The jolly comic book quickies 23/10/11

WHAT A WEEK ! My comic stack was damn hefty I can tell you that. The sheer weight of the thing and I don't really buy that much comics and there was so much to talk about this week a don't even have to keep talking up front here to pad it out with filler. I will keep writing though its fun and dosent really take that much effort as I don't really have to say anything as this all just waffle. Ohh wells that seams like enough. Read on !

JUSTICE LEAGUE #4

written by Geoff Johns art by Jim Lee

Cyborg becomes fully cyborg and the team finally comes all together just as Darkseid makes his big appearance. Have to say I'm likening this book more and more with each issue see I probably was too negative with issue one but that's mainly because I felt it was way to slow and didn't do its job as the first book of the new universe properly. My point is I probably kept that negativity with me going into the other issues which is a real shame as this is a book I should really like, its nothing but wall to wall action with at times really grate banter between the big hitters of DC. Despite the cover this issue is more to do with cyborg than Aquaman though they do the !what can Aquaman do shtick” and he summons giant sharks to eat Darkseid mooks, it was bad ass but I still find it funny that they had to be next to the harbour for it to work. Yeah so I'm happy thieve went with someone as big and powerful as Darkseid as the big bad but I feel like it slightly diminishes his godlyness form final crisis.

AVENGERS #20

written by Brain Michael Bendis art by Daniel Acuna

Norman Osborn upstages the avengers at there own press conference and then the new team splits up scooby doo style and faces off against h.a.m.m.e.r.s team of psycho rangers. There were no talking head panels in this comic and because of that I may have cryed tears of joy a wee bit. So Norman Osborne is out for revenge for being ousted as the head of the avengers after the siege of asgard. Yeah Norman Osborn THE GREEN GOBLIN was head of the avengers not too long ago. Its mainly because he got the kill shot on the skrull queen at the end of secret invasion but really its because the general public in the marvel universe are INSANE like properly mad. THEY WERE OK WITH OSBORN BEING IN CHARGE OF THE AVENGERS. This issue wasn't so bad like I said Osborne's got psycho ranger mook and there always fun and I'm digging the the painted looking but still cartoony art style.

BLUE BEETLE #4

written by Tony Bedard art by IG Guara

Jaime Reyes starts to adjust to daily life with the beetle scarab bonded to him and its all very ultimate spider man ish. How 90s is that cover buy the way I mean its the the most 90s ish thing out there like that alien robot could stand to have more pouches and all. I was saying it was very ultimate spider man ish that's mainly because its a about a teen super hero in high school and I know there's quite a lot of things out their like that but ultimate spider man really defines that sort of story and that view was reinforced this week as I read this issue back to back with this weeks ultimate spider man. Not saying its a bad thing though iv certainly got room in my life for two super hero comics set in high school. If you cant tell form all my waffleing not much happens this issue that really worth talking about its really just Jaime learning to deal with the scarab in in his day to day life sure there's a shocking last page cliffhanger but iv got a feeling it'll turn out fine.

BATMAN #4

written by Scott Snyder art by Greg Capullo

BATMAN DIDENT DIE ! So he continues to investigate the court of owls and tells Nightwing about the last time he went looking for them when he was just a kid. This book continues to deliver the goods there's not been one issue in the last four months that I haven't enjoyed. So far its been a perfect blend of action and mystery and at the same delving into the history of Gotham and the art is funking fantastic. I feel like iv said all these things in past quickies so it may not sound like much has been happening but the story hasn't stalled its just been entertainingly consistent. It really is the main batman book you should be reading right now.

SUPERGIRL #4

written by Michael Green art by Mike Johnson

Supergirl fights for her life on board a space station and things take a grim turn towards the end. This book started out so well but each issue going forward has been less and less mind busting and mecha filled. Not saying they were bad comics in anyway but the first issue just seemed so tailored to me that I just hoped it continue the way it started. This issue was still all action it just wasn't one long fight action. And like I said at the start it takes a turn for the grim towards the end ware the villain of the arc, a corporate space pimp gets both his arms and legs blown off when the space station explodes. Maybe its just me but I think that incident kinda brings the tone of the book down a bit.

BATMAN INC : LEVIATHAN STRIKES !

Written by Grant Morrison art by Chris Burnham and Cameron Stewart

Its the last two issues of batman inc in a slick sorta trade thingy. First batgirl investigates an evil finishing school in England for super villains daughters then its the “season finale” wham episode ware stuff gets damn weird and the true big bad is revealed. Maybe. Ahh the heft of this book ! Like I said its a bound sorta trade and its a damn slick presentation. So the first part about the evil finishing school is the fun breather story before stuff gets real in the next story but its well done and the arts damn fine. Lady gaga makes an appearance. Are we sure Morrison's off the drugs ? The second story's ware its at though. its is a wham episode all right, leviathan dose strike and agents of batman inc do die. I think. Its not very clear. And as you can see from the cover batman has bat robots. This pleases me. This issue is also set during old DC universe and for some reason I think this is oddly cool. It like a broken shard of the past sticking in the side of the rebootaverse. A damn fine comic well worth the wait in my humble opinion.

