Persona 5, the Return of Spider-Man, and Underwhelming Comics

Almost back to back, I got two bits of wonderful news that has me very excited for things coming up. Which is good, because I've needed something to look forward to!

Persona 5

First, a gameplay trailer for Persona 5 launched. IT WAS AMAZING. This is already my GOTY (game of the year), and I won't be playing until at least 2016 (Japanese release date is sometime 2015, so I'm HOPING we're sometime 2016). I love the red colors, the cat burgler-esque themes, the grittier characters, the more dynamic dungeons, persona enemies instead of shadows, etc etc... The only thing I'm not seeing in the trailer is a cast that exceeds for playable characters. It's not determined by the trailer, obviously, but I wouldn't even be mad if that was the case.

Oh, and it's coming to PS4 (and PS3), which 100% justifies my purchase of the system. Perfection. Watch it below, the Elder Gods know I have...

Spidey's Return

Next up, we have the "return" of Spider-Man to Marvel, in regards to film rights. Marvel has brokered a deal that allows them to use a new (not Andrew Garfield/ASM series) Spider-Man in their films (which is already impacting upcoming releases -- like May's Captain America: Civil War!). Sony will choose the actor and have final say in regards to character development, but I'm hoping they see reason and more or less follow Marvel's lead.

Doubt they'll go this route, but an important Civil War moment...

Then Sony will continue to produce solo Spider-Man films, which may now see inclusion of MCU characters. While I no longer trust Sony with anything related to my favorite super hero, I'm hoping the cross-pollination with Marvel will produce quality results. And having two studios pumping out related MCU films sounds like a perfect setup to me (though I would prefer Marvel having ownership of all rights back, just to allay the shakes and mental anguish ASM2 still causes).

Apparently the agreement was reached without Marvel actually paying anything, either -- they won't be getting any money from Sony Spidey-films, and Sony won't be getting any money from MCU group films. Honestly, it sounds like Sony got the lesser half of this deal, unless they're expecting the MCU marketing to be worthwhile... Or maybe there's something else there going on.


Now, on to actual comics...

Guardians of the Galaxy

Because... Venom.

I was excited that Guardians of the Galaxy was finally going to the home planet of the symbiotes. We've seen a "Planet of the Symbiotes" in a 90's crossover, featuring Spider-Man, Scarlet Spider, and Venom titles, but never the actual point of origin for the species.

Guardians promised to take us there, and they did... but they didn't exactly deliver anything worthwhile. The arc is mostly taken up by the Venom symbiote jumping from Guardian to Guardian (as if we EVER expected anything else), eventually taking over the ship and directing the group to its home. Upon arrival... well, there's a very short, very anti-climactic stay. I won't even bother spoiling things for you, but the reveal of the species as a whole is unfortunate, white-washes a potentially interesting story, and retcons information offered in the "Planet of the Symbiotes" arc (Planet of the Big Fat Liars is more like it).

All in all, after reading decades of Venom, Carnage, and their extended family, it comes as a real let down that this is the direction Marvel went. I wanted a potential inter-galactic threat, or something menacing in some way that explains all the bullshit abilities and costs the symbiotes seem to offer or impose. Instead... blah. Going back to NOT reading GotG.

Spider-verse

As a whole, Spider-verse hasn't been as inclusive or as interesting as I hoped. "Every Spider-Man ever" isn't actually pulled off, and it's a giant chase scene between an arbitrarily super-powered family hunting Spiders, with limited-to-no logic applied. The Spiders could just as easily get help from the other super powers in their multitude of dimensions, but instead they wait and allow some of my favorite Spiders to get killed off.

GUESS WHO'S AT THE END?!

On that note, I won't even start on how annoyed I am with the "Scarlet Spiders" run ended. The bastards did it again. They. Did. It. Again.



For now... Well, wish me luck in netting a Majora's Mask Edition New 3DS XL. I, like anyone who wasn't a filthy scalper, missed the tiny pre-order window (less than 20 minutes, I believe), and have had to resort to sending The Wife out to flirt with associates of certain stores, in an effort to secure us a copy come Friday. The Wife seems confidant of her success... You'll be seeing a review of the system next week, if she's correct!

Spoiler Free Diet: Guardians of the Galaxy

Seriously? A walking tree and talking raccoon? -- Yes. And they're awesome.

When the movie was announced, I was immediately worried about Rocket and Groot coming off as stupid, Drax being boring, and the rest of the cast being a bunch of unknowns.

