Captain America: Super Soldier (Game)

I don't like playing new games.

My husband knows this about me. Other people (like him) live for that new experience feeling, that rush you get when you are trying something you have never tried before. That is what compels them to buy game after game after game, wading through a sea of mediocrity to find the rare gems of "playable" games (and that's not even mentioning how infrequently actual GOOD games come along).

Me, on the other hand...well, I like to stick with what I know. When I pop a Bethesda game into the Xbox, I don't have to worry about whether or not I am going to enjoy myself; if I am going to have difficulty with the control scheme or get too frustrated to continue....I know that I am going to get the most out of my play time, without that annoying learning curve.

But occasionally Mike will fear that I am falling into a gaming rut, which admittedly I am prone to do (I have a default of about six games), so he will bribe, coerce, threaten, or cajole me into giving a new game an honest shot and I can find no good reason to dodge his efforts. The latest of his persuasive interest is "Captain America: Super Soldier".

Before I start talking about it.....No, I have not finished this game yet. As it is, I am trying to put the kids down for nap and they do much better when I have nothing on the TV, with the notable exceptions of Oblivion and Fallout 3--those were the games that I played while enduring long, sleepless nights with them as newborns, and I believe the soundtracks are now soothing for them. Back to my original thought, no--I have not finished; I am in the process of finishing it (or at least, I am currently playing it--not many games get the honor of completion from me), but I am writing prematurely for a purpose:

Impressions of a game change the further you get into them. What may have once been novel combat may become repetitive; engaging storyline may begin to lose steam; or fun side missions could lose their luster. Of course, it goes both ways--some games that start out quite rough (like the tedium of the extended vault tutorial in "Fallout 3") give way to unequivocally enjoyable experiences. That being said, I would like to map my own impressions of the Captain America game as I am going through it so that I can get a tangible overarching opinion instead of a "well, now that THAT'S over..." final parting thoughts.

Once again, I wandered off on my own tangent. It's my blog, I can do what I want--deal with it =P

I all ready know how Mike feels about this game. He has completed it, and written a review of it (which can be found here http://www.mikescomicblog.com/2011/07/captain-america-super-soldier-video.html). Though he is a particular softie when it comes to comic book games, forgiving to the point of stubbornly overlooking their faults, he acknowledged this was not a perfect game. Better than some, absolutely worth the experience, but not an amazing or outstanding game by any stretch of the imagination. Which led me to the thought...why on earth would he be so determined for me to try it?

Admittedly, one of the six staples in my aforementioned cache of games is "Batman Arkham Asylum", and the parallels between that game and this one have been drawn very boldly by every reviewer that I have bothered reading. Logic dictates that if I heartily enjoyed a game that I would probably get some pleasure out of a copycat, even if it is not as much.

What surprised me is that though I concede that Batman: AA is undoubtedly the better of the two games, there are many aspects of Captain America: SS that I actually prefer to AA.

For example: the combat scheme is remarkably similar between the two games, BUT Arkham Asylum plays up the stealthy aspect of the character, while Super Soldier feels no such obligations. Because of this, Cap feels more powerful, more invincible since he can take a much greater beating than Batman and still come up swinging. That is not to say that the combat in SS is better than that of AA; it just provides for a different feel. Batman is able to focus more on the suspenseful, while Cap feels more like a tank.

I also prefer Cap's tactical vision or whatever it was dubbed over that of Batman's detective mode. One of my complaints about AA was that they had such beautiful, carefully crafted environments that rewarded long-term comic fans, but much of it was wasted because having detective vision on was so much more convenient and made gameplay more fluid. The tactical vision is on for a brief moment (maybe a little too brief for my tastes, but not unusably), and then it flashes back to normal vision with glowing directives left behind. With this method, you lose none of the visuals of the game or the direction of the special sight. Granted, the scenery of Cap is much more bland and unexciting than that of the prison island of Batman, but the thought is still there.

Obviously I realize that Sega had a bit of an upper hand and could re-imagine the parts of AA that they did not enjoy when making SS. But they also had less time, so it sort of all evens out in the end.

Moving away from the similarities between the two games now.

Collectibles.

Mike (and probably most gamers) were not impressed with this part of the Captain America game. There are tons of ceramic eggs, film reels, dossier folders, beer steins, Prussian Stahlhelms, statues, and schematics littered throughout the environment, glowing to distract the eye just in case you missed a few. Sure, they offer you additional intel points which you can use to purchase upgrades...but my experience thus far as shown that upgrades are almost entirely worthless, so why artificially extend game play by hunting down hundreds of these baubles?

