Category Archives: Reviews

Madden 2012 Review

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It is now time for the Madden 2012 review! As I hinted in my Madden 2010 review, Madden 2012 definitely improves and brings things closer to the good ole GC era. I don’t own Madden 2011 yet so I do not know if it’s a bridge that started the uphill battle, but once I buy that game, you can expect a review for it as well.

For once, let’s just skip to the main part of the gameplay right away. Immediately you can see a huge difference in the game. The gameplay is a lot quicker and everything seems to flow a lot better. The controls can still be a little delicate; you must move in a straight line and be careful not to turn the joy stick or your character will start to stutter and slow down. That being said, there are ways to quickly turn and dodge defenders, but it’s a learning process. I’ll take the speed and precision over the slowness that Madden 2010 presented any day!

The passing game is also improved and deep balls are a little easier to command. They still aren’t exceptionally easy, but they’ll do. It’s always a risk since the defender may decide to jump up and grab an easy pick, but the risk is part of the fun right? I found it easiest to throw down the middle to the tight end, as he was usually open and it’s hard to mess up such an easy play. There are fewer things that can go wrong in this case.

The running game is definitely more enjoyable as well. It can still be risky to use outside pitches, but they’re more fun to use now that the running back is fast again. Quarterback scrambles are also fun and if you play your cards right, you’ll net some pretty large gains. The way I see it, a running play usually won’t get you more than a few yards, but it’s still worth it for that rare occurrence where you break free for 20+ yards. It’s all about barreling into the defensive line until they give way. You can think of it as an endurance battle!

Kicking the ball is still relatively easy, which is definitely a good thing. I am confident with kicks from 30 yards and under but once we hit 40, I will definitely have a tough time getting the goal. The animation is still pretty solid and while it’s not very different from Madden 2010, you can still tell that the animation is better in this game.

I may as well dedicate a few lines to the music. I’ve never played a sports game where I thought that the music was incredible and this one is no exception. While playing the game, you won’t even care what the music is. In the heat of the moment, it’s easy to forget that there is music playing at all. I wouldn’t say that the music is awful, but it is sub par. As I mentioned earlier, this is the case with just about every sports game so I’ve come to expect it.

There are still other modes to play, like making your own character in Superstar mode. I personally don’t really use them as Franchise Mode is the only one that I really care about. I hope that they add minicamp mode again someday, perhaps in Madden 2013. It’s the only other mode that I would just play around with for a long time. Franchise mode is great but some things can take a while though, thanks to the long loading times if you want to skip the Preseason. Still, you can’t go wrong with Franchise mode, as it’s a great way to feel like you’re really in the NFL. Now if only they could figure out how to do this with PSN, a whole league would be epic. Something like Fantasy Football, but with actual games. It would be tough to set up, but also pretty awesome.

I definitely recommend getting this game since it’s the best next gen Madden game that I’ve played so far. I can safely say that Madden 2009 and 2010 don’t hold a candle to this one. This is a great way to get into the sport and also a way to have fun during Football season. Play as your favorite team and enter the new season. The gameplay is exciting as always and thanks to Franchise mode, there is a lot to do. Even without Franchise mode, you could find yourself playing this game for dozens and dozens of hours to come.

Overall 8/10

Madden 2010 Review

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I have always been a fan of the Madden series. It’s true that the games don’t seem to change very much and you could buy a Madden from 2004 and have an even better experience than if you went and bought Madden 25. The reason is not only was Madden 2004 the best Madden game of them all, but it essentially did everything right. A lot of the “improvements” that have been made have actually been bad for the series. This review is of Madden 2010, so I’ll be focusing on that year.

When launching the game, you’ve got several options. Franchise mode and many others, but that’s the only one that you need to care about. Franchise mode is what I’ve grown up with and it’s the best thing to play. I do miss the fact that we don’t have a minicamp mode anymore. You can play them in franchise mode, but what about checking them out for fun? That was one area where Madden 2010 took a turn for the worst, but let’s talk about the critical difference.

Turning the game on and paying an ordinary match is what Madden is all about. Unfortunately, the actual gameplay isn’t quite as fun as it used to be. It’s still really fun and I could play it for hours, but there are several factors that hurt it. One of these is the fact that the gameplay is a lot slower. I suppose that you could take this to be more “realistic” but it just doesn’t work. Playing on a virtual field is much different than on a normal field for many reasons. One is the fact that the field itself feels a lot smaller. Odds are that if you’re sacked in the game, you’ll lose around 10 yard because of how short the field is. Trying to run an outside route is risky because if they catch you, you’ll end up losing a whole bunch of yards.

