Movie Review: Chronicle – In Short ,You Need to See This Film

By

-

February 4, 2012

There have been a few films that have caught me by surprise by how well they execute a story in their genre. Chronicle definitely falls into the realm of the found footage genre . Films like Paranormal Activity and The Devil Inside have proven to be successful at the box office using Horror as their choice to carry a story. Chronicle however falls more into the territory of a teen drama / superhero film.

The film starts by introducing us to Andrew a socially awkward teen who is picked on at school , has a mother who is terminally ill and a drunken father that takes out his frustration on Andrew because he was let go from the Fire Department due to an injury . Andrew has bought a camera and decides that from now on he is filming everything in his life. He wants to document his life and his experiences . Andrew’s only immediate friend is his cousin Matt who convinces him to go to a rave with him. Andrew brings his camera to document their time together and after getting picked on again takes a break outside . Were introduced to our third main character Steve at this point who is running for school class president . He tells Andrew that he is with Matt and that he needs to follow him and get what they found on tape . At this point if youve seen the film you know these three characters end up discovering something that gives them their powers. The whole sequence is done well and Andrew’s camera ends up malfunctioning as Steve starts to have a nose bleed.

We jump into what seems to be a few weeks into the future. Andrew , Matt and Steve have all grown closer to each other as they realize that their brush with death has given them the ability to control things with their mind. This part of the film is what I would refer to as the harmless part of the film . We get to see our three main characters becoming closer friends as they share a bond and secret now that binds them together. One of the first things Andrew learns how to control with his mind is his camera . This is one of the single smartest choices director Josh Trank and Writer max Landis make in the movie. It allows us as viewers a way to view all three characters interacting together while the camera pans and moves around them . You never feel as though your watching a fond footage film at this point.

After a day of goofing off Matt , Andrew and Steve are driving home and at this point things in the movie start to get dark. You start to see Andrew change as he realizes how powerful he is becoming. The three friends agree to not use their powers against other people and not to use them in public and things seem to go back to normal. Steve invites Matt and Andrew to meet him out in an abandon spot , and reveals to them that he has learned how to fly. This leads to one of the coolest sequences of the film. I don’t know if another film has managed to achieve the sense of flying better than Josh Trank has in Chronicle . The sound editing use of camera and special effects are done so well.

Shortly there after a series of events happen to Andrew that lead him to feeling helpless and picked on again. I don’t want to spoil anything for you but the film takes a very unexpected turn after this and has you by the throat until the climactic and powerful finale that sees all of Seattle get destroyed as Andrews passed rejection and abuse effects him and his relationships with his new best friends.

This film was made for only $12 million dollars but is executed in a way that is comparable to District 9. The three main actors all come off convincing in their portrayal of being friends and teenagers . The script itself bu Max Landis is great. It doesn’t talk down to the audience and manages to tell a heart-felt story with great characters and strong story telling. Josh Trank pulls off an amazing job with showing us a found footage film that doesn’t manage to make you feel sick to watch and does an amazing job of having the characters not act with one and another but the camera itself as its being controlled by Andrew . All three of the main actors definitely do a great job in their roles but this movie belongs to Dane Dehaan and as Andrew. He manages to have you sympathize with him in the beginning of the film and fear him in the latter part of the movie . You see how he could turn into the monster he becomes but also sympathize with his journey along the way.

I urge everyone to check this film out in the theaters this week before new trailers pop up ruining the final 15 min of the film. There are huge action sequences that you need to see without having them spoiled for you . Buildings fall characters die , and we see a fight that is comparable to Superman 2 , but executed again for only $12 million dollars. Everyone involved in the film will have a safe future in Hollywood and if Fox decides to go forward with offering Josh Trank the Fantastic Four franchise I hope he brings Max Landis along for the ride. In short go see this film.

Mike DeVivo

Follow me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Venom #13 – These four are more fearsome than fantastic

By

Roger Riddell

-

February 2, 2012

Venom #13
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Tony Moore and Val Staples [Color]

Still in Vegas after being blackmailed and going A.W.O.L. to steal an item (which turned out to be the Toxin symbiote) for Jack O’Lantern and Crime Master, Flash Thompson has fallen back into his alcoholism to cope and pushing Betty Brant as far away as possible. After all, the closer she, or anyone else, is to him, the more danger they’re in as a result of the aforementioned villains knowing who he is.