FANTASTIC FOUR #601

written by Jonathan Hickman art by Steve Epting

Johnny storm is back ! Yeah he was back last issue but he's more back this issue and by that I mean its just not spider man that knows he's back. Yes this issue we get the one panel shot of the team all back together and its those moments that really make death arcs for me. most deaths in comics are usely dumb and done for shock value and are always without fail met with cry's of it wont last and the person who died will be back within the year because as we all know no one ever stays dead in comics. With johnny we all called it , that he'd be back for fantastic four #600 but I have to say its been done really well so far. Last issue we saw how he survived and it was done pretty badass and now in this issue we get so see the family's reactions to his return and how his time in the negative zone have changed him. Now that I think of it the comic must have been damn gid if iv got this far in the quickie and not mentioned how DOCTOR DOOM isn't in this issue. Yeah I get that he's over in FF but damn marvel you'd think he'd at least get a little panel time explaining to the kree that he's been burned before or ripping up the ground under tanks like a pimp but oh wells it was a nice comic anyway.

ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDERMAN #5

written by Brian Michael Bendis at by Sara Pichelli and David Messina

Well friends its been a long road but we made it. Miles morales is officially spider man. Its been a long hard struggle and I know we've all lost good friends along the way but we made it and now we can get on with the rest our lives. So this was the inevitable issues ware we had to see nick fury be cool with miles being spider man. That needed to happen because if it didn't then we'd always be waiting for it to happen. Miles couldn't be kicking about without fury having his back not after the way peter died. So electro escapes for about the forth time and miles gets his first boss battle to prove himself to fury and I think electro is dead. Miles dosent kill him or anything but fury shoots him pretty dead looking and somehow I doubt he's in a take prisoners mood. Pretty fun issue with a good balance of comedy and action and like I said miles IS spider man now. That fact that it dident take so long that this is being written by me and not one of my descendant's is a god damn miracle.

Well that was a damn fine week and its was needed after what an odd downer last week turned out to be. Anyway this little bit down here's actually got a propose.

                   MERRY XMAS FROM COMIC BOOK QUICKIES !!!

comic book quickies 16/12/11

This weeks quickies was a bloody struggle to write. None of the comics were bad in any real way but for some reason they were kind of a downer to read. Shame really hopefully ill be in a better mood for next weeks which thanks to my laziness is almost here !

 

GREEN LANTERN #4

written by Geoff Johns art by Doug Mahnke

BUDDY COPS ! YEAH BUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDDDDY COPS !!! why do I like buddy cops so much ? I'm not really sure ..... its just that there buddy's that just happen to be cops. That just a cool concept right. So this issue Hal dosent DIE ! All right one down now just gotta see if batman and the flash are ok in there books. Back here we got the traditional hard ass cop aint so bad on the inside routine from sinestro which again how many people did he kill or is responsible for killing ? He is space Hitler after all. And that's all this issue is Hal and sinestro get captured. Yeah its one of those issues. Its defiantly an issue four all right like one of those inbetweens to pad out the story till the action happens in issue five. Not saying it was bad or anything its still full of buddy cop fun !

 

SUPERBOY #4

written by Scott Lobdell art R.B Silva

Superboy fights the diabolical might of Christmas carollers! then sets a Christmas tree ablaze with his firey soul ! And there's a bit of fan service too ! Anyone elles get the feeling superboys a wee bit bipolar ? He switches between likeable hero and a bit of a bastard at times and this issue he was kinda rocking a Scrooge vibe. I can sorta see ware he's coming from what with him being a living weapon and all that jazz its just weird that he flips depending on the issue or even the situation. The ending fight dose show that he's a good person at hart or at least that he thinks he is so that cool and it was a Xmas issue and we really needed one this year as DC issent putting out another larfleezs Xmas special. Poor show DC poor show.

 

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E #4

written by Jeff Lemire art by Alberto Ponticelli

Frankenstein and the creatures commandos finish off the titans of monster planet and its pretty awesome. Sadly this issue was spoiled for me because there's a bit ware s.h.a.d.e busts out a new super weapon in the form of two giant spiked wheels of death and a army of robot red shirts. Now your probably thinking that sounds awesome and it is sadly it reminds me of a horrible dark age comic a read once ware there was big things killing a lot of dudes in kind of the same way that happens here. I know that's not fair of me but it was such a downer for me after the other issues were so damn awesome. On the bright side this first arc was only four issues long and not the standard five so no unnecessary padding here.

comic book quickies 8/12/11

Hey there internet pals looks like we're back to week one again and that's cool week ones a gid solid week though it dose feel like it took longer to get back here than it did the last three times most likely because of that pesky fifth week last month though looking on the bright side I don't mention filler or even buddy cops this week I know that cuz I'm writing this first wee bit last, spooky I know but it makes sense don't it ? This way iv gathered all my feelings and thoughts so that way I can tell you about them up front and how cool is that !

