DC New 52: One Year Later (Part 4)

So this entry is actually about some of the Marvel Comics I bought during my return to my local comic book store. Shhhh! Don’t tell anyone:-/

Captain Marvel: The covers are pretty and I was intrigued by a female assuming the mantle of Captain Marvel. Two issues in and I support the art and writing (done by a female as well), but I don’t know if I support it enough to keep buying the title.

Gambit: I bought mostly because of interest in the character of Gambit from the 90s animated X-Men series. It was charming and a bit lite. I don’t think I’ll be buying the second issue.

Hawkeye: The cover art and the reviews drew me in, plus I’m a sucker for an archer. There is definitely substance to this title and I find myself still interested at the end of the second issue. We’ll see.

Ultimate Comics Spider-Man: Spoiler. Peter Parker is dead and there is a new Spidey in town by the name of Miles Morales. He is an African American child who is incredibly compelling. Brian Michael Bendis is a master and this title is no exception. I have purchased the first two volumes of the new Spider-man and love them dearly.

Spider-Men: Bendis does the unthinkable and has Peter Parker and Miles Morales meet up in a special mini-series where universes collide. It is masterfully written and incredibly emotional. Well done!

Uncanny X-Force: Okay. Okay. Rick Remender is AMAZING! This team spins out of the X-Men Messiah Trilogy and is one of the darkest and well written titles going today! ABSOLUTELY AMAZING!!! I heard about when reviews for the Dark Angel Saga were filling the Interwebs and then decided to give it a try. I read the volumes a bit out of order, but it didn’t matter…I was hooked! I have since caught up and starting buying the single issues because I simply can not wait! AMAZING! One of my MUST reads every month!

Winter Soldier: For some reason, I have a passing interest in Bucky Barnes. I tried this because its Brubaker and espionage, but two issues in and it isn’t hitting the right buttons for me, so I’ve stopped.

Future Marvel Ventures: I am going to have to work my way through Schism and Avengers Vs. X-men at some point. But I will probably wait for the trades and when I can order them for the library:-)

DC New 52: One Year Later (Part Three)

He-Man Masters of the Universe: Call me nostalgic, but when I heard that DC was rebooted my beloved 80s classic He-Man, my heart fluttered. I bought the first issue and I wasn’t completely disappointed. The writing was well done, but the art left a bit too be desired for me. For those interested, the cartoon actually holds up REALLY well! I will probably buy the second issue even though I’m not completely sold on this yet!

Justice League: Sweet Baby Jesus! I freaking loved this even though I completely didn’t expect too! I’ve never been a JL fan and I didn’t expect to become one, but Geoff Johns and Jim Lee have enough talent to pull me over to the dark side. While the entire run has been a little bit uneven, overall this is a fantastic effort leading to wonderful and heartracing things including “The Trinity War” and the creation of the Justice League of America. CAN. NOT. WAIT.

Legion Lost: I bought this in conjunction with The Culling cross-over event. Wasn’t terrible, but didn’t gra me either. Sadly, neither did The Culling.

National Comics: Kid Eternity: This one shot was written by Jeff Lemire and it was AMAZING! Sadly, this was the only Kid Eternity story. If however, DC wanted to reboot Kid Eternity with Jeff Lemire at the helm, I would definitely be there!

Nightwing: I gave this a shot initially and just felt like Kyle Higgins completely missed the boat on writing in Dick’s voice. Then the Night of Owls came along and I was definitely intrigued at what was happening with the character. I gave the title a couple more shots but ultimately was left underwhelmed.

Phantom Stranger: I’ve only read the Zero issue at this point, but this character is being rebooted via the Trinity of Sin storyline coming out of Justice League. I don’t know much about Phantom Stranger or the other ghoulish character that appears in this comic, but color me intrigued. The writing was a bit noir-ish but it could have been more so in my opinion. Also, the art was not quite there yet. Hopefully, once the series gets underway they will find their rhythm. This will be a Third Wave title that I will definitely give another shot.

