Godzilla vs Beerus

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Godzilla - Mar 2014
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All right, it’s time for two titans of power to confront each other! Godzilla is easily one of the strongest Kaiju of all time and his Atomic Breath can incinerate just about any opponent who makes the mistake of getting his way. Unfortunately, his attacks will have a tough time reaching Bills due to the god’s immense speed. Bills was able to keep up with Goku and that’s no small feat. He can stay in the air from afar and spam his energy blasts to victory. Godzilla is very durable, but not even he can endure blasts that can destroy stars in a single blow. Bills wins.

Transformers Robots in Disguise Review

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Transformers threw in a comic for Free Comic Book day, which is pretty neat since the new TV show airs on Saturdays as well. While it may be less plot oriented than some of the other shows, G1 was like that for a while and look at how much fun it is. Robots in Disguise isn’t ready to take on Prime just yet, but it’s been a very fun show and I don’t see that changing. This comic is really similar in that regard.

A Decepticon bird has appeared in the area and he is trying to get back to Cybertron. The Autobots must now get him away from the amusement park before the humans begin to suspect that something it up. Can Bumblebee and his team defeat this foe in time? The comic really came at a good time since the episode in the TV show today featured a Decepticon bird. Coincidence? I think not!

There are a lot of villains who escaped in episode 1 so it makes sense that some of them should also be captured in the comics unless we’re actually going to have over 100 episodes of just catching Decepticons. Some of them will be off screen so putting them in the comics is a safe bet. The story is fun to read from start to finish and it is one of the main reasons why I liked the comic. Remember what I was saying about Jurassic Strike Force 5 in my earlier review?

Transformers is using the same techniques as that series, but they are doing a better job of it. For starters, the characters are more likable and that’s already a big win in my book. It’s like Sonic Boom or the Sonic Comics. There are action scenes, but the dialogue also flows really well and this results in a complete comic. The Robots in Disguise comic series seems to be off to a very good start and I will definitely be on the lookout for trade paperbacks once the Library orders them.

This comic also did something that most of the issues on Free Comic Book Day did not do. It had a cliffhanger of epic proportions. Let’s just say that the characters of the Prime series are not pleased with Bumblebee’s exploits and now they are going to take matters into their own hands. Unfortunately for Bumblebee, I have to say that his team really has no chance here. Arcee outranks Strong Arm and Grimlock can’t match up to Bulkhead. The only chance for Bumblebee will be to see if he can team up with Sideswipe to beat Ultra Magnus. It will be a stretch though and this could end very badly for the new team.

I can’t even blame the Prime counterparts as the main team is cutting is really close lately. They’re flirting with danger in just about every comic/episode and the humans only haven’t figured anything out because they don’t seem to be as smart as the average joe. With the stakes climbing up and the plot starting, the series has nowhere to go, but up!

As for the art, it is standard TV show cash in stuff. The faces can look pretty off model at times and particularly the characters’ mouths. You should see Strongarm try to do a scowl! On the bright side, the action scenes can still look good and I did like the art on the final page. It’s just going to be constantly uneven and changing so it’s nowhere near the level of art that Marvel and DC possess. Hopefully, experience will help it along as the series goes on.

Overall, Robots in Disguise is really starting to make a name for itself. On the Transformers totem pole, I think that it is safe to say that it beats Beast Wars, Animated and Rescue Bots while losing to G1 and Prime. I don’t really see it passing those two for quite a while if ever, but it just goes to show how good Robots in Disguise can be. The art was not the best, but at least it is rather streamlined and you can chuckle at some of the face expressions. IDW’s next comic is going to have a tough time beating it.

Overall 7/10

Captain Canuck #0 Review

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Now, it is time to check out an independent superhero. He is not from Marvel or DC, which should make things interesting. It means that there will naturally be some similarities to established heroes, but it is almost literally impossible for that not to happen nowadays. I applaud the fact that we still get new superheroes and he isn’t even new as the character had an unpopular comic series decades ago. It simply wasn’t remembered, but this new series should change that as it is off to a good start.