ACTION COMICS #4

written by Grant Morrison art by Rags Morales back up written by sholly fisch art by brad walker

Superman fights brainiacs beano robot mooks then has a boss battle with Lois lanes not boy friend who's been turned into the boss mook that I thought was the rebootaverse's version of the super hero steal but steal turns up later to pull off a big dam heroes moment so I guess the other dudes just some random dude. see I think I get this book now, its very silver age-ish. Now I know that's a no brainer what with grant Morrison and all but its oddly silver age-ish like a kind of mixture of things but again Morrison..... not sure how to put my feelings about the book so far into words. This issue was a step back up after the dip in quality after issues two and three as there's plenty of action here all right including one hell of a robot/tank combination megas xlr style! The arts back to being gid again what with it being the A artist and instead of making of gumf at the back this time we get a back up story to justify its price point ware steal fights not steal. I'm kind of enjoying the ride so far but its been a bit ruff in places.

RED LANTERNS #4

written by Peter Milligan art Ed Benes

Atrocitus begins to suspect that giving bleez her free will back and accidentally making her his own personal starscream might have been a bad idea plus we get the back stories of three red lantern mooks. Nothing really important has happened yet and its not been an overly fun read so far like I said last time its kinda grim maybe less grim this issue but its all very serious and not all that rage filled yeah the red lanterns are angry all right but not to berserker levels and I know that's most likely a decision made so they can tell story's with the characters without every issue being bllllaaaaahhh were so angry but like I said nothing all that interesting has happened yet and it feels like the plots just a little stretched which is a little sad as I think most of us really want a red lantern book though I don't think any of us would know what would actually happen it but we still want one. Red lanterns are cool after all.

DETECTIVE COMICS #4

written and by Tony S. Daniel

Batman fights joker imposters controlled by a new grimdark 80s meat and flesh styled villain called the doll maker to save commissioner Gordon and a little kid who turns out is a bad guy. SHOCK. This was all right not that grate but not so bad either. Its still suffering from being outclassed in pretty much every way by the batman monthly and the fact that the joker hasent been seen since issue one dosent help much either instead we get the dollmaker and I'm really not digging him mainly cause he's that grim dark type of villain who's main shtick is harvesting organs and cutting dudes faces off and that's really not my cop of tea. To be fair on the book though I think it is fulfilling its purpose of giving the rebootaverse its grimdark hard-boiled batman book quite nicely and since the same guys drawing it as well as writing it the art machies the tone of the book perfectly.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #4

written by Dan Jurgens art Alberto Aaron Lopresti

The justice league international fight mole people underneath giant tribal robots and then come face to face with there first big bad, a jack Kirby style space miner resplendent in tron lines. A damn fine comic and damn fine team book. The JLI really feel like a team now and well they have felt like more of a team than the actual justice league since issue one. Doovay davey keeps saying to me that this books just like a proper 80s comic and hell yes it is. Its just so god damn colourful and the batters just so gid and the team is less serious business and just plain more fun than most teams out there. It defiantly gets a glowing recommendation from me.

BITS AND BOBS #2

 

See I did mean for this bits and bobs malarkey to be a weekly thing but you know how it go's my high pressure hot shot life and all that jazz. Lies all of it LIES ! Sept the part about me wanting this thingy to be weekly that was mainly true.

 

TITAN WARS PS1

Its like star fox, Babylon 5 and top gun some how super combined into a ultra fighting robot and then exploded. I say star fox as it's a pretty clear star fox clone and I don't mean that in a bad way, seriously I have felling that there's very few people out the there that hate the first few star fox game but correct me if I'm wrong. Its very Babylon 5 too .... mainly cuz Claudia Christian is in it but also cuz the cgi in the cut sceans is so very b5 you can practically taste it. The spiny bits on the ships help too. And its top gun-ish cuz its aboot fighter pilots with silly nicknames but IN SPACE. It was also nice to see that this game still stands up fairly well even today and I'm only slightly saying that because of nostalgia goggles.

STREET FIGHTER 3: THE ANIMATED MOVIE

Dur hur boobs !

 

VIEWTIFULL JOE

Its fun when you come across a game and you get that feeling that they really just made it for you.

Now this is one I got ages ago and was meaning to play but it was..... hard all right and I'm am an old man now and I cant play games for that long of a stretch and theses days it takes me to even start playing let alone play them all the way through. Ah old age. So this games grate its like a cross between streets of rage and power rangers and now that I think about it that power rangers super legends game I reviewed was a sorta sucky clone of viewtifull joe. Kinda weird when the world connects like that aint it ? Super fun old school Japanese super hero action !

And that's all iv really played or watched in the last few weeks but like I said ahm an auld man now and ah canny really follow through with much. really its a wonder that I read as menny comics as I do and you can see from the lackluster and haphazard schedule I keep for comic book quickies that It takes me a damn age in internet years to get around to writing them and even then the sheer effort that it takes on my part to write the bloody things . Ha ! Complaining about things that you like to do cuz that makes sense ! The best bit of this is that all this paragraph right here is just filler. Yup even this bit here, and here and here too but that's OK it may not sound like it if you have been reading this fine blog of blogs since before flashpoint, rember those long lost days ? Full of hope and wonder but also filler and comics that were a little on the meh side yeah. so back then I was all about slamming comics with the filler hammer mainly cause I was right to do so and also because it was funny, very very funny. Hmm I seem to have lost my point some time ago .... oh yeah filler Is awesome ! Its the gid times between events when the lads are just hanging around having fun and not taking the world too seriously and its my belief that during events filler is the time you FIGHT for and that you die for. I bring this up because this paragraph is filler and everything I write here apart from the few game reviews ( like that instant classic ps1 toy story 2 or ps1 lightspeed rescue reviews I did a few months back, seriously check them out for a hella gid time. they don't disappoint if your a fan of bad spelling and a man with no concept of grammar) is filler but like I said filler is a damn fine thing and hey I think we made it to enough gumf to post this thang . See the wonders of filler !

comic book quickies 6/12/11

Slim pickens what with it being the fifth week and all. Oh wells I didny review fantastic 4 last time so lets do It now ! and Hells bells its bloody December already ! How long have I been writing these now ? SEVEN months ! Heh probs more.

