Review: X-Factor #246
I never particularly bought into Pip the Troll being a member of X-Factor. He was often funny, with writer Peter David giving him some of the best zingers in the comic, but what the heck was Pip the Troll doing as receptionist for X-Factor? It just never made much sense to me. Well PAD clearly loves the idea, and so he has devoted an entire issue to the secret life of Pip the Troll. It’s a somewhat entertaining issue, with a surprise finish. But I can’t say that it has relieved my Pip prejudice any. Pip never becomes anything more than PAD’s in-joke to himself.
X-Factory #246
Still, if you’re a fan of Pip the Troll, this issue is probably a hoot.
Comic rating: 3/5: Alright.
This is a ‘day in the life’ issue, fairly common in all types of fiction. What does Pip get up to behind the scenes? Quite a bit, apparently, some of it entertaining, some of it downright funny and some of it more than a little sleazy. I suppose it gives us more about Pip as a character, but the oddness of a cosmic space imp playing receptionist for a very grounded team like X-Factor is still his defining element. It’s a weirdness that I don’t particularly like to see in X-Factor, but that’s a personal taste more than anything. I don’t think Pip ever fit in, but I suppose PAD makes it work.
Still, it’s a fairly entertaining comic, for what it is. Nothing really special about it, unless, like I said, you are a huge Pip the Troll fan. He has an adventure, reveals some funny secrets about himself, and we all move on with PAD’s ongoing story. He’s been building to this big picture story forever and a day. Let’s hope it gets here soon, and let’s hope he really knocks it out of the park!
Join me after the jump for a full synopsis and more review.
The Ladies Are Kicking Ass at Marvel Comics
Some have said that an all-female team comic book could never succeed, but Marvel Comics is going to try anyway with the new Fearless Defenders! It will star Valkyrie, Misty Knight and Danny Moonstar, and supposedly several more cast members to be revealed at a later date! It’s not going to be written by a woman though, which is too bad. Instead, Cullen Bunn is writing and Will Sliney is on art. In random news, Cullen Bunn once followed me on Twitter for like a day. I don’t know why…
Ladies vs. Ninjas!
I think this is a great idea. I’m always in favor of more diversity in comics. What kind of guy doesn’t love a kickass female lead? I’ve heard all sorts of stories in the past about all-female teams getting shot down editorially. I think Gail Simone has been trying to make one happen for years. Somehow Cullen Bunn has done it.
He did an interview with Newsarama. And this is what he said about the book’s premise:
The basic idea of the book is that Valkyrie is choosing a new team of Valkyrior, and she’s been asked to choose all these women from the heroes of Midgard, instead of from Asgard. She has completely failed in this task. Valkyrie has been unable to choose anyone that she feels is worthy to be one of the hosts of the shield maidens. So she just hasn’t done it. She’s dropped the ball.
Because she’s not done what she said she would do, nature — or supernature, as it is — abhors a vacuum. The absence of the Valkyrior has opened the door to something terrible. Something awful is waking, and Valkyrie finds that it’s really her fault that she’s put everything at risk.
Sounds reasonable and maybe fun. I’ll probably check out the first issue and see where it goes.
Skyrim Proves It’s Not Dead Yet By Introducing More Dragons
Dragons you can ride!
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is the game that keeps on giving. I loved the Dawnguard expansion pack a few months ago. I didn’t bother with the Hearth one, where you got to build your own house and adopt some kids. Seemed too much like work. But I’m definitely on board for the new expansion: Dragonborn! It appears to include dragon mounts! More games should be about riding dragons.
It comes out on Dec. 4 for X-Box, no word for the PC, which is where I play. Probably not until January. Alas.
My 6 Favorite Video Game Characters
In honor of Wreck-It Ralph, this week’s blog list is all about my favorite video game characters! Though sadly, none of them appeared in the movie. Still, being the huge fan I am of fiction and storytelling, I actually pay a lot of attention to the stories and characters in video games. It’s not just all about mashing buttons for me. These are characters for whom I’ll go out of my way to play, or I’ll pick them all the time when it comes to gaming. Sometimes with annoying frequency.
None of these dinguses made the list
A lot of video games have a surprisingly deep mythology around them. Heck, even Angry Birds has the backstory of the pigs stealing the birds’ eggs – or something. And I often like to immerse myself in these stories. One of the biggest reasons I love World of Warcraft so much is because of the story and the lore. It helps that some of these games get cartoon shows, novels, comics or movies to help expand the story. Not that any of those things has particularly explained why King Koopa will kidnap Princess Peach in one game, and then race go-karts or play soccer with her in the next.
Mario even invites both of them to his frequent parties, as if that won’t make for an awkward evening. But questionable decisions by plumbers aside, here are my six favorite video game characters!
Disney Princess Leia
Now that Disney owns Star Wars, the other Disney Princesses have taken the opportunity to welcome Leia into their flock.
Much like when Disney bought Marvel and I wanted to see the Wasp turned into a Disney Princess, I think it would be a blast to see Leia taken in that same direction! Not for anything solid, mind you, but just for fun. Draw her like the other Princesses. Put her on merchandise. Leia is heads and tails above the rest of them in terms of badassery.
The above video was made by the guys at AVByte, who have been doing a lot of good work recently.
