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Avengers Academy #13 Review

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May 5, 2011

Originally Published: May 4, 2011, on Comicvine.com

After their epic throw down with Korvac, the Avengers Academy stress levels are at an all-time high. In order to try and calm things down and provide a sense of normalcy, Hank Pym and Tigra have invited some former members of the Initiative to show the members of the Academy a time they’ll never forget. Time to boogie: Avengers style!

The Good

This issue shows off a lot of characters we haven’t really seen or heard from since the closing of Camp Hammond after Norman Osborn’s takeover of the facility, including one of my favorites, Butterball. It was a good chance to remind us that these characters are still out there, maybe for some team-ups with the Academy kids in the future, and was fun to see them interact with the Avengers Academy members.

Couple this with the odd setting for a lot of character development and loose ends to be tied up in and this was definitely a change of pace compared to the first dozen issues of this high octane series.

The Bad

Unfortunately this change of pace insures really nothing happening action wise in this issue. This is plainly just a chance to reset where a lot of the characters are with their development before they are forced to tackle their next obstacle, which looks to be the Sinister Six.

This leaves most of the comic dragging between the handful of light bulbs that go off in the characters’ heads as they begin to pair off into couples and overcome some of the shortcomings that have been plaguing them in the first 12 issues of this series.

The Verdict

If you haven’t been reading Avengers Academy then this is a great place to jump into the series since it resets all the characters and where they at in their lives as we wait for the next story arc to jump off.

Unfortunately, this issue really doesn’t do much in terms of action and so if you have read the first dozen issues, then this comic will be very boring compared to what you’re used to and even cameos by Gravity, Firestar, and Butterball can’t save this issue as a whole.

If you haven’t been reading Avengers Academy, this issue would be a great time to jump into it, as we get ready for the return of the Sinister Six. If you have been reading it and your comic budget is tight this week, then don’t feel bad if you miss this issue since you’re not really missing anything you haven’t already seen in the first dozen issues and save up for next month’s issue.

2/5 Stars

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From My Mom’s Basement – Vol. 2 Ep. 10 – I’m Melvin

Filed under: From My Mom's Basement — 1 Comment
May 4, 2011

Originally Published: May 3, 2011, on Momsbasement.org

I come to you once again with your weekly geek fix. This week’s episode sees me announce a partnership with Momsbasement.org and review Secret Avengers #12 from Marvel Comics and Portal 2 from Valve. My hot chick pick of the week is Desiree Elyda Villalobos and this week’s theme is the end credit theme to Portal 1, Still Alive.

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What Can We Expect from Brightest Day Aftermath?

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May 3, 2011

Originally Published: May 2, 2011, on Comicvine.com

A lot happened in the final issue of Brightest Day. Characters died, characters came back, and the DC Universe has been shaken up in a lot of ways. So, this got me thinking as to what we can expect in the immediate future from some of these characters and specifically what we might be looking at in the three issue mini-series, Brightest Day: Aftermath, that will chronicle just how big the fallout is from this DC event.

I’m going to start with characters from Brightest Day that I think will play little to no part in Aftermath and then move up in importance of who will influence what I believe will be the DC Universe’s future as a whole. And be forewarned that if you have not ready Brightest Day #24 then, well, what’s wrong with you. Go! Now! Read it! What are you waiting for?! And then immediately come back here because there will be spoilers ahead. You have been warned.

Professor Zoom, Captain Boomerang, Osiris, Maxwell Lord, and Jade were part of the group that was resurrected by the White Lantern. Over the final 31 pages of the extra-sized final issue of Brightest Day, these characters were featured in a single panel (except for Zoom who wasn’t even featured at all after he freed Barry Allen from the Speed Force). One. That’s it. They’re jobs were done in other comics or in the case of Captain Boomerang; he threw his one boomerang in Brightest Day #24 and supposedly slinked back off to the Rogues.

It is safe to assume that because of this, it would be unlikely for these characters to have a major impact of any sort in Aftermath as they go back to their lives that will have their own respective ripples in the DCU. Jade is now a part of the JLA and dealing with Eclipso, Professor Zoom promised to cause trouble for Captain Boomerang in the future who will of course go back to the Rogues, Maxwell Lord will likely have his hands full being hunted by the former members of the JLI after killing Blue Beetle, and Osiris brought back Isis who will likely have more of an impact than her brother in the Aftermath if she is fated to help Swamp Thing as insinuated by the White Lantern.

