The detail and scope of the film is incredible. The effects and backgrounds reminded me more of Lord of the Rings than your average fairy tale. Snow White is played by the always mopey Kristen Stewart of Twilight fame. However, I suppose I can forgive her  mopiness since she spends the majority of the film being hunted down by an evil queen who wants to eat her heart. That would be a downer for anyone. The real star however, is the aforementioned huntsman played by Chris Hemsworth (Thor, The Avengers). He starts out hunting for Snow White but very quickly reverses course and serves as her protector.

Charlize Theron plays the evil queen trying to hold onto her youth and the title of  ”fairest of them all”, which calls for some suspension of disbelief because its hard to believe in a world where Stewart is “fairer” than Theron, but I digress. Theron wonderfully portrays  a queen who is cold and calculating one minute and having a manic freak-out the next (her yelling and screaming felt a little over the top at times).

Overall, the film almost perfectly melded the fairy tale with what you expect in a action/fantasy. It pays homage to what you know about Snow White even breaking out the “Mirror, mirror on the wall” line. It also manages to twist traditional fairy tale enough to keep you guessing while staying true to the Snow White themes (thanks to Walt Disney) you’re familiar with. My wife and I both thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely recommend seeing it on the big screen.

The post Snow White and the Huntsman An Action Fairy Tale – Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

I don't know what's wrong but Cap shouldn't look like this

Let me set the stage for you. I am a huge Marvel fanboy, I have been reading Marvel comics for more than 30 years. When they started making movies I loved those too (yes, I even liked Fleck’s Daredevil and Cage’s Ghost Rider, don’t hate me). When Marvel relaunched the ert Avengers, Secret Avengers and New Avengers at the same time a couple years ago I jumped fully onto the Avengers bandwagon and followed all three titles.

The new Marvel movies have just reinforced by love for these properties, Iron Man was phenomenal, Thor turned out awesome and the one I had the most doubts about, Captain America, ended up being really good (I had a hard time with the apparently three-foot tall Steve Rogers turning into the muscled behemoth Steve Rogers, it was hard to suspend the disbelief. Plus, they still haven’t gotten the Cap costume right. I’m sorry, but even in the trailer for the new movie something about it looks just a little ridiculous but I digress). I am really looking forward to seeing this group brought together it looks to be epic.

That's right, Captain America should look like this, he's not made of plastic.

Now here’s the part where I’m getting Avengered out. Marvel’s big crossover super story this year is Avengers Vs. X-Men, it’s supposed to be pretty good but I just can’t get myself to care. I don’t know if its the thought of shelling out $3.99 for each of the 12 issues or if I’m starting to feel abused by the Marvel marketing machine trying to get me to buy extra comics beyond the monthlies I always pick up.

Yes, this is real. And yes that is Thor and Thor as a frog.

I mentioned earlier I was picking up the three Avengers titles, Avengers, New Avengers, and Secret Avengers. Eventually, I lost interest in all three and I haven’t been back to any of them. Now in addition to those titles you can pick up Avengers Assemble (with surprise, surprise the exact same team as the Avengers movie, go marketing machine, go) Avengers Academy, Super Special Avengers, Dark Avengers, Light Avengers, West Coast Avengers, Avengers Origins, Avenging Avengers, Avengers With Cream Sauce…okay you get the point (and I did make up at least a few of those).

Enough is enough. I love the Avengers but wow do we really need a bajillion different Avengers titles? I can’t get excited about even one. So May 4 I’ll be first in line for the movie but when I hit the comic shop I’ll be buying Daredevil, Punisher and Venom.

Tony, however, should look exactly like this.

The post Avengers Movie Yes! Avengers Everything Else…errr Maybe appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

A movie of a popular book faces a tough battle, it has to appease and excite fans of the book by showing the readers what they expect while at the same time engrossing new viewers unfamiliar with the source. Having read all three Hunger Games books I would put myself squarely in the first category. I had a lot of expectations for this movie, I wanted to see the games, I wanted to see Katniss and Peeta brought to life, I wanted to see the visions of the book from my head brought to life.

I am very glad to say I was not disappointed,  the film did a very good job of bringing District 12 to life. The bleak living conditions, dusty courtyard and depression era clothes came together so well it almost looks like a period piece until you see Effie Trinket’s garish face and loads of white uniformed security. As the film transitioned to the Capitol it just got better, if anything the residents of the capitol appeared even more over the top than I imagined them in the book.

Then comes the game. The movie captures much more of the behind-the-scenes of the games showing the game maker Seneca Crane (who has got to have one of the most awesome beards in movie history) and how the players are being watched and more importantly manipulated for ratings. Remember this the next time you watch a reality TV show.

The games make the movie, its brutal, bloody and deserving of its PG-13 rating. I found myself counting along with Katniss how many tributes were left and on the edge of my seat as she made her way through the forest and other tributes to the conclusion all readers of the book know.

Were there a lot of details left out? Absolutely. Is the mockingjay a lot less relevant? Sure. Did some of the major secondary characters get glossed over? Incredibly so. Cinna, Gale, most of the other tributes and even Haymitch and Effie all probably got a lot less attention than you would expect from reading the book. But you know what, it’s okay. In fact it’s more than okay, director Gary Ross who co-wrote the screenplay with Hunger Games author Suzanne Collins instead focuses the film where you really want it, on Katniss. It is her story and given that the movie clocks in around two hours and 15 minutes I’m glad they chose to focus on her story and her emotions. She is played by actress Jennifer Lawrence (who I recognized as Mystique in X-Men: First Class) who embodies everything about Katniss. She’s gloomy and depressed, harsh and tough and loving and tender.

If I were to complain about anything it would be that a lot of the shots are short, handheld and frantic feeling. During the action sequences and even some non-action sequences the shots change so fast and are so shaky you can hardly keep up with what is being shown. It also, like the book, takes forever to finally get to the games. As a reader of the books this wasn’t so bad for me but for someone new to the series the first half may seem to drag.

However, I still thoroughly enjoyed it. It did great justice to the book and extremely entertaining. Go see it!

The post Action, Suspense & Fancy Beards – Get Ready For The Hunger Games appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Green River Killer is a graphic novel written by Jeff Jensen based on the story of his father Tom Jensen, the lead detective in this very real case of Seattle’s Green River Killer. The comic portrays Tom’s early life, how he became a detective and how the hunt for the Green River Killer took 20 years to solve.  I’d like to say it’s filled with big clues, gun fights and a rogue cop doing things his way. Instead you get a great picture of how non-TV cops really work, day after day hunting down leads and trying to bring peace to the families of this killer’s victims.

I actually thought it was a great read, you get some history and a lot of insight into how policing really works. The entire novel is also done in black and white, honestly this is usually a bad thing for me. I might be spoiled in my old age but I just like my comics in full color. However, it lends something to the reality of the story and I think forces artist Jonathan Case to bring more emotion into both the characters and the backgrounds they fill. You watch Detective Jensen and his family age as the case continues on and he also does a great job of accurately portraying the killer both as a young and old man.

I found it entertaining and would highly recommend it to anyone interested in true crime or police work of the non-CSI variety.

Overall = 86%

The post Green River Killer: A True Detective Story – Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Here we have a devastated band of Joes, they have lost their HQ and it looks like their funding. Cobra on the other hand is doing quite well under the new commander. They are in the process of taking over a country near Thailand with little resistance. The Joes apparently have just enough coin in the piggy bank to send a force into the country to see what they can do.

