E3 2017 is right around the corner; Nintendo is showing off all things Switch, Sony is bolstering their library of Playstation 4 games, and Microsoft…is showing off a beefed up Xbox One and treating it as their saving grace? That’s sure what it seems like to me.
Okay, so before I get into my thoughts, predictions, and strategy on Microsoft’s E3 and immediate future, here’s the breakdown. Last year, the company announced Project Scorpio, a new, updated version of their Xbox One console that boosts six teraflops and will run games natively at 4k. It’s set to be the most powerful console by far, and Microsoft is finally showing the piece of tech off at this year’s E3.
Internet chatter tells me that fans think this is Microsoft’s chance to get an edge over Sony and Nintendo in the console “war”, but they couldn’t be more wrong.
The last Xbox One sales data I could find stated the console sold 26 million units by January of this year. Assuming the system stayed on pace with that, let’s say it’s sold 30 million consoles thus far. Why would a high-in-price, beefed up version of the One boost sales by much? Scalebound is no more, the Fable series is dead, and Microsoft is seemingly scrambling for any 1st party titles they can get. The company already confirmed no Halo 6 at E3 2017, so that can’t be relied upon for a spike; Cuphead looks awesome, but it’s not exactly the game you’d want to see highlighted on a 4K console.
My point in writing this comes down to the fact that I want Microsoft to succeed. I enjoyed my Xbox 360, but sold my Xbox One two years after purchasing it. On the contrary, I picked up a Playstation 4 a few months ago. If the company wants to do well in the current gaming market, graphics can’t be the only appeal. As we’ve seen with Nintendo and the rising indie scene, graphics are not the priority for the majority of gamers.
Banking solely upon the Scorpio’s capability to run 3rd party titles like COD WW2, Destiny, and Star Wars Battlefront 2 in 4K will result in a sputter of sales that Xbox fanboys will have to accept. Throw in the fact that the console won’t be cheap, as stated by Phil Spencer, and I think you’ve set yourself up for mediocre sales at best.
With all this said, however, I go back to my original point: impress me, Microsoft. Although I have a preconceived opinion on their newest hardware, I’m keeping an open mind and am excited to see what they show not only at E3 2017, but in the months leading up Scorpio’s launch.
Are you excited for Project Scorpio? Do you think it will be a success? Sound off in the comments below.
Great Lakes Brewery, Canadian Brewery of the Year for three of the past four years, with their uniquely named beers — Pompous Ass English Pale Ale, Karma Citra IPA, Canuck Pale Ale, Robohop, and My Bitter Wife IPA to name a few — added a new brew to their menu back in 2015. And, in keeping with tradition, this one has an odd name as well, Octopus Wants to Fight IPA.
I’ve reviewed four other beers from Great Lakes Brewery and only one of them, Winter Ale, doesn’t have a flashy name. But luckily, these beers are tasty as well as flashy. Frequent readers of my reviews know that unfamiliar IPAs draw me in. And, with eight arms, this fighting octopus drew me in quickly.
Great Lakes Brewery: Octopus Wants to Fight IPA – First Sip
Octopus Wants to Fight IPA pours a very cloudy light-orange colour with a 1/2 an inch of head that sticks around at the top of my glass. I smell notes of citrus and grass as I take my first sip. I brace myself for the overpowering strength of this brew’s 88 IBUs, but find it surprisingly well-balanced, strengthening in bitterness on the finish. With lots of foam but lazy bubbles, this IPA has a has a smooth and somewhat thick mouthfeel that provides a great vehicle for its bitter aftertaste.
Great Lakes Brewery: Octopus Wants to Fight IPA – Last Sip
At 6.2% ABV in 473-mL cans, one Octopus Wants to Fight is probably enough. But, with lots of flavour and character, you don’t need to drink many to get a sense of what this brew is all about. GLB’s website recommends drinking this beer as a companion to a plate of calamari. And, though I’m a big fan of fried squid, less seafood-inclined folks would probably enjoy this brew alongside just about any fried food. This brew’s bittersweet flavour works very well with just about anything battered.
