Ultimates vol 5, Issue #1

Here is a brief editorial recap of the Ultimate universe to date:

Mark Miller leads with Ultimates volumes 1 and 2, which were fantastic re-imaginings of classic characters with strong and intriguing story lines. I mean, Thor as a potential mental patient; Hawkeye ripping off his own fingernails to use as projectile discs of death; Quicksilver running someone so fast they disintegrate....this world really had me hooked, maybe even more so than the "616" titles, as I was fairly new to comics and it provided me a fresh start free from decades of back story and character development.

And then came Jeph Loeb.

Great writer, great story-teller who apparently never forgave his parents for lying to him about Santa and now uses his talents to ruin the innocence in the rest of us. Ultimates 3 was really not that bad. I mean, it did introduce the relatively fantastic Clint Barton ass-cape, though I attribute that more to the brilliant Joe Madureira, who did a beautiful job in that series. Thor reverting to traditional Norse vernacular was disappointing, but I could cope. Big twists that led us through issue after issue with disappointing and predictable resolutions (such as Cap being in the Black Panther costume) served more to distract from the uninteresting story lines than anything else.

So, what to do when your run on a great and successful series starts circling the drain?

You blow that shit to hell, that's what you do.

Ultimatium made me completely throw in the towel--it was the last straw, and Ultimates no longer held any interest to me. It can basically be summed up by "Everybody Dies" with the caption "Goddammit, Loeb...". Since that disaster, I have stuck to the mainstream comics which tend to take less drastic gambles and are less of a risk for me.

But for some reason, I am optimistic about this Jonathan Hickman run in Ultimates volume 5. There is something I can't quite put my finger on, but there is just something I like about Hickman.....

Hmmm....

So, after losing all faith in Marvel's Ultimate universe, let's see how this comic goes over for me! =)

Cover is okay--artwork is all right, not my favorite but far from bad. I am intrigued because it brings the big three back together: Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. No idea who Ribic or White are, though.

I don't know who that guy in Northern Germany is on the first page is, but that helmet is freaking ridiculous. He looks like a leader of a cult, a bunch of people in white and black jumpers that harken to modern 616 FF costumes, but that is no excuse for the cyclops/cone-head look this guy is sporting. You've got to wonder what he's got going on under there.

What is the Triskelion??? And what is this condition business? Green, yellow...very odd.

I got excited when I first saw Nick Fury walk out because that means that he was not subjected to the purging of Loeb, but that kind of dimmed when we fell into the very uninteresting (to me) debriefing of current political climates. Let's be honest--this is probably exactly what Fury would be talking about first thing in the morning. He is the director of SHIELD (is he not?) and has much business to attend to...but I can't help but think "blah blah blah condition red blah blah social climate in Bangkok blah blah can't we move on to some action?!".

The artwork is a little odd. Not bad--far from bad. It's just...it's got such clean lines, and then it is distractingly dark, and....granulated, maybe? I want to turn up the brightness of my laptop, but I sincerely doubt that is the problem--I think the colorist just used a very somber palette for whatever personal reason. Not my favorite; I wish they would brighten it up a bit.

Tony Stark: Fuddy-duddy. That ankle jab was funny; lighten up.

Ha! He does have a sense of humor--refusing to call William (his new butler?) by his name, insisting upon Jarvis...awesome. I miss him too, Tony.

Odin looks odd--I am just not sold on this artist. Asgardians rabble-rousing is always fun to see though.

Who's pregnant? Why am I not following this story at all? Hickman is doing a great job of writing, so I must assume it is the artwork that is throwing me off track. Either that or Emerald's constant chatter right next to me about Christmas plans.

The final picture of wide-eyed Nick Fury is unsettling all the way to my soul. His one eye can get awfully big.

As far as I can tell, this is what happened: everything is going to shit and Nick Fury is ignorant and impotent to stop it. Thor is getting drunk in Asgard but got knocked down to Germany by Excalibur who were attacking him for drunk and disorderly behavior (though that hardly seems their business) where a cult lead by a completely absurd looking leader have set up a giant dome center of worship/home. Tony suited up and was attacked by Stark Technology, possibly relating to nuclear radiation, since I seem to remember them referencing that to some extent. He did vomit all over himself. Steve Rogers is nowhere to be found, possibly because he gave up the mantle after the death of Spider-man and his feelings of remorse and guilt and sense of responsibility revolving around that event. Clint is Fury's go-to fella, but I can't figure out what he was doing or what he was supposed to be doing, but I noticed that he seemed to have failed at it.

