My Little Pony Friends Forever Volume 2 Review

Posted on April 7, 2015 by dreager1

Have you ever had the urge to go outside and buy a My Little Pony video game just because you could? I’ll admit that I was tempted to buy the GBA game, but I haven’t had a chance to put this to the test because most stores don’t sell gameboy games anymore. Still, if I ever see it, you can be sure that I will check it out! The Friendship is Magic franchise has already become an integral part of the My Little Pony multiverse and it’s pretty amazing to see how much it has grown. It has 4 different comic series, a long running show, and it just keeps on coming! This spinoff series isn’t as good as Pony Tales, but I still prefer it to the first volume of the main series.

This collection brings 4 issues inside. The theme of the series seems to be to pair up 2 characters for a team up of sorts. It’s a way to see how everypony interacts with one another on a one to one basis. After all, they can all be pretty tough when in a group, but can Twilight Sparkle really get along with Applejack if they are thrown into a dangerous situation? That doesn’t happen, but it’s an example of what to expect in these issues.

One of the comics features a team up with Pinkie Pie and Princess Luna. Princess Luna is sad because the ponies don’t find her funny. This means that she is going to get stomped by Princess Celestia in the annual laughathon. (Close enough to the actual name) She asks Twilight Sparkle for help and the heroic pony quickly refers her to Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie is skeptical at first, but agrees to teach Luna how to have fun and be a good pony.

Well, this was a Pinkie Pie story, which meant that it should have been super special awesome, but it actually wasn’t as good as it could have been. I thought that Pinkie Pie was really out of character for the first scenes as she was a little mean to Princess Luna. By the end, the two of them are able to bond and Pinkie Pie’s advice pays off. The ending is happy for the heroes, but you still have to wonder who ended up winning. I don’t believe in draws anymore.

Rainbow Dash got to team up with Trixie in another story. One day, Rainbow Dash gets a letter stating that a kingdom wishes for her presence so that she can perform some neat acrobatics. Rainbow Dash has never been a pony to leave her fans hanging so she heads on over. To her dismay, Rainbow Dash finds out that a kingdom of dogs sent the request and their new queen is Trixie. Trixie was coerced into taking the position once the dogs found out about her skills as a gem creator (Hmmmmm…) and she realized that this deception has put her in a bind. Can Rainbow Dash help her escape the land?

Rainbow Dash would just fly her out of there, but the dogs foresaw this and put an enchanted crown on Trixie. The only way to get away is to make the dogs not want her to be their queen anymore. This was probably the second best story behind the Rarity team up. Rainbow Dash still proves herself to be a tough pony as her super speed feats are always impressive. She’s also more direct than the other ponies as she even asks Trixie why the hero should help. Trixie reminds her about friendship power and all, but it’s nice that Rainbow Dash had to ask. The solution to get out of this bind is a good one and Rainbow Dash got to prove her speed once again. We also got a nice moral about why deceit is never the best option.

Fluttershy teams up with Zecora in their adventure. Fluttershy wakes up one morning to discover that a Squirrel can talk. As she heads outside, the pony realizes that she can understand all of the animals. She realizes that this could be the work of some dark magic and asks Zecora to help. Zecora must now run some tests to see if this magic is reversible or if Fluttershy is simply losing her mind! Either way, this has certainly shaken up the city!

Well, this story was interesting, but I have to question Fluttershy’s distress at the animals learning how to talk. Given how friendly she is with them, I would have expected her to have been thrilled about this happening. I’d assume that she would just have enjoyed it no questions asked, but she seemed pretty alarmed at first. I suppose that it did happen suddenly, but it still didn’t feel like her usual self. As for Zecora…boy am I glad that she’s not part of the Mane 6. I have to admit that I’m not a fan of her. The rhymes are clever since it must be tough to think of rhymes for every sentence, but she couldn’t help Fluttershy at all. It makes you wonder why she was in this story. In all of the other team ups…there was a team up. In this issue, Zecora seemed to just be in it for the Wow factor. The twist of how the animals can now talk makes a lot of sense even if I didn’t guess it before hand. After all, there aren’t many beings who could achieve such a feat right?

By leaps and bounds, the best story is the team up with Applejack and Rarity. Given the two personalities of these ponies, you can be sure that their adventure should be a lot of fun. Applejack has to head to the West (Or was it East….!) coast to finalize a deal for some apples. Rarity decides to tag along because she loves road trips that result in great sight seeing detours. Applejack is glad to have the company at first, but Rarity’s passion for fashion starts to derail Applejack’s plans. Can the two ponies find a way to put aside their differences to get the apple contract signed or should Applejack have left this job to Big Mac!

In this issue, it’s easy to feel bad for Rarity. She loves fashion design, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that she has the most business experience from all of the ponies in Equestria. Applejack doesn’t want to acknowledge this for most of the issue and I feel like she was in the wrong for most of the disagreements. It was Applejack who got on the wrong train after all and likewise, it was she who didn’t think up a proper business strategy. Even the very first time something went wrong, Applejack was asleep. Don’t think that she was the sole reason why things went south, but Applejack certainly played a big role. In contrast, Rarity was very well behaved and continued to help Applejack even when the latter was being rather petty. (Spraying mud on Rarity and calling her names) Rarity showed that true friendship can stay strong through disputes and she knows how to put her friend’s needs before her own. Through her actions, Rarity got Applejack to remember what being a real friend is all about. The ending is happy and I gained a lot of respect for Rarity.

From the Mane 6, Pinkie Pie is still my favorite. I think it’s safe to say that Rainbow Dash is still second with Twilight Sparkle in third. That being said, Rarity has jumped over Applejack for 4th and I don’t see her dropping below that anytime soon. She can be a little over dramatic at times and her venture into romance holds her back, but through and through, she is one of the nicer ponies and certainly the most professional one.

The art is decent although I definitely think it could be better. Some scenes like the one where Fluttershy yells in surprise at the squirrel talking can be a bit exaggerated to say the least. Still, on the whole it will definitely remind you of the classic MLP style. The colors are vibrant and none of the pages are ever too packed so you always know what’s going on. It makes the collection that much easier to just pick up and start reading.

Overall, Friends Forever is another successful spinoff to add to Friendship is Magic’s resume. As with Pony Tales, each issue is a stand alone story so how much you like each one will determine how good the collection is. At 4 issues, the collection is very small so you will likely breeze through it. If you’re a Rarity fan, you’ll be very happy with her portrayal in the comic. You can certainly tell that the author appreciates the well rounded nature of the pony. I definitely recommend checking this out if you’re a fan of the main series or the show. If you’re on the fence about starting the infamous/legendary/controversial series, this is a good place to start. You’ll get to meet some of the Main 6 and get introduced to the universe in general. The comics are just a lot of fun as well, which is likely why the series got so large so fast. Whether or not you’re a big fan of the franchise, you can’t deny that it is an uplifting title to read and it leaves you feeling content. Also, be sure to be on the lookout for Derpy’s cameo. That pony is always around somewhere and you just have to be on the lookout for her! Hopefully the library gets more volumes of the series so that I can review some more soon. It’s been a while since I’ve seen the main Friendship is Magic title.

Overall 6/10

Batman Beyond 2.0 Rewired Review

Posted on April 6, 2015 by dreager1

It looks like Batman Beyond has returned! His show was certainly a lot of fun so it’s good to see the hero return to the spotlight with his various comic series. Hopefully he will have a place to return to once Convergence is all over. Looking at the future through Batman Beyond’s comics continues to be cool and you won’t be disappointed by this collection.

Terry is still at odds with Bruce so now he’s teaming up with Nightwing instead. I think Terry’s in the wrong here, but I’ll get into that more in a bit. The mayor has been assassinated so it’s up to Terry to stop whoever is behind this. It will be tough though as the new villain has assembled a super powered team to help him and each member is very deadly. After tangling with them, Batman Beyond won’t have much time to rest as the Man Bat returns to cause some chaos. Can Terry save the day while keeping up with his social life?