For me, just because it is one of the most fun elements of the game.

I don't know why--maybe it is the pack rat in me that likes amassing tons of shit I don't need. I had a funny thought of Cap trying to sneak around enemy encampments jangling like a sack full of silverware because he is so weighted down with all these things....but the way I figure it, someone put the extra time and effort into writing Zemo's diary entries and animating the film reel mini stories, so the least I can do is listen. Not surprisingly, they are quite enjoyable to listen to, in my opinion. They give insight into what was going through the developers' minds as they made this game, and it builds suspense for a story that I would otherwise not give a crap about. Not to mention the obvious benefit that it breaks up the combat so that it is not constantly fight after fight, which would have broken the game for me.

The platforming, or what there is of it, sort of frustrates me.

I don't really care for platforming in any game except Sonic (and even my love for Sonic is growing stale of late). Michael will disagree with me, but I just do not see the fun in jumping from place to place like a monkey scurrying along treetops. It doesn't make me feel badass, it makes me feel ridiculous and frustrated; especially when you fall time and time again and this is the only way out of this area.

Luckily, what platforming there is in Super Soldier is very forgiving--it is almost more of a timed button sequence than actual genuine platforming, but as I completely disregard the games prompting to "push A now", I feel it is more in my control than it would have led me to believe. The only truly frustrating part to me is how scripted it feels--you don't direct Cap on the path where he should go; he just simply follows the line drawn for him from point A to point B (no matter how convoluted or curvy that path may be). Because of this unusual design decision, you cannot jump onto the path anywhere except for the one predetermined area, which you are coerced to do if you want to proceed with the game.

The other problem I have with the platforming element is that it restricts your mobility in every part of the game except those places where the extra agility flair could be utilized, which is baffling. For example, why can I vault so gracefully over a short balcony, but later cannot vault over an even lower stair railing? Or why can I clamor up one freight car, but not another one the same size and half an inch away? Mike said that developers don't want to waste time animating something to be interactive when it does not enhance the gameplay or the player's experience in any way, which I can understand and respect, but it really takes me out of the game. I don't like feeling limited, and it is harder for me to immerse myself in a character if the rules aren't consistent.

The other thing that bothers me is another consistency problem--sometimes, a hit will feel solid, feel great. You can believe that you are a super badass when kicking a HYDRA agent hard enough to break ribs. But other moves feel much less impressive, more of a pissy slap fight or half-mast punch than that real strong flesh-to-flesh connection. Maybe it's because I turn the vibration off (it is an unpleasant element in gaming that I wish they would do away with all together), but with Batman (I know, I said I was done harping on about their similarities--I lied) every hit felt as powerful as the last; in Captain America, some of the attacks feel so half-assed.

All in all, I think I am going to keep going with playing the game. There are some minor quibbles I have, but nothing that makes it unplayable or even unenjoyable. Maybe my opinions will change as I get further in, but these are my initial impressions, how it feels to me thus far.

Time for toodle-oo's!!

~Andie~

Batman Year One

Frank Miller--awesome. I've said that before, but you really can't overstate it...Miller is a fantastic writer. Read his stuff; absorb his awesome.

Right off the bat, I love the cover. I don't like red and black together normally because of how douchy emo it comes off:

But since this is so subtle, I think it works well. I like the comic covers that don't try to do too much--interest is in simplicity.

Kind of preferring the alternate cover/title page art though--it wouldn't have worked with the cover since it would have distracted from the title, but I like the yellow and black and the glowing eyes effect. I don't know David Mazzucchelli, who is the illustrator, so I'm excited about seeing how it turns out.

Normally, I hate recap pages that are excessively wordy and I generally skip introductions all together....I am genuinely glad I read this one. Does anyone know if Frank Miller only writes comics, or does he write novels as well? That was beautifully written--the man has a gift for imagery; any work he published, I would read with enthusiasm, even if it was a car manual.

(By the way, could you imagine how badass that manual would be? "Out of the penetrating darkness, whispering silently on a 6-speed automatic transmission with overdrive and Driver Shift Control....the new Buick Lacrosse")

That is an interesting and artistic take on a young Bruce Wayne over the fallen bodies of his parents--the black and white with the overlay of red, purple, and brown hands seeking comfort, protection? A little bleak, a little dark, but quite touching in its pain.