The positives about this title is it still has me intrigued, I don’t want to giveaway who Cobra Commander is for others who, like me, aren’t caught up on the action yet. It also puts GI Joe in a really bad spot ripe for Cobra to do a lot of damage which is always a lot of fun.

The negatives are seeing that the Cobra Command story is spread over nine issues and all three titles. This gets really hard and expensive to keep up with the story. Something of this scope would likely be great to sit down and read all at once in a trade rather than having to piece the story together issue by issue.

Overall the story is still moving forward well and keeping me interested. It’s a great time to jump into Joe if you haven’t been following along.

The post There’s a New Cobra Commander? Where have I been? GI Joe #9 Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Tintin is a reporter that solves all sorts of mysteries. The movie was all about pirates and a quest. Tintin buys a model ship that leads to him getting kidnapped and taken to a cargo ship. There, he escapes and meets Captain Haddock, the two team up with Tintin’s dog Snowy to find scrolls that will lead to the Haddock family secret treasure.

It was fantastic, it had lots of action. Out of 100 I would rate it 100 and I would think other kids should see it because older kids would probably like the action too, it has a lot of adventure. Younger kids would probably really like the pirate parts, I know my brother loves pirates so he would want to go and see it.

My favorite characters were Tintin and Snowy and Captain Haddock.  Snowy was able to find a lot of things that Tintin couldn’t find. One of my favorite parts was when Snowy sees a pickpocket and when he is finally caught by the two policemen they see all the wallets, the guy says he can’t stop, he loves wallets, he loves the way they smell and he keeps them all in alphabetical order. It was really funny.

I think Tintin is a really fun movie that everyone should go see.

Tintin stars Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell and my personal favorites Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. It is directed by Steven Spielberg and produced by Peter Jackson. With a great cast and being led by Spielberg and Jackson it would be hard for this movie not to be epic. From the adult’s perspective I was thoroughly entertained, it was an adventure that reminded me most of Indiana Jones, had Indy been an animated reporter. It is a great choice for your family. My daughter gave it a perfect 100%, I would rate it at 97%.

The pickpocket with officers Thomson and Thompson (Frost and Pegg)

One of the varied environs Tinin and Haddock face.

The post The Adventures of Tintin Review – A Kid’s Perspective appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Anyway, back to the show. Cake is a solid act, I’ve seen them before and they know how to put on a great show. Lots of audience interaction and lead singer John McCrea always makes things entertaining. They started the night with Sheep Go To Heaven and just kept the hits coming. The only downside to their performance was the length of the show. They played for just over an hour and barely scratched the surface of their full music catalog, especially when the first 10 minutes of their show was a prerecorded Rocky-like anthem that seemed to go on forever till the band finally came out on stage. However, the show was worth it just to see them…but I was almost ready to leave during the second band.

Two other bands shared the bill with Cake, Brogan Kelby and The Naked and Famous. Brogan Kelby is a local teen who’s been getting some radio airplay and he and his band-mates put on a good, high energy show. For me just seeing how much fun they were having made me enjoy the show even though I wasn’t familiar with them. At this point it was looking to be a good show.

Then out came The Naked and Famous. Wow, they really reminded me how old I am. The music was too loud (yes, I just admitted I am old) but to make it worse, you couldn’t understand a word they were singing and while having three people on keyboards at the same time worked for Depeche Mode I think the whole electronica thing has had its day. They really liked to combine feedback with the sound of a phone left off the hook, I almost physically covered my ears it was so bad.

I’m going to really date myself here but they appeared to be going for an early Sneaker Pimps type sound (male and female lead singers with an electronica/techno feel) but they ended up sounding more like the Sugarcubes (anybody remember Bjork’s old band), to me this is not a compliment. Bjork is practically incomprehensible when she sings and The Naked and Famous were the same. Even their songs that get played on the radio are the types of songs no one actually knows what the lyrics are. Granted, if songs like this didn’t exist what would have to argue about? (No, The Clash don’t sing a song called Stop the Catbox, I promise).

After an excruciating hour they were done and thankfully Cake closed out the show on a positive note, they weren’t even too loud, maybe I’m not as old as I thought.

The post Pick One: Cake, Naked or Famous appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Gameplay

• Both games have the same controls, you can play as a button mashing Batman punching machine or try your hand at combos that create extremely fun to watch Batman moves. I would rate both games equally here.

Gadgets

• AA had a limited number of gadgets that you earned through the game and each was necessary to advance the plot.
• AC starts with the AA gadgets and then you start earning more. Some are really cool, others I didn’t use so much.
• The win here goes to AC simply because the gadgets give you more options for taking down baddies and create situations where you really have to think about which gadget to use to accomplish a particular task.

Storyline

• AA was very linear but it was huge on depth, your exploration of Arkham Asylum had you going back and forth to the same places over and over but the bosses and detective puzzles were very detailed and created a story that really sucked you in. I found myself wanting to keep playing just to find out what would happen next.
• AC is much more open, you have a fairly large city to explore and while you have a main quest to follow there are many side quests and tasks you can do to earn XP, additional gadgets and challenge maps. Throughout the main story you also get to play as Catwoman, which makes for a fun alternative although I found Batman to generally be more fun to play.
• In AC if you largely play the main quest and don’t do a lot of side missions the game goes very quickly (not in a good way), I completed the main story but only finished 40% of the game. It does, however put you right back inside and allows you a bit more freedom to go and complete side missions and also opens up Catwoman as a fully playable character with her own set of side missions.
• AC also really highlights Batman’s unwillingness to kill (although I don’t understand how some of the thugs he takes out survive the beating). It almost becomes a bit ridiculous that he realizes that Joker will keep killing thousands of people but he won’t kill the clown even in self defense. It’s a line he says he won’t cross but it feels a bit more like a soap opera than serious moral conviction.
• This is a tough one to judge but just putting the primary storylines against each other AA was far more rewarding, there was more variety in the style of play required and AC didn’t take full advantage of its unique situations (one where you get to put the beat down on a Great White Shark, while epic could have been a lot harder and created more tension). I do fully plan to finish the 60% of the game I have left and am hoping to see more of the depth and variety come out in the side missions.

Bosses

• The main boss in both games is the Joker. You have a lot more one-on-one interaction with him in AC, get to see more of his personality and he can be quite fun. For example, at one point Joker gets your cell phone number and just randomly calls Batman to chat. I really liked this element of AC.
• I felt the bosses in AA were much more difficult than AC. Some would have me totally stumped and I would have to wait a few days before I could come back and beat them. I never had this problem in AC, some bosses were tough (Mr. Freeze, for example proved to be a very fun challenge) but I could always beat them with just a few tries. There were also a lot less bosses in AC (hopefully this will be made up for with the side missions I have remaining).
• I am going to have to give the boss battle to AA. Each was quite different and required a variety of gadgets and moves. If nothing else the Killer Croc level in AA created enough tension to put AA into the top spot for that boss battle alone.

Overall

• I would likely rate AA as the better of the two games but given that I still have more than half of AC’s open world to explore and conquer I might be a bit premature in my rating. I have thoroughly enjoyed playing both games and would recommend them to anyone who enjoys a third person action adventurer.
• However, what may put AC on equal footing is its challenge maps. I haven’t yet jumped into any of them but the option to play as Batman or Catwoman along with playable downloadable Robin and Nightwing characters makes AC quite intriguing. AC also introduces Ra’s Al Ghul (you all remember Liam Neeson from the first Bale Batman movie don’t you?) and his daughter Talia (the mother of Batman’s child in some comic iterations).