So, all in all, little confused. Not so lost that I don't feel I couldn't find my way again. I did notice--suspicious lack of all female characters. All of these revolved around very masculine figures. Not a bad thing, just a note.

Hmmm. I am keeping an open mind. I will give it a few more issues, see how it goes.

--Andie!--

New Comics 8-10

Getting to read some comics this afternoon =)

First one was "Batman Arkham City #4" written by Paul Dini and illustrated by Carlos D'Anda.

I have been following this series pretty regularly--I am so excited about the game coming out that the comics are a perfect way to tide me over until then. This was probably my least favorite of those released so far. It just wasn't as exciting or enlightening or anything as the other three have been; far from a bad issue. I noticed that Poison Ivy is still in that panty get-up from the last game.

I wasn't really feeling it in the last game; not really feeling it in comic form either. I don't like that often female characters are reduced to their sexuality. I know, I know: How much can I really complain when games and comics have long been considered boy territory? But still, creators should know that more and more girls are getting into these mediums, and it would be nice to see SOME characters treated with a little more respect, ya know?

And before you say it--yeah, I know that boys have dealt with bulging codpieces without complaining; but you can hardly say that the rippling muscles and protruding package of Batman really that comparable to Poison Ivy's camel toe or Selina Kyle's pleather outfit that only zips to the navel.

All minor complaints aside, I really did enjoy the issue. Hugo Strange is a great villain for me because I am familiar enough with the name to recognize him, but not enough that I can't learn more, ya know? When you pick the really big names (like Joker) as the main bad guy, you are attracting a more casual audience with the series players, but everyone and their dog has an opinion over the interpretation of the character. Since Arkham Asylum all ready hooked us, I am really excited to see a "lesser known", but not a nobody, bad guy behind the helm.

Also, I would kill for those Batman and Joker converses. Advertising is working fellas; those are badass.

Second comic: "Fear Itself #5" written by the much beloved Matt Fraction, illustrated by Stuart Immonen (whom I am a big fan of--does great action scenes).

Iron Man down there as a blacksmith, pounding the sword...pretty fantastic, visually. ...Pretty fantastic no matter how you slice it. I would love to see a sword-wielding Tony.

Okay, in both this issue and in Arkham City, I am still seeing ads of Ryan Reynolds as Green Lantern promoting milk...can we PLEASE move away from these? Heck, you know what I would rather see? Chris Hemsworth shirtless drinking milk.

Want milk? Hells yes.

"You one-eyed bellowing beard you" is what I am going to call my husband from now on. Seriously--that was awesome. Tony should get drunk more--Drunk Tony was fun. Drunk Tony is Drunk Mike. I wondered briefly how proficient he would be at making Asgardian weapons while snockered off his face, but let's be honest here: he was able to pull off being Iron Man all those years that he had brief moments of sobriety. He actually seems to be a little bit better at brilliance when under the influence. I hope he doesn't fall back into the habit though--it would be a weak plot ploy, I think.

I know that Thor is entitled to his own opinion...but I had always hoped that he at least respected Bruce Banner, ya know? Calling Hulk a great pain in the ass is far from unfair, but they used to be teammates. Matters to me, even if it doesn't matter to them.

Super impressed with Ben being able to overcome the spirit thing within him and not attacking the kids. Haven't seen anybody else do it, even when Betty tried to get through to Bruce. Maybe it was just because he was dying...I mean, Mjolnir is everything that is badass.

Not sure how I feel about the Steve Rogers combat helmet look--if it at least coordinated, I would feel much more certain about it. But it is green and the rest of his costume is red, white, and blue...it sticks out uncomfortably. Awesome: "Your dad couldn't. Figure you can't either."

Hasn't Magneto all ready done the floating island "bow before me" thing? Would have been a lot more impressive if Mags hadn't beaten him to it first.

There is someone with the Avengers that I am not recognizing. Male, black and white suit, red disc in the middle of his chest, mirrored on his belt. Seems to have a mohawk on his suit, standing next to Jessica Jones.

Was The Shield just broken?!?! Surely they can make a back-up/replacement, but....but....Cap's Shield!!!!