I have an immediate dislike of Detective Flass. In one panel, he chokes a well-meaning evangelist (which admittedly I can relate to, but I would never ACT on those urges) and called Commissioner Gordon "Jimmy". It's disrespectful and Gordy should school your ass. :-/

Bruce Wayne is wearing a popped collar. No joke--it looks like a very upper-crust black windbreaker with the collar popped. On the one hand, it's hilarious. On the other, Bruce would be so oblivious to current fashions that Alfred would most likely have to purchase all of his clothes, which means that Alfred most likely intentionally chose this look for him. That makes it doubly hilarious.

The art in the issue definitely has it's own charms. It's very different than most comics I read now, but that's because there is very little going on in the background in most of the panels--they draw what they want you to see and no more. It is kind of refreshing in a way; you don't need to see how many windows there are on the office building down the street when you are supposed to notice the fight in the foreground, you know?

I don't know if this is going to be indicative of the entire series but I am LOVING how Gordon-centric this has been so far. Batman is one of the greatest characters in all of literature and entertainment--no one is denying that....but you have to remember that such a strong figure still needs a stellar cast for the story to continue for nearly 100 years. And Bruce has some really amazing players--Jason Todd, Ra's al Ghul, Oracle (to name a few)....

Anyways, it's really nice to be getting to see more of Commission Gordon when he is just getting started, seeing him as a true badass instead of a tubby old tired policeman that the movies have morphed him into.

Bruce chopping through a miniature brick wall is pretty neat, visually. I like the hoodie look for him too. You don't really see much of Bruce in his downtime, and it is nice to see him as a person outside of the suit, ya know?

The more time they focus on Flass, the more I want to beat him with a stick. Gordy needs to bring the beat down on this jackass.

It is an interesting thought, one that I had never considered before...Bruce has been known as a playboy billionaire, and in some incarnations he even perpetuates this ideal as part of his alter-ego alibi....but with his being by far the biggest name in the city, it would be damned near impossible for him to disappear as frequently as he does. If he quotes travel, there must be pictures of him abroad. If he claims to be at a social/charity event within the city, he must make an appearance and hope nobody notices that he is not present the entire time. How is he able to maintain this illusion so successfully for so long? You can't claim that he just puts money in the right hands because you cannot guarantee silence that way, and you open yourself up to blackmail or tailing. You are going to peak the interest of at least some...how is Bruce able to harbor his secret identity all these years when he is such a public figure?

Downside of the artwork--Bruce is doing something in the car to alter his appearance for a reconnaissance mission....I couldn't tell you what he is doing there if you paid me. My first thought was that he was slicing his face open but that would be the height of jackassery: he would be able to conceal his identity for the night, but when Bruce Wayne appears (again, very publicly) the next day with the same type of injury....doesn't take a genius (or even a retarded monkey) to figure that one out.

Why do guys always hope their offspring is a boy?? Are they just afraid of having little girls, or is it that macho-guy mentality and narcissism of creating a clone of themselves? Just wondering.

What is Gordon's military past?? I have never heard mention of this, though I was curious earlier when he recognized Flass's style as Green Beret training and memorized his style for future reference. I assume they will further touch on it later in the issue/series or they wouldn't have missed it now.

I thought the Commissioner specifically told Flass NOT to send Gordon a "warning"? That means all these officers are out of control. Sucks that Gordon got beat, and I am underwhelmed by Flass and his cronies picking the cliched bat methodology. But once again, that tells us more about the characters--they are unimaginative, greedy, and corrupt, which means that Gordon has an increased chance of taking them off-guard.

The young prostitute makes me sad =( She's just a little girl....

Why would the little girl stab Bruce for standing up for her? I guess it makes sense on some kind of sad level--if he didn't kill the pimp (which, true to Batman tradition, I assume he left the man alive), then the flesh-peddler (a synonym I happened across, lol) will come up furious and is less likely to take it it out on his girls if they are defending him against his attacker.

The prostitute Selina reminds me of Catwoman; I think she is supposed to. If so, I like this origin for her, and I like seeing the dichotomous nature of her--the dominatrix, tough gal prostitute and the nurturing, motherly protectoress of the young Holly.

Okay, it is a very simple thing but I really adored this--from a literary perspective it is absolutely intriguing and fascinating: when he was shot, Bruce assessed the nicked artery rationally before he drifted into unconsciousness. When he came to, he was in the back of the police cruiser, listening to minimum-wage rent-a-cops discussing letting him die or not. He then breaks out of the handcuffs like a boss.

