Greetings my good readers and
welcome to what should have been another in depth look at the latest issues
from Marvel Comics. Unfortunately there
have been a number of things in my personal life, (mainly work and a move that
is going painfully slow), that have been preventing me from writing any in depth
articles on…well, anything. With any
luck, this will have changed before the month ends but for now there are many
things that I’ll have to just give some quick thoughts on and continue to do
more in depth reviews in the future. So
for now, these are Trey’s Quick Thoughts on Bloodborne,
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, Jurassic World, and Marvel Comics from May
20th-June 17th. So
let’s get going because we have a lot of stuff to cover with little time to do
it.
Bloodborne
The best way I can describe my
feelings on FROM SOFTWARE’s games is that I respect and appreciate them more
then I actually enjoy them. I love the environments,
the unique creature designs and respect and admire the fact that the games
throw modern gamer’s sense of fairness and straightforward storytelling right
out the window for an approach that harkens back to the age of the old Nintendo
games where dying meant losing a great deal of progress and having to go
through the same enemies and obstacles over and over again before you had
everything down to a science. But that
said, it’s always made their games extremely frustrating and I’ve always had a
very difficult time getting into them because of it. That said, Blooborne is no exception to this in some ways. The gameplay is still unforgivingly difficult
and characters and a straightforward narrative are nonexistent but this time
I’ve found myself completely and utterly captivated by it. For this project the developers decided to
throw the slow paced combat system of the Dark
Souls games right out the window in favor of a more reflex based system
with faster weapons, faster dodges and guns that stun your enemies if you time
the shot right. The monster designs are
once again unique, terrifying and require brains as well as speed to kill and
harkens to not only the creatures of the Dark
Souls game but also to creatures that seem like they be right at home in
some Guillermo del Toro horror movie or as some Lovecraftian Cthulhu spawn and
I find myself utterly terrified each time I encounter a new one.
Again, there really is very little
in terms of a narrative. Once again, you
play as some random guy in a world that appears to be dying after some
undefined cataclysm, fighting against anything in your path for vaguely defined
reasons while something resembling a larger story happens as you do it but
unlike the Dark Souls games I find myself interested in learning more about
this world and learning about what is going on, as it creates environments and
weapons that fascinate me and gives just enough bits of pieces of lore to wet
my appetite. As of writing this post, I
have yet to beat the game but it is one that I would recommend at least trying
and I personally can’t wait to get further in it.
The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt
Remember how The Witcher 2 had great graphics, characters, and difficult but not
unforgiving gameplay but its actual narrative was less then compelling, feeling
like it was just a set up for the sequel and never quite lived up to its open
world potential? Well, this game
basically fixed all the things that didn’t work about the last game while
adding significantly to the things that did work. This is another one that I haven’t been able
to beat do to work and a move but it is one I can highly recommend based on
what I’ve played so far. In short, it’s
everything that both Witcher 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition tried to be and
what Skyrim wasn’t interested in
doing. Check it out.
Jurassic World
It’s Jurassic Park fan fiction that somehow got made into a major
blockbuster film. That really sums up my
thoughts on it. Is it fun? Yes.
Is it worth seeing? Yes. Is it as good as the original? No.
It’s a little too light hearted and goofy and seems more akin to Pacific Rim then Jurassic Park. Take that as
you may.
Deadpool’s Secret War’s #1
Remember when I said that the
original Secret War was far too
wordy, had out dated artwork, and just seemed to drag on for an insufferable
about of time? Well, over thirty years
after the fact, Marvel found a way to fix this by adding in Deadpool. The story in question focuses entirely on The
Merc with the Mouth as he goes through the major plot beats of the story with
his own insane little commentary and asides with updated artwork that fixes a
lot the complaints I had against the original series. It’s well drawn, action packed, and, above
all, funny as hell. Check it out if you
have a chance.
Secret Wars: Journal #1
Very much like Secret Wars: Battleworld, Secret
Wars: Journal is an anthology book contains multiple stories in one issue
featuring completely different character, but the quality here is much higher
than Battleworld. One involves a band of nobles pulling off a
Robin Hood-esc heist and was good for what it was but mostly served as the
setup to a future series entitled Siege. Ultimately the story itself was nothing to
write home about but did do its job in getting me interested in this particular
setting. The second story, however, was
the real meat of the issue, focusing on a group of enslaved, Egypt-esc version
of the X-Men as they attempt to kill a God in order to secure their freedom and
is a perfect example of a done in one story.
It has a few great plot twists, the art was perfect for the setting, and
knew how to quickly world build and get us invested in the plight of these
X-Men without having to resort to a ton of exposition and is ultimately the
reason I would recommend this issue.
