Category Archives: X-Men
Review: X-Factor #260
Whoa! Talk about cliffhangers! We’ve only got two issues left before the big finale, and writer Peter David hits us with a doozy of a revelation. I’ll spoil what happens in the synopsis, but just know that this might not actually be the ‘End of X-Factor’. We still don’t know what PAD’s next project at Marvel is going to be…but it looks like he might be dropping hints already. And I’m quite excited. Beyond that, X-Factor #260 is a good issue and a nice exploration of Polaris. Unfortunately, she’s had very little time to make an impression, so her goodbye isn’t that strong. But PAD once again does a respectable job saying goodbye (maybe) to one of his cast members.
X-Factor #260
The guest appearance by Quicksilver is awesome though.
Comic Rating: 7/10 – Good.
I have made my peace with the X-Factor‘s cancellation. And I’ve come to accept that it’s no longer the title I once loved. X-Factor settled into a calm, gentle sort of quality over the past few years. The issues are always entertaining and consistently good, but never great, and rarely do they say or do anything new. PAD writes some great characters, the art has always been quality; it’s just that the premise and the stories have all been kind of mediocre. Especially when compared to some of the other comics out there right now, especially at Marvel. It turns out that Marvel NOW! really did shake things up for my favorite publisher. There are so many great books at Marvel these days that I really have to step back and accept that X-Factor just isn’t one of them. Not anymore. It’s good, but it’s not Marvel NOW! good.
Also, personally, I miss the private investigators angle. That was a great premise for this comic, but hasn’t really been around in forever.
I like Polaris. I was really excited to see what PAD could do with her in the pages of X-Factor, and I’m disappointed that he’s run out of time. He had the beginnings of some good characterization, but never really got around to giving Polaris any storylines. She was kind of just there being gruff and stuff. So when the time comes to say goodbye, it’s basically just Polaris sitting around being gruff and stuff. It works for the character, it works for the issue, and it works as a goodbye. Polaris’ farewell actually even ties in with a goodbye to X-Factor as a whole, so that’s nice. The issue also features a cameo appearance by Quicksilver, and that kind of works to wrap-up his X-Factor appearances from a few years ago. That’s an unexpected plus.
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
I Came, I Saw, I Conquered Boston Comic-Con!
I have returned to the blogowaves a champion, having successfully conquered the monstrous event known as Boston Comic-Con 2013!
If you’re just tuning in, I went to the Boston Comic-Con last weekend, my first visit to Beantown’s comic book convention. I’ve been going to conventions for a few years now, and Boston is my third locale after Baltimore and New York. I haven’t been to San Diego yet, mostly because I live in New York and am mostly broke all the time. It’s not cheap to fly out to California just to be stuck in a massive, unwavering crowd of comic book fans. Just sayin’.
I had an awesome trip. The Boston Comic-Con was smaller than New York, but was still a ton of fun. There were thousands of fans, many many costumes, and more geeky merchandise than I could buy in a lifetime. And seriously, I’d buy it all if I could. I’m that kind of insane. You can also read about the many reasons I love going to comic book conventions on a previous List of Six. They’re just so much fun!
Join me after the jump to hear my tale of Comic-Connery, and check out my awesome, homemade cosplay costume!
Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 8/3/13
If you’re reading this Saturday morning, then I’m well on my way to the Boston Comic-Con! Woot! Should be a fun time. I’m going in costume as an X-Men character, and I’ll be posting pictures and sharing stories sometime next week, once I’m back home. But for now, I wanted to keep up the comic book reviews so that my blog isn’t totally dead. I’m a hard worker, like that. Though because I left on my trip on Thursday, this week’s reviews are going to be pretty short, since I didn’t have a lot of time to work on them. Thankfully, being a fifth-week Wednesday, there weren’t too many comics released this week anyway.
The comics that were released include some of my favorites, like FF, which takes a turn for the meta this week, and Uncanny X-Men, which continues my love of all things Cyclops. This week also sees the end of the first major storyline in the new X-Men, as well as the end of Grant Morrison’s entire run on Batman with his final issue of Batman Incorporated. How does it work as an ending? Well…it’s fine. I’ve been saying this for awhile now about Batman Incorporated, and it really holds true for the final issue, but this series has lacked any sort of excitement or momentum for a long time now. The air has been let out of the tires and the energy has just been sapped.
Oh well. Morrison’s run was a lot of fun overall. As for Comic Book of the Week, I’m gonna toss it to Uncanny X-Men, simply because nothing was all that spectacular this week.
Comic Reviews: Batman Incorporated #13, FF #10, Uncanny X-Men #9 and X-Men #3.
At Trask Industries, the Future is Giant Robots
In one of the funnest marketing stunts of all time, the people behind X-Men: Days of Future Past have started up a whole, legit-looking website for Trask Industries, makers of the Sentinel robots.
It’s a pretty neat site. There isn’t a lot about the new movie, but I rather enjoy when companies go this extra mile just to be awesome. I hope somebody had a lot of fun designing and implementing that website. Also, if you didn’t know, Peter Dinklage is playing Trask. So that’s jut badass. Again, click here to visit the promotional site. It’s a fun way to kill a few minutes of afternoon.
Review: The Wolverine
Wolverine could be the next James Bond. Think about it. James Bond comes out with a new movie every few years and everybody flocks to see it. Few of the movies have anything to do with one another, especially when they change the lead actor. They’re all usually just stand alone James Bond adventures. If The Wolverine is any indication, that could totally work for everyone’s favorite clawed Canadian. There are decades worth of Wolverine comics, and an endless number of original ideas just waiting to be put up on the silver screen. We could be watching Wolverine movies for decades to come. Just point Wolverine at the latest super-villain and let him SNIKT his way back into our hearts each and every time!
The Wolverine is an entertaining, solidly-made action hero movie that keeps the story focused on its hero, where it should be. The movie is solid proof that Wolverine can easily hold his own as a leading man and doesn’t need the rest of the X-Men or a wealth of comic book references to make a good flick. Though it’s hardly a perfect movie.
Movie Rating: 7/10 – Good.
The Wolverine isn’t anything special. There are no great, memorable moments or lines. My pulse and heart were never racing. I maybe chuckled a few times. It’s just a solid, well-made movie with a great leader actor. Hugh Jackman returns for his umpteenth time playing Wolverine, and he continues to own the character. For that I give him all the credit in the world. Here is a guy who absolutely knows that playing Wolverine made him a star, so he’s more than happy to stick with the character to keep the fans excited. And it’s probably a ton of fun to play Wolverine anyway. Jackman is the strongest part of the new film, which is mostly about the character’s journey from lost soul back to hero – or from ronin to samurai, if you will.
Joining Jackman is a pretty great cast of Asian actors, including two new actresses playing his sidekick, Yukio, who was a lot of fun, and his love interest, Mariko, who was fantastic. The rest of the cast is good, and while the plot could get a little confusing at times, it was altogether a quality story. I’m sure when we have time to look back in hindsight, the villain’s scheme probably has a few holes in it. But I was never really bothered while watching the movie. Nor was I ever very surprised. I saw the twist ending coming from a mile away. And the big battle in the finale seemed more gratuitous than reasonable, as if the director thought the film had to have a Final Boss Battle.
I don’t know about you, but I don’t think a giant, evil, robot samurai really fit with the soul-searching, personal movie that came before it.
Join me after the jump for the full review. There will be some SPOILERS!
Henchman-4-Hire 