Terry continues to show his similarities to Peter Parker as he is letting his job as Batman consume him. He’s falling behind in all of his classes and his family relationships are beginning to get strained. It’s not quite as innocent as Peter’s predicament though. Peter didn’t want everything to fall apart, but he couldn’t help being away for long periods of time. Terry is choosing to ignore his social life because being Batman allows him to avoid his problems. The same result as Peter, but Terry certainly had a choice. Still, it’s safe to say that it hasn’t done wonders for his friends.

It’s good that Terry is trying to be a really good hero, but he’s also making some big mistakes. He’s really upset at Bruce’s earlier deceptions from Joker night and he has basically cut all ties with him. I think that’s a huge overreaction as you have to expect some secrets to be kept in this line of work. Does Terry actually think that Nightwing will be completely honest with him as they continue to team up? I highly doubt it and I hope that Terry keeps this in mind. Also, as much as I like Nightwing, he’s no Batman. Bruce Wayne will always be smarter and more prepared to help Terry out from behind the scenes. This comic really showed that as he figured out the whole case from the Batcave. At the end of the comic, Terry is slowly starting to get back into the real world without the Batman suit so hopefully he will also decide to give Bruce Wayne another chance.

The art is solid for this collection and it does a good job of emulating the style of the DCAU shows. We actually get several flashbacks to various DCAU episodes, which is cool. I saw the episodes rather recently so it’s like a good boost of nostalgia. The action scenes also look good with this art style and it is certainly a keeper. Good artwork can really go a long way into making a good comic that much more fun.

The new villain’s abilities were decent, but he definitely seems to be more of a one shot character. Let’s just say that the guy’s secret identity didn’t do the villain any favors. It’s cool that he got his own group, but his abilities aren’t even that great. He has some mild thunder control, but that’s about it. Batman did have a difficult time with him though so I should give the villain some credit. He doesn’t go down without a fight. Inque and Spellbinder don’t look very good, but at least the sonic villain got some good hits on Batman as well. It just goes to show that Batman always has to be careful since the weapons at the villain’s disposal can still pack a punch if they hit.

Compared to the big villain team up, Man Bat’s arc was noticeably less intense. It’s just hard to take the guy seriously. The heroes did feel unprepared for him though as Bruce basically gambles the city on Man Bat actually being a good guy deep down. That’s an incredibly big gamble to make and he’s wagering with lives here. I would have preferred a satisfying victory where the heroes just outfight him. It is fun to see Bruce Wayne actually fight a little bit though as he throws a few batarangs to take out some of the villains.

There’s a mini comic at the end where Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordan decide to hash out their differences. Things didn’t really go well between them so they’re always rather serious in the present. They decide to just forget the past and try to work as allies in the present. Hopefully it works out as they have both been very helpful to Terry during his current crime fighting. Gordan is also going to need some help soon as the new mayor seems to dislike her for some reason. I assume that he may have some kind of secret reason for this, but maybe he actually does think that she is simply too old for the job. It’s not illogical thought to have as she is certainly very old and the average person would have retired by this point. As long as she is making a difference, the mayor should allow her to stay, but that doesn’t seem like it is going to be in the cards. I suspect that he is corrupt anyway.

Naturally, things don’t go well at Arkham once again. It seems like that place is simply doomed to never work in rehabilitating criminals. They are simply too far gone in Gotham and other villains are constantly trying to break them free. Since Batman is the only real hero in the city, it also makes sense that there are simply too many crooks for him to be there all the time. What he needs is a sidekick of his own. Batgirl Beyond could become one if she shows up soon or maybe he’ll find someone else. The only problem is that he’s already pretty young so a “sidekick” could be tricky.

Overall, Batman Beyond 2.0 was fun. We got to relive some DCAU moments while watching some entertaining fights. I’m more than a little skeptical of Ten’s supposed allegiance to the good side, but hopefully Terry will continue to be wary of this as he hangs out with her. Getting tricked 3 times by the same person would be pretty embarrassing. I’m not sure how the Dana situation will play out as Terry tries to be a better person outside of the mask, but hopefully the comic doesn’t dwell on that. We had some very mild romance going in this volume, but it was handled well. I would expect no less from Batman Beyond! I recommend checking out this comic as it is still a fun version of DC’s future and the art is really good. If DC’s future actually were to end up playing out this way, I’d be satisfied. It’s a little bleak since there don’t seem to be many heroes anymore, but likewise, most of the super powered villains are gone as well. That means that the heroes from the good ole days essentially succeeded in their mission. Now, I’m just waiting for a time travel comic to happen in this series so that we can see Terry team up with the classic Batman in his prime!

Overall 7/10

All New X Men Volume 3 Out of Their Depth Review

Posted on April 6, 2015 by dreager1

The All New X Men series definitely got a lot of praise when it came out. People just seemed to really like the concept of having the classic X Men interact with the modern world and it made headlines for quite a while. It certainly seems like a fun series and I can see why it was liked. It sure does make you take a step back and remember how different everything used to be back then.

The comic starts off rapidly as the original X Men are face to face with Cyclop’s new group. The classic Angel wants to head off with this extreme mutant group and Wolverine’s team is trying to stop him. Tensions fly and we get a brief scuffle, but Angel is eventually allowed to leave. Unfortunately, the heroes don’t get much of a breather because Mystique, Sabertooth, and Lady Mastermind are framing them around the world. The Uncanny Avengers quickly show up to demand that the X Men hide out at their school, but Wolverine decides that they have to clear their names the old fashioned way. The rookies are going to get some real battle experience now!

One of the perks of the series is probably the casual pacing. It’s certainly not slow paced as many things happen, but it’s also not just running full speed to the goal. The issues simply transition well into the next one so the plot is constantly changing and adapting as the heroes learn more about what’s going on. All of the issues are fun except for the last one, which was essentially filler and had some pretty bad art as well.

In terms of the art, I do have to deduct a few points. It is rather inconsistent through the issues. Typically, the faces are the most noticeable as someone may squint their eyes so much that they become black slits or the character models will just be off. It’s too bad because the art is really good for the action scenes. The energy lines look very streamlined and make the battles feel more intense. There is certainly not a ton of action to be found here, but enough action scenes to certainly satisfy you.

As for the original X Men, they seem to essentially be in character for the most part aside from one member. Iceman still cracks a lot of jokes while Cyclops is still a commanding leader, even if he seems to be a little too naive. In the original comics, he certainly wouldn’t back off as much as he does now. He was sure of himself from the start, here the writers seem to want to portray the X Men as being incredibly young and inexperienced so that none of them have a lot of confidence. The Beast is still fairly unlikable and the final comic didn’t help matters. Angel seemed like himself although his role was small. Jean Grey is the main character who’s changed a lot.

It also makes a lot of sense that she would change the most since she is constantly figuring out dark secrets from the other characters thanks to her telepathy. Still, her corruption happened very quickly as she is already trying to force people to do things against their will through her mind. Luckily, there were enough heroes present to stop this, but it still does not help her case. While you can’t root for her, you will still be disappointed that none of her teammates try to assist her. Emma Frost had the three sisters attack Jean’s mind and none of the heroes helped out while she was getting pulverized. Wolverine talked tough, but he did nothing to back it up. Jean Grey shouldn’t have started the fight, but the X Men should have ended it. Storm was talking about how mutant should not fight mutant right now, but the important thing is always to win. If a mild skirmish happened here, so be it right? The Avengers could just arrest everyone later.

Speaking of the Avengers, they really do not look very good. This is still during that point in time where the heroes seem to really dislike mutants. The Avengers grabbed Havok so that he could badmouth the term mutant and Rogue so that they could seem to be unified, but it hasn’t really worked at all. The Avengers brought down the X Men’s plane just so they could threaten the team and send them back home. That was really out of character, but not if you’ve been reading AVX. It just makes the Avengers look rather petty and scared.

Then, we have the Scarlet Witch part of course. Jean found out that she basically destroyed over 95% of the mutant race and became an Avenger after that. It certainly makes you wonder how she got off so easy while fighters like the Hulk and Cyclops were dismissed as evil so quickly. It’s certainly late to attack Scarlet Witch now as the deed has been done, but it makes the Avengers look even more dicey than usual. They don’t even try to defend their action as Cap basically says that it doesn’t matter what she did since the X Men are fugitives. The line may make you chuckle or quickly look away. Either way, this was not Cap’s best appearance.

