
This book would have made a killer one-shot. I don’t know why they had to hold up the action with Isley and Kyle, but it was a tad misleading to even feature them on the cover.
In short, a great comic, but a pretty awful issue of GCS.
It's $2.99, and you should pick it up. Just don’t expect Harley, Ivy, or Selina.
Legacy #39 – Tatooine, Pt. 3
A somewhat lesser time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
Plot
Set roughly 100 years after the “current” events of the Star Wars Galaxy (that’s circa 160 years after A New Hope) Legacy follows the adventures of Jedi-turned-bounty-hunter Cade Skywalker, a descendant of Luke’s through his son, Ben.
There is no real point in explaining why the galaxy is like it is now. It would take more time and pages than anyone in their right mind would care to read (I, of course, have read it all).
Summary:
The Sith rule the galaxy again, and want Cade dead, because he’s one of the handful of people who know that Darth Krayt, former Sith Emperor, has been killed. To that end, Darth Wryylok, currently ruling the Empire as Regent, has hired some Anzati assassins to kill Cade.
However, he is also being pursued by Imperial agent Morrigan Corde, (who is also Nyna Calixte, as well as Cade’s mother) and his (secret) half-sister Gunner Yage.
Blahblahblah, stranded on Tatooine, blahblahblah, lost in the desert with Yage, blahblahblah.
This issue opens with Cade and Yage scrambling for cover from an approaching sandstorm. Where do they end up? Why, the Lars Homestead, of course!
So, while waiting for the storm to pass, Cade and Yage have a brief pissing contest and then debate the politics of the Sith/Imperial War. Elsewhere, their pursuers continue to… pursue.
Eventually, Cade falls asleep and has a Force-vision confrontation with his mighty ancestor, Luke Skywalker. There is some exposition, and then they fight!
However, Luke shows Cade that, should he continue as he has, he will become an agent of evil the likes of which the galaxy has never known. Only for Cade to wake up and find himself and Yage under attack by the assassins! Then there’s more fighting.
Art
Okay. You remember how last week I said that KotOR had awful art, and that it wasn’t how Star Wars should be done? This is how Star Wars should be done.
Jan Duursema is a bloody goddess. But when she’s teamed up with the Parson/Anderson ink/color team? Well, you get Legacy. Really, really, really pretty Legacy.
What makes this art so great, you ask? Well, let’s begin with the characters. Each of them is very distinctive, with unique character design, expressions, and equipment. Colors are simply amazing, with lush shadows and bright colors, but the colors remain muted by their surroundings.
Action scenes feature an organic flow to them, and characters bend realistically while fighting. Events progress logically, making the fight scene both exciting, and simply a pleasure to look at.
The number of panels-per-page vary greatly, meaning that you have a nice balance between splash-art and smaller, intimate shots. It is simply a really, really well-drawn book, the likes of which we rarely see. Now, of the five Star Wars titles currently in print, I’d say Dark Times has the nicest art, but Legacy certainly has the best. This issue is a great example of that: Jan can take something as plain and boring as the Tatooine desert and making it an interesting shot.
Writing
Let’s get something straight. I don’t know many comic-book writers by name. Sure, Alan Moore, Neil Gaimen. But, just below that, comes John Ostrander.
This guy is great. His run on Republic was simply stellar, and since he has been in charge of Legacy since day one, he’s really had a chance to shine.
This issue is a decent example. Ostrander continues to provide organic, immersive dialogue, interjecting the standard Star Wars banter with blips of Hutteese and in-universe terminology. Characters are well done, with believable motivations. In this issue we get Cade’s irritating immaturity, Yage’s military-crispness, and even a taste of ol’ Luke Skywalker: Jedi Master himself.
But what Ostrander really does best here are relationships. Yage and Cade both have their mother’s intelligence and ferocity, but completely different upbringings, and that friction is really well done. At the same time, Corde and Syn (Cade’s co-pilot) get to have some nice flirting (ew, ew, ew!) and even the dynamic between the three assassins (particularly the two Anzati) is really interesting (can anyone say Spike & Dru?).
Thoughts
This is how Star Wars is supposed to be: lush visuals, deep characters, galaxy-changing stories and that perfect hybrid of gunslinger action and lightsaber swordfights.
Now, this by no means makes this issue perfect. Cade can come off a bit whiny (but then again, with his ancestry, who can blame him?) and the fun-with-Force-visions does mean that other characters get a tad left behind.
Mainly, this issue suffers from “New Reader’s Nightmare,” which is both its greatest strength, and greatest flaw. Tatooine, Pt. 3 makes no qualms about being part of a larger story, and if you haven’t been following Legacy for the previous 38 issues, you will likely be in the dark. This issue in particular and this story arc in general trade off accessibility for immersiveness, meaning that we get deeper, more inter-woven stories and characters, but at the risk of leaving newbies in the dust.
John and Jan are always a safe bet. If you have slightly higher than average understanding of the Star Wars galaxy, I recommend them whole-heartedly. If not, it might be a good idea to do a little research first. On its own, Legacy #39 goes for $2.99.
Ms. Marvel #44
She’s kinda like Superman, only people care about her as a character. And she has boobs.
Plot
I have absolutely no idea what is going on in this book. This is the first issue of Ms. Marvel I have ever picked up, so I can only offer my impressions on the greater plot of the comic.
From what I can tell, Carol Danvers, aka Ms. Marvel, is dead, and Norman Osborn has installed Karla Sofen in her place on the Avengers. However, out of the blue, the “real” Ms. Marvel attacks Osborn, his bases, and the pseudo-Marvel.
The book opens with Ms. Marvel having been subdued by Lily Hollister, knocked-up –Goblin wannabe. Osborn thinks the situation is under control, but Karla does not. She points out that a pumpkin-bomb is barely enough to make Spider-Man flinch, and that there’s no way Danvers went down that easily. Nevertheless, Osborn takes “Ms. Marvel” into custody.
Meanwhile, somewhere else entirely, Catherine Donovan, a writer who also happens to be the genetic twin to Danvers, arrives in New York to enquire about the whole Ms. Marvel situation.
Let’s recap, shall we?
Carol Danvers is the original Ms. Marvel.
Karla Sofen is the acting Ms. Marvel
Catherine Donovan is the genetic equivalent of Carol Danvers.
Gah.
So anyway, Osborn tries to imprison Ms. Marvel, but she seems to be getting stronger by the minute. At the same time, Donovan arrives at Avengers Tower, only to be swarmed by guards when scanners ID her as Danvers. Ms. Marvel, who apparently has a psychic link to Donovan now, warns her to flee, which she does, only to be captured by the Dark Avengers, including Venom, Hawkeye, and the Iron Patriot himself, Norman Osborn. In the end, it is Sofen who brings her in.
Sofen believe that the two – Marvel and Donovan – might be connected, becoming stronger the closer they are together. To that end, while Osborn tries to fend off the escaping Ms. Marvel, Sofen attempts to execute Donovan. Suspense!
Art
The artwork here is pretty above-average, actually. Characters are well-drawn, action is conveyed well, and expressions are fairly emotive. All things considered, the art in Ms. Marvel is better than many other books out right now, keeping the brightness of the Marvel Universe without exaggerating it. That’s a hard feat, and for pulling that off, I salute them.
Writing
Okay, this book is a great example of how a long, continuous, and relatively unpopular superhero book should be done. The action is fast, in your face, and plentiful, while at the same time the plot is interesting enough to hold your attention. In many ways, Ms. Marvel harkens back to the earlier days of comics – sure, there’s a large, sweeping plot going on, but it’s perfectly alright to just jump right in without any background knowledge of the character.
Dialogue is good, and characterization better. I really like how Norman Osborn is portrayed as being kind of brash, while Sofen, though a villain, seems to actually have a good head on her shoulders. Donovan is an interesting character – as a normal person, she reacts how anyone in their right mind would to being confronted by the likes of Venom – she hesitates, and then runs like hell.
Thoughts
I’ve never read Ms. Marvel before, and I kinda doubt I’m going to start now, but the fact that such an obscure character (as far as the mainstream Marvel universe is concerned) could be so instantly engrossing, so very likeable, is really quite impressive. This seems to be a strong, doable superheroine book, and if you’d like something a little less mainstream that Spider-Man or a little less dark than Captain America, I highly recommend it. Ms. Marvel #44 retails for $2.99
Closing
Once again, I apologize for the late update.
What we have here is actually a very solid, very inexpensive week in comics. With a splash of DC, Marvel, and tie-in, it’s very well-rounded, and since you have issues focusing on mystery, action, and plot-development respectively, you end up feeling satisfied with each issue in completely a different way.
Add to that the fact that you can get the entire line-up for $9, and you’re just sitting pretty. No $4 one-shots, no $5 event comics. Just a great set of issues at a great price.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #28
Invincible Iron Man #17
Tales from Wonderland: Tweel- you know what? Screw it. I’ll just review it when I see it.
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews - Wednesday Shuffle #3
Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment of Wednesday Shuffle, your weekly source for comic-book rundowns.
Well, due to yet another delay in the publishing schedule over at Zenescope Entertainment, Tales From Wonderland: Tweedledum and Tweedledee is still not out. That means that there is only one comic on my list this week, so I’ll take the time to really rake this one over the coals. And that comic is…
Knights of the Old Republic #44 – The Reaping, Pt. 2
A really, really freaking long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
Plot
Set roughly 3,960 years before the A New Hope, KotOR #44 is the second part of a two-issue story arc regarding the infiltration of a slaver ring by our aspiring young hero, Zayne Carrick, and his rag-tag band of adventurers. This story arc was divided pretty evenly between exposition and action, with this issue taking care of the latter. The supermajority of the comic is one big battle in space interjected with background information shouted between characters as their lives fall in and out of certain peril.
Seriously. Here’s the rundown:
Flashback. Heroes fight robots. Other hero rescues them. They get in their ship. The villains talk about how badass their leader is. The heroes talk about how bricked they are. Heroes launch surprise attack. Then they launch another, slightly different surprise attack. They drop off the liberated slaves, have some dialogue, and then the villains have some nice foreshadowing.
Now, go read through that paragraph again, but everywhere there is a period, imagine the sound of an EXPLOSION. You will then have some understanding of the plot of KotOR #44.
Art
Okay, let me make something very clear. This book has bad art. Really, it has quite bad art. This is not typical for this book, however.