The commercials leading up to the movie still managed to get me hyped despite this, and I was, thankfully, not disappointed.

Guardians of the Galaxy is awesome.

Not only was Rocket done well, the little rodent was endearing and funny and had a fully fleshed out personality. Groot a bit less so, but he was surprisingly animated for being a walking, sort-of-talking plant. He easily got the biggest laugh out of me the whole film. Drax not only wasn't boring, they managed to make 'The Destroyer' funny.

I'm not a fan of Soldana, but overall didn't have any issues with the character of Gamora -- her motivations were underdeveloped, but she gets a personal antagonist to balance it out. 

Peter Quill, Starlord, was perfect. "Nuff Said.

More than just daddy issues, but it'll do.

The big bad, Ronan the Accuser, was done very well. His motivations could have used a bit more explanation behind them (there's a decent chunk of history that is only briefly touched upon), but the movie did enough for its purposes, and he seemed to be a real badass.

This movie definitely corners the "comedy" aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and it totally worked. Even the few outrageous moments were well delivered and in context with the character (Quill will appeal to any child of the '80s or late '70s).

As for tie ins to the greater universe, there were a couple of plugs that weren't super obvious, which was nice. I'm a bit surprised they didn't do more or introduce more, considering the setting. I won't spoil anyone's hopes of seeing certain characters at this time, but I could have definitely seen one or two extra, minimal introductions or nods that would have been easy to sneak in there.

The action was strong, the humor better, and the story surprisingly reasonable. The greater universe is done in tantalizing brush strokes that make it feel acceptable that 99% of the movie is spent away from Earth. I was surprised that they were able to introduce us to so many worlds, so many characters, and so many protagonists without leaving us overwhelmed. I know very little about the Guardians comics, but that didn't hinder my enjoyment in any way.

Very happy with the CGI and the ship battles especially.

It took The Avengers several earlier movies to build up a group dynamic. I'm already happy with the Guardians as they're presented in this single film. I don't know where they'll go from here or what other large story arcs really take place in the outer limits of the Marvel Universe, but I'm more than willing to check it out when Guardians of the Galaxy 2 comes out -- this one really surpassed my expectations and I'm happy it did.

Arbitrary rating 9/10. It loses a point for a moment towards the very end that I found a bit too over the top, and the after the credits scene (which, in my opinion, wasn't worth the wait. It's a solid reference and on par with what you might expect from this film, but it doesn't add anything by way of connecting to future films or the greater Cinematic Universe, which is my preference.

Go see this movie. Now.  

New Chapter in The Nerd's Life

Turning a new page!

So, hey, yeah. I'm a dad! So I'll be a bit busy going forward. There are a couple of nerdy things coming up though, other than dressing my daughter up in Star Wars or Spider-Man print...

Instagraming my Comic Sets

I've been motivated lately to pull out my favorite comic sets and post them on Instagram. I don't use it that much, but I DO love going through my collection again. I'm "arbitrarynerd," and have posted some. But more coming soon (the boxes are damn heavy to get at from their current location.

Dragon Age: Inquisition

Hey! This is coming out in October! By then, I might actually have time and/or money to play it! For now, playing through Origins again, and I can't wait -- it looks phenomenal.

... I think there's more I wanted to write, but I'm having a hard time remembering. I AM almost done with the second draft of my book... But I was pretty close the last time I mentioned, and am just going really slow.

Well, more soon. I'm trying to sneak out to Guardians of the Galaxy on Thursday, so I'll gave a review of that up soon -- I've got high expectations, which is bit concerning, but screw it; the movie looks awesome.

Pull!

Alright, we're going to get quick and dirty with this Pull List Review -- I made the mistake of picking up another round of books before finishing my last one and I'm afraid, if I don't make a stand now, I'll never catch up.

The best of the best in this selection will get a small highlight section. The rest will be given their 'arbitrary' rating. If you'd like some more input on a given title, you have but to ask.

Highlight Reel

Hawkeye #1-10 - I spent my mini-pull list hiatus catching up on the current Hawkeye series. They were a bit difficult to find (even though they've been reprinted about 4 times), but I'm glad I did. The stories are all Hawkeye (Clint Barton) and usually Hawkeye (Kate Bishop) when they're not being super heroes/Avengers. That's not to say they don't get into trouble. Issues 9 and 10 are showing the same time span from each of the Hawkeye's perspectives and it culminates in some of Clint's recent adventures coming back to haunt him in a horrifying way.