While at MegaCon in Orlando, Dan DiDio, the Co-Publisher of DC Comics talked with Monkeys Fighting Robots about the evolution of his career and what DC Comics has done to combat nerd rage.
‘Listen, you’re always going to have nerd rage. The worst part of nerd rage for me is how it affects the talent. I don’t care about myself, my job is to run block. You know, and that’s your job. As a corporate executive, your job is to protect your talent. But my fear is always, is the talent too much affected by what people say? They’re hungry for that instantaneous feedback and it’s not really a clear representation of the market of what people really enjoy. It’s just the people who are the most aggravated speaking the loudest,’ said DiDio.
‘The goal is to find a way to get people to tune that out and be true to their storytelling, be true to who they are, and believe in your material. Don’t be afraid to tell your stories. Don’t be afraid of what people may say, trust yourself, trust your own instincts, believe in what you’re doing,’ said DiDio.
‘What we do is we plan things out, we plan it in advance, and so people might not like what we’re doing at that moment, but we know it’s on a long-term plan. So you can’t switch it or else the whole thing falls apart. You just got to believe in your stance and if it doesn’t work you gotta own up to it. You have to admit to your mistakes and there’s nothing wrong with that either. The fan base is also very forgiving. The get very outraged sometimes, but they’re also very forgiving and if you understand that, and know that we’re always trying that’s a key thing.,’ said DiDio.
‘I think people have to understand that nobody goes out of their way to make a bad book. That’s not the plan, it happens in the course of business. The goal is to try to make the best books possible and the great part about our business is it’s periodical. So you’re always constantly making more and you always have the next month to fix it and that’s what we do,’ said DiDio.
You may not like every move DiDio has made in his time at DC Comics, but you have to respect the man’s passion for the artform. He always brings excitement to the DC panels that’s intoxicating and gets you pumped. At MegaCon this past year, Marvel could have used some of that spirit as the tone of its panels were vastly different.
Watch the complete Dan DiDio interview:
What do you think of DiDio’s remarks? Comment below.
We all wonder what is after death, that is the reason why that many try to live their life to the fullest. Yet many of us face regret, but being able to face the missteps would mean more than the world. Death Parade, acts as a so-called god, determining whether or not the recently deceased get a second chance at life or heading towards hell.
Take Part in the Death Parade
After death, humans are sentenced
to a fate of reincarnation or the void. This is all dependent on an arbiter by the name of Decim. As the deceased make their way to the arbiter they enter the bar Quindecim, where Decim is in charge. A game is to be played in order for Decim to make a decision as to who deserves reincarnation and who will be sentenced to hell.
Short Stories to Remember
Death Parade is a short story based anime for the most part. Besides one part being a consistent part of the plot, the majority was different stories across the series. Some were touching while others disturbing crossing many points across the spectrum of entertainment. This being said, it strays from the stereotypical anime that are released every season. That always wins points for me since it tries something new, which is fairly rare in Japan. That being said, it does it well, creating interesting stories for the viewer to enjoy from start to finish.
Verdict
Death Parade seems to have it all, whether it be romance, action, etc. It almost feels that the series had more potential than its allotted amount of episodes and that is where it falls short. Because of this, it doesn’t constitute as anywhere near a masterpiece. Instead, it is an enjoyable anime that everyone should take some time out to watch.
I watched Gundam Thunderbolt Episode 7 earlier and I have to say it keeps getting better and better. We finally got to see what Darryl has been up to and it’s simply heartbreaking. If you haven’t watched the episode yet, what are you waiting for? Spoilers are going to follow.
Love
I always found Darryl Lorenz to be the weaker of the two protagonists, until this episode. We see that while Io is flashier and an all-around cool guy, Darryl plays the calmer more technical role. Their personalities are even reflected in their choice of music. Io loves chaotic jazz while Darryl is into smoother pop songs. I know it was shown in the first season, but seeing it again just makes the point pop in my mind even more.