If any comic-book can rightly be said to have an art style that is schizophrenic , it is KotOR. This is due in no small part to the continuing rotation of pencillers, inkers, and colorists alike. For example, Brain Ching did truly immense work on stories such as KotOR: Vindication or the Clone Wars-era comic, Obsession.
However, this particular issue fell once more into the hands of artist Bong Dazo, who has repeatedly provided inferior work during his runs on KotOR.
This particular issue is no exception. Though I have seen worse, this book is highly chaotic, too colorful, and even, dare I say it, over the top. The over-all impression is a book that is incredibly busy.
“But wait,” you say, “if this entire issue is, as you have said, one large battle scene, would not a ‘busy’ atmosphere be appropriate?” Well, yes, you might say that, but the better term would in fact be “hectic.” In a battle scene, one needs to know a lot is happening, true, but that doesn’t mean every single panel needs to be filled with random junk. The fact that this book is crawling with unneeded details just makes things worse: there’re so many lines on the page that it becomes remarkably unpleasant to look at, and in such a visual medium as comics that is an immensely bad thing.
Add to that the fact that characters are not always presented properly (Zayne Carrick always seems to age about ten years during Dazo’s issues) and the natural unpleasentness of certain aliens or technologies and suddenly you have paid three bucks for an eyesore.
A good Star Wars comic understands that a lot of sci-fi is hard to look at, and so minimizes it with softer colors and more realistic shading ala Dark Times or Jan Duursema’s work on Legacy. This issue, however, does the exact opposite, drawing your eye to the unpleasant things while at the same time undermining the few aspects that are actually pretty good.
Certain characters aren’t even done all that badly, but you hardly notice in the steaming pile of busy that this comic presents.
Writing
Here’s the weird thing about KotOR. John Jackson Miller is great. Really great.
Most of the time.
His ability to foreshadow and build suspense over dozens of issues is simply amazing. But then, every once in a while, he does crap like this.
This issue isn’t all that poorly written, but it is very poorly plotted. This generally seems to be the case with small arcs like this – too much action is packed into too small a space, and in order to move the story forward, characterization falls by the wayside. In this issue, each of our multitude of heroes seems to be boiled down to their bare essentials, showing little to no complexity. I mean, this is a battle, so that’s okay to some extent, but this issue goes too far with it.
Thoughts
KotOR #44 is not that great. Maybe it’s just me, but this series seems to follow a set pattern: awesome, large-scale stories with great characters, massive events, light and dark fighting it out, that kind of thing, which are in turn countered by the short, poorly-drawn, uninteresting and artistically lacking arcs.
The issue itself is just another example of this continuing problem with the series. It is a pain to look at, bothersome to read, and, though the events contained within are probably essential to understanding the action to come, on their own they are a boring story with little character depth.
Knights of the Old Republic #44 retails for $2.99. Skip it, but read the Trade Paperback when it comes out.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Star Wars: Legacy #39
Gotham City Sirens #3
Tales from Wonderland? Maybe? It has to some out someday…
Well, due to yet another delay in the publishing schedule over at Zenescope Entertainment, Tales From Wonderland: Tweedledum and Tweedledee is still not out. That means that there is only one comic on my list this week, so I’ll take the time to really rake this one over the coals. And that comic is…
Knights of the Old Republic #44 – The Reaping, Pt. 2
A really, really freaking long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…
Plot
Set roughly 3,960 years before the A New Hope, KotOR #44 is the second part of a two-issue story arc regarding the infiltration of a slaver ring by our aspiring young hero, Zayne Carrick, and his rag-tag band of adventurers. This story arc was divided pretty evenly between exposition and action, with this issue taking care of the latter. The supermajority of the comic is one big battle in space interjected with background information shouted between characters as their lives fall in and out of certain peril.
Seriously. Here’s the rundown:
Flashback. Heroes fight robots. Other hero rescues them. They get in their ship. The villains talk about how badass their leader is. The heroes talk about how bricked they are. Heroes launch surprise attack. Then they launch another, slightly different surprise attack. They drop off the liberated slaves, have some dialogue, and then the villains have some nice foreshadowing.
Now, go read through that paragraph again, but everywhere there is a period, imagine the sound of an EXPLOSION. You will then have some understanding of the plot of KotOR #44.
Art
Okay, let me make something very clear. This book has bad art. Really, it has quite bad art. This is not typical for this book, however.
If any comic-book can rightly be said to have an art style that is schizophrenic , it is KotOR. This is due in no small part to the continuing rotation of pencillers, inkers, and colorists alike. For example, Brain Ching did truly immense work on stories such as KotOR: Vindication or the Clone Wars-era comic, Obsession.
However, this particular issue fell once more into the hands of artist Bong Dazo, who has repeatedly provided inferior work during his runs on KotOR.
This particular issue is no exception. Though I have seen worse, this book is highly chaotic, too colorful, and even, dare I say it, over the top. The over-all impression is a book that is incredibly busy.
“But wait,” you say, “if this entire issue is, as you have said, one large battle scene, would not a ‘busy’ atmosphere be appropriate?” Well, yes, you might say that, but the better term would in fact be “hectic.” In a battle scene, one needs to know a lot is happening, true, but that doesn’t mean every single panel needs to be filled with random junk. The fact that this book is crawling with unneeded details just makes things worse: there’re so many lines on the page that it becomes remarkably unpleasant to look at, and in such a visual medium as comics that is an immensely bad thing.
Add to that the fact that characters are not always presented properly (Zayne Carrick always seems to age about ten years during Dazo’s issues) and the natural unpleasentness of certain aliens or technologies and suddenly you have paid three bucks for an eyesore.
A good Star Wars comic understands that a lot of sci-fi is hard to look at, and so minimizes it with softer colors and more realistic shading ala Dark Times or Jan Duursema’s work on Legacy. This issue, however, does the exact opposite, drawing your eye to the unpleasant things while at the same time undermining the few aspects that are actually pretty good.
Certain characters aren’t even done all that badly, but you hardly notice in the steaming pile of busy that this comic presents.
Writing
Here’s the weird thing about KotOR. John Jackson Miller is great. Really great.
Most of the time.
His ability to foreshadow and build suspense over dozens of issues is simply amazing. But then, every once in a while, he does crap like this.
This issue isn’t all that poorly written, but it is very poorly plotted. This generally seems to be the case with small arcs like this – too much action is packed into too small a space, and in order to move the story forward, characterization falls by the wayside. In this issue, each of our multitude of heroes seems to be boiled down to their bare essentials, showing little to no complexity. I mean, this is a battle, so that’s okay to some extent, but this issue goes too far with it.
Thoughts
KotOR #44 is not that great. Maybe it’s just me, but this series seems to follow a set pattern: awesome, large-scale stories with great characters, massive events, light and dark fighting it out, that kind of thing, which are in turn countered by the short, poorly-drawn, uninteresting and artistically lacking arcs.
The issue itself is just another example of this continuing problem with the series. It is a pain to look at, bothersome to read, and, though the events contained within are probably essential to understanding the action to come, on their own they are a boring story with little character depth.
Knights of the Old Republic #44 retails for $2.99. Skip it, but read the Trade Paperback when it comes out.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Star Wars: Legacy #39
Gotham City Sirens #3
Tales from Wonderland? Maybe? It has to some out someday…
Monday, August 17, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews #2 - District 9
(Minor Spoilers Only)
Wow. Seriously. Wow.
Okay, keep it together. Gotta stay professional.
Plot
District 9 is a 2009 science-fiction film directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced (in part) by the Fallen Son of film himself, Peter Jackson.
Set in modern-day South Africa, the film begins with a series of documentary-style clips which give a brief history of the titular “District 9.” Twenty years ago, an alien ship comes to a halt directly over Johannesburg. No activity comes from the ship, and after several days, it is decided to forcibly cut into the vessel. Inside are well over a million starving, diseased alien workers. The government soon sets up a temporary residential camp, which slowly evolves into a detainment camp, which in turn becomes a closed-off slum. The aliens (“prawns,” as they are derogatively called) live in ramshackle, rusty huts, and human crime organizations exploit them, selling food for outrageous profits.
With anti-alien sentiment growing, it is decided to move the entire prawn population to the new District 10, some 20 miles outside of the city.
Enter our… well, I can’t right well say hero, but protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe, and field agent for the organization in charge of alien contact.
Without giving too much away, Merwe is place in charge of “evicting” the prawns, forcing them to sign wavers so that they me be relocated “legally.” However, a series of events leads to his becoming a fugitive, forcing him to hide amongst the people he once persecuted.
District 9 is a really, really good film. What was good in particular? Allow me to itemize:
Pictography
This movie is (unlike many past attempts at a “realistic camera”) quite visually pleasing. The transition from documentary to action film is almost seamless, and the shaking of the camera (the bane of films like Cloverfield or the Borne movies) is kept reasonable. The scenery is presented in a raw, unapologetic way, and really conveys the harsh, disturbing nature of both the fictional slum of the film, and the real-life places it is based upon.
Acting
It takes a lot to pull off this kind of movie. A fair number of people can act well enough to be film stars, but it takes real talent to take on the role of someone who cannot act at all. The cast really shines in that regard.
For any film, you need to suspend your disbelief. You need to be able to get into the universe of the movie, believe anything: men dressing up like bats to fight crime, planet-destroying lasers, or even that romances begin at random in bookstores (if they did, I’d be married). But the cast of District 9 is so earnest, so believable, so realistic, that within five minutes you forget that we are watching a world full of sapient insects and that there’s a giant spaceship floating over South Africa. Which segways well into…
Special Effects
Okay, this is probably the shakiest aspect of the film. Though the aforementioned giant spaceship is presented with a level of photo-realism I had thought impossible in the realms of current CGI, the aliens themselves are (at least initially) pretty fake-looking. Now, don’t get me wrong, they are quite an amazing effect on their own, but couple them with the insanely high-quality of the live action, and they don’t quite measure up. Oh, they come very, very close, but it takes a minute to adjust to their extended presence.
The aliens are easy enough to adapt to, but the other special effects will require that same movie-going disbelief you’ve been training all these years. You’ve got a couple lasers, that kind of thing. Over-all, the SEs are very, very good, there’s just a few frames that might make you go “huh?”
Oh, and that ship is simply amazing.
Writing/Direction
This is the best part of the film.
Okay, so you’re setting a film in South Africa. You are making it, in addition to an action film, a clear reference to apartheid. How do you have villains without offending anyone?
