Comic review – Page 16 – Savior Gaming

Batman: The War of Jokes and Riddles( DC Rebirth)

batman jokes and riddles

As a kid, Riddler was one of my favorite Batman villains, likely because of Jim Carey in Batman Forever . As I got older, I realized there was certainly more dangerous villains, but I always thought he deserved a darker incarnation on screen. I’m glad to say I got my wish with this book…

Batman has been haunted by a memory for years, a time he almost crossed the line, so he recounts the tale for his beloved Selina ( Catwoman) of the War of Jokes and Riddles. Edward Nigma, known to Gotham as the Riddler, is one of it’s greatest criminal masterminds and has been aiding the police in solving crimes they didn’t want the Bat involved. One night, in a bloody display, he escapes Arkham Asylum in search of Batman’s greatest foe, the Joker. Joker, who has lost the will to laugh, is in the midst of a rampage to find laughter again. Riddler makes a truce with Joker, for them to team up to kill Batman, to solve the ultimate riddle and tell the ultimate joke. As you would imagine, this partnership doesn’t last long and suddenly the criminal underworld of Gotham is divided, a gang war killing hundreds on the streets. the police can’t handle the madness and Batman finds himself unable to take both forces on himself. In the end, he’ll have to choose a side, but who do you side with?

First and foremost, Riddler steals the show for me here. He’s creepy and damn memorable with his riddle filled dialogue and his ruthless nature. This is the Riddler I’d love to see on screen. The story has a great character list that doesn’t get used much except for show, though Riddler does have a nice stroll with Poison Ivy and there is a epic sniper war between Deadshot and Deathstroke. The story isn’t bad but I felt disappointed, although it does pick up by the end. The art is fine but the character designs are more classic based and none really standing out. I was not a fan of Joker in the story, who just comes off as blah to me here. In the end, it’s not a bad story I suggest checking out if you like the Riddler and want a very villain based story, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Guardians of the Galaxy/ All New X Men: The Trial of Jean Grey

trial of Jean Grey

So, before we begin, let me pose a question that has been asked in fiction and is what got me to read this book: how far should you go to prosecute someone for something they haven’t committed yet? I love the All New X Men series, where the original 5 X Men go forward in time to stop a radical mutant movement while having to come to terms with there futures, whether it’s Iceman coming to terms with his sexuality, Beast discovering he’ll lose much of his physical humanity and it will eventually be his end, or in this case, Jean Grey finding out she will be the death of millions as the Dark Phoenix.

A console of planetary figureheads led by J-son of Spartax ( Star-lord’s real father; Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 (2017) changed that hard). Earth has been put under a sort of quarantine because of the damage done to the universe as well as the amount of super-powered people there. The Guardians of the Galaxy have fought back and forth against this. The problem is, word gets out Grey is alive and well on Earth. This news sparks outrage amongst the others, especially Earth’s former ally Gladiator of the Shi’ar Empire who takes it upon himself, against everyone else’s wishes to have her captured and brought to trial and punished. A crew of mercs attack the X men and manage to capture her; the Guardians investigate thinking it was part of a plot from J-son Quill, showing up soon after Grey was captured. The X men and Guardians decide to free her, but it’s the Guardian’s allies, the Star-Jammers that wrecks Cyclops’s world- meeting his long lost father in space. Can the Guardians of the Galaxy and X men free Jean Grey and bring down a alien empire?

I had a lot of fun with this story and it’s a quick read. My favorite aspect was the interactions between the two teams, like Angel and Iceman being terrified of Groot or a quiet exchange between X-23 and Drax. The character roster and art work is pretty good and may I say the variant covers, which feature a member from each team paired together which are pretty epic. Good news for those who aren’t familiar with either series or it’s characters, there is a character sheet and two detailed synopses that bring you up to speed. The only drawback I have is there isn’t as much action as I would have liked to have seen and while it doesn’t make much sense, I would have loved a quick fight between the two. In the the end as I stated in my post 5 Marvel stories that hooked me and I’d say it’s worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Hellboy 2019 trailer 2

So we got a legitimate Red Band R rated trailer for Hellboy 2019 and I’m actually pretty glad we have confirmation it’ll be R rated. I can’t tell you how much it pissed me off when Venom was made Pg-13; I feel the R rating does Hellboy it’s own identity. I like this trailer better but I still feel uneasy about the movie overall. Maybe it’s my attachment to the original Hellboy movies but I’m honestly worried we’re getting a R rated MCU movie. Time will tell but until then may the gaming gods bring you glory.

