Category: Comic review

Deadpool and Wolverine

You know you’re in trouble when Deadpool is your saving grace….Wade’s been through alot after the events of Deadpool 2. By that I mean, he hung up the guns and katanas and tried living a normal life, sucking at it, losing his spark when getting turned down by the Avengers. When the TVA shows up offering Wade legendary hero status in a new universe, he’s elated, until he realizes his universe is dying. To save it, his universe needs a new Wolverine. So it’s up to the Merc with a Mouth to find a Wolverine, escape a wasteland of banished Marvel characters, and become a goddamn Disney hero. Ain ‘t the multiverse fun?

Deadpool took the world by storm in 2016. Even with comic book movie fatigue setting in and many fans giving up on the MCU, the end of the Deadpool trilogy was the last hurrah for many. I had mixed feelings going in. My opinion of 2 soured over time, I didn’t trust Disney, and after Logan and the brilliant end to Hugh Jackman’s time as Wolverine, bringing him back, albeit as a variant, still soured things for me. After multiple rewatches, it still does. However, overall, the six-year wait was well worth it. Reynolds and Jackman bring their A games and have fantastic chemistry. The fights are bloody and memorable. Finally seeing Wolverine in his classic yellow and blue was a nerd dream come true. The cameos were outstanding and 1 in particular stole the show (I don’t want to spoil it but it was damn good to see some classics come back).

Not every joke lands, and I wish we got more crazier Deadpools for the final fight (namely Pandapool), and this movie doesn’t work nearly as well unless you’re a Marvel fan or grew up with 2000’s movies. I’ve heard casuals say the movie was a little confusing, but it’s much easier to follow than a lot of MCU stuff. In the end, Deadpool 3 is a great end to the trilogy and an even better send-off to the Fox Marvel era. Its packed with blood, fights, and nerdy fanservice that’s hard not to love. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Thunderbolts (New Avengers)

This Wheaties box is one of the funniest jokes in the film, and I laughed way too hard…Thunderbolts picks up with a group of the MCU outcasts (Yelena, US Agent, Red Guardian, Ghost, and Taskmaster) being ordered to infiltrate a shady testing facility. After duking it out a bit, they come a scrawny dude named Bob, the last living subject of a certain medical test. Bob, a former drug addict suffering from mental illness, stands out of this group like a sore thumb. But what if I told you Bob was a force that outmatches the powerhouses of Marvel like Hulk, Thor, and Captain Marvel? Under the devious influence of government head Valentina de Fontaine, Bob is molded into the Sentry, the world’s greatest hero. Can the outcasts, aligned with Winter Soldier and Red Guardian, stand a chance against Fontaine and the darkness inside Bob-for every light there is a darkness, and that darkness is the Void…

Going in, I knew what this movie was: MCU Suicide Squad. Basically, it’s what the comics are, and honestly, they’ve never been my thing, but I gave it a shot. With Captain America: Brave New World being a dud and Fantastic 4: First Steps being the best MCU flick since Spider-man: No Way Home , I was curious where this lay.

The cast is the biggest positive in my opinion. Everyone gives it their all. Florence Pugh, since her Black Widow debut, has been a bright light in the MCU’s darker days. Luis Pullman did great as Bob/Sentry/ Void. The final act goes for emotional character stakes instead of a giant boss battle, easily the best climax to a MCU film in a while. I liked the darker, mature themes like mental health, drug abuse, trauma, and guilt. The movie handled them well without going overly dark or trying to preach.

Unfortunately, the MCU itself, or rather its formula of forced humor, is this movie’s biggest weakness. I didn’t laugh much, but I rolled my eyes a lot more than I wanted to. Most of the action scenes were meh overall. Taskmaster is utterly wasted and is just a body to drop for pretend stakes (sorry for the spoiler, but seriously, the marketing spoiled it pretty quick). Valentina has been built up for a while, and her endgame didn’t really feel like much of a payoff.

In the end, the movie is ok but easily could have been above average. What it does good, it does great. The flaws kill it. It’s worth watching and I’m not mad they’ll return for Doomsday. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Wolverine PS5 trailer reveal

Am I the only one who thought this game would never come? After years of rumors, we finally got a trailer and all I got to say is- damn. Graphically, it’s beautiful and oh so bloody. Seriously, I love that they went all out on the gore. The characters look great. I’m personally stoked for Omega Red. My only worry is how to do a full game on Logan without it getting repetitive. Also, much like making a game based on Hulk, Superman, or Thor, the question also arises how to pull the indestructible death machine that is Wolverine without making him feel nerfed. I guess we’ll find out next fall. I can’t wait to see more. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Superman (2025)

Superman- we all know the man and his origin. We know what he stands for. We know that he is a symbol of hope in a troubled, complicated world. What if we didn’t, though? Superman can thwart kaijus, hang with the Justice Gang, and put a stop to political bloodshed, and we love him for it…until a secret raises a question: can humanity trust our lives to an unstoppable alien?

