Comic Book Overkill

Nerd rant alert...

I have a fear that by the end of this post most of you will be shouting hypocrisy, and more than a few of you will be calling for blood.

Why? well because I'm going to be discussing an issue I have with the veritable pile up of comic book media visiting screens soon. Because that is what the genre is becoming - a pile up - and very soon I fear it is going to be a car crash.

There are just too many superhero related films, TV shows, tie-in merchandise and video games coming out in the near (and worryingly distant future). In this year we will have:

• Avengers: Age of Ultron, Ant-Man and Fantastic Four in films, 
• Gotham, Flash, Marvel's Agents of Shield, Marvel's Agent Carter, Arrow and Marvel's Daredevil on TV.
• and relatively less in video games with just Batman: Arkham Knight (although the lack of games is probably due to the shocking history of superhero games.

That is quite a lot hitting our screens, but 2015 is relatively quiet in comparison to the upcoming years. Take just next year for instance. 2016 will feature eight cinematic films and the amount of TV shows is set to increase too. This amount is going to be the standard amount from next year until at least 2020.

Oh, and these only reflect the two major comic book publishers, DC and Marvel's, intellectual property. There are many more lesser known comic book tie-ins coming.

Now I am someone who enjoys comics, so I should love these films right? 

Well yes I do, and you can read my opinion on the latest Avengers here. 

But I can't help feeling that the market is becoming over saturated and the franchises will soon sink. Even I'm getting fed up of seeing superheros plastered on everything, so surely the average non-nerd is too. At the very least people will be getting confused as to whom fights with whom and why certain heroes aren't appearing in certain franchises.

Film fatigued can effect fans and casual watchers alike.

And this fatigue can harm how  the fans feel towards a film. I had this feeling as I went into Avengers: Age of Ultron. The Avengers franchise has the had the threat of the villain Thanos hanging over it since Avengers Assemble, and with every addition the end game has been hinted at more and more. However the payoff for this will not come until Avengers Infinity War Pt. 2, which is scheduled for release in 2019.

Thanos is hardly a threat when he has to sit in that throne for another eight films.

Don't get me wrong I enjoyed Avengers: Age of Ultron, and definitely the Guardians of the Galaxy, but I still went in feeling that it could be nothing more than filler with an end goal far out of sight. You could argue that it is my own fault for reading everything and everything I find, that I have spoilt it for myself. But whether I know about it or not doesn't change the fact that there are so many films coming out.

And for those who are only casual fans the amount of films must be confusing. Without doing the reading that I mentioned above it will be hard to know what films tie into what. This confusion only gets worse when we consider the two Quicksilvers that are hitting the screens. 

If your an avid fan or not it won't be long before people tire of superheroes. At which point this fad will end as it does with all popular culture. The problem is that by over-saturating the screens the studios are bursting the fad sooner, bringing on their own demise. At the rate they are going at now I worry if anyone will be interested by the time that Avengers: Infinity wars pt. 2 releases, let alone the scheduled films for the 2020s.


Comic timeline photo from Outerplaces, Hypocrite meme from quickmeme, Thanos image from Screenrant.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - Film Review

This review is spoiler free.

Next week I am hitting London's MCM Expo. Since Avengers: Ageof Ultron is the big nerd film at the moment I thought I best watch it soon as MCM will hold spoilers.

My lateness in seeing the film was in part because I had grown weary of the film before even seeing it. We have heard so much about where the Marvel cinematic universe (MCU) is going. With releases scheduled right up until 2020 I couldn’t imagine that the story would be that significant. Added to this the trailers had given a lot away for me, as a true nerd, I had over-speculated and deduced the plot from the teasers.

But I have finally seen it, and whilst I had been correct in my predictions, I enjoyed it thoroughly.

Avengers: Age of Ultron is the sequel to The Avengers, but technically also a sequel to many other recent Marvel films. Thankfully, you do not need to have seen every addition; nor even have seen the original Avengers. However a basic knowledge of the heroes is helpful.

It's okay, he doesn't start performing a Hamlet monologue.

The film opens with the Avengers creating a new initiative, named Ultron, that hopes to make world peace a reality. However, it doesn’t take long for the Ultron initiative to turn sour. The result is a rather confused sentient AI that believes the key to peace is the extinction of the Avengers, followed by the rest of humanity. The Avengers then have a race against time to save the world and stop the Age of Ultron.

