Category: Comic review

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vol 4

power rangers 4

Picking up where Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vol.3 left off, the remaining Rangers find themselves being lured lured into Drakken’s clutches. Finster has created a small army of perfected Gouldars to meet them for an ambush once they cross worlds. The rebellion Zach and Trini lead is about to be crushed by Drakken’s army as Trini tells Billy how he died giving them the only chance they have left- the Triceratops power coin. Zordon finds himself dead in that time, caught in the loop racing in to help his rangers there. After a brilliant move on Trini’s part, Drakken’s power is disrupted as well as his army’s but can Tommy stop his evil self once and for all?

It was a badass end to this part of the story, but I do wish I got to see the final clash between the Green Ranger and Drakken, instead of them powered down. It is cool in the flashbacks to see rangers of other eras mix but ultimately fall to Drakken. the way they beat Drakken is kinda kooky but hey, it’s Power Rangers. If you’re a fan, I’d suggest the comics definitely for a good story and the nostalgic value alone. Thanks to my friend Autobot for loaning me the books; below are links to other Power Ranger comic reviews. May the power protect you and the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: vol 1 Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vol 2  Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vol.3

Power Rangers Shattered Grid Trailer

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vol.3

power rangers 3

So without a truckload of back tracking, please refer to my posts on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: vol 1 and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vol 2 before continuing with the story. So Tommy and Billy are trapped in a alternate future dimension without there powers and without the other rangers, who sharing Tommy’s Green Ranger power, have started trying to restore Alpha and bring the fight to Rita. Billy and Tommy find themselves in a time of great destruction, where Rita has taken over and the Power Rangers have lost to a sinister Lord Drakken. Powers that once were theirs have been scavenged, given to Drakken’s army. On the other side, Trini discovers the Black Dragon shares some striking similarities to Tommy’s DragonZord. Lord Drakken is revealed to be a older Tommy, a Tommy that that stayed loyal to Rita and who killed Jason, who failed to harness the White Ranger power in time. Drakken fused both together and destroyed most of his former teammates and friends. After barely escaping, the duo find a resistance led by an older Zach, but what can they do without there powers?

I can’t help but be impressed by the Boom Power Ranger comics. I enjoyed the more intimate look into Billy, who was always one of my favorites. Drakken is menacing and well written, a cool and much needed threat against the Rangers. If you enjoyed the show or want a really good comic story, these should be high on your list. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: Year One

batman year 1

There have been many upon many retelling of the origin of Batman and one of the most iconic is Frank Miller’s Batman: Year One, which helped inspire Batman Begins. Year One as far as story is pretty self explanatory. Gotham is a crime infested hellhole full of crooked cops and mainly controlled by mob families. Young Detective Jim Gordon transferred willingly here with his budding family in search of money and a new start but quickly learns Gotham is no place for a good man. Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne returns after nearly a decade abroad, prepared to seek vengance on the crime that took the life of his parents. At first, dressed in black he attacks the small time crooks to no avail. Using his fear of bats, his natural intellect, and the skills he learned across the globe, he chooses a new identity, something to scare the wicked. Gordon and the newly emerged Batman of Gotham are fighting for justice, but can they work together?

I admire the book for it’s intamcy in regards to Gordon and Wayne’s thoughts and stories. I enjoyed how Batman’s origin wasn’t tied to a specific super villian but fighting the crime families of Gotham. It was cool to see the thought processes behind Batman’s transform, as well the impact he makes on others. There’s an iconic scene where he engages the family heads directly that always stuck with me. I found it weird Catwoman started off as hooker in this and didn’t really think she needed to be there. I did see the animated film which was adapted really damn well and I recommend seeing in conjunction with the book or just on it’s own. If you want a cool origin and a good crime drama, this is well worth the read. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers vol 2

power rangers vol 2

Again, another shout out to Autobot for letting me borrow these books. Picking up where Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: vol 1 left off, tensions are at a all time high between Rangers, especially Zach and Tommy. The reason for Zach’s paranoia stems from a secret encounter he had with Rita, before the Green Ranger even appeared. Using his nature against him, he offered him the Green power to help bring order to the world if he would just abandon his friends and achieve the greatness he sought. He turned it down but he felt the overwhelming ease and guilt at the wanting he felt. A new monster, the Black Dragon, has descended on them, kidnapping Billy and zapping all the Rangers expect for Tommy’s, leading to Tommy and an unpowered Jason to lead a raid on Rita’s palace to free the captured Blue Ranger…Once again, I was really into this comic. The characters are done well, being fun but heartfelt, and the action is awesome. Seeing the Dragonzord in space was pretty damn sweet. If you liked the first volume, feel free to jump to into the second and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: vol 1