As for the villains, Mystique’s goals seem to be rather small at the moment. Owning a villainous island wouldn’t be so bad I suppose, but I just wonder what it has to do with anything. This is Mystique though so I’m expecting quite a few more twists with her plan. That being said, she’ll need better teammates if she wants to take down the X Men. Mastermind and Silver Samurai simply aren’t going to cut it when the X Men have a Jean Grey who is not afraid to use her telepathy at their disposal. I’m a little surprised that the illusions worked so well at tricking most of the superheroes, but I suppose that Iron Man and Mr Fantastic were too busy to look into this at the time. Without them, the X Men and Avengers are lacking in genius members.

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens to the team once this is all over though. They’ve already had many new experiences so how can they go back in time and keep reality from being altered? Unfortunately, it’s likely going to need their minds to be rebooted to that point. Jean Grey is the likely candidate for that at the moment. There is no way that they can keep their memories unless they are sent to an alternate timeline or something. Perhaps they won’t have to worry about that with the Secret Wars coming up anyway. Still, the ending to this series will be intriguing as it will test the morals of the heroes. If they really do decide to wipe the minds of the young heroes, that will be pretty disappointing and I’ll need to lecture them again through my reviews!

Overall, This was a fun collection of comics. All New X Men certainly is a lot of fun and has a great amount of potential. I do think that the X Men should be portrayed as being a little more confident and powerful though. Their abilities are shown to be very weak, which is odd since they were weaker, but still very potent back in the day. The team certainly needs to find a way to put a handle on Jean Grey since she is quickly succumbing to the dark side. Towards the end, Wolverine was allowing her to mess with the villain’s minds, but that’s just as unethical as using it against fellow heroes. He should have told her to stop from the beginning instead of encouraging it with Sabretooth. Putting the villains to sleep is all right, but not humiliating them through their mind. While the Avengers did not look great, it was still fun to see them jump in and remind us of the expanded universe. Nowadays, guest stars are common place and I think that’s a good thing. Solo adventures are still a lot of fun, but with hundreds or even thousands of heroes running around on Earth, it really doesn’t make sense to not see another hero very often. There’s only so much space on Earth right now after all. I recommend checking this volume out. All New X Men is a title that’s easy to jump into and makes for a fun read. You can expect another review for this series in the near future.

Overall 7/10

Essential Iron Man Volume 5 Review

Posted on April 3, 2015 by dreager1

It’s time for the next Essential review! I’ve read the first Iron Man essential a long time ago so now we will be jumping to the distant future here in volume 5. It’s a fun collection as expected and nothing beats checking out some of the older comics once in a while. You can always count on a fun experience.

The comic picks up with Happy Hogan and Pepper having a disagreement. Happy wants her to retire from being Stark’s second in command and being separated has really taken its toll on both of them. Tony Stark tries to help them resolve their differences, but it’s tough. Meanwhile, a mysterious villain named the Black Lama has started a villain war for power among the local adversaries. While big players like Magneto, Dr Doom, and Red Skull decided not to join, that didn’t stop Black Lama’s plans. Modok, Yellow Claw, The Mad Thinker, and other villains decide to join anyway. This puts Iron Man in a lot of dangerous situations and he decides to stop Black Lama at any cost!

Another plot occurring in the background is a lady named Roxie who is slowly beginning to see that Tony Stark is not the gun making capitalist that he once was. She gives him a hard time about this, but it slowly coming around. Although, she seems to prefer Iron Man to Tony Stark at this point. There aren’t any real 1 shot stories aside from an origin flashback and a one shot adventure involving a run down hotel. So, each of the villains typically gets 2-4 stories for themselves. We had The Freak, (It’s his actual villain name) a Prism villain, and the Melter’s team up with some of the other fighters. The collection does a good job of showing us a great number of Iron Man villains during this journey.

As expected, the art is very good for the collection. The character models are always consistent and the action scenes are fun to watch. It helps the pages really breeze by although I was still impressed with the amount of pages per issue. They certainly didn’t feel as short as the ones that we get nowadays. Even more important than the art is the good dialogue that we have here. The Stan Lee era of comics never did disappoint in this area.

The scene at the beginning where Stark quickly asks Pepper about one of his employees was great since now we know why he always seems to know about all of his employees. Well, the twist is that he doesn’t, he just has Pepper debrief him right before talking to his men. It’s an intense twist that we’ve always suspected, but never proven so it’s nice to see that there. Tony Stark definitely makes for a good lead. He’s still a bit of a flirt, but at least he’s really only focusing on one person for a change. That certainly helps his character. He has one sad scene involving Pepper that definitely hurt him, but hopefully he won’t make that mistake again.

As Iron Man, he is constantly said to be very cold and aloof, but you wouldn’t typically be able to tell if you were watching his battles. He makes jokes and quips just like the rest of the heroes. Granted, I’m sure that the civilians in the street aren’t usually in a position to actually hear what he’s saying so he probably still seems cold and aloof to them.

The stakes are somewhat higher in this comic than you would expect from the age. Modok and the Mandarin are actually destroyed. I was somewhat surprised with the Mandarin at least since I had been expecting him to have beaten the Yellow Claw. It’s too bad that he was defeated. Of course, Iron Man did weaken him a lot so the villain does have a valid excuse for losing this round. The fatalities were certainly more than you would expect, but it goes to show why a hero is always needed in the world.

Mostly, this collection just brings in issues from the Iron Man series, but we also get a special annual to finish things off. In that story, the Molecule Man returns once more and Iron Man finds himself on the losing side of this tough battle. Luckily, Swamp Thing is here to help out and he looks as impressive as you would expect. There just seems to be no stopping this guy at times. He’s not quite as meta as Swamp Thing, which is lucky for his opponents, but he can still pack a punch when he really wants too.

One constant theme in the comics is how Iron Man doesn’t want to make weapons anymore. As such, he is always distressed when he has to go to Vietnam and look at all of the suffering that his weapons have caused. The comic definitely has a firm stance on how we shouldn’t have gone to Vietnam. I’m not extremely familiar with the situation so it’s hard for me to say. I saw a documentary on it, but it was heavily slanted towards not being in the war, likewise with a film that I saw on it so I haven’t really heard both sides yet. Those parts are certainly not as good as the rest of the comic, but at least it gives Iron Man a chance for some development.

There is really only one guest star who gets to really help out and that would be Thor. Thor arrives once Iron Man has seemingly been taken over by the prism’s consciousness. Thor is holding back, but still manages to claim victory very easily. His fans will be pleased with his portrayal as Thor is shown to clearly be more powerful than anything Iron Man can throw at him. It is a good example of how likable Thor can be when he is written well. These were the golden years so it is to be expected that the writers could handle the task. Actually, we also have Sunfire, but it’s easy to forget him. Sunfire is a villain here as he agrees to destroy Iron Man for economic reasons. Suffice it to say, Iron Man quickly outmaneuvers him and Sunfire leaves rather quickly. He’s loyal to Japan, but he’s certainly no hero as he does it for all of the wrong reasons.

The collection does leave some doors open for future plots. One that did not get resolved here involves a crazed investigator who is positive that Iron Man murdered his brother. Iron Man denies it, but the guy won’t take no for an answer and he constantly appears to give Tony Stark some grief about it. I have a feeling that this guy is going to start taking more drastic measures to finish the hero off. Hopefully Iron Man is prepared for this and can take him out in time.

Iron Man briefly toys with the idea of adding a nose to his costume, but I’m glad that he got rid of it so quickly. Trust me, it wasn’t a look that really suited the armored hero. From his villains, none of them looked particularly likable. I typically like the Melter and Crimson Dynamo, but in a parodyish way as I just like them for humor. They live up to that here as they are quickly dismissed. Iron Man’s gallery of rogues may not be as powerful as the average hero’s, but they did have some really good designs back in these days.

