Assassin’s Creed Memes!
How about a little Assassin’s Creed humor? Warning, these are probably only funny to people who already know and play Assassin’s Creed. You’ve been warned. And I’m giggling.
Roy Harper is Coming to Arrow After All!
Awesome bit of casting news has hit TV Guide: actor Colton Haynes has been cast as Roy Harper in the hit TV show Arrow!
Ladies?
Now that is one studly guy. He comes from Mtv’s Teen Wolf show, which I’ve never seen, so I have no idea if he’s a good actor or not. But that hardly matters to me. The CW and Arrow aren’t exactly filled with Oscar winners. But who cares? The show is awesome so far, and this is fantastically awesome news! Clearly somebody at The CW saw my list of DC Comics characters that I want to see in Arrow.
Because if you don’t know, Roy Harper is really Arsenal, the sidekick of Green Arrow! He’s the Robin to Green Arrow’s Batman!
Super ladies?
Arsenal started out as Speedy, your typical plucky young sidekick, but he eventually grew up to be a more badass fighter who changed his name to Arsenal. When he then later joined the Justice League, he took on more of the Green Arrow’s mantle by changing his name to Red Arrow. I thought that was pretty awesome, because I love stories where the sidekick grows up and becomes his own hero. Things got a little murky after that, and now he’s back to being Arsenal in the New 52 reboot.
According to the TV Guide article, Roy Harper on Arrow is going to be a street-smart kid who grew up on the wrong side of town. And he’s going to be a love interest for Oliver Queen’s sister, Thea (whose childhood nickname as ‘Speedy’). The producers are keeping their lips sealed about any superheroics for their version of Roy Harper, but I have to hope that he’s going to suit up and be a real sidekick one of these days. Why else have him on the show?
I think Arrow could get a lot of mileage out of a sidekick storyline. They’ve already got the one character, Diggle, aiding Ollie in his vigilante quest. But Diggle isn’t suiting up in costume or firing bows and arrows. Roy Harper could join the crusade as well and be a real sidekick, trained in archery by Ollie. Like how he tried to do with Huntress in the past few episodes. I very much want this to happen. Don’t let me down, Arrow. Don’t break my heart.
6 New Historical Time Periods for Future Assassin’s Creed Games
Good video game franchises never die. No matter how final the ending might seem, no matter the status of the development company, any franchise that makes money is going to live on. Which is good news for us Assassin’s Creed fans! Even though Desmond’s story came to a pretty grim (and lame!) conclusion in Assassin’s Creed 3, I can’t imagine Ubisoft not giving us more games and more historical goodness in the years to come! Shall we begin the countdown to Assassin’s Creed 4?
As everybody knows, the Assassin’s Creed games all take place in the past, with richly detailed recreations of some ancient civilizations for your stabbing pleasure. First we visited Jerusalem during the Third Crusade, then Rome at the height of the Italian Renaissance. A then quick stop in Constantinople preceded a visit to the American colonies during the Revolution! The war between the heroic Assassins and the evil Templar has been waged for centuries all across the globe. Almost any era or historical event is up for grabs.
So where will we go next? Which historical era should we visit in the next Assasin’s Creed game? Especially if that game arrives on next generation consoles, with better graphics and processing power? I’m so glad you asked, because I just so happen to have six suggestions! Join me after the jump.
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane, It’s a New Man of Steel Trailer
What better way to celebrate Assassin’s Creed Week than with a new Man of Steel trailer! Because this full trailer just came out today!
Now that’s one meaty movie trailer! I’m actually rather pleased to see that the next Superman movie isn’t just going to be an action/explosion fest. Looks like we might actually get some kind of deep exploration of Superman as a person and the responsibilities of his power. Call me a geek if you want, but that sounds fascinatingly fun! This trailer is definitely a winner.
Review: Assassin’s Creed Graphic Novels
Assassin’s Creed isn’t just for video games anymore. Like any good franchise, they’ve branched out into other mediums, including a series of graphic novels released in October from publisher Titan Books. They recently sent me some nice hardcover copies of their Assassin’s Creed graphic novels, translated from their original French into English. The art style is definitely very European (not that I’m an expert), and the story is the familiar Assassiny goodness that we know and love. I only wish the series had taken a few more liberties with their story and really explored the larger Assassin’s Creed universe.
The Assassin’s Creed franchise has a lot of room to expand beyond Desmond Miles and the ancestors you play in the video games. And while these graphic novels do a good job with some of their ideas beyond the usual, they don’t go far enough. If you’re an Assassin’s Creed completionist – or perhaps shopping for one for Christmas – you should enjoy this series. But otherwise, the comics are pretty light on material.
Comic rating: 4/5: Good.
Desmond, Aquilus and Accipiter
The three Assassin’s Creed graphic novels – titled Desmond, Aquilus and Accipiter – tell one long, connected story by following two parallel plots. One is Desmond’s story from the video games, about being kidnapped by Abstergo and then going on the run with Lucy and the Assassins. The other is an original trip into the Animus to visit Aquilus, an ancient Assassin from the Roman Empire. As with the video games, the most interesting material comes from the trips back in time, but writer Eric Corbeyran definitely give us plenty of Desmond action. The guy is much more active and brutal in this series than he is in the games, which is cool to read.
Of the three books, the first one is the weakest because it basically just retreads ground covered in the first game, only in a much more rushed manner. It squeezes in the story of Altair even though it’s completely unnecessary to the overall plot. The two other books delve into original material, including the life of Aquilus and a few adventures that Desmond and his friends have while on the run. The third book is the best of the three, introducing the concept of dueling Animus trips as we see someone else go into the Animus and visit his ancestors. I wish the entire series had been about this new character and his story, but perhaps Corbeyran needed to focus on Desmond and the established game material.
All three comics play hard and fast with the strange concepts of Assassin’s Creed, from the Animus itself to the various characters involved. There were a few times where new characters suddenly pop up and act like we’re supposed to have known them all along, so it was a little confusing. You definitely need an understanding of the games to keep up with the comic. Though considering how big a fan I am of Assassin’s Creed, it wasn’t a problem at all.
You can purchase all three graphic novels on Amazon.com: Desmond, Aquilus and Accipiter. You can also join me after the jump for more review!