The post A Tale of Batman’s Two Arkhams: Asylum vs. City appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

With all of that said, I’m still drawn into the battle for the new Cobra Commander and am curious how this part of the story will tie into the larger story line. Also, with the willingness the writer have had to eliminate Joes and Cobras both I am curious if Duke is going to make it or not. Duke is a classic character and his demise would be pretty big for the Cobras. I think I am going to have to keep reading to find out if he makes it.

The post Snake Eyes #7 – Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

If you’re not familiar with the story the basic rundown is it is the story of Hugo, a boy who lives in the train station in mid-1900s Paris (I think) where he keeps all the clocks running while avoiding the station inspector. He is also desperately seeking a message from his father through a mechanical man the two were repairing before his father’s untimely demise.

Here is what each of us thought:

Me: I went into it thinking it was more of an adventure film, when it proved to be far more dramatic I found myself pleasantly surprised. I also initially wondered why the film was in 3-D, there were no real moments where you needed anything to fly out into the audience. By the end however, the 3-D had become just as integral to the story as anything else. Without giving too much away, the 3-D and overall filming of the show created a very magical mystery that really had me wondering what was going to happen up until the end. Ben Kingsley played an excellent bitter old man and the way the story came together in the end was truly magical. Plus keep your eyes open for the uncredited cameo of one of the film’s producers, I’ll let you figure out who it is.

Wife: She loved the historic feel of it and the history of movies (you’ll understand if you read the book or see the movie) and the imaginative world with the automaton (robotic man) and trying to figure out why Ben Kingsley’s character was so grumpy and mean. She said she would have never guessed the ending and loved how it all came together.

Daughter: My 8-year-old told me she was very glad she read the book before going otherwise she would have had a hard time following the story (granted there is a lot going on and it does deal with some more adult topics, war, death, etc.). She also pointed out the ways the book and the movie were different, not in a negative way but more of an excited to tell us what we missed out on. She really enjoyed the movie although a few moments got rather intense for her (she tends to scare easily and the station inspector’s dog made her really tense, she still won’t watch any Disney movies if they have “witches” in them, so this may not be true of all 8-year-olds).

Son: My son turns 6 next week and while he had fun going to the movie, he didn’t get much out of it and I wouldn’t recommend taking children his age of younger, they’re just not going to get it. He also got a bit scared by the dog and the middle of the film does get a little long and he was looking really sleepy.

Overall, we really enjoyed Hugo and would recommend it to family, friends and you too. It tells a meaningful story, the acting is superbly done and the visuals are quite spectacular. My wife and I are also now really excited to read the book.

The post Hugo Review – One family’s perspective appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

The Crimson Guard were never really utilized in the movies other than as red curtained door guards and to see Kir Kanos the last of the Imperial Guards in action it makes me feel like the guards could have stepped in, stopped Vader from tossing the Emperor down a hole and kept millions of people from memorizing the yub nub ewok song at the end of Jedi (the original ending of course). Kanos seems as tough as any Jedi and with just as much sense of purpose, even if that purpose is to hunt down Luke Skywalker. The villains of the Star Wars universe always seem to create a stronger story and look forward to seeing what they do with Kanos and I’ll definitely be going back to check out the earlier books.

Having not read the earlier Crimson books was a downside, I did feel a little bit lost and was likely not picking up on a lot of the background story. I was also confused when Boba Fett showed up, maybe I haven’t been keeping up but last time I saw him he was being swallowed by the Sarlacc. That aside, it is still enjoyable to see what might have happened to the remnants of the Empire after the success of the Rebellion.

The artwork was generally well done but for whatever reason the children depicted in the book looked off, either their heads were too big or their bodies were to squat. I found it distracted from the book and I though Leia looked more like Sigourney Weaver than Carrie Fisher while Luke was a dead on copy of old Mark Hamill.

I am interested in seeing where this goes but given that it is a six-issue mini-series it might be worth waiting for the trade to collect all six in one place.

The post Star Wars Crimson Empire III #1 Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Personally, I preferred the classic Schulz but the new strips were also fun. Peanuts isn’t anything I would regularly read but the chance to read a comic with my kids was worth it. My 8-year-old enjoyed reading it out loud and she particularly liked it when Lucy pulled the football out from Charlie Brown. The 5-year-old liked Snoopy and Woodstock. Of course after reading the digital copy they both asked if I would buy it for them. With this issue being just a buck I might just do that.

The post Peanuts #0 Kid Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

So after the first issue of Dark Horse Comics‘ Orchid I was really looking forward to the second. I wish I could say I wasn’t a little bit disappointed. The story picked up the main characters in the possession of slave traders, they manage to escape to The Wild, where they face six legged scorpion bears and another new character. This didn’t have a whole lot of meaning fore me and in this issue more than the first the artwork seemed to feel a bit sloppy and cartoony.

Overall, I am really hoping that this issue will later prove to be something that moves the story forward and that issue three will really play-up the new character and her abilities. At the very least she has me intrigued and I’ll give the book another try. The other big plus of this book is the soundtrack provided by the writer of the book, Tom Morello of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave fame, with this book you get a download code to get a new song from Tom. The song with the first book was spectacular so I’ll likely pick up a hard copy of this one to see if the second track measures up.

The post Orchid #2 – Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Fast forward 22 years and I am back at a They Might Be Giants show (I saw them again in the ’90s but they only played 45 minutes because one of them got sick, now that was a bad show), they were in town and I thought it would be fun for the wife and I to attend. I honestly haven’t kept up with the band and it showed, I only recognized half of the songs that they played. However, I did get to hear classics like Birdhouse in my Soul and Particle Man, they also played a number of songs from their kids album which were really fun. My wife loved hearing the Alphabet of Nations live.

They put on a great live show and even though I wasn’t up on any of their new stuff it was still a great time. They took the time to banter with the audience and and one point they show was taken over by John and John’s puppet alter egos the Avatars of They. The show also brought out a very diverse crowd, while most were my fellow 30-somethings you also had a group of hipster polyandrists, a five foot tall guy I kept thinking of as the Happy Little Bunny Rabbit because he spent the entire show hopping up and down (I assume it was the only way he could see the stage) and a whole lot of people who really loved this band.

Another positive, the opening act Jonathon Coulton was actually quite entertaining. He sang songs about zombies, mad scientists and Portal. This was also my first show at The Depot in downtown Salt Lake City, if I could get there early enough for a balcony seat this would probably be the best small venue in the state.

The only downside to the show was due to my unfamiliarity with some of the songs some of it felt a little long and standing for 3.5 hours is just not as easy for me as it once was (they played for a solid two hours). They also never played fan favorite Istanbul (not Constantinople). But overall it was a great show, if you’re familiar with the band or want an entertaining evening check them out. They are actively touring so just might be coming to a venue near you.

The post They Might Be Giants – A Concert Event 22 Years in the Making (for me) appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Some crossovers should never happen, unfortunately Star Trek Legion of Superheroes is on that list. A group of B-list DC superheroes end up on an alternate reality earth and low and behold so do Captain Kirk and the Enterprise gang. So neither group is staying inside their own continuity and both are dealing with the problems of an alternate earth.