They’ve “refined” the passing game so that your throw greatly depends on how you angle the control stick. This is okay since Madden 2004 did this as well, but Madden 2010 overdoes it. If you hold up and throw the ball, you’ll often overthrow your receiver and if you’ve got the wrong direction on the controller, you’ll probably be throwing a pick six. Making the controls more sensitive isn’t a bad thing in itself, but it takes some of the fun out of the passing game. I loved throwing a lot of deep balls and seeing what would happen.

The running game also seems to be a lot more difficult than in previous games. Because of the reduced speed of the gameplay, breaking into a sprint may not be enough to get our of the backfield. If a defender punches through the defenses, you won’t have the speed to evade him. This game seems to emphasize running between the tackles as opposed to taking outside pitches, which is too bad since that’s how I typically like my running game.

All the same, these changes may not be my favorite, but the gameplay is still very fun overall. Maybe the running game is more challenging, but that will just make a long run more satisfying right? For passing plays, it’s still easy enough to throw a short pass to your tight end or a screen pass to the running back. I may just have to lighten up on my Hail Mary type throws.

The animation is definitely solid and while we aren’t in the perfect Gamecube era anymore, the PS3 is the next best thing in terms of graphics. Yep, after the Gamecube, I believe that the PS3 has the greatest graphics from all of the consoles so far. PS4 has a shot at taking it down, but we’ll see if it can take down the Gamecube. The tackles have more variety in Madden 2010 than in Madden 2004, but the sacks aren’t as impacting. You could practically feel the charge when you sacked an opposing quarterback in Madden 2004. It was just so thrilling to see! Likewise with interceptions, but they don’t feel as exciting in Madden 2010. I’m not sure why that is, the sound effects may be lower or something. Either way, it’s minor and I’m sure that you can adjust something like that in the options menu.

Let’s talk about one major positive where I feel that the game may have improved. That would be in the kicking area. Kicking a long range field goal was virtually impossible in Madden 2004 because you could never really defy the wind currents. Your kick would go off target towards the wind or against it, but it was hard to actually get the field goal. In Madden 2010, it’s not quite as difficult and while kicking a 60+ could still be unheard of, 30-35 yards and under are a lot simpler.

Overall, the game may have made the gameplay a little less enjoyable by taking away the speed factor, but it’s still a very fun game. If you had not played the older games, then you wouldn’t even notice. The fact that kicking a field goal is now an easy task is definitely a plus as well. The animation is solid and the games are slowly adding more and more features that make it like a real football game. Some things may just slow down the flow of the game, but if you’re in the middle of Franchise mode, you’ll probably be glad to see how the other teams are doing. This game and 2009 are my least favorite Madden games that I’ve really gotten to play, but things take a turn for the better once we hit Madden 2012. I shall be reviewing that game shortly so keep an eye out for it! I’ve already said it several times, but I’ll say it one last time to make sure that the message lasts. While the review may have pointed out most of the negatives in Madden 2010, it’s still a great game. The gameplay is really fun and never gets tiring. If I wasn’t so busy with other games, I could see myself playing it for many hours. There is a ton of replay value and franchise mode could theoretically last you years if you play season after season after season. I definitely recommend getting this game if you want a fun football experience, but if you want the ultimate NFL experience, make sure that you buy Madden 2004.

Overall 7/10

Fantastic Mr Fox Review

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Fantastic Mr Fox is a film that I had definitely heard about, but I can’t say that I had very high hopes for the film. Stop motion can be good in moderation, but there is a reason why they don’t make a whole bunch of them. The film can be very limited by this type of animation and after a while, audiences may grow tired of it. Can this film get past that obstacle and be a really good film?

Well, the stop motion didn’t really get to me. It can certainly help some scenes and while I would definitely prefer hand drawn or CGI, it could be worse. The plot revolves around Mr Fox, who used to hunt animals. He was definitely not a hero to be admired and some could argue that he’s the big villain of the film. The irony is that the real “villains” of the film are possibly better heroes than Mr Fox. Mr Fox has decided to stop, but after moving into a tree in the roughest neighborhood around, he decides to start up the old job. The super teams up with Mr Fox and they attempt to rob the 3 toughest men around. Will they succeed?

Well, from the three dangerous antagonists, one of them easily stood out as the best. That would be Mr. Bean! Mr. Bean has a gun and he’s a terrific shot. He was able to it all of his targets with perfect marksmanship in one scene and he even scared the other two guys. He was definitely on the ball and he seemed a lot more professional than the other two. I dare say that Mr. Bean is the best character in the film. Watch out for his scenes!