The first story is only a handful of pages and nothing gets to happen, but we see Captain Canuck jump out of a plane just like Captain America did in The Avengers. The Captain seems to be an excellent character as he is no nonsense and he gets the job done. You really can’t ask for a better superhero and this is someone that we can all look up too. Of course, we haven’t had a chance to see how he deals with tricky situations, but I’m confident that he will be able to hold his own. His uniform is similar to the Alpha Flight’s standard gear and then you can throw a little Robocop into that design. It works quite well and does a good job of making Captain Canuck look intimidating.

I wasn’t crazy about the second half of the comic, but that’s because it is all about Canuck’s backstory. We get a recap of the adventures that he’s had up til now and they sound a little repetitive. This was probably unintentional, but he became a hero and then seemingly died in an explosion with the villains. It turns out that he actually escaped to the past and helped primitive humans live back during the early days of humanity. After that, he made it back to the present in time to save his planet from aliens…only to seemingly die in an explosion again. No worries, he was just flung….to the past….again. This time, he helped people while becoming a legendary hero and that’s where the backstory ends. Is it just me or did they just use the same plot twice in a row? It’s an original twist I suppose.

The art for both halves of the comic is good. I loved the art in the first half and it was the highlight of the issue for me. It reminded me of X Sanction, which I still consider to be one of the best drawn comics of all time. The second half goes for a retro feel, which works for me as well. Who doesn’t like to revisit the good ole days of comics right? The art styles certainly contrast one another, but that makes them all the more enjoyable.

The main villain seems to be a little shallow, but he doesn’t get to appear so I can only judge him from his character bio. Since the actual story was only 2-3 pages aside from the recap, we didn’t get to truly see what the characters are like. So, while the comic seems like it should be very good and a lot of fun, I would approach the trade with caution. You should always be wary when the free comic tries to hide the actual comic from you. Still, from what I saw, Captain Canuck looks like a keeper.

Overall, Marvel and DC may have found a new competitor to fight again! Captain Canuck may not be very powerful, but he can still have some fun issues as he gains battle experience and learns to fight alongside his comrades. Canada certainly needs more heroes as the United States (Particularly New York) has all of the best ones at the moment. If this guy gets really popular, that would certainly be a good thing for them. Time to read some more of the free comics that I got and then I’ll get back to reviewing. 4 down and 15 to go!

Overall 7/10

Jurassic Strike Force 5 Review

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The dinosaurs are back and now they’re agents? The cover certainly looked very intense and you may get ready for some big brawls upon seeing it. Well, you should be aware of the fact that the cover is rather misleading. This seems to be more of a comedy than a serious action so the main characters never look that grim. Of course, this approach can still work if handled right.

The plot seems to be that two dinosaurs have become cops and they must take down all of the villains who interfere. There may have been some exposition, but we haven’t really learned about why things are the way that they are. If the comic is as bold as Sonic The Hedgehog, then they won’t need to worry about this. If not, they’ll likely give us some kind of origin story later on. Regardless, we don’t need backstory so long as we have an engaging plot.

The villain appears to be a parody of Cobra Commander and the other big villains from the 80’s. He seems decent so far, but I’ll have to see more of him to determine whether he has the stuffing necessary to take the win here. The main dinosaurs aren’t great so far, but we are fairly early into the series. They are decently tough and do manage to save the day, but they don’t strike you as heroes who are very prepared to fight and I have a feeling that the first big villain will be able to crush them with ease.

The art is certainly very good and it is one of the main reasons why the issue is fun. This kind of series certainly needs good art as it makes the fight scenes more fun even if they aren’t played very seriously. This issue does a decently good job of making your interested in reading the series. I certainly wouldn’t be opposed to picking up a trade if I ever saw it in the library. Like I said, it is early so I’m not sure if the actual series will be good, but I have some hopes for it.