Neither of the two storylines created enough intrigue to pull me in. I actually almost quit reading numerous times but decided to push through and see if it got better. It didn’t, a crossover should have a purpose or at the very least be fun. At least in one issue I didn’t get either of those and its not enough to get me back. So here’s a couple questions, what comic crossovers do you think would be great and what would be ridiculous? Personally, I think Transformers visiting Jurassic Park would be fun. Archie meets the Punisher, even better. Ridiculous, how about Star Wars meets Dungeon and Dragons?

The post Star Trek Legion of Superheroes Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Great writing, fabulous artwork the entire seven issue run was excellent. If your even remotely a fan of the Marvel universe and you haven’t been reading it’s time to jump in while you can still find these issues (some are on second and third printings).

The battle scenes are incredible, especially those with the Avengers outfitted with Asgardian weapons. After six issues of all the Marvel heroes getting beat down left and right it was very fun finally seeing them come back with a vengeance. The story wraps up but leaves a lot of questions and if you haven’t read Fear Itself yet its best that you stop right here…okay, so is Thor really dead? I really doubt it; how exactly did Hulk and Banner get ripped asunder? How will these events change Cap, did wielding Thor’s hammer change him? And finally, how much of this aftermath will show up in the ongoing titles and will this play into next year’s Phoenix event? Most of those answers we will have to wait to find out.

So, I loved this series and issue seven was as fine a capstone as I could expect. Anyone else follow this from month to month? Reactions?

The post Fear Itself Was Epic appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Swann, a former MI-6 secret agent, works as an independent contractor for his old employer. His mission in this four issue series is tasked with keeping a British nuclear scientist from defecting to the Russians. I am a big fan of the original Fleming Bond novels, I’ve read and reread them many times over the years and at first I found myself resenting the Swann character as just another Bond rip-off. However, the story was filled with everything I appreciated about Bond and by the end of the issue I was pulled in enough to want to know where things are going.

What really got me excited about the book was its beginning, it goes 11 straight pages without a word of dialog or narration (I don’t count the “East Berlin” identifier on the first page). 11 pages of pure action that really feels more like the opening sequence of a movie than a comic book. I loved it and hope that Byrne employs the technique in subsequent issues, you can check out the first three pages of this sequence below. The images pull you into the comic and without the distraction of words telling you what is happening you see it and feel it. It’s worth picking up the book just for this.

OVERALL: 90%

The post Bond, Jam…err…Swann, Michael Swann – Cold War #1 Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Not being familiar with the books or the characters the House of Night was completely new to me. The story of high schooler Zoey Redbird and how she handles not just becoming a vampyre but also being thrust into a leadership role she doesn’t want. It’s filled with teen angst, magic, goddesses, fanciful tattoos and everything else that has likely made the books bestsellers. If you’re familiar with the books you will likely really enjoy the comic. If you’re like me and have never heard of the books before it makes for a good introduction to the series.

The post Bestselling Novel House of Night Makes it’s Comic Debut – Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

What makes it even better is both the comic and the song were good. Orchid is the story of a teenage prostitute in a post-apocalyptic America. However, the first issue sets up the background for the world she lives in and introduces us to Simon and Anzio, two rebels fighting against the current rulers of the land.

The story brings the two rebels and Orchid together and honestly has me intrigued on where it is going to go next. On top of that the track that accompanies the book is incredible. I wasn’t a fan of Morello’s Nightwatchmen project but this track seems to pull from the best of his Rage and Audioslave days. You can download the first track today from his website.

The post Rage Against the Post Apocalyptic – Orchid #1 Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

So a few weeks back I wrote up a preview of what I thought about DC’s new 52. I was highly interested in seeing if some of the comics I thought would be good really were or if the bad were as bad as they looked.My original opinions were based entirely on what I read in DC’s preview comic that highlighted all 52 new comics. The comics are now out and some have even moved on to issue two. So I headed out to my local comic shop after work on Wednesdays to pick up a few issues…but they were almost always sold out. Seriously, I could rarely find what I wanted.

In one sense, this is a great thing for comics. People were coming into the shop and buying, I’m all for more people buying more comics, that’s great. However, since I didn’t get some of the issues the day they came out I had the opportunity to read some reviews on the same comics I wanted to buy and based on what I saw I’m not buying those books.

My fear is that 90% of the new titles are bad, not anything I would spend my money on. The other 10% were the ones scooped up quick by comic collectors rather than comic readers. I already had my doubts about the whole DC relaunch but now if I think I have a one in 10 chance of finding a good book if I can even actually purchase one it just turns me off. Especially when there are more Marvel titles I want out right now than I have money to spend.

I did manage to pick up a couple of DC’s books. Demon Knights #1, Green Arrow #1 and Resurrection Man #1. Demon Knights was one I had thought looked good and I was solidly impressed with it. This is the one book that I will likely give at least a six issue try. Green Arrow #1 was okay, I thought the preview looked bad but my love for the character forced me to buy the first issue. Unfortunately, it didn’t do anything to pull me in and like I mentioned before I have other books I can spend my money on. Resurrection Man #1 was one I thought looked bad but might have potential. I really liked the idea of it even though I hate the title of the book, DC and their ultra-literal hero names really gets to me but that’s a post for another day, after one issue its hard to tell, I’ll likely give this one or two more issue before making a final decision.

I wasn’t able to find any of the big name books, Justice League, Batman, Flash, etc. so there may be some hope yet for me and DC but I’m not holding my breath.

Has anyone else had a similar experience? I am really curious if anyone who was looking forward to the launch found something they really liked. What hidden gem might I be missing?

I love this character but the story wasn't there.

I'll give this title another chance to "resurrect" itself, gee, I'm almost as clever as DC.

The post DC New 52 – Boost or Bust? appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

I already have shown my love for all things GI Joe and I am still enjoying the battle to see who will be Cobra Commander, however it is getting harder to keep up with the three different issues (GI Joe, Cobra, Snake Eyes) and tracking what all is happening where since the characters pass between the three issues. This issue also committed one of my personal comic sins, the cover has nothing to do with the story inside (all the Joe comics seem to be guilty of this from time to time). So this wonderful image of Roadblock ready to let off some sort of nuclear bazooka, yeah, didn’t happen.

With that said, I still really like the story. It is getting deeper and more intriguing and six issues in you still have no idea who is going to come out on top in the battle for Cobra Commander and the Joes are being constantly pushed to the edge without any end in sight. It keeps me coming back to find out more.

The post Cobra Civil War: GI Joe #6 Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

We also start to get to see the beginnings of the turtles, Splinter and Old Hob’s transformations into the fine or not so fine creatures they are today. The artwork is solid, the story stays intriguing and I have been pulled in more than I anticipated after reading the first issue. Check it out while you can still find the first issue.

The post TMNT # 2 – Where’s Raph? Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

It starts with Scotty freaking out because of some engine issue (anyone remember any episode of Trek where Scotty wasn’t freaking out about the engine? Didn’t think so). That issue, of course, gets put aside until the after the Enterprise reaches the edge of the galaxy and apparently runs into the wall that runs around the Milky Way, who knew?

The story is actually more involved than this, you have the famous Star Trek 3-D chess, Spock performs a mindmeld, Dr. McCoy has lady issues, Chekov looks like he’s seven, the crew investigates a distress call (like that’s never happened before) and all of the psychics on board fall over dead except for one who can now juggle without using his hands…whew, is that enough hot Trek action for one issue. I hope so, the artwork is decent although it felt like we were forced to see the comic versions of every character in the film show up even when they have no real part in the story yet. It really felt like they wanted you to know that the included all the actors from the film. The story is pretty standard Trek fare, if you are a fan of the series you will likely enjoy the added stories you’ll get from the comics. If you aren’t a Trekie/Treker/GrandMasterTrekster this may not be the random comic for you to pick up.

