Homage? Parody? Ripoff? Marvel and DC aping each others covers happens with such frequency these days it's hard to say.
Showing posts with label marvel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label marvel. Show all posts
Monday, May 6, 2013
Cover Comparison: Batman and the Red Hood vs Age of Ultron
Homage? Parody? Ripoff? Marvel and DC aping each others covers happens with such frequency these days it's hard to say.
MTV: 'Iron Man 3' -- Where Does It Rank In The Marvel Cinematic Universe?
My friend Brett White who works over at MTV asked me to weigh in on Iron Man 3.
"When the smoke clears and the armor is plugged in to charge, where does 'Iron Man 3' rank? Is it the best of the 'Iron Man' trilogy? Does it come close to 'The Avengers'? Do Captain America, Hulk or Thor's solo films give it a run for its money? We rounded up a panel of specialists to put 'Iron Man 3' in its place." Keep reading on MTV!
"When the smoke clears and the armor is plugged in to charge, where does 'Iron Man 3' rank? Is it the best of the 'Iron Man' trilogy? Does it come close to 'The Avengers'? Do Captain America, Hulk or Thor's solo films give it a run for its money? We rounded up a panel of specialists to put 'Iron Man 3' in its place." Keep reading on MTV!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Iron Man 3 Movie Review
Beware of spoilers!
Tony Stark is a wicked amalgamation of Batman and Superman. He’s a billionaire with an endless array of gadgets, and he can fly, shoot lasers, and take all sorts of damage when in his Iron Man suit. But he lacks Superman’s humble Kansas demeanor and Batman’s unbreakable No Killing Rule, so how does he get away with still calling himself a superhero? He makes us laugh.
Director Shane Black earned his name combining hard-hitting action with gut-busting comedy in Lethal Weapon, and the same formula works wonders when applied to Iron Man. The laughs come from all angles in an endless stream from Robert Downey Jr.’s quiptacular mouth. Whether he’s talking to girlfriend Pepper, best pal Rhodey, or a little boy in rural Tennessee, he’s determined to dominate the conversation with his superior witticisms, even if it means calling the kid a pussy. No zinger is off limits for the Man of Iron.
The Marvel cinematic universe continues to grow as Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian brings Advanced Idea Mechanics, or A.I.M., into the fold, not to mention Roxxon Corporation also plays a small role. With HYDRA, Hammer Industries, and other villainous organizations popping up in other Marvel movies, it’ll not be long until the cinematic universe is as fully developed and addictingly convoluted as the comics.
Through revelations big and small, we learn that Killian was wronged by Stark in the past and now he’s back with the unstable Extremis techno-virus that can regrow limbs and turn your hands into blowtorches, with the small side effect of sometimes causing you to explode. The Extremis-infused goons are a new and frankly refreshing threat to Iron Man. What use are all his weapons when the enemy can regenerate? What protection does his armor provide when they can effortlessly tear chunks out of it? Pearce exudes a brazen charm as he banters and manipulates and seduces his plan into motion. He’s certainly no Heath Ledger Joker or Alfred Molina Doc Ock, but he’s a welcome improvement over yet another guy in a robot suit.
Killian works with the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), an international terrorist with a Bin Laden beard and Unabomber shades. Given that in the comics he wields ten magic rings -- a concept that Marvel’s quasi-realistic tone might not readily accept -- the makers of this movie were faced with the challenge of how to convert the Mandarin to the big screen. Their solution? They didn’t. I’ll let you watch to find out what that means, but suffice to say that some fans will be pissed at the treatment of Iron Man’s greatest nemesis, while others will be tickled at the surprise twist that inspires a great bit of acting from Kingsley. Count me among the latter.
Rhodey, Pepper, and Happy are all back, but Tony spends most of his time away from his familiar cohorts, and that’s what gives the movie its unique feel and sense of freedom. Iron Man 3 takes a page out of The Dark Knight by having Stark use his vast array of technology to play detective. He also spends a majority of the movie out of the suit -- never mind that he’s now able to remote control it -- which lets us see firsthand what the Man is without the Iron.