Overall, This volume of Essential Iron Man was very good. We got to see him fight against many opponents and I haven’t read many of the old Iron Man comics so it’s fun to see how he operates. Being rich certainly has its perks and he must be one of the only heroes who is liked in both of his identities. Spider Man would love to have the same respect that Iron Man gets in these issues. It certainly makes things a lot easier when the civilians in the street are willing to help out instead of making things more difficult for the heroes. I highly recommend this collection if you’re looking for a fun group of comics with good art and writing. The sheer size will last you a while and it is in black and white, which may deter some comic readers, but just think of it like you’re looking at the original copies before they went to color. It makes them look very sophisticated to be sure. I still have one more Essential review coming up in the near future, but you can expect some smaller comic reviews in the mean time. Hopefully I can find another good Iron Man comic soon as well.

Overall 7/10

Showcase Presents Blue Beetle Volume 1 Review

Posted on March 31, 2015 by dreager1

It’s time for another installment in the Showcase series. Like Marvel’s Essential, this collection brings a bunch of comics and makes for some intense reading. This showcase actually brings the whole Blue Beetle series, which is pretty neat. It’s very self contained comic with few guest stars, which really cements the 60’s vibe that you get from the collection. The 60’s tone is a good thing in this case as it feels retro and engaging.

Blue Beetle is a man named Ted Kord. Ted is rich and he also makes for a great crime fighter. He runs a lab personally along with his two assistants as they try to build things. We never get to see any of their actual inventions, but I’m sure that they’re good. Kord’s main objective is to enforce the peace in his city and stop the villains who show up from time to time. There are subplots, which continue as well since this comic’s continuity is actually very tight. One of his teammates is stealing from him and giving tech to her boss. Another teammate is being blackmailed by a crime boss. Kord’s personal assistant who does most of his actual day to day duties goes from being a potential love interest to threatening him while on the job. Finally, Kord is trying to build his own legacy after the original Blue Beetle died, but it’s a little harder than he thought it would be! You can see that he’s under a lot of pressure eh?

First off, the art for this graphic novel was actually quite good. You can really enjoy the fight scenes here as well as the fun character designs. It was partially thanks to this that I actually thought that I was reading something from the 60’s. I was shocked to find out that this was actually an 80’s series. It does make sense of course when you think of the continuing plot and continuity, but it’s still surreal. Also, The Amazing Spider Man was in the 60’s and it had continuity on its side as well right? Unfortunately, this collection decided to transform the art into black and white, which makes reading it slightly less fun than it would be with color. At least you can appreciate the designs like a manga this way I suppose.

Next, the writing for the collection is very good as I alluded to earlier in the collection. Blue Beetle’s lines are very witty without being too obvious. He replies to villains in a way that is making fun of them, but if taken seriously, the lines would actually make sense. That’s the best kind of pun as it could actually be used in real life if you really wanted too. The villains also make some pretty good comebacks as well. For example, Blue Beetle might say “I wouldn’t want you to put me to sleep with that!” as he dodges a wrecking ball and the villain will say “Actually, I plan to kill you with that.” The villains say it in such a somber and matter of fact tone that it works for the humor.

Blue Beetle is a good lead and he can certainly hold his own collection. Among the many plots, his was typically my favorite. I always liked to see how he handled the office and he didn’t back down to anyone. He was a really nice guy while still being ready to smash into the villains when a fight broke out. What really seals the deal for me was how he handled the ending. It’s really terrific and shows just why he became such a good superhero. What he lacks in actual super powers, he more than makes up for with his intelligence and gadgets.

As I mentioned earlier, the ending for this collection is terrific. Let’s just say that a few of the characters had been giving him a tough time for quite a few issues. They finally go to Ted and admit that they were wrong, but he explains that he simply doesn’t care anymore. Then..he just walks off and leaves them to the their situation. It’s so unexpected and sudden that it’s simply amazing. It would be great to see what his next appearance was after this although I think the character may have been reconnected at that point. I hope not since I don’t think that they will ever be able to make a Ted Kord who is cooler than this one. I don’t even think a Blue Beetle could top him. He’s certainly weaker than the average one, but personality wise, this was really everything I could hope for in a lead. He was a little flirty towards the beginning to be sure, but at least it was only with the love interest and he acted respectfully with everyone else.

This series really tries to be a solo title in its truest form so there are very few guest stars. That being said, they do pop up from time to time. Batman and the Justice League of America appear at one point, but Blue Beetle tells them to stay back since he can handle this. The Teen Titans also arrive for some backup support, but they actually don’t look great. As characters, they’re likable and they’re epic, but when it came down to a fight…I dunno. I feel like any team that has three powerhouses in the form of Starfire, Cyborg, and Wonder Girl should be able to vanquish a team of cadets who were engaging in their first ever fight. It was a surprisingly close battle considering this. Finally, we can’t forget the Question. The Question has one moment that is pretty humorous when he jumps from Blue Beetle’s ship and barely survives the landing. He claims that he had to do it as a matter of pride, but if he had actually died, it probably would have been the saddest way to go. Seriously….for honor!

The villains aren’t very imaginative here on the whole, but at least we had some decent ones. The original Blue Beetle returns from the grave to destroy Ted Kord. The Scarab is manipulating him so the original Beetle seems pretty upset and fierce. Not to worry though, Ted Kord knows how to defend himself. Ignoring plot hax, it’s easy to see why the original Blue Bettle would win in a fight. Ted can try to out think the guy, but it would really be a futile effort. I am glad that the original one regained his mind though and showed us some true will power. A villain who came from another comic series was the Time Lord or Chronos. It was one of those names anyway I believe as time was his gimmick. His abilities are deadly, but he never uses them correctly so he was hardly a threat. Likewise, there was a guy who could do anything with his mind like transforming a kid into an animal, but he didn’t think to use those tricks on Blue Beetle. His loss I suppose.

One of the subplots that was a lot of fun was Lt. Fisher and how he wanted to put the Blue Beetle out of business. Eventually, the guy went to an island and discovered an immensely powerful robot. That robot was pretty cool and his abilities were certainly impressive. You almost feel bad for the guy who inhabited the suit as he really thought that he had surpassed the original Blue Beetle for a second there. Little did he know that he was seriously out of his depths here.

Blue Beetle’s strength really lies in its continuity and how much you enjoy each plot since they will be sticking around. There were times when I’d actually be waiting for Blue Beetle’s plot to end because I wanted to see what was happening in the meanwhile. The plots were simply fun that way and it’s why I ended up giving the comic an extra star. It really reminded me of The Amazing Spider Man from back in the day. I don’t know why Blue Beetle never hit it off the same way.

Overall, You’re bound to like this comic if you like Blue Beetle as the lead. Since Ted Kord gets a lot of screen time, you really need to like him to thoroughly enjoy the collection. Naturally, the same goes for the subplots since they will be around the whole time. If both of those turn out to be winners for you, then you will really like this collection. The art is solid and the writing is very witty, which leads to a pretty powerful combo here. This collection is also much longer than the average one as it is around 600 pages instead of just being over 400. You certainly get a lot of value for your purchase here. It is regrettable that this concludes the Blue Beetle series since I would have liked to have seen him go on more adventures, but I suppose that it was simply his time. I recommend checking this out when you get the chance!

Overall 8/10

Showcase Presents Super Friends Volume 1 Review

Posted on March 28, 2015 by dreager1

It’s been a while since I checked out a Showcase Presents collection hasn’t it? Well, the Super Friends was one that I definitely needed to get and I was shocked to see it at the library. I loved the cartoon and still own one of the box sets, but I never really thought that I would see it in comic form. It certainly holds up well and the collection goes really quickly.

The Super Friends is mostly filled up with comics that act as stand alone issues. Typically, the adventure will be a multi part one so the adventure will last for 2-3 issues or more. That helps to make sure that each story isn’t rushed. The issues also tend to follow a very formulaic route. Each issue will have the Super Friends split up into 3-4 teams and then we see each of them try to stop a villain. Typically, you can guess what will happen to the other teams on the missions. If the first group succeeded, then the rest will, but if the first group lost, the rest of the heroes will lose. It does make each story a little predictable, but that’s how it’s supposed to be. Figuring out how the heroes will lose it typically the exciting part.

