Comic review – Page 4 – Savior Gaming

Injustice (film)

What happens when Superman, the shining hero of the DC universe loses everything? After Joker pushes him to his breaking point, Superman decides the JLA must take a more brutal stance on crime and peace must be ushered in by any means necessary. The league divides, many doing everything possible to distance themselves from Superman’s extreme regime. Batman and a few others stand against them but can they beat their friend turned foe?

I love the Injustice games so this movie really bummed me the hell out. While I was never huge on the story of the first game, it had some interesting ideas and I felt bad for totalitarian Superman; I didn’t really feel much in the movie. The movie feels really overstuffed which kills the pacing so after a while things just feel like they happen to happen. The movie never reaches the ultimate dystopia of the games and comics and ultimately ends really abruptly. A lot of the characters I wanted to see throw-down were either cut completely or relegated to cameos. The voice acting fell flat mostly but Arrow and Harley stood out. The movie looks pretty nice and I do like the character designs which many are close to the games. My favorite thing was the brutal kills in the movie, made more satisfying by the R rating. In the end, the Injustice movie was a pretty big disappointment I’d recommend skipping, opting out for the much superior games instead. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Superman: Brainiac/ Superman: Unbound

Superman had always known of the fate of his and his cousin, Kara Zor El’s, homeworld of Krypton. What he didn’t know was the massacre and eventual capturing of the city of Kandor at the hands of Brainiac; Kara, scarred by the horrors of watching her family being blipped away by the biomechanical tyrant, has never forgotten. When Superman comes upon a lonely probe, Supergirl fears the worst- Brainiac is coming. Hosting knowledge from throughout the universe garnered from billions of conquered species as well as an army of drones and a devastating mother ship connecting to his body, can the duo save Earth from the same fate as so many others?

I have to admit, I always loved Brainiac so I was glad to read the story as well as watch the movie based off of the book. They follow pretty closely but if I have to choose, I like the movie Unbound better than the book. There is a lot of action and characterization in the movie and I feel like Superman and Supergirl’s character arcs are realized much better in the film. The book feels blunter and to the point. Regardless I do love how cold and menacing Brainiac is portrayed as and I do love that he is shown to rightfully be one of Superman’s biggest threats. How he is defeated is also pretty creative and satisfying. I really like Supergirl; in the movie, I like that she has a pretty badass streak and I like how a lot of her story is about overcoming her fear of Brainiac. For the movie, the animation and voice acting are top notch; as for the book, it’s written fine and the artwork is really good at points but the pacing feels off and because of that, you don’t get everything the movie offered. In the end, it’s a really good story but I much more recommend the movie Unbound vs the book Brainiac. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Superman: Earth One (v1)

Clark Kent is an exceptional young man with a world of possibilities in front of him. A promising athlete, a gifted scholar, Clark is special, but how special most don’t know; Clark has extraordinary abilities, abilities that can change the world for the better or the worse. The last son of the dead world called Krypton, Clark is a young man struggling with the burden of isolating his true self and finding his true calling. When a malevolent alien force descends upon the globe led by the ruthless Tyrell looking to exterminate the last of the Kryptonians, Clark is given a choice: stay hidden at the chance for the normal happy life he yearns for, or unleash his potential before the world is destroyed.

I briefly talked about this story during my Man of Steel review and how a lot of this story went into the movie. Honestly, this was my first Earth One story and I couldn’t help but love it. Clark is made really relatable in the story and he feels like a regular college kid just trying to figure out where to go in life. The debut as Superman is really cool and there is some really cool action scenes towards the end. Tyrell is meh as a villain and I’m curious why they didn’t go with a more well-known villain for the first outing, which is one of my only real complaints. The artwork is really good and the book is written pretty well. In the end, I’d say this book is a good start for anyone wanting to try a Superman comic and as for me, I hope to read the other 2 books in the series. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: Earth One (vol.2)

Picking up where Batman: Earth One (V1) left off and the fall of sadistic mayor Cobblepot, the scum of Gotham grows weary of the legend of the Batman. With a new sense of hope, Jim Gordan begins anew, despite the trauma to his patner Bullock. The Dents, DA Harvey Dent and his sister, newly appointed Mayor Jessica Dent are bringing hell to the corruption of the city. But there’s a new threat, a heartless serial killer calling himself the Riddler that will test Batman’s resolve and his mind as he struffles to become the Knight we know…

I honestly enjoyed this story a bit more than the first and I can see a bit of this story going into the Batman film. Riddler was done really well; I have to admit I really like how Killer Croc was used in the story as a partial red herring and in this universe becomes a ally to Batman. Once Again, I loved Alfred and how he almost seems more badass than Batman. I liked seeing Batman evolve more as a detective and I like the debut of a better bat suit and Batmobile towards the end. The only thing that bugs me is how much of a straight up dick Harvey Dent is in this story; I never got the feeling he was a good man with issues, I feel he comes off as a overbearing dick that has some royal jealousy issues when it comes to Bruce. The third book is pretty interesting when it comes to the fate of the Dents but that’s for another post. In the end, I really liked this book and if you want a good Batman/ Riddler story, this one is worth your time. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Ms. Marvel trailer

I actually really liked Kamala Khan in the comics so this trailer hurts. Why Disney felt the need to change her powers and make her a Green Lantern knockoff is beyond me. I’m kind of flabbergasted about who the villain is supposed to be and I’m kind of shocked how cheap everything looks, especially being a Disney MCU show to boot. I’m really not looking forward to the show now but I’ll keep an open, if not ultra-cautious mind. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

The Batman Joker deleted scene

So I got to say as I’m sure many of us are, but I’m tired of Batman and Joker stories. When I heard there was 0 Joker in The Batman I was pretty glad. That being said, I love this scene. I’m not really familiar with Barry Keoghan’s work but holy shit I love his portrayal as Joker; him and Pattinson have great chemistry in this scene and I like the Hannibal Lector callback. His design is very unsettling, and I love how degraded and ghoulish he looks. I hope we get some more of the duo in future films. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Godzilla: Cataclysm

Where does the line between god and monster lie? For those that still survive in ruin, the line has blurred. The kaiju, the monsters of the world have turned their fury towards humanity, especially that of the legendary Godzilla. There is no reason, only death and despair in the titan’s wakes. Have the massive beasts finally decided to retake the world for themselves or has mankind pushed the boundaries of science and greed too far? When a small family comes upon something that can potentially begin regrowing life, their village is in desperate peril as Godzilla reemerged, angry, and with a vengeance.