I can’t pass up a chance to highlight the best Star Trek memory of my childhood, Star Trekin.

The post Star Trek #1 – Boldly Going…Somewhere appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

I am guessing in issue 3 we’ll see what becomes of him and how he is transformed into the immortal servant of the bones. The story the comic is based on was written by Anne Rice and reading more about what the novel was about has peaked my interest in the comic more than just reading it with no history.

The artwork is well detailed although it did remind me of the animated movie Prince of Egypt from a few years back (the characters appear to have the same hair) although it might just be the religious nature of the story that brings that to mind. I found it entertaining and am curious how the Jewish boy in ancient Babylon ends up in a modern day cabin with a dead girls teacher, oh, did I forget to mention that part? Like I said jumping in at issue 2 has its disadvantages. I would recommend picking up number 1 and 2, it’s bound to make much more sense.

The post Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones #2 Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

While the premise of the story has been done in countless books and movies I still found this introductory story fun to read. Those familiar with the original Jurassic Park movie will recognize parts of the island and it is entertaining to see the island being put to more nefarious purposes (not that things worked out well for everyone in the movie).

The only downside to this first issue is much of it is back story so you really don’t see too many dinos. The artwork has more of an old Saturday morning cartoon feel to it (think G-Force or Johnny Quest) especially with some of the characters facial expressions. The issue also ends on enough of a cliffhanger to make we want to pick up the next one to see where it goes next.

The post Jurassic Park: Dangerous Games #1 Mini Review – Welcome Back to Isla Nublar appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

With that said you might imagine I went into issue 8 of the current Dr. Who comic with a few preconceptions but it didn’t matter. The story for this issue involves the good doctor and his friends somehow multiplied into 12 different versions of themselves. Unfortunately the 12 different versions all look like they were dressed from the Barbie and Ken costume collection, either that or its the Dr. Who version of the Spice Girls.

So knowing I’m not a fan of Who, this just helped to reinforce my feelings. The story has the multiple Whos fighting multiple rock looking people (also outfitted by the Barbie and Ken collection) and a dinosaur that can talk. Overall it felt much like other Who stories, a bit convoluted and nonsensical. If you are a fan I am sure you will have a different take than I, but this comic did not help to heal any of my bad Who-feelings.

OVERALL: 60%

 

The post Dr. Who #8 – Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

The new book starts off with a face-off between the turtles and a mutant street fighter cat who has it out for Splinter (the whole cat/rat thing). The battle is intermingled with flashbacks to the turtles when they were still just that, turtles, being cared for by April (also from the turtle’s history). The opening issue does a good job at poking a bit of fun at the original turtles with cowabunga and pizza references. Overall the story sets up an intriguing return of the turtles, hints at future baddies and begins the story of their origin.

The story is solid and the artwork is more gritty than the cartoon I remember from my youth. Aside from Splinter occasionally looking more like a dog than a rat the darker look and feel of the art does an excellent job portraying action and emotion.

OVERALL: 86%

 

The post The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Are Back – Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Wife: Did you check out a book about a princess at the library?

Me: Yeah, I totally forgot about that.

Wife: I thought it was a book the kids picked out so I just read it to them.

Me: That wasn’t a kids book.

Wife: Yes, I know that now; but it was in the middle of the other children’s books in the library bag.

Me: Was it bad?

Wife: No, it started out just fine. The princess and her teddy bear have some adventures, she knows there is a monster under her bed but it doesn’t really bother her. She then gets a cat and the cat goes missing (at this point I am thinking the monster must of eaten the cat or something and she just read this to my 7 and 5 year olds).

Me: Okay…

Wife: So she looks for the cat and discovers it is under the bed with the monster, then the monster comes out and wants to be friends.

Me: And?

Wife: And then she eats them.

Me: She does what?

Wife: The princess eats the monster under the bed and the kitten and makes a fort out of their bones.

(at this point I am laughing)

Me: And you just read this to the kids?

Well apparently after my wife explained that this was just a pretend story, on the page where the princess eats everyone, they got quite the chuckle about the whole bones into a fort thing. Needless to say I had to read it as soon as I got home and it was epic. The story is simple but there is a darkness hidden within that is there if you look for it. The story flows very smoothly and keeps a fun tone throughout all the scenes. The artwork also does a great job of portraying a very sweet princess while giving you little hints of her darker side.

The tone of the writing and the playful artwork only makes the surprise ending that much richer (technically the book has three endings, as described on the dust jacket: “One ending is sweet, another is horrible. The last one is the true ending, the one with teeth in it.”) I am now planning on purchasing my own copy and will be giving it as a gift in the near future.  So stop whatever you are doing and head to the library or bookstore and read it. Oh, and my children were not scarred by the reading of this book, who knows your kids might even like it.

The post The Princess and Mr. Whiffle – A Children’s Book Not For Children appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

So Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths is a Godzilla comic that is missing Godzilla. The story focuses on Makoto Sato, a detective in Tokyo who has been framed for the murder of his partner. To get revenge he enlists the help of Mothra to wreak havoc on the crime lord who set him up. His actions upset some sort of monster balance and at the end of the book the big G finally shows up to bring the balance back.

It’s a unique idea for a Godzilla book bringing in the gangster/crime story and watching a giant monster moth destroy things is somewhat enjoyable but I’m not familiar enough with the Godzilla world to understand why the giant moth would work with a human or why a giant moth was ever a good idea for a monster in the first place. The book isn’t bad but its not great either, the story-line isn’t particularly original but it will be interesting to see how Godzilla becomes a character in the story and whether he just destroys Tokyo like normal or if he is able to become more of a three dimensional character that makes an average gangster story great.  Somehow I don’t think we’ll be seeing Godzilla in a suit, sitting in a bar ordering a shaken martini but if Sato worked with Mothra maybe there is hope for Godzilla to work on the side of the law.

The post Don’t Make Godzilla Angry – Godzilla: Gangsters and Goliaths #3 Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

These scenes are interspersed with Prime today as he is tasked with deciding the fate of Megatron, who transformed from peaceful pacifist to super bad terrorist robot in the years between the flashbacks. Megatron is set to be executed or given life in prison and Prime is the man/err…robot to lay down the judgement.

The book got pretty heavy at times with Cybertron politics and apparently having corrupt politicians isn’t just a human tendency, the robots suffer from it as well. The political element felt a bit drawn out and Prime’s actions in the present day felt overly dramatic for a robot but it did a really good job of setting the stage for The Road To Chaos, The Battle for Cybertron, which the series has been leading up to. With the political stage set the next issues in the series should really shine as (and I am jumping into the world of my own conjecture here) the political factions start to split and fight and we get to see the war that ultimately destroys Cybertron.

The artwork is generally good and Prime has some great scenes as a cop but the over the top politics and some of the lines make it a bit too campy for my tastes, although I do think Transformers as a franchise is meant to be a little campy. But lines like “you have the right to deactivate your voice circuits” is a bit much even for me.

The post Transformers #23 Review – There really is more than meets the eye appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

That's some bad lightning

Writer Mike Mignola and artist Duncan Fegredo do a great job of making this “simple” story far deeper and more meaningful than just a fight. In fact beneath the fisticuffs is a very deep story that starts with a brief history of where Hellboy has been and how he winds up as the rightful king of Britain, seriously.