Flash’s bender won’t last long, though. The Red Hulk, on orders from Captain America, has arrived to collect him. Unfortunately for both of them, there’s evil–for real–afoot in Vegas thanks to a certain black-hearted entity who wants to bring Hell to Earth.

Blackheart, the son of the devil Mephisto, is masquerading as a casino owner and is intent on tricking the new Ghost Rider, Alejandra, into completing the final step of his plan. Meanwhile, X-23 has her own issues with Blackheart, who she only believes to be a casino owner who purchased a vial of her blood on the black market.

It’s only natural that all four heroes should converge when the shit hits the fan later in the issue.

Overall, this issue moves at a nice pace. Rick Remender does a great job of establishing why X-23 and Ghost Rider are in Vegas, as well as giving readers a quick background on who they are. The student-mentor conflict between Alejandra and former Ghost Rider Johnny Blaze is also very well-executed, as are the Venom/Red Hulk fight panels.

The only thing that kind of made me scratch my head here were the “symbiote warriors”–symbiote-outfitted clones of X-23. While the idea is very much in line with my inner 8-year-old’s dreams of a Wolverine-bonds-with-the-Venom-symbiote scenario, it all just feels very ’90s now.

Regardless, there’s a certain level of camp there to be appreciated. Tony Moore and Val Staples capture this with realistic-yet-pulpy art that matches the over-the-top nature of a story like this.

With five more parts coming in the next five weeks, this story has potential to be a fun ride.

STORY: 7.5/10
ART: 8.5/10

[amazon_link id=”B0072WBA62″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]BUY Venom #13 on Amazon[/amazon_link]

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Fatale #2 Not Even God Can See You When You Sin.

By

Matthew Sardo

-

February 2, 2012

Written by: Ed Brubaker
Art by: Sean Phillips
Cover by: Sean Phillips
Publisher: Image

Still white-hot from the hype-machine of the interweb, Fatale has once again sold out at the distribution level. Luckily I was able to snag a copy at my local shop this time around. From what I understand this comic is still flying off the stands. Check out my review of issue #1 if you missed out on all the action last time around. Layers of Lovecraftian-esque lore are woven around this mystery as we dive deeper in to the quest for some ancient heirloom. The McGuffin plot device set’s this one up for another round immersive cult drama.

Brubaker doesn’t beat around the bush and ditches some speculation baggage straight away for the sake of clarity. In the “Story Thus Far” opening section in Fatale #2 we are given some new information about the characters and a reveal about the back story. Josephine from present day is also the mystery girl from the 50’s in the lost manuscript (and from the what I gathered from the sub-text it is a true story). Apparently Josephine is some kind of succubus ala Hellraiser, because she hasn’t aged a day since the ’50’s (it was visually hinted, but now I definitely know). Also Nicolas’s god-father, Dominic Reign (also known as Hank Reign), is the main reporter character in this apparently autobiographical manuscript. Things that were clues are just straight up spelled out for you. Now I can just concentrate on the 1950’s back story at hand. Thank god, because it’s a tangled one.

Josephine is searching for an heirloom that Detective Walter Brookes has hidden in his home somewhere. That triangular cult marking from the first issue is scratched on the floorboard, but it turns out o be a dead-end revealing military medals and old war photos. Meanwhile Brookes is investigating an occult murder/suicide that was discovered last issue. They’ve stumbled cult members who’ve sliced off their own eyelids so they can stare at the sun. A chase and a beat down later, the cult member tell’s Brooke’s cryptically that the “Bishop will meet with you”. The next thing you know Hank Reigns is being chewed out by someone in a bar about an article he wrote to stir-some shit up about police corruption. Then he’s deep in his affair with Josephine. She used to be Brookes’ lover and talks about what a bastard he is and how she has to make his life hell. There’s a juicy bit about the cult symbol and it’s meaning is revealed “no one, not even god, can see you when you sin”. It gets a bit convoluted after that. A slit throat, adultery discovered, and a guy with razor-sharp teeth.

