Thoughts on Marvel 1602 Trade Paperback

When Neil Gaiman came up with the idea of Marvel 1602, it was shortly after the events on 9/11. Gaiman did not want to make a story that involved guns or war, he figured there would be enough of that already. Instead he made a comic that takes place in a different time. I think he felt this would take people out of that takes that mindset. Marvel 1602 has the benefit of being one of the most engaging retellings of heroes I have ever read. The idea of Daredevil, Nick Fury, and Spider-Man in the 1600's is a fascinating premise. I honestly could not put the book down.

Cover art is amazing by the way

I don't want to give any of the story away, but it does have a great plot. Doom is involved, so you know the world is probably ending which is pretty usual for a Marvel short series. however, there will be many inferences and interpretations making it stand out. There will be many twists which keep the story fresh, but the real strength is the writing. Neil Gaiman is best known for his work on The Sandman, but he has helped to write many essential stories for Marvel and DC. There are a lot of provocative ideas like having mutants be branded as "witch breed" and being burned by the Inquisition. Thor comes into the story which this brings up a question of too about the strength of the Catholic Church. Instead of being planted in our time and our problems, it deals with issues of the time. The message, however, is something to take away. All the characters in the story have to sacrifice a lot to save the world. There are many things that will happen that are plan awful. While this is true, it shows that even the most noble of efforts are the hardest to attain.

The use of the Marvel characters is profound. I love seeing them in the 1602's interpretation. Daredevil is a blind bard who is also a very skilled agent of Fury's. The Fantastic Four were a group of explorers headed to the new world when they were hit with a mystical force making them the embodiments of earth, air, water, and fire. The X-Men are "witch breed' and like their future counterparts, they are shunned for their appearance and abilities. It's nice to see how everything translates. There will be many times you find a name you recognize and smile when you make the connection. This is why multiverse books are so great. As a reader, you get the same characters you love; they just get a new perspective.

Marvel 1602 is a rich and imaginative universe to read about. While Neil Gaiman only wrote this series, there are plenty of other spin-offs like Marvel 1602: The New World and Marvel 1602 Witch Hunter Angela. The universe is ripe with intrigue and even though Gaiman leaves many new things unfinished on that last panel, hopefully a spin-off series will give more answers to those questions. With that said, this book is an amazing read if you love comics and you appreciate history. Check out Marvel 1602, it will be worth the afternoon you read it in. I give it eight ships headed to the new world out of ten.

Good review, now I won't have to kill the writer

Marvel Puzzlequest Review

I'm not one for mobile games. I thought they were wastes of time and not much effort should be put into them. That is until I started playing Marvel Puzzle Quest. My girlfriend laughs because she thinks I'm playing Candy Crush with a Marvel filter over it. Yes, the game has the fundamentals of Candy Crush by matching at least 3 colors in a row. However, you choose 3 characters to be part of your team and matching certain colors yields you certain abilities. I would equate it to Puzzle Fighter more than I would Candy Crush. Regardless, I find this game super enjoyable and worth at least a try.

Questing has really gone down hill

The game has several different modes of play. One is the main story mode which hasn't changed in many years. The story is based off of the Dark Reign story line (that's how long ago this game was made). This means instead of fighting random thugs, players will have to fight  Daken, Venom, Moonstone, etc. The only character from Dark Reign you can't fight or be is Norman Osborn as Iron Patriot. This mode will allow players to get a feel for the game and understand tactics. Player can also get more experience points and characters by playing and replaying the modes. Once you beat the story line however, that's it for those missions.

Luckily, There are other story mode missions that last for a limited time. These modes put you into a ranking system based on how many points you score in the allotted time. These missions are usually best for when players have a better feel for the game and have higher leveled and more powerful characters. These modes are fun but if you really want a good character you have to put a lot of time into the game. However, you're efforts will be rewarded.