The next characters that I doubt will have much influence in Aftermath will be Aquaman and Hawkman. Already confirmed to be having their own monthly comics to come out of Brightest Day, they’ll have their own problems to deal with. There is a traitor in Aquaman’s midst as revealed in the Brightest Day prologue pages as well as he’ll have the responsibility of having to train the new Aqualad. Hawkman also seems like he’ll need some time alone, as he’s not too thrilled over the fact that Hawkgirl was dust when Swamp Thing released him and the other element avatars. With these more pressing issues for these characters, I doubt they’ll be too worried about the rest of the DCU and Swamp Thing in particular for the time being.

Now there is no word of a monthly for Firestorm or Martian Manhunter, but I think these other two element avatars are characters who might have tougher times pulling off a monthly and could go right back to business as normal in the JLA. And considering the partial reveal we’ve seen of the first Aftermath cover featuring Batman and Superman, you can figure the heavy hitters of the JLA will be involved with this and they’ll need these two powerhouses who have also had experience with Swamp Thing and the White Lantern to help quell whatever conflict may be the spark for Aftermath. Not to mention Martian Manhunter had no problems in his prologue page of Brightest Day so it makes sense for him to go straight back to the JLA, who are also the most likely people to help Firestorm fix his matrix problems.

This leaves Deadman and Hawk of the 12 resurrected. I don’t see Hawk being of much use, but I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Dove and Deadman considering their relationship and so Hank Hall will have to tag along just for fun. Deadman though will likely be critical in the Aftermath because of his previous working relationship with Swamp Thing and he was also the most crucial of the resurrected over the course of Brightest Day. Deadman is not happy being a ghost again, but he knows he might have to hold Swamp Thing’s hand for a while in Aftermath.

And this brings us to characters that weren’t really featured in Brightest Day but look to have a major role in Aftermath. Aftermath has been described on DC’s The Source blog as “the new protector of Earth has been chosen – but one reluctant hero makes a return to try and convince Batman, Superman, and the rest of the DC Universe’s heroes that this may not be a good thing at all.”

The obvious choice for someone having a problem with this is John Constantine since he was revealed on the last page of Brightest Day after Swamp Thing causes some carnage in a big business meeting room and says “Bollocks.” Either he’s not happy or he doesn’t believe it. Constantine and Swamp Thing have a long and storied history with one another, and this could also serve as a gateway to work in Tefe, Swamp Thing’s daughter, who was created when Swamp Thing possessed Constantine briefly. Of course, Deadman could also logically have the biggest problem with this because he was forced to sacrifice his life in order to bring back Swamp Thing and wants some kind of retribution.

So those are my thoughts on what we can immediately expect in Brightest Day: Aftermath. Aquaman is going to be busy with a war beneath the waves. Hawkman has to deal with his girlfriend being dust. And the rest of the DCU is going to have to deal with Swamp Thing trying to re-acclimate himself to the world. What will Batman, Superman, and the rest of the JLA think of this? What kind of damage can Swamp Thing do and how will our heroes find him considering he can be anywhere in the world there is plant life? Let us know what you think with comments below!

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Batman, Inc. #5 Review

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April 27, 2011

Originally Published: April 27, 2011, on Comicvine.com

Batman and Gaucho pair up with Batwoman and The Hood in order to stop an insane scheme by Dr. Dedalus that threatens to bring the civilized world to its knees.

The Good

Grant Morrison continues to weave a complicated and thrilling web over Batman lore as he introduces new villains and schemes while continuing to expand the Batman, Incorporated franchise. Dr. Dedalus is proving to be another major threat for Batman as it is revealed that he is a character who will play both sides of the fence in order to achieve his end goals.

In this one issue, we also saw several new candidates for the Batman, Inc. franchise with Gaucho all but being initiated for Argentina, The Hood possibly for England, and a new unknown Batman in Africa who will likely be expanded upon in future issues.

Couple all this with some great action highlighted with an awesome fight scene with Scorpiana against The Hood, Gaucho, and Batwoman and this book entertains from beginning to end.