Very simple – make them the two most universally hated groups of people in the world: Nigerian criminals and private military contractors.
The only thing better would be Nazis. But then the movie would be too awesome.
Okay, so you’ve got some villains. How about a protagonist? He would need to be very believable. After all, this story is bookended by a fictional documentary – no super-soldiers where. He’d need to be a normal guy, and his dialogue must sound like a real person. He’ll need believable character flaws. Perhaps make him a coward. Or racist. Or something like that.
Oh. You have that as well?
Um, okay, well, you’ve got aliens. You’ve got to make them realistic, I mean the language barrier alone- oh, you have subtitles. Alright, fine. But they’ll also need-
…
Okay, reasonable physical characteristics. Halfway plausible technology.
Well, your premise will need to be-
Perfectly reasonable considering the inherent setting of the story and current geopolitical conditions.
Brilliant. Fine, movie. You beat me. You are incredibly well-penned.
Seriously though, District 9 really is well-written. Characters sound real, the premise is awesome, the settings are stark, and the metaphors are amazing. This movie has provided me with more sympathy for the plight of the African people than any number of real-life documentaries, and really did leave me breathless at times.
Closing Thoughts
There is very, very little to complain about with this movie. Due to my own laziness, I was unable to get to a matinee, and you know what? I’m glad. If I was going to pay $8.50 to see a movie this month, I’m glad it was this one.
District 9 is a great story, told in a great way, played by great actors, with great special effects. I will point out a few minute flaws, however:
1) Early shots of the aliens look out of place in the otherwise photo-realistic setting of the film
2) How on earth did they manage to teach every single one of these thing English in only 20 years? There’re two million of them!
3) Iif the aliens have what is essentially Metal Gear, why don’t they just steal the cat-food?
4) I don’t think splicing works that way
5) Where the hell are the rest of the world governments?
Shy of these minor, geekish flaws, I can’t really complain. Any other qualms I might have are in regard to the unbelievablity of some minor plot points, but they are only unbelievable in hindsight. During the movie, you totally buy it.
To conclude, District 9 kicks ass, and a lot of it. It is quite easily the best movie I’ve seen all year, and will probably be the same for you. in fact, I will give this film, right now, the honor of entering Din's DVD List - those select few films that, after only one showing in the theater, I know i must have on tap someday.
District 9 is now showing.
Wow. Seriously. Wow.
Okay, keep it together. Gotta stay professional.
Plot
District 9 is a 2009 science-fiction film directed by Neill Blomkamp and produced (in part) by the Fallen Son of film himself, Peter Jackson.
Set in modern-day South Africa, the film begins with a series of documentary-style clips which give a brief history of the titular “District 9.” Twenty years ago, an alien ship comes to a halt directly over Johannesburg. No activity comes from the ship, and after several days, it is decided to forcibly cut into the vessel. Inside are well over a million starving, diseased alien workers. The government soon sets up a temporary residential camp, which slowly evolves into a detainment camp, which in turn becomes a closed-off slum. The aliens (“prawns,” as they are derogatively called) live in ramshackle, rusty huts, and human crime organizations exploit them, selling food for outrageous profits.
With anti-alien sentiment growing, it is decided to move the entire prawn population to the new District 10, some 20 miles outside of the city.
Enter our… well, I can’t right well say hero, but protagonist, Wikus van der Merwe, and field agent for the organization in charge of alien contact.
Without giving too much away, Merwe is place in charge of “evicting” the prawns, forcing them to sign wavers so that they me be relocated “legally.” However, a series of events leads to his becoming a fugitive, forcing him to hide amongst the people he once persecuted.
District 9 is a really, really good film. What was good in particular? Allow me to itemize:
Pictography
This movie is (unlike many past attempts at a “realistic camera”) quite visually pleasing. The transition from documentary to action film is almost seamless, and the shaking of the camera (the bane of films like Cloverfield or the Borne movies) is kept reasonable. The scenery is presented in a raw, unapologetic way, and really conveys the harsh, disturbing nature of both the fictional slum of the film, and the real-life places it is based upon.
Acting
It takes a lot to pull off this kind of movie. A fair number of people can act well enough to be film stars, but it takes real talent to take on the role of someone who cannot act at all. The cast really shines in that regard.
For any film, you need to suspend your disbelief. You need to be able to get into the universe of the movie, believe anything: men dressing up like bats to fight crime, planet-destroying lasers, or even that romances begin at random in bookstores (if they did, I’d be married). But the cast of District 9 is so earnest, so believable, so realistic, that within five minutes you forget that we are watching a world full of sapient insects and that there’s a giant spaceship floating over South Africa. Which segways well into…
Special Effects
Okay, this is probably the shakiest aspect of the film. Though the aforementioned giant spaceship is presented with a level of photo-realism I had thought impossible in the realms of current CGI, the aliens themselves are (at least initially) pretty fake-looking. Now, don’t get me wrong, they are quite an amazing effect on their own, but couple them with the insanely high-quality of the live action, and they don’t quite measure up. Oh, they come very, very close, but it takes a minute to adjust to their extended presence.
The aliens are easy enough to adapt to, but the other special effects will require that same movie-going disbelief you’ve been training all these years. You’ve got a couple lasers, that kind of thing. Over-all, the SEs are very, very good, there’s just a few frames that might make you go “huh?”
Oh, and that ship is simply amazing.
Writing/Direction
This is the best part of the film.
Okay, so you’re setting a film in South Africa. You are making it, in addition to an action film, a clear reference to apartheid. How do you have villains without offending anyone?
Very simple – make them the two most universally hated groups of people in the world: Nigerian criminals and private military contractors.
The only thing better would be Nazis. But then the movie would be too awesome.
Okay, so you’ve got some villains. How about a protagonist? He would need to be very believable. After all, this story is bookended by a fictional documentary – no super-soldiers where. He’d need to be a normal guy, and his dialogue must sound like a real person. He’ll need believable character flaws. Perhaps make him a coward. Or racist. Or something like that.
Oh. You have that as well?
Um, okay, well, you’ve got aliens. You’ve got to make them realistic, I mean the language barrier alone- oh, you have subtitles. Alright, fine. But they’ll also need-
…
Okay, reasonable physical characteristics. Halfway plausible technology.
Well, your premise will need to be-
Perfectly reasonable considering the inherent setting of the story and current geopolitical conditions.
Brilliant. Fine, movie. You beat me. You are incredibly well-penned.
Seriously though, District 9 really is well-written. Characters sound real, the premise is awesome, the settings are stark, and the metaphors are amazing. This movie has provided me with more sympathy for the plight of the African people than any number of real-life documentaries, and really did leave me breathless at times.
Closing Thoughts
There is very, very little to complain about with this movie. Due to my own laziness, I was unable to get to a matinee, and you know what? I’m glad. If I was going to pay $8.50 to see a movie this month, I’m glad it was this one.
District 9 is a great story, told in a great way, played by great actors, with great special effects. I will point out a few minute flaws, however:
1) Early shots of the aliens look out of place in the otherwise photo-realistic setting of the film
2) How on earth did they manage to teach every single one of these thing English in only 20 years? There’re two million of them!
3) Iif the aliens have what is essentially Metal Gear, why don’t they just steal the cat-food?
4) I don’t think splicing works that way
5) Where the hell are the rest of the world governments?
Shy of these minor, geekish flaws, I can’t really complain. Any other qualms I might have are in regard to the unbelievablity of some minor plot points, but they are only unbelievable in hindsight. During the movie, you totally buy it.
To conclude, District 9 kicks ass, and a lot of it. It is quite easily the best movie I’ve seen all year, and will probably be the same for you. in fact, I will give this film, right now, the honor of entering Din's DVD List - those select few films that, after only one showing in the theater, I know i must have on tap someday.
District 9 is now showing.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews: Wednesday Shuffle #2
Hello everyone, and welcome to another installment of Wednesday Shuffle, your weekly source for comic-book rundowns.
This week was an odd mix, to be sure. Though 75% Marvel, not a one of the books this week felt remotely like the others. In fact, today was a great example of the various types of comics published by the big companies these days: the Ongoing Series, the Event Comic, and the One-Shot. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Escape from Wonderland #1
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, did split a dude’s head open with an axe
Plot
The Wonderland mythos established by Zenescope Entertainment is a complex, often confusing ordeal. Much like the books that inspired them, these comics don’t always make a ton of sense, and are intertwined to the point of convolution.
In this first issue we are thrown with little explanation directly back into the fray that has become Wonderland’s signature. Callie Liddle, our heroine from the previous books, has re-entered Wonderland on a mission to rescue her newborn daughter, who has been kidnapped by her brother Johnny. Callie meets with the Red Queen (ruler of Wonderland in the Queen of Hearts’ absence) who, in turn, directs her to the lair of the Jabberwocky [sic]. Along the way, she confronts the Carpenter (of the “Walrus & the” variety) and then a bunch of sexual-harassment road-signs.
Go figure.
Meanwhile, the Johnny brings Callie’s daughter to the Jabberwocky [sic], because apparently she is the “solution to all [their] problems.”
Also meanwhile, in the real world, Charles Dodgson, the source of all this trouble, watches as the Queen of Hearts invites small children into her “fun house” (because axe-wielding crazy-ladies aren’t scary enough, they should also be carnies)
Art
Okay, the art in the Wonderland books has always been stellar, but it is very hard to call this book “nice to look at.” If Zenescope is good at two things, they are sex and violence, and gosh darn if this book isn’t dripping with both (sometimes literally). What’s nice about Wonderland is that everything is always very clear. Characters are creative, colors are vibrant, and the backgrounds are well-designed and detailed. This actually aids the sense of un-reality in the books, providing intense violence, exaggerated breasts, and implausible outfits and weapons, all in a crystal-clear, unapologetic style that screams “lucid dream.”
This particular book, however, was much stronger than most in terms of characters. Old ones are re-created perfectly, and new designs are integrated well. Whatever the hell that worm thing guarding the Jabberwocky’s [sic] lair was, it was pretty awesome (Though the Jabberwock itself was a little too over-the-top)
Writing
The writing in this issue is a mixed bag. The narration, provided by Callie, Johnny, and Dodgson in turn, was quite good, and gave an aura of mystique and foreshadowing. Each voice conveys the same message – “shit just got real” – but in totally different ways. Callie has been pushed too far, Johnny’s plans have all begun to come together, and Dodgson has known this day would come, but is willing to watch the world burn in exchange for his own life.
