Category Archives: Reviews
Review: Prometheus
I have never seen Alien. So I can’t tell you whether or not Prometheus works as a prequel. But I can tell you that Prometheus absolutely doesn’t work as a stand alone movie. All the hype, all the anticipation, and all we get is a very standard action movie with no surprises, no scares and nothing we haven’t seen before. I don’t care if it’s directed by the legendary Ridley Scott, or that he’s revisiting his most classic sci-fi film. Apparently he’s lost his touch.
Prometheus asks all these big questions about the origins of the human race and where we come from, but then answers them with standard movie violence.
Movie rating: 3/5: Alright.
I can’t bring myself to say that Prometheus is a bad movie. It’s competently made, looks cool and has enough action and Idris Elba to keep someone entertained. But the film has so many plot holes and contrivances that I can’t consider it a good movie. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone. I also can’t imagine it answering too many questions about the Alien franchise. Everything we learn about the aliens and the Engineers in this movie is just boring and ho-hum. We don’t learn anything about the origins of the human race. And the big moment where it looks like we might see something new, Scott just inserts more needless, pointless violence.
The characters are paper thin, the designs are dark and murky, the aliens are wildly inconsistent and some of the twists just don’t make any sense. I expected much more from Prometheus, but got so much less.
Spoilers and more after the jump.
Review: X-Factor #237
This! This is what I’ve been talking about! X-Factor #237 is writer Peter David at his finest, writing his characters as people first and superheroes second. Forget the interdimensional super-villains, the Mojoverse and whatever other crazy plots PAD has in store for X-Factor. This is what I want from this comic. The issue starts with a few of his female characters going on a character-building road trip together, and ends with one of them having a huge personal break through. This issue is comic gold.
X-Factor #237
X-Factor doesn’t need costumes, super-villains or an Avengers vs. X-Men tie-in to make for an amazing comic book.
Comic rating: 5/5: Great!
I wish more of PAD’s issues were like this one. But instead he seems to sprinkle these character-based issues throughout his run. They have always been a highlight of X-Factor. And I suppose they’re made all the better because of how rare they are. Plus, having issues like this makes the action issues better, because we come to care more about the characters. Polaris has been a ghost in this series since she joined, so she desperately needed a story like this.
Unfortunately, this issue is far from the best character-based story that PAD has written for X-Factor. After nearly 100 issues writing this volume, his grip on the characters and their personalities is slipping. I chalk this up to having just too many characters and plots to contend with. Back at the beginning he had everything under control. But that’s not to say this issue isn’t great. The dialogue and humor are fun, the characters are written very well and the art is absolutely gorgeous.
And thank the heavens, Polaris has finally changed out of that stupid green costume Thank you for that, PAD!
Review: Avengers vs. X-Men #5
Talk about a game-changing cliffhanger! I’ve said it before about Avengers vs. X-Men, and I’ll say it again: I have no idea where this story is going, and that’s awesome! While most of these big Event Comics end with a giant fight (and somebody shouting “Avengers Assemble!”) we’ve already had half a dozen giant fights in this series. And while those fights haven’t been all that great, the story continues to move along at a fantastic and exciting pace. Which is why I’m going to give Avengers vs. X-Men #5 my highest rating for the series for far.
Avengers vs. X-Men #5
After that cliffhanger, Avengers vs. X-Men is definitely keeping us on our toes! I can’t wait to see what happens next.
Comic rating: 5/5: Great.
Now that’s not to say this is a perfect issue. That’s not how my rating system works. And granted, my rating system really only works in my head. The previous issues of Avengers vs. X-Men have only been “good” because they were solid stories that were told well with decent art, so worth a read, but not all that amazing. This issue continues that trend, but then delivers a fantastic, action-packed climax, and then that cliffhanger I can’t stop gushing over. I’ll spoil it in the synopsis after the jump. Just trust me that it definitely changes the series from here on out.
Though arguably not in a good way. I can’t help but feel that Marvel has definitely picked a side by the end of this issue, and it’s the side I’m against. I’ve definitely been on the side of Cyclops and the X-Men throughout the series, but Marvel may have tipped their hand.
I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review!
Review: Teen Titans #9 and The Culling
For anybody who eagerly reads my Teen Titans reviews, I’m apologize that this is so late. I have been dreading The Culling storyline, which is a crossover with two comics that I don’t read: Superboy and Legion Lost. I’ve been dreading The Culling because, quite honestly, Teen Titans has been a bad comic book, especially in the build up to this crossover. And I simply don’t want to have to buy Superboy or Legion Lost. Plus the rest of the Internet has been pretty negative about The Culling. So I just kept putting off actually reading the damn thing.
Teen Titans #9
Now that I’ve read it, I’m somewhat relieved to say that The Culling wasn’t so bad. Writer Scott Lobdell has finally answered pretty much all of my questions about N.O.W.H.E.R.E. and has actually provided a reasonable explanation for everything that’s happened so far.
Unfortunately, one has to sacrifice character development, personality and more than a few brain cells to enjoy this action-oriented story.
Teen Titans #9 rating: 4/5: Good. The Culling rating: 3/5: Alright.
What can I say? While I was reading The Culling (at least the parts I bought) I was enjoying myself. The comic is almost entirely climax, with the Teen Titans finally facing off against everything N.O.W.H.E.R.E. has to offer. The big threat that has been building since Teen Titans #1 – and spent most of that time in the frustrating shadows – finally comes to a head in a big way. And the Teen Titans band together, kick some ass and save the day, while facing some bittersweet truths in the process. If I was more invested in these characters or these villains, this would definitely be a satisfying conclusion to the entire Teen Titans opening story arc.
But once you get past the action, there’s nothing left. The characters all blend together, with few, if any, unique personalities. There is no character growth or any real emotional bonding between any of them, which has been a problem with Teen Titans since the start. Despite knowing N.O.W.H.E.R.E.’s master plan, they still remain a largely stupid opponent, with far too much reach and power to fit comfortably into the DC Universe.
Though I will say that the art remains pretty good. More after the jump.
Review: Mimic and the X-Men #4
What the hell is this supposed to be? Where’s my Mimic? If I’m going to buy a comic starring the Mimic, one of the greatest and coolest X-Men of all time, I expect him to be in more than 5 panels, and I expect him to get more than one line. But nooooOOOoooo! Apparently someone else has a better idea. Someone named Christos Gage seems to want to focus on Rogue for some reason. As if anybody cares about Rogue when they could be reading about the spectacular and handsome Mimic!
Mimic and the X-Men #4
Instead, Mimic seems to have something of a glass jaw when it comes to Avengers vs. X-Men.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
For those of you coming in late, the Mimic is one of my favorite comic book characters of all time. And recently in the pages of X-Men Legacy, writer Christos Gage has plucked Mimic out of the mothballs, dusted him off and put him in the regular cast of the comic. For the first time in 40 years, he’s a member of the X-Men again. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I’ve added X-Men: Legacy to my review list – only I prefer to refer to it as Mimic and the X-Men. Because I really only care about Mimic’s role in the comic.
And based on this issue, he doesn’t have much of a roll at all. It’s a tragedy.