Cap never gives up, even when the odds are insurmountable. I really respect that about the dude, I really do--it's why everyone never hesitates to follow his lead unquestioningly. But when Spider-Man asked if he could go home and be with his family for what could be the end of the world? Just because everyone you love is dead Steve doesn't mean you can be heartless. My heart goes out to Luke and Jessica since Danielle is with fuckin Squirrel Girl.

And yes--you have to proceed such a ridiculous concept with fuckin. Fuckin Squirrel Girl.

What the tits are Franklin Richards's power? Because it look like Fuck-All.

Damn--when Steve gives up, when Thor is so exhausted he collapses on his feet....we are boned. Like, totally boned.

Those are the two comics I noticed in my Dropbox--I will keep reading later; the kids are getting a little restless. Also, when did Gabriel get naked? I should go dress him.....

Ahh!

--Andie~

Trying to Decide What to Play

I am going to get a little playtime while the kids are sleeping this afternoon, and if I don't start thinking about it now, I will do what I have defaulted to for the last several days--just going to sleep instead of utilizing my limited free time because I honestly can't decide which game to give a go.

So! I figured, rather than trying to reason it out in my head like I normally do, I would talk it out on here and get your (read: Mike's) opinion. Of course his natural opinion is "Anything but Fallout" or "Try something you've never tried before". But maybe with inside information on what I am thinking he will be able to give me more directed advice, since he tends to be the expert.

Unfortunately, he has his work cut out for him today because there are a good number of really great games right now and so I have several that are on my radar.

1. Final Fantasy VII

I started playing this game a while back, and the fact of the matter is--I really actually enjoy it. I thought I would find the combat tedious or repetitive, but I don't; and the characters and story are both strong enough to propel the game forward even on a game that is nearing 15 years old. My biggest draw to keep playing right now is because I think I am close to getting Vincent, which is both a reason for and against playing it--on the one hand, if I don't keep playing, I won't get him. On the other, I don't want to miss him or mess up getting him because Mike isn't here to help me. It is a dilemma.

Final thoughts: while I am really enjoying FFVII, I think I am leaning away from it right now because I am an exhibitionist--I want Mike there to watch everything I play and do so that he can comment on it, praise me, joke about the goofy parts, and generally make it a thousand times more fun.

2. Batman Arkham Asylum

The reason I wouldn't start playing this today: because Mike is currently playing it and I don't want to overlap like that; and because I have all ready played through it and there are other new experiences to be had in other games.

The reason I would start playing this: because it is fucking Batman, dude.

I love this game. On the Xbox version, I have all ready played through it twice (yes, Mike--only twice!) and having it on a different console offers a different playing experience. I neglect the poor ps3 horribly. Plus, I want to play through Arkham Asylum once more before Arkham City comes out; while I am reading the comic series of Arkham City is also a good time to replay.

Final thoughts: Yeah, I would be more than happy to start this one again. I am shying away from it because I don't really want to get into a gaming rut like I am always accused of, but I honestly would enjoy it.

3. Red Dead Redemption

This is the one with the strongest draw for me right now. I tend to be a little uninterested in the story. Not because it is bad--in fact, John Marston is one of the neatest characters I have ever encountered in a video game--but because I just really enjoy running around fucking around, not doing anything of importance. Does that mean I am wasting my game time? I'm not really getting anything accomplished. I break horses, shoot and skin critters, and generally kill time. Should I be playing something more structured?

Final thoughts: I really love playing this game and would enjoy it today, I just feel guilty for playing it wrong.

4. Captain America

Do we still own this game? Because I really enjoy it. I cannot be bothered to get up and see if it is over on the shelf. This is kind of like RDR because I actually much prefer wandering around collecting all that useless shit they have every two feet. You know what it reminds me of? "Oooh, piece of candy!" James Woods from Family Guy. Surprisingly, it's exciting every time I find something to pick up--like Easter all over again, if your parents are lazy and just throw all the eggs out in plain sight in the front yard.

Final thoughts: This would absolutely be my pick if I didn't have to endure all that story and combat between collecting. Also, I wish Cap had a basket to put all the things I pick up in. =D

Let's leave it at that now. There is also Brutal Legend and Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, Infamous, Portal, -cough Broken Steel cough cough-, Darksector, Dragon Age Origins....we've got a lot of good ones. I just don't know what to settle to.

Suggestions?