I've never been a Hawkeye fan, but the art on this book could carry it alone. Seriously, do yourself a favor and pick up a few issues just to look at. The engaging stories are just a nice addition, at this point. 10/10

This totally happened.

Star Wars: Legacy #1-2 - This series is a highlight just for showing up! The original Legacy series ended with Cade Skywalker winning his final battle, supposedly ending the series forever. Fortunately, we've got this interesting revival which follows an as-of-yet unseen family name: Solo. Ania Solo is a young girl and apparent wiz kid with machines. She's also, like any good Solo, poor and living as a scavenger. There are bigger events picking up, though -- the new government is going to have a wrench thrown in its plans as we see a new Sith infiltrating a Republic mission and causing trouble. 7/10

Proof that reading is cool.

Five Ghosts #1-2 - A new series with a new setting. Fabian Gray has been possessed by five literary spirits and is trying to use them to find a way to save his sister. He's possessed by Robin Hood, Merlin, Musashi Miyamato, Sherlock Holmes, and Count Dracula. This means that Fabian, a treasure hunter, can tap into their (normally fictional) abilities to, in general, be freaking awesome.

The issues are a bit broad and unfocused at the moment, but the art is fresh and the quirks of Fabian's gifts keep me reading more than the overarching story, at this point. A highlight for being something new and done well. 9/10

Uncanny Avengers #4-7 - This series has a relatively interesting team coming together and dealing with the political and social issues plaguing human-mutant relations. Oh, and then they have to fight some pretty awesome villains in the meantime. First they went up against Red Skull, who had just happened to exhume Xavier and take his brain, somehow tapping into the dead mutant's psychic powers. Then we saw Thor go toe to toe with Apocalypse back in the day, and now we've seen the Apocalypse Twins kill a Celestial. You heard me -- they killed a goddamn Celestial.

I don't know that enough attention is paid to the characters on the team at the moment, but if they keep an interesting rogue's gallery going, I'm down! 8/10

Superior Spider-Man #6 AU - I'm highlighting this issue in particular because of the art. It's like manga drawn in an american style and I am loving the look. Unfortunately, it seems to be a one time thing with the Age of Ultron tie-in, but I strongly suggest you pick it up, even if you don't normally get behind these comic events. The change in art style is beyond refreshing.

I really can't...

... get enough of this art style!

Speed Rating 

Thor: God of Thunder #7 - Enjoying today's Thor with future Thor, but not too much motion here. 8/10
Superior Spider-Man # 5-9 - I'm not liking the current direction, but it's at least keeping me engaged. 7/10
Cable and X-Force #5-6 - These characters are a mess. Keep 'em coming. 7/10
Star Wars #3 - Spy vs Spy gets really old for me, but there's still hope. 7/10
All New X-Men #8-11 - Things might have just taken an interesting turn again, maybe. 7/10

AoU lacks substance.

Guardians of the Galaxy #.1-2 - Not super familiar with this cast. Nothing amazing, but I'll stick it for a bit. 6/10
Age of Ultron #1-7 - Not as good as Age of Apocalypse. Artist can't differentiate between people of color. 6/10
Scarlet Spider #15-16 - Kaine dies. Again. And comes back. Again. Uglier. Potential on the horizon, though. 6/10
Venom #32-33 - Venom meets a new, slightly interesting enemy. Eddie is wearing Toxin. Don't like Eddie's dialogue  though. Mixing him up with Carnage/Kletus too much. 6/10
Ultimate Spider-Man #21 - I think I just want more from this series, especially when they re-intro Venom. 6/10
Avenging Spider-Man #17-18 - I both kind of like seeing Doc Ock interacting with other characters and hate the way he's changing opinions. 6/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #18 - Bruce and Jason tenderness, but this series is wallowing. 6/10
Age of Apocalypse #13-14 - A poorly done crossover with titles no one reads. Incoherent without other pieces, which is always a bad choice. 3/10
Constantine #1 - Didn't catch my fancy, but decided I'll be hunting down old Hellblazer stuff instead. 5/10
Nova #1-2 - Somewhat interesting, but I'm going to focus on Guardians for my space stuff. 8/10
A+X #5 - Dropping this, shorts are never really my thing, though these can be funny. 6/10


I've recently picked up some volume 1 trade paperbacks that you can expect me to drool over soon as well: Saga, Fables, and Y the Last Man. Also, I still have some left over Pull List to mull over and two exciting announcements coming right around the corner!