The last mode is a "pvp" in which you have a limited time to fight other players teams. you'll start off playing teams that are very low in level except for the one character each team is required to play with (this character is usually given one of their abilities and a higher level). Over time and depending how strong your team is you'll be given much stronger foes to face. You have the option of skipping over them but you'll lose some bonus experience. Again this mode is best left for stronger players and the more effort put into it the better your reward. Luckily, for the story modes and pvp some characters are boosted in strength when others are not making even weaker characters an advantage.

only the prettiest colors

Now, with any free to play game there is always an option to use real life money to benefit yourself. Now personally, I only spend $25 a month on the game which helps me open up more slots for characters. However, I can see where spending so much money can help you get better characters and boost your abilities for a high price. Luckily a good majority are people who just want to pass the time and have fun. Even if you pay to play, characters are always at random so you and other players can't just buy the best characters. This usually means effort has to be put into other game modes to build stronger teams.

Buy gold not iso

You can also be part of an alliance in the game which can gain you prizes in events if your team does well. Some teams are very low key and meant for casual gamers like the team of three I'm on that consists of my friend, his girlfriend, and me. Other teams are very cut throat and require a lot of effort to be put to get the best prizes. Sometimes there are events where you and your team fight an opponent and the group effort will help to defeat the enemy. So far the only time this happens is when you fight Ultron.

The characters are very fun and unique. Each has three abilities which you can get by getting multiples of that character. Obviously some characters are easier to get than others, but the harder to get characters usually have the stronger abilities.  However, just because someone has a better character doesn't mean the weaker ones don't stand a chance. A maxed out common character is stronger than a weaker rarer character everytime. So even if you don't spend an dime and ever get a rare character, you can still do very well.

unibeam? inibeam? wenibeam?

There isn't a lot I don't like about this game. I think it's very fair and more importantly very fun. I have a few friends that play with me and they can send me gifts and vice versa. The time put into the game is worth it and if you just want to play for fun, you certainly can and it's enjoyable. The characters are cool and there is a weakness and strength for every choice. There are other games out there to play with the Marvel name like Contest of Champions or Mighty Heroes. However, Puzzle Quest is the most interesting and addictive of all the games. If you don't already play it, then please give it a try. It's free to play and worth your time. I give Marvel Puzzle Quest eight superheroes out of ten. A must play for any Marvel fan or game enthusiast.

Everytime I buy a googleplay card

The Darkness Origins Volume 1 Trade Paperback *spoilers*

If there is anything I love more than comics, it's comics that are made companies that aren't DC or Marvel. I'm a sucker for 90's Image comics as my main squeeze at my comic store will tell you. Last time I was in River City Comics in Berlin, New Jersey I picked up the used trade of The Darkness. I was more familiar with the video game based off the comic series (though I've never played it). Never the less I was very curious so I decided to give this comic a read. The Darkness is published by Top Cow comics who also brought us Witchblade and Lady Death.

I don't sing "I believe in a thing called love"

The story is about a mob hitman named Jackie Estacado. If there's one this Jackie likes than pleasing his Uncle Frankie (the head of the Franchetti crime family), it's romancing the ladies. On his 21st birthday he is given the powers of The Darkness. He is gets a suit that morphs to his will and can summon many little demons to do his bidding. With this new found power Jackie has a few problems. One, a man named Sonatine has his childhood friend, Jenny, hostage. Sonatine's goal to be controlling Jackie and using The Darkness to influence the world in his image. Two, a being by the name of Angelus wants Jackie dead in order to kill off The Darkness for good so she can rule the world (a lot of that going around). Three, if Jackie gets any woman pregnant then he will immediately die and pass on the curse to his child who will receive it upon his or her 21st birthday (Jackie is very upset about this). Four, Jackie has a limit to all this power. The Darkness can only be used at night or in the shadows, sun light will stop him. Using his new found powers, will he be able to overcome all these issue? Well he seems to do pretty well for the first six issues.

Now, I love mobster anything. I find organized crime fascinating. So Jackie using his powers to help Uncle Frank remain at the top of the crime world is really neat. Estacado has to decide how far he is willing to go with The Darkness and for Jenny's sake, keep a little good inside of him. Jackie is a bad guy, but from our stand point he is the hero humanity needs.