The result is a fascinating look at a man with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder -- if you saw aliens pour out of a portal in NYC then you would, too -- and an extreme dependency on the machinery that gives him his identity. Watching him figure out how to live a life in a world without ready access to his limitless resources and a battle suit for every occasion is the bread and butter of the movie.
It’s unfortunate that the PTSD arc fizzles out just before the third act. Instead of an emotional climax based on the intriguing character work that invested us in Tony Stark the Man, we get the equivalent of a toddler upending his toy box on the floor and smashing together all his action figures with delight. A few dozen Iron Men descend on a shipyard full of glowy bad guys, but with the suits being pilotless and the villains being largely immune to harm, it’s hard to care about anything that transpires.
And a note about the Extremis baddies: they seem to be all but immortal, but then we see them die for random reasons that contradicted their previously demonstrated durability. The bald Extremis lived through quite a bit, but then died to a focused beam through the chest. The female Extremis that attacked Tony in the bar died in an explosion, but when Tony detonates his suit while on Killian, he survives. Yet when Pepper kicks a missle into his face and detonates it, Killian dies. I would argue that a concentrated explsion spread across one's entire body is more intense than one just next to you, but it seems like they needed Pepper to have her "moment" at the end.
This also brings to light that Pepper was relegated to being the typical girl tied to the tracks for half the film. She's shown captured and in pain as the villain salivates over her as his prize, only to then show her dangling upside down in a sports bra before falling to her "demise." With only one female on the Avengers -- one without powers, at that -- and most female Marvel leads existing as love interests and little else, it's a shame that the one woman who can verbally spar with Tony is only given half a movie's worth of compelling material.
Getting back to the robotic finale, the different armor designs are cool at first glance, but they only work to point out a glaring plot hole of the film. If Stark had a fleet of battle-ready suits ready to launch at the push of a button, then why didn’t he use them when his mansion got attacked? When he had to save thirteen people jettisoned from an exploding plane? When he had to do anything, really?
The best suit was the Hulkbuster one with its distinguishing bulkiness. The physical manifestation of heavy metal. But even that follows the trend of wasted potential when, instead of fighting, it acts as a support beam and is never seen again. I wanted to see one of its elephant-sized feet come down on an Extremis baddie, crushing them into sparks like putting out a cigarette with your shoe.
It also would have been nice to see it in a green color, perhaps acknowledging Tony’s bromance with the Hulk’s Bruce Banner. This would also act as a clever response as to why Tony doesn’t immediately call on the Avengers for help: he’s already built suitable replacements. But the movie does answer this question in its own way. The Avengers only assemble when a threat appears that no one hero could stand against. Clearly, Tony could handle this one all by himself.
But despite any nitpicks, the film is a win. Anything that can move me to laughter gets a bonus in my book, and this movie succeeded despite every flaw because of the effortlessly humorous RDJ. It’s better than the misguided-but-still-watchable Iron Man 2, but too overreaching in its need to dazzle to best the original. It’s certainly a solid follow up to The Avengers and the start of Marvel Phase 2. Speaking of future Marvel movies, perhaps the oddest bit comes at the start of the credits when we see: “Tony Stark will return.” Even though we just saw him all but relinquish everything that makes him Iron Man, Marvel made sure to blatantly state to audiences that there’s more coming. As if there was ever any doubt.
Tony Stark is a wicked amalgamation of Batman and Superman. He’s a billionaire with an endless array of gadgets, and he can fly, shoot lasers, and take all sorts of damage when in his Iron Man suit. But he lacks Superman’s humble Kansas demeanor and Batman’s unbreakable No Killing Rule, so how does he get away with still calling himself a superhero? He makes us laugh.
Director Shane Black earned his name combining hard-hitting action with gut-busting comedy in Lethal Weapon, and the same formula works wonders when applied to Iron Man. The laughs come from all angles in an endless stream from Robert Downey Jr.’s quiptacular mouth. Whether he’s talking to girlfriend Pepper, best pal Rhodey, or a little boy in rural Tennessee, he’s determined to dominate the conversation with his superior witticisms, even if it means calling the kid a pussy. No zinger is off limits for the Man of Iron.
