Category Archives: Reviews
Review: X-Factor #259
Hey continuity fans, this issue is for you! Did you ever wonder what happened to Dazzler’s baby from that one brief mention of it’s fate back in 2001? What about the secret history of Longshot and Shatterstar? Are you a scholar of X-Men history so deep and obscure that you’ve been waiting decades for your answers? Peter David and X-Factor have you covered in the latest issue of The End of X-Factor! And it’s mostly good, but also mostly just a quick attempt for PAD to write off a story idea he had in one issue.
X-Factor #259
On the one hand, The End of X-Factor is about tying off each individual character with a bow. On the other hand, like with this issue, PAD might be cramming every story idea he had left into single, one-off issues.
Comic Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
I’m just not a big fan of Rictor, Shatterstar or Longshot, so maybe the true strength of this issue was lost on me. PAD has been hinting at some sort of connection between the two similar heroes for a while now, and I can definitely say I didn’t see this exact twist coming, but it’s still similar to what I expected. It also only comes up in the last third of the book, which turns into a huge info-dump as PAD just lets it all out. I got the feeling that he had planned something bigger and better for the big reveal, but the comic’s cancellation saw to the end of those plans.
The rest of the issue is fine. It’s mostly about Rictor, and it’s so utterly random. After the events of Hell on Earth War, Rictor wound up in the Mojoverse, of all places. That part doesn’t make much sense, but again, this issue is all about tying off the Longshot/Shatterstar story. PAD does a fine job with it, and might actually appease a few continuity buffs in the audience.
Review: Pacific Rim
Imagine a tank. Now imagine that tank is shaped like a human being. Now imagine that tank is as tall as a skyscraper, and it’s used to beat down giant monsters in the kind of fights that shake the streets, shatter buildings and use oceanliners as baseball bats. That is Pacific Rim, the ultimate ode to giant robots and monster movies of old. And considering my childhood love of the Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, and my own desire to someday pilot a Megazord, I was definitely looking forward to Pacific Rim – and I was not disappointed.
Pacific Rim is the kind of summer spectacle movie that people should be lining up to see. It’s the kind of movie that demands a bigger IMAX screen, because the action is both huge and hugely entertaining. The human characters could have used a little more fleshing out, but the size and scope of the film do not disappoint.
Movie Rating: 8/10 – Very Good.
Sadly, the Adam Sandler film Grown Ups 2 somehow captivated audiences more this past weekend than Pacific Rim. This is the world we live in. A crappy, crummy, by-the-numbers, lazy Sandler fart-joke-fest made more money than an original, high-octane movie about giant robots fighting giant monsters. Do I need to repeat that? Giant robots fighting giant monsters. In big, bombastic slugfests! It’s the Megazord fighting Godzilla! It’s every childhood joy of mine coming to fun, exciting life on the big screen. What more could humanity possibly want from its movies?
That little children around the world aren’t bugging their parents for Gipsy Danger toys right now is a crime against humanity.
Take it from a big geek like me, the robot/monster fights in Pacific Rim are exactly what we hoped they would be – though they almost all take place at night…in the rain…and while standing waist-deep in the water. I guess sometimes filmmakers have to do what they can to hide the CGI. But I won’t hold it against them. The fights are big, brutal and highly entertaining. And unlike Man of Steel, the CGI was not just a big mess of explosions and mindless destruction. These were unique, cool-looking beings, and their actions were easy to follow and understand. Pacific Rim is big CGI done right.
If only the human characters were as awesome as the giant, asskicking robots.
Join me after the jump for my full review of Pacific Rim. And beware, there will be some SPOILERS.
Review: Deadpool, the Game
Holy Chimichangas, they made a Deadpool video game! They haven’t even gotten around to making that Deadpool movie they’re always talking about, and there isn’t anything else coming out to make this game a cash grab tie-in. Marvel and developer High Moon Studios just up and made a Deadpool video game for the sheer hell of it. How cool is that!? We all know how this works. Whenever a superhero movie or cartoon show comes out, some video game developer is hired to make a crummy tie-in game just to make some money. Then the best case scenario is that sometimes those games are mediocre. More often than not, they’re unplayable.
But every so often, once in half a dozen blue moons, a superhero video game is made to stand on its own, and we get a glorious gem like Batman: Arkham City!
And sometimes we get Deadpool, the game.
Who said that?
Game Rating: 6/10 – Pretty Good.
I have good news for Deadpool fans: this game is an absolute perfect adaptation of the character. Comic writer Daniel Way also penned the game, so the same style and humor he brought to the character in the comics is also on the screen. Deadpool is wacky, he’s crude, he breaks the Fourth Wall, he hallucinates and he never stops talking. He’s the Merc with the Mouth, so if you’ve been a fan of the character over the past few years, this game should be fantastic.