With all this cross-cutting the web of this story seems like it is getting out of hand. Ed started us off with some clean-up in the summary, but muddied the rest of the chapter. Plots and subplots are not defined enough for me to really understand what is going on. I get the general character motivations but not much beyond that. Which is a shame because I really love the subject matter. Brubaker’s narrative writing style flows great and Sean Phillips gritty noir art is in top-form. Just explain some shit, because I’m stuck in quagmire of loose-ends and don’t know which way is up. I need a character to hang my hat on. Who’s the lead, Nicolas Lash or Dominic “Hank” Reign? Or are they supposed to be the same character and just not know it? Also Josephine or the cult need some details revealed to get this one back on track. Sadly I find myself not really caring about any or the characters because everything is so shrouded in mystery. It’s only issue 2 though, so I’m going to give Brubaker the benefit of the doubt. He’s rarely steers off-course for long.

The second installment of Fatale is a slow intricate burn of what the fuck. The plot is dense; much in the same way The Girl WIth a Dragon Tattoo is complicated: A shit-ton of characters, WWII back story, Nazi deviants and morally ambiguous behavior.There’s a lot going on, however there’s such a genuine draw to the writing style and subject that you can help but being sucked in. It’s obvious that more pieces of the puzzle need to be put in place order to appreciate the full picture here. I would say that this is exactly the kind of comic that you wait for the trade to come out, but then you wouldn’t get the awesome bonus features that Brubaker and Phillips give you at the end. Jess Nevin writes an essay on Edgar Allen Poe and Phillips illustrates a gorgeous 2-page portrait to accompany it. Never the less, I worry that the difficult and inaccessible nature of this tale will eventually scare off readers. That would suck, because despite my criticisms I really want this to do well

Story: 6.5/10
Art: 8/10

Jerry Nelson

Follow me on twitter and tell me what you think @the_hellhounds

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Winter Soldier #1 “Bucky Confronts his Past as the Winter Soldier”

By

Matthew Sardo

-

February 2, 2012

Winter Soldier #1
Writer: Ed Brudbaker
Artist: Butch Guice and Bettie Breitweiser

James “Bucky” Barnes has lived one tragically long life. Recently, within the pages of Fear Itself, we believed Bucky (aka Captain America) to have found peace at the mercy of Sins Asgardian hammer. But thanks to Nick Fury and his stash of a version of the Infinity Formula, Bucky was revived by a heartbroken (Black) widows request. The Marvel universe now believes Bucky to be dead and only Nick Fury, Black Widow and Steve Rogers know the truth: Bucky Barnes has revived the legendary Russian agent, Winter Soldier! Bucky is back within his element, cast in the shadows. His plan? To tie up loose ends from his days as the puppeted Winter Solider agent during the Cold War. He won’t be alone, it seems that the Black Widow is a permament partner.

This issue kicks off with the Winter Soldier and the Black Widow entering a retired soviet base, presently disguised with a casino sitting atop it. Both Barnes and Romanov being natural spies, they quickly make way to a secret door leading to the underground base. The couple make a cute game of “First to be seen buys the mornings breakfast” as they incapcitate gaurds along the various complex corridors. They come along a familiar stasus pod, much like the pod the Winter Soldier was kept “preserved” inbetween missions. But this pod is clearly marked with the name: Zephyr. Could there still be undercover agents exectuing covert assassinations within the Marvel universe? If so, who controls them? And what does it all have to do with Dr. Doom!?

Winter Soldier creator, Ed Brubaker, launches the series as writer. Brubaker was a big pull for me, as he truly understands these characters and their personal voices. This is officially a continuation of his Winter Soldier mythology, first started within the pages of Captain America. And spy espionage dramas are both, Brubaker and Barnes expertee!

Penciler Butch Guice draws one fluid comic wide ation sequence. His detail on charcter expressions and faces has greatly improved from his last arc “Gulag” within the last Captain America volume. A handful of panels almost seem like he penciled over actual photographs, much like Alex Maleev’s art style. These panels crafted strong story beats that made the moment personable… if not a bit distracting. Guice’s panel placement need be commended, though he stuck to the basic rectangular box- it’s the way they were compressed and stacked that lead the eye and made the action and dialogue flow perfectly.

This is a solid beginning for a promising series. I forsee a long life with Brubaker leading the charge. This issue was everything you hoped and waited for, plus fun twists in choice of villian! And i’m not referring to the clocked tin man. Though I’m sad to see Bucky no longer wearing the flag, I’m glad he’s not dead: Long live the Winter Soldier!