There is a plot in the background that is around…slightly. The first half of the collection features a pair of kids and their dog. They are being trained by the super friends and they eventually graduate as they become full fledged heroes. They leave the series at that point and are replaced by the Wonder Twins. I can’t say that I missed the kids because they felt out of place here. They are just kids so how can they hope to keep up with the actual heroes when it becomes time for serious business? The plot hax was a little too heavy when they were around.

The Wonder Twins aren’t much better I’m afraid. They arrived on Earth because they ran away from their home planet, but they are eventually freed from their charges. The problem is that they save the Super Friends several times to show us that they have certainly earned a spot on the team. I don’t mind them joining, but they are certainly weaker than most of the heroes so I don’t see why they got so much hype. They are also not familiar with Earth customs and that’s a trope that I’ve never cared for. They make mistakes when trying to utter Earth sayings and that gets old very quickly.

Luckily, that’s one of the only things that gets old here. It should also be noted that the Wonder Twins aren’t good characters here, but they would probably be a lot more likable in comparison if the super friends weren’t so likable. The Wonder Twins certainly aren’t nearly as bad as the average unlikable character. The art looks really sharp here as expected. Unfortunately, the collection is in black and white so it’s a little hard to say exactly how good it looks, but the art is clear and you can always tell what is happening. The action scenes always look good and that’s one of the most important factors for a comic book. You really feel it when a characters punches Superman around.

This took place during an interesting time where the Justice League was around as well as the Super Friends. This meant that most members of the Super Friends had to juggle their responsibilities. Some members like Green Lantern basically decided to be with the Justice League and to ignore the Super Friends. This is the kind of thing that probably wouldn’t fly nowadays, but it gave us an excuse to have our favorite heroes have more than one adventure at a time with the various comics on the shelves,s which was pretty neat.

Showcase Presents may take away the colorful aspect of the art, but at least it also bundles together a good amount of issues. This particular collection was a little over 400 pages, which is certainly a lot. You’ll be having a blast so the pages will be over in no time, but at least you can definitely be confident that you are getting your money’s worth.

As for the adventures in question, there are a bunch of them, but I’ll quickly mention some of them. One adventure has a villain robbing people by making circus animals tiny and then bringing them back to normal size when it came time for a heist. A monster woke up from its slumber in another issue and proved to be virtually unstoppable as even Superman could not defeat it. The Mirror Master came closer than most of the other villains to winning as he trapped the heroes in a mirror world. Unfortunately for him, Superman’s FTL so he just dragged the other heroes back to reality.

Naturally, that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There are dozens of adventures and by the end of them, you’ll certainly have bonded with the heroes. They’re all in character for the duration, which is always good. One scene where I questioned Flash though was in the Mirror Master plot. With the Justice League trapped, the Wonder Twins would have to fend off the villain on their own. Flash knew that they were a target, but he decided to stay on Watchtower duty instead of going to help them. That felt a little out of character as his speed would have enabled him to help right away. I know that he trusts the heroes, but it was still a bit much.

It’s always nice to see the classic Batman here. Robin is around as well and he’s always got some puns at the ready. He is always paired up with Wonder Woman for missions, which is a little dicey for him since he never really gets to help out as a result of this. At least he still has some puns at the ready and he always fires a few off. This was back when Batman was very chipper so it’s nice to see him throw in a pun once in a while. Superman is at his best as he is extremely confident. He’s still a nice guy of course, but he realizes that he is the strongest. Unfortunately, almost all of the villains have kryptonite up their sleeve, but this doesn’t stop Superman from getting serious when the time is just right.

As far as the Showcase Presents go, this is easily one of the best ones. I definitely can’t say that it is the very best of course. As long as Justice League and regular Superman is around, that will be extremely difficult. Nonetheless, Super Friends puts up an admirable fight and it reminds me why I’ve always been a fan of the series. It’s essentially the Justice League series, but with more of a light tone and a roster that tends to include Robin on the team. You can’t go wrong there!

Now, this collection is practically a comedy and it’s meant to be cheesy, but it’s still worth noting that there is a lot of plot hax to be found here. It’s always a stretch when someone like the Riddler is able to take out Superman, but that’s why we have Kryptonite right? I just feel like Superman isn’t as susceptible to Kryptonite as the comics would have you believe. He can still melt it or just stay away. There are also quite a few villains who are able to just overpower Superman, which is certainly surreal. Almost every comic has a moment that is a little iffy like when Batman or Superman is defeated, but the scenes are typically funny so I suppose that we can live with it. Aquaman fans may be sad as his weakness of being away from water for too long becomes a liability for him more than a few times. It’s tough being a fish guy before The New 52.

Finally, the comic has fun showing off guest star heroes as well. The Super Friends have to team up with global heroes on more than one occasion. This includes another Batman who doesn’t seem to be as cool and a guy who uses objects from biblical times to help him fight. The guest stars are pretty cool and while they all seem weaker than their Super Friend counterpart, it’s nice to know that the other countries aren’t completely defenseless. After all, it seems like the US area with Gotham and Metropolis is extremely secure with so many heroes helping out.

Overall, The Super Friends is a really fun collection to read. The comics will certainly keep you busy for a while and the cast is filled with well known characters. Batman and Superman are regulars along with the other heroes and it’s always neat to see how the villains will try to win against such odds. The art is very good as well. The original characters certainly weren’t great and I didn’t miss them when they were gone, but it’s not like they really hurt the comic either. All’s well that ends well right?

Overall 8/10

X Men vs Hulk Review

Posted on March 21, 2015 by dreager1

Let’s look at a comic that was a lot more fun! This collection’s main selling point is that it brings the big battle between Hulk and the X Men during the World War Hulk saga. That 3 issue tie in was handled perfectly and it reminds you that a nearly perfect limited series can be done with a variety of different characters. The back up stories aren’t quite as good though and hold it back from being a 9, but they’re still pretty good for the most part.

In the main part of the story, Hulk has arrived for Professor Xavier. Xavier may not have been present when the Illuminati decided to send Hulk away, but he is still a member of the club. Hulk asks him how the Professor would have voted and Charles says that he would have agreed with the others. Hulk prepares to take him away for his sentence when the New Mutants decide that they can’t agree to this. Hulk is not impressed by their efforts, but the New Mutants are quickly joined by the X Men and various other X groups. Nearly all of the mutants left on Earth have assembled to stop the Hulk…but will they be enough?

This comes during a very dangerous moment for the mutants. Scarlet Witch’s curse has ensured that no new mutants will ever be born and they are now an endangered species. The members who are with the X Men are almost all of the mutants left on the planet so if Hulk defeats them..it could be game over for everything that Xavier has ever strived for. This is why Professor Xavier doesn’t want the X Men to fight the Hulk and partially because he feels guilty as well. Cyclops won’t have any of that and Emma Frost focuses on stopping Xavier’s telepathy from stopping the X Men while the rest of the team attacks.

This is one of the best fights in comics and it’s very satisfying. This is what a fight with little to no plot hax looks like and all of the heroes really give it their all. For fans who like to see Wolverine fight the Hulk on an equal playing field, this really shows you what would happen when the Hulk can use some strategy. It’s too bad that Cyclops couldn’t do any better, but he’s still a great leader and handles the situation very well. It’s also good to see the bond between the mutants as everyone who is able to arrive makes sure to do so. You may wonder what the rest of the world is doing at this point, but maybe they’re busy. Either way, with the tensions surrounding the mutants, they may not have been much of a help either way. The art looks great here and that can make the difference between a great comic and an elite one. The art looks almost as sharp as X Sanction and the splash page with Juggernaut facing the Hulk is one to remember. The fight was written well so adding in the art makes it complete.