The teaser made it look dark, but it is the usual perfectly balanced between fun and action packed that you would expect from a Marvel film. Even the bleakest situations are met with a quick-fire quip. For instance when Iron Man swears during a firefight Captain America reminds him to watch his ‘language’. This extends to the villain Ultron who appeared to be pompous in the trailer. Instead even he doesn’t stick to a straight script and banters with the best of them. This makes him rather human, despite being an entirely artificial intelligence.

It is a good job that the team have some support in the form of the Maximoff twins Wanda and Pietro, AKA Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver. These two new additions are far from normal, and have certain mutations enhancements. Quicksilver is a speedster, and Scarlet Witch is a telepath, has telekinetic abilities, spatial manipulation and, ummm, is ‘weird’ (as described by Maria Hill).

The two new heroes are played by Aaron Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. I was skeptical at first as the last time I saw this pair was in Godzilla, and you can tell how I felt about that here. But this time around they impressed me, especially Olsen’s weird stutter movements as Scarlet Witch (very Japanese-horror style). Johnson wasn’t bad as a slightly dense, but good natured, Quicksilver. They have a great relationship on-screen and you can really believe that they are brother and sister. Each balancing each other perfectly, in personality and power. However, Johnson's performance as Quicksilver is not a patch on Evan Peters in X Men Days of FuturePast (that comparison is inevitably always going to haunt Avengers Age of Ultron).

I believe the best character was Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye. I was one of the few people who actually liked Hawkeye in the original Avengers. Many considered the guy with a bow useless, on a team composed of gods and immortal soldiers. But his archery skills impressed me far more than Thor’s lightening or Captain America’s invincible patriotism. This film really allows Hawkeye to shine. We get to learn much more about the hawk this time, including his personality, now free from mind control, and his sense of humour. Whilst he may be mortal the team needs him as much as any other member. He is a symbol for fighting even when you are mismatched. 


There are also some great performances from Mark Ruffalo and Scarlett Johanson as Hulk and Black Widow. I had read many articles before seeing the film about the two having great on-screen chemistry. Now I see why, and have to admit that both play the part of good people with a monstrous other side perfectly. Possibly the best will they, won't they since Ross and Rachael on Friends.

Still a better love story than Twilight

Overall, Avengers Age of Ultron doesn't change the superhero formula much. Bad guy vs good guys, but Marvel does it well as allways. Never becoming too heavy or dry, and having enough story to stay fresh throughout. It was well paced too, so beats the original which I felt had too many climactic moments. It is a great blockbuster, although I have to wonder why it was scheduled for spring and not the summer. I hope that Marvel's Antman is befitting of the summer spot.

Amsterdam sights to see for a geek like me.

Last week marked the end of my penultimate week as a Winchester student. I would say it was a somber occasion and I savored every moment. Unfortunately, I can't due to the amount of work that needed to be done. Instead my days were spent buried beneath work consisting of criminal law, Intellectual Property and Teaching; sounds thrilling right?

In the end what got me through the mountains of work was the thought that soon I would have four weeks of holiday. Time that I will spend half relaxing and half maintaining a level of work so that I don't fall behind.

However from tomorrow I have allowed myself one straight week without any thought to work. Possibly because I will be far removed from my laptop, literally, as I will be in Amsterdam. Whilst I am sure I will feel some immense work guilt, I will just have to console myself with some of the city's greatest (or nerdiest) sights.

Image from Thierry on Flikr

Here is what I hope to be able to visit.

1. Nerdy shops.
   It would seem like Amsterdam has quite a few nerdy and retro shops. So of course I am more than interested. Two I am especially interested in are Game Over and Go Joker comics. The first for retro video games at some reasonable prices (I hope). And the second because they sell comics under the name of one of my favourite characters. Both are on my hit list.


2. The Canals.
   I may be a nerd, but I do appreciate natural beauty. There is nothing I like more than water. Couple this with the fact that the canals are one of the first things people mention when you say Amsterdam (apart from that other thing), ensures I am pretty hyped for them. With any luck we will be taking a canal cruise during our stay. It may be a bit too cold for the traditional bike ride along the side however.


3. The food.
   How does a plate full of small pancakes covered in icing sugar, that you smother in butter sound? What about deep fried caked dough? Add in chocolate sprinkle sandwiches and you can see why I am excited for the food.


