Category: Comic review

30 Days of Night: Return to Barrow

30 days 3

We come to the third book of the 30 days of night series and arguably my favorite of the series I’ve read so far. We pick up with the town of Barrow, Alaska three years after the vampires attacked. Brian Kitka comes to the town with his young son to become the new sheriff and discover why his brother’s family really died. He soon discovers the legends of what happened in Barrow was real, and the vampires never left. They want revenge for not only the death of there kin but also to finally erase the knowledge of there existence. But Barrow won’t go  down without a fight. The story is a good blend of gory action and a good plot. You don’t necessarily have to read the first two books to get the gist but I would recommend it just because the end reveal ties the story together into a nice little trilogy.

Special shout out to a special friend “Violet”, it’s her birthday today; thank you for the support. Thank you all out there supporting us and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

30 Days of Night: Dark Days

30 days dark days

Soon is my birthday and I feel kind of nostalgic, that being said one of my first reviews was for 30 days of night . I’m a huge fan of the graphic novel and I’m in love with the art and just the idea of isolation with these damn vampires.

The second book picks up with Stella, one of the last survivors of the massacre at Barrow. She wrote a novel of her account of the vampires, and that has made her a target. Stella has made it her life’s goal to out the vampires with a small group of experts. On the outside, she is a strong badass but she does mourn Eben after he sacrificed himself to kill the head vampire of the group in Barrow. Well, this sacrifice comes at a price because the head vampire’s main squeeze just so happens to be really feared vampire royalty…think Eclipse if it was gory, and actually awesome.

I have to say I enjoy Dark Days more than the first. It is longer and there is much more character development as well as a healthy dose of action. I didn’t see the movie for it but I can say if you liked the first, it’s worth checking out, and I have to say the end is really well done. May the gaming gods bring you glory and enjoy the sun.

Archie Vs Predator

archie v pred

What happens when spring break for the Riverdale kids becomes a bloodbath and a certain dread-locked extraterrestrial with a bad attitude and a plasma castor comes to visit? This hilariously absurd comic crossover, that’s what. Archie and his friends go to a tropical island for break, enjoying there usual shenanigans until something catches Betty and Veronica cat fighting on the beach, and takes this as a act of conflict. An invitation amongst warriors. Teens begin going missing, being found dismembered all over the island, and Archie’s group barely survives. Relieved, they go back home, enjoying high school life and milkshakes- until the soda-jerk’s head randomly explodes in front of them from a unseen origin, just a quick burst of light. Now the hunt is on in Riverdale as Archie, Betty, Veronica and the rest of his friends must battle the badass Predator.

This is one of my favorite comic book reads. Funny, crazy, and just so WTF. There is 4 comic books or a graphic novel so it’s a quick read. I never read a Archie comic but I’m a fairly ample Predator fan and I can tell you they did him justice. I will watch Riverdale if they devote a season to this. I recommend it for a great laugh and some awesome Predator kills. 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.

Teen Titans 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.

5 stories I’d love to see for a solo DCEU Batman movie

batman symbol 2017

Anyone else getting tired of the same old Batman films? If I have to watch Thomas and Martha Wayne get shot again I’m going to scream! In BVS and JLA we got Easter eggs for things that have happened to Batman in the DCEU, so here’s a quick list of Batman tales I’d love to see brought to life in the DCEU with no particular order, starting with:

new 52 batman 1

1. Court of Owls/ Night of the Owls- essentially Batman wrapped up in a tale of suspense and mystery as he discovers the true driving force of Gotham, the Court of Owls and there deadly assassins, the Talons stop at nothing to reclaim Gotham from the dark knight. It’d make a great thriller with bad ass fights and great secrets throughout.

arkham asylum book

2. Arkham Asylum- since the DCEU is pretty damn rushed as it is, a cool way to introduce a lot of the villains through the tale of Batman trying to survive a night in the infamous madhouse. Featuring such great villains as Two-Face, Mad Hatter, Scarecrow, Joker and Killer Croc it’d definitely would make for a cool tale.

riddler 3. A Riddler movie- Some of my favorite episodes of Batman the animated series and the show The Batman were the detective stories of Batman tracking down Riddler, I think being a welcomed change of pace from what we’ve gotten in recent years. I mean, imagine Seven with Batman answering riddles instead of observing the sins.

under the red hood

4. Under the Red Hood- BVS teased the shit out of this with the broken Robin suit tagged in Joker graffiti, so why the hell not follow through with it? Let Batman see the dark reflection of himself through the son he believed tested, see him pushed to the brink of sanity again and have to pull himself back again. Also, it wouldn’t be a bad way to introduce Nightwing and Mr. Freeze into the DCEU.

batman hush

5. Hush- another good tale for a R rated audience featuring a great who done it mystery, lots of great bad guys, and even a rematch with Superman, which I think we could all use.

Best of wishes and may the gaming gods bring you glory.

 

 

Aquaman (new 52, volume 5) sea of storms

aquaman v5

My good friend Autobot was kind enough to loan me some Aquaman comics before Justice League came out, so thanks man.

We begin our stories with Arthur Curry dealing with his rule of the oceans and trying to protect those land. People are weary of him on the surface after Orm, the Ocean Master, nearly brought a massive flood on them. In Atlantis, people aren’t trusting him because he still tries to help the surface dwellers, who damn near kill themselves by accidentally uncovering a titanic Atlantean beast that causes further devastation on land, nearly kills Aquaman, and sours the favor of the Atlanteans even further because it was an ancient protector meant to serve the reigning king, not try to murder it. Arthur couldn’t stop it. A idiot named Daniels, who has been pursuing Arthur finds his trident and accidentally sets free a race of Giant-borns from a makeshift hell created by a past Atlantean king, which forces him to fight a crazed Hercules and team up with Wonder Woman to finish this, all while stressing over his high school reunion. While Mera is hunting some failed assassins who tried taking her life, Aquaman finds himself face to face with the fabled Swamp Thing in our last story.

Essentially the book is three stories in one and that was really cool. Of the three, the last was my favorite just because it was cool to see Swamp Thing kick his ass. Something I have to say for the series itself, the artwork always catches my eye and makes me take in the details and colors. There are a lot of great, epic fights and I was glad to get time with Wonder Woman and Swamp Thing, who neither I’ve experienced much. Overall, it’s a fun book to pick up in sections and definitely gorgeous to look at. Best wishes all, and may the gaming gods bring you glory.