One of the backup stories features Iceman and Angel as they team up with the Hulk. Hulk is being pursued by harpy robots and he doesn’t want to hurt them because they look like Betty. After Iceman appears to be destroyed, Angel cuts loose and shows the Hulk that these robots are definitely not Betty! The Hulk quickly helps in destroying them and that’s when their friendship started. They became pals with the Hulk and realized that they should never judge a monster by his cover. This issue wasn’t bad, but I can’t say that it was very good either. There is some random romance that isn’t great and the heroes certainly could have looked better. They may be fighting in a desert, but Iceman shouldn’t go down so quickly.

Another backup story has Wolverine decide to test Colossus by tricking the X Man into fighting the Hulk. Colossus is very full of himself at the moment and keeps treating the other members as inferior fighters. Little does he know that the Hulk will give him that feeling after fighting for a little while. Colossus punches the Hulk straight on, but his blows don’t seem to deal any damage. Colossus uses the elements to his advantage and does put up a decent fight, but he knows that he is outmatched. By the end, he figures out that the Hulk isn’t actually a bad guy and he just misjudged him like everyone else. This was the best backup story and the fight was interesting to read.

There was also a black and white story at the end, which was decent, but also pretty uneventful. We have monsters and villains and I can barely even remember what the plot was at this point. Needless to say, the comic wasn’t the greatest, but at least the X Men were here as well. I wonder if the graphic novel managed to show off every time the X Men have fought the Hulk since I don’t think they have clashed that many times over the years. Needless to say, the Hulk seems to typically have the edge in their matches.

The collection is extremely short and you will be able to breeze through it in no time. Still, the stories are packed with entertainment and that’s what counts. This is one of those rare times where the addition of the extra stories ultimately hurt the graphic novel as it lost it a star. None of the stories were downright bad, but they were average enough to bring it down to an 8 for great.

Naturally, this is why you will want to focus your attention on the first three issues. They’re simply amazing and watching many mutants attack the Hulk is not something that you see very often. The heavy hitters that he faces include Colossus, Emma Frost, Cyclops, Wolverine, X 23, Juggernaut, Strong Guy, and a lady who is apparently invulnerable. He takes them all on back to back and his high speed regeneration seems to be as good as ever. The heroes all look very good and in character. I certainly have no qualms with their portrayal and I agree with their decision.

Professor X and the Illuminati started this fight and they certainly deserve to go to jail, but the Hulk has a more permanent fate for them so the X Men have made the right call in going up against them. The Hulk is simply another villain now and they have to protect their own. That’s why it can be a little irritating to see Professor X try to stop them, but we also learn that Charles can’t add anything to the fight anyway. Hulk is currently too enraged for telepathy to be of any use against him so that rules the Professor out. The heroes all give it their all and prove why they are selfless heroes.

The Hulk may be the villain here, but it’s still a great portrayal of him. You can certainly see why he is upset and the Illuminati definitely crossed the line. Two wrongs don’t make a right, but the Hulk is going to try and see what happens when he does just that anyway. Because his will is so decisive right now, The Hulk has also kept his reason along with the rage. This quite possibly makes him the most dangerous Hulk of all time and it is interesting to see him think rationally as he fights. His logic skills when in battle seem to be similar to Superman’s during the Unchained saga along with the other great Superman comics. When he has this much control, The Hulk really is one of the strongest fighters there is. Fans may feel bad for Juggernaut since he definitely is no match here, but it makes you wonder how well he would do if he could unleash all of his power. I actually think it could have been a close fight and the Juggernaut is certainly underrated.

Overall, X Men vs Hulk is an excellent trade even if you just buy it for the first three issues. The Hulk really takes it to the X Men and both sides are fighting for something that they believe in. The backup stories may not be great, but they’re not bad either and at least they increase the length of the graphic novel. I definitely recommend checking it out and you won’t be disappointed after reading this epic. It would be fun to see the Hulk take on Thor while in this state although I believe they only had a brief scuffle in one of the other side parts of this series. I still haven’t read the main World War Hulk title, but maybe I’ll come across it at some point in the future.

Overall 8/10

Justice League 3000 Volume 1 Yesterday Lives Review

Posted on March 21, 2015 by dreager1

Booooooooooooooo. Okay, Justice League 3000 wasn’t terrible, but it was certainly pretty bad. This is a plot that had a lot of potential and it was a little similar to Future’s End. Unfortunately, the series couldn’t live up to its potential and you can tell that things are going south right from the get go. I just don’t understand why the writers made some of the decisions that they did.

It has been ages since the Justice League formed. The year is now 3000 and the universe is essentially ruled by The Five. They are super villains who did what no other ever could, they conquered everything. If a hero tries to rise up, they just blow up his/her planet and move on. The only thing that stands in their way is Cadmus and they aren’t much better. Cadmus is basically what’s left of the government. The only problem is that they have no real heroes and there are spies everywhere. Nowhere is safe from them! Cadmus decides to change this by bringing the famous Justice League back to life. They do this by placing their DNA in normal humans, so that the DNA takes over the vessel and essentially becomes the hero. With the exception of Cyborg, The New 52 Justice League roster is back…with some changes. Can they defeat The Five and liberate their future?

The plot should have been good, but it just didn’t work out. The main reason is the twist that the heroes have lost some key memories so they are not acting as they once did. Superman is now much meaner than usual and he’s about as likable as the average horror film protagonist. He’s extremely unintelligent and he basically acts like a cave man. Wonder Woman is back to being extreme in her views on how she strongly dislikes all men and likes to slaughter any foe she comes across. Green Lantern, Batman, and the Flash are mostly like their usual selves although Batman doesn’t mind cracking a joke once in a while. It essentially plays out like a fanfic and that’s the last thing that I could have wanted here.

Superman is also badly nerfed to help move the plot along. He can no longer fly and his physical abilities seem to be a lot worse as well. Wonder Woman and Superman were getting crushed by a goddess, one of The Five, and that’s something that I can’t see happening to their true New 52 selves. This lady may be strong, but one simply doesn’t take out the top 2 Justice League members so easily. The humiliation doesn’t end there as the strongest member of The Five, a Reality Warper, defeats the League with ease. Already, you can tell that this is going to be the kind of series where the heroes are on the run for the whole time and that can certainly get old rather quickly.

Towards the second half of the graphic novel, Firestorm joins the ranks and the sad thing is that he’s the most likable member of the team. It’s just sad because he’s essentially a villain here as his mind is even more corrupted than the other members. He wants to slaughter anyone who gets in his path and luckily he has the power to do it. His abilities come in handy against the villains, but it’s too bad that he couldn’t have kept his moral compass along the way. Ah well, at least the Justice League has one member who can fight.

Let’s talk about The Five. One of their members is named Locus and she appears to be the strongest member by far. She is the reality warper that I mentioned and her abilities are limitless. The only way to beat her is to knock her out before she can form a thought Naturally, this leads to plot hax whenever she has to fight and cannot win at the moment. She’s a psycho, but I’m sure that we expected this. Kali is a warrior whose strength seems to surpass that of Superman and Wonder Woman’s. Both of these villains have yet to be on the losing edge of a fight aside from a knockout blow from behind and Firestorm’s impressive debut. Convert is one of the more useful members of The Five even if he’s not a fighter. He invades people like a plague or the Phalanx. He currently controls billions of people across the universe and he can literally turn an entire population against you by controlling them. Finally, we have Coeval who attacks from the cyber world. He seeks to weaken the wills of the heroes by playing on their doubts.

Naturally, to be The Five, those 4 need a leader. He does end up appearing at the end of the graphic novel and it should come across as a decent surprise. It certainly makes things look a little dicier for the heroes as there is not much they can do about the situation anymore. The leader is probably the weakest member aside from Coeval as the average human could probably beat him, but I’m sure that the leader will dig up a robot somewhere to finish the job.

Technically, it’s a good idea to have a supervillain team to face the League. Kali and Locus were good starts even if they were overpowered, but the other members can’t fight, which limits the potential. One thing that hurts the comic is the natural need for it to be gritty. A lot of Superman’s lines revolve around him flirting, making suggestive comments or threatening to hurt people. Locus literally rips one of the heroes to shreds and while the page has a lot of energy and spacial effects to distract you, the scene is much more violent than it needs to be. We have the classic Man of Steel moment as well to make sure that the comic covered all of the bases. An eye stab also happens and nothing Narutoesque happens since the opponent is basically invurlnable, but I always found that to be a rather dirty fighting technique that crosses the lines of justice and injustice.

