Marvel Universe Ends with a Whimper...

Marvel has lost sight of their readers. More than ever. they have become an event driven market, eschewing all else to bring the next big thing down the pipeline, as often as they can, with no more interest in telling a coherent or interesting story than an Expendables film (if you enjoy films like that, you're in luck!).

I've been on the fence about the event setup. On one hand, some of them are actually interesting, and have lasting changes. On the other, there are really terrible stories that arbitrarily change favorite characters to fit some new demographic (usually to fit in with the Cinematic Universe).

Being a Spider-Man guy, the most recent event I read was Spider-Verse. It was The Expendables: Spider-Man edition. It had some good moments, some good characters, some shittily arbitrary character killings, and a fading promise to change things forever for our friendly neighborhood arachnid.

But it didn't. The only "lasting" change was the death of characters outside the 616 universe. And that lasted all of three issues after, because the Marvel Universe has come to an abrupt... And strangely arbitrary, halt.

Marvel is getting it's first official "reboot" to it's continuity. In honor of that, all the current series are going out on a high note -- wait, that's not right. What is this shit? Amazing Spider-Man ended with a completely mis-written Black Cat becoming the BBEG, and everything else just grinding to an unfulfilling halt. The last villain Spidey fights is an abortive story featuring ex-Thunderbolt Ghost.

Ok, maybe that's a fluke -- damn it! Spider-Man 2099, what is this shit? You finally have a semi-interesting arc and some relationship development... And your story just freaking ends? Did... Did no one tell the writers that the universe was ending? Was it a surprise? How can you not even attempt to give serious character resolutions? Beating the bad guy of that particular issue doesn't count!

I don't even see Spidey 2099 here...

... Apparently, if you don't read two specific Avengers series, Secret Wars just kind of happens. These stories you wanted to see fulfilled, the characters you wanted to follow further, well, tough shit. Marvel doesn't care about that, it's time for the NEXT BIG EVENT!

I'm more disgusted than that time Doc Ock was making moves on MJ while in Peter's body. Or that time Peter walked in on Aunt May and Marvel decided to give us a splash page of old people humping. Or that time...

... You know what? As much as I tote myself as a Marvel fan, I'm not impressed with Marvel at all lately. One or two good titles doesn't cut it. Constant events aren't enough. Cut that shit out and go back to writing compelling, character-driven stories that are both super heroic and relateable. Stop... Stop everything else. Just stop.

Marvel, stahp.

Going forward, Secret Wars is marginally interesting because the new status quo; whatever emerges from this ugly, mismanaged DC-knockoff of an event, might give me some things I want, and have wanted for years as a reader.

Here are some of the things I'd like to see follow this tepid fading of my favorite characters, and if I don't see some of them, the things that may cause me to lose interest in another goddamn reboot:

1. Peter and MJ back together.

The "breakup" was an all-time low for Spidey comics. The return of single Spidey has not benefited story telling in any way, and instead devalued marriage as an institution in Marvel comics -- something they've done as often as possible.

Bonus if they take the storyline where Spidey is a dad. One of the greater sins of the Clone Saga is the fate of their child, who is stolen and then... Completely forgotten? Wait, what? Seriously?

It would be especially poignant for me, who will be raising a little girl. The possibility of watching a little May Parker (assuming name isn't changed) grow up alongside my daughter would be especially touching.

... 'Course, that would require Marvel to let their characters age. Because storytelling is hard outside of a vacuum.

2. Bring back Ben Reilly.

Ok, I have said this at every turn, and at pretty much every event. My wish was granted for all of three issues in Spider-Verse, sort of. And then they freaking killed him again.

... Uhg. Go to hell, whoever planned that one out. Null points for originality, do not pass go, do not collect your paycheck for ruining this fanboy's dream.

3. Let the MU age.

Tied to one, but letting real time pass in the MU, even at a slower rate, would be something I'd love to see. I have decades worth of Spidey comics, where the hero is 20-something. He used to be in high school, and some of the best stories were about Peter dealing with the things that come with age.

4. Stop with the constant events.

This isn't going to happen, but Marvel is going to find out that their constant money-grubbing strategy of inter-connected titles that criss-cross through events isn't going to work. It failed miserably in the '90s and, while they've definitely learned from it by keeping most events behind a unique, solo-running title book, they have been circling that whole of repeated mistakes for awhile.

5. Don't try to cram the old MU's timeline into 8 months.

DC's NU52 reboot tried to shuffle DC's timeline to fit a very truncated schedule. It was one of the weakest parts of the reboot, and every time they referenced something from "before," it served only to confuse (and annoy) readers.

Marvel has announced the new universe will start eight months after the events of Secret War. Why? Because storytelling is hard, and Marvel has become lazy. Seriously.

I'm worried they are going to try an keep the things they don't want to retell in those eight months. Things to refer to that really happened in the old MU, but the writers don't want to bother with in the new MU.

6. Don't retell old storylines.

If you're going to make us suffer through a half-assed reboot, after a half-assed event, don't offer us half-assed copies of classic stories! They've already been written, you gorram hacks, and we don't need your slight "surprise" twist.

If only...

Do I expect this wish to be met? No. No I do not. We are going to get recycled garbage for years, because why else give us such a lackluster reboot? I'd have more respect for what they were doing if they DID hit a reset button, at this point. Start from square one. New origins, new everything, but keep it new! It worked for the Ultimate Universe... Right up until it became over-inundated with events (which, honestly, had many more interesting ramifications than any of the 616's events).