Story: 9
Art: 9

Recommended this week:
Avengers X-Sanction #3 – Two unexpected guest crash Cables party!
Uncanny X-Force #21 – Fantomex undergoes mutliple Lobotomys. Reviewed here.
Swamp Thing #6 – The Rot inches ever closer to cutting off the Green.

Follow me on twitter @DDsuperbatnix

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Uncanny X-Force #21 – Fantomex erased from existence!

By

Roger Riddell

-

February 1, 2012

Uncanny X-Force #21
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Greg Tocchini and Dean White [color art]

X-Force’s adventure in Otherworld continues this month following Fantomex’s sentencing to erasure from existence in issue #20.

As the issue opens, Fantomex has needles lowering into his skull. Around the time they reach his third brain (yeah…he has a few), Psylocke bursts in to rescue him from her brothers. After all, it was the Captain Britain Corps that abducted them both and put him on trial for the killing of the child reincarnation of Apocalypse.

Unlike the previous issue, this one doesn’t have the subtext of a greater moral debate. It does, however, continue to establish the dynamic between Age of Apocalypse Nightcrawler and the rest of X-Force. This Nightcrawler is more sarcastic, and gloats about his accomplishments. He’s wary of Wolverine. After all, the Wolverine from his timeline became Apocalypse and slaughtered millions of people.

This creates some of the issue’s more interesting panels, but this chapter overall feels less essential to the larger story. We basically get the aforementioned further establishment of AoA Nightcrawler, more exploration of Psylocke’s growing affection for Fantomex, and a little bit of exposition in the plot. Don’t get me wrong — it’s still very well-written. Fantomex becomes more and more compelling with every issue that Rick Remender does. It just sort of screams “THIS IS THE LULL BEFORE THE CLIMAX!” to me.

Greg Tocchini’s art remains vibrant and befitting a story set in a magical plane of existence, so it’s understandable that it isn’t the most finely detailed art compared to that of Jerome Opeña. Remember, in the last issue, there was a clear differentiation in the art between scenes set in the “real world” and scenes set in “Otherworld,” so it’s doubtful that this is the standard for Tocchini’s artistic output going forward. It does work beautifully for this story, though.

Overall, this is still a pretty good issue — it just feels a little more compressed than part one. It’ll be interesting to see what Remender does with his big reveal at the end of this issue, though. (SEE Uncanny X-Force #18 for teasers)

STORY: 7/10
ART: 9/10

[amazon_link id=”B0072WABN0″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]BUY Uncanny X-Force #21 on Amazon[/amazon_link]

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Amazing Spider-Man #679 – Oh, look…New York doesn’t get destroyed after all!

By

Roger Riddell

-

February 1, 2012

Amazing Spider-Man #679
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Humberto Ramos [Pencil], Victor Olazaba [Inks], and Edgar Delgado [Color]

Surprise! New York didn’t get destroyed after all!

The conclusion to Dan Slott’s time-hopping, hero-overcoming-seemingly-insurmountable-odds story might not be all that surprising–unless you really thought Spider-Man would fail 21 issues away from #700, and just a few issues away from the big “Ends of the Earth” storyline–but it’s the little things in this tale that count.

To recap, Peter Parker’s Horizon Labs co-worker Grady Scraps created an invention that was essentially a doorway into tomorrow. When Peter stepped through the door, however, the originally “good Tuesday” became “bad Tuesday” because Peter/Spider-Man had not been present the entire previous day. Grady had, however, conveniently grabbed a newspaper from “good Tuesday,” which detailed everything Spidey was supposed to do that day–giving he and Pete the idea that as long as Spidey did everything that paper said he did the previous day, “bad Tuesday” would be averted.

Are you keeping up with me here?

As I pointed out a few weeks ago in my review of Amazing Spider-Man #678, this story does seem a bit like filler material as the aforementioned “Ends of the Earth” event approaches. “Filler,” however, isn’t necessarily a bad word here, though. Slott works in little details and plot threads that still make the book worth every penny. For example(s), the event Spider-Man is supposed to prevent isn’t what you would think it was, Silver Sable apparently has the hots for Spider-Man, and there’s even some more hinting (or maybe just teasing) at the rekindling of the Peter/MJ romance.

