Congrats to Birdman, Here’s Big Birdman!
I freely admit to being one of ‘those people’ who don’t like awards shows. I don’t rub it in anybody’s face, but I can’t even remember the last time I watched an awards show, if ever. I just don’t care to celebrate celebrity like that, thank you very much. Besides, the winners are announced online the next morning, so I know that Birdman won best picture. I haven’t seen it yet, but now I suppose I should get around to that.
Speaking of Birdman, enjoy this parody, Big Birdman! It’s exactly as it sounds.
I love the Internet. And I love the Sesame Street is finding ways to go viral. They’ve got the Sesame Street muppets, potentially one of the greatest viral opportunities in the world!
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Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 2/21/15
Hidey Ho, comic book fans! I hope you’re all having a good week. Me personally, I’m in the Northeast, so I’m buried in snow and freezing in below zero temperatures. Such is the life. I’d hoped that comic books could warm me up, but the best they can do is warm my heart. We’ve got a slightly lower selection than normal this week because I had this big idea of reviewing a bunch of indie comics…but that kind of fell through. We’ve still got the latest Bitch Planet though!
We’ve also got Batgirl and the final issue of She-Hulk, so at least those are pretty awesome – even if it’s a great shame to say goodbye to Charles Soule’s She-Hulk. That comic was one heck of a treat. But Comic Book of the Week goes to Uncanny X-Men #31 for finally bringing the current storyline to a close with some solid Scott Summers drama.
Here’s hoping Brian Michael Bendis nails the perfect ending to his Cyclops Saga.
Speaking of sagas, you can check out my review of Silk #1 over at Word of the Nerd. She fares much better than Spider-Woman #1, and the comic is actually fairly similar to Batgirl. I find that both exciting and fascinating.
Comic Reviews: Batgirl #39, Batman Eternal #46, Bitch Planet #3, She-Hulk #12 and Uncanny X-Men #31.
Jason Momoa’s Aquaman is Just as Badass as I’d Hoped
The first picture of Jason Momoa’s Aquaman was posted online by director Zack Snyder early this morning, proving that I was right all along about how cool the King of the Seas will be in Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
I love the armor, I love the badass tattoos, I’m not too wild about the hair, but overall, this looks great! I knew Momoa would bring that Islander power to the role, changing Aquaman from a white-skinned, blonde-haired American into a more world-inclusive king. Though I am starting to get a little freaked out at how dark and brooding this movie seems. Everybody is turning out to be as dark as Batman in this flick. And if you take away Batman’s darkness and share it with everybody, what else does he have?
Either way, at least we know Aquaman will be cool.
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Review – Teen Titans #7
Seven issues into the relaunched Teen Titans, I think I’ve figured out writer Will Pfeifer’s problem: he loves to listen to himself talk. Or in comic book terms, he loves to listen to his characters talk. I’ve mentioned before in my reviews how Pfeifer’s pet character, Manchester Black, goes on and on in seemingly endless monologues — and we get another one or two in Teen Titans #7 — but now we’re also treated to monologues from the new villains about how awesome their evil plans are and how evil they’re going to be.
The Teen Titans are little more than spectators in their own comic at this point. All that matters is how smart and awesome Pfeifer’s pet characters are.
Comic Rating: 3/10 – Bad.
The Teen Titans are no longer the stars of their own comic. They’re set pieces. They’re action figures to be moved around at the whim of other characters. Teen Titans #7 is literally just about Manchester Black’s opposition to the new, bland bad guys in town. And if you (and I) thought those pill-popping rich brats from the last two issues were bland bad guys, then you ain’t seen nothing yet!
This would maybe be forgivable if Pfeifer had interesting stories to tell, but he doesn’t. Or if the art was spectacular, but it isn’t. Pfeifer and Kenneth Rocafort are producing a fairly standard, if at times sub-standard, comic book. The story is jerky and uninteresting. The villain that opened the relaunch with a splash, Algorithm, is gone. Those rich kids were cliches. And now a new villain has emerged: generic armed bad guys. They don’t have a name, they don’t have costumes, they aren’t memorable characters, and they want to use a villainous device to blow up New York City. Wow. Your’e really stretching the imagination with these guys, Pfeifer.
It doesn’t help that Rocafort returns to the title with the worst art yet. I would have thought taking two issues off would have given him time to shine.
Join me after the jump for the full synopsis and more review!
Nightcrawler’s Coming Back!
A new Nightcrawler has been cast in the next X-Men flick, X-Men: Apocalypse. I haven’t really written much on X-Men casting because, well, there’s been a lot of it, and none of it is very exciting. If they cast Multiple Man or Mimic, I’d be all over that. But the only interesting thing about casting a new Cyclops, Jean Grey or Storm is that maybe this time the franchise won’t poop all over Cyke.
Anyway, the new Nightcrawler will be Kodi Smit-McPhee! Director Bryan Singer announced as such on his Instagram yesterday. I don’t know Smit-McPhee from anything, but I’ve heard he was in Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, so good for him.
He’s definitely got the look of a Nightcrawler down. Hopefully he can inject even half the charm Alan Cumming brought to the role in X2: X-Men United.
I also like the idea that they’re kind of redoing the original franchise. Maybe Nightcawler will be a more permanent X-Man this time. But, obviously, what I’m really interested in is Multiple Man becoming a more permanent X-Men instead of a one-off bad guy in the franchise’s most hated film.
Hope springs eternal.
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