On the other hand, the dialogue is lacking. Not only is it kept fairly minimal (which can work) but it’s also a tad… off, somehow. After two books we’ve gotten pretty used to Wonderland’s denizens speaking in contradictions and riddles. Suddenly, everyone and their mother is using good old-fashioned plainspeak, which is a bit off-putting. Personally, it is my opinion that all Jabberwocks should speak at least partly in pentameter.
Thoughts
This issue a decent beginning to the series. I mean, I love this stuff, but I can see how some others wouldn’t. This issue is typical Wonderland – sexy, violent, and intense.
However, when I say this book is “typical Wonderland” I really mean that. If you haven’t read the other books, you are going to feel alienated. Characters are not explained, and you’ll be struggling through the whole thing to make sense of it all. Also, the violence is completely no-limits. Splattered brains, swords to the head, horses without skin – it’s got everything.
Oh, and the reason I kept inserting “[sic]” after the word “Jabberwocky” is because of the common misconception this book falls into: “Jabberwocky” is the name of the poem, not the monster itself. That would be a “Jabberwock.” As in
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son/The jaws that bite, the claws that catch”
Escape from Wonderland #1 is priced at $3.75 of all things, and I recommend it provided you’ve read Wonderland books before. This is not a jumping-on point.
The Invincible Iron Man #16: World’s Most Wanted, Pt. 9
Not a new issue, but I just got it today. Why not drop a word in?
Plot
I’m a bit out of the loop when it comes to Iron Man, though Wikipedia has helped fill the gap.
This issue is pretty much the culmination of events that have been going on for a while in this book (I guess). Iron Man and Pepper Potts (who also has armor now) are being held captive by Madam Masque, who, for whatever backstory-related reason, is in love with Tony Stark (and also completely insane).
So there’s some talking, Madam Masque think she and Tony should run away together, Pepper manages to get free by remote-controlling her armor, and tells Tony to flee while she takes care of Masque.
Also, in a side-plot I don’t fully understand as yet, former-Director of SHIELD Maria Hill is now unstable and needs to contact Captain America (Bucky Barnes) to give him some weird computer equipment. Black Widow, her contact, is reluctant, and snoops around, trying to figure out what the equipment is. Her contact is shady, btw. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn whines about how Tony’s armor suit is so much cooler than his and how he wants one.
Ugh. Dark Reign is so stupid sometimes…
Art
The art in this issue is above average, but nothing particularly special. A little grainier than some books, the effect is still pretty good. I don’t like Tony’s current character design, (he needs a beard, damnit) but shy of that, no real complaints.
Writing
The writing in the issue is pretty run of the mill… if your mill is Marvel and the flour they pour out is made from imported organic wheat.
What the strained metaphor was trying to convey is that this book is well-written, but that from Marvel, that’s no surprise. Dialogue is decent. However, I do object to the characterization Tony is going through right now. I mean, I get the whole role-reversal thing with Pepper, but do you have to make him completely sniveling for this many issues?
Thoughts
Invincible Iron Man is in keeping with the Marvel standard of quality, but that’s about all. If you like the character, like action, or just want to know what Gwyneth Paltrow got wrong, you can check it out. $2.99
Captain America: Theater of War – To Soldier On
Captain America… in Iraq? Okaaay…
Plot
Not much to be said of this one, sadly. It’s not really a Captain America book, more of a book with Captain America in it. The story follows a young soldier in the U.S. Army as he fights in Iraq. On his second tour, he is assigned to Captain America, driving him around on peace talks. When a particular order from Cap leads to the man getting both legs and an arm blown off, we see the ordeal that he goes through, learning how to walk again, and dealing with his anger towards Cap. That’s about it, really.
Art
The art in this issue is, much like Iron Man, pretty standard. Not exceptional, but not bad by any stretch. The colors are nice, the characters well-drawn, and the environments are atmospheric. Nothing bad, nothing special.
Writing
Okay. I never thought an issue of Captain America could be this disappointing, but then again, without Brubaker, I shouldn’t be surprised.
This issue is all wrong. Now, I’m not going to get all fanboy on you, but I don’t think that Mr. Jenkins knew what he was writing.
I’ll accept that this is a book about a soldier who served with Cap, rather than Cap himself. I’ll accept that war is ugly, and that Iraq is one of the uglier wars we’ve ever had. I'll even accept that you want to do a comic-book as a tribute. It seems like a good idea, even.
But what I won’t accept is the mischaracterization of Steve Rogers. I will not.
This book, while a beautiful, fitting tribute to our men and women overseas, (and I do not want to trivialize that, it’s a very good book in that regard) is a complete insult to Captain America.
Firstly, Captain America should not be in Iraq. Now, I understand the appeal, I understand him as a symbol of America, and the military in particular, but Captain America is the embodiment of all that is profoundly right with America. To put him in such a morally ambiguous situation, to try, through proxy, to characterize America as truly right in this war, is not fair – not to America, not to our soldiers, not to Cap, and not to Iraq. It is tasteless. This is not 1942, these are not the Nazis. This comic insults everyone by implying that they are.
Secondly, this book characterizes Captain America as, well, a captain. Here’s the problem with that, everyone: Captain America is a soldier, yes, but he’s also a supersoldier. A hero. A symbol. A man who always showed profound affection for his men, and would not lead them into danger for a “show of force.” He doesn’t always win the day, but he’s not stupid. He’s not afraid of emotions, as we’ve seen time and time again with characters like Bucky, Agent 13, and the Falcon. He’s a profoundly good man, in that 1940’s small-town America kind of way. This book attempts to modernize him, make him the kind of cold, man-of-few-words military commander that we have today. That is simply incorrect.
Thoughts
This book is just wrong. It is wrong on so many levels.
The main issue is that it could have been a great book, if only Captain America wasn’t in it. As a tribute to the hardships of war, the bravery of our sons and daughters, and the traumas that come from battle, it works very well. But once you add Captain America, a man who, much like Superman, is a symbol of justice and right, who is strong through his emotions, not in spite of them, and try to make him the tough-on-the-outside, caring-on-the-inside kind of military man of today, you cheapen both the tribute, and the hero.
Captain America: Theater of War – To Soldier On sells for 3.99. I’d advise you not to bother.
The Marvels Project #1
How it all began, how it shall begin again
Plot
It is 1938, and the world is about to change forever.
Acting as a re-introduction to the golden Age of Comics, The Marvels Project #1 begins with a Doctor, one Thomas Halloway, as he muses on the stories of a (seemingly) senile old man who claims he has been to the future. The old man tells stories of gods and heroes, of things incredible, amazing, invincible, and uncanny.
Fast-forward to 1939, where President Roosevelt discusses the advancing threat of the Nazi regime with a pair of U.S… people. Maybe they’re historical figures, maybe they’re fictional, I dunno.
Anyway, it is revealed that the government has been funding the work of Prof. Phineas Horton, creator of the world’s first “synthetic man,” who will soon become the first Human Torch.
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, Nazis are bombing the area around Atlantis, scavenging the dead denizens of the sea for dissection. Namor, the soon-to-be Sub-Mariner, is a tad pissed about that, and proceeds to blow them to hell.
At the same time, somewhere else, Steve Rogers is turned away by the military, and young Nick Fury is recruited for a secret mission.
Art
The art of this book is very, very nice. “Camera angles” differ and provide new, interesting images, colors are subdued but well-executed, and the few moments of brightness (the flames of the human Torch, Nazi flags, etc) contrast nicely with the rest of the book. A great deal of detail is in this book, from the splintering of wood to the dead eyes of bombed merpeople, and this book can honestly be said to be both well-drwan and, unlike Wonderland, pleasant to look at. However, FDR didn’t really look much like FDR. Other than that, everything’s fine, though.
Writing
Typical Brubaker. What can I say, the man is good.
This issue serves simply to set the characters up, so characterization isn’t a big issue as yet. What’s there is good, though, and the dialogue flows well. The book is narrated by Halloway, giving us a normal man’s perspective on these new, world-changing events. It’s hard to say if the writing was particularly good in this one – good writing means emotion, and emotion means context. Since this is really more of a prologue than anything else, there’s not much to be emotional about.
Thoughts
A solid comic, with keen visuals and good writing. Not much happens in this issue, but shit is about to hit the fan pretty quick, so, while this issue is rather non-descript, I have a very good feeling about the series over-all. I have a keen suspicion that this could very well be one of those “must read” series someday.
The Marvels Project # 1 runs at $3.99. Jump on now, before the ball gets rolling.
Conclusion
This week was not unpleasant. Though Theater of War was a big disappointment and Iron Man was pretty average, both The Marvels Project and Escape from Wonderland lived up to expectations. It is a bit weird that the two #1s today were much stronger than their One-Shot and Ongoing-Series comrades, but I suppose that’s the way things go sometimes. Over-all, this week was above-average, leaving you sad it was so expensive, but not disappointed with the content itself per se.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Tales From Wonderland: Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee
Knights of the Old Republic #44
This week was an odd mix, to be sure. Though 75% Marvel, not a one of the books this week felt remotely like the others. In fact, today was a great example of the various types of comics published by the big companies these days: the Ongoing Series, the Event Comic, and the One-Shot. Let’s dive in, shall we?
Escape from Wonderland #1
‘Twas brillig, and the slithy toves, did split a dude’s head open with an axe
Plot
The Wonderland mythos established by Zenescope Entertainment is a complex, often confusing ordeal. Much like the books that inspired them, these comics don’t always make a ton of sense, and are intertwined to the point of convolution.
In this first issue we are thrown with little explanation directly back into the fray that has become Wonderland’s signature. Callie Liddle, our heroine from the previous books, has re-entered Wonderland on a mission to rescue her newborn daughter, who has been kidnapped by her brother Johnny. Callie meets with the Red Queen (ruler of Wonderland in the Queen of Hearts’ absence) who, in turn, directs her to the lair of the Jabberwocky [sic]. Along the way, she confronts the Carpenter (of the “Walrus & the” variety) and then a bunch of sexual-harassment road-signs.
Go figure.
Meanwhile, the Johnny brings Callie’s daughter to the Jabberwocky [sic], because apparently she is the “solution to all [their] problems.”