On top of that, Humberto Ramos and co. hit another one out of the park. The amount of storytelling in this issue’s facial expressions and body language alone would seal the deal on this even if it were just a run-of-the-mill story without the aforementioned plot details.

Why are you still reading this? Go buy these past two issues now!

STORY: 9/10
ART: 9/10

[amazon_link id=”B00748PU10″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ]BUY Amazing Spider-Man #679 on Amazon[/amazon_link]

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review: Walking Dead # 93 Rick is Spinning Wheels in a Larger World Because He doesn’t Trust Jesus

By

Matthew Sardo

-

January 30, 2012

Written by: Robert Kirkman
Art by: Charlie Adlard
Coloring by: Cliff Rathburn
Cover By: Charlie Adlard and Cliff Rathburn
Publisher: Image

I always read the Walking Dead first. It’s probably one of my favorite comics, and it’s one that I’m the most excited for. Being a rabid fan of the Walking Dead I get frustrated when there is filler issues, or the calm before the storm. Having a slow-burn in comic form doesn’t always work for me, and I just want to get to the juicy plot and get on with it. Unfortunately the beginning to the Larger World arc starts off spinning wheels in the mud and going over ground covered before. It’s just a stack of exposition and waffles this issue.

The story thus far: Rick, Michonne, and Abraham ran into a hostile survivor on one of their scout patrols. After a brief scuffle it’s revealed he’s come to offer a trade route to a network of communities. His name is Jesus. So here it is, a promised land of society trying to get back on its feet in the face of a the zombie apocalypse. “A Larger World” opens on the cliffhanger from last issue as Jesus describes the trade routes and how it works. So Rick is like, “oh, okay great, no problem, when can we get started,” and Jesus is surprised that this is going so easy. Then Rick beats the piss out of the poor guy and captures him for interrogation. I can see where this is going. Rick doesn’t trust Jesus and is paranoid that he’s from a crew ready to attack their town and raid supplies. I can understand. He hasn’t exactly had any luck with outsiders, like the Governors cannibalistic society of neo-Romans, where he lost his arm about 50 issues ago. Rick decides to prepare his town for war, while he takes a patrol out to see if he can spot Jesus’s war party. Andrea makes an interesting point and asks “what if he is telling the truth and they are blowing a chance to trade with these other communities?” Exactly, thank you Andrea.

Longtime reader’s of The Walking Dead can spot a painful exposition dump coming a mile away, and unfortunately we get a couple of doozies this issue. Now don’t take this the wrong way, I love Kirkman’s plotting. I think he always takes us on an unexpected and somewhat realistic journey with his stories.The twists, turns cliffhangers, and shocking conclusions are why I keep coming back for more. However kills me with the drawn-out explanations and waffling. Literally he can talk a situation to death (or until a zombie attacks). He sorely needs to use the “Pope in the Pool” method of burying exposition by drawing the audience’s eye to something visually startling (like a pope swimming in a pool) to distract them from the information overload. The preparation for war monologue is particularly involved and not much fun to look at. After Kirkman lays it all out for us we are graced with one decent character moment from Eugene who brings up a good idea about recycling ammo casings and trying to re-make bullets. Later there’s a brief brush of desperate tension with him and the girl lives with who used fuck Abraham. Hopefully this will seed into some kind of interesting conflict down-the-line.

Out on war patrol Rick, Michonne, and Abraham stumble upon a pack of zombies and dispatch them rather quickly and quietly. In fact they are so ruthless and efficient that its sparks a debate about why they are worried about some attack from unknown survivors, when they aren’t even phased by the living dead anymore. A “Pope in the Pool” opportunity is missed here and instead of waffling and postulating while killing zombies (not realistic, but interesting and exciting) Kirkman instead saves it for a nice boring walk in the woods. Man sometimes this really does feel like the Talking Dead. I get it. To move this story further they have to trust Jesus (never thought I’d say that about this comic) and go through these trade routes to meet the other communities involved. We all knew this was going to happen. It had to. I wish it could have just been half the issue dedicated to Rick being in character and not trusting anything new, than waste the whole book going nowhere. Maybe it bought the creators some time, but c’mon bring on the “larger world” already. I’m amped for what’s coming around the bend, it’s just not happening fast enough.

