Category Archives: Robin
The 6 Best Easter Eggs in Batman: Arkham Origins
A new Batman: Arkham video game is upon us, and once again, it is filled to the brim with action, punching, maniacal giggles and, of course, Easter Eggs! The game developers know that geeks like us love a good reference, and the Arkham games have been famous for all manner of hidden secrets and winks to the fans from Batman lore. Batman: Arkham Origins is no different. Along with hours upon hours of gameplay, the developers have hidden throughout the game small, easy-to-miss hints to the larger Batman world. These are Easter Eggs, and I spent my first weekend with Batman: Arkham Origins finding the best ones!
In the first two games in the series, Arkham Asylum and Arkham City, the developers included big scavenger hunts based around heroes and villains from DC Comics. They wanted you to find the Easter Eggs, which unlocked character bios, trophies and more. Those character-based scavenger hunts are gone from Arkham Origins, replaced with a hunt for famous Gotham City buildings and landmarks called ‘Gotham Intel’. But the developers still added some character-based Eggs, which are now harder – and more rewarding – to find.
So join me after the jump to see the best DC Universe Easter Eggs in Batman: Arkham Origins.
Of course, there will be some SPOILERS for the game, but I’ll try not to give away any of the plot or twists. And if you know of any Easter Eggs I missed, let me know in the comments! Read the rest of this entry
Awesome Shot of Robin Costume Just Because I Love Robin
DC Comics’ January solicitations came out on Monday, and the best thing in the bunch was this cover to Batman and Robin Annual #2. Drawn by Doug Mahnke, it’s a brilliant shot of the New 52 version of Dick Grayson’s original Robin costume. I really like the design. It is, of course, much better than the original original Robin costume, with the short shots and pixie boots. And I just wanted to share this picture because this is a Robin-friendly blog.
Though if I may be allowed two minor nitpicks…I don’t like that the arms aren’t bare. He’s got black sleeves between his green shoulders and gloves, and I just think bare arms would look so much better. I also don’t like that this costume no longer has the classic yellow clasps on the chest. I always thought that was kind of iconic. They’re obviously still incorporated into the design, but I think the whole costume is just missing a little something without them.
But those are silly, worthless nitpicks. I love the costume, simple as that.
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 9/7/13
Welcome to Villains Month! It’s the two-year anniversary of DC’s New 52 reboot, and like every September so far, they have launched a wacky publicity stunt! Unfortunately for DC, I only bought two of the dozen or so villain books. And I wasn’t all that impressed with either one. Fortunately, I liked the first issue of Forever Evil a bit more, so at least DC has that.
Not to be outdone, Marvel Comics isn’t taking Villains Month lying down. They are neck deep in the big Infinity event (yawn), and this week also saw the launch of Battle of the Atom (yay), the new Brian Michael Bendis-penned X-Men crossover. So this week was clearly a huge week in comics – and not just because it’s my 30th birthday too.
Comic Book of the Week goes to both Battle of the Atom #1 and All-New X-Men #16. Marvel and Bendis kicked off Battle of the Atom in style, and I think it’s easily going to be the best Big Event Crossover of the season!
Comic Reviews: Battle of the Atom #1, All-New X-Men #16, Bizarro #1, Deadshot #1, Forever Evil #1, Infinity #2, and Superior Foes of Spider-Man #3.
Punishing Dick Grayson, and Why It Could Be a Good Thing
Dick Grayson can’t seem to catch a break. And I don’t just mean the murder of his parents when he was still a boy. I mean Dick Grayson as a comic book superhero can’t seem to catch a break in DC Comics’ New 52 universe. In less than two years, Dick found out that his childhood home, Haley’s Circus, was actually a front for the villainous Court of Owls secret society, and that Dick himself was in line to become one of their undead assassins (until the whole Batman and Robin thing happened instead). Then he found out his childhood sweetheart was a psychopath who betrayed him and tried to kill him, only for her to then be murdered by the Joker as a means of punishing Dick.
Then when he inherited Haley’s Circus and sunk all of his life savings into fixing it up, that too was destroyed by the Joker. Then Dick found out that Batman was keeping secrets from him, leading to an angry split between the two heroes. Then he found out the man who murdered his parents was still alive and hiding in Chicago!
And now Nightwing has been chosen as the sacrificial lamb for the new Forever Evil event.
So that’s why they put him in red
Don’t worry, he’s not dead…at least not yet.
But something almost as huge happened to Nightwing in this week’s Forever Evil #1. As a big Robin and Nightwing fan, I’m worried about any major change to one of my favorite characters. But I’m here to tell you that this change might not be all that bad. In fact, this could work out very well in Nightwing’s favor.
As long as DC manages to use it to tell some good stories. That part is questionable.
But this isn’t the end of the world. Join me after the jump for full SPOILERS and why I think this could be good for the character.
Review: Teen Titans #23
Just when I think Teen Titans has done everything in its power to mess with my head, here comes Teen Titans #23. On the one hand, it’s everything I’ve ever wanted from the comic. Here is an issue dedicated to the various members sitting down and talking to one another about themselves and their lives. Some of them even sound kind of like teenagers; you know, when they’re not utterly the most base, awkward expositional dialogue ever written. Oh yes, oh yes. The one thing I’ve been complaining about most since the start of the DCnU Titans, and Teen Titans #23 delivers in spades.
Teen Titans #23
But holy crap is this a weird, stunted and disappointing comic!
Comic Rating: 4/10 – Pretty Bad.
I don’t even think I should rate these Teen Titans issues anymore. I’ve lost all ability to be objective, or even recognize what is or isn’t a good or bad issue. There’s just the same dull ache of concern over whether what I’m reading is fine, or if it’s just as inane and misguided as it’s been since the beginning. Teen Titans is a bad comic book. The characters are paper thin and have zero depth. They have no reason for being a team. It’s just a collection of familiar characters garbled together into a team book, with sales presumably strong enough to keep it going, based probably entirely on the brand recognition. Their dialogue is some of the most stilted, exposition-heavy in all of comics. And their costumes just look stupid. There, I said it.
Teen Titans #23 starts off with one of the silliest moments yet as the team deals with Kid Flash being pulled into that vortex, which you can see on the cover. It’s one of the most openly comedic moments I have seen in comics in a long time, but it’s so broadly comedic that I’m not sure it’s actually happening in 2013. It seems like something you’d see in a 90s sitcom, complete with laugh track.
On top of that, for reasons I can’t quite fathom, writer Scott Lobdell spends the issue reintroducing every single member of the team, in the most awkward and obvious ways possible. One would think this is a ‘jumping on’ type of play, for any new readers (as if!), but then the next issues of Teen Titans in September are part of that Villains Month play. They won’t have anything to do with the Teen Titans. So why would anybody jump on for this issue, then be forced to read comics about Trigon and Deathstroke?
And the ending. God damn the ending of this comic. If it means what I think it means…
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more head-against-wall examination of this out-of-control comic book.
Henchman-4-Hire 