Comic Reviews: The Amazing Spider-Man and Southern Bastards!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!!

 Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Marvel Comics)

Peter Parker is officially BACK in the pages of The Amazing Spider-Man #1. Written by longtime Spidey writer Dan Slott and drawn by Humberto Ramos, the new start for Spidey finally brings us some insight into Peter’s feelings about the world around him, even though the main story doesn’t offer us quite as much information as I would’ve liked.

EPISODE VII CAST!!!!

 

That image, my friends, is the official cast of Star Wars: Episode VII. There’s Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels, Peter Mayhew, and Rick Baker, flanked by a cast of relatively new talent including Adam Driver, Oscar Isaac, Domhnall Gleason, John Boyega, Andy Serkis, Daisy Ridley, and Max Von Sydow.

Justice League of Steel

So what we were long expecting has now come to pass: Zack Snyder is directing the rumored Justice League film, and that movie will follow Batman vs. Superman/Man of Steel 2. What does this mean? Well, for one, I can finally stop worrying so damn much about the Man of Steel sequel, and it probably means that both Justice League and MoS 2 will be filming back to back.

Now this isn’t a major stretch, but it does seem like the most likely scenario for Warner Bros to take. By the time Justice League hits theaters in 2017, Marvel will have put out a second Avengers film, as well as new entries for Captain America, and (presumably) Thor. If you thought Hollywood was “Marvel” now, then just wait a few years when their lead will be almost insurmountable. This is WB’s last ditch attempt to get Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and the rest of the league on the big screen, and hopefully by then the “normies” in the audience won’t be burnt out on super hero flicks.

2014 Summer Movie Preview!

Yes, the summertime is almost here, and you know what that means……no, not going outside and going to the beach, summer movies! Just like summer movie seasons past, the slate of summer 2014 blockbusters is full of superheroes, aliens, and big explosions. However, there is a lack of DC being represented…

Anyways, here are the top summer movies that I’m looking forward to, starting with a certain webslinger that you all know I’m fond of:

 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (May 2^nd)

Amazing Spider-Man 2 now rests in my brain as a paradox. I am equally anxious for it and dreading it, mainly due to some changes that may or may not have been made regarding the Green Goblin’s lineage. My spidey sense is also tingling about the news that Sony has plans for Venom and Sinister Six spin off, which means this may end up being the Iron Man 2 of the rebooted series.

Despite this, I am looking forward to seeing Spidey on the big screen again. Andrew Garfield continues to strengthen my belief that he’s a far superior webslinger to Tobey Maguire, Emma Stone is adorable as always, and Electro, a villain I’ve been waiting to see since the credits rolled on Sam Raimi’s first film back in 2002, is finally making his big screen debut. I may not like it after watching it, but I’m still excited for Amazing Spider-Man 2.

 

Comic Reviews: Original Sin and The Walking Dead!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!

 Original Sin #0 (Marvel Comics)

Original Sin kicks off this week with a special issue showcasing the past of Uatu the Watcher. Written by Mark Waid with art from Jim Cheung and Paco Medina, this prologue finds Nova searching out The Watcher to find out just why he does exactly what he does, and what makes him so integral to the Marvel Universe.

Secret Agent Man

So Dick Grayson is going to be a secret agent.

Ooooooookay.

Yes, Nightwing is surviving Forever Evil (spoilersI guess), and is going to come out of it a very different character than when he went in. For one, his identity is out in the open (and still no one pieces together that Bruce Wayne might be Batman), and the world at large will believe he is dead. So what’s a presumed dead guy in the DC universe to do? Pull a Winter Soldier, of course!

Look, I don’t want to knock this new direction before I try it, but this seems really, really weird. As much as DC will probably deny it, this move does seem like a stretch, and this is coming from a guy who unabashedly loves the Flash Thompson Venom.  Maybe my apprehension stems from seeing Dick Grayson, a guy who’s been trained by the Batman himself, wielding a gun on the first promotional image. As far as I can remember, Dick Grayson’s never been against guns in the same way that Bruce Wayne is, but if someone has been trained by a man who directly tells his wards that “guns are the weapons of cowards”, I have a hard time believing that Dick would be all for grabbing the nearest pistol and taking out foreign bad guys.

Perhaps the thing the bothers me the most behind this new status quo is that it reeks of DC trying to pitch this as TV series concept.  It’s really not that far off if you think about. In many ways, a Grayson TV show could serve as their answer to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., except for the fact that Arrow is a sizeable hit for the CW, and they could just copy that show’s formula for a show focusing on Nightwing. If this does turn out to be the case, why use Dick? Why not re-do Human Target again, or make Jason Todd this new secret agent. At least his use of guns has been explained already.

I’ll give DC this, Grayson is at least a different idea, and sometimes different is good. Take a look at Superior Spider-Man, or replacing Batman with Dick Grayson. But sometimes change can be bad, like lady Ghost Rider or FrankenCastle bad (which, in fairness, I loved because of it’s badness). . If anything, I give this new direction a year, which is the standard for any big change in the comics medium. By then there’ll be some reason to explain away Dick’s sudden career change.

For example, maybe he’ll make a deal with the devil so everyone forgets his identity.

 

Comic Reviews: Superior Spider-Man and Sinestro!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!

 Superior Spider-Man #31 (Marvel Comics)

Superior Spider-Man reaches its monumental finale with issue 31, and writers Dan Slott and Christos Gage, alongside artist Giuseppe Camuncoli, don’t disappoint. Fans who have been waiting for Peter Parker to return to his body and bring the hurt to the Green Goblin will have plenty to cheer about, as the final issue serves as a great ending point for this chapter of the wall-crawler’s life.

A (Kind Of) Cohesive DC Cinematic Universe

Hooooo boy. I know I’ve gone on, and on, and on about my worries regarding Batman vs. Superman and WB’s plans for a DC Cinematic universe before, but the latest interview with David Goyer has gotten me all up in arms again.

In a recent interview with IGN, David Goyer, writer of Man of Steel, said this in regards to the rumors of Warner Bros.’ plans of creating a shared cinematic universe like Marvel:

“ I mean, it’s too early. I know that Warner Bros. would love to make their universe more cohesive. There have been a lot of general conversations about that, but it’s really, really early. I’m not sure. Marvel has had enormous success, but I’m not sure that everybody should try to emulate them either. It’s just been vague conversations so far.”

Are. You. Kidding. Me.

Comic Reviews: Batman Eternal and All-New Doop!

COMIC REVIEWS

 Batman Eternal #1

A weekly comic series is always a risky endeavor. Storylines could peter out, interest may wane, or, god forbid, the series could be canceled before it even finishes. I’ve never been one to follow them before.

But then I read the first issue of Batman Eternal, the first of three planned weekly series from DC. With a crew of storytellers with the names Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Tim Seeley, and John Layman, and with an opening arc featuring art from the fantastic Jason Fabok, THIS is how you start off a weekly series, and fire up interest.

Movie Review: Captain America: The Winter Soldier

Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014)

Starring: Chris Evans, Scarlet t Johansson, Anthony Mackie, Sebastian Stan, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert Redford

Directed By: Anthony and Joe Russo

MINOR SPOILERS

Let’s get this out of the way right now: Captain America: The Winter Soldier is fantastic. The follow up to Cap’s solo film and The Avengers isn’t just one of the best Marvel Studios films, but one of the best comic book movies of all time.