The first two issues set up the final issue quite well. The groundwork is quickly laid leading up to Hellboy’s confrontation with Nimue, England is being pummeled as a result of that battle and to add to the mix, Hellboy’s new girl is trying to find him but finds herself in the middle of a battle between dead/undead/reanimated Arthurian knights and giant pig, shark, goat goblins. Add to that witches, Famine, Pestilence and Death (you know, those Apocalypse folks), Excalibur and possibly the Holy Grail and you have a truly epic tale (but I was serious when I said it feels much simpler than all this).

The artwork is a stunning combination of darkness and color with loads of action and emotion. This all leads up to the conclusion of the book which I felt was handled perfectly for what Mignola obviously had planned for Hellboy and it leaves me really wanting to see what happens when the next Hellboy story-arc picks up.

I really enjoyed this story but it did have a few downsides, I found myself lost a few times as I passed between the panels of the Hellboy battle, the destruction of England and the goblin/knight fight and had to go back several times to see if I had missed something or to determine what I was seeing. Also, a lot of characters show up, both old and new that tend to pull the focus away from Hellboy. Granted, some of these characters are likely from Hellboy’s past and would make more sense to someone who might have a stronger knowledge of the history of Hellboy than I do. I’m a fan of the character but am by no means an expert so I may have missed some connections that others might make. However, I still felt a little lost with some of the side storylines.

Overall it was a good read and left me wanting to find out what happens next. The highly climatic ending really makes it worth the read. If you’re a Hellboy fan you’ve probably already been following along, if you are a more casual fan like myself or new to the franchise you’ll still be able to jump in and enjoy it.

Fist of Doom meet head of dragon

Head of dragon tosses Hellboy into dust...and skeletons.

The post Hellboy: The Fury #3 Review – Wow appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Those were my initial thoughts not being familiar with the source material. However, after a little digging into the original 1958 Robert Bloch short story of the same name the comic starts to make a lot more sense. Fans of the original will likely enjoy the comic adaptation with its variations on the original theme. If you are like me and not familiar with the story it’s unlikely that a three issue “deal with the devil” short story adaptation will be that attractive.

The post That Hellbound Train #3 Mini-Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

1 – General Hawk and Dial Tone (who as an action figure was a communications guy with a little Frenchy mustache and as a comic character is a communications gal with a figure, you’ve got to love creative license) begin the process of setting up a new Pit (the Joe HQ).

2 – Flint and Scarlett also start the process of setting up a new Joe HQ. I got a little lost on this one, I thought Flint was hunting down Storm Shadow but now Tunnel Rat is hunting Storm and Flint is playing house. I’ll have to wait and see where this goes and why the two HQs.

3 – Duke, Road Block and others are hunting down Cobra bio weapons and in Duke’s case he gets a real first hand look at what Cobra can do.

4 – Storm Shadow and Zartan escape from the destroyed Pit and try to evade capture by the Joes.

Even with the confusion I am still really liking the series. There are Joes in turmoil but Cobra is still in turmoil as well. IDW’s website is actually tracking how many Joes and Cobras have eaten it and people are being lost on both sides as the battle to determine the next Cobra Commander continues.

I like that the series stays true to most of the history of GI Joe, in most cases if you remember Duke or Snake Eyes or even some of the more obscure characters like Lifeline or Shipwreck from the toys or cartoon you will recognize them here (Dial Tone being the first notable exception). However, writer Chuck Dixon has made the world far more real for the Joes and Cobra both and you almost start to think something like this could really be happening in the world (hey, I said almost).

So even if you aren’t old like me and have no history with the series this is a great time to jump in, the battle to determine the next Cobra Commander can only get better.

The post Go Joe! The Action Continues in GI Joe #4 – Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Overall I found the story a bit rushed and the artwork is a bit too cartoonish for my personal taste but I did enjoy the unique take on the golem vampire fighter so give it props for an original take on an unoriginal premise. However, the art and generally lackluster storyline won’t be bringing me back to this franchise.

The post 30 Days of Night, Night Again #4 Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde

Great, now that you’re up to speed let’s keep going. Following my review of the series I had the chance to send the writer of the series, Cole Haddon, some of my questions. Since I submitted my questions in writing I missed out on the witty banter of a live interview but I’m not one to miss out on witty banter if I can help it so after receiving his answers I came up with my own banter. So, WPR=me, CH=Cole Haddon and WB=Witty Banter and other observations I made based on his replies. Here we go:

WPR: Why the desire to delve into the world of Hyde?

CH: Mr. Hyde has always been my favorite Victorian-age monster, far more interesting to me than, say, Frankenstein’s monster or Dracula. He’s a tragic villain after all, a character who, as Dr. Jekyll, set about trying to save the world, but, because of that arrogance, because of thinking he alone could accomplish such an impossible task, released Mr. Hyde, a homicidal, baby-killing madman, on London. In him is the best and worst of us, two states constantly at war. I thought that sounded a lot like the United States today, a country torn apart by an increasingly dualistic way of thinking, but, as I got to working on the series, I realized Jekyll was much more interesting as a guide to another character – my Inspector Adye – who was undergoing a similar spiritual conflict inside himself. If Jekyll had survived the original novel and somehow recombined the two personas, what would the result be? How would Jekyll’s profound reason make sense of all the horrible truths Hyde would have discovered about how the human soul and our society works?

WPR: How much of Hyde was based on the original Stevenson Hyde? How much was original?

CH: Each issue begins with a short prologue, set during the events of the original novel, which show my interpretation of what happened there. Beyond that, everything else is wholly original.

WB: Having just nearly finished Robert Louis Stevenson’s original The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde after reading the comics I really appreciate the differences he chose to make and it has been fun to see what is the same. 

WPR: I would assume it was a conscious decision to not make Hyde into a literal monster with physical changes to make him more like Ayde (as was shown in the wax museum). Was this the case? It is definitely a different take on Hyde compared to how he was portrayed in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen.

CH: It was a completely conscious decision. I know full well that Robert Louis Stevenson described Hyde as a gnomish villain, but I didn’t find that interpretation, or the one presented in cinema over the years or Alan Moore’s, especially scary. Scary is the guy you think is normal, that you even find yourself liking and wanting to be like, who could stab an ice pick into your ear and not think twice about it.

WB: I really think this take on Hyde really is more fiendish, in the original he exudes a sense of wrongness and evil to everyone he meets. Haddon’s Hyde is far more subtle and makes for a stronger story.

WPR: Was this a Hyde focused one time series or will we see future stories with Ayde and other Victorian era “monsters”?

CH: The intention is for many more “strange cases” to follow, with Inspector Adye using what Jekyll/Hyde has taught him to tackle the unexplained mysteries of his era. The final page of Issue #4, for example, reveals whom the next strange case will be, while I’ll say that a mad scientist who made a cameo in Issue #1 will also plague Adye in the future.

WB: All I can say is that any take on the “mad scientist” from Issue #1 is going to be way better than the horrible movie starring Val Kilmer, I’ll let you figure out which one (poor Val has had a lot of bad movies).

WPR: Ayde and Hyde have a lot of similarities and even look very similar and then you have their name being different by only the first letter. You also saw the relationship between Jekyll and Hyde but over the story you also saw a similar relationship develop between Ayde and Hyde.  Assuming the series doesn’t end here will the Hyde/Ayde relationship come back into play and will Hyde show up again or was the story more of Ayde’s journey from naive “moral” man to a man more balanced in outlook and interests as we saw him really acting on his own at the end?

