Yearly Archives: 2011
Review: Teen Titans #2
Both dialogue and overall quality of the new Teen Titans series take a noticeable dip in the second issue, providing a lackluster follow-up to what I thought was a stellar first issue. We’re introduced to a rather ridiculous new member of the team and are once again faced with a baffling status quo about the ‘dangers’ of teenage superheroes. Part of the new DC relaunch was that the average person doesn’t trust superheroes anymore, which is fine, but there’s a stark disconnect between every other title I’ve read and the status quo of Teen Titans.
Teen Titans #2
At least Red Robin is still very cool.
Comic rating: 2/5: Bad.
Issue #2 introduces us to brand new superhero Skitter, who I am going to call Skittles from now on. At least until I get to the paragraph where I discuss what a stupid name ‘Skitter’ is for anybody. Teen Titans is still very much in team-building mode, with the B-story devoted to establishing the villain: the secret organization N.O.W.H.E.R.E. I can’t stress enough what a ridiculous job writer Jeff Lobdell does in trying to give N.O.W.H.E.R.E. some villainous cred. This issue features roll-your-eyes bad dialogue, particularly when it comes to that group.
The issue also features roll-your-eyes bad dialogue between the main characters. Basically the issue is just troublesome to read. Which is really too bad. Spoilers after the jump.
Let’s Take Donkey Kong Very Seriously
The Internet absolutely loves to give us realistic/hardcore takes on Super Mario. If you’ve never seen the web series There Will Be Brawl, I highly recommend it. There are also dozens of pictures and comic and jokes. Well this video recently came out, and I thought I’d share it with everyone. Thanks to Topless Robot for the tip.
They Are Going to Need to Find a 12th Doctor
In a recent interview with VH1, current Doctor Who star Matthew Smith declared that he was going to quit the show after the next season. That’s a shame. I’ve come to really enjoy Smith’s 11th Doctor quite a lot. He had some fantastic episodes in Season 6, rivaling some of the best of 10th Doctor David Tennant’s work. I know my own plucky female companion hasn’t been as won over with Smith as I have, but his ‘Colonel Runaway’ monologue is quite possibly my favorite scene in the entirety of Doctor Who.
Matthew Smith will be missed.
Here’s a quote from the interview video:
“I’ve got another year of Doctor Who, but then I’m certainly going to come and give it a shot, come and hang out in LA.”
Apparently Smith wants to try his hand at Hollywood. More power to him, I say. Tennant went on to play Barty Crouch Jr. in one of the Harry Potter movies, and he was pretty creepy and fantastic in the role. So who knows what Matt Smith can accomplish, even with his weird Frankenstein face.
And that come-hither bow tie
I kid. I kid cause I love.
For those not in the know, the character of The Doctor is an alien who can regenerate and heal whenever his body is mortally wounded. But the regeneration gives him a new body, a new face and some new personality quirks. He maintains all of his memories and his mind, just the outer shell changes. Very convenient for a show that’s been on the air for 50 years and has gone through nearly a dozen different actors in the role.
Matthew Smith played the 11th regeneration of the Doctor. So his successor will be the 12th. The next season, Season 7, will be aired in 2012/2013. That means the regeneration into the 12th Doctor in 2013 will coincide with the show’s 50th anniversary. Neat.
If only this existed...
Less Than a Week Until Nightwing Joins Arkham City
Batman: Arkham City only came out a week ago and already developer Rocksteady is ready to hit us with some downloadable content. They will be bringing Nightwing into the game as a fully playable character in the Challenge Maps, just like they already have Robin and Catwoman. Nightwing will also bring his own Challenge Maps called ‘Wayne Manor’ and ‘Main Hall’, so that should be neat.
Batman games can never have enough Robin, as far as I’m concerned.
The 6 Best Easter Eggs in Batman: Arkham City
I love video game Easter Eggs, and Batman: Arkham City is littered with them! For anyone who doesn’t know, an Easter Egg is an in-joke or a wink to the fans that game developers put into their game for the sheer fun of it. Like finding He-Man in World of Warcraft, the beating heart in the Statue of Liberty in Grand Theft Auto IV or being able to play as Bill Clinton in NBA Jam. They don’t have anything to do with the main game; but if you’re a fan of the series, and you get the ‘joke’, they can bring a smile to your face. They are a real treat.
Arkham City up close and personal
And when creating the ultimate set of Batman video games, the makers of Batman: Arkham Asylum and the new Batman: Arkham City went Easter Egg crazy!
The story of Arkham City (which I won’t spoil here), is an epic adventure that pits Batman against the Joker and Professor Hugo Strange. The game has Batman facing off against other classic rogues like Two-Face, Catwoman, Penguin, Mad Hatter and more as he tries to solve the mystery of Arkham City and save the day! The game takes place in a sprawling map of Gotham City, featuring such notable levels as Penguin’s Iceberg Lounge, the Gotham City Police Station and Ace Chemicals, where the Joker received his vicious grin.
But hidden in the nooks and crannies of the game, far off the beaten path, are tons of Easter Eggs and references to other characters, villains and stories from Batman lore.
It was like that in the first game too. I loved walking around Arkham Asylum and randomly stumbling across Two-Face’s or Mr. Freeze’s cells. They were just there as part of a normal cell block, the way any prisoner’s cell would be. Well Batman: Arkham City has much more room to work with and a lot more ways to hide Easter Eggs. I won’t be spoiling the main story in this list, just a few of the fun and funny Easter Eggs that you can find hidden in the game.
Here are the 6 Best in Batman: Arkham City:
Henchman-4-Hire 