Superman is the first movie in James Gunn’s revamped DCU, and like many, I was really curious how it’d go. First, Gunn did a much better job of establishing a DC universe in this one film than the old DCEU did- no contest. Nothing feels overly forced. I don’t feel like this movie exists as an advert for other projects to come. Gunn clearly respects the material and it shows. The cast is great all around but Corenswet and Hoult are the highlights as Superman and Luthor. Corenswet brings a humble, gentle quality we haven’t seen to Supes since Christopher Reeves, while making him feel more human than I think we ever have. Hoult as Lex Luthor is a straight-up, ruthless, grimy, petulant bastard and perfectly captures Superman’s nemesis.

The movie, while excelling at a lot, does fumble hard in places. It does do too much. There are characters that feel shoved in. There’s jokes that either don’t land or break decently built dramatic scenes. Ultraman’s identity pissed me off a bit. The politics- they are a lot of real world politics in this movie- feel real heavy handed at times, bordering on preachy. There’s a bit with social media too I thought was eye rolling too if I’ll be honest. The effects range from great to questionable.

Overall, Superman was a good, solid foundation I want to see more of. Because of how much politics plays a role in the film, I can’t really recommend it as a clear yes or no. I will say this: I wanted a Superman movie that felt like a Superman movie. I got it. In many ways this movie is the polar opposite of Man of Steel and a refreshing palate cleanser to the host of evil Superman archetypes that have sprung up over the last few years. I enjoyed the movie and I think it deserves a chance. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Fantastic 4: First Steps trailer

Ok, so long time followers know I love Marvel’s First Family. I wrote a piece a while ago about what I wanted from them in the MCU ( What to do with Fantastic 4? ).

They’re here, along with bringing Silver Surfer and Galactus into the MCU. I love the vintage vibe the movie is going for. Ebon Moss as the Thing looks perfect. Galactus is perfect so far. I like the golden age costumes. There’s a lot of potential but the more I think, the more I’m afraid of this thing. While not as wretched as Fant4stic, I’m still seeing a huge uphill fight for this thing. I think. Starting with Surfer and Galactus is very risky. The 4’s crap track record adds anxiety as well as the serious dip in MCU quality in general. The first test screenings being meh don’t really help either. Time will tell but I am still cautiously excited. May the gaming gods flame on!

Superman full trailer

I’m cautiously optimistic for this one. I’ve been a longtime fan of James Gunn, even before his time with the MCU. The last DC cinematic universe imploded so there’s literally an entire cinematic universe riding on this movie. Corenswet seems like a more human Clark and I do like the energy he seems to have as the Man of Steel. I like what I saw of Lois, Guy Gardner, Mr. Terrefic, and Lex Luthor. I’m not sure how I feel about the Engineer as the main baddie but I do love everything I’ve seen of Krypto. There have been some leaks that I pray aren’t true or at least seriously overplayed about the main plot of the movie because so far I like where it’s going. Time will tell. May the gaming gods bring you all glory.

Black Panther: The Client

King Tchalla is well known as the wise, noble, ingenious king of Wakanda as well as it’s protector, they mysterious and legendary Black Panther. King Tchalla and his enigmatic entourage have come to New York after a little girl was found murdered after receiving aid from a publicized Wakandan charity. Hotshot State Dept. Everett Ross is tasked with accompanying the group, unaware the King is on a revenge quest that will sweep through not only Brooklyn but bring Ross and the Black Panther face to face with Mephisto himself…

I was curious how Marvel Knights would treat Panther. I mostly wasn’t disappointed. After the bright, CGI-filled movies of the MCU, it was refreshing to see an angry, badass Black Panther beating his way through thugs. I found this book’s take on Ross to be sleazy and just hilarious how unprepared for this kind of shit the guy is- Ross in his boxers hanging out at the apartment with Mephisto was straight-up comedy gold. The villain of the book creeped me the hell out. One of my complaints I have is the pacing is off. I wish there was more detective story and stayed more street level. Leading up to Mephisto’s involvement was really cool but I felt like the story rushed it’s way there. By the end I felt lost and had to reread chunks, swearing I missed something somewhere. The art is solid but not particularly memorable. The dialogue and writing feels dated, which does add to the comedy but I’m sure if it was intentional or not. In the end, it’s a solid book but I wouldn’t recommend as a newcomer’s first Panther read. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Daredevil: Underboss