Fantastic Four #600

written by Jonathan Hickman x5 art by Steve Epting, Carmine Di Giandomenico, Ming Doyle, Leinil Francis Yu, Farel Dalrymple. It was 100 pages allright.

Called it. Everyone on the planet called it. Johnny Storm returns form the dead for fantastic four #600. it couldn't have happened any other way or at any other time, they be riots on the streets. Pretty gid ish likes and you can really feel the heft of those hundred pages. So the books got five story's but only really two main ones.

The first parts basically FF#12 as it carry's right on from last issue with all the villains plots pileing up on each other and leading to a kree invasion of new York. Its like the third time new yorks been attacked and wreaked this year by a big event of some kind what with fear itself and then spider island, yeah its no angel grove or anything that towns just rubble and mecha foot prints by now but three time is still kinda bad. But johnny's back so yay !

The next story is the tale of how the human torch survived his apparent death and I gotta say it didny disappoint. WORMS FIX ALL. Yup that seams like enough explanation.

Third story's about the inhumans. Guh...

Fourths bout cryptic conversation's on the moon with galactus. Nothing happens but everyone loves galactus don't they ? And on the funking moon too !

Fiths a funny yin with franklin Richards training and having fun with his mate leach in a pocket universe he made. Gid times.

I was suprized with how much I enjoyed this comic what with it costing like 7 qwid and doctor doom only being in it for three panels. 100 PAGES AND HES ONLY IN THREE PANELS !?!?! But naw it was a hella fun read.

FF # 12

written by Jonathan Hickman art by Juan Bobilo

Well lookie here, aint this just convenient that these two books would just run in to each other here on comic book quickies. Its almost like it was planed. And its in no way caused by the fact I'm just that damn lazy. No sir not one bit. So during the battle in new York the kids of the future foundation transport themselves to latveria. Not got all that much to say on this comic other that it was a fun read and the art while not for everyone was damn funky in my humble opinion.

The blazing comic book quickies 26/11/11

 

I'll try not to talk about buddy cops but I'm not making any promises.

THE FLASH #3

Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato art by Francis Manapul

The flash saves a plane from crashing after a electromagnetic pulse hits central city. I'm certainly enjoying this new rebotaverse flash book its delivering all the thrills and spills that you'd expect plus Barry Allen isn't being all that emo sure he's no kamina type but he's being fun and not driven like he was in flashpoint or bitching with kid flash like he was in the road to flashpoint. Heh yeah iv not read all that much flash. Right so spoilers then ? You guys cool with that yeah ? Barry Allen gets shot dead on the last page. Oh wells so much for Barry Allen then guess its time to bring on wally west cuz there's no way that Barry's death could be some kind of fake out or anything that type of thing never happens in comics theses days. Oh yeah and the art god damn bloody funking awesome.

 

AQUAMAN #3

written by Geoff Johns art by Ivan Reis

Yup the world sure dose hate aquaman all right. Hates probably a strong word, pity's probably better. Well he is aquaman after all. AQUAMAN! He cant even swim alone. The big goffs really taking the running joke of aquaman sucking big time and really hammering it home. The world of the rebotaverse is just like our very own in that it just see's the king of Atlantis as a joke and that's pretty cool mainly cuz it works. Its just feels more real that the world would treat him that way rather than treat him just like superman. Well that's what this books setting up so they can show that aquaman is bad ass that he dose kick ass and that he isn't a joke. Its not there yet but it's aiming for it. The goff man really likes aquaman stabbing dudes. Not my cup of tea really id prefer that he just punch fools like his counter part in the brave and the bold cartoon. That or just summon cthulhu. He can do that you know.

 

GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #3

written by Tony Bedard art by Tyler Kirkham and Harvey Tolibao

So about those gaurdians of the universe being total bad guy bastards. Yeah that's still happening. Its weird dudes like they are at this moment the closest thing to a big bad in current GL continuity. They want to replace the green lanterns themselves with a third army, thieve brainwashed gathnet and are currently kicking the absolute crap out of kyle ryaner just cuz he has more than one ring, something that's totally out of his control. Crazy issue but nothing that much happens other than larfleeze making his appearance. And really I think that's all we really wanted to see.

 

TEEN TITANS #3

written by Scott Lobdell art by Brett Booth

I have to say this issues knocked me back a wee bit. Teen titans has got banter. I didn't get that before maybe the writing and art just gelled this issue or maybe it was something I'm just missing but there were genuine laughs this time and that really struck me. See before titans was teetering on the edge of the drop list but after what I just read the book has potential and hopefully the next few issues will be as good.

