Hench-Sized Comic Book Reviews – 12/6/14
I think this is a first for my Hench-Sized Reviews: I have only DC Comics on my slate! I’ve always been a Marvel guy, but I try to give DC their due, but this week is an aberration!The only Marvel comic that I really picked up was Angela: Asgard’s Assassin #1, and you can check out my review of that comic over at Word of the Nerd. That just leaves four DC Comics, including greats like Grayson and Gotham Academy.
Though I suppose the biggest news this week is the return of Secret Six! The best comic DC has put out in the past 20+ years is finally back…and it’s not good! Ouch! They once had the very best comic book on the stands, but they squandered it with the New 52 reboot. Is it too little too late to bring it back now? I say no, but they need to do a better job than this.
Comic Book of the Week goes to Grayson #5 for the continuing excellence of Dick Grayson in the New 52. The character has rarely been stronger.
One punch!
The comic is just pure Grayson bliss!
Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal #, Gotham Academy #3, Grayson #5 and Secret Six #1.
Marvel Casts Jessica Jones and Luke Cage, and the Netflix Defenders Are One Step Closer to Reality
There was a moment the other night, while I was watching the Flash vs. Arrow two-parter, that a giddy sensation came over me. It was a moment of pure geeky delight as I realized, with full force, that I was watching Green Arrow and the Flash team-up on TV, and it wasn’t a cartoon, it wasn’t a joke; it was real, awesome, live action TV. It was the same kind of excitement I felt during The Avengers movie, seeing the likes of Iron Man, Captain America and Thor all team up for the first time.
We are living in a world where this sort of comic book reality is becoming more commonplace, and it’s just going to get more awesome from here. I’m beside myself with joy.
So to hear that Marvel has cast Jessica Jones, and possibly even Luke Cage, for their Defenders series is even more exciting. These TV shows are going to happen. The Marvel Cinematic Universe is going to get bigger. This is just…it’s just cool, is what I’m trying to say. So very cool.
The casting announcements come by way of Deadline.
Jessica Jones will be played by Krysten Ritter, who I’m pretty sure I like. I knew I recognized her from somewhere, and a quick check of IMDB reveals that she had an ongoing role on Veronica Mars, which I binged on this summer.
She probably won’t be in costume, but there were very few Jessica Jones pics online
She looks like a good choice to me! For those who don’t know, Jessica Jones is a former superhero and Avenger who decided to retire to the life of a cynical P.I. after a rather horrific encounter with a supervillain.
Deadline is less sure about the casting of Mike Colter as Luke Cage.
He probably won’t be called ‘Power Man’, and I don’t blame them
I don’t remember him from anything I’ve seen, so he’s new to me! I’m sure he’ll be fine! For those who don’t know, Luke Cage is Power Man, a former convict who agreed to an experimental procedure to get time off his sentence. That procedure gave him super strength and invulnerable skin, so he probably got the better of that deal.
Jessica and Luke are also kind of an item.
All that’s left to cast is Iron Fist, and then the Defenders will be complete! Though personally, I hope they slip in a few other minor characters for fun. Maybe Stingray? A guy can dream.
I’m Making a Comic – Gamer Girl & Vixen
Today is a momentous day, dear readers! It’s time to share with you something I’ve been working on for the past several months, something I’m rather proud of and excited about! Something to finally make me put my money where my mouth is!
I’m making my own comic book!
For three years, I’ve slaved away on this geeky comic book blog, talking about comics, reviewing comics, poking fun at comics; well now it’s time to throw my hat in the ring. I’ve teamed up with my friend and fellow writer Kristi McDowell to publish our own independent comic book.
We’re calling it Gamer Girl & Vixen!
The cover of the dazzling first issue!
Now, I know what you’re thinking. It looks like we’re just going to pump out another superhero comic in a world over-stuffed with superhero comics, professional, independent or otherwise. But I’d like to think you guys and gals know me better than that. And I hope you remember my #1 rule about writing comics: people first, superheroes second.
Gamer Girl & Vixen is a supervillain lesbian love story. My friends and I are not just churning out another boring superhero book. We want to be different. We want to be unique. Gamer Girl & Vixen is a mature love story for modern audiences, where two potential lovers realize they can only be themselves in the capes and costumes world of heroes and villains.