He is going to save the world

Garth Ennis writes the story for these books and I love it. There are parts that are strictly business, but there is witticism and comedy throughout the story. Jackie is a sarcastic jerk, but you can't help but like his character. Ennis has written for both John Constantine and The Punisher, this time he just combine the two into one awesome character. Marc Silvestri has a perfect style for this book. He helps to make everything look great and gives a sexy but sinister feel to everything. The design of costume is amazing with colors of green and gold in there instead of just black. Jackie's little demon friends aren't little devils with horns and cloven feet, they're little goblins with personality. The story and the art is well done in the book. I couldn't put the it down.

Also a licensed chiropractor

The Darkness, to me, is a more refined and well thought out version of 90's Valiant, Image, and Malibu comics. Yes, pulpy gritty violence is rampant throughout the story, but the writing is the main focus. I was interested in the history of Jackie's father and the origins of Angelus and The Darkness. I laughed when Estacado cracked a sarcastic remark in the face of death. Great read really, I highly recommend picking this up for cheap. I'm super interested in picking up the next volume and seeing what Jackie further does with The Darkness. I actually want to go pick up the video game and give it a play for some extra story. I give the Darkness eight demon helpers with attitude out of ten. If you like anything Ennis has written then do yourself a favor at check it out.

For those about to rock

Thoughts on Batman Year One Trade Paperback

DC may not be where Marvel is in the live action market. The Nolan Trilogy for Batman is excellent and Man of Steel was entertaining, but Green Lantern and Jonah Hex leave a lot to be desired. However, their cartoon movies are above and beyond anyone's expectations. Batman: Under the Red Hood may very well be one of the best movies I have ever seen. With other successful releases like Justice League: Doom and Green Lantern: First Flight it's very hard not to be pleased with their cartoon features. Many years ago, DC released a movie for Batman: Year One. I knew nothing about the story, but Batman in the title means mostly Batman in the movie...right? I put in the disc and found it to be less Batman and more Commissioner Gordon. It's not that I don't like Gordon, because I certainly do, but I wanted Batman action. Having seen the movie, a certain reluctance came with ever reading the book. Recently, I picked up the trade and decided to give it a read. I found Batman: Year One to be an excellent read and worth anyone's time.

The book is,of course, about Batman and Commissioner Gordon starting out their respective careers in Gotham City. Gordon has a past and wants to do some good in Gotham to make his family's life better. Bruce Wayne is on a mission to avenge his parents and restore Gotham to former glory. Both meet resistance along the way, but through the struggles our heroes persevere and become the heroes we know them as. No one starts anything off perfect. Batman and Gordon had to work for everything they have now. This story really shows it.

This story really shows the dedication both men have to sticking to their morals. Gordon could've become a dirty cop like a lot of GCPD were. It's easy to take kick back and brides when everyone else is doing it. He helped to clean up the precinct and many years later will become the commissioner. Bruce Wayne could've donated money to the cause instead of putting on a suit and getting his hands dirty. Bruce could've decided to kill his foes instead of handing them into the authorities. Year One is a story about how dedicated someone has to be to do anything of meaning in their lives.

I really like Frank Miller's approach to most of his stories. I'm not saying he doesn't have bad books because he does (The Dark Knight Strikes Again), but his stories are down to Earth and put a much darker spin on the character. Dave Mazzucchelli and Richmond Lewis really give the panels an amazing feel. The colors I think are perfect. It has a pulp comic feel but more richness. The contrast in the characters lines make the art less defined but highly detailed. Bottom line, the story is great and the art is wonderful.

I wouldn't say the book is very high on action. I feel the words are stronger than anything you'll see on the page. The action really doesn't happen until the late middle and end. You're in this one for the character development and drama. If you're look for some great fights then I would lean to suggesting another comic entirely. If you want to spend an hour or two engrossed in the realm of early batman, then please pick this up.

