Review: ‘Southern Bastards’ #1

By

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April 29, 2014

Aaron And Latour Knock ‘Southern Bastards’ #1 Out Of The Park

If you’re looking for a replacement for ‘True Detective’ stop what you’re doing and pick up ‘Southern Bastards.’

This review is from the Pop Culture section of News Talk Florida.

Jason Aaron does what all great writers do, create awesome gritty characters. In one issue Aaron brings to life Earl Tubbs and sets Tubbs up for an epic battle against Craw County, Alabama. Old Bruce Willis, Clint Eastwood and Charlton Heston have nothing on Tubbs.

Jason Latour brings the book to life but what works best for Latour is his color palette choices to convey action and emotion. The colors used for day, night and flashbacks work perfectly. Latour succeeds as a creator because Tubbs looks original. You can tell that one of Latour’s influences in Frank Miller from body styles to action scenes.

The book does have a certain Dark Knight Returns feel in story as well. What separates Aaron from Miller is Southern Bastards is written from personal history. Aaron and Latour take the reader on an emotional action-packed journey and their letters at the end of the first issue really drive home why this book will succeed.

Story: 9/10 • Artwork: 9/10 • Overall 9/10

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Comic Creators Vs Hollywood

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 23, 2014

As Hollywood continues to create box office gold out of comic book characters, the creators seem to be left in the cold. Bob Kane created Batman 75 years ago but Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. are the names associated with the common fan. “Captain America: The Winter Soldier” is dominating the box office but does anyone know who Joe Simon and Jack Kirby are? Simon and Kirby created Captain America in March of 1941.

Warner Bros., DC Comics and previous copyrights holders have been in legal battles with the creators of Superman Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster and their estates since 1947.

Comic book creator and industry veteran Jimmy Palmiotti voiced his opinion on the subject to small crowd at a discussion panel at the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg, Florida last week.

“Hollywood has a disconnect between the people that create the material,” Palmiotti said.

Palmiotti then described what happened to the film “Jonah Hex” and how the film was just an amalgam of the original character.

“Captain America is a fine example. If you notice halfway down the credits, after the guys who park the cars, if you look in a small type face it says Captain America created by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Those are the guys that created captain America from scratch,” Palmiotti said.

For most comic book creators they understand the history and of the industry and hold the founding fathers like Kane, Siegel, Shuster, Simon and Kirby in high regard.

“This is the disconnect that happens and why the face comics is changing right now,” Palmiotti said.

Palmiotti, who by then had taken over the discussion panel ended his train of thought on a positive note.

“These are the voices of the artists. For first time in a while we are able to own the characters that we work on, This is really an exciting time,” Palmiotti conclude.

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Five Ways You Can Support Monkeys Fighting Robots

By

Matthew Sardo

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January 1, 2014

The whole staff at Monkeys Fighting Robots loves that you took the time to check out our website. If you like what we do, here are five easy ways you can help us reach a broader audience.

1. Tell your friends, family members, and everyone you know about Monkeys Fighting Robots.

2. Comment on your favorite article. Nothing says thank you more than taking the time to comment on an article.

3. Like and or comment on Facebook. The more engagement we get on Facebook, the broader our reach will become. The same goes for Twitter.

4. Buy a copy of MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS #1 – yeah, we made an epic comic book.

5. Become a partner of the website. We know how to get your message in front of nerds! Contact Matt Sardo (matt@popaxiom.com) or click the link for our contact form. Advertising packages start at $100 a month.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for your continued support.

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#PopCultureRecess podcast – ‘Thor: The Dark World’ after-credits scenes explained

By

Matthew Sardo

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November 8, 2013

Pop Culture Recess: ‘Thor: The Dark World’

‘Thor: The Dark World’ is out and the Pop Culture Recess duo of Matthew Sardo and Gerardo Gonzalez argue about the use of magic in the film.

Why you should listen: We explain the ‘Thor: The Dark World’ after-credits scenes, or do our best not to laugh at our nerdness.