4. Anne Frank's House.
   It may sound cliched, but a stop here is definitely on my list. Out of respect, if nothing else. I did try to read Anne Frank's diary once and couldn't really get on with it. I have a love of history, however, so will take this chance to respect the darker times of history.


5. The Architecture.
   I am not a massive fan of buildings. Yet even I can't help admitting that there is something picturesque about the pictures I have seen of the buildings on the waterfront. Also it never hurts to have a change of scenery.

Image from Amsterdam.info

So, there you have it five reasons I am looking forward to my adventure in Amsterdam. I bet it wasn't quite what you expected a student to be looking forward to in a city with its certain reputation.

San Diego Comic Con 2014

For some the San Diego Comic Con (SDCC) is a big event, and while it does showcase film, TV, comic, game and general media news, I never get too hyped for it. This is partly due to it being such a big event and that so much is announced that I have trouble knowing what's happened. But it is also because whilst I do obsess over media, like any good geek, it is mainly gaming that I strive to stay up to date with.

Regardless of this I do keep an eye out for news that interests me, in this post I thought I would round-up the things that peaked my interest.

More than a few clever cosplayers around.

Films

• Guardians of the Galaxy 2 will be coming to theaters on July 28th 2017, this more annoys me then interests me. How can the sequel have been scheduled before the first has seen release?
• There was a trailer for Avengers:Age of Ultron and apparently it has a very dark tone. I can't wait to catch a glimpse myself as this description of it sounds amazing.
• Horns is an upcoming murder mystery film starring Daniel Radcliffe. He plays a man as a man growing horns (normal?) following his girlfriends disappearance; things get weirder still, as people around him start to act rather odd. I checked out the trailer and think it looks rather promising. Who said Radcliffe would be typecast as a adolescent wizard all his life?

TV

• Constantine after the rather disappointing film a few years ago I'm surprised to see this getting a reboot. But from the trailer it looks good, very supernatural, mysterious and maybe even spooky. After recently being rather disappointed with American Horror Story: Asylum  perhaps I can get my shivers here instead.
• Gotham is something which I have paid very little attention to, which is odd considering I'm a massive Batman fan. I put this down to not being too interested in Batman's early years, let alone anything before he takes upon the mantle. Yet, after watching the new trailer I feel like I perhaps should be paying attention, as it looks like it could be impressive.

Comics

• This surely wasn't a surprise for anyone, the Jokers coming back to Batman comics with Scott Snyder's Endgame story arc. Not yet sure how I feel about this, he may be my favorite character, but his 'death' at the end of Death of the Family felt rather appropriate. I will see when the arc begins in October.
• A comic series will be released as an official sequel to the 1999 film Galaxy Quest. I loved this film and a return to the story is long overdo. Also announced is a crossover between Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Ghostbusters, which I can't even begin to imagine and soon won't have to. (Article about both here)

Games 

• Firefly Online was shown and although not an MMO fan I can't wait for this. I love everything about Firefly except, of course for it's cancellation.

If you think I've missed something, or you have a stand out moment of SDCC then let me know in the comments section.

Cosplay image from GoNintendo.

Hyper Japan 2014

Panic stations, Hyper Japan is just around the corner!

'What's the problem? That sounds amazing.' I hear you cry.

Well, yes it is but I have a rather pressing issue ahead of me as a result. No, I haven't forgot to order tickets and it isn't fully booked.

My problem, is what to cosplay as. I have some ideas but all of them come with their own hurdles. Dear reader I beseech your advice, but first here are some guidelines.

                                                  I Have cosplayed before as:

I'm the one on the right, I think.

• Dr. Horrible from Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog
• The Joker from the Death of the Family arc
• L from Deathnote

I don't want to repeat myself. Also as it's Hyper Japan only L really fits the theme. My girlfriend has decided to go as Ponyo, however we are not couple cosplaying. So don't suggest that please.

I have had a few ideas so far:

Me as L who hasn't done his washing.

1. Sora or Riku from KingdomHearts.                                                                                                
2. Oliver from Ni No Kuni.                                                                                                     
3. Professor Layton from the Professor Layton series.                                                               
4. Lloyd from Tales of Symphonia.                                                                                         
5. Wizardmon from Digimon.

That's all I have so far, I'll post a picture of myself below. I'm open to any and all suggests, but remember time is a constraint and money is tight.