Also meanwhile, in the real world, Charles Dodgson, the source of all this trouble, watches as the Queen of Hearts invites small children into her “fun house” (because axe-wielding crazy-ladies aren’t scary enough, they should also be carnies)
Art
Okay, the art in the Wonderland books has always been stellar, but it is very hard to call this book “nice to look at.” If Zenescope is good at two things, they are sex and violence, and gosh darn if this book isn’t dripping with both (sometimes literally). What’s nice about Wonderland is that everything is always very clear. Characters are creative, colors are vibrant, and the backgrounds are well-designed and detailed. This actually aids the sense of un-reality in the books, providing intense violence, exaggerated breasts, and implausible outfits and weapons, all in a crystal-clear, unapologetic style that screams “lucid dream.”
This particular book, however, was much stronger than most in terms of characters. Old ones are re-created perfectly, and new designs are integrated well. Whatever the hell that worm thing guarding the Jabberwocky’s [sic] lair was, it was pretty awesome (Though the Jabberwock itself was a little too over-the-top)
Writing
The writing in this issue is a mixed bag. The narration, provided by Callie, Johnny, and Dodgson in turn, was quite good, and gave an aura of mystique and foreshadowing. Each voice conveys the same message – “shit just got real” – but in totally different ways. Callie has been pushed too far, Johnny’s plans have all begun to come together, and Dodgson has known this day would come, but is willing to watch the world burn in exchange for his own life.
On the other hand, the dialogue is lacking. Not only is it kept fairly minimal (which can work) but it’s also a tad… off, somehow. After two books we’ve gotten pretty used to Wonderland’s denizens speaking in contradictions and riddles. Suddenly, everyone and their mother is using good old-fashioned plainspeak, which is a bit off-putting. Personally, it is my opinion that all Jabberwocks should speak at least partly in pentameter.
Thoughts
This issue a decent beginning to the series. I mean, I love this stuff, but I can see how some others wouldn’t. This issue is typical Wonderland – sexy, violent, and intense.
However, when I say this book is “typical Wonderland” I really mean that. If you haven’t read the other books, you are going to feel alienated. Characters are not explained, and you’ll be struggling through the whole thing to make sense of it all. Also, the violence is completely no-limits. Splattered brains, swords to the head, horses without skin – it’s got everything.
Oh, and the reason I kept inserting “[sic]” after the word “Jabberwocky” is because of the common misconception this book falls into: “Jabberwocky” is the name of the poem, not the monster itself. That would be a “Jabberwock.” As in
“Beware the Jabberwock, my son/The jaws that bite, the claws that catch”
Escape from Wonderland #1 is priced at $3.75 of all things, and I recommend it provided you’ve read Wonderland books before. This is not a jumping-on point.
The Invincible Iron Man #16: World’s Most Wanted, Pt. 9
Not a new issue, but I just got it today. Why not drop a word in?
Plot
I’m a bit out of the loop when it comes to Iron Man, though Wikipedia has helped fill the gap.
This issue is pretty much the culmination of events that have been going on for a while in this book (I guess). Iron Man and Pepper Potts (who also has armor now) are being held captive by Madam Masque, who, for whatever backstory-related reason, is in love with Tony Stark (and also completely insane).
So there’s some talking, Madam Masque think she and Tony should run away together, Pepper manages to get free by remote-controlling her armor, and tells Tony to flee while she takes care of Masque.
Also, in a side-plot I don’t fully understand as yet, former-Director of SHIELD Maria Hill is now unstable and needs to contact Captain America (Bucky Barnes) to give him some weird computer equipment. Black Widow, her contact, is reluctant, and snoops around, trying to figure out what the equipment is. Her contact is shady, btw. Meanwhile, Norman Osborn whines about how Tony’s armor suit is so much cooler than his and how he wants one.
Ugh. Dark Reign is so stupid sometimes…
Art
The art in this issue is above average, but nothing particularly special. A little grainier than some books, the effect is still pretty good. I don’t like Tony’s current character design, (he needs a beard, damnit) but shy of that, no real complaints.
Writing
The writing in the issue is pretty run of the mill… if your mill is Marvel and the flour they pour out is made from imported organic wheat.
What the strained metaphor was trying to convey is that this book is well-written, but that from Marvel, that’s no surprise. Dialogue is decent. However, I do object to the characterization Tony is going through right now. I mean, I get the whole role-reversal thing with Pepper, but do you have to make him completely sniveling for this many issues?
Thoughts
Invincible Iron Man is in keeping with the Marvel standard of quality, but that’s about all. If you like the character, like action, or just want to know what Gwyneth Paltrow got wrong, you can check it out. $2.99
Captain America: Theater of War – To Soldier On
Captain America… in Iraq? Okaaay…
Plot
Not much to be said of this one, sadly. It’s not really a Captain America book, more of a book with Captain America in it. The story follows a young soldier in the U.S. Army as he fights in Iraq. On his second tour, he is assigned to Captain America, driving him around on peace talks. When a particular order from Cap leads to the man getting both legs and an arm blown off, we see the ordeal that he goes through, learning how to walk again, and dealing with his anger towards Cap. That’s about it, really.
Art
The art in this issue is, much like Iron Man, pretty standard. Not exceptional, but not bad by any stretch. The colors are nice, the characters well-drawn, and the environments are atmospheric. Nothing bad, nothing special.
Writing
Okay. I never thought an issue of Captain America could be this disappointing, but then again, without Brubaker, I shouldn’t be surprised.
This issue is all wrong. Now, I’m not going to get all fanboy on you, but I don’t think that Mr. Jenkins knew what he was writing.
I’ll accept that this is a book about a soldier who served with Cap, rather than Cap himself. I’ll accept that war is ugly, and that Iraq is one of the uglier wars we’ve ever had. I'll even accept that you want to do a comic-book as a tribute. It seems like a good idea, even.
But what I won’t accept is the mischaracterization of Steve Rogers. I will not.
This book, while a beautiful, fitting tribute to our men and women overseas, (and I do not want to trivialize that, it’s a very good book in that regard) is a complete insult to Captain America.
Firstly, Captain America should not be in Iraq. Now, I understand the appeal, I understand him as a symbol of America, and the military in particular, but Captain America is the embodiment of all that is profoundly right with America. To put him in such a morally ambiguous situation, to try, through proxy, to characterize America as truly right in this war, is not fair – not to America, not to our soldiers, not to Cap, and not to Iraq. It is tasteless. This is not 1942, these are not the Nazis. This comic insults everyone by implying that they are.
Secondly, this book characterizes Captain America as, well, a captain. Here’s the problem with that, everyone: Captain America is a soldier, yes, but he’s also a supersoldier. A hero. A symbol. A man who always showed profound affection for his men, and would not lead them into danger for a “show of force.” He doesn’t always win the day, but he’s not stupid. He’s not afraid of emotions, as we’ve seen time and time again with characters like Bucky, Agent 13, and the Falcon. He’s a profoundly good man, in that 1940’s small-town America kind of way. This book attempts to modernize him, make him the kind of cold, man-of-few-words military commander that we have today. That is simply incorrect.
Thoughts
This book is just wrong. It is wrong on so many levels.
The main issue is that it could have been a great book, if only Captain America wasn’t in it. As a tribute to the hardships of war, the bravery of our sons and daughters, and the traumas that come from battle, it works very well. But once you add Captain America, a man who, much like Superman, is a symbol of justice and right, who is strong through his emotions, not in spite of them, and try to make him the tough-on-the-outside, caring-on-the-inside kind of military man of today, you cheapen both the tribute, and the hero.
Captain America: Theater of War – To Soldier On sells for 3.99. I’d advise you not to bother.
The Marvels Project #1
How it all began, how it shall begin again
Plot
It is 1938, and the world is about to change forever.
Acting as a re-introduction to the golden Age of Comics, The Marvels Project #1 begins with a Doctor, one Thomas Halloway, as he muses on the stories of a (seemingly) senile old man who claims he has been to the future. The old man tells stories of gods and heroes, of things incredible, amazing, invincible, and uncanny.
Fast-forward to 1939, where President Roosevelt discusses the advancing threat of the Nazi regime with a pair of U.S… people. Maybe they’re historical figures, maybe they’re fictional, I dunno.
Anyway, it is revealed that the government has been funding the work of Prof. Phineas Horton, creator of the world’s first “synthetic man,” who will soon become the first Human Torch.
Meanwhile, in the Atlantic, Nazis are bombing the area around Atlantis, scavenging the dead denizens of the sea for dissection. Namor, the soon-to-be Sub-Mariner, is a tad pissed about that, and proceeds to blow them to hell.
At the same time, somewhere else, Steve Rogers is turned away by the military, and young Nick Fury is recruited for a secret mission.
Art
The art of this book is very, very nice. “Camera angles” differ and provide new, interesting images, colors are subdued but well-executed, and the few moments of brightness (the flames of the human Torch, Nazi flags, etc) contrast nicely with the rest of the book. A great deal of detail is in this book, from the splintering of wood to the dead eyes of bombed merpeople, and this book can honestly be said to be both well-drwan and, unlike Wonderland, pleasant to look at. However, FDR didn’t really look much like FDR. Other than that, everything’s fine, though.
Writing
Typical Brubaker. What can I say, the man is good.
This issue serves simply to set the characters up, so characterization isn’t a big issue as yet. What’s there is good, though, and the dialogue flows well. The book is narrated by Halloway, giving us a normal man’s perspective on these new, world-changing events. It’s hard to say if the writing was particularly good in this one – good writing means emotion, and emotion means context. Since this is really more of a prologue than anything else, there’s not much to be emotional about.
Thoughts
A solid comic, with keen visuals and good writing. Not much happens in this issue, but shit is about to hit the fan pretty quick, so, while this issue is rather non-descript, I have a very good feeling about the series over-all. I have a keen suspicion that this could very well be one of those “must read” series someday.
The Marvels Project # 1 runs at $3.99. Jump on now, before the ball gets rolling.
Conclusion
This week was not unpleasant. Though Theater of War was a big disappointment and Iron Man was pretty average, both The Marvels Project and Escape from Wonderland lived up to expectations. It is a bit weird that the two #1s today were much stronger than their One-Shot and Ongoing-Series comrades, but I suppose that’s the way things go sometimes. Over-all, this week was above-average, leaving you sad it was so expensive, but not disappointed with the content itself per se.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Tales From Wonderland: Tweedle Dum & Tweedle Dee
Knights of the Old Republic #44
Sunday, August 9, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews #1 - Halo: Combat Evolved
The Covenant, Cortana, the Flood, the Master Chief.
