Review: AVENGERS – Whedon Strikes Out When It Counts

By

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May 4, 2012

This will go down as one of the most hated movie reviews in comic book geek-land, but Joss Whedon’s Avengers was a beautiful film in the same way that James Cameron’s Avatar was an amazing film. Both films had great visuals but no substance.

The biggest criticism of the Marvel films so far is that they’re too campy. Not every comic book movie needs to be Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight, but they do need to have a balance of serious and light moments. Maybe I want too much but I was not inspired to join the Avengers after the film. There is no moment in the film where I feel like the Avengers will ever lose. No suspense in a $250 million budget film means that they forgot to pay the writers when they were planning to blow-up Ohio. Which is a waste because the film is well casted and the actors bring their A-game.

The Avengers will make a billion dollars and kids will love it, but is wrong to ask for just a little more. The set-up of the film was good and the movie paced well for two plus hours but when the going gets tough and the Avengers need to rise up to save the day, the moment was hollow. This happens because Nick Fury cons them into the moment instead of Captain America kicking some ass. How hard is to write a Captain America inspirational speech?

The Avengers film does nothing to progress Steve Rogers as a character. When the film ends you learn nothing new about the character that you didn’t know already from the “Captain America” film. Rogers is the heart of the Avengers and whether is was the writers fault or the actors fault, there was no inspiration. There is a scene in the film when Captain America gets shot with a laser and Thor is getting tired, this could have been the instant when the Avengers pulled themselves up by their boot straps and make an inspirational moment but Whedon doesn’t swing the bat. Whedon directed the film very light and never attempted a suspenseful moment. The problem is there are at least five moments in the film when Whedon could stepped in and said, ”Hey guys, this is our Oscar moment so let make it happen.” The most inspiring moments are in the trailer and those moments are inspiring because the way the trailer is editing not the way the lines are delivered in the film.

The Avengers is a very solid B+ film, but they had many chances to hit the grand slam and struck out looking at the plate.

The best part is this film is that it will make and insane amount of money and a sequel will come out in a few years.

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The Avengers: Whedon and Company Deliver One Hell of a Fun Ride

By

Matthew Sardo

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May 4, 2012

the-avengers-mondo-poster — Mondo's Limited Edition Movie Poster

Review By Mike DeVivo

After more than 5 years of world Building Marvel’s The Avengers comes out today. Before watching the film I spent the last few days re watching Iron Man , Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 , Thor , and Captain America . Iron Man aside I felt at some point each of the other films had some glaring issues. My excitement for the film out weighed my concern however and I was looking forward to seeing what Joss Whedon had in store. After all the early screenings and overwhelming positive feedback I was sent into frenzy mode waiting to see this film. So is it any good?The answer is a resounding yes! More on that later , for now let me take you through the film without getting into major Spoilers.

Loki has returned by way of the Tesseract that was found while looking for Captain America. He obliterates S.H.I.E.L.D Headquarters and with the help of some unexpected allies gets away with the Tesseract in hand. His plan is to open up a portal using the Tesseract so that he can unleash an Army upon Earth leaving him to Rule.

Fury out of Desperation decides to move forward with The Avengers Initiative. That is the basic core of the Movie. Joss Whedon focuses more so on character moments over Story which works well for most of The Avengers. He does pay close attention to detail even using all the past films as building blocks to progress the story. Standouts include Black Widow played by Scarlet Johannsen and Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/Hulk. In fact movie goers have seen a group of Heroes who band together to save the world from certain disaster tons of times before . The plot isn’t what makes this movie so enjoyable its the characterization, writing , and acting that make this movie shine and turn it into Marvel’s crowning jewel along with their first film Iron Man. No one phones this movie in. You can tell of the actors enjoyed working on the project together and it shows in how much fun the movie is.

The action set pieces and Special effects are damn near perfect in execution. There were more than a few moments where the crowd in unison were clapping and cheering together which brought a smile to my face. The Chitauri in the film look great and I love the look of the Hulk in this Film. The last 30 min of this film had me grinning from ear to ear. Each Avenger has more than their share of awesome moments in the film.