7. Don't change a damn thing with Spider-Gwen.

Seriously. Just let this infant series pick up where it left off, and ignore all the rest.

... Of course, that won't happen. Which is another slap in the face from Marvel: "Hey, True Beleiver! Here are a bunch of new series! And some of them are good! Bahaha just kidding, they're only around for an arc or two, way to waste more of your money on our connected universe model, jackass. Excelsior, nerd."

Rant done. I'm going to go start Secret Wars and sigh at my stupid addiction and inevitable hypocrisy. See you on the other side, Marvel.

Spider-Man Vs Ayn Rand... and Why the Greatest Spidey Movie Will Never Get Made

The Color of Money isn't just a Tom Cruise and Newman salad dressing film about the secret origin of Mark Millar and Grant Morrison's bromance breakup, but also a permanent shade in the wardrobe of Spider-Man's rogues. The Sinister Six could change their names to 6 Shades of blah if NuMarvel ever wanted to experiment with topical humor...

Odd man out Kraven missed dress rehearsal

Sweet Mountain Dew green was the choice for Doctor Octopus, the Lizard, Green Goblin, Scorpion, Vulture, Electro, Sandman, Mysterio, and those are just the ones created by Steve Ditko and Stan Lee.

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!

Current Events with Spider-Man

The "Spider-verse" prelude began last Wednesday, in Superior Spider-Man 32.

Wait. Wasn't Superior Spider-Man finished, and Amazing Spider-Man (with the real Peter Parker returned) already started?

Yes, yes it was.

Superior Spider-Man takes place while Doc Ock (as Peter Parker and Spider-Man) was displaced in time at the Horizon Labs explosion (in Superior Spider-Man #19, I believe). Apparently it wasn't just a quick jaunt through time -- he wound up in the year 2099, and we're finally seeing what happened.

When he attempted to make his way back home, he kept encountering alternate universe... all of which featured recently murdered Spider-Men, all of which were killed by the same dual-forked weapon. It's not clear if these are all Spider-Men we've met in different dimensions (we see the Armored Spider-Man, which was an alternate costume to 616 Peter and ALSO an alternate dimension where Peter was wealthy instead of poor. It could have been another altogether, however...)

You know, this guy.

In this rather expansive issue, Doc Ock decides that the menace must be faced and that the best way to do so would be to recruit as big an army of Spider-Men as possible, from across all the dimensions. Not, you know, an army of Hulks or something. But whatever. The end of the issues shows him having already begun his army, which will prove to be interesting...

I'm excited for this event, though this one issues seems to have covered a ton of ground, and it's only a prelude! It was a good read, though, and I like the idea that Superior Spider-Man may meet the revived 616 Amazing Spider-Man due to this time/dimension hopping. It may even give more insight as to why Ock makes the sacrifice in the "last" issue of Superior.

Also, as a side note on why I love the issue, I've recently been getting into the Skottie Young Variant covers, which depict marvel characters as babies. I have a few already, though mostly by accident, but now that I have a little girl, it's a great way to bring nerd-dom into her room. I grabbed two copies of this variant, which is only half of the Skottie Young Spider-verse spread, the second of which will come with Amazing Spider-Man #9. I want one set for my daughter's wall and one for my basement!

Love this!

Now, back in the current Amazing Spider-Man issues, I'm not liking the story much at all. I dislike that Black Cat will be a villain (I've said this before), and I really don't enjoy the backstory they're giving Silk, the new female spider-character (this one having been bit at the same spider that bit Peter). It was a bit too easy and includes her actively being locked away for years and years, the secret of her location only being found due to a story element from the Original Sin event.

... Also, the... relationship between Silk and Spider-Man doesn't really have any background for where they immediately go with it, but I suppose this isn't the first time Spidey's run on instinct. The issue itself seemed poorly written, however, where elements were repeated so much that I pictured the writer speaking to a two year old when actually planning this issue. Meh. I've really not been impressed with the return of Amazing Spider-Man, yet managed to love the most recent issue of Superior. Wonder if they're purposefully trying to tank the main title and character.

Oh well.

Still looking forward to seeing "every Spider-Man ever" during the Spider-verse event! It's yet another opportunity where they could, possibly, bring back Ben Reilly! ...I've said this before, haven't I?

Bring Ben Back!

A(nother) Negative Review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2

This doesn't look good. And I'm talking quality, not quantity.

I saw TASM2 last Thursday with some friends. Personally, I went in with low expectations. Every commercial for the film made me feel worse and worse. Learning Electro's origin ahead of time really set the bar low. Seeing an early screen cap of the new Green Goblin made me cringe.

So I went in without much hope. The movie wasn't going to look good and it was very clear that there would be little-to-know faithfulness to the comics. That last bit isn't necessarily the most important trait for a comic book movie, but it matters to me. Especially when the series is one I've loved since I could read.

Even with the bar set so low, I was disappointed. The only item that surprised me was that I actually liked the new look of Spidey's costume -- it looked more realistic than ever before, especially while it was in motion. Most of the pre-release images made it look like CGI rubbish -- turns out, it was the best part of the movie for me. I loved the way the costume bunched up and moved with the wind. I'd take two hours of web-swinging over most of the rest of the movie.

I'm going to jump into spoilers in a moment. I don't have any real positives to say without spoiling something, so I'll just leave folks up here with my Arbitrary Rating of 3/10. And at least one of those points is because the title had "Spider-Man" somewhere in it... Even though it barely followed a single comic issue or arc.