Really, the comic just isn’t that good. Even the art isn’t up to par with the high level of quality that DC is known for. It helps that the character designs are mostly lacking. Only Batman’s looks good from the original team although Firestorm joins him later on. Green Lantern’s cloak is cool, but without it, he doesn’t have a very good design. The fight scenes are where the art shines, but there aren’t many true fight scenes to see so this is pretty limited.

It goes without saying that the writing isn’t very good either. Meanwhile, it has certainly been a long time since the year 2000, but I find it hard to believe that some of this happened. How could the Five conquer the galaxy and the Green Lantern race was eliminated so easily? I don’t buy it and I don’t see how Earth fell so quickly as well considering that we have such an unstoppable army of superheroes. Locus is strong, but Kali would be defeated by a good fighter like Supergirl or Darkseid and the rest of the team could seriously be beaten by the Teen Titans. Where’s Lex Luthor when you need him!?

This is only the first volume so the series still has some hope, but it’s going to have to move quickly. For starters, the series should not try to be as dark and gritty as can be. Right now, the heroes really have no hope unless they can revive the other heroes, but what then? Even if they defeat The Five, they’re living in a future where just about everything was eradicated. It’s not going to be much of a life. Toning down the dark atmosphere should be enough to tip the scales, but the comic also needs to make the Justice League a whole lot more likable. Superman’s already getting some development, which is a start, but we’re going to need the writers to accelerate the process.

Overall, I currently don’t see the point of this title. The future is grim and the heroes must save the day again, but this kind of story has already been done and with much greater efficiency. Typically, a future story is extremely interesting and that’s what keeps you reading. The new villains have conquered to be sure, but the heroes are still ready to deal out some damage. Here, the writers have stacked the deck so much in the villain’s favor that the heroes really do not stand a chance. Locus just has to think and they’re all dead. So, there’s literally no way that they should win and the amount of plot hax in future issues is going to be immense. Just check out the time travel episode in Justice League Unlimited and you’ll witness what this comic should have been like. Likewise, Hitman Reborn had an arc with this kind of plot that was infinitely superior. The heroes should have definitely been in character and I guarantee that this comic would have been much more enjoyable. Well, if I do check out volume 2 anytime soon, we’ll see if the series will have managed to improve. As of now, I recommend checking out Superman Unchained instead as it’s an epic action story with some guest stars to help you out as well.

Overall 4/10

The Amazing Spider Man Ends of The Earth Review

Posted on March 17, 2015 by dreager1

All right, it’s time to check out a relatively modern Spider Man comic once again. Things didn’t go too well last time, but this is a big event so I’m sure that they would be more careful here. It’s pretty fun and while there are many weak aspects to be found, this volume succeeds in being fun. I can’t ask for much more than that and it was actually good. Not bad, not decent, but an actually good Spider Man comic. I count that as a success in my book.

Well, Doctor Octopus is finally making his big move on the world. He claims that he is actually doing it for the good of society though as he constructs a bit array around the planet. Essentially, it will protect us from global warming. Everyone on Earth has to give it some consideration and even the Avengers start to think that he could be on the up and up. Spider Man won’t have this and he bursts into the Avengers mansion declaring “Avengers Assemble!” Doc Ock wants millions of dollars for each of his men and to have their criminal records wiped out. He also decides to put a large bounty on Spider Man and makes him a legal criminal as well. The Avengers are on his side, but the rest of the world wants to take him out so Peter Parker is in for the fight of his life!

Spiderman fans should be pleased since he gets a lot of hype here. Not only is he more resourceful than the Avengers, but he is portrayed to be much smarter as well. You might let a small chuckle out as he walks into the Avengers planning room and basically chews them all out. He even tells them to “deal with it” at one point and the Avengers just take it. Trust me…it’s all pretty surreal. Avenger fans probably won’t be pleased to say the very least, but Spiderman fans should love every moment of this. He makes them all look like B level heroes when he’s in the room. I liked him here and this was back when he was more no nonsense. He’s not constantly flirting or making jokes when things are serious. He makes a controversial decision, but I’ll get into that later on.

The main thing that can be dicey is how bad the Avengers look. Keep in mind that this is a Spider Man comic of course. Still, the event begins with Spider Man and the Avengers attacking the Sinister 6…and getting crushed. Thor loses in one hit to the Rhino and likewise, Doc Ock beats Iron Man in the same fashion. Red Hulk is taken out by a random robot and the others are felled rather quickly. I suppose that it’s just how it goes, but watching the Sinister 6 actually win will likely make fans wince. The heroes don’t even really look out of character. They are perhaps a little gullible when they consider Doc Ock’s offer, but that’s about it. That being said, I still don’t buy that Thor can be mind controlled. That’s not how things went back in the day and it’s a change that I don’t agree with. It’s pretty sad to see them all become pawns in this grand scheme. They’re basically unified in their decision to attack the villains without a real plan. They shouldn’t need one in theory, but we still need to consider the fact that Electro and Sandman are legitimate threats even if the other villains are too weak to be worried about.

Naturally, this wouldn’t be a big event without some kind of controversial decision by the hero right? At one point, Rhino pins Silver Sable to the ground and declares that he shall not move an inch. The room is beginning to flood so Silver Sable definitely won’t survive this without Spiderman’s help. Spiderman will have to choose between stopping and saving her or continuing to where Doctor Octopus is. Time is ticking so he decides to go stop Ock since he needs to save the world. I believe that this was the wrong call. It should be noted that Silver Sable seems to have lived through this. It is a comic after all. I am going to assume that she used some kind of gadget or the Rhino was bluffing about staying there. There is also the decent chance that Silver Sable can hold her breath significantly longer than the Rhino and escaped after he fainted.

Nonetheless, Spiderman should not have deserted her during such an experience. Drowning is one of the more unpleasant ways to die and at least Ock’s strategy would destroy a lot of people in an instant. Also, Spiderman would have been able to get Rhino to move pretty quickly so he still could have stopped Ock in time. That’s why the Avengers were in space buying time right? Spiderman should have just trusted them to handle the situation for a few more minutes. The writer tried to show that the Rhino was simply too strong, but Spiderman definitely could have found a way to knock him over and free Silver Sable. Calling one of the Avengers would have also been good if he was able too. Just leaving Silver Sable to die made the victory hollow.

Since all of the big heroes are away or mind controlled, Spiderman has to seek help from others. Big Hero 6 and a UK hero arrive to help along with a Kangeroo guy. Big Hero 6 has the most enjoyable side plot and especially since I recently saw the film. All of the characters seem more likable than their movie counterparts and certainly more skilled. I don’t see them beating any big threats, but they can certainly help out a lot against the minions. It was fun to have these guest stars arrive.

Now, this is the part where I would typically mention how good the art is. Unfortunately, it was not very good despite the cover being incredible. The art style looks good sometimes, particularly in scenes without any movement. After that, things go downhill. The character models are really the biggest problem as the artist seems unclear on how to draw a body in motion without it becoming disproportionate in various areas. A big example is the face where the artist has the most trouble. The faces will stretch at times as if the characters are trying to be Mr Fantastic. The action scenes still look very flashy, but the quality certainly isn’t as high as you would hope. This is no Superman Unchained!

The writing is at a good level here so I don’t need to bash it. The “Deal with it” line is something I probably won’t forget, but in a way, it is cool to see Spiderman exercise his authority. If the heroes won’t give him his respect, then he shall take it. Not that respect is a problem here though. Seriously, the heroes are basically praising him from start to finish. Silver Sable is apparently a fan now as she realizes his true power and wit.

Speaking of which, there is a bonus story at the end where we see a time where Spiderman and Silver Sable teamed up with Doctor Strange to defeat Dr Doom. The actual plot is pretty lackluster as Dr Doom wants to marry someone for her magical powers, but at least this gives us an opportunity for some fights. You can argue that Dr Strange looks a little too under powered, but you can’t win every battle right? Spiderman gets his props though and he holds his own. The action kept the issue afloat, but the actual plot was bad enough to make it very sub par. We didn’t need romance here!