X Men: Dark Phoenix trailer 2

So to begin, I’m confused and must ask a question: wasn’t this movie supposed to be out already? If I’m not mistaken, X Men: Dark Phoenix trailer 1 said it was going to be released on Valentine’s Day of 2019. That can’t be a good sign…

As for the trailer itself, it is an improvement but I can’t help but still be wary of it. Phoenix does look pretty cool and Sophie Turner seems to have stepped up her game a bit as Jean/ Phoenix. I can’t help but feel we’re going to get a body count here as it’s Fox’s final X men movie while I’m pretty sure Mystique is done for in this movie. In the end I’m a little more invested in it but still weary. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

10 awesome black heroes in comics part 2

falcon cap

Does anyone remember when Falcon became the new Captain America? Has anyone heard the rumor of Michael B Jordan possibly being the new Superman in the DCEU? Continuing my list of awesome black heroes, in no particular order, let’s continue with our man above…

falcon 6. Falcon-

It’s rarer in comics than to see some closer friends in comics as Captain America and Falcon, a partner and confidant in this day and age. In time, Steve Rodgers would pass his mantle and shield over to his kind hearted friend who would do him proud. Characterized by him orange wings and his red googles, he’s the best wing mate Cap could ask for.

steel dc 7. Steel-

I’m going to be honest, the Steel movie was my intro to this character, weirdly after hearing to story of John Henry in school. After seeing the characters badass comic design and the fact he began with the good hearted attempt of carrying on Superman’s legacy, I was hooked. Armed with metal suit and his weaponized hammer, while not the Man of Steel, he’s a hell of a back up.

8. Luke Cage-

Luke Cage is a simple man with a simple purpose: clean up the streets of Harlem. He doesn’t need a costume, a mask, or fancy moniker. Luke Cage is a simple, down to earth guy who is almost indestructible and quite the bruiser. He’s a good example of redemption and a normal guy trying to help his community.

9. War Machine-

Of all the characters on this list, War Machine maybe my personal favorite. Beside donning a customized Iron Man suit layered in every gun imaginable with a epic new paint job, I love the man beneath the armor. James Rhodes is Tony Stark’s voice of reason and loyal best friend who wants to defend his country. Honestly, I love old War Machine comics because unlike Stark, I related to Rhodes who was a normal guy facing some crazy ass Rambo level shit without relying on the suit as much as Stark. Plus, dude he’s friggin War Machine…

panther comics 10. Black Panther-

Of course I had to talk about King T’ Challa of Wakanda, legendary ruler and protector. With Black Panther winning Marvel it’s first ever Oscar this year, the character is relevant now more than ever. Not only is he a brilliant mind and one of the most humble characters in Marvel, he is one of the most dangerous hand to hand combatants as well being encased in a suit of pure Vibranium, making him virtually energy resistant and armed with gadgetry decades ahead of our technology, Panther deserves a well of respect as one of Marvel’s coolest characters…

I hope you all enjoyed my list for Black History month and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

10 awesome black heroes in comics, part 1

February is a huge month with Valentine’s day, my birthday, and of course Black History Month. Throughout comic history, we’ve had some truly great African American characters ranging from badasses, powerhouses, and leaders for us to look up to. So, in no particular order, here’s the first part of my shout out to these characters starting with…

1. Jon Stewart ( Green Lantern)-

Watching the classic Justice League cartoon as a kid, Stewart immediately was one of my favorites. A traumatized, stalwart Marine Corps sniper turned Lantern, he’s a man who kicks ass. My favorite stories of Blackest Night were his chapters where I became hooked. Attuned to more practical weaponry than Jordan, Gardner, or Ryner, he’s the badass human of the Corps.

blade comic 2 2. Blade-

Called the ” Daywalker” by his prey, Blade is the near perfect vampire killing machine. Half human, half vampire Blade has the strengths of the vampires without the weakness to sunlight. Famous for his epic martial arts and sword skills he strikes fear into vampire kind while silently battling his blood lust making Blade much more compelling than your average vampire hunter.