There are a few minor complaints I’m going to point out. First I feel like Steve Rogers’ story never really progresses at all. It would have been nice to see possibly Sharon Carter inserted as Steve’s love interest to try to show another side of Steve Rogers. There are some small moments with Tony that could have been fleshed out and I know that Joss had mentioned that he cut at least 30-40 min off the film. Also a minor complaint but they never explain how Thor makes it back to Earth. After watching the films that’s a glaring issue that should be addressed considering how great Joss was with all the other plot lines from the past films and his attention to detail. Again these are minor nit picks about a movie that was nothing short of amazing

I’m honestly quite amazed at how well marvel was able to pull this off. There’s an intent and confidence in the writing that really shows off Whedon’s strengths as a director. Some people may feel like he hijack’s the movie a bit but I couldn’t imagine anyone else capable of delivering such a high quality product. Whedon and company remember that movies like this should have strong characterization first and most importantly showed that a Superhero Movie doesn’t have to just be “Dark” or “Hard Edged” to be good. I honestly cant wait to see this again myself. Oh and the mid credits scene sent me into sensory overload! This is a blue print for how to pull off a Summer Blockbuster in an intelligent and successful way. Run out and see this it will put a smile on your face regardless of what mood you’re in.

Review Score: 9.5/10

Mike DeVivo

Follow me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

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Review: Venom #17 – ‘Savage Six’ Begins!

By

Roger Riddell

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May 2, 2012

Venom #17
Writers: Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn
Art: Kev Walker [Pencils], Terry Pallot [Inks], Chris Sotomayor [Colors]

You’d think that after joining an Avengers team, things would be looking up for Flash Thompson. Unfortunately, he’s about to get the ride of his life thanks to team of six villains (sound familiar?).

If you’ve been keeping up, Crime-Master and Jack O’Lantern know that Flash is Venom. Deciding to end his issues with Crime-Master once and for all, Flash borrows the Venom symbiote from the Secret Avengers in order to kill the criminal mastermind. It’s one last hit and then he’s a hero for good, or so he thinks.

About to snipe the root of his problems during a meeting between Crime-Master, Jack O’Lantern, Human Fly, Death Adder, and Megatak, Venom is interrupted by an intruding Eddie Brock–the former Venom host who has been on a one-man crusade to kill all of the symbiotes.

Needless to say, things don’t go well for Venom or Brock.

Rick Remender and Cullen Bunn do a great job of setting up how much the odds are stacked against Flash–especially in the reveal on the issue’s final page–with the perfect balance of action and exposition. Remender in particular has made a point of having certain aspects of Flash’s role as Venom parallel aspects of Peter Parker’s role as Spider-Man, so it only makes sense that he should give Venom his own 6-villain team-up to face off against. After reading his first issue of Wolverine last week, the fact that Bunn is involved in this, as well, is icing on the cake, as it appears they are both prepared to drag Flash (and Eddie Brock, as well) through Hell and back.

Additionally, Kev Walker’s art is a great fit for this book. It has a gritty ’90s feel to it that works for the character and never feels too exaggerated, striking the right balance between realism and cartoon. The inks and colors–provided by Terry Pallot and Chris Sotomayor respectively–add to that grittiness, filling out the grim and bleak feel this storyline should have.

This is the perfect jumping-on point and one of the best issues of the series so far.

RATING: EXCELSIOR!

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Review: Amazing Spider-Man #685 – Versus the World

By

Roger Riddell

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May 2, 2012

Amazing Spider-Man #685
Writer: Dan Slott
Art: Humberto Ramos, Victor Olazaba [Inks], Edgar Delgado [Colors]

With the promise of a permanent solution to global warming, Doctor Octopus has swayed the world and its peace-keeping forces against Spider-Man, who knows better than to trust Octavius’ word. Meanwhile, Spidey, Silver Sable, and Black Widow are making runs to shut down all of Doc Ock’s factories in a last-ditch effort to prevent him from launching his satellites.

Meanwhile, the remaining members of Ock’s latest Sinister Six–Mysterio, Chameleon, and Rhino–are beginning to have second thoughts about seeing Octavius’ scheme through now that they have $2 billion each in their offshore accounts. As a safety measure, Ock secretly contacts several more villains around the globe–one of whom isn’t the villain that Octavius thinks he is, and informs Spider-Man. In turn, Spider-Man organizes global countermeasures of his own with fellow heroes Union Jack, Sabra, Kangaroo, Big Hero 6, and the aforementioned not-quite-a-villain-after-all.