Please suggest away in the comments below.

Valiant Hearts - The Great War

This week saw the release of puzzle/adventure game Valiant Hearts - The Great War; developed by Ubi Art Framework. Despite not yet playing it, I can tell it is a unique game; and a significant release.

I believe this game is evidence that not all games need realistic graphics. Like their previous games, Rayman Legends, Rayman Origins and Child of Light, Ubi Art have continued the tradition of a simplistic art style. The Rayman games stood out to me due for their vibrant colours, which helped make it gleefully frantic. Child of Light utilised a mix of light and dark shades, this added to the mystery of the story by literally keeping us in the dark. The studio clearly understands that even basic art styles can have a huge impact on a players experience.

Valiant Hearts uses a comic book form; with a dull palette of colours used for the majority. However, this enables vibrant colours to have a bigger impact when they are used - crimson blood and oozy mud browns hammer home the grimy side of war.

It definitely shows that war is hell.

Games with a cartoon look make us unconsciously vulnerable to the story. They lull us in to an innocent world; and the darker plot lines then have a massive impact upon us. One of the biggest examples of this is Limbo - a similar game which gained critical acclaimed. In which you play a small child as he hunts for his sister. Whilst this may sound innocent, the reality is a disturbing world about isolation and grief.

All these examples show that there is still a place for 2 dimensional side scrollers even now. Often games strive to give the player a feeling of immense freedom; but this can also create a dilemma. Do we really need ultimate freedom? A few years ago I was having a bit of a personal crisis - with many life choices open to me I was overwhelmed by life. Times when I tried to escape in a video game usually resulted in me hanging around in menu screens; before tuning off my console. But then I gave Limbo a shot, and was finally captivated by a game as I had in the past. I found comfort in the restrictions of a 2D plane, no choices to be made, no worrying about consequences. Just walking from left to right, trying to solve puzzles. I could let go and my mind didn't have to make any far reaching plans. The fact that new games such as Valiant Hearts and various re-releases of classic games show that there is still a need for simplistic structures in gaming.

Limbo's simplicity was what made it so touching.

Of course the subject matter that Valiant Hearts deals with is also what will make it memorable. We often see any media that seems to present the atrocities of war as being intrinsically important. The importance of never forgetting can automatically create respect for a story; whether we think it truly deserves it or not. I am rather cynical in the use of tragedies, believing that lazy writers can often use them to add significance to their tales. Yet, I don't think this is the case with Valiant Hearts. The story uses letters sent during World War I to tell the four characters experiences. To base the protagonists struggles on real evidence does show more dedication than that of lazy writing.

To add to this the characters aren't the usual soldier types, they are people caught in the middle of the conflict. This game will hopefully remind many that war isn't glorious or clean. its terrible and consumes the lives of those who want nothing to do with it.

On top of this the gameplay is all puzzle related, no killing comes from the protagonists directly. This too is rather refreshing; a war game that focuses on survival, not slaughter. Most would put you in the shoes of an unstoppable marine - death becomes a mere inconvenience, never a threat.  Valiant Heart's characters are fragile and out of their depth. This coupled with a story that gives them a reason for living, makes death genuinely terrifying. This creates a tense experience that you never want to put down.

For these reasons I believe Valiant Hearts will have a lasting legacy. In a generation of consoles thats obsessed with photo realistic graphics and constant action, there is still a place for innovation. The game looks beautiful and the story leaves its marks on you. Trailers alone will surely prove this to you. I'm sure you'll be waiting impatiently, as I have, for the download to finish.

What is your opinion on Valiant Hearts and games like it?
Let me know in the comments.



Valiant Hearts title picture from Dualshockers, War is hell image from mgnews, Limbo image from Imgur,

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Does it live up to its name?)

Now don’t get me wrong, I love Spider-Man. I can’t think of another character I can relate to more than Peter Parker. Yet, like any true fanboy, I can't help but get exasperated beyond belief when I see a favourite franchise taken to places I don’t agree with. Case in point, The Amazing Spider-Man 2

 (which is partly based on the Ultimate Spider-Man universe).

