Thor: God of Thunder

Note: I spoil a bunch in the first six issues of Thor: God of Thunder below. Avoid if that's a concern for ya.

I am not a Thor fan.

Actually, I don't really like how mythology/gods are interspersed with Marvel characters. I suppose I can dig that they're "original" superheroes back in the day, but I still don't like it.

When I read Earth X, a Marvel Universe story that takes place in an alternate universe (which is similar to DC's Kingdom Come -- I even reviewed them in a related Extra! Extra!), it gave me an explanation to the Marvel gods that, while I don't believe is in any way, shape, or form canon, it did make me take another look, and I've lightened up a bit on my stance on Marvel's mythology. A bit.

So why the hell did I pick up Thor: God of Thunder up? Someone mentioned the series to me a little bit before release, explaining that it was a story that dealt with Thor in three different time periods: the past, present, and future.

That last bit immediately triggered my interest. I love stories set in the future of Marvel, mostly because they're so damn messed up.

Guess what? Marvel didn't disappoint.

The Thor Trinity

The first arc (made up of issues #1-5) introduce us to young Thor back in the time of the Vikings, current Thor, card carrying Avenger, and future Thor... the last god. It also introduces Gorr, known as the God Butcher, who ties them all together.

Gorr is a creepy looking alien guy who reminds me of Dragonball Z's Majin Buu. His weapon is an ooze-like black matter that covers his body. It's not a symbiote (at least, certainly doesn't seem to be!), but is similar enough in that it can take pretty much whatever shape Gorr wants. Eventually, he even learns to create an army of ooze-dogs, which we see fighting Current and Future Thors.

What does a guy called the God Butcher do with his spare time? You guessed it: he kills gods. He's on a quest to kill every last god, and runs into Thor for the first time in the age of Vikings. Thor manages to get on Gorr's bad side when he hurts him and, towards the end of the issue, escapes his initial imprisonment without ever revealing the location of Asgard. Young Thor's story is interesting because we see a bit of what Marvel gods did back in the day, and we also see Thor at his most brash.

Current Thor's story has him encounter some of Gorr's handiwork on another planet, leading him to decree that the God Butcher must be stopped. We see the hangout of the universe's gods, Omnipotence City, which is interesting. He's looking for Chronux, which we find out is a planet of time gods, which Gorr uses to travel way, way back in time to kill and remove the heart of an ancient, infant god. Current Thor eventually catches up with him on Chronux and follows him through a portal... showing up Gorr-less... in future Asgard!

See! Kind of like Majin Buu, right?

Future Thor, who looks a lot like Odin now that he's old and war-scarred, really doesn't do much but lament about being the last of the gods, seeing everyone else die, and yet not being allowed to die himself. When Current Thor shows up, he finds Asgard and his older self in a bad way and is told that he missed Gorr by 900 years. Gorr is busy plotting on another planet, and that's where we leave the first arc.

Issue six is devoted to Gorr's back story  and it's basically just  a sob-fest on a world forsaken by the gods, until a grief stricken and outcast Gorr stumbles upon a pair of gods locked in their death blows. He gets his black-ooze weapon from them and begins his quest to kill all the gods.

All the issues are extremely well written and the art is fantastic. I give the first arc a 10/10 and Gorr's origin a 9/10. This is the first Thor series I've ever collected monthly (... or at all), and I plan on following it to the end, whenever that may be.

If you're looking for a new comic to try out, make this it! Out of all I'm reading right now, the series is one of my absolute favorites.

Ok, that's enough on Thor. Coming up soon, I'll be giving my full review of Bioshock Infinite, I'll touch on the Injustice: Gods Among Us Demo, and I've picked up the next round for the Pull List Review. Life is good.

Hunting Game(s): The Old Republic News

Hi All,

I'm just popping in quick to post about some news regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic and then to mention what I'll be writing about next week.

First, Star Wars:

The first ever "expansion" for The Old Republic was announced this week: "Rise of the Hutt Cartel".

It includes a new planet (Makeb), a boosted level cap (to 55), and extended story missions (faction, not character, specific). If you're a subscriber now and pre-order, it costs $10. Otherwise, it's $20.

Here's hoping the next few months see something more interesting.

I'm glad things are still being worked on, but this sounds like the weakest excuse for an expansion I've ever heard of. No new class stories and an uninteresting faction story (opinion, of course. I find Hutts boring). The additional five levels doesn't sound all that exciting either, especially if there's no additions/changes to the classes themselves.

I'll buy it, mostly because $10 isn't too bad and I wouldn't mind leveling up my level 50 character, but I really think the devs need to get their head out of the sand and give players what they actually want, which so far HASN'T been seen.