Even the greatest of enemies have lies they do not dare to cross. Daredevil and Kingpin have been arch-enemies for years, taking everything from each other. Murdock will not kill. Stricken blind, Wilson Fisk will not anyone kill his greatest adversary, although he knows the devil of Hell’s Kitchen is none other than a blind lawyer by day. When a mutant named Nitro tries killing Matt Murdock directly in broad daylight, he’s led down a twisting path as he believes Kingpin put the hit on him. But Fisk is just as surprised as Daredevil…then Fisk is seemingly murdered by a betrayer in cold blood as an underboss yearns to bring the criminal element to the good old days before one man ruled it all and there weren’t supers running around. Can Daredevil survive the onslaught and solve the mystery of who wants him dead and more importantly, who knows his secret identity?

Honestly, I love Daredevil even as far back as his arc on spiderman animated series but I’ve never read a comic until recently. Damn was I missing out. This is a Marvel Knights story much like Inhumans and Doctor Strange: The Flight of Bones so it’s gritty and adult-rated, which fits the Man without Fear perfectly. Bendis told a really good story that kept me gripped as much as the gorgeous artwork. The book is paced really well and doesn’t require much pre-knowledge to dive in which I appreciate. The story wraps up pretty nicely and I was genuinely interested in where it was going. In the end, I highly recommend looking up this underrated gem if you wanted to get into Daredevil like I did but didn’t know where. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Suicide Squad Kills the Justice League

So first and foremost, the absolute best part of this game to me was the legendary Kevin Conroy reprising his role as Batman unfortunately for one of the last times before his passing. R.I.P to our true Dark Knight Kevin Conroy.

Years after Batman: Arkham Knight, Metropolois is under siege from the tyrannical Brainiac. The Justice League has fallen except for Wonder Woman and Flash, who are left to fight now only a seemingly endless scourge from Brainiac but also her old friends. With no other options, Amanda Waller unleashes Task Force X to save the world, bringing together assassin Deadshot, lowlife rogue Captain Boomerang, villainous Harley Quinn, and King Shark…because why not bring out a talking shark god for the end of the world? Despite impossible odds, can these outcasts come together to destroy Brainiac, save the world, and kill the Justice League?

There’s a lot I should’ve said, but it’s a half-ass description for a half-ass game. This game made me sad, not only because this is one of the last times we’ll hear Conroy as Batman, but because there is so much potential that greed crushed. This game is plagued by every annoying live service trope I’ve come to hate in modern gaming. It’s a looter shooter with crap loot. The gameplay loop is painfully repetitive. The characters don’t have much to differentiate them. There are great voice performances but they are bogged down by cringe writing. There are cool set pieces but honestly, the only character I was really attached to was Batman, because the game doesn’t let you forget this is IN the Arkham verse, but even if you sink a ludicrous amount of hours and get the real ending beyond the pay wall, Batman is still wasted in the very end. In the end, this could’ve been a cool name that was obliterated by bad decisions and greed and unless you got it free as a PS+ game, it’s not worth your time. I replayed Batman: Arkham City for the 20th time to cleanse my palette- I recommend getting the Arkham Trilogy on whatever console instead but stay away from this thing. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Doctor Strange: The Flight of Bones

Dr. Stephen Strange has overcome some tremendous feats not only as the Sorcerer Supreme, long-time hero, and renowned surgeon. Despite how much he’s overcome, his hands are failing him. While searching for help in man’s medicine, a new magical threat emerges when people begin spontaneously combusting and one of his dear friends becomes wrapped up in a deadly cult at the cause of the deadly pyres. Just another day for the good doctor, eh, true believers?

Ok, so first I gotta say two things about this book: the story itself is incredibly short and the art is the bizarre beauty I love about Strange’s stories. I was disappointed the Flight of Bones story itself is so short because I was getting pretty invested before it just…ends. There are quite a few other shorts in the book that are mostly good, all with different art styles that are wholly unique and eye-catching. When it comes to Marvel, Strange reliably has some of the coolest artwork and designs, and this book is no exception. Being under Marvel Knights, there is some adult imagery that might scare away the younger kids but many of the stories keep to a darker, bordering on horror edge that I love and I wish the MCU would embrace more with Strange. In the end, while not the best Strange story and not something that will make you fall in love with the Sorcerer Supreme ( I highly recommend Dr Strange & Dr Doom: Triumph and Torment ) it’s still worth checking out for some faster reads. May the gaming gods bring you glory.