I think that the blend of comedy and action could work for this series like it does for Sonic and Mega Man. The critical part is just making sure that the characters are likable as no series can stand up without that. I don’t really care for the two dinosaurs yet. They aren’t bad, but they just aren’t good either. I’d say that calling them generic at the moment is fair enough.

Overall, Jurassic Strike Force 5 seems like it has the potential to be a really fun comic. We’ll really just have to see where it goes and I don’t picture it being a really long running series either so they will need to introduce the rest of the cast quickly. Who is the leader of the Strike Force and why are dinosaurs needed? These questions and more should be answered, but in an interesting way and not necessarily through flashbacks. Flashbacks can be good, but they must be handled very delicately or they will destroy the pacing of the comic. On the bright side, their taste in food is quite good.

Overall 7/10

Secret Wars #0 Review

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All right, now it is time to look at Marvel’s big title! To try and compete with DC’s big event, Marvel has brought back the Secret Wars. It is rather uncanny as I don’t believe that the Big 2 has ever synchronized their reboots/”reboots” like this before. It is fun and they say that competition brings out the best in us so this will help Marvel to really bring their A game. From what I’ve seen of it, Secret Wars is going to be incredible so they aren’t holding back.

There is only one main story here and we see it from the perspective of the Future Foundation. If you’ve been following the New Avengers series, then you’ll remember that multiple Earths continue to crash into each other. Our universe has blown up one of the (uninhabited) Earths that was heading our way, but these measures are temporary at best. The heroes now know that they cannot save the universe so the geniuses have constructed an arc with multiversal shielding. The multiverse may die, but they won’t!

The only problem is that it can only fit 60 people so almost everyone in this continuity is going to die. Plus, the Earth that is about to crash is that of the Ultimate Universe. They’re not going to just roll over and die so the big 616 vs Ultimate battle has begun and we must now choose sides. This comic doesn’t bring it up, but there is also a cosmic being that is going to make things a little more complicated. Do you remember how the original Secret Wars was essentially a big battle of good vs evil? Well, the new one has the heroes on a humongous planet. Every planet that has ever existed in a continuity will now be on that planet and the winning group is allowed to live. So, do you remember Super Hero Squad, The Marvel Cinematic Universe, the CGI Spider Man show, etc? Each of them is a different continuity and they will all be fighting for their right to survive.

It is rather ambitious and the only problem with this is that there is no way that the series will be able to show off even a fraction of the fights. Most of it will be left to your imagination, which is always sad, but the fights that we do get should be really cool. I have high hopes for this series and the comic was definitely a lot of fun. The hype is building and we shall see which is the strongest continuity. The art was good for the issue, but not great. I assume that it will likely step up its game once we enter the actual battles.

There’s also a backup story here, which features the mini comic about the Marvel Universe vs Attack on Titan. It is a pretty fun story and I actually found the art to be decent/actually good at some points. It only messes up with the titans as their faces look really off, but that may have actually been intentional. Spider Man gets his props as he handles the Titans with ease and this was a good example of what would happen if the Titans invaded the Marvel Earth. They would be obliterated in minutes. They don’t have the strength needed to fight off The Avengers.

Overall, I am ready for the Secret Wars! I read the original one not too long ago and I do think that it earned its right to be the best Marvel event. It was a lot of fun and this new version has a lot to live up too. Nevertheless, I believe that it shall rise to the occasion and Marvel always delivers when the chips are down. Now that I’ve reviewed the big Marvel and DC titles, get ready for a few one shots before I check back in with the two companies. After all, we’ve got to give everyone a chance right!?

Overall 8/10

Divergence Review

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All right, it’s time to look at the comics from Free Comic Book Day! I got a solid batch of 19. 15 courtesy of Midtown Comics and then an extra four over at the New York Public Library. Typically, I read the comics from worst to best, but I reversed the lineup a little this year. What better way to start than by reading about what’s to come over in DC right? I doubt that anything will beat this issue, but we shall see.