I feel bad for not reading this book so many years ago. I let a movie sour me on something that was quite amazing. Now that I've read the book, the movie is actually very spot on. It follows the comic to a T. I complained about Batman not getting enough screen time, well he had it. However, panels in a book doesn't translate well to minutes on a screen. So I'm going to have to apologize to DC for not appreciating one of their better animated features. I'm going to give Batman: Year One eight more years of Batman out of ten. If you haven't read it yet; please pick it up. It's an excellent addition to any comic collection.

Venom Trade Paperback Thoughts *spoilers*

I really try to be a great comic collector, but I always miss an issue here or there. When I was getting back into collecting, I picked up the first four issues of Venom (2011). My friend, Dave, was a huge fan of Venom and we decided to start collecting them together. Unfortunately, money and inconvenience got the best of us and we only ever got the first couple issues (Dave literally bought every variant he could). It's been years since I've read anything on the adventures of Flash Thompson as Agent Venom. Luckily, I was at River City Comics (my comic store of choice) and found a used trade of Venom (Issue 1-5). I picked it up and I recently had some time to give it a read. At no point in reading this was I not entertained or smiling. The age of good writing in comics is not dead.

For anyone who doesn't know, Flash Thompson lost his legs in the Iraqi war. Being a war hero the government felt Flash could handle a new sort of job that reflected his skills. Thompson is given the Venom symbiote and is tasked with saving the world often. I've seen him on the cover of Guardians of the Galaxy, he's been in Secret Avengers, and he's still got his own running series. Agent Venom is even in a spin off of the Ultimate Spider-Man show. Flash has been a busy boy.

'Merica

Each issue has a point where the government official in charge reminds Flash of something. Flash can only wear the suit for 48 hours at max. The government worries about the symbiote taking over and becoming a whole new problem. This gives Flash certain deadlines to watch during missions otherwise the government will blow up the suit with him inside. Flash has to regain his composure often to keep the suit in check. Getting angry or scared allows the symbiote to take over. It's a great plot device because the suit has amazing power, but it comes at a cost. Flash is constantly in a war zone making sure people are safe. This makes him stress and he worries about the deadline. Thomspon can get scared or angry. However, he is able to keep the symbiote in check. Venom gives Flash physical strength and his ability to walk, but Thompson has the stronger will.

I love how the writers keep the idea of Venom fresh. They put a soldier in the suit who has training with firearms and weaponry. The suit is more than capable of dealing with any situation just using its powers. However, Flash's training has him using guns and grenades. His objectives and battlefield composure keep his mind clear. The symbiote can be worn by any schmo, but Flash has the mastery needed to use it well. Even with Flash's military prowess and new found strength, the suit still has weaknesses. Not only is there the constant serenity Thompson needs uphold, but sonic waves still affect symbiote. There are many times where Flash notices bats or bells and has to change his strategy mid fight. Venom's suit will still freak out and leave Flash vulnerable and legless. I'm a fan of a hero being extremely strong but having some huge weaknesses. These devices make the readers feel like there is actual conflicts and therefore more engaging.

cause bullets!

The villains so far are very awesome and unexpected. Venom's nemesis so far has been Jack 'o Lantern, a violent psychopath with Halloween themed gadgets. Jack's weapons are childish but deadly like acid candy or paper ghosts that entrap his enemies. Jack has a vendetta against Flash because as Venom he destroyed his face with a grenade. The bad blood makes Jack more threatening and personal. He has even taken Betty Brant hostage to spite Flash. Kraven shows up in the Savage Land hunting down Flash treating him as quarry. Kraven does a great job at making Venom's mission hellish. Most importantly, Flash has to fight his childhood hero, Spider-Man. Since high school, Flash and Peter have become great friends. So the fights between them are so frustrating. When Betty is kidnapped, Spider-Man and Venom are both trying to save her. When they see each other, Spider-
Man assumes that Venom is responsible. Flash knows there is a time limit on Betty's life so he acts like the villain. He just tells Spider-Man where she is in hopes that the fight will stop and one of them can save her. The symbiote also hates Spider-Man which makes all this very taxing. I just think its a great part of the story. He's trying to be the hero but having the stigma of previously being known as the villain. He can't work with his role model because he symbolizes so many years of bad blood.

