torstenvblog

Godzilla: Monster planet

godzilla monster planet

Full Disclaimer: unlike many of my friends, I’m not a avid Godzilla fan nor a particular fan of Kaiju in general. Not to say I don’t mind the promise of giant monster crashing and thrashing through the civilization we busted our asses o build- if you had my job, you would find yourself wishing a radioactive iguana would tear through your workplace to break the monotony of the day.

Humanity has been brought to the brink of extinction and is forced to live in space, isolated, losing oxygen, supplies, and hope. But Why? What caused our ultimate downfall? Godzilla. What’s left of the human race is desperate to find another habitable world to no avail. Suddenly Earth becomes the only option, despite the unkillable beast. 1000’s of years passed and the environment and it’s creatures have changed, but the king of the monsters still lives. In the end, it’s up to an enraged major and a vast quantity of Earth’s last military to make a final stand against the insurmountable…

I have to say I wasn’t really a fan of this episode, and at 90 minutes it is a episode. Minor spoiler, there is generously 15 minutes of Godzilla in the whole thing but a hell of a lot of people telling you how either OP he is or how much they hate him. The animation quality varies. Sometimes good, sometimes strange. Like something about the way Godzilla is animated feels wrong or out of place. The rest of the time feels like a somewhat generic space plot. The action is kinda neat but I couldn’t help but think of Attack on Titan at times. For the casual fan, I can’t really recommend it honestly. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

I Feel Sick

i feel sick

I’m a strange individual. This is a comic book for strange individuals. This is a short review because well, it is literally on just a comic book. I don’t know much except it’s written by the creator of Invader Zim , a show I adored as a kid. It’s a dark comedy about the trails and tribulations of a girl obsessed with a painting she created of a doll. That being said, I never laughed so much while reading a comic book before. I absolutely fell in love with the grim, and often vulgar and bloody humor. As for the artwork, it is very reminiscent of Zim but kicked up to the next level on imagery. In such a short amount of time, I was intrigued by the strange story. I admit, this book isn’t for everyone. But I recommend it to my fellow weirdos out there. Best wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Sandman: volume 1

sandman vol 1

Since I first came into the expansive world of comics, The Sandman’s reputation lingered as one of the best ever written. It took me a while, entrenched in the caverns of DC’s and Marvel’s heroes to expand my mind. Years later and I’m thrilled to say the praise is well deserved.

Sandman is a epic following Morpheus, the god of dreams, as he is mistakenly captured and imprisoned by a madman for decades who originally wanted his sister, Death. After decades and lives of innocents ruined by his entrapment, he finds freedom and takes revenge on the sole surviving son of his captor, leaving Dream with a task: obtain what was pilfered from him. His pouch of sand, his helm, and his ruby derived from his essence. To retrieve these things he will walk amongst other worlds, coming across John Constantine and the psycho formerly known as Dr Destiny, challenge a denizen from hell, and travel through the world of reality, hell, and dreams as he must inevitably search for purpose after his revenge is done and his power restored…

This is one of those rare stories you can’t put down because you feel something original within it’s pages. Between Neil Gaimen’s fantastic writing and the talented artists, all of which put there hearts into this, are addictive to the eyes and heart. It is very abstract and the beginning is a bit vague so I can’t recommend this to people who want something action heavy or simple. I’d call this a thinking man’s kind of story. In the end, I will call Sandman one of the best pieces I’ve ever read and recommend giving it a shot. May the gaming gods bring you glory and sweet dreams.

5 of my favorite super teams

jla

You ever get a rush watching a climatic battle full of your favorite costumed badasses throw down against a huge army or indestructible foe? Well, like millions of other nerds, I do too. So here’s my list in order of my favorite super teams in order starting with

5. JLA- one of the classics and very first it’s hard not to get excited seeing Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Aquaman, and Green Lantern getting together to kick some ass.

f4 4 4. Fantastic 4- Marvel’s first family and explorers into the strange and cosmic, despite the swarm of crappy movies, I always got love for Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, Human Torch, and the Thing.

classic xmen 3. X Men- The Students of Xavier’s School helped start my descent into my love of Marvel. There has been tons of X Men over the years, so many I couldn’t list (near the next film I’ll get deeper into my favorites.) but they are awesome.

2. Teen Titans- I can’t lie, this is strictly on the list because of how much I loved the early 2000’s series but damn near 20 years later the friendship between Robin, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven, and Beastboy stuck with me and that says volumes.

gotg 1. Guardians of the galaxy- I got introduced to the comics a year before the movie came out and fell in love with these flawed but cool characters. Starlord, Gamora, Drax, Rocket Raccon, and Groot with awesome guest Guardians throughout make them my favorite.

May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: Under the Red Hood

batman under the red hood

If you caught my list of Top 5 badasses of DC or my Batman: Arkham Knight review, I touched on the badass of Red Hood.