Punk Rock Jesus: Everyone was RAVING about this so I bought it and the first issue was very VERY good! The story is a bit hard to follow and definitely calls for a re-read. I’ve been sitting on the second issue because I haven’t really been motivated to read it. No good reason.

Ravagers: Bought this as part of The Culling. Underwhelmed. Did not continue.

Red Hood and the Outlaws: One thing you need to know about me is that I FREAKING LOVE JASON TODD!!! However, this was one of those titles that came under scrutiny for the hypersexualization of its female lead, Starfire. I promptly ignored it because I didn’t think I’d like Jason Todd written by anyone other than Judd Winick or Grant Morrison. Boy, was I wrong. I picked up the tie-in issues for Night of Owls and was instantly hooked! I loved EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS! The art! The writing! EVERYTHING!!! I immediately went back and bought every single issue! This is one of the most amazing things to come out of the New 52! Scott Lodbell is a wonderfully creative mind who writes teams impeccably well!

Superboy: Another Scott Lodbell title. I read the first issue borrowed from a friend and found it interesting but not my bag. I don’t like Supes or his “offspring”. Eventually, Superboy is brought into The Culling so I read it again and although I enjoyed it more this time. I feel no need to really follow his title. I do appreciate the character though, and enjoy reading about him in Teen Titans:-)

Swamp Thing: Scott Snyder is amazing as usual and this is very much what a Swamp Thing fan wants. However, I’ve never been a big Swamp fan and like Animal Man, I feel this may work better in text than in graphic form. I read the first couple issues and the Zero and enjoyed them very much. As I said earlier, I may go back and read once the Rotworld event is published but for now, I support all of Scotty Snyder’s Bat-ventures.

Teen Titans: After falling for Scott Lobdell in Red Hood and reading about all the shit that was going down in The Culling, I decided to give Teen Titans a try since I missed Tim Drake. Thank god I did! This. Is. AMAZING!!! Scott Lobdell can write teams like it ain’t nobody’s business. The art is beautiful. The writing is fantastically hilarious and wonderful! Just bought the volume! Can’t wait for the Zero!

Wonder Woman: Ah, Wonder Woman. No one quite knows what to do with you despite being one of DC’s Trinity. Well, Brian Azzarello has a pretty good idea! I read the first couple issues of Wonder Woman and enjoyed it very much. Not enough to keep going, but enough. Eventually in a moment of stress induced weakness, I bought the volume and enjoyed it very much. I also wanted to support arguably the most visible female character in comics. There is nothing not to love about this run. The writing is clever and the art is wonderfully specific. I just…I don’t know…can’t get obsessed with it.

Titles That I Couldn’t Even Bear To Own And Sold To Half-Price Books:

Green Arrow: Incredibly disappointing! Like a very bad CW show!

DC Universe Presents: Not terrible, but didn’t really go anywhere. I loved Deadman in Brightest Day, but not here.

The Fury of Firestorm: Loved him growing up. I even bought a few issues out of desperation, but sadly my faith was not to be rewarded.

The Savage Hawkman: Again, should have been awesome, but something was missing.

In retrospect, I bought a lot of these titles probably because of Blackest Night/Brightest Day and sadly, none of them came close to meeting my expectations:-(

DC The New 52: One Year Later (Part Two)

Batwing: A popular character to emerge from the Batman Inc. storyline is the African Batman assuming the mantle of Batwing. The character is compelling and written by Judd Winnick, at least until this month as the Zero issue is his last. I never quite got into the character although I do support an African superhero whose adventures mostly occur out of the US. I may go back and read the first volume at some point. The Zero issue was well written and I can definitely see who Batwing is a worthy member of Batman Inc. I also enjoyed the Night of Owls tie-in.

Batwoman: A relatively new character in Kate Kane (2nd incarnation) that started Pre-52 during Batman’s assumed death when she took over the mantle in his absence. A Jewish lesbian, Batwoman certainly did much to diversify comics and not in a way that felt contrived. The writing is fantastic and the artwork is intoxicating. Almost too gorgeous to be confined to a comic book! I read through the first volumes worth of single issues, but then gave up as the comic lost a bit of steam. I would highly recommend the title though!