CH: You know what’s funny? I didn’t recognize the name similarity myself until after I had written the comic book. The character of Inspector Adye, see, wasn’t my creation. He’s found in H.G. Wells’ The Invisible Man, addressed there as “Colonel” Adye. Consequently, The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde is sort of his “secret origin.” As for the similarity in their appearance, that was much more intentional. Jekyll/Hyde sees Adye as being just like he was, before the serum. He’s what Jekyll was before the serum enlightened him, in other words. Physical similarities, making them appear almost as if brothers, were intended to give the feeling that Jekyll was trying to set “himself”/Adye free – liberating Adye from the absurd rigidity that Jekyll was also once constrained by. As for your question about how the series ends and if Hyde will return to Adye’s life, you’re going to have to wait and see. At the end of the day, this was always a story for me about Adye’s transformation. He’ll be dealing with the repercussions of his experiences with Hyde, including how to deal with what he learned from Hyde, for a very long time.

WB: I obviously didn’t know that Adye was from The Invisible Man but I think that it actually makes the character stronger. Haddon has been able to pull these characters, both well and lesser known and create a story that successfully weaves many classic tales together. Here’s hoping he gets the chance to do it. 

The post Interview with Cole Haddon, Writer of The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Bigfoot and Yeti aside, the comic is pretty over the top but it feels like its meant to be that way. The title character and heroine of the story, Wynonna Earp is a United States Marshall, Black Badge Division. It’s her job to track down the paranormal baddies in the world which include vampires, witches, warlocks, mummies, ghouls, whatever. If you have ever read any of Lilith Saintcrow’s Jill Kismet novels, Wynonna feels like a less serious Kismet but with a very similar job. This issue wraps up a series where Wynonna has been tracking a mad scientist who has been splicing human DNA with Yetis for the aforementioned Vampires (who also know how to fly military helicopters, who knew).

Wynonna tracks down her man with the bravado you would expect from someone with the name of Earp and the overall story was quite fun, full of one liners, big fights and did I mention Bigfoots versus Yetis. Something else I enjoyed about the book was that it included background information on the story and the characters so that even though I only read this book I was able to fully understand the characters and what was going on. If you want more WPR info on Wynonna check out the review of Issue 1.

The post Wynonna Earp: The Yeti Wars #4 Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Most are likely familiar with the classic tale of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde and this take on it is interesting in a number of ways. The story takes place after Mr. Hyde, who had been terrorizing (and killing) Londoners for some years, is finally “killed” by the police. However, his death was slightly exaggerated and in fact Mr. Hyde/Dr. Jekyll has been a prisoner in a cell beneath Scotland Yard for 5 years.

A new Scotland Yard inspector, a Mr. Ayde (he and hide are distant relatives separated by only six letters), who is investigating murders being committed by Jack the Ripper. It also appears the Ripper is using a similar serum to that invented by Dr. Jekyll, the same serum that gave birth to Mr. Hyde.

As one might imagine, Ayde finds himself seeking the help of Jekyll in tracking down the Ripper. I don’t want to give away too much of the story, the four-issue arc was an entertaining read and successfully kept me wanting to read more. The first issue started a bit slowly for me but once it got moving it kept a very fast pace.

A particularly entertaining scene finds Dr. Jekyll in a wax museum where a wax statue of a very animal-like Mr. Hyde ready to smash a baby. Jekyll’s reaction is quite fun, as is seeing how feral Hyde looks compared to the reality of Jekyll’s appearance. The series offers a number of surprises which is a nice change from the good guy always getting the girl, catching the crook and becoming the hero. I was particularly happy with the ending and where Ayde’s character ends up.

Mr. Hyde and Mr. Ayde look like they could have been brothers or at least cousins but they're "not mates".

Visually the story was brighter than one might expect of a Victorian era tale although I was somewhat distracted by the physical similarities between Ayde and Jekyll. I occasionally had to look close to determine if I was looking at Jekyll or Ayde.

All in all it was a good read, nice art and compelling characters. The book has also motivated me to pull my copy of the original Robert Louis Stevenson novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde off the shelf. I bought it a few months back but am now really excited to compare the differences between Stevenson’s Hyde and Haddon’s version.

The post The Strange Case of Mr. Hyde – Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Is it TOMAX or XAMOT? Wait, XAMOT's dead, must be TOMAX.

If I were to name three things that defined my childhood it would be video games, baseball cards and GI Joe. I played my first video games on an Apple IIe and and Intellivision console, still have boxes and boxes of baseball cards sitting in my parent’s attic and right now, today, I have a GI Joe helicopter and hovercraft sitting in my closet. Yes, I am 36 years old, married with three kids and I still have GI Joe toys in my closet, not to mention the boxes of them sitting in my parent’s attic next to my baseball cards.

As a kid I loved the toys, the cartoon and the old Marvel GI Joe comic books, I still have my issue #4 from 1982. However, until recently I hadn’t read any of the new GI Joe comics but when I heard that they offed Cobra Commander and started a new multiple title Cobra Civil War story arc I was sucked back in. The story is told in three Cobra Civil War titles: GI Joe, Cobra and Snake Eyes, all published by IDW.

Yes, I am 36 and I have a GI Joe t-shirt and the Cobra Hydrofoil so yes I probably do have a problem.

The premise of the books is the next Cobra Commander will be whomever of Cobra’s top brass kills the most Joes. This was the first big shock of these books and I hate to sound excited about this but they really kill Joes, a lot of them…and it’s great. The books don’t hold any punches with groups of Joes being taken out in massive ambushes or individuals being silenced by Stormshadow’s katana. This is a long ways away from the cartoon I grew up with where no one ever died and all the guns shot blue or red lasers. This is so much better. To be fair, the Joes did take out Cobra Commander and various other Cobras, including Xamot who I’ll get to in a moment, so from the Cobra perspective they have it coming.

So far I had only read the GI Joe books so I was excited for the opportunity to review issue 3 of the Cobra series. In it we find Tomax (one half of the Crimson Commanders twins Tomax and Xamot, for those not in the know the twins were so similar even their names were mirror images of each other, and yes I still have both these action figures) who has been captured in an assassination attempt of General Hawk (yes, have that one too) and he has for reasons unknown to me been placed into a regular prison. The entire issue shows how Tomax plans to get back in the good graces of his Cobra comrades and his overall strategy for dominating the world, the only hint I’ll give is it’s not through fighting.

I had to include a Stormshadow reference just so I could include the cover of GI Joe: Cobra Civil War #3, love it.

I enjoyed the issue, especially seeing what has been happening in the GI Joe title through a Cobra’s eyes. However, Tomax’s prison escape while rather ingenious is a bit too easy. Early in the issue the President of the United States called the prison to make sure Tomax was viewed as being extremely dangerous, the president calls and yet situations still happen allowing him to escape.

Still, the book is exciting and really makes me want to go pick up the Cobra issues I’ve missed. Something else I’ll throw in is I love IDW’s actual books, they have a quality feel to them that few comics have. If you haven’t picked one up, go check out the Joes and the quality of the book you won’t be disappointed.