SPOILERS BELOW THE SPIDER!

Swing away or be spoiled! Majorly!

If you're still reading, it's your own fault for being spoiled -- I made a half-hearted attempt at warning you! I'm just going to go for an item-to-item basis of what I didn't like. Maybe toss it a bone here and there, maybe. For the most part, this is just nerd-rage. If you want to save yourself some grief, just know that I didn't like it. I won't necessarily suggest that folks skip it, but I suspect I'll never watch it again. And, if I ever buy it, it's just because I'm sick and twisted -- much the same reason I own a copy of Spider-Man 3...

Maxwell is more of a nerd than this Peter ever was, hmmm.

Electro: Love Jamie Fox. Didn't mind that they made his character a stalker/creep, even if that's not normally an Electro trait. They at least tried to give him a reasonable pathos for becoming a super villain -- he wanted attention and was angry at the world. Unfortunately, they used a boring stereotype to get there -- Jamie Fox's character was a meek scientist picked on by his boss who, at one point or another, stole his idea/plan for a major scientific breakthrough. UHG. I'd much rather they stuck with the comic book motivation: "OH CRAP I'VE GOT SUPER POWERS! TIME TO ROB A BANK!" I'd totally do it. I did enjoy the background music they kept playing when we got Electro's point of view. It was a nice underscore to Electro's shifting moods and damaged psyche.

Electro's origin has never been particularly dignified, but the fact that they changed it to include electric eels really irks me. Not every villain in the series has to have the same Oscorp tie-in or be immediately related to an animal. It confines the universe to such a small, meaningless scale. The Amazing Spider-Man movie-verse lacks and depth of character (or characters) because it's always the same old shtick. What a waste.

All-blue Electro looked bad. Would have much preferred a normal-ish Jamie Fox throwing some voltage around. And the final fight between Spidey and Electro was foolish. Electro can, apparently, teleport/move as fast as electricity. Spider-Man should not have been able to dodge almost every blow and run circles around the supposed major villain of the film. But he did, and then the final blow just didn't bother to make much sense.

Le Sigh.

Peter Parker: In this series, he isn't a nerd. He's a skateboarder. He reminds me a lot of my youngest brother -- same clothes, same hats, same instagram photos. That's fine -- I like updated characters (see Tony Stark in Iron Man films vs comics). They also made it so there is no indication that he's intelligent. In the comics, he's a genius-level character. Sure, Marvel has quite a few of those, but this one's my favorite, and taking that away from him is unfortunate. Maybe, just maybe they'll use the events at the end of the film to inspire Peter to excel... But that might be hoping for too much.

Classic outfit with movie spiders.

Spider-Man: I felt a bit better about his quips and antics in this film, though still think Andrew Garfield introduces too much "scathing sarcasm" without being enough of a "jovial jokester." Spider-Man's jokes are supposed to be bad, but I always considered them more along the lines of "Dad Humor," not "Hipster Humor."

Norman Osborn: A complete waste. Wrong wrong wrong and awful. Maybe this was an attempt to keep comic fans guessing, but that didn't make it any better. His foolish claws were unwarranted and were another visual slap to the face. This film was full of 'em.

Harry Osborn: Didn't care for most of this characters scenes. There was one or two that were fairly decent, but otherwise he came off as an uneducated, cruel, and entitled prick. Harry Osborn is never shown to be decent or interesting, beyond that he was a "good friend" to Peter at one point in their past (not shown on screen at all). Then, after being removed from the head of the company, he immediately becomes homicidal, ready to kill or, at the very least, torture folks to get his way.

The Green Goblin: Even the campy Goblin armor from Raimi's Spider-Man was better than the absolutely ridiculous looking farce they offered us in this film. That's not even mentioning that the plot-device armor (literally, armor), had some sort of "healing" ability inherent in it... Yet Norman wasn't mentioned wearing it at any point. And of course, all Osborns must now how to use a Goblin Glider immediately, even if they've never seen one before... I found this character insulting to fans and a huge waste of a villain.

THIS is your goblin, folks. Why!? Who said this was a good idea!? Who!?

Gwen Stacy: Didn't care for her at any point in the film, and I generally really like Emma Stone. They kept dangling the Europe red-herring, but it wasn't particularly useful -- non-comic fans had no idea that Gwen Stacy ever actually left for Europe, and comic fans could smell what was really coming a mile off.

This movie made some serious (and unfortunate) changes to her death. In the comics, the Green Goblin (Norman, a well-known enemy of Spider-Man, at this point), hurls Gwen from the top of a bridge (the images and text from the comic actually confused which bridge it was). Spidey shoots a web to save her from falling to her death. Turns out, the sudden stop from his web breaks her neck and she is dead when he gets to her. Peter debates that the Goblin could have snapped her neck before throwing her, but it is pretty clear that Peter made a major mistake and caused the death of someone he loved, fully assisted by the Goblin -- if Peter had planned it better, he could have prevented the whiplash by using two strategically placed web-strands.

In the movie, the Green Goblin (Harry, newly dosed up with some magic spider venom, who suddenly realizes that Spider-Man is really his friend Peter) hurls Gwen into a clock tower. Spidey saves her from the initial fall and immediately begins fighting the Goblin in the tower while Gwen tries to find cover. The ensuing fight causes the clock tower to fall apart and Gwen to plummet to the ground below. Spidey jumps down and shoots a single strand to try and catch her. We see if barely miss a multitude of debris as it finally connects with Gwen, right before she's about to hit the ground -- and her back arcs backwards. Not clear if her neck or spine is broken, but she is most definitely dead. Except, the Goblin's involvement in the actual death was involuntary (it occurred during the fighting, not in any way he planned), and Peter really couldn't have saved her -- the debris prevented him from using more than one strand even if he thought about it, and any more delay would have had Gwen hitting the ground before he got to her.