Well, there's my two cents. I've been playing TOR more and more lately and am still enjoying it, don't get me wrong, it just seems to have failed on ever level an MMO should strive for. It's a great single player MMO, though.

For next week, when I'm not sleeping, I plan on doing this month's Pull List Review! The Wife picked up my Pull List this month as my Xmas gift and I've been very much enjoying some of the new stuff coming out of Marvel NOW! Since there are so many issues, I'll space out the posts through the week. Keep an eye out because the next post will review the last few issues of Minimum Carnage!

Extra! Extra! Pull List Review

Hi all! Sorry for another missed Friday, my schedule has been very crazy these past few weeks. I'm on call all week this week, so, barring any major incidents, Friday should come out on schedule this week. We'll see.

This is late... because I was playing Halo 4. More on that Wednesday (more like Wednesday-ish).

For now, this week's Extra! Extra! will take a look at my most recent Pull List!

Scarlet Spider # 10 (Minimum Carnage Part 2) In this issue, Venom and Carnage meet after Carnage disappeared into the Microverse last issue. At first, things seem to go well, until the Venom symbiote goes batshit insane (my favorite because it reverts to the Eddie Brock style suit) and lashes out at Kaine (probably recognizing him). This fight ends pretty quickly (though is still pretty awesome). It does show that Kaine is willing to do anything to survive, which I'm sure will come in to play soon. After they make up, they jump into the portal to the Microverse, getting separated. Venom finds allies, Scarlet finds a giant monster. Carnage, meanwhile, is being prepped for an assassination, though has some plans of his own... The art, while not as good as Alpha, is still pretty awesome. This issue gets a 9/10.
Venom #26 (Minimum Carnage Part 3) In this issue, Venom finds out that his allies don't like him very much because the symbiote seems to infect/eat the Microverse simply by being there. He joins with them, however, to help get to their leader, the Redeemer, who just happens to be Carnage's target. Scarlet fights a giant monster while the Redeemer watches. Carnage... Well, does what Carnage does. He kills the villains that freed him and decides to hunt down the Redeemer anyway. At the end of the issue, Venom goes even more batshit insane during a fight against a bunch of random enemies, while Carnage runs into Scarlet and the Redeemer. Next issue should be awesome! I love the issue, but didn't care as much for the art, especially the depiction of Carnage. Issue was definately a solid 8/10 for me, though.
Amazing Spider-Man #696 As I guessed it, Peter Parker is held hostage to be used as bait for Spidey. The go between is Max Modell, who manages to give Peter the opportunity to escape without revealing his identity, though Max should really be catching on by now. The main event in this issue, however, is the fight between the original Hobgoblin and the New Hobgoblin. They go at it while Kingpin shouts and waves his arms. The end of the issue has them coming to an agreement, however, to recapture the escaped Parker and Modell -- they managed to steal the "Goblin Key" that Spidey stole from the New Hobby last issue. A decent issue overall, and I don't mind a regression to the old using Parker as bait to catch Spidey shtick from times past. I'd give it an 8/10, with a note that at least one point is for the awesome cover. Oh, and if Superior Spider-Man turns out to be in anyway a Doctor Octopus controlled character or the Doc himself, I will be very, very displeased. In this issue, we see one of Ock's bots crawl out of the water, and this one is special because it's a golden snitch gold.
Avenging Spider-Man #13 This issue is pretty much just a long fight between Spidey and the Hypno Hustler's mind control, with a little bit of Deadpool thrown in on both sides. The only notable thing is the way Spidey and Deadpool choose to team up... A 6/10. It wasn't aweful, I just didn't care for the HH and I don't care for issues in which Spidey is made out to be a bad guy. THAT shtick was done to death.
Avenging Spider-Man Annual #1 This is another Spidey team-up in which minds are altered. This time, it's due to an alien artifiact a couple of chumps dig up in Central Park. It makes everyone hate eachother and become violent. They try to sell it to a gangster-type while NYC tries to kill itself. Spidey and the Thing also throw down. Of course, Spidey is mostly able to shrug off the effects and finds the source. When the device is damage, everyone begins to love each other... physically. The issue ends in a neat, tidy bow. A relatively fun issue. I didn't care for it, so a 6/10 -- at least the art style and writing kept it interesting.
Ultimate Spider-Man #16 Miles narrowly avoids getting arrested by Cap when Hydra attacks the base. Miles teams up with Cap and SHIELD to repel the invaders, impression Cap enough to accept his request to join the Ultimates. ... Little sick of Cap needing to be impressed every other issue. The end of the issue reflects the major (and quite startling) major change that comes from the Divided We Fall event -- Captain America becomes President of the United States. Issue is a 7/10. I still don't care for Ult. Cap, but it was good to see Miles in action some more.
Ultimate Spider-Man 16.1 This issue takes place directly after the death of the Prowler, in which Betty Brant, who is a huge douche in the Utlimate universe, tries to uncover dirt on Spider-Man and find his identity. She mistakenly comes to believe that Miles' father is the masked vigilante, and goes to Jameson with her "proof." Unlike 616 JJJ, the Ultimate version is against A) slamming Spider-Man and B) ruining a family's life just to sell a story. I LOVE Ultimate Jameson. Betty decides to take her story elsewhere, though is killed before she can do so... by Venom! Finally! This issue gets a 6/10, and that only because I liked JJJ and am looking forward to Venom. I dislike Marvel's confusing "Point One" system -- it was launched as a way for new readers to jump in mid-series, and is now a lazy way to say "Hey, we're writing about a story we probably should have done earlier, hope you don't mind! Also, nuts to future collectors who expect whole numbered issues!" I mind.
Red Hood and the Outlaws # 13 First, the covers of this run have been VERY misleading. It's an old school technique that I don't particularly care for; a cover should have SOMETHING to do with what's going on in the story. Instead of fighting (as most fans might have expected), Starfire and her sister team up (along with the other Outlaws) to take back Tameran. Blackfire gets seriously wounded, but the good guys pull through and the Outlaws decide to head on home. The end shows that Blackfire is aware of the Thirteen and knows they must be stopped, even if she doesn't share that info with anyone. Also, the Joker is shown back on Earth at Starfire's old, crashed ship. He's pulling the original Red Hood's (Joker's first alias) helmet out of a box and laughing... Issue is a 9/10 for me. Really enoying this series, and it's the only DC item still on my pull list.

