Comic Reviews: Heroes in Crisis and Stranger Things!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!

Heroes in Crisis #1 (of 7) (DC Comics)

DC’s latest event Heroes In Crisis is poised to be different from other big storylines. With a focus on the trauma that superheroes and villains endure in their adventures, Tom King and Clay Mann’s new event looks to not only have some big revelations for the DC universe at large, but it could even change the way we look at these heroes and their adventures.

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Meet “Joker”

Last week, we got our first glimpse of Joaquin Phoenix as “Arthur”, the man who would become The Joker in next year’s Joker film directed by Todd Phillips. Was it underwhelming? You bet. But it did help set expectations for what type of film Phoenix and Phillips would be creating, even though it was a bummer that we didn’t get to see Phoenix all done up as the Clown Prince of Crime.
Until this weekend, that is.

Comic Reviews: Batman: Damned and Return of Wolverine!

COMIC REVIEWS!

Batman: Damned #1 (of 3) (DC Comics)

DC’s put a lot of hype behind their new “Black Label” imprint, which allows some of the best creatives at the company full creative freedom behind their vast stable of characters. There’s books from Frank Miller, Kelly Sue DeConnick, and John Ridley coming our way, but the first up is Batman: Damned, from Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. DC has a lot of expectations for this line of books, with the hope that this line will birth a new Watchmen or Dark Knight Returns. While it remains to be seen if Damned will reach those levels of popularity and acclaim, it’s definitely off to an intriguing, if strange, start.

Movie Review: The Predator!

MOVIE REVIEW!

The Predator (2018)

Starring: Boyd Holbrooke, Olivia Munn, Sterling K Brown, Jacob Tremblay, Thomas Jane

Directed By: Shane Black

For being one of Hollywood’s most iconic monsters, The Predator sure hasn’t had very many great movies. Sure, the 1987 original is a classic, and I’ll always got to bat for Predators, the 2010 attempt at rebooting the franchise, but by and large ol’ mandible face has always had a tough time at the cineplex (I know there are some who’ll champion Predator II, but I’m not one of them). With that comes writer/director Shane Black’s attempt to launch a new series of films. After successes with Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang, Iron Man 3, and The Nice Guys (not to mention writing Lethal Weapon and being in the original Predator as Hawkins), it would seem that Black’s off-center charm would be just the thing to reinvigorate the franchise.

Unfortunately, that’s not quite the case here.

Comic Reviews: Iceman and Archie 1941!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!

Iceman #1 (Marvel Comics)

After being canceled last year, many thought that Bobby Drake, also known as the X-Man Iceman, would be back to being relegated to the X-Men books. Luckily for fans of the cool mutant, Bobby is back in a new solo series, with his former writer Sina Grace and artist Nate Stockman. The series focuses on Bobby’s efforts to find out who’s hunting Morlocks for sport in the sewers of New York City. That sounds like a heavy comic, for sure, but surprisingly Grace and Stockman’s Iceman #1 is a really fun and engaging opening issue.

First Impressions: Spider-Man

Spider-Man has starred in his fair share of video games throughout the years, but the past few years have seen a steady decline in the quality of his interactive titles. The days of Treyarch’s Spider-Man 2 and Web of Shadows had all but disappeared by the time the Amazing Spider-Man 2 tie in game came around (a game that somehow pissed me off even more than the movie did). For a long time, it seemed like I’d have to settle for getting my web-swingin’ fix from the regular Lego Marvel games released every few years or so.

Until this past Friday, when Insomniac’s Spider-Man was released.

Comic Reviews: Asgardians of The Galaxy and Bordertown!

COMIC REVIEWS!!!

Asgardians of the Galaxy #1 (Marvel Comics)

It’s a little strange that Marvel is putting out a title called Asgardians of the Galaxy after the release of Thor: Ragnarok, seeing as how the internet gave that nickname to the third Thor film. But here we are, with a new series that’s….supposed to replace Guardians of the Galaxy? Serve as a tie-in to Thor? I’m not entirely sure, but the opening issue from Cullen Bunn and artist Matteo Lolli is pretty fun, if a weird addition to Marvel’s publishing slate.

Spotlight on Token’s Taproom!

Barcades are typically something you’d find in larger cities like Boston, New York, or Chicago, so having one in my hometown was a real treat. For a long time I’ve heard of these fabled locations that housed both arcade games and beer, but never got the chance to check them out. That is, until now, with the opening of Token’s Taproom. I don’t typically highlight local bars in these columns, but after stopping in two weeks in a row, I felt like I had to join the chorus of praise for this awesome place.