Old Man Logan #1
Of all the Secret Wars series that were being
released, Old Man Logan was the one
that I was looking forward to the most, as it was a continuation of what is,
without a doubt, my all-time favorite Wolverine story, Old Man Logan. Unfortunately
this issue seemed…confused, as if it wasn’t sure if it wanted to be a
continuation of the original story or a tie in to a much larger Battleworld
story and because of this the issue seemed to lack any clear direction. It wasn’t helped that the artwork looked as
if dust was blowing about constantly and made it visually unappealing to look
at. In the end, I say that one was just
worth a browse and can only hope that future issues improve the story.
Secret Wars #3
Picking up right where Secret Wars #2 left off, Secret Wars #3 is an issue that feels
like the scene/scenes of an action movie where nearly everything in terms of
plot and character development is put on hold so someone can take the time to
explain just what is going on and feels very much like the massive exposition
dump that I praised the previous issue for not being. Whereas that issue had a small series of
narratives going on, this one seems content to go on and explain things at
length without any real tissue to hold it together. Instead of following up on the cliffhanger
that the last issue left us on, the issue seems content to meander from
exposition dump to exposition dump, whether it involves Doom and Sue Storm
explaining to one another where it was the sun came from, (seriously), or Doctor
Strange finally addressing how it was Battleworld came into existence, (very
poorly I might add) and none of this comes off as particularly
interesting. And unfortunately that’s
all there is to say about this one. The
whole issue is just that; an exposition dump where only two things really
happen that somewhat advance the plot of the storyline but this is one that I
would recommend reading the wiki article on as opposed to paying $3.99 for
it. It just isn’t worth it.
The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #1
The
Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows is a particularly difficult issue to
discuss because one cannot discuss it without addressing the insane controversy
that is the One More Day storyline
and the fallout that came after. The
simple fact of the matter is that I haven’t read the story, nor have I read
that many Spider-Man stories before that particular arc came out. However, there does seem to be a consensus on
one thing; the storyline in question was terrible. The artwork was apparently horrible, Peter
Parker acted more like a selfish twat then he had been in years, there were
insane leaps in logic that didn’t make any sense even as far as comic books go,
and the idea that the devil would only ask for Peter’s marriage in exchange for
saving Aunt May’s life is idiotic at best.
However, at the same time, one has
to question how wise it was for Marvel to actually wed the two off. Again this comes second hand but from what I
gather, before the marriage actually happened, Mary Jane hadn’t actually been a
big part of the Spider-Man comics in a long time and only came about because of
Stan Lee. You see at the time Stan Lee had
more or less retired from writing and publishing comics but was still doing a
regular, out of continuity, Spider-Man newspaper strip where the two actually
got married and Marvel, in its infinite wisdom decided to hastily rush MJ back
into the comics, hitch the two and quickly realized doing so was a mistake and
spent the next twenty years trying to write the two out of it. As a result, it’s been a bit difficult for me
to fully get behind the outrage at the two being split up in principle mainly
because it had its origins in what amounted to a pissing contest between
Marvel’s current publishers and Stan Lee.
With all of this said, however, fans
have been clamoring for the two to get back together and this series seems to
give them what they want in a way. It
shows the two back together, married and even with a young daughter but also
feels like a blatant slap to the face to anyone who thinks that someone would
be able to balance out a life as a superhero and a family man. The issue begins sometime after the two have
gotten married and after having their first child. In this particular version of New York City
many superheroes have gone missing, requiring Spider-Man to pick up their slack
while Mary Jane is pressuring Peter to spend more time at home. Confused by this turn of events, Peter goes
to the Avengers Mansion where he discovers that non-powered heroes are being
killed off while powered ones are disappearing.
The Avengers have a suspect in mind and set out to apprehend him but a
situation quickly develops at home and Spider-Man must ultimately choose
between being a hero and being a family man.
Although some of the situations feel
a bit rushed and almost contrived, the presentation of heroics vs. family life
is fantastic in this issue and does and amazing job of showing the kind of
strain being a superhero would have on a family and knows how to make us feel
the same emotions these characters are going through. A particular highlight is where Peter
discusses the possibility of becoming a full blown Avenger and what that just
may mean for his family. But the big
highlight is where he ultimately has to choose between helping the Avengers
take down the one who has been hunting superheroes and protecting his family
from a recently escaped villain who is aware of Peter’s identity, effectivly
dooming one group or the other. What
follows is perhaps one of the most brutal, emotionally driven fight scenes that
I’ve seen in any comic and helps fully deliver the punch as to where Peter’s
loyalties lie. The whole endeavor is
aided by fantastic artwork, complements of Adam Kubert with every image
perfectly drawn, with fantastic action sequences and keeps the story moving at
a brisk pace.