But we hate Daniel Way’s Deadpool.
I’ll get to that in a minute. Anyway, even though all of the Deadpoolness in the game is great, the game itself is achingly mediocre. High Moon Studios apparently spent all of their time perfecting the Deadpoolery, then just stapled it to a bare bones hack’n’slasher. The enemies are repetitive and unoriginal, the plot is non-existent, the levels are boring, and the few moments that actually break out of the mold are too short to actually make an impact. That’s not to say any of these things are bad, per se, they’re just bland and uninspired. The game itself is entirely average, but at a short 6 to 7 hours, maybe that’s all you need to enjoy such impressive amounts of Deadpoolocity.
So basically Deadpool, the game, is all about Deadpool. I think they get it.
Either way, join me after the jump for my full review!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 7/6/13
Alright, guys and gals, this is the last time I change up my rating system. I know I changed it just a few months ago, but now that I’ve been trying it out for awhile, I realize just how confusing it might be. I started out with a scale of just 0-5. Then I added decimals, because that seemed like the thing to do, and I wanted my reviews to be a little more nuanced. Now I’ve decided that the decimals just add a lot of unnecessary clutter. But rather than do away with them, I’ve decided to take my 0-5 system and upgrade it to a 0-10 instead. I think, in the long run, this will just be easier.
Let’s do a quick run down:
0 – Abomination; 1 – Terrible; 2 – Very Bad; 3 – Bad; 4 – Pretty Bad; 5 – Alright; 6 – Pretty Good; 7 – Good; 8 – Very Good; 9 – Great; 10 – Fantastic!
Now that the housekeeping is out of the way, on with the reviews!
Short week, this week, with only a handful of comics coming out on my buy pile. Avengers continues their big storyline, Batman Incorporated draws ever close to the finish, and the new writer on Green Lantern settles into his new role of storyteller. All quality comics, and I enjoyed each and every one. But the real standout this week is The Superior Foes of Spider-Man! I’ve been eagerly anticipating this comic since it was announced, and it did not disappoint (though the name could stand to be a little less complex). Superior Foes is about a handful of Spider-Man’s B and C-list foes banding together into a new Sinister Six (which would have been a fine title). The comic takes the down-to-Earth, personal appeal of a book like Hawkeye and adds a dash of villainy. The characters here aren’t out to rule the world. They’re just out to make a living, and costumed crime is the path they’ve chosen. This is exactly my kind of book, and The Superior Foes of Spider-Man easily wins Comic Book of the Week.
It’s the little stuff that matters. Like Shocker and Speed Demon arguing over the keys.
Comic Reviews: Avengers #15, Batman Incorporated #12, Green Lantern #22, The Superior Foes of Spider-Man #1.
Review: Scarlet Spider #18
Who knew Kaine could be so funny? I know he’s a clone of Peter Parker and everything, but he’s usually a sourpuss straight man. I guess with Aracely mostly sitting this issue out, somebody’s got to keep up the chuckles. Because what would a book like Scarlet Spider be without some humor? And Wolverine isn’t about to deliver. That guy is as sourpuss as they come. But I’m not going to complain when Scarlet Spider gets some attention from the rest of the Marvel Universe.
Scarlet Spider #18
The continuing Scarlet Spider/Wolverine team-up is as entertaining as it was last issue, albeit for different reasons. Writer Chris Yost is doing a team-up right.
Comic Rating: 4/5 – Good.
Somehow, seemingly against all reason, Scarlet Spider is still chugging along 18 issues later. I’ve never seen it mentioned as a comic due for cancellation. Does it have an audience? Is it actually selling? Because that would be fantastic. Maybe this Wolverine cameo will help punch up sales for a little bit. It was a classic maneuver back in the day for new comics to guest star Wolverine or Spider-Man as quickly as possible. What better way to sell a new hero to audiences than by giving him or her some team-up time with the big shots? That’s kind of what happens here. Maybe this is even an homage. Scarlet Spider and Wolverine team up to take on some colorful bad guys. It’s as classic as comic books get.
The art by Carlo Barberi and Ale Garza is, likewise, top notch. It’s clear, detailed and full of action. I was unhappy for the longest time with Scarlet Spider‘s artist, but now the series has got that taken care of. So at this point, Scarlet Spider needs to take the comic to the next level. It’s got solid storytelling, solid characters and solid art. It’s entertaining and fun to read. But it could stand to be…something more. One can’t exactly say what it could use, or what exactly could be done. Deeper stories. More meaningful character development. Maybe a hot romantic relationship? Who knows! But when you’ve got a good, quality comic, you can’t just rest on your laurels. Kick things up a notch, Chris Yost! Take Scarlet Spider to the next level!
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Henchman-4-Hire 