Whether or not these efforts are enough to prevent Ock’s true motives from coming to light is another question entirely.

With another solid issue in his “Ends of the Earth” storyline, Dan Slott shows just how high the deck is stacked against Spider-Man–and even how far the hero is willing to go to prevent global catastrophe in a Sandman interrogation scene. Slott also throws in another segment where the Silver Sable shows a romantic interest in Spider-Man (Anyone remember that old What If? issue where Spider-Man married Sable instead of Mary Jane?) and more hinting at the potential rekindling of the Peter Parker/Mary Jane Watson relationship.

Humberto Ramos keeps the story moving at a brisk pace and the panels transitioning smoothly. It can be easy to get lost between panels when there’s this much action going on, but Ramos avoids that pitfall for the reader entirely.

Now quit reading the reviews and go pick up the actual story!

RATING: EXCELSIOR!

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Review: Daredevil #11 – Omega Effect conclusion!

By

Roger Riddell

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April 25, 2012

Daredevil #11
Writer: Mark Waid
Art: Marco Checchetto, Matt Hollingsworth [Colorist]

Mark Waid wraps up his Avenging Spider-Man/Punisher/Daredevil “Omega Effect” crossover with Greg Rucka in Daredevil #11 with all of the elements that made the first two parts of the story so damn good intact.

Daredevil, having the Omega Drive (a nigh-indestructible drive made from unstable molecules and possessing intel on all of the Marvel Universe’s “Megacrime” cartels), teamed up with Spider-Man and the two formed an uneasy alliance with the Punisher and his ally, Rachel Cole-Alves. The goal of this alliance was simple–they would all lure out members of A.I.M., Hyrdra, Agence Byzantine, the Secret Empire, and the Exchange so that they could destroy the Omega Drive in front of them. Also, Punisher and Alves had to promise to use rubber bullets and not kill anyone because killing isn’t really Spider-Man or Daredevil’s thing.

Unfortunately, things didn’t go according to plan. Alves, a former Marine whose husband was murdered by the Exchange on her wedding day, double-crossed Daredevil as he was about to destroy the drive–giving him a rubber bullet to the back and escaping with the drive herself. With Punisher covering their exit, Spider-Man and Daredevil split up to find Alves and retrieve the drive.

Waid does a stellar job of presenting the story from Daredevil’s perspective (it is DD’s book, after all), exploring how Matt Murdock feels that he failed the Punisher by never being able to pull him back from the proverbial ledge before he went all the way over. Feeling he can do the same for Alves, we’ve seen Murdock try to talk sense into her once before in this crossover (during Rucka’s Punisher #10). Whether or not he gets through in this issue remains to be seen.

Marco Checchetto and Matt Hollingsworth continue to deliver the goods artistically. There really isn’t much I can say about it that I didn’t already touch on in my reviews for Avenging Spider-Man #6 and Punisher #10, so check those out, too.

What are you still reading this review for? GO PICK UP THIS CROSSOVER!

STORY: 10/10
ART: 10/10

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Review: Wolverine #305 – Something’s Rotten in Dunwich

By

Roger Riddell

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April 25, 2012

Wolverine #305
Writer: Cullen Bunn
Art: Paul Pelletier [Pencils], David Meikis [Inker], Rain Beredo [Colorist]

The first issue under new writer Cullen Bunn, Wolverine #306 sees the return of an antagonist from previous scribe Jason Aaron’s Wolverine: Weapon X run.

Feds are investigating a cross-country killing spree, when a child who witnessed a New York slaying from a second-story apartment window draws a crayon sketch of the killer he saw–and the killer looks a lot like Wolverine. Cut to California and we find Logan in a bar, drowning his sorrows and shunning the advances of a server–because, you know, it’s never been that safe for “normal folks” to be around him.

He exits the bar reflecting upon this, as well as the fact that he’s been waking up in strange places, covered in gore and with no clue of what he’d done. Only one person could be responsible for this (well, maybe a few), but Logan somehow instinctively knows that Dr. Rot is behind it.

See, back in Wolverine: Weapon X, Dr. Rot operated a mental hospital known as Dunwich Sanitorium where he had a machine powered by dozens of disembodied brains that used to control the patients. Using this machine, he “strip-mined” Logan’s brain, leaving him unable to remember who he was or how he got there. He wanted to use Wolverine as his own personal killer, so he could, in turn, get even more brains.