In the end, this is a fantastic
issue and one that both gives fans what they want and also tells them just why
what they wanted was a little dumb. It’s
an incredibly written, fantastically drawn issue and even if you don’t care
about the whole One More Day debacle
I cannot recommend it highly enough.
Armor Wars #1
Armor Wars is a series that contains
what is perhaps one of the more unique concepts for a Battleworld zone, in that
it seems less like the traditional hero vs. villain type of story and more of a
battle of various corporations whose morality varies. The zone is known as Technopolis, a massive,
polluted, yet technologically advanced city where living outside of an Iron Man
type suit is impossible for some undefined reason. Ruled by Tony Stark, the control of
Technopolis is in practice divided among three main corporations; one run by
Tony Stark, another by his conniving, backstabbing brother Arno, and a third
run by the villainous Wilson Fisk who all vie for control of the city.
If there is
one big problem with this particular issue is that like many of the first issues
that have come out over the past few weeks, the first issue of Armor Wars is one that ultimately
amounts to a world building issue. This
isn’t necessarily a bad thing but by now, having released so many first issues
in new series that just amount to world building issues, one cannot help but be
a bit fatigued from being introduced to all of these new worlds and characters
at once. But with that said, it does do an
excellent job of this, with its exposition done through natural dialog and succeeds
in investing us in this environment and in what stores will take place within
it. Check it out if you get a chance.
Future Imperfect #1
For those of
you who aren’t aware, Future Imperfect
was originally an Incredible Hulk storyline that featured, at the time, one of
the most unique ideas for a story that centered on a nigh indestructible
superhero. In the future, World War III
broke out and wiped out all the heroes save for the Hulk who ruled over one of
the last remaining cities as a ruthless dictator while a band of rebels plot to
overthrow him by bringing a past version of the Hulk, (the one of the main
Marvel timeline) to stop and possibly kill him.
By today’s standards a story like this is almost a cliché, but holds up
fairly well and is considered a classic Hulk storyline and worth a read. Future
Imperfect #1 is more or less the same scenario, minus the Hulk coming to
fight him and the issue is more or less just a rewriting/drawing of that set up
with a few new characters thrown in who are all immediately likeable and sympathetic
and is worth if you like the original storyline as it throws a few curveballs
on the original story. Beyond that, there
really isn’t much more to say here. Like
many other stories, I get the impression that the real meat of the story will
happen in later issues, but this one was more than enough to reinvigorate my
interest in this setting and I suggest you give it a chance.
The Infinity Gauntlet #1
I cannot
remember a single thing about this issue outside of a family running away from
giant alien bugs that have overrun the earth, a cameo by Thanos, and an
Infinity Stone kind of just appearing. Maybe it’s building up to something more
but I’m not sure that I care enough to find out.
All New X-Men #41
This is one of
the non-Secret Wars related comics that still seem to be hovering around, despite
the fact that the Marvel Multiverse ended about a month ago in real time. I honestly don’t know why this issue
exists. It’s not like the “Last Days”
branded series where it’s all about the characters final moments. It’s not even these character’s adventures in
the new Battleworld. It’s just a padded
continuation of a book that feels like it isn’t serving a purpose outside of
having a big finale for the X-Men in
next issue of Uncanny X-Men that all
the X-Men series seem to be building
up to. I just don’t know why it hasn’t
been wrapped up by now I don’t know why this issue exists when it doesn’t do or
say anything that hasn’t’ already been done or said a million times before.
Superior Ironman #9
This issue is
similar to All New X-Men #41 in that
I don’t know why it exists. As a whole,
the series has been really good, one of many that was unfairly axed because of
the whole Secret Wars business.
Unfortunately this issue is one of many that have come out lately that
feel as if the writers were rushing to wrap the story up but cannot avoid the
simple fact that it really doesn’t matter in the long run. In this case, we already know what happens to
Tony. He remains evil and he and Captain
America ultimately kill one another in Avengers
#44, which I might add came out over a month ago. In the end, that’s the feeling I had while
reading this issue and it just feels like more padding in a series that really
should have already ended.
Spider-Verse #2
This particular issue is, in a
nutshell, a natural continuation of the last issue. It further develops the characters, reveals a
bit more about the world at large, and sets the stage for both short and long-term
storylines with the same level of questionable artwork as the last issue. Once again, it’s worth picking up if you were
a fan of the Spider-Verse crossover
event but otherwise is just a decent issue in a decent setting in a market that
is currently crowded with new worlds.
Secret Wars: Battleworld #2
This issue is
nothing short of amazing, trying and succeeding in telling two different
standalone stories that manage to be satisfying, self-contained experiences but
also set up the potential for future stories.