storm 3. Storm ( X men)-

For most of us, this iconic X men and weather witch needs no introduction. Ororo Munroe has a fascinating history from being worshiped as a goddess in native Kenya, a orphaned pickpocket, esteemed X men, and even married to the King of Wakanda, Black Panther, at one point. Storm has been been strong and compassionate on countless occasions. Either way, Storm is a force to be reckoned with…

cyborg unplugged 4. Cyborg-

Vic Stone, much like Blade, faces an internal fight to keep his humanity. While not struggling to refrain from becoming a monster, he struggles not to become a soulless machine. After what should have been a fatal accident, Vic became a subject of his genius father’s experiments in robotics ( and exposure to the Mother Box in some origins) becoming a living machine. With a high intellect consciously connected to the internet, a host of ever evolving cybernetic weaponry and a excited Boo yeah! Cyborg is a welcome member of the Teen Titans and JLA.

spawn comic 5. Spawn-

Here we finish part one with one of comic’s greatest anti-heroes and one of it’s darkest might I add. Al Simmons was a merc who, after being betrayed, is sent to hell and given a deal to lead hell’s army in exchange for revenge. Spawn betrays the devil and now fights everyone. With a huge host of weaponry and a unlimited supply of demonic powers, Spawn is cruel and relentless against the forces of Hell, heaven, and the wicked who stand in his way.

That was part 1 of 2 of my list and I hope you all enjoyed it. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay

suicide squad h2p

Suicide Squad was one of the movies said to break the DCEU; Savior and I are perfect examples of polarizing opinions on the movie ( ( second opinion) Suicide Squad ). Well, I’m happy to say DC gave us a animated option if you weren’t a fan of the live action…

We see Task Force X, the Suicide Squad, at work again under the command of Amanda Waller. After a successful mission, Waller gets some hard news- she has a terminal illness. She assembles a new crew consisting of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, Captain Boomerang, Copperhead, Bronze Tiger, and Killer Frost to obtain a mystical card that automatically grants whoever holds it at death free access into Heaven. If tensions weren’t high enough with such a despicable, volatile team but they are being hunted down by a gang of super-powered freaks led by a desperate Reverse Flash while the card is in the immortal, cruel hands of Vandal Savage. Can Task Force X pull themselves together and survive this road trip from hell?

Admittedly, after about 20 minutes in I wish this was the movie we got on screen. Instead of the neon mess we got in live action, Hell to Pay goes for a more Grindhouse style that is much more fitting. It’s way bloodier, a lot more dark humored, and much more grounded which was damn welcome. Savage and Reverse Flash are much better villains to face the squad, which may I add the squad’s load-out is much more fitting. The voice acting and score are really well done and while there are some pacing issues here and there, it’s a cool movie I recommend. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Doom Patrol trailer

So while I had a huge amount of reservations about DC’s live action Titans series, I have to admit I really dug the Doom Patrol cameo. As for looks, the main characters actually look pretty good. Cyborg looks better to me here than in Justice League (2017) and I have to admit I always liked Robot Man. I’m actually kinda excited to see how this progresses. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

6 epic Green Lantern villains

jon stewart

I’m sure if anyone has been following my villain lists as of late or are fans of the blog, I’m sure this list wasn’t a huge surprise. Of DC’s huge list of heroes, The Green Lanterns are my second favorites, so let’s talk about there foes, some in fact are huge scaled terrors and this time I have a controversial 7th I feel needs talking about. So, in no particular order, let’s start with…

1. The Manhunters-

Before the Corps and the Guardians decided to harness the green light of willpower, they created the Manhunters to keep order in the universe. They were machines they went hay-wired and started slaying instead being police. Several worlds fell under these mechanical cops gone bad and they still fight the Lanterns that came after. There influence brings us to my next villain…

2. Atrocitus and the Red Lantern Corps-

Atrocitus was a murderous fiend with a bloody grudge against the Green Lantern Corps because the Manhunters paid his world a visit, killing his family and slaying his race. He forged the red ring of Rage, creating his hate fueled Corps. With superior strength, the ability to create red constructs, as well as disperse molten blood from there mouths, the Red Lanterns are a force to be reckoned with, “We’ll burn you all, that is your fate!”

hammond 3. Hector Hammond-

Hammond is one of the creepier, underestimated bad guys on this list. This one is obsessed with Hal Jordan and envies him to a psychotic degree but hates him for being the man he can’t ever be. He was exposed to a energy source that grossly mutated him, giving him both telekinetic and telepathic abilities as well as greatly enhancing his intellect. What makes him creepy is the lust he has for Carol Ferris and the the errie thoughts he has running through his giant head.