Kristofferson is one of the main characters and he continues to outshine Ash at every turn. Ash is Mr. Fox’s son and while he’s decently good at what he does, he’s no match for Kristofferson. Ash claims that he’s been improving in the epic sport that is similar to Baseball, but Kristofferson quickly outshines him in his first turn. Kristofferson also steals Ash’s lab partner which probably had bad effects on his project score. Did I mention that Kristofferson is also a fighter and that he was able to defeat a powerful fighter pretty easily. He’s a pretty solid character for the most part, but he fell into a romance that didn’t really add anything to the film. It was just there to be there and wasn’t awful, but those scenes could have been cut.

There was also a fighting Rat who was definitely the greatest threat to the heroes. He had a knife and he was pretty good at hand to hand combat. He was able to quickly dispatch Ash and Felicity, but Mr. Fox came for the climatic battle. He had the best musical theme in the film and was the only fighter who could really match up against Mr. Fox.

So, this was a pretty solid film. Mr. Fox wasn’t a very great character since he murdered some animals, but it’s better if you think of him as an antagonist. The animal deaths were really the only major negative with the romance being a smaller one as it was unneeded. Kyle is the super and he’s also a pretty good character. Once in a while he’ll zone out which can definitely get epic. The design for his eyes was pretty unique and helps to capture the demented vibe that he emits. Some of the lines in the film are definitely unique and help the overall experience. So, I do recommend this film to the average moviegoer, but especially if you like subtle comedies or stop motion films. If you just want to check out the next big animation film, go watch Yugioh 3D Bonds Beyond Time. I can confirm that it’s really great!

Overall 6/10

Murder by Death Review

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Everyone loves a great mystery and they can definitely be enjoyable to watch. It’s especially fun when you’re able to figure out who the culprit was before the main characters, but that’s easier said than done! Also, I’m usually so into the movie that I don’t even take a guess because I’m just focused on the action. This one gives the mystery angle a new spin, but does it work?

The film starts off with several of the world’s greatest detectives as they are invited to a mansion. A murder will be taking place and they must solve the mystery of who committed such a vicious act! The main problem is that the murder hasn’t happened yet, so how can they solve it? The detectives are all professionals, but some of them definitely seem smarter than the others. I will go more into depth with the characters later on in the review, since they essentially make or break the film for you.

The butler is blind, but does that make him a suspect or should we cross him off the list? Either way, he definitely knows his way around the house and he performs admirably. A cook also comes in later, but she is deaf and mute. She also cannot read so this makes things pretty intriguing. Will they be able to work together, or will the challenge be too much for them?

Their host is Lionel Twain and he has come with a very bold challenge to the detectives. He will create a murder that they won’t be able to solve and he will truly be the smartest man in the world. If they do solve the case, they’ll get a nice sum of money to add to their bank account. The detectives feel that they have the upper hand since Twain is obviously the murderer….right!? Once the clock strikes midnight, then the victim appears and the body may shock you!

The detectives scramble to find out what happened and quickly try to solve the case. It’s certainly a tough one and now the detectives must each solve their own dire situation and hopefully escape with their lives, while solving the case in the process. Things prove to be dire and time is definitely not on their side!

Let’s talk about the first group of detectives, Sidney Wang and Willie. Willie isn’t really a detective and he’s actually here to carry Wang’s bags and do the daily errands. Sidney is pretty smart and he likes to (Not so) subtly insult Willie whenever he gets a chance. He’s definitely one of the more prepared detectives in the film and certainly one of the best characters. He knows a lot so the other detectives better watch out for what he may say. He prefers not to use pronouns, but then again…who does!?

Next up we have Dick Charleston and Doris Charleston. They definitely act the most like Sherlock Holmes and they definitely seem to be smart. Unlike Wang and Willie Dick and Doris are both pretty smart and help in key parts of the case. Dick tries to keep Doris out of the conversations when things get “Official” but she still ends up making statements when she wants too. She has learned with the best after all. They also had a dog who was pretty hardcore for the entirety of the film. The villains couldn’t lay a hand on him!

We’ve also got Milo and Marcel. They were some of the weaker characters and definitely did not seem to be quite as smart as the first few detectives. Milo really wanted his snacks, but there weren’t many to be found since they were cheated out of their soup. Marcel is pretty strong, but not quite as quick as the other guys. The statue actually hit him, which was definitely sad for the poor guy. He did have his big moment towards the end.