Oh and there was one other thing ..... but I cant ... rember.... some thing blazing and old but also new .....something amazing no....incredible ....no.....something ell's.....

comic book quickies 21/11/11

Gotta love comics, there like more expensive crack !

JUSTICE LEAGUE #3

written by Geoff Johns art by Jim Lee

Not really feeling this book yet. Maybe its cuz the teams not all together yet and nothing that crazy ha s happened yet. Still its been fun just not as awesome as I think we all thought it would be. This issue was wonder woman's introduction and she was kind of bad ass but nothing to shout about. Sadly cyborgs dad was way less gendo than last month hopefully he's just playing the long con and his sons horrible disfigurement and transformation into a cyborg abomination went just according to plan.

 

AVENGERS #19

written by Brain Michael Bendis art by Daniel Acuna

Captain America puts a team together. That's like one of the base elements in storytelling present in all cultures throughout history and all dimensions. Its my understanding the Vikings sung songs about it. So this was a pretty neat comic yeah it was your standard bendis avengers assemble story and yes it still had talking heads but those were restricted to tv commentators and lets hope to funk that the were ment to be annoying.

BLUE BEETLE #3

written by Tony Bedard art by IG Guara

This comics totally that 90s kids film star kid. Just saying sports fans. So I'm likening this book and I like a grate menny people want blue beetle to succeed and hopefully this run will be the jumping on point ware people take notice of DC's very own spider man. Hopefully. This comic is pretty much written for the trade and not a lot has really happened yet. This issue was mostly about the scarab learning to be be less evil and corporate with Jamie like some kind of ..... buddy cop type relationship, its too early to call that so we can only wait and see.

BATMAN #3

written by Scott Snyder art by Greg Capullo

Its hard for me to write these quickies when a comics well written. Batman's one of those comics ware I cant just say omg buddy cops ! or holly hell ! Fifteen page fights ! Its just so damn good in that way ware you can feel it rather than give stand out moments of galaxy splitting awesomeness. So batman fights owl men ! Well he try's to find them at least. Fast paced and utterly bad ass. Love it BUY IT.

 

SUPERGIRL #3

written by Michael Green art by Mike Johnson

Sadly this was a wee bit of a step down in quality from the last two issues, sure there were fights and those fights were purtty cool but it wasn't a full issue of fighting like the last two times and that saddens me. Saddens me to the core. Supergirl dose fight a brain monster made of water IN SPACE at one point so that's a plus point but the issues mostly about her not accepting that krypton is gone and her meeting a generic corporate pimp. also IN SPACE.

Mud Man #1

written and art by Paul Grist

I was sold on the title of this book alone. Mud man. Saw that and just had to buy it and yeah it was a damn gid comic. Dude falls in mud and gets mud powers. Hells yes. More please !

pretty quick this week likes !

Pre-owned Games

This is a topic which is getting talked about more and more recently; the morality of buying and trading in used games. As you may have noticed from previous reviews, I like really cheap old games, so I have an opinion to share.

I’m not going to make out that pre-owned games don’t hurt developers, because they do. When you buy a used game, literally none of that money goes to the people who made it, and there’s less impetus for the game store to order a brand new copy if they know that people are going to end up trading their games in again. But here’s the twist: I’m all for buying games second hand, but I’m also against trading them in. I know right? It’s like an episode of the Twilight Zone.

I own a fair few games, most of which I could trade in at a moment’s notice, or sell on Amazon or whatever. And in the past, I have traded in games. There are a couple which I regret, but mostly, they were games that I did not, or no longer felt I wanted. I have not done this for a few years however, because basically, I like games. I like having them all on the shelf, even the bad ones. I routinely switch the covers of the ones I really like with the one’s I don’t like so much so that they look nicer. Plus, I’m really indecisive, and prone to shifting tastes in genre, so I need a lot of choice around me. What’s more, I’ve acquired a few games that didn’t do anything for me when they first came out (PS1 games in particular, such as Soul Reaver and Metal Gear Solid), and found that I enjoy them immensely. Now, even if I bought these games in mint condition, still factory sealed, the companies who made them would still get no money, since they aren’t making new copies of those games, and the store can’t re-order.

Recently, however, game companies have been putting in little things to stop people from buying their game pre-owned. Batman Arkham City activated it’s Catwoman levels (arguably, a major selling point of that game) with a single use DLC code. You do have to download the Catwoman content, but that’s largely beside the point.

Classic games get re-releases fairly routinely. If I want to play Final Fantasy VI, I can get the PS1 version, the GBA, or download the PS1 or SNES versions onto consoles. And that makes sense for the developers to do; they still make money, and people who weren’t around to get it the first time for one reason or another can play through a pretty good RPG. But then there’s all these Cult Classics. Eternal Darkness was only released on the Gamecube, and silicon knights seem keen to distance themselves from the few good games they’ve ever made (ooh, burn). Beyond Good and Evil sold so poorly that they were given away with boxes of cheesestrings. And Grandia II, despite being the most popular thing on this blog, has not been available to buy since about 2003. And let’s not forget that ridiculously popular games, like the PS1 final fantasies, did not get any sort of re-release until about 2009. For 12 years, the only way to play FFVII was to buy the original PS1 version. Well, technically you COULD play the PC version, but you COULD also rub glass in your urethra, that doesn’t make it an enjoyable experience.