power rangers v1

To start, I’m going to start this four part review with a shout out to my friend Autobot who loaned me these comics. After the Power Rangers Shattered Grid Trailer , many were interested in the Higgins run of Power Rangers comics, to which we get the first volume.

Shortly after being freed from the grasp of Rita Repulsa, Tommy Oliver is finding the balance between being a normal teen and the sixth Power Ranger. The dynamic of the team has changed as the old rangers learn to adjust to there new teammate and former enemy. Tensions are high amongst the group; Jason and Tommy butt heads over leadership and Zach is ensure of Tommy’s true aligence after it appears Tommy can’t fully control the powers of the Green Ranger. Unbeknownst to the rest of the team, Rita is mentally torturing Tommy, trying to lure him back to her side. Or, does Rita have other plans?

I grew up with Power Rangers like many and to this day I still love the classic Mighty Morphin series so I loved this book. If your a die hard fan and are worried it won’t fit the show, rest assured, the characters act and look how they did then. What I liked is how it was just a little bit darker, but wasn’t as drastic as last year’s remake seemed to be. I couldn’t wait to read the next book in the series. The only issue I had was it felt short; there is a Bulk and Skull short at the end but I felt like it was there to pad the book up a bit. Either way, old fan or new, it’s definitely worth checking out. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

4 super people I wish were here to save me from summer

snowglobe

It’s summer everyone, which means a lot of things around the world but there is one thing that can be said no matter where you are on this world. It’s freaking hot. Sunburn, sweat, humidity and so many sleepless nights and high electric bills but don’t worry, there are some super folks to help, starting with…’

storm 1. Storm-

if you hate the weather, why not change it? Why not have a winter wonderland in July? Why not have a week of calm, quiet rain? With help from this powerful Xmen, you can afford to lean off the sunscreen a few days. Speaking of X Men and winter…

iceman 2. Iceman-

Screw it, let’s freeze the damn planet and make a giant hockey rink! With his Omega level mutant abilities, I’m sure Iceman wouldn’t mind giving us a few snow days in August.

aquaman 3. Aquaman-

If snow and ice ain’t your thing, how about water? I’m sure he’d b glad to raise the oceans a bit and give us a planetary water park with all of the cool ocean life we can only see in a aquarium. Just a thought.

mr freeze  4. Mr Freeze.

I work outside, just how many of my friends have. Water and Gatorade  only do so much. How about getting flash frozen? That will cool you off long term. Just let the ice thaw you out and enjoy.

I hope you enjoyed the list while trying to keep cool and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: Pink

power rangers pink Who the hell didn’t love the Power Rangers in the 90’s? The kick ass theme song, the weird mix of monster fighting, giant robot dinosaurs, and American kid sitcom- the original Mighty Morphin Power Rangers is still a good time twenty some years later so I was glad Boom brought us the same Rangers, new stories.

Pink follows Kimberly Hart, the original pink rangers years after leaving the group as an up and coming pro gymnast. Life is totally different than that, happy, but she misses the thrill of being a Power Ranger and saving the world with the rest of her friends. Well, Kimberly is about to get her wish when a outbreak of monsters takes over the village in France where her and her family now live. People have been taken by old nemesis Gouldar and turned into monsters to serve Rita and Zed by a new monster. Desperately, she contacts Zordan to find out the Rangers are off planet getting there asses kicked by Rita and Zed. Things aren’t looking good. Zordan, sacrificing his own power grants Kim a weapon to partially restore her power, because she was of the first to touch her coin, the power of pink is still inside. But she’ll need help- so she enlists help from Zach and Trini, the original black and yellow rangers as well as the help of new friends to face a quickly devastating threat with severely limited resources. Can the former pink ranger rise to the challenge?