PRESS PLAY

What did you think was the best part of ‘Thor: The Dark World?’

Pop Culture Recess is a daily 10-minute break from reality.

Walking Dead Mondays
Comic Picks Tuesday
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Wednesdays
Thursday Free For All
Blockbuster Friday

We love interaction with fellow nerds, tweet or comment below.
Follow us on Twitter to chat with us during the show.

Follow @GGonzalezJr

Follow @MatthewSardo

Tweets about “#popculturerecess”

Kill Me Three Times
A blackmail and revenge thriller tale involving a young singer (Alice Braga), a mercurial assassin (Simon Pegg), a gambling addict (Sullivan Stapleton), and a small town Lady Macbeth (Teresa Palmer).

Luke Hemsworth, Bryan Brown and Callan Mulvey also star in the film which is currently shooting in Australia.

Source: Garth Franklin, Dark Horizons

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “FZZT” Review

By

Matthew Sardo

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November 6, 2013

Pop Culture Recess: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 1, Episode 6 “FZZT” aired Tuesday night and the Pop Culture Recess duo of Matthew Sardo and Gerardo Gonzalez argue about what it means to be a hero.

Why you should listen: This is and origin story as two nerds step up to the mic and press record.

PRESS PLAY

What do you like or dislike about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Pop Culture Recess is a daily 10-minute break from reality.
Walking Dead Mondays
Comic Picks Tuesday
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Wednesdays
Thursday Free For All
Blockbuster Friday

We love interaction with fellow nerds, tweet or comment below.
Follow us on Twitter to chat with us during the show.

Follow @GGonzalezJr

Follow @MatthewSardo

Tweets about “#popculturerecess”

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Review: Infinity #3 – Hickman Is A Master At Science Fiction

By

Matthew Sardo

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September 18, 2013

Infinity #3
Written by Jonathan Hickman.
Illustrated by Jerome Opena, Dustin Weaver.

• Prison break.
• Stealing a worldkiller.
• The fall of Attilan.

This could be the first time I’ve read Captain America used properly in a cosmic crossover. Captain America battling Thanos one-on-one is ridiculous (this could be a bad nerd debate right now), but Captain America in charge of an armada is a brilliant move by writer Jonathan Hickman. Steve Rogers is supposed to be the greatest soldier America has ever seen and even more so, a strategist. The way that Rogers holds his own among the cosmic characters is what keeps the book grounded and show that Hickman understands the characters and how to use them in a group setting. The relationship that Hickman is developing between Thor and Rogers, two warriors preparing for battle, this subplot shines through.

“Strike like lightning on the darkest night, scorch the heavens… rain fire down on them,” said Thor (Infinity #3)

The problem with all big event books is that you feel like your missing out on something! You can’t just read Infinity 1-6 and get the whole story. I read issue three and I felt like I missed something (Avengers #19, New avengers #10). You need to read the additional books to get the complete story. This becomes awkward for new reader and bothersome for current readers that have to spend more money.

Infinity issue three is broken up into three chapters; “Submit or Perish,” “World Killers” and “What Maximus Built.” The difference in art style is so great that it disrupts the story. The way Dustin Weaver draws eyes is quite different that Jerome Opena. With that said the second to last page Weaver nails it with Black Bolt.

I say this a lot, but all I want a comic book to do is make me want to read the next issue. Infinity 4 of 6 can’t get here soon enough.

Story: 9/10 • Artwork: 8/10 • Overall 8.5/10

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Review: Image Comics – Zero #1

By

Matthew Sardo

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September 18, 2013

Zero #1
Written by Ales Kot.
Illustrated by Jordie Bellaire, Michael Walsh.

Mature Readers

SAVING THE WORLD. ONE MURDER AT A TIME. Edward Zero is the perfect execution machine – a spy who breaks the rules to get things done. When a stolen device appears in the center of a long-running conflict, Zero comes to retrieve it. The problem is, the device is inside a living, breathing, bio-modified terrorist and there’s an entire army after it.