Part of what makes Darryl so interesting is his love for Karla and having her regressing to a little girl just complicates it all. Oh, she also sees him as her dad. Talk about messed up chances.
Io also got his share of emotions. His playful banter with Bianca was cute and they’re so alike it’s ridiculous. It wasn’t just good feelings though. Seeing Claudia again was a punch to the gut. I’m a bit confused as to how exactly she managed to survive but I’m sure it’ll all be explained in due time.
Before we proceed anywhere else, I have to stop and just mention the music played. It’s such a detached mood to what is shown on the screen but I love it. It creates this dissonance and makes us think that maybe everything is going to be alright, even though we know it probably won’t. The songs are really good though and I especially liked that intro scene between Darryl and Karla. Everything’s so upbeat only for us to find out that Karla is mentally damaged. Great.
As that one soldier dude told Darryl though, maybe it’s best for everyone involved for Karla’s memories never to come back.
It wouldn’t be a Gundam show if everything went according to plan though, would it?
Beautiful shot.
Guerilla tactics
It amazes me how much story is crammed into 20 minutes. I thought this would deal only with Darryl’s relationship with Karla but they somehow threw in a spy rescue operation in the mix.
Part of what makes the mobile suits scene stand out so much to me is the technology used. We actually get to see how things actually work.
There were a lot of great moments, some of which were the South Seas Alliance showing their weapons. Amalgamations of broken Zeon and Earth Federation machines makes them seem like more of a living dead division than the actual group. It was great seeing them come in on motorcycles and cars and shooting rockets at the Zeon Acguys.
The SSA is so basic, it’s scary.
The standout moment was when the Newtype jingle rang for Billy Hickam moments before the enemies showed up. The kid is kind of rude but those Newtype abilities more than make up for it.
Billy came off as rude in the first few episodes, but he showed why he’s on the team.
High hopes
To conclude this episode was great and I can’t wait for the finale next month. If there’s one thing to complain about with Thunderbolt, it’s how few episodes there are. On my last review, I said the wait was bearable but I lied. Let’s just see where Darryl, Io, Bianca, Claudia, and everyone else end up.
Patty Jenkins’ Wonder Woman film finally opened in US theaters, and to no one’s surprise, made a splash at the box office immediately.
Forbes is reporting that the Gal Gadot-lead picture brought in just under $39 Million on Friday. After cracking $11 Million on Thursday night shows, the DC Extended Universe is on its way to be the box office king…or queen.
Although a generally lower friday than Man of Steel, Suicide Squad, and Batman v Superman, Wonder Woman will carry over well as it’s a hit among fans and critics.
Have you seen Wonder Woman yet? If not, do you plan to see it? Sound off in the comments section below.
“Wonder Woman hits movietheaters around the world this summer when Gal Gadot returns as the title character in the epic action adventure from director Patty Jenkins. Before she was Wonder Woman, she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, when an American pilot crashes on their shores and tells of a massive conflict raging in the outside world, Diana leaves her home, convinced she can stop the threat. Fighting alongside man in a war to end all wars, Diana will discover her full powers…and her true destiny.”
Wonder Woman stars Gal Gadot as the title character, Chris Pine, Robin Wright as Antiope, David Thewlis, Danny Huston, Elena Anaya, Connie Nielsen, Ewen Bremner, and Lucy Davis.
Womder Woman celebrated her 75th anniversary this year. The world celebrated her with a stamp. They added her and then removed her from a UN ambassadorship. Wonder Woman speaks to generations of women both young and old, but why?
Wonder Woman embeds herself in the cultural consciousness precisely because she is embedded in literary and societal history. She won women’s hearts because she upends these literary and historical representations by being every bit a woman and every bit a heroine.