The Bad

With all this world traveling and new characters being constantly introduced or re-introduced after long hiatuses, it’s sometimes hard to keep track of just which way the comic is going. Combine that with a lot of flashbacks to help flesh out the character of Dr. Dedalus and long speeches between characters we haven’t seen in a while to get us up to speed on who they are, and this Batman, Inc. arc is a little tough to follow at times.

Also, even though Dr. Dedalus has a lot of ties to Batman’s past according to his story, he feels a bit like a Ra’s al Ghul clone and hasn’t done anything to prove to be very memorable as of yet. He comes off as just another megalomaniac who wants to destroy the world.

The Verdict

Batman, Inc. is something you have to keep following because it is surely building up to something beyond huge for the Dark Knight. Although I prefer to see Batman work alone most times or just within the Bat Family, this comic does a good job of making sure that Batman doesn’t lose sight of his goal and see this devolve into a less campy Brave and the Bold series of team-ups every issue.

A little difficult to follow at times, the elaborate plot and great action are more than enough to keep your attention for the long haul as we’ll hopefully start to see just what Batman, Inc. can really evolve into in the coming issues.

4/5 Stars

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X-Men #10 Review

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Originally Published: April 27, 2011, on Comicvine.com

The X-Men and Spider-Man wrap up their expedition in the sewers of New York City as they try to stop Dark Beast and his mad experiments on Dr. Curt Connors and the unsuspecting citizens of Manhattan.

The Good

Any story arc with Dark Beast in it is a win for me because he poses a threat on so many levels to the current X-Men. This is also an ideal time to have him re-emerge in the X-Men’s lives since we know he will be a major player in future X-Force issues, even though we don’t know the details on that as of yet.

The banter back and forth between Emma Frost and Spider-Man was also very well written as they are burdened with the task of rescuing the rest of the X-Men after they fall under the spell of Dark Beast’s lizard transformation device.

The Bad

This arc started off so strongly, with a brief spike at the Dark Beast reveal, but has been on a downward slide ever since with this final issue hitting rock bottom. Most of the issue is Emma and Spidey crawling through the sewers trying to regroup and escape from the barely coherent Lizard X-Men. Although the banter was entertaining, it just felt like filler before we got to what was a short and quick resolution with Emma freeing the original Lizard, Curt Connors.

Due to the cramped quarters, you also never really see Wolverine, Spidey, or anyone else with any speed or agility really ramp up and let go in the limited fight scenes. If anything, Spider-Man felt like an unnecessary addition to this entire adventure and was there simply because it is his turf and he’s had experience with the Lizard before and reminded me why I don’t particularly read most Spider-Man comics anymore.

The Verdict

Although the banter was well written, there was far too much of it and made this comic feel like it was dragging two pages in. To sort through all that filler and end on such an anti-climatic resolution on top of it just left me shaking my head.

Spider-Man was nothing but useless aside from acting as foil to Emma and this entire story arc felt like a cheap way of bringing Dark Beast into everyone’s mind before he makes his impact on the Age of Apocalypse storyline with X-Force coming in June. Even if you’ve been reading this arc, I’m tempted to tell you to steer clear and hope for better things next month.

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Brightest Day #24 Review

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Originally Published: April 27, 2011, on Comicvine.com

The White Lantern has resurrected Alec Holland in an attempt to quell the Black Lantern animated husk of Swamp Thing and save the Earth as the White Lantern has finally revealed the mystery it has been weaving over the course of Brightest Day.

The Good

Most things fit together nicely in this extra-sized final issue of Brightest Day as it ties everything neatly into a pretty little bow with just enough loose ends to allow the DC Universe to continue to change and grow, while leaving many of its characters changed forever, in this event’s aftermath.

This event has also successfully re-imagined and then thrust a lot fan favorite DC Vertigo characters like Swamp Thing, and others with its final reveal, into the limelight and give them a chance to flourish in the mainstream DC Universe now. It will definitely be interesting to see what happens to these characters and see how they are developed by DC and how or if they’ll interact with other mainstream heroes and villains.

The Bad

Even with this final issue being an extra-sized one, the pace seemed frantic, like too much needed to be explained and tied up before Johns and Tomasi ran out of pages to do it in. This made the final confrontation between Alec Holland and the Dark Avatar feel much too short and simple for deciding the fate of the planet. Plus, this left only a few panels to explain what happens to each resurrected character now and you could clearly see that the extra pages were simply a prologue without actually calling it one.