4. The Black Hand-

William Hand has had a weird life. Sinestro and a cadet Hal Jordan saved him from a pre Red Lantern Atrocitus. His obsession with death lead him down a frankly disturbing path that lead him to kill his family and launch the prophecy of Blackest Night. His arm kills what ever he touches and one of his main weapons is a device that absorbs a lanterns light and fires it back. With his master, Nekron, The Black Hand is the small time villain that almost damned the universe and killed all the light..

5. Sinestro and the Sinestro Corps-

What greater threat to the Green Lantern Corps would there be than one of there own? Arguably the second most powerful Green Lantern of all time, Thal Sinestro learned the power of fear trying to cease a civil war on his home world. He used fear to bring peace, which cost him his ring and had him exiled, where he found the means to forge the gold ring of fear and start his own Corps of the fiercest monsters and killers of the universe to spread fear.

parallax

6. Parallax-

Sinestro controls fear; The Sinestro Corps enforces control through fear. Parallax is fear. He inhabits the bodies of others, causing cataclysmic devastation. After possessing Hal Jordan, with the power of will and fear, he caused nearly destroyed the galaxy and brought the Green lanterns to near extinction. Of all the Green Lanterns have face, none have done more damage than Parallax, except for maybe..

guardians dc

7. The Guardians of the Universe-

Here is the controversial part, folks. The Guardians don’t have direct malcontent: they want to provide peace and order to the universe. But because of them there were the Manhunters who slaughtered millions and created Atrocitus, they hid things like Parallax, Larfleeze, Volthoom as well as neglected the prophecies of Brightest Day and Blackest Night and turned several of there own Lanterns into the Manhunter / Lantern hybrid Alpha Lanterns. In essence, these immortal blue bastards caused more harm than good.

Besides these 7, of course I have to give a shout out to Larfleeze, The Star Sapphires, Dr Polaris, Volthoom, Krona, and Nekron who are badasses but these stuck out more to me personally. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: White Knight

batman white knight

If you’ve been following our humble blog lately, you’ve likely noticed the villain posts lately, including such as 5 great Superman villains and 5 great Flash villains . Well, let’s face it, when it comes to super hero and villain relationships, none are more enigmatic, traumatic, and psychotic than Batman and Joker. But White Knight asks the question, what if Joker went sane, what would become of Gotham’s Dark Knight?

After the millionth or so go between the iconic figures, enough starts to seem to be enough. The collateral damage Batman inflicts on Gotham is huge but the day is saved; Joker bets Batman he he can be a greater hero and idol in Gotham than him. In Arkham Asylum he begins taking an experimental medication that does the impossible- makes the Joker sane. As Jack Napier, he wins his freedom back in the court of law and begins his long road to saving Gotham. He reignites his relationship with Harley, while breaking the second Harley Quinn’s psyche in the process and begins aiding the police. Meanwhile, Batman is riding the line as Alfred lays dying and he has become more quiet and violent than normal. Not even Mr Freeze’s aid can aid him and his anger is affecting Nightwing and Batgirl, who fight amongst themselves what to do with Bruce. If that wasn’t enough, a horde of Batman’s deadliest villains is running amok and the second Harley, now christened Neo-Joker, is out to get her psychotic hubby back but who be the one to save us and the one to damn us, the former clown prince of crime or the Batman?

I consider this a modern Batman classic but I have some tiny issues. The story is complex and exciting, raising some good points about Batman and exploring the relationship between the two enemies. There is a really good villain cast and Mr Freeze has some good character moments. Napier steals the show for the book and that’s actually refreshing because he’s a separate, flawed character in his own right. The artwork is cool and there is a lot of action. An issue I have is that the story takes a few liberties with Batman’s lore that don’t outright piss me off but one I feel can be used to make a tired ass sequel if followed. In the end, it’s a great story and I consider it to be one of the better Bat stoies. May the gaming gods bring you glory.