Before Watchmen: Minutemen: DC did the unthinkable and launched a series of prequel comics for Alan Moore’s Watchmen. I’ve never been a Watchmen fanatic so this was no as offensive to me, or interesting really. I did however pick up this issue to support Darwyn Cooke whose amazing work on Catwoman I am eternally grateful for. This was fine. Lovely to look at and read. After one issue, I was done.

Birds of Prey: Bought this as a tie in for Night of Owls. Better than I thought it would be but still not strong enough to support.

Catwoman: Judd Winick whom I normally love helms this reboot of Catwoman which was a bit too sexualized for my liking. I was so enraged at first that I didn’t even buy the first issue. Eventually, I broke down and bought the tie-in to Night of Owls, which I enjoyed more than I thought I would. However, this series ultimately could not hold a candle to Brubaker’s run on a Catwoman where she was treated like a lady.

Earth 2: I did not see this one coming at all. Part of the Second Wave, I picked up Earth 2 because there wasn’t much to buy that week and I was feeling low. Boy howdy, am I glad I did because this series is AMAZING!!!  It features a pretty high profile gay character as well as some AMAZING writing and INCREDIBLE artwork! One of the most exciting titles going and the Zero issue was stunning!

Fairest: Not part of the New 52 really, but I did buy the first issue of this spin off series from Bill Willingham’s Fables. Now those have been hit or miss with none of the titles really measuring up to Fables. However, this was written by Willingham himself and it was a wonderful concept. The artwork was lush and the writing was clever. I knew I would be buying the first volume when it comes out, so I stopped buying the single issues. The best spin-off of Fables yet.

Flash: Right before the new 52 started, I read Flashpoint and basically everything involving the return of Barry Allen. I quickly became enamored with Barry Allen and definitely planned on picking this title up. Frances Manapul and Brian Buccellato work more collaboratively than most on this title as they share art and writing responsibilities.  It works because this series is breathtaking. It also helps that The Flash is more than a little like The Doctor:-) The art is breathtaking and the sci-fi elements of this comic are inventive and accessible. LOVE THIS! Bought the volume! One of my favorites!

Green Lantern: I just bought the zero issue of this because it featured an Arab American Muslim Green Lantern as main character. It was written by Geoff Johns and it was amazing. So much so that I briefly considered getting into Green Lantern, which I never thought I would do.

To Be Continued…

DC The New 52: One Year Later (Part One)

One year ago in September of 2011, life at work got a bit stressful and as a coping mechanism I turned to things that gave me joy in my childhood, video games and comic books. While I never really abandoned video games (I just found I had less time for them), it has been many years since I frequented a comic book store to be single issue comics. I of course read graphic novels off and on, but never with great frequency. Earlier in the year, I got back into Batman in a pretty fantastic way and so that probably was the initial spark that paved the way for my return to comics.

As it turned out, DC (my comic publisher of choice) was planning an unprecedented event where they essentially selected 52 titles to start at #1. Don’t call it a reboot (even thought that was basically what it was). The thought process was that comics had become so bogged down in continuity no one could just jump in wherever they wanted and for the most part, I believe that was true. So the release of the #1s coincided with my very stressful trials at work and frankly I was left with no other choice but to join in the wonder and awe that was DC’s New 52.