Warrior women have been found throughout history. Warrior women like Wonder Woman have been found from ancient history all the way through to our modern day. However, in 1643, an English proclamation banned women from military enlistment. This established a new type of female militarized representation, one in which warrior women had to hide as men to be allowed to engage in warfare. During the Enlighment, science anatomically distanced the female body from the male body and led to deepening the entrenchment of the patriarchal aspects of society. Previously, people had assumed that the physical differences between men and women were simply location of genitals, not the purpose of the genitals. These scientific shifts created social shifts. Those social shifts created the hierarchical representations of men having power over women seen in both society and the media.
All of this means that warrior women were forced to hide their feminine selves because of a variety of social, scientific, and legal stuff that happened in the 1600’s through the 1900’s. The militarization of women during World War II, however, gave women options that had been denied them in recent history. Volunteering for the various women’s corps gave women a sense of agency during the war effort, yet their jobs were confined to non-battle positions.
What does all of this history have to do with Wonder Woman?
Nothing. Everything.
Wonder Woman went into battle as a woman. She did not hide that she was female. She did not cover herself to disguise her femininity. She was all woman. She was all warrior. In the 298 years since English law banned women from the military, she stood as one of the first, most clearly obvious female battle ready warriors.
298 years is a long time y’all.
Only 21 years earlier, women had finally been allowed to vote. Women acting indepedently in society was new. Women being shown to act independently in popular culture felt relatively unknown. Women being represented as something other than an accesssory to men was so rare as to feel nonexistent. Keep in mind that in 1946, The Best Years of Our Lives would win 7 Academy Awards.
This movie spent two hours and fifty-two minutes following the lives of men coming home from WWII and treating the women in their lives pretty terribly. They had a right to be damaged. 5 years after the introduction of Wonder Woman, this movie presented women as ancillary characters accepting the emotional abuse of men and acting as though their wartime experiences were less difficult instead of entirely different. The seven Acadamy Awards socially reinforced the power of this message by creating a hegemonic approval of the men’s emotionally abusive actions.
Society felt this was fine.
Meanwhile, Wonder Woman existed in comics. This incredibly strong, smart warrior llived in a counterculture, unrespected popular culture format.
And girls found her. They persisted.
Girls found Wonder Woman despite the ongoing assault against comics. Girls found Wonder Woman despite ongoing assaults from well-respected psychologists saying comics would corrupt them. Girls found Wonder Woman despit parents and government trying to stop them.
Girls found Wonder Woman. And yet, they persisted.
Girls finding Wonder Woman could be considered a proto-feminist act. To a certain extent, they had to fight for their right to read her. They had to be forward thinking. In fact, they had to be the girls that just didn’t care about social norms because, hell, it was the 1950’s and comics were for boys.
Yet girls found Wonder Woman. And yet, they (still) persisted.
After the 1960’s and the feminist revolution, society began to accept this mammoth representation of feminism. We got Lynda Carter’s Wonder Woman. She represented strength, love, ahonesty, and intelligence. From November 1975 to September 1979, women had their heroine on their screens. They could see her. She was tangible. She was everything they wanted.
Creating the Wonder Woman television show positioned Wonder Woman within the mainstream culture. This moved her from an underground counterculture position to a mainstream hegemonically accepted position.
Wonder Woman persisted. And yet, women persisted.
Yes, Wonder Woman is the representation of female power. However, to truly understand her as an icon, we have to place her within her cultural context. Wonder Woman persists not because she is badass (she is), not because she is a shining example of female strength (she is), but because she persisted.
Despite being a lone female character in a male dominated world, she persisted. Despite being presented in a demonized format, she persisted. Despite being located in a popular culture realm dominated by males, she persisted.
She gives us a warrior legacy because she created the new ideals of how women could be.
Wonder Woman gives women a warrior legacy because she persisted.
With a new month upon us and ‘Wonder Woman‘ about to make history at the box office, June is set to be the hottest month of the Summer Movie Season. Here are ten other choices that should definitely be on your radar as well.