Jessica Marbles and Miss Withers also come into the picture, but their roles are smaller than the others. They entered the film later than the others and I never found them to be very impressive. Miss Withers couldn’t really move and is very old. Jessica Marbles may have solved some mysteries in her day, but they don’t seem to have been as complicated as the ones that Mr. Charleston probably faced.

Finally, we have Sam Diamond and Tess Skeffington. Sam is pretty tough and he definitely seems to have a meaner edge to him than the other detectives. He’s not here to shoot the breeze or have a merry time. To him, the case is serious business and he came prepared. While he brought a gun, the other detectives are basically defenseless. Tess is pretty fit and was able to walk a long distance more than once to get supplies. She may not be the detective, but she does have a “twist” that helps them wrap things up.

Speaking of the “twists”, that was one of the best parts of the film. You probably remember the old “Luke, I’m YOUR FATHER!!!!!” saying from Star Wars right? This is similar, but just about all of the characters have a plot twist at around the same time. It’s definitely intense and not something that you will be forgetting anytime soon. The ending develops in a similar fashion and it’s not something that you will want to forget. It’s one of the best endings that I’ve seen in a long time! Maybe top 3 mystery movie endings.

I highly recommend checking this film out. It’s pretty funny and the detectives are mostly all solid characters. I wouldn’t say that any of the characters were bad characters and that is definitely saying something! The plot twists that keep coming will have you stay entertained for the entirety of the film and the traps at the end are epic. There’s even a bomb in the film! So, if you thought that Clue was good, then you’ll love this film. It’s a must watch for all mystery fans!

Overall 8/10

Bakugan Battle Trainer Review

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Bakugan is pretty big franchise and it’s always looked exciting. I’ve never seen the anime or checked out any of the reading material, but I consider myself to be an experienced fan. Why is that? Well, I own the first PS3 game and I own the 2nd PS3 game, along with the next DS game. From the title of the review, we can also figure out that I own this one, meaning that I’ve got the whole collection. I’m pretty psyched to work on the PS3 one, but I have a lot of PS3 games on the back burner so we’ll see how quickly I’m able to get through it.

The first game in the series was pretty incredible so this game had some really big shoes to fill. The game started out at a quick disadvantage since they would be getting rid of most of the marble part of the gameplay and just keeping in the turn based system. After playing it, I can say that the gameplay hasn’t fallen too far. Getting rid of the marble gameplay is a little disappointing, but the turn based part is great on its own as well.

The gameplay in itself would probably net the game an 8. I was tempted to give the game such a high rating, but there just wasn’t enough content. The game has 25 levels which may sound decent, but the levels are over in a matter of minutes. I completed the entire game in about a day and it’s much less when you consider how long I was actually playing the game. It’s only a few hours long and did I mention that the game is ultimately easy? If you are not at a high enough level to defeat the enemy, just beat a minigame which will drastically increase your monster’s attack points. Each minigame ranged from around 30 seconds to a minute and a half. If you play the mini games enough, your monsters will easily be strong enough to win the battle.

The actual plot of the game is good and the Earth is in trouble. The main villain, Vector, has kidnapped all of the Bakugan from Earth. He is mind controlling them and he plans to create the ultimate Bakugan and take over the world! Maybe even destroy it when he’s good and ready. Dan (The Man) must use his new Bakugan to save his original Bakugan and also save the planet while he’s at it. The cutscenes are comprised of stills, but they have more variations than the average game so they’re still fun to watch.

The main problem is the fact that the villain’s will constantly say the same things over and over again. Nearly all of the dialogue is recycled footage and it can get a little repetitive. The soundtrack is leagues under the PS3 game and I miss the main character from the game as well. Dan is still solid and he can hold his own game so it’s not a very big loss. The supporting characters don’t really get to do anything in this game so I don’t really have any opinions on them. The animation is really good for the stills, but not so good for the actual gameplay. They look really weird and you may think that we’re back in the GBA era. (Some of those games had better graphics) Still, who needs good animation when the gameplay is so fun right?

The main menu is pretty bare bones and there is really nothing to do after you’ve beaten the game. You can replay the old levels and power up your monsters I suppose. It will certainly be easy enough since the levels go up really fast, but there isn’t much of a point in the long run. I just stuck with a Fire, Fire, Grass combo to take out all of my opponents. It’s a really solid roster to have, especially since the final villain uses dark types.