Now, Rot is at it again, and as Logan heads to the now-vacated hospital to search for answers, the feds come calling at the Jean Grey School–where Kitty Pryde and Rachel Grey are looking for answers of their own.

Too often, a character’s solo book and any team books they might be part of seem to exist in parallel universes. Bunn begins his Wolverine run on a strong note by continuing to keep Wolverine tied to Aaron’s Wolverine and the X-Men by doing one of the things that Aaron did best–acknowledging that Logan’s solo adventures don’t exist in a void. Additionally, his decision to use Dr. Rot allows him to deliver the visceral ultra-violence Wolverine is known for without just relying on that to carry the book.

The detail of Paul Pelletier, David Meikis, and Rain Beredo’s art isn’t to be overlooked, either. The Dunwich Sanitorium is as creepy as ever, and the blood and gore pops off of the pages.

Seeing one of your favorite writers leave one of your favorite books is never easy, but if this a precursor of things to come from Cullen Bunn, I think I’ll be fine.

STORY: 9/10
ART: 9/10

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Wonder Woman #8 – Diana Goes to Hell

By

Matthew Sardo

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April 19, 2012

Story By: Brian Azzarello

Art By: Cliff Chiang

Azzarello opens this issue up in the Weapons Room of Hephaestus. Diana heads to Hell to bring Zola back from Hades and she needs the proper tools to get the job done. She opts to go alone but Hermes forces himself into joining her. Azzarello does a nice job injecting humor into the beginning pages as Hephaestus deems Diana’s choice of weapons archaic and gives her Eros’ Twin Pistols to aid her.

Azzarello creates a very fresh take on Hell. His vision is one of great emptiness. I especially liked that Hermes describes Hell as whatever Hades imagines it to be. There also a moment that reminded me of The Body World Exhibit based on the design of the Demon.I have to speak about Cliff Chiang’s art in this issue. Everything from the page layouts to the character designs and backgrounds are drawn with so much attention to detail its crazy. He has a very clean line when he draws and each panel is a incredible piece of art on its own.Special mention to Matthew Williams on Colors. I really enjoyed his use of bright reds and the contrast in used with cooler blue and grey tones. This is a very beautiful book. As much as I admire what Azzarello has done with Wonder Woman and her Origin story, I can’t imagine another artist who could have executed those ideas as well as Cliff Chiang and Tony Atkins who pencils issues in between Chiang.

2299196-redeye_redeye_exclusive_wonder_woman_8_preview_004 — Cliff Chiang's unique take on Hell in Wonder Woman #8

Hermes and Diana fight through the lost souls of Hades and eventually find Zola. Unfortunately they also find Hades in the process. Hades makes a deal with Diana. He originally was promised a Bride which is why he took Zola. However he makes a deal with Wonder Woman. Give him Eros’s Twin Pistols and he will let Zola go free and unharmed. Wonder Woman agrees to the deal though she should know it’s not smart to make deals with Hades in the first place. This issue ends in shocking fashion and I assume Wonder Woman is going to need the help of her brother and sister gods come issue 9. This is a great series and another example of why the New 52 works. Go ahead and add this series to your pull list as long as Azzarello and Chiang are on board. You wont be disappointed.

Review Score: 8.5/10

Mike DeVivo

Follow Me on Twitter @pandasandrobots

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The Punisher #10 – Frank Castle Has Jokes

By

Roger Riddell

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April 19, 2012

The Punisher #10
Writer: Greg Rucka
Art: Marco Checchetto, Matt Hollingsworth [Color Artist]

Continuing the “Omega Effect” crossover story, The Punisher #10 picks up where last weeks Avenging Spider-Man #6 left off. Having agreed that the destruction of the Omega Drive–which contains intel on every major super-criminal organization under the sun–is the best course of action, Spider-Man, Daredevil, the Punisher, and “Punisherette” Rachel Cole-Alves set out to wreak havoc upon the New York underworld before destroying the drive for all of the organizations to see.

Greg Rucka writes a fast-paced, fun issue here. Yes, I just used the word “fun” to describe a book starring the Punisher. Rucka handles the Spider-banter well here, even having Frank Castle himself throw in a veiled quip at one point. It should be noted that this is the first Punisher comic I’ve ever bought (I’m mostly familiar with him from guest appearances in other books) and I have to say that Rucka makes the breakdown of Castle’s tactics during the raids on AIM, Hydra, Hand, and Exchange operations easy to follow.

