Category: DC

The Flash: Move Forward (new 52 vol.1)

flash running

I know a long time ago, during the beginning days of the blog I did a post about 5 great stories from DC new 52 and mentioned the third volume of this series. Despite only seeing Flash, season 1 I always wanted to dive deeper into the Scarlet Speedster and I wanted a decent place to start.

Barry Allan better known as the fastest man alive, The Flash, can’t even have a normal date night it seems when a symposium him and his girl are visiting are attacked by a group of mercenaries out to steal the tech on display. Flash manages to stop one of the masked soldiers, discovering one of his best friends from college dead and a new mystery afoot as Barry discovers his friend is in fact alive and has new regenerative capabilities and has accidentally spawned a clone gang calling itself Mob Rule as it blacks out Central City, unleashing a vengeful, newly empowered Captain Cold to escape prison and hunt for Flash who discovers the true depth of his power and the dangers of the Speed Force when using too much power can destroy time itself…

I must admit you definitely get your money’s worth with this book unlike some graphic novels that are mostly fluff. Mob Rule is a interesting villain to follow but Captain Cold vs Flash was a badass fight and Cold with ice powers is epic as hell. I feel Flash’s plight and you are invested in his story but with everything going on as well as the speed of Barry’s thoughts do make it hard to follow in the middle. In the end, while a good Flash story, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it as a intro to the character but still well worth a read. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

Birds of Prey and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

birds of prey

Ok, warning right here and now: this review will have some harsh language in it. Since Savior saw IT Chapter Two (Review) with me, he’ll understand why I ask then as now WHAT THE FUCK did I just watch. To paraphrase a quote my friend Ben “This movie is like dropping acid and watching fireworks go off” The man is not wrong…

The day has come ms Harley Quinn thought never would; Joker dumped her and now she’s all alone against a pissed off Gotham underworld that has a bone to pick with her now that she isn’t under his protection anymore. Reinventing herself as a mercenary (among a shitload of other traits) she finds herself caught hunting a diamond for cruel gangster Roman Sionis aka Black Mask. Aligning herself with disgruntled cop Renee Montoya, hapless club singer with a killer voice Black Canary, crossbow wielding vigilante Huntress, and young pickpocket Cassie Cain as they must come together to kick Mask’s ass.

Well, if you hated Suicide Squad  you’re going to hate this movie and even more if you were a fan of the source material. The movie is definitely fun and the fights are pretty damn cool, using the hell out of the R rating. The characters are cool and the actors are definitely having fun, especially Mcgregor as Black Mask. What gets me is the utter batshit editing and narrative structure; Harley is our narrator and going through her mind is like going on a drug trip and can be hard to follow at times.  The music, while all not bad gets annoying and is overused a lot. Besides the pop music being overused, the gratuitous language and bird references get old quick too.  While not a huge issue, I just feel like I have to say the title is misleading as hell; there is hardly any Birds of Prey in Birds of Prey and should be seen as a Harley movie first and foremost. In the end, if you wondered what would happen if you threw Suicide Squad and the Deadpool  movie in a blender, added glitter and meth with some liquid girl power and hit frappe you’d get this movie, a fun, entertaining WTF mess. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

“The Batman” Bat-suit reveal

This is going to be a quick post, but a juicy one for the Bat fans out there: our first look at Rob Pattinson in the iconic Bat-suit. I love the Batman: Arkham Knight kinda vibe with the armor and I love the idea of the symbol being forged from the gun that killed his parents. I’m excited to see the coloring on the suit, but so far the look is brooding and realistic and a welcome sight so far. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Stargirl trailer 1

It’s pretty impressive how large of a scope the CW’s DC universe but over the past few years I’ve wondered why who asked for shows devoted to Black Lightning and Batwoman and I have to wonder why Stargirl. The trailer looks alright as their answer to the MCU’s Captain Marvel but it also looks kinda meh. While I’m drastically out of sync with what’s going in there universe, it’ll be interesting to see how this new addition plays out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Birds of Prey trailer 2

Lately DC has been on fire with there last few movies and it seems the new directions they’ve been taking are going in the right direction. So I say that to say I’m curious if this movie is either going to be a more cringe- worthy counterpart to Suicide Squad or this maybe decent. I see some potential in this new trailer but I can’t help but feel like it may be a mess. It’s going to be a interesting birthday trip. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Superman: Red Son

red son comic

I have to admit, my timing couldn’t have been better, getting this book the day before Superman: Red Son trailer dropped. Red Son is one of DC’s most famous multiverse stories. We all know the tale of the last son of Krypton landing in the backyard of the Kents in Smallville who would grow up to be the legendary Man of Steel, Superman. But what if he didn’t land in Smallville?

Red Son follows the life of “The Superman” who became Joseph Stalin’s right hand and nuclear deterrent during the Cold War. Born to a small, poor, Ukrainian family, this Superman fights to protect his people and country and uphold the ideals of communism. The US asks genius mind Lex Luthor to trump the seemingly invincible Superman but he can never seem to stop him, whether its the villainous creations, allying himself with the Russian anarchist known as “The Batman”, or creating a corp of fighters wielding alien Green Lantern tech. Stalin is assassinated, leaving Superman as the President of the growing USSR, a omnipresent godlike figure of security and fear but can he keep being the hero he desires to be when everyone wants to see him get brought down?

Red Son is perhaps my favorite Superman story I’ve read. I love the depth and complexity of Red Son Superman as well as that world’s versions of Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Brainiac,  Batman, and the Green Lanterns. The artwork is great, and I love the era Communist era Superman posters that do feel pretty realistic. I do like the twist villain at the end but the very end didn’t work for me. Nevertheless it’s an amazing book I’d highly recommend. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Wonder Woman 1984 trailer 1

I have to admit, while a far cry in tone from the first Wonder Woman I’m still pretty interested to see where it goes. I know Cheetah plays a role in this movie, and I’m glad they don’t show her. Gal Gadot is still a knockout as Diana and I’m sure she’ll steal the show. I’m curious how it’ll turn out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Black Adam poster and release announced

black adam poster

If you watched Shazam and know you’re DC lore, you picked up on the Black Adam references but surprising revealed Mr Mind instead of him in the after credit scene. I’ve heard whispers that Black Adam is set to face his nemesis in Shazam 3 but I haven’t seen anything concrete to substantiate this. Anyhow, Adam is getting his own movie without Shazam;  Dwayne Johnson is playing Adam the movie, as the poster depicts is coming  out 12-22-21. Honestly I love his look and I like the grim god-like presence he has in the poster. I’m a bit worried Adam’s story may come off too humorous or they may try making him too much of a hero instead of the tragic, badass villain/ antihero he is. Time will tell. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Day 20, Man-Bat

manbat

So what’s more frightening than a werewolf? How about a man sized vampire bat. Kirk Langstrom was a scientist whose failed experiment turned him into this viscous creature of the night, imbued with super strength, flight, durability, sonar hearing, and a glue like spit as well as a craving for blood. Man-Bat is a underappreciated Batman villain in my opinion and a pretty terrifying, yet simple threat to the denizens of Gotham. May the gaming gods bring you glory.