Overall, I definitely recommend this game. The main drawback is the fact that the game is so short and that’s why I’ve made sure to warn you about this. You will be done with the game in about a day and there may not be much reason to start playing it again. It may be destined to go back in the drawyer for all of eternity, but I still recommend that you buy the game. It may be short, but the gameplay is pretty great and I had a blast. Sometimes a game may be short, but the gameplay can still make it incredible. (Bleach for PS3. Although that one had a lot of other modes to help the length) Let’s not forget that LASERMAN is in the game as well! Also, watch out for the epic, twist ending. Let’s just say that things got real!

Overall 7/10

Best of Sonic The Hedgehog Volume 2 Villains Review

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Sonic has had some very long comic series in the past and things have went up and down during the duration. The art can be pretty incredible at its best and below average to really bad during its worst. This is a compilation collection that brings several Sonic comics that show off the villain. Since we don’t have to worry about direct continuity or consecutive issues, let’s see if they really got the best issues in there!

Two of the comics involve Eggman’s big battle against Snively. I’ve never liked Snively and that is something that I doubt will change anytime soon. He attempts to rescue this magician who is able to control robots, but Eggman has some fighters of his own. Snively uses a really old robot type of guardian while Eggman brings in a really cool robot that can land a really good hit. Instantly we can tell who has the better robot at his disposal. Eggman also has Mecha Sally at his disposal and while Snively and the magician are able to control some of Eggman’s robots, it’s just not enough. The comic was decently good, but I think that Mecha Sally was a little under powered in the battle.

The best comic was easily Metal Sonic’s battle against Shard. Shard is the original Metal Sonic and he’s seen the error of his ways. Unfortunately, Eggman continues to build other Metal Sonics to cause some havok. Shard takes most of them down pretty easily, but then Eggman builds one with a Sol Emerald as its power source. The battle is definitely intense and while Shard knows how to make some pretty good puns, he’s also a very good fighter. Not only did the art help to make the battle fun, but things were much more exciting than the usual comic. This comic also leads into the crossover with Mega Man, which will also make you want to keep reading.

We also got a comic where Jet and the Babylon Rogues decide to go and have an adventure. There’s more of a plot then that, but this was easily the weak link in the comic. Jet isn’t a very exciting character, but he’s all right. His two partners are the main problem since they’re pretty boring. There isn’t really a sense of danger in the issue and you have to wonder about the point of it all. Maybe the plot will get more exciting in future issues.

Ixis Naugus and Bunny take on a giant creature in another comic. Bunny is definitely a lot tougher than I remembered and Ixis is tough as well. The people seem to think that he has turned over a new leaf and are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. It’s sad since Sonic tries to convince them, but to no avail. At this point, you would hope that they would have learned to trust the hedgehog a little more.

This is a collection about the villains, so it’s to be expected that Sonic doesn’t appear that much. The first comic is where most of his screen time is, but he was quickly dispatched by Mecha Sally. Her abilities are definitely formidable and Sonic didn’t seem to stand a chance against her. Sonic always seems to have a backup plan, but rescuing Sally could be very difficult. His friends aren’t much help so he may have to do this on his own.

Overall, this is a very good Sonic collection. There may not be many comics in it and the plot lines can rapidly change from one to the other, but that’s what makes it so fun. The art is consistently good in this one and the characters are mostly enjoyable. Shard, Metal Sonic, and Sonic are definitely the best characters, but Knuckles isn’t bad either. The comic is still mainly a comedy with some action, but that definitely doesn’t hurt the fight scenes. There is some very light romance in the comic, but it’s only there for a few pages at the most, so you can easily ignore it. I would usually say that this is the perfect jumping on point for the series, but it really isn’t. All the more reason that you should check it out! This way you can get used to the villains before seeing the main characters all the time.

Overall 7/10

Smallville Season 11 Volume 1 Review

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It’s time to continue the Superman reviews as I move on to Smallville’s comic tie in! Since this comic continues the the TV show, many people were definitely thrilled about the announcement. I have not seen the show, which shows that I am perfectly qualified to review the comic. I can review it with a clear mind and won’t let the show influence me…although I think the show did drop the ball on some aspects. Of course, I would still be able to review the comic if I had seen the show.

I can safely say that the comic isn’t very confusing for newcomers to the franchise. It’s essentially your average Superman story that takes place during an early point in his career. Lois knows Superman’s secret identity and the world is pretty happy with their hero. Lex Luthor is plotting as per usual and Green Arrow gets his own subplot as well. Let’s focus on Superman for a second.

Superman is basically in character and while he doesn’t seem to be as smart as is usual comic incarnations, he’s smart enough. He lost his temper pretty quickly with Lex, but it’s to be expected since they were friends back in the day. Lex Luthor has gotten amnesia which happened during his clash with his sister. One of them didn’t live through the event and Lex also paid a cost, with his memory. Now his sister’s consciousness is inside of Lex as well, which has caused his brain to grow. Lex is now smarter than ever and just as devious. Superman believes that Lex is still a good guy deep down, but we shall see.