So to begin, this review goes out to a longtime friend of the blog, Autobot who requested I cover this comic. Cataclysm is a really cool book I think Godzilla fans will really enjoy. I love the gritty, war-torn look of this little village inside of one of Godzilla’s footprints. The monsters look great and there is a good variety between well-knowns like Mothra and Destroyah but also a few lesser-known ones that look pretty kick-ass. It’s a really quick read that feels pretty self-contained which is nice. In the end, I had a lot of fun with this book and it’s well worth a read for Godzilla fans new and old. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Batman: Earth One (V1)

AARDVARK COMICS #1 (OF 1) (AARDVARK VANAHEIM 2017)

With The Batman finally hitting theaters soon, I thought I’d visit a series that seems to have been a big inspiration for the movie. While I was against this rendition at first, even damn near hating it at first, I cooled off and gave it a fresh chance. Was I wrong or simply proved right?

A new figure has emerged in the dismal city of Gotham, overrun with mob violence and crime on every street. This figure we know as the Batman, Bruce Wayne but far from the legendary detective and badass. Batman is a brawler in a costume with a lot of anger and not much else. His longtime guardian, butler, and trainer Alfred warn him he’s on the path to suicide as a nonlethal soldier in an impractical costume that relies on brute force instead of guns or weapons. Looking for revenge for his parents’s murders, the rising bat follows a train of clues, running parallel to broken detective Jim Gordan and superstar Harvey Bullock that bring him to the corrupt and sadistic mayor of Gotham: Oswald Cobblepot.

So I was pretty wrong in this case. After years and years of perfect Batman, this was a pretty refreshing if not really flawed look at Batman. I mean REALLY flawed. Alfred was a huge standout in this book; I love how he harbors resentment for Bruce and he’s bitter being strung along by duty and his own morality but he’s tired and he’s watching someone he ultimately cares about toss his life away fighting a war he isn’t even trying to win. I do love Penquin in this book and Colin Farrel is a spot on in The Batman so far as the Earth One version. I will saythe story itself is pretty standard and runs awfully close to Batman: Year One and Batman Begins so there is nothing really special there. While I love the reversing arcs of Gordan and Bullock, Gordan does come off as a sap in this book who just gave up which bugs me but at the end he sees the light a bit. The book ends with a nice cliff hanger that teases Riddler as the next big foe. In the end, it’s definitely a good Bat story that delivers on the characters and meh on the story but well worth looking into. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes, both best friends of the now former Captain America are having a rough time adjusting to the world since Thanos and the blip. Sam refused the mantle of Captain America, leading the government to choose military darling John Walker as his successor; Bucky is trying to heal after decades of trauma as the Winter Soldier trying to make amends. Things go South when a radical terrorist cell called the Flag Smashers rises, armed and formed by rogue super soldiers. Its up to Sam and Bucky to uncover the mystery of these new super soldiers as well as uncover sins of the past if they plan on making a better future.

This one is tricky. The first few episodes didn’t grab me at first and it wasn’t until the later half I really got invested in. The action scenes are well done and overall the actors did a great job. US Agent was always one of my favorite Caps so I was happy to see him debuted in the MCU; I also loved Isiah Bradley from the comics as well and I loved his story arc in this as well. Baron Zemo’s return maybe my favorite in the show, he’s way more clever and has way more character than he did in Civil War. Sam’s Cap outfit at the end is spot on and looks really badass. There are some problems though. I felt like the pace of the show was somehow slow, despite the fact there wasn’t much down time. I also respect the themes the show was addressing but I feel a few times it got heavy handed and preachy. In the earlier episodes, some of the banter felt forced and while I loved Sam and Bucky til this point, I found them pretty unlikable for the first few episodes. In the end, the show was fine- maybe would have been better as a movie instead- but still worth watching. May the gaming gods bring you glory.

Wandavision

The picturesque town of Westview just got a new whacky couple comes to town, Wanda and Vision. As we join the newlywed Avengers in their shenanigans, all may not be as it seems. A suspicious neighbor, an impossible pregnancy, and reality-bending to Wanda’s shattering psyche as we discover how far Wanda will go to hide the pain of her losses and the true depth of her mysterious powers as she becomes the fabled Scarlet Witch.

Fun Fact, Wanda was my first big Marvel crush as a kid and seeing her in full costume at the end was a huge treat. Wandavision is a great character study of Wanda Maximoff and a look at a shattered woman coping with a life of loss and tragedy. Olsen, Bettany, and Hahn steal the show as Wanda, Vision, and Agatha. I loved Agatha as a villain and I can’t wait to see more of her in the MCU. I loved the visuals and how well the sitcom spoofs were done. Going in I didn’t know what to expect but I can say Wandavision is a unique way to begin the 4th phase of the MCU and I can’t wait to catch up with the Scarlet Witch in Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. May the gaming gods bring you glory.