Yearly Archives: 2013
How Pacific Rim Should Have Ended
I liked Pacific Rim, and this video nails it to the wall. Funny too, and without resorting to their Superman/Batman schtick. Those surprise cameos at the end were golden, I tells ya! Golden!
Review: X-Factor #261
The penultimate issue of X-Factor is upon us, and rather than do anything for the larger story, writer Peter David just says goodbye to Monet and Darwin. He checks two more characters off his list, leaving us, next issue, with presumably his fond farewell to Jamie Madrox. I’m comfortable with that. I’m saving all my tears for that issue. Because I’ve never been a particularly big fan of Monet, and especially not Darwin, so this issue doesn’t hold any special meaning for me. It’s a nice little comic, and maybe if the series weren’t over it would hold a little more weight. But for now, it’s just a quick, done-in-one goodbye to two random characters. And sadly, I think artist Neil Edwards is getting a little rushed. Hopefully he saved his best work for the final issue.
X-Factor #261
X-Factor #261 is a quaint little comic that says goodbye to Monet and Darwin by hooking them up for no apparent reason. See ya later, kiddos!
Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
Darwin has always been an odd character in X-Factor. PAD deserves a lot of credit for doing anything with the character, but his attempts to turn Darwin into a real boy were never nearly as successful as what he did with Layla Miller. Those two characters actually have a lot in common. Both were created by hot shot writers to serve as plot devices in their big stories – Layla was created by Brian Michael Bendis to be the dues ex machina in House of M, and Darwin was created by Ed Brubaker to be pointless in Deadly Genesis. And both were pretty much abandoned by their hot shot creators almost immediately, left for other writers to play around with. That PAD grabbed them both for X-Factor says a lot about him and the series.
But whereas PAD had some amazing ideas in store for Layla Miller (“I know things”), he kind of just plugged Darwin into X-Factor with no real purpose. The guy randomly joined up alongside Longshot in a Secret Invasion crossover, and stuck around for a split second before taking off to parts unknown for more than a year. That PAD ever bothered to bring Darwin back in the lead up to Hell on Earth War was strange enough, but to say goodbye like this? It just doesn’t really jibe in any meaningful way. PAD could never make Darwin work, and he still doesn’t succeed in this issue. Darwin is as bland and boring as anyone can be.
Monet fairs a little better. PAD has always had fun with the character, and her personal journey over the course of the series has been rocky and dramatic. I kind of wish he’d come up with something better for her to do in the end, and it’s kind of a shame that she got saddled with Darwin for her finale. The two characters have zero chemistry together…though that’s probably entirely Darwin’s fault.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
LEGO Marvel Superheroes is Like a Yummy Present Just Waiting for Me to Play It
I don’t know about you, but watching this trailer fills me with all manner of giddy happiness. Me want game now!
No sign of Multiple Man yet. But the game has Squirrel Girl, Deadpool, Sabretooth, Mystique, Green Goblin, Venom and so many more. Oh man, oh man, this game is gonna rock! Except, of course, for its lack of online co-op. Why is it that the people behind these LEGO games never include online co-op? I realize the love of couch co-op is very nostalgic, but I’m not sorry that my friends don’t live in my house!
Honest Trailers: Star Trek Into Darkness
I loved Star Trek Into Darkness, and I stand by that decision. Both it and Kick-Ass 2 are neck-and-neck for best movie of the year. But all of that might change with The World’s End coming out this weekend…Still, the folks at Honest Trailers make some pretty good points, as always.
Heh, I like the animated segment at the end. And they are spot on with that blonde chick. Sheesh.
6 Things I Want From Star Wars Episode VII
I am about to say something so shocking that I may be banned from the Internet: I like the Star Wars prequels. Please, put your torches and pitchforks down. I’m not saying they’re good movies, or that they’re filled with exciting new characters; but I will say that the Star Wars prequels are fun entertainment, and they expand the Star Wars universe in brilliant and exciting ways. Nothing will ever be as good as the original trilogy, but I still like them, despite their many flaws.
Which is why I am completely on board with Disney and J.J. Abrams making a whole new trilogy, starting with Episode VII in a few years.
Good thing we all remember Roman numerals
I love Star Wars, but I am by no means a rabid fanboy. I never saw the original trilogy in theaters. The best I could do as a kid was a beat-up copy of Return of the Jedi on VHS. I had seen all the films when I was really young, but it wouldn’t be until well into my teens before I finally saw full, quality versions of all three films. That was more than enough to get me excited for the prequels, and I saw all three movies on their opening weekends, and I remember loving each and every one of them in the theaters.
Heck, I don’t even mind Jar Jar Binks. Uh…was that going too far?
Anyway, I’m excited to see what happens in Star Wars: Episode VII, so I’ve decided to do up a list of six things I want to see in the next Star Wars movie. And I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments blow.
Henchman-4-Hire 