“Five years later, the agency find out the truth about it, and about everything I have done since,” final sentence from Zero #1.

Edward Zero is the newest spy to hit the comic book world. Writer Alex Kot delivers a strong first issue with solid ending to where you want to read issue two, now. The main character Zero is your stereotypical Wolverine, Jason Bourne type character. Zero has all the traits; gruff, rogue and an absolute killer.

The book takes place in 2038 with flashbacks to 2018. Kot does a good job of introducing all the main characters, telling a single issue story and adding a few twists along the way.

Zero has a very independent feel to it in reference to the artwork by Michael Walsh. On one hand the art gives a gritty feel but in some action scenes it looks rushed and the backgrounds look simple. Jordie Bellaire’s use of color filters on panels were affective and added to the story.

Story: 9/10 • Artwork: 7/10 • Overall 8/10

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Review: Walking Dead #114 – “We’re Going To War.”

By

Matthew Sardo

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September 18, 2013

Walking Dead #114
Written by Robert Kirkman.
Illustrated by Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn.

To explain “Walking Dead” #1-114 would take a lot longer than a 500-word blog post. What I would recommend is picking up the first trade paper back of the series. Libraries carry TPB now, it’s free! Do it!

If you’ve never read, watched or heard about “Walking Dead,” the setting is the zombie apocalypses. Robert Kirkman has crafted this not so perfect world where people are just trying to survive. The zombies are the backdrop, the key to this series is the interaction between humans. The battle between those who continue to fight for humanity and those who have completely lost it. Over the course of 114 issues there have been several evil men that have tried to destroy humanity but there has been one soul that has stood up to them time and time again, Rick Grimes.

This is a non-superhero comic book but Rick is your hero and Kirkman has tried to breaking him for more than 100-issues straight.

“Walking Dead” #114 is the build up of a story-arc that started in a gut-wrenching 100th issue that introduced a very evil gentleman named Negan and his baseball bat “Lucille.” This is a mature audience book (R-rated) and Kirkman gives Negan a dialogue that makes me squirm in my chair. What ever is the highest level of evil that is Negan. Kirkman plots Rick and Negan against each other in a power struggle and Rick’s son Carl is the perfect instrument to break Rick’s will.

What Kirkman does extremely well is scare the reader in way that you’re afraid to buy issue 115. Something bad is going to happen and that usually means that a character that you care about is going to die. I don’t want to spoil anything for new readers or viewers of the television so but Kirkman is a very cruel writer.

As far as a breakdown of the issue, Kirkman has raised the bar so high with epic issues in the past, therefore I’ve seen this setup before. My questions is, “What bag of tricks can Kirkman conjure up this time around?” The issue comes a crossed flat. If this happened in the TPB of the story-arc I can just continue to read but in the comic book world you have to wait 30-plus days. It’s a completely different style of writing and a hard one to master. You have 22-pages to hook a reader and then have him or her come back a month later to buy another.

I was expecting a better last page of the book and it just wasn’t there but I’m still afraid to buy the nest issue!

Story: 8/10 • Artwork: 8/10 • Overall 8/10

Cover: Walking Dead #115

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Fanboys Remain Calm: Affleck as Batman is a good idea

By

mDeVivo

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August 24, 2013

Hello Readers ,

This is a bit of a first for me I typically do reviews and interviews but I wanted to take a moment to touch on the overtly negative reaction to the news that Batman/Bruce Wayne will be played by Ben Affleck in the sequel to Man of Steel. While I have been enjoying all of the Batman quotes in a Bostonian accent and general Batffllec Twitter rants I have to admit that I’m actually ok with the news of Affleck as Batman. My issue isn’t with anyone having a negative opinion, but more so the blind hate and negativity for an actor that’s had a more successful than not movie career. I think this is also a very smart move on WB’s part. Why not have Affleck be Batman? I’m sure there were more than a few conversations happening about him being the one to direct Justice League and or the next Batman movie anyways. This now establishes him and allows him hypothetically to start creating his new take on the world and character himself. I know its Zach Snyder directing the film but it would be crazy not to think that he wouldn’t go to an Oscar winning director for advice and opinions on the movie. This gives him someone in Affleck whose opinion I’m sure he respects an opportunity to help build momentum into the next Batman or Justice League film and is a great idea.