 

he puts Silver Shamrock to shame (Halloween 3)

Venom is a powerful hero, but outside the suit Venom deals with other weaknesses. In the suit, Flash can run and jump like he used to. It's hard for him to remember being the football star and hero, but then going back to being legless. His life isn't terrible as a handicapped person. He has a girlfriend who loves him, but even that's a struggle. Flash is gone for days at a time. He can't tell Betty that he is out doing government work. Betty just assumes he's lying to her like previous love interests. Flash also deals with being a recovering alcoholic. His father drank and beat on Flash, so when he grew up so did he. He is sober now, but it's tough. He makes a point to show a bar with a wheel chair ramp, but a church with an AA meeting that only had stairs. The loss of control isn't just with the symbiote, it's with his real life as well. So many flaws makes Agent Venom an excellent hero and read. People have real problems in life and it's comforting to know heroes face real life issues.

From my personal experience, I've found Flash Thompsens run as Venom syntilating. The first five issues really give you a feel for his struggles in and out of the suit. The action is rather instense though a bit violent for younger readers. I loved the art by Tony Moore and Tom Fowler. I love The Walking Dead so that's probably why I love the art (Flash looks a bit like Rick Grimes). A very big round of applause for Rick Remender who has come up with not only a great story, but a great use of symbolism and conflict. I would recommend this to anyone looking for action packed comics that are gritty and violent. If anyone is a fan of Venom or Spider-Man then absolutely give Venom a read if you haven't already. Flash has been around since the first issue of Spider-Man. Glad to see he is no longer on the sidelines and is getting into the fray.

Just like my man; Spider-Man

Thoughts on The Death of Superman *spoilers*

I recently picked up the trade of Death of Superman. I had never read it before so I thought I would give gander. It's hard to find someone who isn't familiar with Superman dying at the hands of Doomsday. This story was one of the biggest parts of the 90's and had an impact. DC was going to kill off one of their most popular and best selling heroes. This stunt worked, millions of copies of Superman #75 were sold. Many stores ran out opening day because so many people bought multiple copies. I knew I had to give it a read, but was it worth it.

I finished the trade and was at odds of where to stand. Yes, there are very powerful scenes, but does that make a story great.  I thought the story was very well thought out. One of the creators of Superman praised this story, but it's not perfect. I love Doomsday, he is a classic villain.  On the other hand, I thought the fight was a huge cop out and didn't end like I wanted it to. I'm very split, but I don't feel bad at spending the time to read this story. I think the real problem was I was born too late to appreciate it. It is like reading Secret Wars, but not getting the tension of reading it week by week. Don't get me wrong though, it still has powerful moments.

Some of the stories strongest didn't involve the fighting. There is a scene where Superman is on a Q and A with high school students. A girl asked him about if he felt fear or if he liked dishing out violence to solve problems. Superman answers back saying he is always afraid of hurting people or failing everyone and how fear is a part of the job. He also explains that he doesn't like violence, but if he has to fight he will because the Earth needs protection. That is excellent dialogue and writing. Yes, I know Superman is overpowered but he isn't full of himself. The writers took the time to address Superman's emotions and see he has feelings and fears like regular people do. There is also a scene where Lois gets a brief exchange with Superman before his final moments. Lois begs him to run and find help, but he knows he can't and he knows he is the only force protecting Metropolis. Superman knows the end is near and kisses Lois telling her that no matter what he will always love her. It's the small cliched exchanges that make this story great from a structural stand point.

I liked the fight scenes with Doomsday and the Justice League. The team consisted of many "interesting" heroes who are pretty awesome in their own right, but are nowhere near strong enough to fend off Doomsday. Guy Gardner was the first to fight Doomsday and he gets the beat up so hard his eyes get swollen shot. Gardner actually needs help later to aim his ring at Doomsday because he can't see. Blue Beetle gets taken by surprise by Doomsday and gets beat up bad. He gets so mangled that he needs to be taken to the hospital otherwise he would have died. Doomsday manages to take the team out with little issue. More impressive is that he has one hand tied down, so he's doing the beating with one hand. Doomsday fighting the league showed how powerful he was, but fighting Superman he was even more so. However, the fights between him and Superman are not my favorite. It's not that it is a bad fight because it isn't, I just felt it was a cop out. The final blows between Doomsday and Superman weren't definitive and to me Doomsday should have walked away from it. If DC wanted to make Superman's death mean something, then this was the way to go. I may have thought the fight was blah, but it doesn't mean it didn't keep me interested.