In my youth, my comic book store of choice was Mavericks, however, the store I frequented had long since changed and become something else entirely. However, I decided to see if there was a Mavericks close by and much to my delight, there was…approximately 30 minutes away. So without further ado I traveled to a new Mavericks that was just like my old Mavericks. It looked and felt like some really cool guy’s basement where you could look through boxes or shelves hoping to find hidden treasures or get the new comics that came out that week. Pretty soon, I had a comic book guy, Leo, and a list started where he saved titles for me if I couldn’t make it in a given week. Since then I’ve alternated going every week to once a month and now I’m going twice a month, but I still have my steadfast comic book guy Leo and just recently I gave him a printed list for everything I wanted for DC’s Zero Month, an anniversary celebration of the launch of the New 52. So since we are all celebrating, I thought I would write up a retrospective of the titles I’ve loved and lost over the past year. (Editor’s Note: In order to write this entry, I’ve laid out all of my comics on the floor (in protective covers of course) in a alphabetical piles. In other words, I’m awesome.)

Action Comics: I have never been a huge Superman fan, but I am giant Grant Morrison fan so I was intrigued. One issue in and I knew I was going to have to buy the second issue despite my best intentions. However, after two issues I stopped because at the end of the day…I don’t like Supes. I did buy the Zero Issue however and found it to be rather enjoyable as a one shot.

All Star Western: Jonah Hex fans were stoked about this! I had zero interest until I found out that an issue was going to tie-in to the Batman: Night of Owls event. I purchased this and honestly was not impressed. I don’t regret my decision not to get involved. Didn’t care for the writing or art:-(

Animal Man: Helmed by Jeff Lemire, Animal Man got off to a tremendous start. The artwork was unique and appropriately nightmarish. The story line was immediately engaging and I went as far as the second issue. I kind of feel like this story may work better in text form because the artwork (though amazing) never quite seems to do the story justice. It might be more effectively told relying on imagination. That being said, I did buy the Zero issue and found it very engaging as we head towards a major Swamp Thing/Animal Man event that I may or may not read.

Aquaman: This was the big surprise of the bunch. No one expected Geoff Johns to make Aquaman, the hero that speaks to fish, a complete and total bad-ass but he did. Definitely one of my favorite titles of the New 52. After buying all the single issues, I even bought volume one essentially paying for everything again. It is beautifully illustrated and masterfully written. The series has had a few less than amazing spots, but overall…well done Geoff Johns!

Batgirl: This title was somewhat controversial because Barbara Gordon assumed the mantle of Batgirl once more as she underwent a miraculous recovery that got her out of her wheelchair where she had been after being shot in the spine by Joker in The Killing Joke. Lots of people were upset because as Oracle, Babs was an amazing character that represented so many people confined to wheelchairs. Her miraculous recovery not only homogenized comics a bit more but it also got rid of a beloved character in Stephanie Brown. Despite the controversy I gave it a shot because it was a female lead comic written by a female. I enjoyed it for the most part, but then puttered out eventually after four issues. I did read the Night of Owls tie-in and will pick up the Zero issue, but this wasn’t as amazing as I wanted it to be.

Batman: Hands down my favorite title of the New 52! The Scott Snyder helmed reboot of Batman is going to be legendary. I can’t say enough good things about this title! Greg Capullo’s artwork is brilliant and stunning! The writing endlessly creative and solid. Scott Snyder rose to superstar status because of this title and I couldn’t be happier for him or Batman or me. Batman has always been my favorite superhero and thankfully, The New 52 has done wonders for him. I of course bought the volume when it came out and will continue to support this title as long as Scott Snyder is on it! AMAZING!!!

Batman and Robin: Under Grant Morrison, Batman and Robin was an amazing title that I read only after it was released in volumes. I was excited for both the title and the author when it was announced in the New 52. Talk about frustrating. It was good enough that I kept getting tricked into buying it, but it never EVER lived up to my expectations. I own at least a volume’s worth of issues and I am not happy about it. Peter J Tomasi proved himself a genius when he wrote a three issue arc in Batman and Robin (Pre 52) but that same magic isn’t here. This is probably the biggest disappointment of the New 52 for me.