I’m starting to ramble, so I’ll make my point clear. In five years time, Batman Arkham City (there are other games that do this, and even worse, but they’re shooter-things so I don’t give a fuck) will probably no longer be in production. I doubt that the DLC servers will still be active. That means that eventually, people won’t be able to play through the entirety of that game. Now, I would tend to argue that games are art, at least in as much as any other entertainment media. I can go out, pick up a copy of, let’s say, The World Ends With You, and play it, from start to finish, with every little bit of the experience intact, even the weird tin-pin epilogue where the plot get’s explained in more depth. And the odds are, that game will be pre-owned. If in five years, I buy a copy of Arkham City, then it won’t have the Catwoman levels. Yes, they are largely optional, and yes, they’re not integral to the plot, but that’s not the point. If any part of the game experience requires online activation, then that part is going to be lost forever. And sometimes, it’s the stupid extras that make a good game great. Imagine FFVII with no Vincent or Yuffie. New Super Mario Bros. without worlds 4 and 7. Pokémon Silver without the Kanto region, or the other version mascot. None of these things matter for the story to work. All of these things are entirely optional. But in the world of tomorrow, you are denied them, and you will know that they were there, but now are not.

The pretty gid comic book quickies 13/11/11

Despite being a pretty sparse week we got some damn solid comics out of it. And hey we even picked up a marvel ! So it looks like the lads over at marvel might have picked themselves up showered themselves off and got back to work after there apocalyptic panic attacks of the last few months in the wake of the new 52.

GREEN LANTERN #3

written by Geoff Johns art by Doug Mahnke

See what I was saying last month aboot hal and sinestro being buddy cops ? Yeah there totally buddy cops. AND IT IS GLORIOUS. You know what I'm talking about its like starsky and hutch, kittan and kamina or BRIAN BLESSED and pretty much anyone. See I think pretty much the hoal GL fan base will be ok with sinestro being a green lantern again if it means he's written as the stricked bad cop to hal's fun good cop and that's basically this issue. Iv only been reading green lantern since blackest night so I'm not sure how much evil sinestro has actually done but I know there was a war and he is space Hitler so I'm guessing he's a pretty bad dude and that might make it hard to for some people to accept him as a buddy cop. This issue was the buddy cop's going to sinestos home planet to free it from his old yellow lantern corps's. It had its share of funky moments like the two turning there GL suits to stealth mode and space Hitler DRILLING through one of his former mooks. A fun book well worth picking up.

SUPERBOY #3

written by Scott Lobdell art R.B Silva

Right so superboy is shinji ikari from neon genesis evangelion but in a fun way. I think I just divided by zero. Its hard to deny that eva has been bolted onto this book though, well I spose its a mixing of different things like he is also mewtwo and he is wareing a new style tron suit but its that eva flavour that comes through the strongest. The lad was gendo posing over in teen titans for peat sake. Sadly shinji-boy dosent fight a street shark this issue but what we did get was a highly entertaining read. Basically its superboys first interaction with people in the real world. Its just fun to read, the dudes not really met anyone before and is it only me that finds it funny/awesome that he introduces himself as superboy not meaning it a super hero name or a boast but that's just his name. And then he fights a lava girl and that's always fun. And we end the issue on kinda sorta fan service. Sweet.

FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF S.H.A.D.E #3

written by Jeff Lemire art by Alberto Ponticelli

So this mountain turns into a giant monster bug and Frankenstein pulls its hart out and stabs it to death with his sword. Funk yeah I'm glad I bought this book its just so damn gid ! That's pretty much all you need to know about this book right there Frankenstein kills a monster mountain bug and he dose it like an orkish BRIAN BLESSED Klingon. And the teams mummy khalis kills a continents worth of mooks with one energy attack. Normally I'm not big on genocide but those monster dudes were gonna kill earth so I guess its cool. And by that I mean its BLODDY awesome. I had my doubts about this book before issue one thinking that it be a gory horror book but much like a have been with the rest on the new 52 iv been proven totally wrong. its like ranger team hellboy! Which I guess makes it like the B.P.R.D... but meh RANGER TEAM HELLBOY !

ULTIMATE COMICS ALL NEW SPIDER-MAN #4

written by Brain Michael Bendis art by Sara Pichelli

Well the schedule has slipped back to monthly so we might not see the origin story to the end but hopefully we will be survived be our children and grandchildren to carry on in our place. Still purty gid issue likes, milses is getting less emo but only after seeing peter die and getting the grate power speech off Gwen Stacy. Still think peats death was weak maybe if he had died fighting a city sized green goblin wareing a cape of his own blood whilst pointing to the heavens then maybe it be a cool death. Maybey. Also he'd shoot webs of fire. yeah this issue was indeed fun and I'm digging miles better now that the plots moving forward more. There's not really much to talk about this issue as it was mostly the death and funeral from different perspectives. Though it was hella cool and funny that miles has gained an inner monologue now that he's spider-man. Gid book go buy it !