Why I liked this so much: it shows the humanity of Bruce before he does something super badass. Think about how many comics you would read where Batman would pass out. There wouldn't many--people don't like reading about their superhero acting in a way that is less than heroic; and God forbid they actually display their humanity. I can hear the howls of "Batman would NEVER pass out!"

But in those comic issues where from beginning to end, Bruce Wayne is the hero everyone expects him to be, if he had broken through his restraints....well, who cares?

In a situation where he has just acted as any normal human being would...it makes it so much more awesome to see him do something like snapping the chain of handcuffs.

Okay, so I kind of let myself get carried away there, but honestly--this comic is making me remember exactly why I really love Frank Miller.

Gordon impresses me with how much information he has all ready gleaned from his fellow officers in such a short amount of time. Haha, yes!!! The "he's a green beret, a big one...even so he deserves a handicap" page....simply stunning.

The fact that 1) Gordon got the crap kicked out of him earlier by at least four guys with bats and 2) he could have done so much more damage to Flass and he knows it....I am loving this Lt. Gordon. With:

This guy, you wonder why Batman would value him as an ally....but with this interpretation of James, you know why Batman is friends with this guy and damn it all, you wish he was your friend too!!

Why would Alfred all ready be trained in combat medicine? Is that just a precautionary extra that Thomas Wayne liked in a butler, or was there a more secret reason that perhaps Alfred needed this particular knowledge?

It's official--I love David M. (the artist) too. I wasn't sold at first because some of the dress was a bit dated BUT he works so well with Miller.....this was an amazing comic. I don't say that lightly.

I talked waaaaaaaaaay more than I intended and that was just the first chapter. Did I mention that I like that they are writing this in novel form with the chapter fragmenting format? Because I do.

Anyways, expect a post about chapter 2 tomorrow. This first section took me the better part of two hours to read and rave about. Loved it, loved everything about it. I should send Frank Miller a fruit basket or something.

Ack! Time for bath =)

~Andie!~

A Response to "Best Art Ever (This Week)" Selections (CA)

Normally, I don't spend a great deal of time on Comics Alliance's website. They have a great set up there, don't get me wrong--tons of neat articles and very good writers. It's just that I don't spend much time researching comics outside of just reading them and enjoying them for the individual works they are.

But their "Best Art Ever (this week)" articles are my favorite--I love seeing all the new interpretations of classic characters and ideals. So here we are, with me writing comments on selections from that article =)

I would love this Superman by Sebastian Ciaffaglione--and I do--except for that odd headpiece. It makes me wonder how it is being held on to his face. The coloring is gorgeous, and it makes Clark look more alien-esque and foreign than he does in other carnations, which sometimes I like. Beautiful picture.

No joke, I would love to buy this Wonder Woman print by Karen Zachary Wang and put it in my living room. I should research the artist because if she has a whole line in this style, I could decorate my entire house. It would make a bold (but not blunt) statement, and would generate lots of conversation, which good decorative artwork should.

Love this, even if I dislike the sappy look on the face (I have always thought the main character from Portal looked akin to myself, and that is not as flattering, lol). The only thing.....can someone explain the pile of lemons she is sitting on to me? I get the companion cube, the potato GLaDOS....the lemons kind of threw me off.

Commission Gordon is all that is badass. Look at that shit--seriously. Why has mainstream media like the movies and tv show been so committed to the dumpy doughnut-eater Gordon? Cliches for cliche's sake does not make for good characters.

This is someone I would like to see more of--Terry McGinnis. Well, that and the artist Ryan Benjamin if all his stuff is this cool.

I feel like I would adore this picture because it reminds me vaguely (but not excessively) of Tim Burton.....but it's Batman. Come on, Chucky--couldn't we have gone with perhaps Green Lantern or Booster Gold for this one?

The only Jubilee I have seen in a long time where I didn't immediately and instantly hate her =)

The colors are great and she looks like a fun, cool chick you might hang out with.

I can't be the only one that loves Skottie Young--his work is so adorable!!

Maybe it's just because of how much I love Wonder Woman, but this is my favorite of all the artwork from this article. It makes her look proud and strong without losing her femininity--I am so sick of the masculinaization (is that a word?) of Diana because she is a powerful woman. This makes her look beautiful, delicate, formidable--awesome.