There are three stories in this comic. The first one shows us what the new Batman series will be like as Commissioner Gordon takes over the role of Batman. There are heavy spoilers for Batman #40 so I hope that you read it. I’m not sure about the new incarnation of Gordon as he looks nothing like the Commissioner that I have grown used too. He seems tougher, which could be a good thing, but I trust him less than the older version. I don’t believe that the series will be able to hold its own without Batman for long, but it should be a decent series. Probably not my style though so I can’t guarantee that it will be a good title.

The second story is about the upcoming Superman series and I can already tell you that it is worlds beyond the Batman one. Superman’s identity has been leaked by Lois Lane and he is now on the run. His life has turned upside down as a result and the series will be about him coping with this until the inevitable moment where everyone forgets who he is. I’m hoping that they actually let people know for a few years or more like Iron Man so we can see how Superman would handle this. It would be a nice angle so long as people don’t go after Pa and Ma Kent. (If they are alive in this version) The story seems like it could be quite good even if Clark is slightly overreacting when it comes to hiding. If he truly needs to hide, I’m sure Batman could whip up some kind of disguise.

Finally, we have a Justice League comic. Technically, not a whole lot happens as it is all about foreshadowing, but it still has an aura of intensity that put it above the Batman story for me. The preview of Darkseid taking on the Anti Monitor looked very epic and you can tell that the stakes are going to be high. Batman is going to become a god once more and even Superman may need some backup this time. I’m certainly hyped to see how this all plays out and this could be the adventure of a lifetime for DC fans!

The art for the three series varied as the artists changed, but they all looked good. Justice League naturally looked the best and I’d put Superman in second, but they all use different styles that work for their respective series. The writing appears to be on the level and DC really gave us a great free comic book to celebrate the event. Talk about not pulling their punches!

Overall, This is how a free comic book should be. It had 3 different stories and set up some major plot points for what is to come. These were really previews, but they were enough to get you interested in buying the actual comics. There was really nothing bad to say about them and I look forward to seeing the Superman story in particular as this is a plot that should be very enjoyable to read. (I do think that Superman’s design is a little off though) Justice League will have the ultimate fights that I’m looking for and Batman has…Batman! Nuff said.

Overall 9/10

Gemini Spark vs Zero exe

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Zero is back and now he’s up against one of the strongest villains in the Star Force series! I’m afraid that this seriously cannot end well for the navi as Gemini Spark easily outranks him in speed. In a sword fight, Zero could potentially hold his own for a little while, but the difference in speed will just prove to be too much for him. Zero has lost two matches in a row so now may be the best time to panic! Gemini Spark wins.

Megaman X vs Zero EXE

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MegamanX
I was never very impressed with Zero EXE’s abilities. In the anime, he is one of the stronger opponents so maybe that phrase came out wrong. The problem is that he never appeared in the manga, which severely hurts him and Beast+ didn’t have enough of a budget to give him any really good feats. Megaman X should be able to tire him out and win the fight with a distance due to his great array of attacks at the ready. He has bounced back from his previous loss! Megaman X wins.

Red vs Megaman X

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Megaman X is an immensely powerful individual and this is sure to be a tough fight. I have little doubt that Megaman X would be able to give Red an immense battle, but he doesn’t have the speed feats needed to keep Red at bay. Red’s Mewtwo can deal some major damage and that will buy Pikachu and the others enough time to shut Megaman X down. If only the author of Gigamix had done a sequel series for the maverick hunter. Red wins.

Megaman SF vs Gutsman

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Megaman SF has speed and power that would make the toughest of fighters mad with jealousy. While he is not quite as powerful as Megaman EXE, he outranks the other versions and that is no small feat considering how powerful Mega Man is. Gutsman would not be able to keep up with Megaman SF at all and he would be soundly defeated. His Guts Hammer would shatter in this fight. Megaman SF wins.