... Not so much. Death by general irresponsibility, really.

Sure, they got a decent camera angle to catch the famous comic-book frame. Ish. Sure, Gwen died in the end. But bother Peter and the Goblin's responsibility in this death were dramatically reduced with the way this film portrays it, and that is supposed to be one of the defining moments of Parker's life and his relationship with the Goblin.

The Rhino: Looked absolutely awful, but I was ok with it as an ending.

The Rhino, who now comes equipped with heavy artillery.

After the credits: What. The. Hell. Not only was it not Spider-Man (or Sony...), but it looked rushed, the characters all looked stupid. Maybe this is a lead up to a Sony/Fox team-up down the line... But seriously, make mine Marvel. It makes me sad that the rights to my favorite characters are in the hands of folks who have no idea how to use them.

That's all I feel like complaining about. Please offer any argument you have. I'd like to see some merit, but I really can't. Even the obvious tie in for the Sinister Six has me depressed, considering I've already seen what the Goblin and Rhino look like (and it really, really isn't any good).

Phase I: The Podcast is a Lie returns!

So. Yeah. We're late. Sorry! Expect us next Monday (and hopefully we won't disappoint). Issues this time were lacking our guru of recording and editing, Steve. Dustin was at the helm and, as usual, is a mess.



We played around with the recording and editing process in general for this episode, and we'd love to hear your feedback!

Not Tron.

Tron.

Episode 6 - The Podcast is a Lie

Tags coming soon! Seriously!

Pull List Review: Gotta Catch 'Em All

This post is going to be a whirlwind storm of back issues that I've yet to review for a PLR. These will be short and sweet -- if you see something you want me to expand upon, let me know in the comments section below:

Err... I have some catching up to do...

Favorites (Best of the best)

All-New X-Men #4 - #7: This series is still going strong, though it has slowed down a bit. My favorite parts are Angel meeting Angel, young Cyke blasting Wolverine, and Jean working with Kitty. I really can't get enough and wish these would come out faster! 10/10
Star Wars #1 and #2: The rebels have to find a new base after Yavin 4 and the destruction of the Death Star while rooting out a spy. The spy bit is WAY overdone in Star Wars Extended Universe, but I'm liking the classic characters and the new roles Leia is being put in. Nice to have a strong leading lady who isn't falling for men left and right. Also, loving the art. 10/10, this is a good book.

Staying Strong (Nothing special, good or bad)

Ultimate Spider-Man #17 - #20: An Ultimate Venom is back and attacking Miles (and his dad). Interesting, Venom looks especially monstrous, and I'm looking forward to seeing where this is going. 7/10
Venom #29 - #31 - Nothing super special, but Venom is now in Philly and dating Valkyrie. Oh, and being stalked. I do NOT like how Flash is having possessed blackouts, but I guess they won't leave well enough alone. 7/10
Age of Apocalypse #11 and #12: The series is coming to a close. Maybe? Weapon X is deposed, things have been shaken up, but there seem to be more changes on the horizon. An 8/10 for finally getting interesting.
Cable and X-Force #2 - #4: I don't know any of these characters particularly well, but so far seeing their connections and an X-team screwing up royally is always nice. Not sure about the series, but I'll stick with it for some more, I'm enjoying the Cable exposure. 7/10
Avenging Spider-Man #15.1 and #16: Doc Ock being in the shoes of Spidey and teaming up with all of Peter's old pals? Avenging may have just gotten interesting. It loses a point for having a Spidey/Wolverine (my favorite pairing) fight that made me sad :( 7/10
Uncanny Avengers #2 and #3: I'm liking the Red Skull action, the possession shtick is ok, and Wolverine just got his ass kicked by Thor. Yeah, that's pretty solid, and looks like Apocalypse is coming up soon! 8/10
Nova #1: This was a random grab. I know nothing of Nova so am a bit in the dark, but though it was interesting. Reminded me of The Last Starfighter a bit, netting it an 8/10 in my book, and added to the pull list.

Missteps (Series with recent issues being sub-par)

Scarlet Spider #12.1 - #14: Mexican werewolves. Kaine dies again. Kaine comes back all spidery again. This series is too new to already be repeating itself with a death and pointless reincarnation. Also, Spider-Kaine looks really, really stupid. Hoping this picks up soon. 4/10
Red Hood and the Outlaws #15 - #17: The issues aren't particularly bad, but as a tie in to the Death of the Family tie in, they are especially weak in regards to events happening, aren't coherent at all, and don't advance the Outlaws at all, other than apparently Jason getting some face melting at the last page. Hopefully, with the event having wrapped up, we'll see some interesting stories again. 3/10

Dropped Series (Series I've dropped from my Pull List)

Deadpool #1 - #3: The story is funny, but the writers have completely given up on any interesting plot to fill it with camp. That's fine for some, but for me, I don't like sacrificing interesting for funny. 2/10 because I did laugh some.