While the plot may be on pause this issue, at least it looks freaking’ fantastic. Ever since issue 7 when Charlie Adlard took over the art for The Walking Dead, it’s truly found its true voice. Not taking anything away from the spectacular characters designs from original artist, Tony Moore, but Adlard gave the Dead a consistently stark and realistic tone that draws you into the world. I favor Moore for his fine detail, but Adlard wins with atmosphere. This issue he teams up with Cliff Rathburn to assist with “coloring” (it’s black & white so maybe “toning” would be more accurate). Striking thick brush strokes and sublime ink washes depict the dystopian mood of The Walking Dead. Zombies are husks of meat, ravaged by rigor mortis and time. They are desperately primal and echo the human condition. Devoid of all emotion except rage, they drip with terror and move with murderous intent. Adlard’s action scenes are as violent and intense as they are fluid, showing real athleticism and energy. The survivors have been through the ringer and it shows. I can see their stink, their weariness and strength. The weight on their shoulders is carried with gritty artistic flair. It feels very much like the world of Romero’s classic Night of The Living Dead. Adlard displays cinematic style through dynamic camera angles, shot scale, and a strong use of shadow and light. The spotted-black patterns of leaves, blood and rot paint the transgressive theme of this series with fervor and zeal. In short, the zombie apocalypse has never looked so good.

Like any good TV show, some episodes are needed to set the stage for things to come. It’s a necessary evil. This issue was needed to add realism to the characters shifting attitude, and to stay true to the series’ history. I really wanted to jump ahead and skip all that. I’m an impatient asshole, what can I say. I blame the internet. New beginnings are promised to be on the horizon however. As long and Kirkman and crew can deliver on that promise than we are all good. I trust that he will. There’s a lot narrative and thematic possibilities that a “larger world” could open up. However if they fail and slip back in to the big threat while zombies attack formula, rinse and repeat… it could prove fatale for the series. I don’t think that will happen though. Kirkman saw that a change was needed to shake things up and has done a lot of groundwork setting up a smooth transition. We can only wait and see if the pay-off will be worth it.

Story: 5
Art: 8

Jerry Nelson

Follow me on twitter and tell me what you think @the_hellhounds

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Review : The Flash #5 Barry Allen’s trial and error with the Speed Force catches up to him

By

Matthew Sardo

-

January 30, 2012

The Flash #5

Story By: Francis Manupal and Brian Buccelato

Art By: Francis Manupal

Review Score: 8.5/10

Francis Manupal and Brian Buccelato’s Flash series has been a really enjoyable and inventive retelling of the character thus far and this issue keeps this trend racing in the right direction. Barry’s friend Manuel has been taken away by Mob Rule , Central City is in complete Chaos after an EMP pulse created a blackout and Iris is all alone in Iron Heights prison with the inmates on the loose.

That is a lot of story to try and wrap up in a single issue but Manupal and Buccelato manage to do it and in in genius fashion. The first thing I have to mention is how beautiful Francis Manupal’s art is in this issue. He has been experimenting here and there with ink washes and this issue is no different. He uses Dark blues and whites to convey Central City during the Blackout scenes and goes back to his bold and bright colorful style when we follow Barry as he tries to help all of his friends.

Francis Manupal’s version of The Flash may be my favorite Ive seen . The opening title page is beautiful showing Barry running across the ocean with two barges following closely behind in his Slip Stream as the Ice in the ocean breaks around them and forms the title sequence . He constantly is drawing Barry in motion using his new costume and the electricity it creates as a character of its own. Flash finally has his version of Batman’s cape for artists to interpret . Art is clean and he still manages to give each character there own unique look . I cant wait to see his redesign of Captain Cold next issue.

flash spread — Amazing Opening Page to Flash #5 by Francis Manupal courtesy of IGN

I’ll come right out and say that this is a big concept book . Things that happened in the first two issues finally pay off here and we learn the consequences of Barry using the Speed Force on the fly ( I wont spoil it for you but it creates a great amount of potential for the future ).

I also enjoy the theme of friendship and family in this issue and how every one of the main characters view one another. Barry is willing to sacrifice himself for his friend Manuel even though he already has shown he is more interested in saving himself. Then we get to see Patty valuing Barry in a way he has yet to show her. It creates a nice narrative towards the end of the issue and makes these characters seem real .