Green Arrow is getting ready to leave town, but he still make time to take care of the occasional villain. I don’t really care for his design in this comic and I actually prefer his new one from the Arrow tv show. The actual character is all right and it’s good to have a hero who is also rich to oppose Lex for once. A spaceship lands and Earth 2 plots start to come in, which means that he may have a much bigger role in future volumes.

There is only one fight in the volume, but it’s a pretty good one. After Lex sabotages a rocket and places someone’s mind inside of a machine. The machine man loses control and attacks Superman. It’s a pretty fun fight and many buildings are broken during the battle. There is never a doubt as to who will win the round, but it’s nice to see an opponent who can land a good shot on Superman.

The one complaint that I’d really have with the comic is the art. Superman in particular just doesn’t look right. It’s not just the fact that he looks really young, but he just looks off model for most of the comic. I believe that the art could definitely improve, but I am used to the amazing art that the New 52 contains. Art can definitely hurt the enjoyment of a comic, but it’s not awful so it won’t destroy the comic.

This comic will have a lot of references to the TV show, but it doesn’t take away from the experience. It just means that fans of the show will get an extra kick out of reading the comic, but it’s nothing that will prove to critically take you out of the issue. I found the Earth 2 plot to be interesting so I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for that. The government was cool with Superman for most of the comic, but thanks to Lex, they have started to trust him less as the comic goes on. I have a feeling that this is not a good sign for Superman and it’s only a matter of time until the Kryptonite gets involved. I recommend giving the comic a shot. Superman is the main character and he’s a character that is nearly always awesome.

Overall 7/10

Showcase Presents Superman Family Volume 4 Review

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Showcase Presents is a series of large comic book collections that DC created. It was a risky move because the fans really enjoy these comics, but we usually read them in color. Having them in black and white seemed like a weird decision. Can this collection succeed anyway, despite the disadvantage? Time to find out!

With over 500 pages at its disposal, you can imagine how many comics and story arcs are in this collection. So, rather than talk about all of the different stories, I will just mention some of them and try to convey how much fun they were. This collection covers the comics that came out during some of Superman’s best years. They aren’t strictly speaking, Superman comics, so much as comics about his friends. Most of the comics that are contained in this one are Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane comics. Still, since they are the main characters, Superman gets plenty of screen time. You would almost think that they were regular Superman comics while reading it.

Jimmy’s comics usually involve something happening to him and then he must find a way to save himself, without Superman’s help! (Or so he hopes) Jimmy got turned into a giant monster, he got stuck in Kandor, and he even got Superman’s powers. The last comic was one of the only ones where Superman actually lost his cool. Without his comics, he probably experienced danger for the first time in years. Maybe the first time ever!

Jimmy is pretty brave for the comics and he usually won’t go down without a fight. Even when he was dared to spend a night at the ghost house, the “ghosts” didn’t scare him. Jimmy actually gave them a pretty good fight and showed that he’s tougher than he looks. He does need to be rescued by Superman many times, but it’s usually because there are very dangerous circumstances. An alien robot duplicate of himself even tried to destroy him!

Lois got her share of comics as well including some imaginary stories. In one of theme, Lois had to stay in a bullet proof bubble for her own protection, but everyone mocked her and she had no fun. She also had a comic where she shocked Clark Kent because she explained how she got her job. She was able to solve three cases without the help of Superman! The only problem was that Superman Did help her, she just didn’t know it at the time and still doesn’t!

In one comic, Lois and Lana both got super powers and they challenged each other to a battle of super feats. Since both of them were invincible, such a battle could last a long time. In one comic, Lana got super powers once again, but this time they were permanent and she had to spend a lot of time saving Superman from average thugs. The story had a pretty sad ending and it makes you feel bad for Superman.

There were also a few time travel stories where Lois went back in time and met famous people. She met Robin Hood who was the Superman of the past! There was also a knight who was the Superman of the further past. They weren’t Clark Kent, but they were “Super” in their own way and they even had secret identities. Lois figured them out pretty quickly, but she is a detective so it makes sense. Unfortunately, these time travel stories were always the worst ones. Part of the reason why I enjoy these comics so much is because of Superman. Superman is the heart of the party and he’s one of the main reasons as to why the comics are so fun. Whether it’s a facial expression or a really clever pun, Superman makes sure that you enjoy the comic. These “Supermen” just aren’t as interesting.