The universe of Halo is simply massive, spanning four games, six novels, two comics, tons of source material, and commanding one of the most loyal fanbases in modern gaming. Both Halo 2 and Halo 3 broke numerous sales records upon release, and, collectively, established the Xbox in the modern world of gaming.
But let’s take a look back, to the very beginning of this phenomena, to one lone super-solider in the depths of space, and a ringworld full of secrets.
Halo: Combat Evolved premiered on the Xbox in 2001, as a console exclusive. From there, it went on to become one of the best-selling games on the system, surpassed only by its own sequel. Eventually it was ported to the PC, where it received its first taste of the online multiplayer community that has now become Halo’s legacy.
Halo begins as the United Nations’ Space Command vessel Pillar of Autumn is shot down by the alien Covenant over a strange, uncharted construct simply titled “Halo.” The player takes on the role of Spartan John-117, more commonly known as the Master Chief, who must repel the boarding crews and safely escape the Autumn. Along the way, the Chief is charged by the Autumn’s captain, Jacob Keyes, with protecting the artificial intelligence named Cortana, and getting her off the ship in one piece.
The missions span a number of different objectives – finding other survivors, rescuing the Captain, locating Halo’s control center, and so on – eventually culminating in the accidental release of the Flood, a parasitic lifeform bent on consuming and assimilating all life in the galaxy.
The Chief soon runs into 343 Guilty Spark, a small, floating robot who leads him to activate Halo’s “containment protocols.” However, Cortana reveals that Halo is not designed to kill Flood, but their food, namely humans and Covenant. Together, the Chief and Cortana stop Guilty Spark, and cause the crashed Pillar of Autumn’s engines to explode with enough force to destroy Halo.
The plot has always been what Halo was about for me. I played Halo 2 before getting my hands on Halo: CE, so I was already familiar with the characters. For such a small cast list, the game really gets you attached to the characters involved. Cortana, with her smarmy advice and cutting wit; Sergeant Johnson, with his comedic one-liners and seemingly miraculous survival; Keyes, the ever-wily military man; and of course the Master Chief himself, your silent, practical window into the world of Halo.
Now, good story-telling aside, this is a video game, and that means gameplay and mechanics. Halo was remarkable in its day largely due to the fact that it revolutionized the First-Person Shooter genre. Rather than “slaughter everything” your missions actually felt like they had significance, and were part of a liner story. Rather than the tight, winding hallways of say, Doom, Duke Nukem, or Dark Forces, Halo takes place in a very grand, very large setting, allowing you to dodge from cover to cover. Which is good, because you die with remarkable ease. On any setting higher than “Easy” enemy weapons rip you to shreds. However, unlike similar games, you don’t actually have much of a health meter. Though it is present, your health is pretty much useless at absorbing bullets and plasma, leaving such heavy lifting to your energy shields, which, if knocked out, come back on-line in a matter of seconds. This means that you essentially have a recharging health bar, making it perfectly acceptable to get yourself struck by fire, hide behind a rock, wait a few seconds, and repeat the process.
The trouble is, some of your enemies also have shields, which can take a long time to bring down. To aid you in this quest, you get to use a number of weapons, both alien and human in origin.
Human weapons haven’t changed much by the year 2552 it seems, as you still have the basic rifle/pistol/shotgun/sniper/rocket-launcher line-up. However, the Covenant apparently don’t believe in such versatile weaponry, leaving you to choose between a plasma rifle, a plasma pistol, and the “Needler,” a sort of automatic purple dart-launcher that fills your foes with exploding crystal shards.
Human weapons are certainly the most versatile, and sticking to the standard rifle/pistol combo can get you through most things, but the Covenant weapons remain much better at taking down individual, higher-grade enemies, particularly those with shields. The Flood, however, seem only mildly annoyed by hot-as-the-sun firebolts, so you generally have to keep switching your weapons around, as you can only carry two at once.
Fortunately, the game seems prepared for this. Rather than allowing you to stock-pile ammo for your favorite guns, Halo simply provides you with a massive number of chances to swap out for different ones. In fact, the plasma weapons can’t reload at all, meaning you must constantly be on the lookout for replacements. This works largely in Halo’s favor – since ammo isn’t hard to come by, you don’t feel pressured to save it all for a theoretical end boss. Likewise, since ammo for individual weapons is generally scarce, you can't get away with using your favorites all the time. Certain enemies are more resistant to different weapons, so swapping on the fly is both natural and necessary.
Oh, and there’s also grenades, both fragmentation- and plasma-based. You can also hit people with your gun.
So, let’s look at our Hit-Game checklist thus far, shall we?
Epic story? ✓
Memorable characters? ✓
Revolutionary gameplay? ✓
Fast-paced action? ✓
Kick-ass weapons? ✓
Je ne se qua? ✓
The fact is, Halo is simply immersive. It throws you into a new world, and doesn’t even pause to explain itself. Within minutes, you know about AI and MAC-guns and powered-battle-armor. The brief tutorial is all you need to get set in the action, and before long you’re blasting the brains out of Covenant baddies with ease. The four difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, Heroic, and Legendary) even ensure that there’s a ton of replay value. Some levels that you thought were frustrating on Normal become intensely more evil on Heroic, finally becoming downright malevolent on Legendary (I’m looking at you “Two Betrayals”!).
Halo was also one of the first games to offer extensive vehicle-based sections. Your selection is pretty limited – essentially car, hovercraft, tank, and aircraft – but each vehicle has its advantages, and are a must for navigating Halo’s immense environments.
The only major drawback to Halo is that a lot of the levels are very repetitive. In fact, certain levels later in the game are simply the earlier ones in reverse, but with harder enemies. Believe me, if you thought fighting your way to the top of the giant alien pyramid was hard, fighting your way back down is a nightmare.
With the exclusion of different ranks/designs, you also only have four types of Covenant enemies, and three types of Flood. Although realistic, this can get a little boring after a while. You begin to fall into patterns: bullets for Flood, grenades for Jackals, Needler for Elites, etc. However, unit placement goes a fair way at smoothing this over – you might know how to fight a Hunter, but how do you deal with one being attacked by Flood? – and the fact that not all weapons are available on all stages means you have to learn to cope.
Over-all, Halo is a strong, playable, and (most importantly) immersive game that really gets you pulled into the mythos. The weapons are varied, the environments are interesting, and, though it has one of the weirdest learning curves I’ve ever seen (“Two Betrayaaaaaals!!!!”) it can be enjoyed by n00b and veteran gamer alike. Each level is pretty long, and can easily run you over an hour or more, but checkpoints are pretty common, so there’re plenty of places to drop out for a while.
I’m not going to address the multiplayer functionality here, (mostly because I’m not that big of a fan of MP in general) but suffice it to say the series is now famous for this function.
In conclusion, Halo has a strong, if somewhat repetitive, single-player campaign, and makes up for its shortcomings with its strengths. Over-all, I would say it is the strongest of the Halo Trilogy, and my personal favorite of the FPS genre. It’s no wonder this game is so popular – it really does deserve it.
The universe of Halo is simply massive, spanning four games, six novels, two comics, tons of source material, and commanding one of the most loyal fanbases in modern gaming. Both Halo 2 and Halo 3 broke numerous sales records upon release, and, collectively, established the Xbox in the modern world of gaming.
But let’s take a look back, to the very beginning of this phenomena, to one lone super-solider in the depths of space, and a ringworld full of secrets.
Halo: Combat Evolved premiered on the Xbox in 2001, as a console exclusive. From there, it went on to become one of the best-selling games on the system, surpassed only by its own sequel. Eventually it was ported to the PC, where it received its first taste of the online multiplayer community that has now become Halo’s legacy.
Halo begins as the United Nations’ Space Command vessel Pillar of Autumn is shot down by the alien Covenant over a strange, uncharted construct simply titled “Halo.” The player takes on the role of Spartan John-117, more commonly known as the Master Chief, who must repel the boarding crews and safely escape the Autumn. Along the way, the Chief is charged by the Autumn’s captain, Jacob Keyes, with protecting the artificial intelligence named Cortana, and getting her off the ship in one piece.
The missions span a number of different objectives – finding other survivors, rescuing the Captain, locating Halo’s control center, and so on – eventually culminating in the accidental release of the Flood, a parasitic lifeform bent on consuming and assimilating all life in the galaxy.
The Chief soon runs into 343 Guilty Spark, a small, floating robot who leads him to activate Halo’s “containment protocols.” However, Cortana reveals that Halo is not designed to kill Flood, but their food, namely humans and Covenant. Together, the Chief and Cortana stop Guilty Spark, and cause the crashed Pillar of Autumn’s engines to explode with enough force to destroy Halo.
The plot has always been what Halo was about for me. I played Halo 2 before getting my hands on Halo: CE, so I was already familiar with the characters. For such a small cast list, the game really gets you attached to the characters involved. Cortana, with her smarmy advice and cutting wit; Sergeant Johnson, with his comedic one-liners and seemingly miraculous survival; Keyes, the ever-wily military man; and of course the Master Chief himself, your silent, practical window into the world of Halo.
Now, good story-telling aside, this is a video game, and that means gameplay and mechanics. Halo was remarkable in its day largely due to the fact that it revolutionized the First-Person Shooter genre. Rather than “slaughter everything” your missions actually felt like they had significance, and were part of a liner story. Rather than the tight, winding hallways of say, Doom, Duke Nukem, or Dark Forces, Halo takes place in a very grand, very large setting, allowing you to dodge from cover to cover. Which is good, because you die with remarkable ease. On any setting higher than “Easy” enemy weapons rip you to shreds. However, unlike similar games, you don’t actually have much of a health meter. Though it is present, your health is pretty much useless at absorbing bullets and plasma, leaving such heavy lifting to your energy shields, which, if knocked out, come back on-line in a matter of seconds. This means that you essentially have a recharging health bar, making it perfectly acceptable to get yourself struck by fire, hide behind a rock, wait a few seconds, and repeat the process.
The trouble is, some of your enemies also have shields, which can take a long time to bring down. To aid you in this quest, you get to use a number of weapons, both alien and human in origin.
Human weapons haven’t changed much by the year 2552 it seems, as you still have the basic rifle/pistol/shotgun/sniper/rocket-launcher line-up. However, the Covenant apparently don’t believe in such versatile weaponry, leaving you to choose between a plasma rifle, a plasma pistol, and the “Needler,” a sort of automatic purple dart-launcher that fills your foes with exploding crystal shards.