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Review

It's pish.

comic book quickies 09/11/11

Just DC stuff this week. Last time I checked marvel was still in the corner cutting itself.

ACTION COMICS #3

Written by Grant Morrison art by Rags Morales and Gene Ha

Well this issue is partially a flashback to the destruction of cripton by brainiac and then the fall out from young supermans brash actions in the present. The first parts very very space comic-ish see I knew what was going on the hoal time but funked if I understood a word of it. The second part I just found weird yeah I know the world has just met superman and doesn't know what to make of him yet but its just damn weird seeing people hate on superman. Hes superman! The living legend! Its like seeing people hate on captain America. We just don't count civil war. Its still a fun comic but the drop off in awesomeness since issue one is noticeable.

DETECTIVE COMICS #3

written and art by Tony S. Daniel

So for the first two issues iv been crediting the inker as this books artist. My bad. To be fair though in all the 3 months of the rebootaverse and the two months leading up to it we here at team mad hatten have never once bantered about detective comics art. Not saying its bad or anything it fits the tone of the book quite nicely. So the cliffhangers don't matter for crap. Literally last months was resolved at the top of this months page one. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, it kinda makes it feel like 60s tv batman ware in every episode it looks like its the end for batman but it never is with bats resolving the problem within the first few moments of the next episode. That's not quite the case here but the feelings the same. This issue was still pretty action packed and horrible stuff still keeps happening around batman mainly caused by new villain the doll maker who's your standard flesh mask wareing meat loving bad dude. Detective comics is defiantly the B batman book of the new 52 with batman being the A book and batman and robin fighting it out with the dark night for the C and D slots. Still go read it though its plenty fun.

JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #3

written by Dan Jurgens art Aaron Lopresti

Its an 80s comic all right. But a fun 80s comic from one of those very few fun years in 80s and not form one of those dark years which if we're being honest was most of the decade. Though comics can be weird with that kind of thing like the 90's were a glorious decade that was made of fire and light but it was dark age for the comics industry. So the JLI slit up into two man teams to investigate the giant robots that have popped up all across the world. Hmm two man teams ...suspiciously like BUDDY COPS !. Ahh yes buddy cops truly isn't that just the greatest format in the history of fiction ! It just works so well and can be applied to so menny things. Batman and booster gold make work the best here and we get another instance of batman totally supporting booster, in the old verse booster was always seen as a screw up or second rate hero but for some reason batman no matter how bad it looked always had boosters back and its nice to see that carry's over into the rebootaverse. With the buddy cop format it means that some members of the team like ice and fire get more character development than they did in the first two issues. Plus giant robots are always cools.

RED LANTERNS #3

written by Peter Milligan art by Ed Benes

See its ok. Nothing really wrong with it but nothing really to shout about. This issue is aboot the red lantern bleez. Atrocitus basically wanted someone to banter with other that his dead best bud crona so he gave blezz ZA POWER TO UNDERSTAND. So he made a Starscream for himself. way to go there big guy. Bleez has a tragic back story of course but I feel like it was more fun when she was just pure rage now we just have to wait for her sudden but inevitable betrayal. See I want to like red lanterns, there red ! What's not to like about that ? But its been kinda grim so far and a wee bit 90s. The arts still lefeild-ish but a better lifeld than lifeild. Which is nice. All so there's hints of putting a team together and that's always fun.

The late comic book quickies 3/11/11

I remember the days when comics were meh. Those were the days. Bright shining days that never ended. Days when the world was young and full of fun. Sure there's still some meh comics out there but the weeks themselves have been solid for months now. Bloody DC. I remember the days when I could call most comics filler. Long lost days now. Gone to the broken abyss of summertime.

THE FLASH #2

Written by Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato art by Francis Manapul

Holly hell yes. This is just what I want from a flash comic. See the way I see the flash is the version from the justice league cartoon, meaning I see him as the fun member of the team. Now I know that's somewhat the wrong way to see him but I dini care. To me the flash is fun and not the slightly emo guy form just before and during flashpoint. Its not like he's a plucky comic relief hero or anything he's just fun to read. Now we had our doubt's coming into this book what with the artist both drawing and writing it but damn have we been proved wrong so far. Basically the art makes this book and it'll be shame when and if there is B artist issue. Best art of the new 52 ? ill have to think about that.

 

AQUAMAN #2

written by Geoff Johns art by Ivan Reis

This was pretty gid just a wee bit shot is all. The comic starts with cthulhu putties eating dude's on a boat. That's not so bad but we then see a kid and his mum waiting for the boat at the docks ware we find out that its his dads boat. Harsh man. That kids all 1950s wide eyed gee mister type and now his dads dead and from the looks of it the kid and his mum are dead too. Brutal stuff. The comics still trying to make Aquaman awesome but it'll take some time and its not quite as hevey on the hoal the world thinks Aquaman sucks thing but its still present. So not as good as issue one and it maybe could have been if it had another genius panel of Aquaman standing over a treasure chest like the first did but its still a fun read if a little short.