Lois also got amnesia and started hallucinating that she was famous women of the past. While that issue was interesting, a much better one was when Superman went to the past and tried to relive his life and not go to the Daily Planet. As irony would have it, Superman would still meet up with Lois and he had to save her many times anyway. He decided that his life wouldn’t really change and he may as well go back to the Planet, this way he can protect everyone and also have his normal job.

As I mentioned before, the art is solid and Superman’s a great character. One of the reasons why these were some of Superman’s best years is the fact that everyone was a reasonably cool character. They all got their share of good lines and the villains were pretty neat as well. They were actually pretty smart at times and nearly tricked Lois and Superman into eroding the evidence with his X Ray vision. Jimmy and Lois are also pretty cool and this is back in their classic days. Clark Kent is also pretty intelligent and I give him a separate bio from Superman since they act differently while on screen. Both of them are great characters in their own right.

As you can see, there are definitely a lot of stories in this collection. I doubt that I even mentioned half of them! The collection doesn’t really have any fights since it’s more about Superman’s lighthearted adventures with Lois and Jimmy. Still, the art is superb and while I do wish that it were in color, it doesn’t hold the comic back. I highly recommend this comic to all readers and especially those who just want to have a fun read. It really doesn’t get much better than this and you’ll definitely be getting your money’s worth since there are over 500 pages.

Overall 7/10

Action Comics Volume 2 Bulletproof Review

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Action Comics had a pretty strong start in the first volume, but will the comic stay epic? Well, this one is definitely a lot more confusing and it isn’t meant as a casual read.

The stories aren’t very linear in this comic and we keep jumping from the present to the future and to the past. That would definitely be my main problem with the comic since I don’t think this plot needed to be so complicated. Since the plot points are jumping around the whole time, I’ll mention the main ones, but they may not be in complete order.

The big plot for the comic and definitely the most interesting part was the arrival of Captain Comet! To be honest, I didn’t even know that this guy was the New 52 version of Captain Comet, but it’s a pretty cool move on the writer’s part. He has a pretty cool design and his fight with Superman is a nice way to get the ball rolling. You will have to suspend your disbelief for a while since we all know that Superman is vastly superior to Captain Comet, but it’s all right.

Captain Comet is mumbling about how Earth is on the planetary death list. It was mentioned in volume 1 as well and Superman has done some thinking on the problem. It would seem that Earth is one of many planets that is doomed. Captain Comet is essentially a mutant and aliens helped him to elevate his powers. Lois Lane happens to be related to someone who also has latent potential inside of her. Superman defends her and Captain Comet is forced to make a hasty retreat. Still, I doubt that we’ve seen the last of him!

The K-Man also attacks and he deals some pretty heavy damage to Superman. Since he emits Kryptonite energy from his body, his attacks do some real damage to Superman. Steel comes in to help and Superman puts on a lead suit so that he can block the Kryptonite. K-Man puts up a pretty decent fight, but few people are able to take Superman down for the count. This plot was pretty short and only lasted for a comic or two, but the fight was decently long.

On a side note, Clark Kent died in the comic. Without a secret identity, maybe Superman will have more time to do good in the world. It seems to work for a while, but he can’t be Superman 24/7 can he? There are a lot of risks involved when you get rid of your secret identity, but I believe that Superman made the right choice. (Despite what Batman ends up saying) The other Justice League members appear as well, but they don’t look so good.

It brings up the old argument that I may have already stated in other reviews, but I shall do so again. Superman proposes that they end a dispute in this far away country and help the people. After all, dictators should be stopped right? Diplomatic Immunity shouldn’t work against superheroes. The Justice League tells Superman that he should forget about it and they’ll just stick to fighting aliens. When did the Justice League start acting like the Avengers? I’ll never agree with them on that point. If there is an evil dictator enslaving the people, then it’s their job to stop it. They shouldn’t care about what the government may think.

There is also a subplot that pops up once in a while. On another Earth, there is a Superman who also happens to be the President of the USA. This Superman isn’t afraid to mess with politics and he gets rid of the opposing nukes. He also has pals in the Justice League and they seem to be reasonable. Things get dicey for Superman when a portal opens and Lois comes through. The Superman of her world was just murdered and the guy who did it is still following her. Moments later, Superdoom appears!

I’ll say that this plot was extremely epic and there’s a lot that they can do with this. Superdoom is essentially a “Doomsday” opponent. He learns and adapts as he fights and he’s already destroyed many Supermen. His abilities are not to be underestimated and he actually gains the upper hand against this Superman. There are two things that you need to consider with this plot point.