Thunderbolts #1 - #4: I only got to issue 4 because they came out so fast. Honestly, this would get a low score on the art alone (I HATE THIS ARTIST! Everyone looks the exact same, why does Marvel still employ him!? Every book he touches leaving me feeling dirty after), but compound that with the cliche story and lackluster character choice, and mark this as a 0/10 and the official death of the Thunderbolts for me.

This is a sad day because the Thunderbolts are what prompted the creation for this blog :(

A+X #2 - #4: I don't remember if I actually dropped this yet or not, but it's only being dropped because I've grown tired of the too-quick stories that really won't amount to anything in the end. Still, not a bad series, so it's getting an 8/10 because I DID enjoy them.

Avengers Arena #1 - #4: Marvel's Hunger Games with maybe 3 characters I actually enjoy. Not an awful premise, but drags along too slow to keep my interest. 4/10


Ok, I know this is a really compacted version, but that's just because I've been too lazy to do a PLR on time. This format is what future PLRs will look like, though I would like to go into a bit more issue specifics.

If you have any thoughts or comments to add on the above issues, please post them, I'd love to hear them!

UPDATE: Sorry this post took a bit longer to go up... My PC has died (NOOOOOOO!), and I'm not sure when I'll be able to fix it. I still have a laptop I can use, so the Nerd is down but not out!

Coming up next: First Impressions of Bioshock Infinite. Sometime after that, I'll finally take a look at the Thor: God of Thunder series.

Seriously. It will happen.

Superior Spider-Man Superior?

I've been remiss in my updates, sorry about that folks. Last semester of actual grad classes, though, so hopefully I can get back to posting more after.

For now, I've been reading a bunch of comics (thanks to my comics-and-capitol trip and a recent Pull List pick up), playing the Dead Space series, and watching Downton Abbey.

Is that seems a bit eclectic... Well, yeah.


I was not pleased with the ending of Amazing Spider-Man. I still do not care for the idea of Doctor Octopus as Spider-Man -- he was never an interesting villain for me. Now, however, I've seen him as Spider-Man and Peter Parker in Superior Spider-Man and in Avenging Spider-Man. And we're going to talk about it Wild West style.

The Good:

From the get go, the art is strong and relatively consistent with recent ASM, which I've enjoyed. The differences come in depictions of Spidey and Peter, and I think both of those are being done reasonably well: Spidey's suit is modified to be a bit more vicious as well as more capable, with claws and digital lenses. Peter, when working, wears a lab coat and goggles, very much in Ock style. That being said, it works and is never overstated. 
The writing is done well, though Peter's language is obviously modified by Doc Ock's lexicon. This... well, disliking Doc Ock, makes me a bit annoyed at times, but it is necessary. It does manage to keep things funny, though not with Peter-Peter's slapstick. And Ock-Peter has a lot to reflect on; things he's done in the past compared to his new memories of what Peter-Peter had done. The stories so far have been acceptable -- a new Sinister Six, the Vulture, and Massacre are who we've encountered before, and we're definitely seeing a new Spidey in how he handles them -- viciously and publicly, much more like a Batman than our normal, goofy, red and blue Spidey.
A final element that personally sells the series to me was introduced in the last panel of the very first issue: Ghost Peter! He's NOT gone, which means he will be returning in the future, eventually. Well, that's an assumption, but I'm sticking with it. Ock-Peter is either temporary or not the be-all, end-all I wasn't looking forward to. Ghost-Peter is in ever issue so far, getting his own inner thoughts and visualization while Ock-Peter goes through his day. It can sometimes be a bit annoying, really, but I'm just glad they didn't hold to eliminating Peter for long.

The Bad:

Yeah... that happened.

The Peter Parker moments with Ock in the driver's seat are generally annoying, if not borderline revolting to a long time fan. Fortunately, the writers are staying away from him doing anything wrong or potentially vulgar, but there are a few moments here and there (pretty sure Ock-Peter touches himself to Peter-Peter's memories of MJ...), and every time he interacts with someone, it feels like the annoying bits when someone is masquerading as a particular hero/character and ruining their reputation. Ock hasn't ruined anything per se, but his general dick-attitude is coming awful close to burning bridges with interesting characters Peter-Peter made friends with.
Ghost-Peter tends to nag. Yeah, I want him back, but it's almost enough for me to know he's around; I don't necessarily need him in every frame criticizing, complaining, or realizing that Ock does do some things better.
Ock-Peter is a lot more Batman than Spider-Man. It's not a huge issue, but I'm here to read Spider-Man, you know?

The Ugly:

MJ doesn't have a clue the pervy Ock is in Peter's body, but Carly Cooper does. Sure, Carly is a cop and was there when Peter-Ock was still trying to get his body back, but MJ has more than enough history that she should know when Peter isn't quite Peter.
In Avenging Spider-Man, Spidey fights Wolverine and more or less ruins my favorite team-up for the foreseeable future. This is a sad, sad day for Spidey/Wolverine fans.


Now, to answer the question, is Superior Spider-Man superior? Ock as Spidey is definitely being more effective than Peter ever was, however nothing will overwrite the fondness for the character I've built since my childhood. It's good, and you should definitely read it, but I'm looking forward to some sort of resolution with Ghost-Peter soon.
Note to Marvel: I WILL accept Ghost-Peter jumping into a clone body. While you're add it, let's get some Ben Reilly back too.
Alright, that's all. Next time we'll be talking about a certain Norse God of Thunder...

The Nerd's Bucket List

I know, I know, I should be working on my Pull List Review. I'll have another post up by the end of the week. For now, however, I feel like talking about me!