With some trouble along the way, of course!
Gamer Girl & Vixen is a fun, exciting and hopefully adorable comic that will touch upon issues of acceptance, friendship, love, shenanigans, and the complexity of relationships. It’s also going to feature some awesome superhero action and more than a little felony burglary.
This is a project that is very near and dear to my heart. I’ve always wanted to write comic books, and now I’m finally getting off my butt and making my own. Maybe publishers will notice it and maybe they won’t. All I know for sure is that it’s been a lot of fun so far, and I’m bursting with joy to finally share this with you.
Please join me after the jump if you’d like to find out more!
6 Playable Races For the Next World of Warcraft Expansion
My love affair with World of Warcraft is a classic on again/off again romance. I’ve been playing since Vanilla, but only in spurts. I’ll sign up for a few months to a year, grow bored, and cancel my subscription, only to come back a few years later to check out the new content. I’m currently in the middle of my latest revival, with my eyes on buying the newest expansion, Warlords of Draenor, when it goes down in price.
But as much as I love World of Warcraft, I’m kind of the odd orc out. I don’t run raids or dungeons, I’m not in any guilds, and I avoid Player vs. Player combat like the corrupted blood plague. I play WoW for the story and the role-playing, and one of my favorite aspects of every new expansion are the new playable races added to the game. It means more new characters!
Look at’em all!
Of course, not every new expansion introduces new races. Warlords of Draenor didn’t, and there’s no telling when Blizzard will introduce any more. So I’m taking it upon myself to make some suggestions. The war between the Alliance and the Horde is only going to get worse, and both sides need new troops! Join me after the jump for my ideas! And feel free to add some of your own in the comments!
I’m Not Sure How I Feel About the Suicide Squad Movie
Am I the only person who’s a little confused that DC Comics seems to be rushing into a movie about the Suicide Squad for no good reason? Don’t get me wrong, the concept has legs. The Suicide Squad has so far made for a great episode of Justice League Unlimited and an OK episode of Arrow. And the basic concept is pretty solid too: super-villains forced to go on dangerous missions for the government. But Suicide Squad is hardly a big name, and they don’t yet even know if Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is going to succeed.
Why is Suicide Squad, of all possible franchises, the next one to hit theaters?
Whatever the plan is, Variety is reporting that DC has nailed down the cast. One part of the plan is clearly to use big name actors to bring in the audience.
Jared Leto as the Joker
Will Smith as Deadshot
Tom Hardy as Rick Flagg
Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn
Jai Courtney as Boomerang
Cara Delevingne as Enchantress
The film will be directed by David Ayer, and will begin shooting in April for a planned Aug. 5, 2016 release date.
That’s definitely a pretty solid list of actors. I think they’ll all do fine in those roles. Having both the Joker and Harley Quinn in this movie is a strong move. Everybody is pretty familiar with both characters, and there’s probably no other way they could make a solo film starring the Joker. So let the Clown Prince of Crime take center stage in Suicide Squad. I bet audiences will eat that up. And it’ll be neat to see the character interact with people who aren’t Batman. I’m sure Jared Leto will bring the same unexpected, manic energy as Heath Ledger did.
Will Smith as Deadshot should be pretty awesome. I can see him being a fan favorite, as Deadshot usually is, and Smith is pretty popular too, from what I understand. Leto and Smith should carry this film easily, with the Joker’s zany madness offset by Deadshot’s brutal pragmatism.
I’m assuming Boomerang is just short for Captain Boomerang (who’s also appearing on both Arrow and The Flash this week), and Enchantress is a really weird choice. Of all the lady bad guys they could have chosen, why Enchantress, someone nobody has heard of? She’s a magical character, and that brings a lot to the table, but they could have had so much more fun if they’d picked, say, Poison Ivy. Everybody knows Poison Ivy, and it would give you a pretty amazing love triangle with Harley and Joker.
But I’m sure Warner Bros. knows what they’re doing. I’m sure they think they have a solid script in place, and this will make one heck of a fun Ocean’s 11-style masterpiece. We shall see. I’m going to be cautiously optimistic, but I’m still just not sure why they’re going with the Suicide Squad. Maybe they know something we don’t.
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