The crime lords in Gotham begin getting hunted by a new vigilante calling himself The Red Hood. Killing the thugs of crimelord Black Mask, Batman notices the precision in which hood operates and the hood itself makes him recall Joker. Hood however is not the typical bad guy, taking control of the drug trade to help fund his murderous campaign, he has one rule- don’t sell to kids- which he strictly enforces. When the time comes for Batman and Red Hood to face off and the truth comes out about his identity, Batman must come to terms with the ultimate fate of his former ward, Jason Todd, and stop him before he murders Joker, proving the futility of Batman’s nonlethal methods…

I know the review maybe brief but there is a LOT to this story. As a story it is compelling and Red Hood is a badass. While Batman is awesome, Red Hood makes a damn convincing argument and steals the show with his gritty kill scenes and his interactions with his former mentor. If you plan on reading it, I do recommend reading Batman: Death in the Family before where you get the events that lead to Todd’s death. I enjoyed this book and say it’s worth checking out if you are a Batman fan. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: Death in the family

batman death in fam

Of all comics I’ve experienced so far, no hero has had more classic tales over the years than the Dark Knight himself. One of his most darkest tragedies is the tale of Jason Todd, the second Robin.

We begin this story with Bruce and Todd’s relationship getting rocky. Todd, getting older is becoming rebellious and angry. Discovering that the mother he knew was not his biological mother, Todd ventures into the middle east to find her- trailed by a worried Batman. Batman and Robin become entangled in a dastardly affair involving nuclear weapons, Joker and Todd’s real mother. Taken by Joker, Todd is tortured and beaten nearly to death by a crowbar, dying with his mother after failing to save her from a bomb. Batman’s iconic failure to save is brilliantly captured as he cradles Jason’s body. Left torn inside, Batman is left to take Joker down, but at the risk of causing a war with the middle east…

The tragedy of Jason Todd is a story we saw referenced in Batman Vs Superman and Arkham Knight and many other stories. I found this to be a surprisingly epic story I found really intriguing as well as really tragic. For an older comic, I was surprised how graphic it was but I somehow found it more effective than the overly dark tone of say Killing Joke. I will say A Death in the Family is one of my favorite Batman stories and I highly recommend it to Batman fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pokemon 3

pokemon 3

By 2001, I began falling out of the Pokemon craze and appropriately so we get a epic finale to the original trilogy of Pokemon movies.

Pokemon 3, also titled Spell of the Unknown,is a strange tale of imagination, loneliness, and coming to terms with reality. A girl named Molly is sad after her father disappears after going on a archaeological dig. All she has to remember him by is the pieces of a old puzzle, awakening the Unknown, warping reality to Molly’s whim. She generates Entei, fusing the legendary Pokemon with her father’s voice but all that is missing is a mother. Entei steals Ash’s, so now Ash and his friends are left to save her and defeat the Unknown.

Of the 3, I would say it is my favorite story. There is something dark and rather sad about this particular story. On a personal note, I lost my mother right around the time this came out so not being much older than Molly, it impacted me a lot as a kid. I enjoyed the fantastical elements. There are sweet battles and cool dreamy settings. The end I found sad but wasn’t grim. If you want something a bit deeper and a little bit darker than the first two movies but I highly recommend it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pokemon 2000

pokemon 2000

Hey anyone, remember the hype over the year becoming 2000? Well, like Pepperidge Farms, we remember. And so did Pokemon.

Pokemon 2000, also titled The Power of One, is the story of the balance of the planet getting thrown violently out of whack because a collector of rare Pokemon decides to capture the 3 legendary birds. Moltres- the bird of fire, Zapdoes- the bird of lightning, and Articuno- the bird of ice; each a force of nature in itself that once unsettled begin fighting themselves. Because of a prophecy, the world will turn to Ash as a new force emerges, Lugia. It’s up to young Ash and his friends to set them all save the world…

Much deeper into the Pokemon universe, Pokemon 2000 is on par with the first in my opinion. There is more action, more epic locations, and a deep story. The legendary birds are freaking awesome to behold. Again the ending is happy but this time it fits better. In the end I highly recommend this animated film and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Pokemon: The First Movie

pokemon 1

Many, many years ago Pokemon was everywhere. Trading cards, video games, the cartoon and when the MewTwo Strikes Back hit theaters, everyone lost there shit in my first grade class.

Team Rocket’s leader, Giovanni, commissions his most evil deed yet: an experiment to create the world’s strongest Pokemon. Created from legendary Pokemon, Mew, MewTwo is born but is furious with the prospect of existing solely as a human’s slave. After mastering his devastating powers, MewTwo sets off to cleanse the world of man and reign in a whole new era of Pokemon dominance. Standing in his way are Ash Ketchum and his friends, as well as Mew in a epic showdown for the fate of the planet…

I’m a huge fan of the movie. If you were a fan of the show, you’ll like this darker next step; if you are a new comer, I think you’ll enjoy the epic tale and awesome fights. MewTwo sells the movie. He is a great, complex villain. The animation is beautiful and there a nice balance between light and dark elements. My only personal peeve with it is the last five minutes or so, it’s a hardcore happy ending. In the end, I do highly recommend as a cool animated film. May the gaming gods bring you glory so you catch them all.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay trailer

suicide squad h2p

A few days ago the trailer for the newest R rated DC animated movie dropped and I felt a huge buzz of excitement. R rated Suicide Squad- just the way it ought to have been. This time we are joined by Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Bronze Tiger, Copperhead, and Killer Frost (a better squad selection may I add) as they take on a enemy that’s not a ridiculously over-powered demigod they shouldn’t be able to kill in any way, shape or form but do because…reasons. These 3 main factors make me cautiously optimistic- no one is forgetting Killing Joke anytime soon. May the gaming gods bring you glory and best wishes.