I discovered my birthday present a bit early (aka as the Wife showed me but told me I can't have it until February), and it was an item that I have always wanted. I jokingly said that it was something I could scratch off the ol' Nerd Bucket List. The Wife, doing what wives do, asked what else was on the list. And I said...

Nothing. I was stumped. Normally, I find the idea of Bucket Lists kind of silly (what are you supposed to do when you complete it, commit seppuku?), but a list of nerdy things I wanted to do in my life but hadn't done yet appealed to me.

And so I will (attempt) to start a Nerd Bucket List in this post. I'll add items in the future as they come to me (using the tag Bucket List so they can be quickly compared), but this will serve as the base:

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THE NERD'S BUCKET LIST

-Own Darth Revan 30th Anniversary Fan's Choice Figure 

First item on, first item off. I'm a HUGE fan of Darth Revan (from the Knights of the Old Republic video game, as well as The Old Republic MMO), and the Wife got me this figure, as well as Darth Malak (again, Knights of the Old Republic) and some other misc figures. She knows me so well!

WOOOOOT! One down!

-Go to a Star Wars Celebration
I've always wanted to attend one of these, but they always fell during important dates at school/work (working in Higher Education, specifically Residence Life and Housing, means we end up training every year around the Celebration). Hopefully next year the dates will align better! Also... hopefully Disney being on board doesn't change anything too much! Speaking of Disney (and Star Wars)...

-Go to a Star Wars Weekend at Disney World
This kind of goes hand in hand with the above, but the Wife and I love Disney World and I think it would be perfect to go on one of their Star Wars days. We haven't done it yet because A) it isn't exactly cheap and B) I really dislike crowds, and nothing draws a crowd at Disney like Star Wars days (or so the internet tells me).

I guess Disney doesn't like us as much as we like it...

-Get Published in a Fandom 
One of the blog writers I follow, Amy Ratcliffe from Geek With Curves, just got published in Star Wars Insider #138. I wouldn't mind being published in a magazine of a fandom I relate to, but even more I'd love to get a fiction story published -- say a Star Wars novel or the like. First, I'll need to finish and get something of my own published, but I'm hoping my MFA Thesis course next semester will get me pretty close to that goal. Then I'll work towards this step.

-(UPDATE!)Play Star Wars Battlefront 3
This is kind of a risky one, simply because there's no confirmation the Battlefront 3 will ever come out (no matter how much I pester Lucas Arts Games on Twitter). That being said, I loved the originals and think, with today's technology and game comparisons, a third installment will be amazing and a matter of time. Update: Battlefront 3 was announced! Yes! This is totally going to happen!!!

And now that it's on my Bucket List, I guess Lucas Arts needs to get on this, or won't they feel silly?

-Go to San Diego Comic Con
I love Boston Comic Con (I've been several times) and enjoyed NYCC (I went once), but San Diego seems so far away that I never really imagined I'd make it. Then, to my surprise, the Wife said she was sad we missed it -- she had seen some new and events at the convention and was actively interested (NOTE: the Wife is NOT a nerd, despite all my attempts to turn her to the Nerd Side). So this is making it on the list with hopes for a future SDCC!

If you're asking why I wouldn't go by myself... Well, I REALLY don't like crowds, but I feel marginally better with a friendly face.

Nathan Fillion!

-Get Retweeted by Nathan Fillion
I love that guy.

-See Star Wars Episodes 7-9
I mean, I know they're coming out now and I know I'll see them... so let's get something I can definitely mark off this thing.

-Watch Every Episode of Star Wars with my Children
I don't have any children yet but, one day, they WILL watch Star Wars.

-Own Every Issue of Amazing Spider-Man
This got infinitely easier now that the series ended.

You know, unless it starts back up. Again. Which I expect (hope) it will.

-(NEW!)Play a boardgame with Wil Wheaton
I see no reason why this would EVER come to pass, but I enjoy everything Wil Wheaton has done recently and I especially love his YouTube show on the Geek and Sundry Channel, TableTop.

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That will have to do for now. As I said before, I will continue to add to this as time goes on, so if any suggestions that you feel fit here, let me know in the comment section below!

I'm actually looking forward to crossing these off. I rescind my previous opinion on Bucket Lists.

P.S. I wonder if almost knocking author Nick Flynn over at a reading should go on here... It WOULD be nice to have another item crossed off my list...

Pull List Review: The End of Amazing Spider-Man

Hello all! In this post, I will be posting spoilers for Amazing Spider-Man issues 697-700, give my arbitrary rating for all of them, and then bitch about the last issue. Sound good? Then keep on reading!

Note: in an effort to get to #700 ASAP, I'm going to keep the over descriptions short.