Because the Wife picked up the Pull List, she ended up picking a few other issues she thought I might like. Thus, we have the Pull List BONUS ROUND!

Uncanny Avengers #1 I was NOT going to pick this title up. I've never really cared for a team book, especially the Avengers. That being said, I enjoyed this issue! It's just the recruitment issue, showing how Cap, Thor, Rogue, Scarlet Witch, Wolverine, and Havok all wind up on one team, but it shows some interesting character dynamics (especially between Rogue and Scarlet Witch) and has me interested for the next few issues. That being said, I'd rate it an optimistic 8/10. The art on some characters is terrible (what the HELL did they do to Wolverine?), but mostly it was decent and there was a nice scene between the Summers brothers (thought I hate what they've done to Cyclops). We'll see how long this stays on the Pull.

A+X #1 This is another surprise. I normally dislike team-up titles as a rule and ESPECIALLY hate comics that tell more than one story -- there's not enough room to really flesh out two full stories, and comics don't do short stories well as far as I'm concerned. That being said, I liked both the stories here. The first has Cap and Bucky during WWII teaming up with Cable to stop Sentinels being produced before their time. The enemy, notably enough, is a Trask descendant from the year 2099. Here's hoping we see more of that!! The second story has Wolverine and the Hulk going toe to toe with... Wolverine and the Hulk? Future Wolverine and Future Hulk (called Maestro) fight it out in Avengers tower when the future pair randomly teleports in, hunting for "a Hulk." They don't find who they're looking for and leave quickly. They return to their time (I didn't recognize it, honestly. I'd say NOT 2099, but could be wrong) and wind up in what appears to be the Oval Office, being told that the Red Hulk MUST die by none other than... the Red Hulk himself? What the... So, a pretty interesting issue. As long as the team up pairs are interesting, I'll keep it on the Pull List.

That's all for this time, though keep an eye out for the following Marvel NOW! titles I've added to my Pull List:

Brand New X-Men (can't wait to see the interactions)
Deadpool (just a test run)
Superior Spider-Man (this won't be out for a bit)
Avengers Arena (has some interesting characters)
Thunderbolts (these might not be added to my reviews until I catch up with the past volumes)
Uncanny X-Force (because the current run has gone so well)

Alright, that's all for tonight! Sorry for the late and long post, I'll see you Wednesday with some Halo and CoD talk!

Hunting Game(s): Three November Titles

No new video game updates with me personally, though November is an interesting month for gamers.

To start, Halo 4 came out yesterday. While it still follows the Halo format (which means I won't enjoy it), there are a couple of traits that seem to set it apart -- a better integration of sprint, random weapon spawns, and all new weapons/vehicles go a long way to make the game interesting for a non-believer again. That being said, I WON'T be picking it up, at least not for awhile.