Colleen Coover--another girl I think we could be friends, if she wasn't really awesome and I am an awkward duck.

This reminds me of the Wonder Woman up there, and I reiterate--I want this whole line! I would girl the hell out of the living room and just make Mike deal with it!!

There was a ton more of artwork that I was enjoying, but I may have to break it into two posts or just leave the rest because I have things to do this morning -mega super sigh-

-Andie-

Captain America #1

I actually could not find the entire cover picture and since I don't know how to make my own, here we are...

Not gonna lie--I am super excited about reading this issue. The biggest reason is:

Ed Brubaker.

Dude is really a great writer, and he does amazing things with the character of Captain America. He kind of looks cool up there--I was actually expecting someone a bit older than he is. I like the hat and goatee look--a little Frank Miller, but Miller doesn't own that look.

Plus, Steve McNiven is no slouch himself. His artwork is consistently attractive, which I appreciate.

The other reason that I am excited about starting this issue is because I think (and I could be wrong) but this may be Steve Rogers getting back to his calling as Captain America after the death of Bucky and Steve's stint as director of SHIELD but not director of SHIELD.

If I am right about that--which I may be entirely off-base; this may be entirely unrelated to the current Fear Itself storyline, and indeed, all the background images of the front cover harken to WWII--then it is kind of a sad thing too.

For one thing, Bucky finally gets (in the past couple of years) to be resurrected, comes into his own as a character first as Winter Soldier and then as Captain America...and then he gets axed. It's pretty sucky, to be honest, but if we wanted Steve back as Captain America, then Bucky had to be taken out of action in someway, and dying in battle is probably the most dignified way. Better, perhaps, than leaving him too crippled to serve or in a coma or evil. If you leave that door open, then there is a chance he could come back and take over the mantle.

The other reason I would be sad about the return of Steve Rogers as Captain America is because

That costume rocks. I am a big fan of Steve's new "director" look, but if he is returning to an iconic role then he is going to return to the iconic look. This costume will be shelved to be remembered fondly as an alternate skin in Captain America games in the future, which (in my opinion) is a rather bleak future for such a cool idea. Granted, it's not like anyone else can inherit it; the only thing left to do is put it away.

Into the issue I dive.

Ugh, am I the only one that thinks that the "Got Milk" ad with Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern is stupid? There is absolutely no good reason that Hal Jordan would make a good spokesperson for the benefits of milk--it's not like you will drink milk and gain the powers of a Green Lantern, which is undoubtedly what they are trying to get kids to believe. Ridiculous.

The title/recap page is a really hideous shade of salmon in the background. Makes me think of tomato soup, and it's yucky.

I actually read the first few pages of this comic at the end of the Supreme Power that I wrote about last time.

Who is Margaret Carter??? Why are we burying her in Paris?? Curiosity.

Ahhhh, Peggy Carter. Forgot that Peggy was a nickname for Margaret. Which was a weird origin anyway--there were so many Margarets, sometimes multiples per family, so they had to have nicknames to distinguish. First it was Meg, then Peg, then Peggy. Which I guess could make some kind of odd sense, but it is still very bizarre.

I had thought when I saw the coffin that this was referring to Bucky's death, but obviously there are two problems with that--

1) Captain America is in the middle of a war with the rest of the avengers against the Worthy. He would not be able to leave, even for a funeral, until the situation was neutralized.

and 2) One would hope that after how hard he worked to earn the respect and friendship of the Avengers as Captain America that more people would show up (including media) to honor him in death. Not for the least because he died while fighting for the country. But once again, Paris would make little sense to me for a burial plot for Bucky.

Because of this, I am led to believe that this is probably running parallel to the Fear Itself line. It hasn't referenced it in any way, and has not given any indication that this is complimentary to that story line.

I don't like the way that Nick Fury was drawn, but I love Dum Dum Dugan =) That hat is just awesome. Fury looks like their is...too much humanity and compassion left in him in that scene, which may have been what they were going for, but on Nick it just ends up looking sappy and out-of-character.

Not certain who the guy shooting at Dum Dum was, but that explosion was drawn and colored gorgeously. The name didn't mean anything to me either; I do remember that when Cap was talking about the War back at the beginning of the issue that he was fighting someone that I did not recognize, but I figured it was a minor point.

Two things: one, isn't Baron Zemo dead? I seem to remember him joining up with the Thunderbolts, becoming the leader, and then dying as a hero. Is that not the truth, or is that just separate and apart from this story?