It seemed that every piece of news I heard leading up to this film's release caused my despair to grow more and more, as yet another villain was thrown into the mix or another production statement released. The film seemed to become more concerned with setting up future spin offs and sequels; I worried about how crammed and rushed it would feel. The trailers didn’t help this either as I spotted hints that only comic fans would pick up on (no examples in order to avoid spoilers!). I realised that there was more going on in this than Sony were explicitly stating, which made me think that key plot points would be skipped over. Worse still, the film's main villain is Electro, one of my least favourite of Spidey’s rogues’gallery, second only to my most-hated, Rhino (who was then subsequently shown in trailers as well). The final moment of despair was when I heard the addition of a variation of Green Goblin, the best antagonist in my mind, and I wept at the thought of him, of all characters, being tacked on for sequels' sake.

This didn't exactly scream Green Goblin to me.
More like scabby hobo-man...

The previous film,The Amazing Spider-Man, created a term in my mind; what I call the 'Spider-Man effect'. This is when I seem to enjoy a film at the time, yet on reflection, I start finding flaws I had not noticed upon viewing. It gets worse when people then point out flaws and I can't help but agree. For instance, whilst I initially loved Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker, I couldn't help but agree that his portrayal flips between nerd to skater boy and then finally emo (although his hair is far too stylized for any of these). I didn't pick up on this initially, as I was just enjoying the experience. Some may call it hindsight, and I guess it is easier to see said flaws when they are pointed out to you later. One such problem I also now have is the Lizard's design - he looks more like a goomba from the live action Super Mario Bros.

film than the Lizard from the comics that I know and love. These issues have made me cynical to the point where I’d rather not watch it again for a while. Other examples of the 'Spider-Man effect' include Frozen and the Assassin’s Creed series (with horrible emphasis on Assassin’s creed III).
The bitter feelings only increased when I was made aware of the real reason for the reboot. Why, when I had heard some great rumours for Spider-Man 4, did they decide to start again? It turned out that the new films were actually made due to a contractual clause, where Sony would lose the rights to the franchise if they didn't release a film for a certain number of years.

This one point in the trailer ruined a bit of a surprise for me

It’s ironic, then, that the sequel has an almost polarised quality, as I entered the cinema with dread and yet I left with a new-found appreciation for the series. It gave me hope for the future installments. Thankfully, the film doesn't focus on introducing too many villains as I had feared, instead focusing on characters and the relationships they share. I was particularly impressed by Gwen and Peter, as we see them attempt to continue their lives after the fallout of Dr. Conner’s attack. The chemistry between Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone is incredibly believable and I sympathised with their rocky times, causing me to become emotional myself.  The guilt Garfield portrays is powerful, and we understand his actions that result from it. This is a worthy depiction of my much-loved character, one who has always been ruled by his heart and not his head. Even the relationship of Peter and Harry, which happened before the film is set, is believable; I really got the sense that they had previously been strong friends. Their first scene together starts with an awkward tension which broke through to talking about past shared experiences. It was very realistic, and reminded me of similar reunions I have had. The rekindling of the friendship builds up properly giving more impact to the later scenes. It turned out my fears that it would seem rushed or forced were unfounded.

             

This sort of image made me fear for the film

Not that action is forgotten, either. There is enough Spidey action to keep a good balance of pace, and some of the Electro scenes are spectacular. Each battle is accompanied by Electro's soundtrack, one that’s very techno and every beat and bass drop feels natural and just epic. The handling of Electro's creation was good, too. The trailer made his transformation look a bit ridiculous - seeing him falling into a vat of eels after shocking himself looked a bit like something from Benny Hill. Yet his actual shift from Max 'the Spider-Man fan boy' Dillon to the paranoid madman with bad-ass electric powers is perfect. Even his theme song fits as the lyrics whisper symptoms of schizophrenia in a creepy fashion, giving us the effect that we can hear his frantic thoughts. Even the Rhino, although a bit too comic relief, was good, just perhaps his appearance is a bit brief.

My one issue with the villains in this film is that they seem to go down a similar path we have seen before. They start as normal people with some coincidental connection to Parker. Then they have some form of accident that messes with their sanity. Really, you should be able to shout 'bingo!' when they have a last minute change of heart and cause their own downfall.

               

Maybe, like with its predecessor, once hindsight kicks in I will begin to see its flaws. But then that’s life - everything seems like it could be better on reflection.

Except hindsight. That’s always a bitch.

Green Goblin photo found at Science Fiction.com, advert image from Screen Rant, Gwen image from Den of Geeks