Batman: The Dark Knight: Make no mistake…this was terrible at the beginning. Like didn’t pick it up after the first issue terrible. So bad. Then of course Night of Owls came along and I picked it up but it was still terrible (mostly because of the false advertising that Tim Drake would somehow be featured in the story. Then Greg Hurwittz took over creative control around issue #10 and things took a turn for the better. While people are kind of over the moon about this, I’m not that engaged. It is good and I like what he is doing to give Scarecrow some back story, but I don’t know that I’m in love with it. I am however still buying it and plan to buy the Zero issue as well.

Batman: Detective Comics: This got off to a really awesome start and then went to crazy town! Joker never appeared again after being prominently featured in the first issue. Tony S. Daniel bit off more than he could chew trying to be both writer and artist. The second issue turned me off almost immediately. I did buy of course the Night of the Owls tie-in and the Zero Issue (which was written by Greg Hurwittz). The Joker problem has been acknowledged by DC as Scott Snyder preps to tell a Joker story, but it still doesn’t change the fact that Detective Comics was a hot mess. I read the volume (from the library) to give it a shot. Holy Hot Mess Batman!

Batman Incorporated: Part of the “Second Wave” of New 52s, where some titles were exterminated and new ones brought in, included Grant Morrison’s return to Batman Inc., a storyline he started pre-52. Chris Burnham took over art and although it took me a while to get used to, I am a big fan now. Grant Morrison is certifiably crazy as most geniuses are and this is no exception. Batman Inc. makes me happy in my heart place!

To Be Continued…

 

 

Review: The Dark Knight Rises

Background: Batman is without a question, my favorite superhero. Since childhood, I have deeply loved and respected Batman. Any film adaption I see is put under incredible scrutiny and must work to live up to my expectations. Walking in to the final film in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy could have gone either way. Batman Begins was forgettable and disappointing to me. The Dark Knight was a nearly perfect film that I’ve watched multiple times. Whether or not I was going to enjoy Dark Knight Rises was so uncertain that it almost could have been decided by the flip of a coin.

The Short Answer: (Spoiler Free) Dark Knight Rises is not a film that can exist on its own. It is a film that brilliantly completes Nolan’s Batman trilogy by tying up all the loose threads left dangling in the first two films. Initially Nolan was hesitant to make a third Batman film as he felt he had done everything he wanted to do with a superhero film in The Dark Knight. Eventually, Nolan and his brother figured out a script for the third film and production began. As I see it Batman Begins is the warm-up, The Dark Knight is the main event, and The Dark Knight Rises offers closure. All are needed, but only one gets my love:-)

What made Dark Knight Rises the most enjoyable for me to watch (other than Anne Hathaway) was all the subtle references to Bat-lore. Although Nolan didn’t always stick to continuity, I generally appreciate what he did because it was an acknowledgement of the fans. I will attempt to start a list later. I could definitely see all the careful attention Nolan paid to the Batman continuity as well as all the homework he did working on this film. In that sense, I appreciate the film very much. However, parts of the film fell a bit flat for me because of some of those choices.

The Good:(Spoilers Abound) Anne Hathaway was utterly fantastic as Selina Kyle. I was very hesitant to accept her as Michelle Pfieffer’s portrayal of Catwoman in Batman Returns holds a very special place in my heart. Aggressively so. Anne Hathaway made the part her own and I loved everything she did. She captured the manic and desperate brilliance of Selina very well. Of course, the costume was a nod to Ed Brubaker’s design from my favorite run of Catwoman EVER!!! Also, her constant companion Holly was included which is both a nod to Batman Year One and Brubaker’s Catwoman. Her line delivery was perfect and added some much needed levity and theatricality to the film. I also felt that she wasn’t a fully realized Catwoman yet as she was never referred to as Catwoman, but rather a jewel thief referred to as The Cat which is a reference to her first appearance in Batman #1. Also, there is the whole plot point of her trying to get the clean slate and essentially make Selina Kyle and The Cat disappear which actually did happen (in a slightly different way) in “No Man’s Land” (which this film heavily references), eventually coming back in Brubaker’s Catwoman series where Catwoman very much becomes a more complicated hero than villain.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Marion Cotillard as John Blake and Miranda Tate respectively were incredible actors as usual. Both of them had moments (near the end) that prevented me from completely loving their characters, but I will discuss that in the bad. The most awesome thing about Miranda Tate was the reveal that she was in fact Talia Al Ghul. The moment that plot point was revealed was brilliant and actually had me applauding with glee in the theater because I love that crazy bitch. Marion Cotillard played her short time as Talia brilliantly. Also, she tricked Bruce into sleeping with her one night which totally is a wink to “Son of Demon”, and I would like to believe this film ends with Talia pregnant with Damian. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is always fantastic on screen and no less so here as the cop John Blake. His best moment for me was a monologue he delivers to the reclusive Bruce Wayne about how Gotham needs Batman because he has figured out that Bruce Wayne in Batman. This is a direct allusion to Tim Drake, the third Robin, who manages the same feat because of his incredible detective skills, which are also highlighted in this film. Tim Drake/John Blake…sound very similar, but ultimately Nolan decides not to make John Blake=Tim Drake with a decision that goes in the Bad section.