As for the Sinister Six, most of the members were decent or unlikable. I liked the Electro and this was a good interpretation of his character. Now that he is in control of his abilities, he’s certainly more than a match for just about any fighter. I’m glad that he didn’t back down from the Avengers. I still don’t like Doctor Octopus and shall never be able to take him seriously at this point. The Rhino looks very petty and the writers over hyped him. Spiderman certainly should have defeated him. The Sandman looks good and I do think that he would have done the right thing if he had been asked to help. Mysterio also helped when the going got tough and he’s not bad for an illusionist. I typically don’t care for those characters, but he seems pretty witty and he actually was pretty helpful. That wraps up most of the members. We also had some guest villains who helped out in the abroad battles and I would have certainly liked some spinoff issues to go more in depth over there. Some of the matchups looked like a lot of fun.

Overall, Ends of The Earth was actually a good Spiderman comic. Spiderman’s portrayal was solid as he stayed loyal to Mary Jane and he made for a good leader. His decision to leave Sable certainly wasn’t a good one as well as his decision to let Sable go through with her acid attack for as long as he did. At least Sandman can’t really feel pain when in his sand state, but it was still a bit much. The Avengers don’t look as professional as usual and they are very under powered, but you have to remember that this is a Spiderman comic. The art is pretty lack luster though and the backup comic isn’t very good. I recommend checking this out for a quick read, but keep in mind that it’s not going to be winning any awards for you. On the bright side, you can compare the Big Hero 6 team from the comics to the movie counterparts. Also, this leads up to Superior Spider Man so now you can see why that event even happened in the first place.

Overall 7/10

My Little Pony Pony Tales Volume 1 Review

Posted on March 15, 2015 by dreager1

It’s time to look at one of the My Little Pony spinoff comics. It’s been a while since I read a comic for this franchise and you may remember that I wasn’t thrilled with the first one. It had some animal violence and that wasn’t cool. Luckily, this one holds true to the show and it feels like it’s higher quality than the last trade paperback. Each story is a stand alone for a different pony, which is typically not my favorite format. It can work though as long as each story is interesting. Let’s see if the stories worked!

One story is about Applejack and her family is preparing for a nice feast. A holiday is coming up so now they can enjoy their food and bond as a family. The problem is that a monster is stealing their food. Applejack decides that she must stop him and she wants to do it by herself so that her family won’t need to worry. Can she really handle this task on her own?

The moral for this story is about letting others help out because sometimes it is for the best. It’s never good to deal with every task by yourself since everyone needs help once in a while. It’s a pretty fun story although it’s certainly weaker than the other stories. Applejack seems like a nice pony and her goal was pretty noble so I don’t necessarily disagree with her decision. Of course, accepting help was the right thing to do, but she wasn’t mean to the others when declining their help either, which is a nice change of pace from what would have typically happened in this situation.

Rainbow Dash’s story saw her go up against some mysterious beings who feed on negative energy. Rainbow Dash’s Sonic Boom seems to have no effect on their fortress of wind and they damage her wing. Her confidence is shaken and the villagers are starting to get riled up. A sense of dread and sadness fills the village and Rainbow Dash is the only one who can stop the villains. Can she get over her fear to do this?

The moral is a classic one about facing your fears and not getting too overconfident. That’s not even the exact moral as it was a little more complex than that. This was a fun story and we actually got some new villains, which was pretty neat. Rainbow Dash may be nervous for most of the comic, but it doesn’t feel too out of character since it’s handled pretty well. I think that the other ponies could have certainly been a little nicer about the whole thing, but not every pony in Equestria is nice. Only the ones who really count. It can be frustrating to see the villains crushing Rainbow Dash’s attempts, but the stakes are certainly higher than usual. This was a fun story.

Next up, we have Twilight Sparkle as she is sent to help out at a library/book place. Unfortunately, her temporary boss is pretty grouchy. Twilight Sparkle does her best to still remain very polite and do her work. The icy feelings between these two ponies start to thaw a little, but then Twilight Sparkle finds out a secret that could change everything. What has she done!?

I admit that it was probably a little out of character for Twilight Sparkle to look through the door into the lady’s secret room after being told not too. Sparkle doesn’t seem like the type of pony who can’t control her curiosity after all. I can’t say that with 100% certainty though so maybe I’m slightly off the mark here. This was a fun comic though and it reminds me why Twilight Sparkle is my second favorite pony. She is certainly very reasonable and a lot nicer than the other members of the Mane 6 beyond Pinkie Pie. (Pinkie Pie is always the best at everything after all) This may have been the best story in the collection.

Pinkie Pie may be my favorite pony, but she doesn’t get my favorite story. A clown has been helping many ponies laugh and smile through the years, but he is now retiring. Pinkie Pie must get him to see why being a clown was so much fun again, but is it really right to try and stop him from retiring?

In the end, Pinkie Pie see that it is a little selfish to try to stop someone from leaving their work when they have finally had enough. That being said, she also helps the clown realize that he can always help the industry out in other ways and Pinkie Pie gets better at being a clown through this experience. She is certainly good at cheering people up already so you may wonder just how much cooler she can get from here right? She didn’t act quite as crazy/insane as usual, but she doesn’t need to always be like that to be a fun character. She still has a lot of personality.

Rarity’s story naturally revolves around a fashion show that she is setting up. Her friends decide that she can use a little rest so they send her to a new spa that has opened up. Rarity is thrilled to go there until she finds out that it isn’t much of a spa. The mud baths are pretty literal and the food is all healthy to the point where it is barely edible. Can she really make the best of this?

I felt pretty bad for Rarity here since this is a case where she is really the victim of the moral. The moral is naturally to give things a chance and trying out new experiences isn’t bad, but…the spa went pretty far. The owners do have a good reason for this though and there are many emotional plot twists. It’s good that Rarity was able to help out, but it still would have been nice if she had gotten an actual vacation. This story certainly didn’t help her pass the other ponies, but she has her moments I suppose. Deep down, she’s as nice as the others.

Finally, we have Fluttershy’s story. It’s really a coincidence that she was last as I was mainly writing down the summaries from memory and hers I happened to remember last. (I had to double check for Rarity’s so at least Fluttershy’s was more memorable) Fluttershy has made a painting, but she is nervous and believes that it didn’t look very good. So, she enters it in an art exhibit, but she makes sure to be in disguise. Will the officials like this?

First of all, I have to say that this is where it comes in handy to be friends with Celestia’s protoge and with an expert in the form of Rarity. The officials naturally say that they can’t stand the painting and try to make Fluttershy feel bad (Along with all of the other painters) but then Rarity walks in and announces that it is quite good. The rest of the Mane 6 agree and they even managed to bring in Princess Celestia who announces that it is amazing. It all works out and Fluttershy decides to be more confident in herself. Her lack of confidence is why she isn’t one of my favorite ponies, but I do like the fact that she has a strong bond with animals so that helps to balance it out a little. You will definitely feel bad for her here. This was another good story and it’s probably second behind Twilight Sparkle’s.

The art is very good here even if the cover isn’t great. Yes…I think the cover could hurt sales and I seriously wonder why it was chosen! Well, mistakes happen I suppose. Still, the artwork inside of the graphic novel is consistent and all of the characters look accurate. This helps you fast blast through the comics pretty quickly even if the text can be a bit on the small side.

Overall, This was the My Little Pony comic that I had been expecting when I read the first graphic novel a while back. The short stories were all pretty good or interesting and this was a nice way to see if each of the ponies could hold their own story without relying on the others. I’d say that they succeeded in that area and the comic is a lot of fun to read from start to finish. It certainly never drags on or gets boring. There may not be a lot of action, but the writing is very good so that doesn’t end up being a problem. If you are on the fence about starting the franchise, this is a good way to get into it. I also recommend it for fans of the TV show as it isn’t a quick money grab. They did put in a good amount of effort here and I look forward to reading the next volume. It may be a while, but I do have another one of the spinoffs to review coming soon….

Overall 7/10

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