The end of the issue Manupal and Buccelato drop a bombshell explaining how The Flash’s Speed Force powers are effecting the world around him which again creates an amazing amount of story possibilities down the road. The Flash has become a very solid and fun Sci Fi superhero book giving Barry Allen a fresh and new take on his life and powers as the Flash. Kudos to Francis Manupal and Brian Buccelato for taking the character in a new and exciting direction.

Mike DeVivo

Follow me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

Justice League #5 Review “We got this!”

By

Matthew Sardo

-

January 26, 2012

Written by: Geoff Johns
Pencils by: Jim Lee
Inks by: Scott Williams, Hope, Irwin and Weems
Colors by: Alex Sinclair with Gabe Eltaeb & Tony Avina
Lettering by: Patrick Brosseau
Cover by: Jim Lee & Scott Williams with Alex Sinclair
Publisher: DC

Darkseid kicks ass. Half the Justice League got knocked-the-fuck out last issue, leaving Flash and Superman to deal with Darkseid. He sends them running for their lives as he fires target-seeking Omega beams from his friggin’ eyes to incinerate them. Flash fares well, but the same can’t be said for Superman. He get’s blasted, drops from the sky and get’s carried away by space demons. And that’s how this issue opens.

I’ve always been more a Marvel zombie kind of guy, and until DC’s new 52, I never really gave Justice League a chance. So I’m not really familiar with its original history. But I can tell you from what I read of this opening arc it’s the new 52 JL origin story is awesome. I’ve read a lot of early criticisms that the story is too drawn out, not epic and short-changed some of the characters. I disagree. Look I didn’t care about JL at all when this started, I needed the clean slate to start with. Justice League always seemed unapproachable as a book for me, so being eased in to the origin was not so bad. The story may seem drawn-out to some but I like that it gave me a chance to like the characters and see how they interacted. And how is full-scale alien invasion led by Darkseid not epic? Yes some of the characters do get the background treatment, but mostly each one has gotten their moments as the arc has progressed. That being said, there is a couple of spots in this issue where I was left scratching my head.

The first one comes after the next round of attacks. Green Lanterns takes on Darkseid, thrashing him with a mega-construct of 40 medieval flails. Darkseid brushes them off like it was freaking dandruff, then cracks Green Lantern in half. Well, not quite, but he does some serious damage and Hal is pretty jacked up. Then Darkseid takes off to do some more evil shit. Green Lantern wants to go after him but Batman stops him. He’s like “dude, you’re an idiot, you are all fucked up, you’ll get yourself killed.” Hal doesn’t care, he just want’s a piece of Darkseid and won’t listen to reason. Batman has to slow him up and he takes off his mask and reveals his identity to Hal. “What? You are doing this now?” is Hal Jordan’s reaction. It mirrors my own. While I can sort of see Batman’s reasoning (trust and goodwill), it seems really out character for him to do something like that. Especially because he thinks Hal Jordan is a dick. He’s spent most of the arc telling him to cool his jets and pay attention. Insulting him at every chance he gets. I just don’t buy it. It threw me for a loop. However he manages to drive home his point. He and Green Lantern are the only two normal people on this team that don’t have inherent super powers. They have are alike in many ways and have to trust each other. Ultimately in this situation it’s not about them. They need to rally the troops and work as team instead of showboating as individuals. Or “Stop playing baseball and start playing football” as he put’s it. Since GL is jacked up he splits off to lead the rest of the team while Batman decides to get captured so he can get Superman back.

The next WTF comes when Green Lantern tries to be a leader. He gives an awkward kind of speech, but somehow everyone listens to him anyways and decided to band together. Then Hal lets loose the most embarrassing Saturday-morning-cartoon battle cry I’ve ever read in a comic, “We Got This!” Oh boy. You sure do. It was funny when Aquaman got called “Aquafresh” by Green Lantern but this battle cry was the worst. Flash immediately rips on him for it. Awkward banter ensues. Those kind of jokes just really fall flat for me. Maybe some younger kids will think it’s funny, but for the sake of future generations I hope not. This is the first time I’ve had some doubts about this series, so hopefully it’s a one-off and the playful exchanges can even out a bit.