Amazing Spider-Man #697 Peter and Max are on the run from the Hobgoblins, who are having trouble deciding if they should give chase or fight each other. Peter leads Max to a Goblin bunker, which causes him to call Harry to figure out how to defuse the booby traps. Harry looks suspiciously like Walter White from Breaking Bad. Petey uses his knowledge as Spidey's "sidekick" to fool Max while he builds some tech (including a Spider-Glider) to get them out of harms way. Fighting ensues until the Goblins use Norah Winters as bait -- even Phil, her boyfriend, is ready to sacrifice her to further his goals. Max gets the save, Spidey escapes, and Old Gobby takes out New Gobby in a surprise attack, taking the younger Goblin and giving him a business offer. An interesting, but seemingly unrelated event, occurs when Norman Osborn, the Green Goblin, isn't in his hospital bed... Not that his comes to play in ASM at all... I like the characters, and the Peter-fooling-someone-that-he's-not-Spidey was done well enough too. A solid 8/10.
Amazing Spider-Man #698 This issue starts with the near-death Doctor Octopus waking up and calling for Peter Parker. Meanwhile, Spidey is swinging around town, having a good ol' day. He beats on a fake supervillain, reflecting on his relationship with MJ, has a confidant review with Max Modell, reflects on his wasted scientific career, hits on MJ (and random girls at her club), and then gets an Avengers priority call to attend Doc Ock in his last moments. Once alone, Peter confronts his long time enemy, who announces that HE is Peter Parker... and he's right. He doesn't say how, but Doctor Octopus has switched bodies with Peter Parker, and Peter is stuck in a dying body... I don't remember if I ever wrote it down in my fear for the ASM finale... but this was it. Despite going in a direction I don't like, the issue looked crisp and was interesting -- more so in that re-reading it shows hints that Doc Ock is in Peter's body the entire issue. So it gets an 8/10 from me.
Amazing Spider-Man #699 The issue opens with Peter-Ock being barely brought back from the brink of death by a team of doctors, though his time is still running out. Peter fears what Otto may be doing in his body, before realizing that he has access to all of Otto's memories, just as Otto claimed to have access to his. That's when the disturbing sex scene between Otto and Aunt May comes to light (well, it's only a reference, but still. I had enough of May's sex life when Peter walked in on her and Jay...). Searching through the memories, Peter realizes that, every time he used Otto's tech, he was allowing the villain to map his brainwaves, which led to the switch via Golden Octobot during the Goblin fight. Peter is able to use the Octobot as well, he finds out, and uses it to hatch one of Otto's stock escape plan. This one includes recruiting Scorpion, Hydroman, and the Trapster to break him out of prison. Peter does his best to stop them from killing anyone or freeing anyone else, but even he realizes he's walking a precarious path, no matter the circumstances. This issue keeps you on the edge of your seat and leaves some hope that Peter won't disappear at the end of ASM after all. An 8/10... You know what? It loses a point for that Aunt May sex scene. It was humorous... but ew. 7/10.
Amazing Spider-Man #699.1 This issue is all about Morbius. His cell is damaged during Peter-Ock's escape, and he leaves the Raft. The rest of the issue is Morbius' back story. If you like the character, it's an interesting read that leads to Morbius' ongoing that's coming up. If you don't care for the character, it's a completely skip-able Point One issue. I'm more of the latter, though I'll give the issue a 6/10 for being done well enough.
Amazing Spider-Man #700 This final issue is packed with three stories. The first is the tense and action packed story of Peter-Ock trying to get back in his body. Well, actually, it starts with Otto-Pete putting the moves on MJ before getting interuppted by an alert that Peter-Ock has escaped. Then Otto attempts to flee the country, while Pete starts working on his plan to get his body back. He goes to Heaven for a bit when he dies for three minutes, and it's an paradise place filled with all his loved ones who have gone before him and still support him. It's pretty touching stuff, but ol' Uncle Ben is there to tell Peter to get back in the fight. Pride gets the best of Otto, keeping him in the country. Peter uses his ragtag group of villains to procure the Golden Octobot without killing any civilians (though Carlie does get wounded by Peter in the process). Otto rounds up all of Peter's loved ones, in the pretense of keeping them safe. Some nice interactions between JJJ and his father/May, as well as some tit for tat between Peter and Otto -- they know each other more than ever before at this point, and have a hard time outsmarting each other... almost. MJ professes her love for Peter (to Otto), right before we get to the final showdown between Otto-Spider, Peter-Ock, Scorpion, and Hydro-Man in an emptied Avenger's Tower. Otto starts showing he has the upper hand in every way, having planned for every contingency. The only flaw in his plan are the nagging memories of Peter Parker's life, the ones the make him who he is and feel the way he does. Otto actually punches Scorpion's jaw straight off his body, which is pretty awesome, and a turning point for Peter when he sees this. In a suicide plot, Peter latches on to Otto and jumps out a window, explaining that he can no longer be Spider-Man after this -- he's ensuring that Otto dies while Peter will be back in his body, thanks to the Golden Octobot attacking Otto-Spider's skull -- BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Turns out Otto expected the Bot as well and shielded his head, meaning Peter-Ock is trapped for the duration of the fall. Otto mortally (even more mortally?) wounds Peter. Peter realizes his time is up but, in a last ditch effort to stop a monster from running around as Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Peter-Ock uses the Bot's mental link to force Otto to see and feel the defining moments of Peter's life, forcing Otto too see the world through a new perspective and accept the responsibility of being Spider-Man, not a villain. And then... Peter-Ock dies. Otto-Spider makes his declaration that he'll be an even better Spider-Man -- a Superior one. So, that being what it is, I find the story difficult to rate. It was decently told, intense, and has had a lot of build up. That being said, Marvel has killed another Peter Parker and this hand off is even worse for the fans than the 90's Clone Saga, which is where they tried to phase Peter out in favor of Ben Reilly (which caused an uproar). So I like the issue but absolutely hate the ending and honestly thing they've brought the quality of Amazing Spider-Man down in a single issue... So I rate it a 7/10, though I would also be comfortable going lower. I want to give it a point on the awesome cover alone... but the book is so unwieldy due to it's filler content that it balances out. The second story is about a random geezer telling his great-grand kid that he used to be Spider-Man. Not really sure what the point was or why it was included. 1/10, some of the art is interesting. The third story was about the Black Cat, but was drawn so bad I didn't even bother reading it. 0/10 -- I really dislike camp in my comic books to begin with, and including this awful art in the final issue of ASM was almost a slap in the face.