GREEN LANTERN NEW GUARDIANS #2

written by Brain Tony Bedard art by Tyler Kirkham

Crazy guardians man! They totally just attack kyle for having other power rings and have brain washed ganthet to be a proper guardian again. They so crazy. So the ranger team hasn't properly formed yet but its getting there. The teams still at the fighting each other stage but its only issue 2 and the plots moving along at a fair pace, kyle's totally the red ranger but it'll be cool to see ware the other lanterns fit in to the team and how a yellow lantern can be on the team at all, spose that's not a big issue though as space Hitler is currently a green lantern again. it'll be interesting to see ware this book go's and what it dose to the main lantern status quo and even if it lasts at all. The arts fairly nice but it dose still suffer a bit for being generic lantern art.

 

TEEN TITANS #2

written by Scott Lobdell art by Brett Booth

Yeah stuff happened this issue and I might talk about that latter but I will always remember this as the comic ware superboy executes a GENDO POSE. Its a splash page and his only appearance in the comic. Yeah he's totally shinji boy. The comics aboot Tim drake putting a team together and that's always fun. The one thing I found weird with this issue is that Tim speaks like a teenager, not the weirdest thing in the world I know but I would have thought batman would have beaten that out of him by now and it feels a wee bit disconnected from issue one ware Tim was a bit more batman-ish but that might just be my imagination.

FF #11

written by Jonathan Hickman art by Barry Kitson

I bring terrible news. You might be wanting to sit down for this one. Doctor Doom dose not appear this issue. Cuts deep don't it? Dropped the ball on this one marvel Dooms the only reason to buy FF. He's Doom do I really have to go into detail on this one ? Last issue ware he was made a slave buy alternate universe reed Richards and I was ok with that as I thought well there just going to be building up to something cool with it but its not cool to not have him in an issue at all! HE'S THE HAERT AND SOUL OF THE TEAM! Basically this books just a massive pile up of villain plots that are probably all going to be solve in issue 600 whenever that's out but I might not get that depending on the price. Well done marvel.

BITS AND BOBS #1

Here's a little feature for all those things I watch or read that don't get reviews but still deserved to get talked aboot.

ONE PIECE VOL 9. 10. 11

Oh the EMOTIO ! That's what One Piece does best, it makes you feel! Makes you shed manly tears for a boat! See the air itself is SUPERCHARGED with emotion. Now I dini mean with angst or with emo but with pure awesomeness. Pure HOTBLOODED AWESOMENESS. We all know what One Piece is and that it's the best of the big three shonen. Don't deny it you know it to be true. These volumes deal with nami's tear jerker back story with the fish man pirate captain Arlong. It makes want to see Luffy beat the crap out of Arlong and it damn well delivers. AWESOMELY.

BATMAN GOTHAM KNIGHT

Six anime stories aboot Batman but the first story is 3 stories. So this has been out a fair while but this was my first time seeing it. It's just like the animatrix but for Batman. It was pretty fun sorta not linked stories that are actually linked that don't fit into the Nolan-verse but might actually do. And robot Batman makes an appearance which is always nice to see.

EUREKA SEVEN : GOOD NIGHT, SLEEP TIGHT, YOUNG LOVERS. THE MOVIE

See that's a hell of a title. That's a title just crazy enough to work. Sadly that's all I want to remember aboot this film. See I was hyped aboot this film. Not hyped enough to buy it for £14.99 when it first came oot but hyped enough to but it for a fiver in the sale. Thank funk I did cuz this sucked man and it saddens to say that. Yeah I was kind of expecting it too but it still hurts dudes, it hurts me deep in my manly heart. See Eureka Seven is an anime that's basically aboot sky surfing mecha and eventually Johnny Yong Bosch saving the world with the power of love. This movie is set in an alternate continuity and its kinda a clip show. I say kinda. It reuses old animation to tell a new story. See I could get behind that sort of thing but this story was just not worth it. People die man. Yeah in this movie they were a bit shady but they were real cool dudes in the TVshow. It's sorta grim too and I didn't leave it feeling happy. :(

PRINCESS MONONOKE

So I picked this up from Gamestation which was odd. This was mighty awesome, pretty much what you want from a Ghibli film. I've seen bits and pieces of it before but this was the first time I've seen it all the way through. So how the HELL is this a PG rated film? The sheer amount of limbs that are lost! It's like the people are made of plasticine. And vast seas of blood! Well maybe not that much blood but still. The hero was a damn bad ass but unfortunately I don't remember his name so I'm just going to refer to him as the hero. So the hero is cursed and is all walking the earth to find a cure before he dies getting involved in a war between animal gods and humans along the way. The whole thing is pretty grey in that that both the humans and the gods have some pretty cool dudes on both sides and no-one's that evil. Not my favourite Ghibli film I'veseen so far but still a damn fine film. Really gotta love Ghibli films dudes they're like proper film films.

GREEN LANTERN THE MOVIE

I didn't think it was that bad. Really I had fun watching it. Was the CGI suit really that bad? I didn't think so. Remember when Hal Jordan killed those 3 guys by punching them through a brick wall when he first used the ring? Cuz he totally killed those 3 guys by punching them though a brick wall. Not really that gid film anyway but I don't think it was as bad as everybody else thinks it was.