He also provides a little more insight into Sgt. Rachel Cole-Alves’ backstory for new readers and develops the character over a few more panels. To keep it simple, though, she’s basically got a similar backstory as Frank Castle. To round things out, Rucka parallels what each team–Spidey/Daredevil and Castle/Alves–do en route to the rendezvous, with Spider-Man and Daredevil getting caught up delivering a baby in stalled traffic and the Punishers stocking up on firearms in a hideout where an Iron Man helmet and Hawkeye bow are visible (I wonder how Frank Castle got his hands on those…).

Overall, Rucka keeps the second part of this crossover moving at the same brisk pace while maintaining the fun factor and seamless writing it began with. Coupled with more stellar art by Marco Checchetto and Matt Hollingsworth, this is another must-read in a thus-far perfect multi-book crossover.

STORY: 10/10
ART: 10/10

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Venom #16 – Return of the Fly

By

Roger Riddell

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April 18, 2012

Venom #16
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Kev Walker, Chris Sotomayor [Colors]

A while back, Venom captured the D-list villain Human Fly. This issue, he’s in charge of protecting a train transporting Human Fly to the Raft, a maximum security prison designed for super villains.

It all starts out simple enough, with Human Fly giving a sob story about how he stole a few million dollars from the Kingpin and now the Kingpin is going to kill his son. It adds depth to the Human Fly, especially given the revelation at the end of the issue.

Before Flash can fully process any of this, though, one of the guards informs him that the Kingpin has already placed a $10 million bounty on the Fly’s head and that one of the other guards has already offered to take it. It turns out the guard with the intel is no guard at all, but actually the Hobgoblin in disguise. Needless to say, a battle between the three ensues and Venom is dealt another personal defeat.

Rick Remender has promised in recent weeks that people who like seeing Flash Thompson’s life suck would be happy in coming months, and so far, he seems to be keeping that promise. If it’s all downhill from here, I can only imagine the depths to which he’ll take Venom before things start looking up. Aside from giving Human Fly some of the best characterization I’ve ever read from that character, he also makes great use of the Phil Urich Hobgoblin here. Like what he did with Jack O’Lantern early on in the series, I actually think Human Fly is more than a C- or D-lister for a change.

Another solid one-and-done from Remender this week, just in time for new readers to jump onboard for the “Savage Six” story arc.

STORY: 9/10
ART: 9/10

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Uncanny X-Force #24 – Meltdown!

By

Roger Riddell

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April 18, 2012

Uncanny X-Force #24
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Phil Noto, Dean White [Colors]

During last year’s “Dark Angel Saga,” the Age of Apocalypse’s evil version of Iceman escaped into Earth-616 (i.e. the mainstream Marvel Universe). This was the primary reason for that reality’s Nightcrawler joining X-Force.

In Uncanny X-Force #24, he finally gets his revenge on his former friend and teammate.

While Nightcrawler, Wolverine, and Deadpool head to Madripoor to take care of AoA Iceman, Fantomex and Psylocke attend the Otherworld funeral of Psylocke’s brother, Jamie Braddock. Here, we see Fantomex’s more human side during a brief conversation with Psylocke’s other brother, Brian (AKA Captain Britain), and learn that in order to save Fantomex during the Otherworld saga, Psylocke gave up her ability to feel sorrow or remorse.

Back in Madripoor, the fight comes down to Nightcrawler and Iceman–no powers or weapons, just two former friends fighting to the death. Rick Remender really drives home the emotional impact of this battle via Nightcrawler’s thoughts and the banter between the two. Additionally, Remender continues to bring some of the best Deadpool antics outside of Daniel Way’s Deadpool solo series and provides a huge leap in the Fantomex-Psylocke relationship, as well as building upon the father-son dynamic between Fantomex and Apocalypse child clone Genesis.

Phil Noto and Dean White’s art in this issue is vibrant and detailed, perhaps even my favorite art on this series thus far. The transitions between panels are extremely fluid and easy to follow, keeping the action moving at a steady pace.

This one-and-done issue is a must-buy for fans of the series and new readers interested in the title alike.

STORY: 9.5/10
ART: 9.5/10

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