As a old school fan of the show, the book is a very welcome epilogue. Kimberly is older, more mature but still the girl we knew and it was cool and heartwarming to see her reunite with her teammates. The narration brings a bit of weight which is pretty welcome. Essentially it feels like a reunion special that sometimes feels a bit too lengthy at times but its damn good special I’d recommend to fans. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Spawn/ Spawn: origins

spawn

So it was officially announced that Jaime Fox will be playing Al Simmons/ Spawn in the reboot, which I’m totally pumped for. Spawn was a groundbreaking character in the 90’s, ultra-violent, bloody, dark almost Grindhouse type anti hero which no one really saw before. In the 90’s, during the height of Spawn’s popularity we got a live action movie, sure to be full of blood, gore, mayhem and dark ass themes right? It’s pg-13. Enough said.

In the movie, Al Simmons is a former marine turned assassin for the government, turned to doing some maybe not nice shit for his boss named Jason Wynn. Al has a loving family, his wife Wanda and daughter  Cyan and best friend Terry always has his back. During a mission, Wynn betrays Simmons with his assassin, burning him alive. Al ends up in hell, given a deal by the devil: become the hell-spawn and lead the armies of hell and in return he can avenge his death. Al agrees, being sent back to Earth months after his death, deformed and registered dead. In pain, Al is haunted by the Clown, a demonic henchmen who taunts the newly knighted Spawn and makes sure he keeps his end up. As it turns out, Wynn plays a part of a plot to bring Armageddon to Earth. As the story plays out, Al understands he is being toyed with and decides to fight back against the devil and Clown and save the family he lost, but can he master his new abilities and defeat the hordes of hell?

So much like the comparison I made with Superman: Earth One and Man of Steel , I can for the Spawn movie and the Spawn origins, volume 1. You get the same basic premise but there are some key differences. The comic is much bloodier and much darker themed- there’s a issue where Spawn brutality kills a pedophile ice cream man. The writing is meh, but there is a better sense of pathos in Spawn and a more threatening presence to Clown/ Violator. While not my favorite, I recommend checking out the comic before the movie. The movie has alright acting from Spawn and Clown but Michael Sheen kinda sucks as Jason Wynn. The movie is royally destroyed by the pg-13 rating and really lame effects on top of a lukewarm script at best BUT the actors gave it there best with what they had. So to summarize, read Spawn origins collection vol 1 if you want a good intro to Spawn, watch the movie if you like B movies. I hope the reboot gives us something legendary to remember. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

spawn origins

Deadpool: Monkey Business

dp monkey business

Many a Marvel fan have wanted a Deadpool and Spider-man crossover in the MCU and maybe someday we will. Spider-man, a good-natured jester and Deadpool, a maniacal hit man that shoots as many jokes as bullets, I love the chemistry between the two. In this story, while not battling themselves, they are forced to battle a talented, dangerous assassin, Hit-Monkey. Yes, a cute white monkey in a little black suit going around John Wicking people. I laughed my ass off watching the two getting there asses kicked by a monkey, who is pretty badass. A huge reason to read this is the great comedic chemistry between Spider-man and Deadpool. If you want a quick read with some great jokes and cool fights, I recommend this book. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Iron Fist: the Living Weapon: Rage

iron fist v1

I have to say I never had a real interest in Iron Fist for most of my comic fan-dom. He’s one of those characters that wasn’t prevalent in the old cartoons, never had a movie, and while I haven’t gotten to the Netflix show, I haven’t heard many decent reviews so I hesitant to pick up one of his stories…

Danny Rand was a privileged child who disappeared with his family in the mountains in search for the mythical city of Kun-Lun. He was the only one to reemerge, imbued with the power to channel his chi into a host of abilities and great martial arts skills. After years of fighting as the Iron Fist, everything from Danny’s past crashes down on him. Undead ninjas, Kun-Lun is in ruin, a fiend disguised as both his deceased father and mentor comes for him and his power is drained, leaving him powerless and broken down in this colorful Kung-Fu   epic…

I have to admit, this story wasn’t really my thing but I can respect it. The artwork is sweet and there are some cool fights. The story is a bit confusing if you aren’t familiar with Iron Fist’s story but if you enjoy old school type martial arts stories, you’ll get a more out of Iron Fist than I have. A special thanks to my friend Autobot for letting me borrow it and may the gaming gods bring you glory.