On top of this, I really wasn’t happy with what happened to a lot of the characters in the end. I understand that Deadman had to return to his ghostly form otherwise he’d really have no place amongst the super-powered beings of the DC Universe, but I think it would have been better if the visions of Captain Boomerang slaying Dove came true instead. Or Hawk, who was scolded by the White Lantern for being the only resurrected member of the 12 to have failed in his mission, was sacrificed anyway instead of either Deadman or Dove for not finding his purpose like the others had. The fact that some characters did not come back upon Swamp Thing’s victory in order to allow other characters to grow left a bad taste in my mouth.

The Verdict

A brilliant way to re-introduce and redefine a classic DC Vertigo character and find a way for him to fit into the mainstream universe, Brightest Day will pave the way for characters like Swamp Thing, Aquaman, Hawkman, Martian Manhunter, and Firestorm to maybe see a bit of a renaissance within the DCU and helps to reset the universe back to simpler and maybe better times. Unfortunately, this all came at the cost of several other characters that I personally preferred over some that were brought back and felt that this final issue felt like it was trying to hammer home themes of personal growth and overcoming loss way too much for my liking.

Overall, this issue is something you need to pick up, whether you like what happens in it or not, as it will reshape many characters in the DCU from here on out and serves as a perfect place to get back into the DCU if you haven’t been following it for a while as many characters have had the chance to have their reset button pressed for new fans to become acclimated to them.

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From My Mom’s Basement – Vol. 2 Ep. 9 – Test Your Might!

Filed under: From My Mom's Basement — 1 Comment

Originally Published: April 26, 2011, on Youtube.com/Rcars4885

I come to you once again with your weekly geek fix. This week’s episode sees me give my take on the PSN crash, review Batman #709 from DC Comics and the new Mortal Kombat from Netherrealm Studios and Warner Brothers Interactive Entertainment. My hot chick pick of the week is UFC Ring Girl Brittany Palmer and this week’s theme is the Mortal Kombat movie theme by The Immortals.

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Thunderbolts #156 Review

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April 20, 2011

Originally Published: April 20, 2011, on Comicvine.com

With Satana joining the A-team of Thunderbolts, Warden John Walker and Songbird move forward with the selecting of the B-team, The Underbolts!

The Good

A cavalcade of villains we haven’t seen or heard from in quite some time look to be thrust into the limelight depending on what the exact role will be for this B-team of Bolts. With folks like Shocker, Mr. Hyde, and Troll looking to top the list, this B-team could definitely make for some interesting scenarios and leave Songbird with more than she can handle as team leader. Not to mention this could be an interesting set-up for a future standoff between the current team and this B-Team in the Raft.

As for the A-team, the new supernatural situation mission they find themselves on is definitely something we haven’t seen before and it should be very entertaining finding out how they’ll work their way out of this mess and just how much use their newest team member can be.

The Bad

After adding Satana to the team, you would have liked to see a little more of her interactions with the team aside from her barely failed attempt at seducing them all. Instead, the A-team of Bolts is immediately thrust into a new mission without her having a chance to really work her magic on the group or to the reader.

Along with this, the bouncing back and forth between this new supernatural zombie threat in Germany and the recruitment process back at the Raft was jarring and difficult to follow. I think it would have flowed much better had the A-team stuck around and helped take part in the screening process so we could see a lot more villains who have been gathering dust. Instead, it seems like an obvious build-up to have the B-team come save the A-team if this becomes too much to handle, even with Satana in tow.

The Verdict

I loved seeing some of the villains that took part in the screening process for the B-Team of Thunderbolts. Even if they don’t make it on to the team, it was great to see Shocker, Mr. Hyde, Super-Skrull, and many others even if Marvel will throw them back into a cage again after this issue.

This light-hearted cameo-fest was poorly balanced though by the A-team of Bolts being thrown back into a new, occult themed mission that seemed like an excuse just to see what Satana could do. I would have preferred a slower introduction of her character to the team and having these two stories going on at the same time made it harder to follow this cavalcade of stars we were seeing in these 20 pages.