The post A “former” GI Joe addict reviews Cobra Civil War: Cobra #3 appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

I will be honest, I didn’t like it. It starts out interesting enough with detectives trying to solve a murder but as we are introduced to the anti-hero it just goes downhill. I am not against a story about a bad guy but this one didn’t do anything for me, I felt no sympathy for the main character or any of the others for that matter.

The set-up is intriguing, a man who can fly with the help of a cape, and it could have gone a lot of places but chose to go nowhere good. Granted, it did contain the most creative way I have ever seen of getting the police off your back and that bit did make me chuckle but I won’t be picking this title up at the comic shop.

The post The Cape #1 – Mini Review appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

Who would think a guy named Carter could be so scary?

Okay, right off I’ll say there has been a lot of information shared on DC’s relaunch here at WPR. So I am going to do my best to not repeat anything. When perusing and purchasing books at my local shop recently I was given the free DC Comics The New 52! preview comic. Makes sense, give me a taste and maybe I’ll want to go out and purchase some new books. In this case the marketing ploy worked. You can see the full list of comics on DC’s site.

After hearing about the relaunch I had basically blown off DC. I had the opposite reaction of Ryan’s article where the relaunch is motivating him to check out DC. It just makes me want to stick with the stuff I love from Marvel and IDW and forget DC. I figure that their current titles with a million different earths and dozens of the same character (seriously how many Superwhatevers and Flash/Old Flash/Baby Flash/Bright Flash/Dark Flash does anyone need?).

So I checked out the preview and here is what I thought, divided into the very original categories of Good, Bad and Ugly. I intentionally left out the biggies like Batman, Superman and the Justice League, I figure those titles will get enough play on their own:

The Good:

I was actually surprised at the number of titles that really looked intriguing. The first to jump out at me was The Savage Hawkman, the artwork alone looks incredible and will likely get me to buy at least the first issue. Plus Hawkman is such a hardcase, it’s got to be fun watching him pound on the baddies.

Demon Knights is another title that looks interesting, I was first introduced to Jason Blood and the demon Etrigan in the recent Green Arrow run (see I do read some DC comics, I’m not a hater). Exploring this character further but in the Dark Ages could make for a different take on the DC universe that could prove to be exciting.

Shooting the blue monsters doesn't seem to be helping

The next one is a character I am not at all familiar with, Grifter, so maybe others have a different take but based purely on the description:

“…branded a serial killer when he begins hunting and exterminating inhuman creatures hidden in human form – creatures only he can see!”

DC is trying to pull me in with stuff like this. I love that he is going to appear to be some crazy dude killing for no reason, but is he?

The Bad:

Let’s be honest, there are 52 titles not all of them can be good. Here is what I found to be just bad. First off, Mister Terrific. I know this is DC but who says “the names Terrific, Mr. Terrific”. The name alone is bad and the description of him inhabiting a world of amazement few others can comprehend is puke worthy.

I hope the Wolfman shows up as a vegan, pacifist, masseuse. Now that would be epic.

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., all I am going to say is we have Hellboy and BPRD. I don’t need to see Frankenstein with a Gatling gun.

No Secret Six, okay, technically this isn’t part of the preview and that is the problem. This was one of the few DC titles I found thoroughly entertaining. I don’t know the back story on why the title is gone but it will be missed.

The Ugly:

I define ugly as a book that looks bad but may just prove to be a good, solid read. I may be wrong, I may right but these are a few of the books that I think might have promise.

Resurrection Man, this is another just horrible name for a character, just a little too literal for me. However, he gains new abilities every time he comes back to life which could help keep the stories fresh and you know he is going to die, repeatedly. Could be fun.

I really want Green Arrow to be good. I like Ollie, I want him to succeed. However, based on the preview this new iteration looks pretty bad. He’ll be traveling the world bringing outlaws to justice and that just doesn’t sound that great, but wait I forgot to add he’ll be breaking every law to do it. Still sounds bad but I am going to pick up a few issues with just a dream in my heart that the title is going to blow me away.

Finally, and this one looks really ugly, Suicide Squad. The new Harley Quinn looks terrible and the mismatch of her, Deadshot and King Shark really sounds bad but it does create an opportunity for an interesting dynamic. Depending on the situation they are placed in, who knows, it might even be good.

The post DC’s New 52: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly appeared first on WatchPlayRead.

How is Moon Knight like Spartacus? There are multiple answers to that question, first: never heard of either; second: uhh, they both have something to do with like Rome or Egypt or something; or third, final and correct answer: Moon Knight thinks he’s a lot of people and a lot of people thought they were Spartacus. If you have not seen the 1960 gladiator epic starring Kirk Douglas it is worth a see but that’s a post for another day.

Moon Knight/aka Marc Spector has always in my opinion been a second or even third tier character in the Marvel universe. He has recently been getting a little more attention as a member of the Secret Avengers and now his own series written by Brian Michael Bendis (but then finding a Marvel series not written by Bendis can sometimes be hard to do).

Moon Knight has always been the token mentally ill Marvel superhero, suffering from multiple personality disorder. In his illustrious career in addition to thinking himself the supernatural avatar of the ancient Egyptian deity Khonshu, the god of vengeance, he has at times thought he was a cab driver, a little girl and various other characters.

Personally, I am not terribly familiar with Moon Knight’s past but I enjoyed the character in Secret Avengers and have picked up the first three issues of his stand alone title. I figure that these issues have been out long enough I won’t be spoiling too much by just spitting out that in this iteration, Moon Knight’s split personalities take the shape of Spider Man, Captain America and Wolverine. Seriously.

Picture all four of these characters being played by Steve Buscemi in a live action Moon Knight movie. Who wouldn't pay to see that?

On first read I thought this was a bit too much, all those characters are already being themselves in countless books, was Moon Knight so pathetic a character that he could only be saved with a little help from his friends? Honestly, I am still undecided.

So far the split personality has been used in a fairly clever way.  A personal favorite moment had Moon Knight thinking he was Spider Man and having the complete crap beat out of him, the whole while “Wolverine” is begging to be “sent in” for the fight. Moon Knight says no,  and the Spider Man/Moon Knight continues to have his trash kicked. The usage of the personalities this way made for a more entertaining read and is what has kept me coming back so far.

However, the book has also some other issues. The first is its price. It’s a new series featuring a second rate character and it is $3.99, the price alone has almost kept me from reading, I would guess Marvel thinks anything written by Bendis is pure gold so they gave it the higher price point.

The second big problem I had with the book happened in issues two and three. It was a classic bait and switch and I hate it when comics do this. At the end of issue two it previewed the next issue with a big image of Bullseye. I have always really liked Bullseye so this got my attention and got me excited to see how they were going to work Bullseye into the story. Issue three comes along and who’s on the cover? That’s right, Bullseye. Again I am intrigued so I read the book and sure enough Bulleye shows up…but wait it’s not really Bullseye it’s Moon Knight dressed as Bullseye simply to test some former Shield agent Moon Knight hired. This was complete crap and felt more like a way to try and sell books than to tell a good story. When I think that I just paid $4 for the book it makes me even more pissed off.

Now maybe I’m a sucker but I will probably give the book at least one more chance but if it doesn’t improve I won’t keep buying it. I am obviously leaving out a lot of the story but so far it isn’t very impressive but to be fair I have really enjoyed some of Bendis’ other projects so it is very possible for the story to turn around. The artwork is a bit gritty for my taste but overall is good and adds to the world that is being created.

Hey look it's Bullseye, hopefully this isn't a trick.

The mad Hollywood life of a superhero

"Cheers"

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