There are going to be people out there that point to him being Daredevil and how awful that movie was. Daredevil wasn’t a bad movie because of Ben Affleck as Daredevil , it was a bad movie because it wasn’t a well written or directed movie to begin with. It was largely changed by Fox and the love story shoved into the movie slowed the pace down and created an unrealistic soap opera aspect to the film. It’s not a mistake that I’m sure Ben Affleck would be willing to make as an actor again. Id rather point people in the direction of Hollywood land or the Town to see that Affleck has more than enough talent to handle a character with dual personalities.

Finally both Michael Keaton and Heath Ledger had just as strong a backlash when it was announced that they were going to be cast as Batman and Joker respectively in their respective movies and I think its safe to say that turned out pretty well. At the very least I think everyone should reserve judgement until they see footage or watch the film. Creating nerd rage and petitions for the sake of effecting the franchise in a negative way doesn’t mean you care more for the characters or subject matter. Besides in the long run we all know who’s the best Batman / Bruce Wayne to have ever played the character.

and I’m out!

Follow me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

Mike DeVivo

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X-Men#1 – Brian Wood’s All Female X-Team is here. Is it any good?

By

Matthew Sardo

-

May 31, 2013

X-Men #1

Writer: Brian Wood

Artist: Oliver Coipel

After a lot of backlash and judgement before the issue even came out X-Men #1 by Brian Wood and Oliver Coipel finally made it to shelves this week. While it isn’t Brian Wood’s first crack at writing the X men its received the largest amount of attention because this is the first X- team comprised entirely of a female cast. The results are very good. Brian Wood instantly creates a threat that is unique but rooted in X-Men mythology. It’s a bold move to have a book start out with a mysterious villain but Wood does an excellent job of following those first few scenes with a very familiar character in Jubilee.

He writes Jubilee here as a caring and lost young woman with a new responsibility in the form of an adopted baby. Her plan is to return home to the X-Men her family and give this baby the same sense of security she had. It seems that if anyone is going to be our eyes as the reader in this series its going to be Jubilee. On the way back from a flight from Bulgaria to New York Jubilee is being followed and contacts the Jean Grey School. The other members that make up the team are Rachel Grey, Storm, Kitty Pride , Rogue , and Psylocke. Half of the group goes to Jubilees aid and the other half wait back at the school.

While the rest of the issue has some action sequences here and there its primary focus is on character development which I liked. These characters all feel very fleshed out already in issue one. Wood nails Rogues confident demeanor, Psylocke’s calm and hardened attitude, and Storms matriarch personality very well. Each character has their moment in a book that reads very fast but does a great job of building towards an imminent threat.

The other part of the team is Oliver Coipel and as most of you would expect the book is absolutely gorgeous. His pencils are extremely detailed. Each female character looks unique and he finds away to take very classic elements of the character and make them feel fresh again. Jubilees new baby is about the cutest thing ever and characters facial expressions are varied and solidify Brian woods dialogue firmly on each page. His use of panels also is very open-ended which looks great but at times can detract from the story. That is my only criticism for what is in all a very beautiful book.

Wood ends this book on a pretty interesting cliffhanger which adds incentive to pick up the next issue. I’m sure some people will roll their eyes at the thought of yet another X book. However Brian Wood’s and Oliver Coipel’s X-Men is worth your money. This book has gotten unnecessary flak and should be one of the books you add to your pull list. Some people are probably still going to be caught up in the politics and gender issues but not Wood. His focus is to write a very entertaining and engaging story. After reading this issue the only thing I was thinking is why hasn’t someone did this sooner. He takes what could have been a cliche or negative concept to some and delivered a very high quality start to a new series.

Review Score- 9/10

Mike DeVivo

Follow me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

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