Despite this, Thunderbolts #156 was an enjoyable read, especially if you’ve been following the series up to this point, and makes you want to pick up the next issue just to see what will happen between the A-team and B-team, even though you know it can’t realistically last having two teams of Bolts.

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Generation Hope #6 Review

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Originally Published: April 20, 2011, on Comicvine.com

While continuing to have her group of Five Lights trained and tested by Doctor Nemesis, Wolverine, and others on Utopia, a new light has been detected by Cerebra in Germany and it is up to Hope and her lights to bring the situation under control.

The Good

The adventures and action derived from discovering new mutants is exciting as each situation is so different from the last one. Now, with a psychic on their hands, Hope and the Lights (they sound like a cheesy 80s band) must put their limited training and teamwork to the test like never before.

Include a whole new team dynamic as Kitty Pryde has taken over as the team liaison for Rogue and not only does Hope have one less ally, she has one less person to rely on incase things awry as Kitty is still stuck in her bubble boy outfit since she can’t unphase yet.

The Bad

The new mutant is an unborn baby. WHAT?! I understand that things are different now and Hope proved this by having her powers manifest as an infant, but for an unborn baby to have the kind of psychic potential it is showing at this stage is unbelievable (even for X-Men standards). And if Hope does bring it under control, will it be left in a weird mental or physical state like Teon’s feral mentality or Kenji’s odd-shape shifting form? Although interesting to consider, with all the threats the X-Men face on a daily basis, having a baby taken to Utopia is the last thing needed right now and could provide for a very weird dynamic in future issues.

The Verdict

Although a weird situation, it is just weird enough to have piqued my curiosity and not turned me off. An unborn psychic mutant is definitely the off the wall kind of adventure we should probably get used to with Generation Hope. This is another well-written comic by Kieron Gillen as you clearly see the dynamic personalities of all the individual members of the team whenever they speak, and it has now been mixed up even more with the straight-laced Kitty Pryde as liaison. This is a comic I look forward to every month and can’t wait for the next issue just to see how Hope will work her way out of every crazy situation thrown into the path of her and her lights.

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Teen Titans #94 Review

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Originally Published: April 20, 2011, on Comicvine.com

With new team member Solstice in tow, the Teen Titans look to familiarize themselves with a whole new set of demonic forces that for once have nothing to do with Raven and her daddy Trigon. Can they brush up on their Indian mythology enough in time to rescue Wonder Girl and Solstice’s parents though?

The Good

A lot of fast paced action throughout the comic helps set up some ominous undertones revolving around these new foes of the Teen Titans. Couple this with some good internal monologues from Raven and Red Robin and you can get a good feel of what the team’s overall psyche is right now. In flux, uncertain, and uncomfortable for a variety of reasons with one another, the Teen Titans are fighting inner demons as much as those from Indian mythology.

The Bad

It’s another magic based storyline for the Teen Titans. I understand that with Wonder Girl, Raven, and now Solstice on the team with such little being known about her, that magical and mythological creatures make for the most logical and frequent of foes, but it gets tiresome. I don’t want or need a mythology lesson every time I crack open a Teen Titans comic. Maybe instead of trying to introduce a horde of new villains into the Bat-Family comics, DC should look to flesh out and diversify other rogue galleries instead, like those of the Teen Titans.

The Verdict

This issue of Teen Titans gives you exactly what you would expect from the comic if you’ve been reading it to this point or even if you’re just roughly familiar with the series because it’s the same almost all the time. A good balance of character and plot development tempered with some action due to an unknown demonic force rearing its head and requiring the strength of everyone involved to overcome. Therefore, they must put aside the hints of internal team strife that are constantly simmering just below the surface due to a bevy of conflicting personalities. Everyone comes together in the end to save the day. Mix well with new characters occasionally and serve for $2.99.

For the most part, Teen Titans has become predictable and formulaic, aside from the one arc involving the Clock King a while back, which I particularly enjoyed because it broke so far away from the norm. Not to say it doesn’t deliver well on this formula it has come up with, but it would be nice to see something different from them once in a while. Of course, this also makes it easy to jump into if you know anything about the characters involved, but fans that have been reading this consistently deserve something new and exciting from this comic and they’re definitely not getting it this issue.

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