Yearly Archives: 2013
Hulk: Agents of S.M.A.S.H. Is What It Is
I dunno. This cartoon is not for me. Maybe it’s for you, and maybe people will enjoy it. But for whatever reason, I find myself mostly skipping all these Disney-funded Marvel superhero cartoons.
Is it possible that I’ve finally outgrown childish cartoons? I didn’t respond all that strongly Beware the Batman. And I haven’t seen a single episode of Ultimate Spider-Man. Have I really reached the point in my life where I don’t care about superhero cartoons?
Heavy.
Review: X-Factor #258
Now this is more like it! The last issue of X-Factor was a weird, context-less adventure in Marrakesh that didn’t seem to really have anything to do with X-Factor as a comic or as a superhero team. This issue, starring Wolfsbane, is a proper farewell. It tells a great Wolfsbane story, deals with her personal fallout in the wake of the Hell on Earth War, and sets her up with a new, post-series life. This is exactly what I want to see from the final issues of X-Factor.
X-Factor #258
Rahne gets the help of Father John Maddox to say goodbye, and once again, an appearance by Multiple Man’s religious dupe makes for a good issue.
Comic Rating: 4/5 – Good.
It’s sad to see X-Factor go, but it’s fun to watch writer Peter David say his goodbyes. I didn’t like the last issue whatsoever. It wasn’t a goodbye. It wasn’t a character story. It had nothing to do with anything. But this is very different. Father Maddox is one of the best creations to come out of X-Factor, and he’s a great narrator. Nothing has been as good as Maddox’s first ever appearance, but there’s nothing wrong with that. Maddox works well as a foil for Wolfsbane, given their religious connection, and he gives her a suitable outlet to wrap up her story. This issue definitely feels like a goodbye to Wolfsbane. I knew PAD could pull it off.
This issue also definitely feels like a farewell to X-Factor. As Rahne’s story wrapped up, as she shared a final scene with Guido, it really felt like an end of everything. Rahne and Guido used to be best friends, but in this issue I could really see how far they’ve come – and how far they are from friends anymore. Guido killed her son, after all. Rahne gets a very nice send-off. There’s a flash of Wolfsbane action, a heartfelt reunion with an old love, and some counseling with Father Maddox.
In the end, Rahne gets a chance to see the light. I hope we all get that chance when X-Factor comes to an end this fall.
First Trailer for That Batman Cartoon That Replaces Robin with Katana
Right off the bat, Beware the Batman has earned my ire. What sort of show replaces Robin with Katana? Honestly!
Beware the Batman premieres on July 13 on Cartoon Network. Apparently it’s going to be about Bruce and Alfred battling newer foes like Professor Pyg. Also, Katana is going to be Alfred’s god-daughter for some reason, and he hires her on as Bruce Wayne’s bodyguard, because he needs one of those. Or I guess that’s going to be the cover story so that Katana can really train as his sidekick (or Alfred’s replacement).
The animation looks fine. The action looks fine. Beware the Batman looks fine. But I cannot stand this gross violation of something that’s not really that important, now I think about it. It’s not like I’m the target audience for this cartoon. Still, a blogger must have principles, and around here we are pro-Robin.
Also, did you see what I did up top with ‘right off the bat’? Nailed it.
Hollywood to Reach It’s Zenith With The LEGO Movie
I kind of knew The LEGO Movie was coming out. I did not realize it would be this amazing.
This may be the first movie to ever team-up Michelangelo and Michelangelo. For that alone, this should be genius. And then generic 80s space guy? I had those guys! Those were my LEGOs! I realize this movie is aimed at kids, but honestly, this movie is made for me. Scratch that, it’s made for us. Anyone who was always secretly happy when your grandmother kept getting you LEGO sets for Christmas even though you were in high school. Anyone who still contemplates whether to buy LEGO Batman sets well into their 20s. Anyone who went ahead and bought the LEGO Batmobile and proudly displays it on their bookshelf.
This movie is for us!
The 6 Most Evil Fathers in Comics
Father’s Day was this past weekend, and like all dutiful sons in the Internet Age, I marked this occasion by writing ‘Happy Father’s Day’ on Facebook and assumed my father would see it. He and my mom have progressed to the point of getting their own Facebook page, but only so they can read statuses, not so they can actually post anything or interact. Parents, amiright? But as I looked around Facebook, I saw people really going the extra mile and writing nicer, longer messages, buying their fathers gifts and actually spending time with their dads. But I’m no good at fishing, I have yet to give him a grandchild, and I’m not making millions of dollars in a high paying job. What kind of son am I?
So I decided to celebrate my father with the one skill I do possess: writing! I decided to dedicate this week’s List of Six to comic book fathers – but in my research, I discovered something pretty horrible: most comic book fathers are totally evil!
Pa Kent was a drunk
This list was going to be titled ‘The 6 Coolest Fathers in Comics’, but once I actually started looking up comic book dads, I discovered that most of them are bad to the bone. For every Pa Kent, who raised his son to be the world’s greatest hero, there are half a dozen evil dads, who often force their children to become dark reflections of themselves. So I decided it might actually be a lot more fun to do a list of the 6 most truly evil fathers in comic books. Though it should be noted that this list is not a reflection of my own father, who clearly raised me into one of the coolest, most handsome bloggers on the Internet!
Henchman-4-Hire 