Human weapons are certainly the most versatile, and sticking to the standard rifle/pistol combo can get you through most things, but the Covenant weapons remain much better at taking down individual, higher-grade enemies, particularly those with shields. The Flood, however, seem only mildly annoyed by hot-as-the-sun firebolts, so you generally have to keep switching your weapons around, as you can only carry two at once.
Fortunately, the game seems prepared for this. Rather than allowing you to stock-pile ammo for your favorite guns, Halo simply provides you with a massive number of chances to swap out for different ones. In fact, the plasma weapons can’t reload at all, meaning you must constantly be on the lookout for replacements. This works largely in Halo’s favor – since ammo isn’t hard to come by, you don’t feel pressured to save it all for a theoretical end boss. Likewise, since ammo for individual weapons is generally scarce, you can't get away with using your favorites all the time. Certain enemies are more resistant to different weapons, so swapping on the fly is both natural and necessary.
Oh, and there’s also grenades, both fragmentation- and plasma-based. You can also hit people with your gun.
So, let’s look at our Hit-Game checklist thus far, shall we?
Epic story? ✓
Memorable characters? ✓
Revolutionary gameplay? ✓
Fast-paced action? ✓
Kick-ass weapons? ✓
Je ne se qua? ✓
The fact is, Halo is simply immersive. It throws you into a new world, and doesn’t even pause to explain itself. Within minutes, you know about AI and MAC-guns and powered-battle-armor. The brief tutorial is all you need to get set in the action, and before long you’re blasting the brains out of Covenant baddies with ease. The four difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, Heroic, and Legendary) even ensure that there’s a ton of replay value. Some levels that you thought were frustrating on Normal become intensely more evil on Heroic, finally becoming downright malevolent on Legendary (I’m looking at you “Two Betrayals”!).
Halo was also one of the first games to offer extensive vehicle-based sections. Your selection is pretty limited – essentially car, hovercraft, tank, and aircraft – but each vehicle has its advantages, and are a must for navigating Halo’s immense environments.
The only major drawback to Halo is that a lot of the levels are very repetitive. In fact, certain levels later in the game are simply the earlier ones in reverse, but with harder enemies. Believe me, if you thought fighting your way to the top of the giant alien pyramid was hard, fighting your way back down is a nightmare.
With the exclusion of different ranks/designs, you also only have four types of Covenant enemies, and three types of Flood. Although realistic, this can get a little boring after a while. You begin to fall into patterns: bullets for Flood, grenades for Jackals, Needler for Elites, etc. However, unit placement goes a fair way at smoothing this over – you might know how to fight a Hunter, but how do you deal with one being attacked by Flood? – and the fact that not all weapons are available on all stages means you have to learn to cope.
Over-all, Halo is a strong, playable, and (most importantly) immersive game that really gets you pulled into the mythos. The weapons are varied, the environments are interesting, and, though it has one of the weirdest learning curves I’ve ever seen (“Two Betrayaaaaaals!!!!”) it can be enjoyed by n00b and veteran gamer alike. Each level is pretty long, and can easily run you over an hour or more, but checkpoints are pretty common, so there’re plenty of places to drop out for a while.
I’m not going to address the multiplayer functionality here, (mostly because I’m not that big of a fan of MP in general) but suffice it to say the series is now famous for this function.
In conclusion, Halo has a strong, if somewhat repetitive, single-player campaign, and makes up for its shortcomings with its strengths. Over-all, I would say it is the strongest of the Halo Trilogy, and my personal favorite of the FPS genre. It’s no wonder this game is so popular – it really does deserve it.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Din's Geek Reviews: Wednesday Shuffle #1
Hello, and welcome to Wednesday Shuffle where I take a few minutes to give my opinion of some recent comic book releases.
Alright, people. This is my first review, and frankly, I couldn't have picked a worse week to begin on. Why? Because all three books I picked up this week were pretty darn good, and positive reviews just don't sell.
However, before getting into that, I feel a little disclaimer is required: I am not a huge comic-book fan. I mean, I love the genre, and will defend to the death Batman's infinite superiority to Superman, but I'm just not the kind of guy who buys ten or more books a week. A heavy week for me includes four books, so let's not get too excited, shall we? Agreed? Then on to the issues.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #27
Ah, the continuing misadventures of Sunnydale's pint-sized powerhouse.
Plot
Continuing directly from Issue #26, Buffy and company are on the run from a pro-vampire society, and secret military plot, and the looming threat of "Twilight." Having landed a submarine in Tibet, (don't ask) the team has now met up with Oz, and are in desperate need of hiding their magics. The issue is mostly background and exposition, framed as Oz explaining how he got to be here, and what happened to him after leaving Sunnydale (the second time, in Season 4). The flashbacks are quality, and provide a nice bridge for the character.
Meanwhile, Warren, Amie, and Reilly continue their work for Twilight, who is growing more and more impatient with their failures. Eventually, the Baddies begin to close in on Team Slayer.
Artwork
The artwork in the issue is pretty mediocre. For some reason, the second page is wildly different from the rest of the book, (being much worse, in fact) which puts one in the wrong mood for the rest of the issue. In general however, the colors are bright and fetching, and the brown overtones in the flashbacks are subtle enough to provide ambiance without drowning us in it.
The only major artistic qualm I have with this book is the continuing lack of definition with the characters. Though it's pretty easy to spot characters like Giles, Xander, or Willow (who all have defining physical traits) characters like Dawn, Faith, and even Oz can sometimes look a little samey.
Writing
The writing of this issue is, by and large, the same stuff we've gotten used it in BuffyS8. Sometimes there'll be an issue that makes you feel like you're watching the show, other times... Well, there isn't. This issue is one of them. Due to the generally serious and plot-driven nature of this issue, the characteristic banter of the Scooby Gang is kept pretty minimal. That being said, the issue is still engaging, and the characters are presented fairly accurately.
Thoughts
This issue of Buffy was a nice, plot-heavy issue. The artwork was decent, the writing was decent, and the over-all feel was one of above-average good-times. As always, Buffy is a tad hard to jump into, but I suppose now is as good a time as any. Buffy #27 retails for $2.99
Angel #24 - Drusilla Pt. 1
♪Run and catch, run and catch...♪
Since this issue is so heavily focused on Drusilla, I have largely reviewed it in its role as the "first Drusilla comic," rather than as an issue of Angel.
Plot
Taking place "Just Before" the fall of Los Angles, (see Angel: Season 5) this two-part story begins by revealing that Drusilla (Juliet Landau) was recovered from her encounter with Angel by seemingly normal police officers. She is currently committed to a mental hospital, and the issue largely follows her and her doctors, as they discuss, treat, and cover-up-the-murders-of the vampiress. This issue seems to be more of a set-up for the second part of the story, establishing Dru's position, and hinting that someone, somewhere, is willing to cover for her.
Art
Alright, this is something I can honestly complain about. Angel has never had the strongest art since arriving at IDW, and that's a very large part of why I haven't been reading it until now. This issue is no real exception. Although the art over-all is not bad, the fact is that tie-in books must be held to a different standard than your average comic, and that's where this issue fails. For a book centered on a character so stunningly distinctive as Drusilla, the artist sure didn't seem to know what she looked like. In fact, the only time the character in the book looks like Landau is after she "vamps out," and only then for a handful of panels. At least the cover art is good enough (I have the type-C variant) and the back-up photo gallery was a nice, if unneeded, addition. In short, a tie-in comic needs to be true to its source material. By and large, this book fails that duty.
That being said, the action scenes were well done, and Drusilla's dance-like movements were captured quite well.
Writing
The writing for this issue is pretty standard Angel, in the sense that it is stronger than Buffy, while only mildy above-average in its own right. Dialogue is strong and seems natural, and, in a book with no narration, that's really all you can ask for. Drusilla's character in particular is well written (it ought to be - this issue was co-written by Juliet Landau herself) and her eerie, whimsical nature is not lost in the jump to comics.
Thoughts
This book is very, very solid. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and am glad I jumped on to Angel for this story. Unlike past comics such as Dark Horse's Spike & Dru books, this issue has really captured the Drusilla's dark flare, that insane childishness that made us love her in the first place. Now we can only pray for a spin-off. Angel #24 retails for 3.99, and is worth the price tag, if you already like Drusilla.
Captain America Reborn #2
The continuing adventures of some people who aren't Captain America.
Plot
Trying to make sense of this plot is like trying to explain the sexual implications of Lady Macbeth’s "out damn spot" speech to an autistic capybara.
Okay, strained metaphors aside, it goes something like this:
Steve Rogers (Captain America) was shot last year (or two years ago, I dunno) by a merc at the end of Marvel's Civil War cross-over. Now Bucky Barnes (aka Winter Soldier) is the new Captain America. However, it turns out that Steve Rogers isn't actually dead, he's just an unstable point in time and space (it's... it's just what Marvel does. Let it go), so while his body remains fixed, his mind floats all round the history of his life. So now Bucky and Black Widow (a super heroine I've never really followed) are trying to rescue Rogers' remains, while Agent 13, (Rogers' love interest) is undergoing tests by Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) because she actually shot the bullet that "killed" Rogers, but was under some kind of mind control-
Damn.
Screw that. Get the background yourself, why don't ya.
So this issue begins with my favorite part of any Cap book - Flashbacks! Yes, that's right; we get to see WWII through Cap's eyes once again. This is where Brubaker really shines, but more on that later.
So there's some fighting in the past, some fighting in the present, Norman Osborn let's Crossbones and Sin out of jail, and then captures Barnes and Widow. Osborn reveals that he's now leaked that 13 shot Cap, and that he will kill Bucky if she doesn't turn herself in. I guess he's trying to solidify his power base by having his own honest-to-goodness Captain America? Hell, I don't follow Dark Reign...
That's pretty much it. Its issue #2 of a 5-issue series, composed significantly of flashbacks. What did you expect?
Artwork
The monthly Captain America books have always had stellar art, and this issue continues this proud tradition. The dark, gritty colors of WWII provide a wonderful atmosphere, contrasting quite well with the more color-heavy tones of the modern world. The browns of the battlefield, the blues of the helicarrier, the greens of Richards' lab, and the sick washed-out lemon-lime of Crossbones'/Sin's prison cell all culminate in the flashback to the creation of Captain America, ending the scene in a full-page splash of death and flame.