The future of Spider-Man looks... Well, pretty crappy. I assume that, due to fan backlash (or possibly something they've already planned), that this will, if not get reversed, at least get remedied; the Golden Octobot wasn't seen destroyed, so it is possible that Peter comes back, either in his own body down the line or in a cloned body (which might make the Jackal popping up recently make sense). Then I would be slightly more accepting of the Superior Spider-Man. Well, except for the fact that it's Doc-Ock, a character that I've only enjoyed mildly and can't imagine then perpetuating for too long -- he's a fan favorite villain, not someone we wanted to actually follow. He's just not that interesting. Marvel would have done better giving us something new, so that way they could at least work in an interesting back story.

Now we have a character that I really don't care about, at all. We already have a dark and troubled Spider in the form of Kaine, we didn't need another. And using a character we already know well enough doesn't make us want to see him succeed or grow as a person. It's just a touch revolting. I'd like to see them make it interesting, but I want to see it undone more.

Here's to Marvel getting their shit together and undoing the damage they've done. Hopefully Peter comes back sooner than Ben Reilly has...

Peter DID once see the future and apparently witness his final stand, and it WASN'T as Superior Spider-Man either, so I'm holding out that this will just be a short stint to rile up the fans. Because, you know, it's totally worth stopping a 700 issue series to do that.

Next up, I've got a good amount of Pull List issues to get through, probably two more posts worth. See you then!

P.S. If you want to commiserate about the grim future of Spider-Man (or, I guess, tell me I'm a stupid fan boy), leave a comment!

Extra! Extra! Centennial Edition (100th Post!)

With this edition of Extra! Extra!, I officially hit 100 posts! Going along with this theme, I'm going to select my top 5 favorite comic book series that have gotten to at least 100 issues (without renumbering) and talk about them a little bit.

Oh the fun we will have.

Wolverine I'm going to be honest, I've never been a huge fan of the Wolverine series. There are several story arcs that I find interesting, but overall I never got into it. That being said, I really do enjoy the character, especially when he's working along side other characters (Wolverine and Spidey is my favorite team-up, ever). So this series gets credit for developing a character I've come to enjoy, if nothing else. The series HAS been renumbered a couple of times now, but at least Volume 2 ran for 189 numbered issues, and I'm counting it.
Star Wars (Marvel) This series is... well, very much dated. That being said, it has two things going for it that will make me always appreciate it: First, the covers are awesome! Sometimes they're insane or oddly drawn, but each one has so much going on or so much attention paid to it. This is the era when comic book covers could be a story unto themselves. Second, this series helped pace the way for the Star Wars EU and the many, many Star Wars comic series that have followed. As for the issues themselves, I haven't read too many, and most of those were when I was a kid. My preference would be Knights of the Old Republic and Legacy, but I'd have to add those series together to hit 100 issues...
Batman This series started and stayed campy as hell for a long, long time. That alone gives it some credit. Since then, the title has grown into the Dark Knight we all know and love and has produced several quality arcs that I enjoy. But I will never forget the Adam West era, which bled into the comic series in its formative years. The campiest campy-ness that ever did camp. I will never collect the series, but I will always appreciate the stories that have come from it and keep an eye out for the older issues at yard sales and the like -- they're worth a pretty penny. I'm pretty sure this series didn't get renumbered for #713 numbered issues, which is a feat in and of itself.
Ultimate X-Men I have not finished this series, and have heard there were some ups and downs with the story telling. From what I've read, I've enjoyed the different directions taken with the characters and the way the writers were able to play fast and loose with recognizable characters that are overlay established in the main Marvel line. I could actually say the same for all the Ultimate titles, but Ultimate X-Men has the honor of making it to issue 100 (exactly) before being renumbered. I will eventually collect every title in this series, similar to what I've done with Ultimate Spider-Man.
The Amazing Spider-Man If you didn't see this one coming, you obviously don't know me very well! ASM has been renumbered once so far, but that didn't happen until after issue #441. It was slapped back into the original numbering system with issue #500, but will sadly be ending with issue #700, to be replaced by Superior Spider-Man. Your friendly neighborhood nerd is NOT happy with this, but will probably survive. I love Spider-Man because I really enjoyed Peter Parker when he was the nerdy kid down on his luck, to being the every man as he got older. His personal life was interesting without being too insane (though it CERTAINLY had its moments) unless his Spider-Man issues got in the way, which was ALSO interesting. One of my favorite things about Spider-Man, however, are is the varied Rogue Gallery that has cropped up around him and spread to other books. The series has been campy, light-hearted, dark, depressing, upbeat, confusing, obscure, upsetting as a reader (I'm looking at you, One More/Brand New Day), but, in the end, always something I've enjoyed reading and look forward to its eventual return. Because you know Marvel can't let a good title die.

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I didn't realize how many series I read have been renumbered before issue #100. It's kind of sad, actually. For a moment, this turned into a hunt for series I've read SOMETHING from that have hit 100 issues. I'm happy with this list, but would love some other thoughts on long running series, and I always appreciate more comments!

Other than that, this wraps up my 100th blog post. I'll try and plan something a bit more special for post #200. Maybe a video blog? Would that be awkward enough? I'll be accepting suggestions until then!