The other thing is...is the guy that was shooting at Dum Dum at the funeral just casually standing there, listening to the brief like nothing happened? Because if so--dude, balls.

They are discussing Hydra like it is an unknown entity, so I am thinking this is actually a flashback; which personally, I prefer when they TELL the reader that it's a flashback, but whatever. That would explain why the would-be assassin that shook Steve to the core is standing there--he may have been an ally back then. Maybe Steve saying "someone I haven't seen since 1944" was the lead into the flashback.

Sorry--flipping back, yeah, they did say "Paris, 1944", I just somehow missed it. Blame the cat, since he was laying on my hands when I was writing and reading that.

Codename: Bravo is a neat alias. Where is Bucky?

Doubly confused--Cap mentioned Jimmy when he saw the red goggled fellow; was he referring to the kid driving the bike that he jumped on to???

SHIELD no longer exists, so this has to be somewhere hovering around the mainstream story.

Peggy Carter = bit of a ho. Seriously, Cap can probably still taste Richard on her lips. And she gave that poor guy that "we were just lonely" thing, but pursuing Steve...either she doesn't think Richard can take care of that lonesomeness anymore, or this is incredibly cruel. It's like "Oh, I was just playing with you, but I am totes serious about this other guy". Ouch.

But if Bravo hated Steve, why aim for Dugan?

AHHHHH!!! Baron Zemo!!!!!

Bad. Ass.

Some questions left, but all in all, I am still giddy that Zemo is back. What a classy bastard.

I will note: Bravo said "what kind of Baron Zemo would you be..." last line of the comic. He didn't imply it was THE Baron Zemo, but maybe someone that has taken over the costume and name. Maybe it is me over-analyzing little words, but that would explain why the last one died as a hero and then this one came back as a fucker.

Okay!! Gotta go make clubs =)

~Andie~

Supreme Power (1 of 4)

Okay, before you say it--I know I am taking a risk with this one. I am supposed to be this modern woman that can handle "adult situations", but the fact of the matter is that I have never, ever cared for the grittier entertainment. When "The Princess and the Frog" came out, I actually considered writing to Disney in reproach of Ray utilizing the word "butt" in the film, which I felt was inappropriate. I admit it--I am a total prude.

That being said, looking at this comic:

Which proclaims the "MAX Comics" that is known for subject matter too rough for mainstream comics, and the "explicit content" to reiterate the point...I know that I am probably going to be very out of my element and quite uncomfortable with this issue. But there is a reason to my acting out of character.

This guy.

I am a huge fan of Garth Ennis. Within me is a writer's soul, and so I am drawn to particularly gifted authors. Garth is, in my inexpert opinion, one of the greatest character creators of our time. Seriously--Jesse Custer is one of the best characters to have come out of comics in a long time; The Boys has a brilliantly crafted team; and the rumors I have heard of "Just a Pilgrim" and "Hitman" (among his many other works) have peaked my literary interest...but I have never had the courage to read more than the first trade of Preacher. Because of my proclivities regarding entertainment, I know from experience that Ennis is known for his graphic, sometimes controversial, work which is likely to frighten and offend me.

Don't get me wrong--I respect that he is the author here and I am the reader, and I do not want to impose on his creative expression because I frankly do not feel it is my place. Many will disagree with me when I say this, but I am a firm believer that literature is not for the reader but for the author; what the consumer thinks and wants to happen should have no bearing on what the writer crafts because it impedes the natural writing process. I sincerely do not wish Ennis to change his work because it may cause the loss of what makes his books so great.

That being said, if I cannot overcome my squeamishness and prudishness--if step outside my comfort zone--then I am closing myself off to a great deal of enjoyable experiences.

SO! A lot of talk about a writer that did not even have a hand in this book and about my own preferences; back to "Supreme Power 1".

This is written by Kyle Higgins, whom I am pretty unfamiliar with. Evidently, he is a comic book writer as well as a film director; he has been working on Batman and Supreme Power, but is rumored to be "helming the Nightwing and Deathstroke relaunches in the Fall". All of this speaks highly to him, in my opinion. He isn't on some no-name C-listers; he's actually on some pretty big, awesome titles.

Kind of sexy too. Just saying.....

Anyways, the penciller is Manuel Garcia, which (by the way) is not a good name to try and Google unless you want nine million hits =/ Inkers are Michel Lancome and Mark Pennington.