Will Superdoom escape his imprisonment and go to the New 52 Earth? If so, that could pave the way for a really interesting arc. Assuming that he’s adapted and gotten even stronger, will the Justice League be a match for him? Either way, the battle would definitely be a lot of fun and I can’t wait until he returns.

As for the Superman president, what will happen to him? I doubt that he was introduced and will never appear again. I’m thinking that they may pull an Injustice League or Justice Lords type of scenario. We did just get the Crime Syndicate in Forever Evil, which may lower the chances of that. Still, the President definitely needs to return and his Justice League as pretty cool.

No matter what happens, I have really high hopes for the series. This volume of comics was pretty solid and continues the high quality of the series. Superman is my favorite comic book character and I’m glad that they’re doing him justice in the comic. (It makes up for the fact that Lex doesn’t get as much screentime in this comic) After all, we saw his battle against the Hunter right? I did not mention it since it’s a minor subplot, but this guy wants to destroy Superman..and he’s got a shotgun! This guy is definitely ambitious, but I somehow don’t think that a gun will be enough to stop a bulletproof man. Then again…this guy claims that Superman isn’t bulletproof so…….this guy’s obviously an intellectual! I highly recommend checking out this comic and while parts of it can be confusing if you speed through the comic, just take the time to read them carefully and you’ll be all right.

Overall 7/10

Action Comics Volume 1 Superman and The Men of Steel Review

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The New 52 was definitely a new era for comics! Superman is back to his starting point and we can get reintroduced to the character. While we will always miss the old continuity, it will be fun to see a lot of things happen again. This comic doesn’t put too much emphasis on Superman’s origin and we are thrown right into the action.

The first pages will definitely show that this is a different Superman. This Superman is using fear to get the mobs talking and he isn’t afraid of making threats. Some people are afraid of him and others regard him as a hero. (There are also some ingrates who get saved, but are still upset at him) Clark Kent actually works for the Star and not the Planet this time. He’s friends with Jimmy, but Lois seems to think that he’s sabotaging them. Clark even tried to discourage them from getting on the train!

Clark’s landlady is pretty accepting about the whole thing and since Clark pays the bills, she doesn’t mind that he’s so mysterious. The cops pay a visit, but Kent takes the whole thing in stride. He’s definitely a lot more outspoken in this version and he’s not afraid to stand up to the bullies of Metropolis. He wears regular jeans and a shirt for the most part, but things get real once he puts on the suit.

The first volume mostly deals with the military and average danger situations, but Brainiac is the villain for part of the comic. The villains weren’t really interesting and didn’t feel like a threat for Superman, but I’m glad that they added some sort of action for the comic. The battles may not be long, but the art makes them fun. The art in this graphic novel is excellent and I’d expect no less from a modern DC comic. They have been doing excellent work on the art lately and that doesn’t seem to be changing.

There are also some backup stories at the end that feature various characters. The best one was definitely about Steel. We get to see his entire fight against General Lane and it’s pretty good. There is also a story about Clark’s friend, which was fun. It reminds you why Clark Kent is a good guy.

I should mention that while most of the trade paperback in linear, there is one comic that breaks the pattern. We are thrown into the future where Superman is finally…SuperMAN. He’s a lot stronger and like the Kryptonian that we are used to seeing. We are introduced to the K-Men who play a bigger role in the next trade paperback. It’s definitely an interesting plot line and I’m looking forward to its conclusion, I just hope that they don’t continue to complicate the timeline and create a paradox or something. I didn’t care for the Legionnaires, but they’ll probably get better.

There are some iffy moments involving Superman’s durability. The train ends up knocking him out and I didn’t really buy that. Unless the train is made out of kryptonite, Superman’s not going to be knocked out by it. Also, the government captures Superman at one point and zap him with all kinds of weapons, but I believe that Superman’s durability would nullify most of them. At least enough so that he could escape when he felt like it.

The characters are very engaging as well. Lex Luthor is in character and his lines are fitting. Lois and Jimmy don’t appear much, but they’re pretty good so far. I like the landlady and Superman is great as always. This comic is pretty much the opposite of the norm since I like just about everyone. (I just don’t like the government) I’m hoping that the characters can stay this enjoyable as more volumes come out.

While, I may not have agreed with some of the Superman moments, they didn’t wreck the experience. The comic has a good amount of length considering the usual size for a trade. I highly recommend this comic and it’s a great way to enter the DC world. With great art, epic characters, good plot, and lots of action to come, why not start it!?

Overall 7/10