One other thought I had was the strength of the actual Justice League. The members of the group were: Fire, Bloodwynd, Ice, Guy Gardener (not in the Lantern Corp anymore), Maxima, Blue Beetle, and Booster Gold. I want to be clear and say that these heroes are all really awesome, especially Ted Kord Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. However, this is not the world strongest group of heroes. I didn't do a whole lot of research as to why Wonder Woman, Hal Jordan, The Flash, and Batman (okay Batman might have had his back broken) weren't around when this was happening but they left the B team to save the world.  This would be like The Power Rangers taking a vacation and leaving Bulk, Skull, and Alpha to save the world. The League comprised of members who are great for assisting and crowd control but were not and still aren't heavy hitters. Again, this was the 90's and it was a strange era in comics but no wonder Doomsday went through the league like it was nothing.

I think when it truly comes down to it, The Death of Superman is a period piece. Superman's tattered cape blowing in the wind while Lois clutches his dead body will always be a powerful image. However, does it really matter now that he is alive again. Superman stayed dead for less than a year and fans were upset. It is in expensive to find a death of Superman comic still sealed in the bag for less that $10. This was a stunt that sold many comics, but it almost killed the industry. This book is a 90's relic best left to be brought up in arguments about who would win in a fight. I'm not saying to not read this story because it's worth the read, but only once. Read it once and put it on the shelf so non-comic readers look and say "Wait? Superman died?"

I'm still trying to forget

New Adventures of the Ninth Doctor Issue #1

The best part about trying to find what you want in a comic shop, is that you find things you never knew you needed. For instance, this week I stumbled upon a Doctor Who comic. However, this one is special because its a comic based off the black sheep of the Doctor Who universe, The Ninth Doctor. I'm gonna be completely up front, I love Christopher Eccleston as The Doctor. I thought he was one of the best actors, he had an amazing personality, and he helped bring a long dead series back to life. His run was only 13 episodes which is rather short for any Doctor but full of good story telling none the less. Now this series, We're given more of the old Ninth Doctor charm.

This first issue of the series starts off with the Doctor, Rose Tyler, and Captain Jack Harkness landing in a debris field where a planet used to be. The Doctor is baffled seeing as he knows he is in the right time and place (but then again it is the Doctor) and the planet should still be there. Just then, a ship pulls in the TARDIS and our protagonists find themselves in the clutches of giant robots (they look like hulk busters). With little information about what is going on, the robots' ship is attacked by robot "centaurs" I don't want to give too much away, but the ship is being destroyed and two of our companions make it to the TARDIS but one did not. It's to be continued until we find out how they save their friend from oblivion.

This series is done by Titan comics and is written by Cavan Scott who has done a lot for the Doctor Who universe by writing plenty of books (such as Who-ology: The Official Doctor Who Miscellany), comic strips, and audio dramas. Blair Shedd does the art work, so if you're a fan of the IDW Doctor Who comics then you'll like the art as well. I rather enjoyed the first issue since it will be just a lost episode of the show. The Doctor seems like himself, but for Eccleston it is hard to fit is charm and expressions into bubbles and panels. There was a part where Jack used his gun to escape the clutches of the robots, but it is destroyed by the Doctor and he gives his bit about how he doesn't like guns which is true to form. Harkness and Rose seem very spot on and I can clearly see them acting as their real life counterparts would.

I'm genuinely excited about what is going to happen next. I'm so glad I stumbled upon this comic. Like older Doctor Who episodes, when you had to wait a week to find out what was going on, I have to wait a month. When I pick it up however, I'll be sure to keep you informed. If you're a Whovian and you want to know a bit more about Nine then give it a shot.