The cover art of this issue doesn't make overly excited, to be honest. From the whispers I have heard of this issue, it looks like the costumed individual on the cover is a superhero gone crazed...but forgive me if I am a little unimpressed with the premise. The anguish and rage expressed on his face is done well, but frankly, the scene brings to mind a highly-powered hero that recently (and very publicly) lost his marbles.

Remember that guy? He was awesome, albeit a little mishandled by his writers (yes, I said it--they wrote him right into the damned ground, which to me is a travesty; a rant for another post). The image of his Supreme Power character in a rage is neat, sure, but I can't help but compare him to the rampage of the late Robert Reynolds, and it falls short.

The costume is also somewhat uninspired as well, but I feel like that was somewhat their intent--he is supposed to look like the generic super-powered individual. Looks like a Captain America costume redesign from the cutting room floor, though. Which admittedly makes the "standing on a pile of mangled soldiers' bodies" element of the cover even more unnerving.

That is unfair, it really is. I shouldn't compare characters. The jewel in the glove intrigues me though.

Okay! Finally cracking open the issue. This will probably be the longest post I have written yet, as much as I have been wandering off on tangents.

Squadron Supreme?? Where have I heard that name before? Is that the Marvel analog of the Justice League from DC??? Or am I just 100% off-base?

The panel where he is bringing the passenger plane down and his powers are activated is very pretty, but maybe a little TOO pretty for a male character, if you know what I mean. I cannot for the life of me remember which character this brings to mind, but my first two thoughts were Jewel (Jessica Jones) and Emma Frost because of the prismatic color show, but I don't think Jones ever did that....I can't remember exactly.

Hyperion left the team after trying to use his powers in a way that was apparently not condoned by Captain Ledger here....I am confused; this is the first issue of a series, but it still feels like I have missed out on a ton of back story that will inform this issue. That is just not fair, guys--1st issues are meant to be jumping on points for new readers, and I all ready feel left out. My husband (Michael, which is silly to clarify since I am fairly certain you are the only one that reads this blog, lol) would say that I am too impatient--I want to know the story before I read it, I don't like waiting for the answers. His advice would be to just keep reading, so I am going to keep going and hope that it begins to enlighten me.

Malik Haspen looks pretty neat; it's sad that Ledger disintegrated him. At first I was scandalized--Heroes don't kill!!--but then I realized that I have been given no indication that this Doctor Spectrum is opposed to murder. In fact, by his own admission, he is a soldier, and soldiers are protectors, but are also warriors, fighters, killers.

The crystal taking over Ledger's body when he is endangered is kind of a neat concept, especially since he is confused and disoriented when he comes back to. It does make me think--is this alien crystal the only power that he posses, or is he a hero in and of his own right??

I just finished the issue--at the end of the story was a preview written by Ed Brubaker and illustrated by Steve McNiven about Captain America....I don't think that was a good choice, lol. Taking a veteran author like Brubaker, putting him on a title that he has proven to be particularly adept at, and pairing him with a fantastic artist at the end of a comic that made me compare the main character to Steve Rogers every other page? It just makes a stark contrast in which the Supreme Power comic comes off looking very worse for wear. Maybe that is just my own personal interpretation, but...

I mean--look at the awesome.

Anyways, overall, not terribly impressed by the issue overall. Maybe it's because I don't know the characters and because somehow I had gotten it into my head that this was a different comic than it turned out to be, but I was actually pretty bored. Also--not that I am complaining, mind you--but I had been steeling myself to read this comic branded with "explicit content", but I have read Tiny Titans that were rougher than this one.

I don't feel anything was accomplished--there was little to no character development; the only villain defeated in the book was a nobody I had never heard of and I got no indication of his power level before he was disintegrated; and the "big reveal" at the end of the book meant very little to me though I could tell Higgins really wanted me to care because he had the protagonist rhapsodizing about Hyperion throughout the comic. The only thing I noticed was that Mark is now sporting a beard, but since I never learned why he left in the first place, I can only assume that chin-growth WAS his objective.

Also, in light of the issue, the cover art makes NO damned sense. Seriously. I am going back and looking at it, and I have no idea what the fuck they were trying to get across there. I don't get it--he didn't fight many soldiers; he fought one guy for twenty seconds and then an alien crystal on his hand reduced him to a skeleton. How is that depicted on the cover at all?

I don't know. All this pomp and circumstance and so many words to say--dude...huh???

~Andie