The first follows Blade, (the 1970 Blacksplotation version of him) as he
attempts to hunt a vampire duck with the help of Howard the Duck in an all duck
world. The resulting story is action
packed, fantastically drawn, and, above all, funny as hell mostly due to how seriously
the characters take the situation and a few fantastic references to the Wesley
Snipes films. The second story is more
or less a straightforward gladiator story that follows General Ross as he
fights through the pits as a gladiator promoter attempts to get him removed from
the fighting. Beyond that there really
isn’t much to say. It’s action packed
with fantastic artwork, they manage to develop this version of Ross in a relatively
short amount of time, and are able to include a few clever twists that make the
story that much more fun. In the end,
the whole issue is a fantastic read and I highly recommend you check it out.
Secret Wars: Journal #2
This issue is
yet another fantastic anthology issue with two different stories that are both
incredible reads for completely different reasons. The first story takes place in a city called
Killville, where various people attempt to win “Kraven’s Hunt”, a contest where
people attempt to find and bring a coin to a casino owning version of Kraven
who will reward the person who brings it to him with a fortune with the issue
primarily following two cops as they try and collect on the reward. What follows is a Warriors/The Purge: Anarchy-esc
story where everything tries to kill the two cops as they try to make it to
Kraven that isn’t all that great in the character or plot department but
manages to be fun and entertaining in the ways these characters deal with
everything that comes in their path.
It’s not exactly what I would call a deep story but is an extremely
entertaining one.
The second
story is the exact opposite. Taking
place in Mister Sinister’s kingdom, the story follows this world’s version of
Daredevil, employed as Mister Sinister’s chief, as he plots to kill the cloner,
mostly in order to free his hunter, Electra, whom Daredevil is deeply in love
with. In terms of action, there really
isn’t anything here. This is a story
that is all about the character and going into his plans to kill Mister
Sinister and how he and Electra go about their jobs and succeeds getting you in
Daredevil’s mindset and make you sympathetic to him and Electra and makes you
want to see him succeed. It’s an all-round
well written, well-paced story with a fantastic twist at that end and I hope to
see more of this version of these characters in the future. Check this issue out for both stories because
they’re both great ones.
Magneto #19
Once again, we
have another issue of another series that takes place before the Incursion and
once again we’re stuck with the burden of knowing how the end of the story will
turn out. Magneto fails and both universes
are destroyed. And again, we’re left
with an underwhelming issue detailing the events that led to this point in
Magneto’s life. While it is an
improvement over the last issue, the one in question once again can’t help but
digressing into flashbacks while the real action and more interesting things
are happening in the “present” of the book, although it does seem to be intent
on answering a question that has been lurking in the book almost from the
start. But even the improvements are
hindered by the fact that during the Incursion battle it keeps zooming in on
the faces of the characters as opposed to properly showing how Magneto is
tearing apart an Ultimate Sentinel. In
the end, it’s once again another series that feels like it should have already
ended or ended with this issue and fails to give a satisfying experience in the
meantime. This one just isn’t worth your
time.
Deadpool’s Secret Wars #2
Everything
that I said about the first issue can be applied here, even if some of the
novelty of seeing Deadpool in the original Secret
Wars has worn out a bit. Still, if
you’re a fan of Deadpool and of the original Secret Wars, I say it’s worth checking out.
Old Man Logan #2
I’m not really
sure if I should review this series at all because I’m probably basing my judgment
of this book on what I want it to be as opposed to what it is. I was really looking for a story where Logan
takes down the baddies who have taken over the world but now the series seems
intent on making it about some much larger conflict in Battleworld. It’s not necessarily a bad thing but it
really wasn’t the story I was looking for so there will be bias in any review I
do of this series because of that. That
said, this issue isn’t very good. Once
again the art work is very grainy and you’ll have a difficult time figuring out
just what is going on without looking closely at the page and I find myself
wondering who would ever want to draw in this style. It’s story picks up with Logan reaching the
top of the wall that divided his world from the others and proceeds to be a
strange series of events that happens to him, from encountering one of the
Thors who promptly blasts him with lightning, to a fight with a random tiger,
to a battle with Sabertooth, and encounter with a parallel version of the X-Men
which makes him more confused than ever.
Ultimately it’s not really a story so much as a collection of random
events that happen to the character without anything resembling a coherent
narrative. Maybe the series will get
better in the future, (the last page seems to indicate as much), but the series
continues to remain a big disappointment.
And that wraps
up this edition of Quick Thoughts On.
The article in question turned out a lot longer then I intended so
thanks for sticking with this until the end.
In the future I expect more articles like this will eventually pop up
but hopefully not anytime soon and with any luck things will go back to normal
on Trey’s Take On very soon. So until
next time please follow the site, like the Facebook page and follow me on Twitter. Until then, have fun reading
the comics and playing the games I recommended.