The characters are well represented, and even non-costumed characters are easily told apart. Special kudos to the F.D.R. cameo - they even got his smile down.
Also of note, this issue has a full, wrap-around cover, showing Cap and Bucky fighting the Nazis in WWII. Captain America with Hitler in a strangle-hold? Hell Yes.
Writing
This issue of Reborn is above average, even for the already high-standard Captain America books. Particularly, Rogers' internal monologue is very well-done, and quite touching near the end of the book. Norman Osborn is well-voiced, and I could even hear Willam Dafoe's voice in my head at times. The flashbacks were touching, and the suspense is beginning to mount in the present.
However, I can't help but think that this book is not just well suited for, but actually designed for the hardcover/trade-paperback market. Each issue so far has been solid, but the actual plot points are few in number. It will probably read much better as a collected edition.
Thoughts
This book is very good, probably the best of today's three (although Drusilla has different up-sides).
Stellar art is usually a good starting point for any book, and this one has it down pat. Likewise, the writing continues Brubaker's narrative, and keeps the characters true to both their roots, and their developments. The flashbacks continue to be the book's strong-suit, but the modern stuff works well too. If the entire series continues at this level of quality, it will be a welcome (if convoluted) chapter to the Captain America mythos. Captain America Reborn #2 retails for $3.99 and is worth every penny.
Conclusion
This week was one of the better ones I've seen in quite a while. Though a little tie-in heavy, the differences between Buffy and Angel are pretty vast, so it didn't come off crowded. Each book provided a different feel, and each was strong in its own way. Buffy was plot heavy and colorful, Angel was dark and foreshadowing, and Captain America was exciting and beautiful. This was a very solid week.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Tales from Wonderland #6 & 7
Escape from Wonderland #1
The Marvels Project #1
Captain America: Theater of War
Alright, people. This is my first review, and frankly, I couldn't have picked a worse week to begin on. Why? Because all three books I picked up this week were pretty darn good, and positive reviews just don't sell.
However, before getting into that, I feel a little disclaimer is required: I am not a huge comic-book fan. I mean, I love the genre, and will defend to the death Batman's infinite superiority to Superman, but I'm just not the kind of guy who buys ten or more books a week. A heavy week for me includes four books, so let's not get too excited, shall we? Agreed? Then on to the issues.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer #27
Ah, the continuing misadventures of Sunnydale's pint-sized powerhouse.
Plot
Continuing directly from Issue #26, Buffy and company are on the run from a pro-vampire society, and secret military plot, and the looming threat of "Twilight." Having landed a submarine in Tibet, (don't ask) the team has now met up with Oz, and are in desperate need of hiding their magics. The issue is mostly background and exposition, framed as Oz explaining how he got to be here, and what happened to him after leaving Sunnydale (the second time, in Season 4). The flashbacks are quality, and provide a nice bridge for the character.
Meanwhile, Warren, Amie, and Reilly continue their work for Twilight, who is growing more and more impatient with their failures. Eventually, the Baddies begin to close in on Team Slayer.
Artwork
The artwork in the issue is pretty mediocre. For some reason, the second page is wildly different from the rest of the book, (being much worse, in fact) which puts one in the wrong mood for the rest of the issue. In general however, the colors are bright and fetching, and the brown overtones in the flashbacks are subtle enough to provide ambiance without drowning us in it.
The only major artistic qualm I have with this book is the continuing lack of definition with the characters. Though it's pretty easy to spot characters like Giles, Xander, or Willow (who all have defining physical traits) characters like Dawn, Faith, and even Oz can sometimes look a little samey.
Writing
The writing of this issue is, by and large, the same stuff we've gotten used it in BuffyS8. Sometimes there'll be an issue that makes you feel like you're watching the show, other times... Well, there isn't. This issue is one of them. Due to the generally serious and plot-driven nature of this issue, the characteristic banter of the Scooby Gang is kept pretty minimal. That being said, the issue is still engaging, and the characters are presented fairly accurately.
Thoughts
This issue of Buffy was a nice, plot-heavy issue. The artwork was decent, the writing was decent, and the over-all feel was one of above-average good-times. As always, Buffy is a tad hard to jump into, but I suppose now is as good a time as any. Buffy #27 retails for $2.99
Angel #24 - Drusilla Pt. 1
♪Run and catch, run and catch...♪
Since this issue is so heavily focused on Drusilla, I have largely reviewed it in its role as the "first Drusilla comic," rather than as an issue of Angel.
Plot
Taking place "Just Before" the fall of Los Angles, (see Angel: Season 5) this two-part story begins by revealing that Drusilla (Juliet Landau) was recovered from her encounter with Angel by seemingly normal police officers. She is currently committed to a mental hospital, and the issue largely follows her and her doctors, as they discuss, treat, and cover-up-the-murders-of the vampiress. This issue seems to be more of a set-up for the second part of the story, establishing Dru's position, and hinting that someone, somewhere, is willing to cover for her.
Art
Alright, this is something I can honestly complain about. Angel has never had the strongest art since arriving at IDW, and that's a very large part of why I haven't been reading it until now. This issue is no real exception. Although the art over-all is not bad, the fact is that tie-in books must be held to a different standard than your average comic, and that's where this issue fails. For a book centered on a character so stunningly distinctive as Drusilla, the artist sure didn't seem to know what she looked like. In fact, the only time the character in the book looks like Landau is after she "vamps out," and only then for a handful of panels. At least the cover art is good enough (I have the type-C variant) and the back-up photo gallery was a nice, if unneeded, addition. In short, a tie-in comic needs to be true to its source material. By and large, this book fails that duty.
That being said, the action scenes were well done, and Drusilla's dance-like movements were captured quite well.
Writing
The writing for this issue is pretty standard Angel, in the sense that it is stronger than Buffy, while only mildy above-average in its own right. Dialogue is strong and seems natural, and, in a book with no narration, that's really all you can ask for. Drusilla's character in particular is well written (it ought to be - this issue was co-written by Juliet Landau herself) and her eerie, whimsical nature is not lost in the jump to comics.
Thoughts
This book is very, very solid. I enjoyed it quite a lot, and am glad I jumped on to Angel for this story. Unlike past comics such as Dark Horse's Spike & Dru books, this issue has really captured the Drusilla's dark flare, that insane childishness that made us love her in the first place. Now we can only pray for a spin-off. Angel #24 retails for 3.99, and is worth the price tag, if you already like Drusilla.
Captain America Reborn #2
The continuing adventures of some people who aren't Captain America.
Plot
Trying to make sense of this plot is like trying to explain the sexual implications of Lady Macbeth’s "out damn spot" speech to an autistic capybara.
Okay, strained metaphors aside, it goes something like this:
Steve Rogers (Captain America) was shot last year (or two years ago, I dunno) by a merc at the end of Marvel's Civil War cross-over. Now Bucky Barnes (aka Winter Soldier) is the new Captain America. However, it turns out that Steve Rogers isn't actually dead, he's just an unstable point in time and space (it's... it's just what Marvel does. Let it go), so while his body remains fixed, his mind floats all round the history of his life. So now Bucky and Black Widow (a super heroine I've never really followed) are trying to rescue Rogers' remains, while Agent 13, (Rogers' love interest) is undergoing tests by Reed Richards (Mr. Fantastic) because she actually shot the bullet that "killed" Rogers, but was under some kind of mind control-
Damn.
Screw that. Get the background yourself, why don't ya.
So this issue begins with my favorite part of any Cap book - Flashbacks! Yes, that's right; we get to see WWII through Cap's eyes once again. This is where Brubaker really shines, but more on that later.
So there's some fighting in the past, some fighting in the present, Norman Osborn let's Crossbones and Sin out of jail, and then captures Barnes and Widow. Osborn reveals that he's now leaked that 13 shot Cap, and that he will kill Bucky if she doesn't turn herself in. I guess he's trying to solidify his power base by having his own honest-to-goodness Captain America? Hell, I don't follow Dark Reign...
That's pretty much it. Its issue #2 of a 5-issue series, composed significantly of flashbacks. What did you expect?
Artwork
The monthly Captain America books have always had stellar art, and this issue continues this proud tradition. The dark, gritty colors of WWII provide a wonderful atmosphere, contrasting quite well with the more color-heavy tones of the modern world. The browns of the battlefield, the blues of the helicarrier, the greens of Richards' lab, and the sick washed-out lemon-lime of Crossbones'/Sin's prison cell all culminate in the flashback to the creation of Captain America, ending the scene in a full-page splash of death and flame.
The characters are well represented, and even non-costumed characters are easily told apart. Special kudos to the F.D.R. cameo - they even got his smile down.
Also of note, this issue has a full, wrap-around cover, showing Cap and Bucky fighting the Nazis in WWII. Captain America with Hitler in a strangle-hold? Hell Yes.
Writing
This issue of Reborn is above average, even for the already high-standard Captain America books. Particularly, Rogers' internal monologue is very well-done, and quite touching near the end of the book. Norman Osborn is well-voiced, and I could even hear Willam Dafoe's voice in my head at times. The flashbacks were touching, and the suspense is beginning to mount in the present.
However, I can't help but think that this book is not just well suited for, but actually designed for the hardcover/trade-paperback market. Each issue so far has been solid, but the actual plot points are few in number. It will probably read much better as a collected edition.
Thoughts
This book is very good, probably the best of today's three (although Drusilla has different up-sides).
Stellar art is usually a good starting point for any book, and this one has it down pat. Likewise, the writing continues Brubaker's narrative, and keeps the characters true to both their roots, and their developments. The flashbacks continue to be the book's strong-suit, but the modern stuff works well too. If the entire series continues at this level of quality, it will be a welcome (if convoluted) chapter to the Captain America mythos. Captain America Reborn #2 retails for $3.99 and is worth every penny.
Conclusion
This week was one of the better ones I've seen in quite a while. Though a little tie-in heavy, the differences between Buffy and Angel are pretty vast, so it didn't come off crowded. Each book provided a different feel, and each was strong in its own way. Buffy was plot heavy and colorful, Angel was dark and foreshadowing, and Captain America was exciting and beautiful. This was a very solid week.
Coming Soon to Wednesday Shuffle:
Tales from Wonderland #6 & 7
Escape from Wonderland #1
The Marvels Project #1
Captain America: Theater of War
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