The Marvel cinematic universe continues to grow as Guy Pearce’s Aldrich Killian brings Advanced Idea Mechanics, or A.I.M., into the fold, not to mention Roxxon Corporation also plays a small role. With HYDRA, Hammer Industries, and other villainous organizations popping up in other Marvel movies, it’ll not be long until the cinematic universe is as fully developed and addictingly convoluted as the comics.
 |
| Not using the A.I.M. from the comics = GOOD IDEA |
Killian works with the Mandarin (Ben Kingsley), an international terrorist with a Bin Laden beard and Unabomber shades. Given that in the comics he wields ten magic rings -- a concept that Marvel’s quasi-realistic tone might not readily accept -- the makers of this movie were faced with the challenge of how to convert the Mandarin to the big screen. Their solution? They didn’t. I’ll let you watch to find out what that means, but suffice to say that some fans will be pissed at the treatment of Iron Man’s greatest nemesis, while others will be tickled at the surprise twist that inspires a great bit of acting from Kingsley. Count me among the latter.
 |
| Now do you see why they didn't use the rings? |
The result is a fascinating look at a man with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder -- if you saw aliens pour out of a portal in NYC then you would, too -- and an extreme dependency on the machinery that gives him his identity. Watching him figure out how to live a life in a world without ready access to his limitless resources and a battle suit for every occasion is the bread and butter of the movie.
It’s unfortunate that the PTSD arc fizzles out just before the third act. Instead of an emotional climax based on the intriguing character work that invested us in Tony Stark the Man, we get the equivalent of a toddler upending his toy box on the floor and smashing together all his action figures with delight. A few dozen Iron Men descend on a shipyard full of glowy bad guys, but with the suits being pilotless and the villains being largely immune to harm, it’s hard to care about anything that transpires.
And a note about the Extremis baddies: they seem to be all but immortal, but then we see them die for random reasons that contradicted their previously demonstrated durability. The bald Extremis lived through quite a bit, but then died to a focused beam through the chest. The female Extremis that attacked Tony in the bar died in an explosion, but when Tony detonates his suit while on Killian, he survives. Yet when Pepper kicks a missle into his face and detonates it, Killian dies. I would argue that a concentrated explsion spread across one's entire body is more intense than one just next to you, but it seems like they needed Pepper to have her "moment" at the end.
This also brings to light that Pepper was relegated to being the typical girl tied to the tracks for half the film. She's shown captured and in pain as the villain salivates over her as his prize, only to then show her dangling upside down in a sports bra before falling to her "demise." With only one female on the Avengers -- one without powers, at that -- and most female Marvel leads existing as love interests and little else, it's a shame that the one woman who can verbally spar with Tony is only given half a movie's worth of compelling material.
Getting back to the robotic finale, the different armor designs are cool at first glance, but they only work to point out a glaring plot hole of the film. If Stark had a fleet of battle-ready suits ready to launch at the push of a button, then why didn’t he use them when his mansion got attacked? When he had to save thirteen people jettisoned from an exploding plane? When he had to do anything, really?
The best suit was the Hulkbuster one with its distinguishing bulkiness. The physical manifestation of heavy metal. But even that follows the trend of wasted potential when, instead of fighting, it acts as a support beam and is never seen again. I wanted to see one of its elephant-sized feet come down on an Extremis baddie, crushing them into sparks like putting out a cigarette with your shoe.
 |
| Why Hulkbuster no smash? |
It also would have been nice to see it in a green color, perhaps acknowledging Tony’s bromance with the Hulk’s Bruce Banner. This would also act as a clever response as to why Tony doesn’t immediately call on the Avengers for help: he’s already built suitable replacements. But the movie does answer this question in its own way. The Avengers only assemble when a threat appears that no one hero could stand against. Clearly, Tony could handle this one all by himself.
But despite any nitpicks, the film is a win. Anything that can move me to laughter gets a bonus in my book, and this movie succeeded despite every flaw because of the effortlessly humorous RDJ. It’s better than the misguided-but-still-watchable Iron Man 2, but too overreaching in its need to dazzle to best the original. It’s certainly a solid follow up to The Avengers and the start of Marvel Phase 2. Speaking of future Marvel movies, perhaps the oddest bit comes at the start of the credits when we see: “Tony Stark will return.” Even though we just saw him all but relinquish everything that makes him Iron Man, Marvel made sure to blatantly state to audiences that there’s more coming. As if there was ever any doubt.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Awesome Cause: Bring the Hulk to the Northlake Public Library
If putting a 9-foot tall Hulk statue in the lobby will help a library, then it's a cause worth donating for!