This issue is not a total loss however. We do get a breathtaking glimpse of Apokolips in full hell-raising glory. Jim Lee and Scott Williams’ art is mostly rock-solid. Some of the panels in which Batman reveals his identity were a bit rushed, but other than that it was pretty much aces. I know there was some other inkers helping Scott out on this one, maybe that’s where they filled in. Alex Sinclair is the lead colorist and renders everything in a hyper modern style. There’s some really beautiful Kirby-dots on a the panel were Superman get’s blasted that have a rich depth you don’t normally see. Glow effects on GL’s constructs are done really well, you can see them pulse and radiate light. I’ve heard some people say it’s the coloring is a bit garish and the art feels like video game, and sometimes I cans see their point. There is a lot going on and I could maybe use a bit more separation in layers to push and pull some of the details. It does get busy and loud, but overall I wasn’t really distracted by it. The storytelling and panel work was clear, I didn’t get lost in the narrative and it looked good. Jim Lee and Scott Williams are a team that has been around the block a few times and they know how to get shit done. Sometimes that means getting some help with fill-in inkers and additional colorists.

Justice League #5 is battle-heavy issue that is a much about learning to work together and being a team than it is kicking ass (or in this case taking a beating). It’s a fresh and exciting story with a few missteps. The tone of this book could really use a strong identity right about now to manage readers expectations. Is this a light-heart team book for teens and kids? Is it a PG-13 movie? Or is it going to be an aggressive team book with bickering and more adult interactions like Uncanny X-men or JSA used to be? It’s great that the story is unpredictable, but eventually, a lack of identity will bring this ship down. My vote is more drama less jokes. What do you guys think?

Story: 6.5
Art: 8

Jerry Nelson

Follow me on twitter and tell me what you think @the_hellhounds

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube

New Review : Aquaman #5 Aquaman Vs. Wild

By

Matthew Sardo

-

January 26, 2012

Aquaman #5

Story: Geoff Johns

Art: Ivan Reis and Joe Prado

Review Score : 7/10

Issue five starts with a new arc that has Aquaman falling from the sky with nothing but the expansive desert to break his fall. Immediately Geoff lets Ivan Reis and Joe Prado do a lot of the story telling this issue. Having the first four pages be entirely void of dialogue other than a simple “uh oh” speaks volumes to the level of effort that went into each page of their art. If nothing else it proves that Aquaman will remain a consistently pretty book to look at.

However having a solid story is the other half of the battle in comics and I feel like this arc is starting out with a whimper at this point. Geoff Johns has said that this arc will deal with the question of what actually happened to Atlantis. I’m excited to see what led to the fall of Atlantis but I dislike the way the story went from Aquaman being stranded in the desert this issue to rewinding every few pages little by little to show us how he landed in the desert in the first place. It breaks up the flow of the issue and you never feel really solidly invested in either portion of the story Geoff is trying to tell. Also to watch Arthur struggle in the desert to then be rescued by a helicopter makes his whole situation this issue feel cheapened.

I do like that Geoff has decided to work some deep seeded issues into Arthur and his relationship with his father. It created and added layer to Aquaman and should create necessary momentum and weight later down the road for him to claim or not claim the throne in Atlantis one day. I have to say that I dislike Geoff’s treatment of Mera this far . She seems like nothing more than a simple-minded woman as Geoff writes her and while I realize it’s the new 52 its hard for me to accept this version of Mera when I was reading a strong-minded and stong willed version of the character in Brightest Day less than a year ago.

Aquaman eventually gets out of his desert surroundings and finds what he was looking for that led to him free-falling to the sky to begin with. Arthur activates a decoded message that explains to him the pending threat that Atlantis will meet just before the trans mission gets cut short. Fortunately for Arthur he is discovered and brought back into town and enters his house to see a note from Mera telling him she went into town to get dog food.

In short I wanted to like this issue but it doesn’t really seem to pick up momentum at all. I am curious to see what attacked the Atlanteans but I never was comfortable with the pacing of this issue or the inconsistency of the script. However the art from both Ivan Reis and Joe Prado is gorgeous and definitely worth your time to check out. Colors are bright and as always Ivan has a real good eye for setting up sequences and action scenes on paper. I really like the new character designs he created for the Atlantean soldiers . I’m hoping for answers and better consistency next issue.After setting the bar so high with his last arc I was left wanting more . Aquaman continues to be a good book but next I hope next issue amps up its pace and gets us to Atlantis .

Mike DeVivo

Follow me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

Monkeys Fighting Robots Youtube