Michael Caine continues to excel as Alfred and even bring me to tears. Gard Oldham is perfection as James Gordon. Cillian Murphy comes back as Jonathan Crane delivering a fun bit of camp to the proceedings. Daggett is brought in rather cleverly as Bruce Wayne’s business competition. The score was of course fantastic. The final scene was a lovely callback to an earlier Alfred scene. Seeing Selina and Bruce in Italy makes me feel like it is a slight reference to “Catwoman When In Rome”. The cinematography was beautiful and Christopher Nolan managed to create a very studied superhero film.

The Bad Bane. I already walked into this film not liking the character of Bane and Christopher Nolan was going to have to do a lot to change my mind. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. I still don’t care for Bane although I understand what Nolan was trying to do with the character. What I don’t understand was Bane’s ridiculous voice that sounded like Daddy Warbucks from the 1982 film adaptation of Annie! (I’m not kidding, go listen) Any menace the character had was wiped away for me, also there were several times that it was truly hard to understand him. I felt badly for Tom Hardy because I don’t feel like he got a huge chance to play as much with the character as say Heath Ledger did with Joker. I appreciate Bane’s redesign, but that is about the only character choice of which I approve. Also, Bane seems to be set-up to be the voice of the 99% however the reveal that he is just a pawn being used by Talia muddies that characterization a bit for me.

Christian Bale was back as Batman and although he definitely attempted to modify his ridiculous Batman voice, it didn’t completely work. Mostly it didn’t work in perhaps the most unintentionally laughable scene of the movie near the end when Batman is beating the tar out of Bane yelling “WHERE’STHETRIGGER!WHERE’STHETRIGGER!WHERE’STHETRIGGER!”. Also, I completely didn’t buy that Bruce Wayne is so hung up on Rachel Dawes that her death in part fuels his eight year absence. (Also, that Gotham was able to maintain peace for those 8 years because of the Dent act…where are all the other crazy villains?) The most unbelievable scene was when Bruce fires Alfred for lying to him about the letter Rachel wrote stating that she chose Harvey. Rachel FREAKING Dawes does not mean more to Bruce than Alfred J. MOTHER F*(*#)% Pennyworth. I’m sorry. I refuse to believe it!!!

Other cringe worthy scenes include Talia’s death scene which I have to believe was acted that way to make us believe she could still be alive but even then, it’s a terrible death scene unless she is just passing out. Also, the end where Bruce’s will is being read and John Blake comes in to ask if there is anything for him. The woman reviews the list and doesn’t see his name, but then he tells her that it could be under his legal name. At this point, despite the allusions to Tim Drake made earlier in the film, a big fricking deal was made about John Blake being an orphan which can refer to both Dick Grayson and Jason Todd. At this point in the film, I am expecting John Blake to reveal himself as one of these three characters, but instead he tells her that his legal first name is Robin. At which point, Pee Wee Herman’s playhouse erupts in noise and cheers for this gigantic wink to the audience. *slaps head* So by calling him Robin, Christopher Nolan makes it clear that John Blake was a chimera of the different Robins which is okay I guess, but ultimately disappointing. I suspect that Christopher Nolan was modeling John Blake most after Tim Drake and I wish he would have figured out a way to just make the character Tim Drake, but alas, he did not. The final scene which featured John Blake going to the Batcave and (as implied) taking up the mantle of Batman was a nice touch but ultimately a little tarnished for me.