I'm pretty terrible at Halo...

...I can spray and pray in CoD.

That's because Call of Duty: Black Ops II comes out next Tuesday. Normally I'd try to go to a midnight release, but it's not looking too good (on call for work, work the next day, I'm getting too old for Gamestop CoD lines, etc...). I still might, however, because I'm actually pretty excited for the game. The complete level of class customization the game allows looks REALLY interesting, as does some of the new items and kill streaks. Look for a First Impression next Wednesday (as long as I'm actually able to pick it up by then).

After that, the only game on my radar is Persona 4: Golden, which is on the Vita. I own the original on PS2 but never beat it -- I look forward to changing that with the Vita version. It's a Shin Megami Tensei RPG, with randomized dungeons and really interesting monsters. The story is a murder mystery, of a sort, which you learn about as you progress the story and your social relationships with the characters in the game, simulation style.

Can't wait!

That's really it on the games front for me. The wife DID pick up the pull list, as well as a couple of surprise issues, so expect to see a Pull List Review soon. I've also decided which Marvel NOW! titles I'll be picking up initially, so keep an eye out for that.


Other than that, I might start going off on tangents that don't fit my M-W-F schedule. Keep an eye out for that -- I had something I wanted to write about today and seem to have forgotten, but it will eventually happen.

A short post going into another storm. Hopefully there are no issues and I'll finally be able to complete a Friday post on time!

If anyone plans on picking up Black Ops II for 360, add me. My gamertag is Silt44 and I enjoy getting group games going (preferably with mics, but I don't discriminate).

Balls, it's snowing.

Marvel Now! has got a flagship: Uncanny Avengers

Marvel Now! is about switching up the Marvel Universe. It's not a reboot ala DC's New 52, its a re-imaging and re-branding. This means the teams will be switched up, titles will have some radical changes, and everyone went clothes shopping:

I... am not impressed so far. I don't approve of comic book characters being made to look like their movie counterparts (in this image, see Captain America and Nick Fury [Junior, of course] for examples). The movie-verse should stay the movie-verse and be interesting all its own. I understand the drive for iconic status and money generation, but I still don't approve.

The X-Men on there have gone for one retro outfit and on completely stupid jumpsuit. Spidey looks like he is in red and black. WE DO NOT NEED ANOTHER RED AND BLACK SPIDER-MAN. Ever, in my opinion, but certainly not at this exact moment when we have Scarlet Spider and Ultimate Spider-Man. I'm hoping this is just promotional art and or another temp suit, I'd be bummed if it's the new status quo. And I've seen that design before -- it's the Alex Ross design for the original movies:

Blarg.

But, on to the Uncanny Avengers!

This title is a super team that is composed of a mix of previous Avengers with the addition of some X-Men. A mildly interesting concept, if, you know, the Avengers haven't been accepting everyone lately and already having several X-Men/Mutants on their team (Wolverine and Beast/Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch off the top of my head).

Thor: I'm not a huge fan, but he seems to be an Avengers staple. He could use a swap out, but then I don't know what they'd do with him. Still, I don't hate him, so that's a plus.

Scarlet Witch: An overpowered character if there ever was one. Oh, and prone to going bat-shit insane. Also, not a new addition, though they are plugging this as a redemption arc for her, apparently. Not an addition I care to follow.

Captain America: I'm fine with him in an Avengers team (because I wouldn't read a Cap title), but I still (from 30 seconds ago) hate his costume redesign and find it odd that he's not going to be the leader of the team.

Havok: The only interesting character on this team for me, and he's the leader. At this time I don't know why and don't know what they've done with him recently, but he will be a new player on the current field and that will be interesting.

Rogue: Only ever liked her in Age of Apocalypse. Don't know what she's been doing recently and, since I don't see Gambit anywhere around, I don't much care. Depending on what they do, she could be another great addition, though. Like I've said, I've seen at least one rendition where I've liked the character, which is more than I can say for some on this roster (looking at you, Scarlet Witch).

Wolverine: I love Wolverine. But usually only when he's teaming up with Spidey. As an Avenger... It doesn't seem to suit the character. After doing some reading over at The Weekly Crisis, I think I'm going to check out Uncanny X-Force for my Wolverine fix.

I think I'll keep an eye on Uncanny Avengers but pass on initially. Well -- I'll get the first issue at least. But that's just because I'm getting an unhealthy obsession with first issues...

Sorry the blog has been so comic centered lately -- at least on Monday I'll be switching it up with some literature. And... hmm... I could use a few more scheduled days. Maybe I'll force some Video Games on here as a weekly post. More on that soon!