My high school librarian ripped the pages out of a comic book because she thought it was inappropriate -- right in front of me! -- so it's great to see those at Northlake Public Library going in the opposite direction by encouraging their patrons to read comics, create their own comics, and MAKE THEIR OWN ACTION FIGURES!
Why haven't you donated already?
My high school librarian ripped the pages out of a comic book because she thought it was inappropriate -- right in front of me! -- so it's great to see those at Northlake Public Library going in the opposite direction by encouraging their patrons to read comics, create their own comics, and MAKE THEIR OWN ACTION FIGURES!
Why haven't you donated already?
Thursday, March 7, 2013
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Thursday, April 19, 2012
IGN Reviews for 4/19/12
Justice League #8
The Incredible Hulk #7
Thunderbolts #173
Wolverine and the X-Men #9
Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #3
Manhattan Projects #2
Witchblade #155
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
IGN: Marvel's Secret Superhero Teams
Heroes aren't always out there in flashy outfits getting their picture taken while helping people out of a burning building. Sometimes they have to rely on subterfuge, spying, and dirty tactics to help serve the greater good.
With Uncanny X-Force currently being better than ever and a new team of Secret Avengers coming soon, we wanted to take a look back at Marvel's best secret teams -- just don't tell anyone, or we might have to kill you.
Check it out at IGN!
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Best Superhero Movies Ever: Where Do Thor, Cap, X-Men, and Green Lantern Rank?
Check it out at Broken Frontier!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
My Review Featured on IGN: The Stand: The Night Has Come #1
Tension has never been higher as spies Judge and Dayna lose their cover and are subjected to the will of the Dark Man. The first half of the issue deals with Judge as he's pestered by a crow and winds up in a rain-soaked gunfight. Perkins's detailed pencils and Martin's moody colors give the scene true emotional weight; you'll hold your breath as the men talk while pointing guns at each other (not unlike the end scene of Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs), and you'll let your air out to scream when you see what the crow really is. Check out the rest at IGN!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
My Review Featured on IGN: Mystic #1
Lopez's artwork and Fairbairn's colors are comparable to great Disney cartoons such as Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. It's easy to get lost in a sea of abs and capes in most comics, but Lopez gives each girl subtle and prominent features that look unique and authentic. Fairbairn's colors show off Genevieve's strawberry blond braids and freckled cheeks, which stand in contrast to Giselle's shorter black hair and pointed purple eyes. The girls laugh, cry, roll their eyes, and run away from magical machine dogs with such fluid detail and cinematic paneling that it made me feel like a spellbound child, the same way I did watching my first Disney princess dance across the screen while my father looked on disapprovingly. Check out the rest at IGN!
Thursday, July 7, 2011
My Thunderbolts #160 Review was Featured on IGN!
With so many characters stuffed into this issue, Shavley does a praiseworthy job of creating unique settings for them to plot and fight in; a particularly funny scene shows the B Team sitting around eating emergency rations while Mr. Hyde lays passed out naked on a crate. Later, even though Parker's scripting takes a confusing turn when Songbird somehow uses her power to make the Juggernaut run up a spiraling pink treadmill, Shavley saves the scene by making it a visual wonder. Read the rest at IGN!
Reviews: Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1
A young superhero has been taken hostage by mutant-hating religious fanatics called the Purifiers and X-Force must slice, dice, and “stabby stabby” their way to save him. Williams handles the team with such a great balance of violent action, deft characterization, and black humor that one would be hard-pressed to notice it’s not main series regular Rick Remender writing the book. Read the rest at Broken Frontier!
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Avengers: The Children's Crusade #6 and Uncanny X-Men #539 up on Broken Frontier!
All eyes will be on the Scarlet Witch as this miniseries concludes, but hopefully a little time will be spent detailing how Hawkeye wound up having sex with a Doom-Bot. Keep reading at Broken Frontier!