1The House (June 30th)
Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler star as a couple of clueless parents who are trying to raise money for their daughter’s tuition by starting an underground casino. This looks funny but I am concerned with it going up against the new Despicable Me movie.
AfterShock Comics have taken the mantle of Vertigo in producing high-quality comics for maturer audiences from the crude satire of Jimmy’s Bastards to grim re-imagining of Arthurian legend in Unholy Grail. With The Normals, writer: Alan Glass and artist:Dennis Calero, bring us the publisher’s take on the psychological thriller as seen through a contemporary sci-fi lens. At its heart, The Normals is a book about our perception of reality, how it shapes us and how we copes with that reality being undermined by external factors. Does the series have what it takes to get live up to its high concept premise or will it become eclipsed by its own potential.
AfterShock Comics pitches The Normals as a man whose life as he knew it never happened and who now must struggle to determine what his reality truly is. Indeed, without going into spoilers that quest for one’s identity and sense of meaning is central to the story, but the book leaves us with a sense that the revelation that incites these events might have been better borne out over a few issues. From a pacing perspective, taking into account potential revelations in future issues, the mystery behind the series has been revealed too soon for it to have any true impact. The suspense itself is thrilling in the moment, but the book never allows its central question or mystery to linger in our minds. Instant gratification may satiate our desire to know, but at the expense of the story itself. Which is a shame because outside of the clunky expository sections, the characters feel quite substantial and human in their interactions. Their dialogue is natural and flows in a way that many other comics struggle with. Glass has expertly built a family of characters that we care about, but the importance they place on solving the book’s core mystery never translates to the audience. We care for them, if not their plight.
From an art perspective, The Normals impresses smooth visuals that lull the reader into a false sense of security. In refraining from engaging in hyper-stylized visual or overly complicated techniques, Calero channels the mundanity of suburbia into every panel. From the artwork alone its clear that there is some unsettling about this brand of middle-class life even before The Normal’s more fantastical elements. A neighbour’s kind wave or plastic smile has hidden meaning and Calero manages to convey that unspoken artificiality to those interactions. As the series’ more sci-fi element begin to emerge, it will be interesting to see if the art evolves to match the family’s new understanding of reality as their seemingly normal life unravels around them. A tonal and stylistic shift of that nature could resonate well with the book’s thematic goals if executed properly.
The Normals is the kind of story that The Twilight Zone used to invoke an inherent unease about the reality around you and leaves you questioning many of the assumptions we make about the world. A tale in which the world as you know it seems to have changed utterly and yet you are the only one to notice. Suspenseful thrillers of the kind inevitably instill intrigue in their readers, but it is often that the build-up is more satisfying than the revelation itself. Fortunately, The Normals doesn’t fall wholly into that trap. It manages to successfully recall the sinister undertones of the best psychological horror stories, even if it does not radically bring anything new to the table.
This weekend, Wizard World Philadelphia honored comic book legend Rob Liefeld. He became the first inductee to the Wizard World: Hall Of Legends.
Liefeld took the stage Friday afternoon and spoke of his humble beginnings as a young comic fan trading for issues of Fantastic Four at a local liquor store. The controversial creator has come a long way and is responsible for a number of crucial comic creations.
Liefeld became a household name in the 90s. After a dominant stint on The New Mutants, he launched the popular X-Force series. The first issue of the series sold five million copies and is still one of the highest selling comic books to this day.
Rob left Marvel behind in 1992 to form Image Comics with other major comic book talent. Some of his most celebrated creations include Cable, Shatterstar, Youngblood, and of course Deadpool.
After receiving his award, Liefeld was joined on stage by a collection of various Deadpool cosplayers. A warm reception from the crowd met the enthusiastic inductee as he shared more stories of fatherhood, comic books, and what it’s like to have one of your creations on your own wallet.
Rob Liefeld may not have been the most popular person in the industry, but you can’t deny the major role he played in what comics looked like in the 90s.
Stay tuned for more Wizard World Philadelphia coverage as our own Brandon J. Griffin is there all weekend!