The Verdict: While this film lacked the creative heart and soul of The Dark Knight, I still enjoyed the film immensely and can appreciate what Nolan’s Batman trilogy accomplished in terms of establishing superhero films as an art form rather than a novelty. I appreciate all the winks and nods to events in Bat-lore, even if I didn’t love all of his interpretations. Thank god for Anne Hathaway! The person who told Christopher Nolan that Batman’s voice and Bane’s voice were awesome needs to be fired. Mostly, I missed the over-the-top camp that managed to find a place in The Dark Knight. Despite the fact that it is completely unnecessary, I look forward to what the next Batman franchise will bring:-)

Reflection Internal: The Mugging

So I will break from our regularly scheduled blogging today to address something that happened on Sunday night. There are a lot of factors that play into this I guess, but I will try and limit what I include. This night, my wife and I have come from a trip to visit her family in Columbus. This visit came at the end of an unexpectedly challenging week. It was late and she was hungry but my stomach hurt so after some deliberation we waited to see if I felt any better. We had agreed to get the usual Chinese food which is open late and if I felt better, I could eat it that night and if not, I’d have it tomorrow.

Video Game Review: Mega Man 6

Mega Man 6 takes place one year after the events of Mega Man 5. It was originally released as Rockman 6: The Greatest Battle of All Time! This was the last Mega Man title released for the original Nintendo. The basic story is that there is a robot competition, because of course there is, and everything is all peaches and cream until this jerk named Mr. X takes all the best robots in the world and uses them for world domination! Sound familiar? The avowed pacifist Mega Man is called into action to save the world yet again.

I’ll be honest, this game did not make a huge impression on me. I beat it in a weekend and other than thinking Centaur Man was kind of cool, I don’t really remember a lot about the game. This title is of note because it introduces the new Red Mega Man. Red Mega Man is basically a joining of the Rush Adapter with Mega Man so that he can have a jet pack and some extra power. I’m not gonna lie, pretty bad ass!

Inafune tried to incorporate a global perspective in the game, which I believe he did. Also of note, two of the eight robot masters were designed by North American submissions for the robot contest!

BiblioThursdays featuring Peter S. Beagle

I fell in love with Peter S. Beagle a long time ago, but never really knew it.

He is the author of “The Last Unicorn” as well as the screenplay for the film. The film, not the book, I watched religiously as a child and still love to this day although it does not hold quite the same wonder it once did. However, after realizing that “The Neverending Story” was based on a book and a co-worker recommended it to me, I read it. It was AMAZING! At that time I made a note to myself to pick up “The Last Unicorn” as well and see if I loved it even more than the film.

Graphic Wednesdays: The New 52 Review (Week 3)

There were four titles I read in Week 3 of The New 52 including my hands down favorite title of The New 52!!!

Without further ado…

Thanks Internet featuring Marcel the Shell with Shoes On

I don’t know if you’ve heard of Marcel the Shell with Shoes On yet, but I’m pretty sure you will be hearing a lot about this adorable quirky little shell.

From the mind of comedian Jenny Slate, Marcel the Shell with Shoes on has basically saved her life and given her hope. You may remember Jenny Slate as the comedian fired from SNL once she let the f bomb slip on the air. She gives a rather heartfelt interview in the current issue of BUST magazine, which I encourage you to read.

Marcel the Shell with Shoes On currently has a two book deal!

On a non-Marcel note, Jenny is also known for a video blog she does called Bestie X Bestie! This one made me laugh out loud!

Best of luck to Jenny Slate! You are golden!