Hope and the girls go out for a day of shopping and I find myself oddly intrigued. For being a character so crucial to the future of mutantkind and a centerpiece to many X-stories, her personality has proved to be lacking. If you posed ten “What would you do if…” questions about Wolverine or Emma Frost, I feel as though I could answer each one accurately, but with Hope it’s hard to pinpoint what her individual quirks are. Read the rest at Broken Frontier!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
See my reviews of Alpha Flight #1 and Supergirl #1 on Broken Frontier!
The issue has enough characters and action that it is set to burst, but that doesn’t stop it from forming a cohesive story that proves to be the best Fear Itself tie-in so far. Keep reading at Broken Frontier!
Supergirl goes undercover Never Been Kissed-style in order to help Lois Lane discover why several intelligent teenagers have disappeared. While the supporting characters shine with interesting personalities, the titular heroine’s behavior feels inconsistent. Keep reading at Broken Frontier!
Check out my Ruse #4 Review Featured on IGN!
Waid brings this story to an end in a way that echoes the (initial) death of Sherlock Holmes, but it plays out differently since Archer has something Holmes did not: the beautiful, tough, and fiercely intelligent Emma Bishop. The mystery usually makes for the core of a detective story, but the true heart of this one has proven to be the unique – and often humorous – relationship between Archer and Bishop, although theirs is not a love story by any stretch. Bishop is the best written comic character in recent memory, and Archer is lucky to have her at his side. Check out the rest at IGN.com!
Thursday, June 9, 2011
My Deadpool #38 Review was featured on IGN!
Deadpool wants to die and he’s sought out the Hulk to help him out. After dropping several nuclear warheads on him last issue, he now wrangles with the Hulk in a fast-paced brawl full of fun only the Merc with a Mouth can deliver. Check out the rest at IGN!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Good O'l Reviews: The Stand #4
The Stand #4
In order to save the rest of us, you all have to die.
Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
Art by Mike Perkins
May 11, 2011
After a deadly plague, 99% of the world is dead, leaving behind small communities trying desperately to rebuild the human race. With life suddenly so rare and precious, it is a wonder how Harold has it in him to denote a bomb in a house full of his neighbors. Stephen King’s chilling novel of the same name is faithfully adapted, but the caption descriptions, character dialog, and detailed art have a hard time amounting to more than the sum of their parts.
Pregnant Frannie has a grave look in her eyes during a tense conversation; a group of people crowd together to discuss the traitorous Harold in a living room that looks not unlike so many White House war room photos; and Nadine, always the confident blond bombshell, finally cracks in wake of Harold’s devious actions. All of these moments are given great emotional weight by Perkins’s heavy shadowed pencils, but the consistently drab panel layout creates an agonizingly snail-like pace.
Likewise, inner character thoughts and setting descriptions are lifted almost verbatim from the novel, but end up competing with the visuals instead of adding to them. Elegantly saying a “fire-rose bloomed” hardly syncs up to the horrific image of a house exploding with people still inside.
Reading this, I am reminded of how the Watchmen movie was an incredibly faithful adaption, but somehow managed to lose the magic between the pages.
Rating: 6.5 out of 10
Monday, May 9, 2011
Reviews in 140: Moon Knight, Fear Itself, and more!
Week of 5/5/2011
Reviews in 140 are comic reviews in 140 characters or less; done this way to satisfy a world of Twitter-fied readers who want a quick overview of a comic and a rating so they can decide if it’s worth buying at the store.
Reviews in 140 are comic reviews in 140 characters or less; done this way to satisfy a world of Twitter-fied readers who want a quick overview of a comic and a rating so they can decide if it’s worth buying at the store.
Book of the week!
Moon Knight (#1) - 8/10
Despite the overuse of Logan, Cap, and Spidey, this makes the character feel fresh and exciting.
X-Men: Prelude to Schism (#1) - 8/10
A thoughtful look back at Scott and Prof X and how they've learned from each other since the beginning. Aww.
Fear Itself (#2) - 5/10
A mess of captions and word balloons fail to add flavor to a splintered narrative. So unfocused that a reader would have trouble deciding who to care about, if anyone at all.
Ozma of Oz (#6) - 6.5/10
Ozma is given a fleetingly interesting game to play. This issue fails to capitalize on what could have been a suspenseful ending.
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