Hey here's a cool mural that a mom painted for her son. I doubt that he siad the things my headline suggests that he said, but you never know. Let's also hope that he doesn't end up living in that room until his early 30's huh? It's pretty cool though.
Via Geeks are Sexy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p--Yh5KJTeE
I believe the headline and video tell you everything you need to know… get to exercising! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmdGyMhesxQ
What's cool about this is that it was done with a 3-D printer! Mr. Metal Gear himself Hideo Kojima revealed two pictures (the other is after the jump) saying that he's working on the figure with Yoji Shinkawa on the figure and that there's still plenty of work to be done on it. He also watches a ton of movies if you didn't know that... I didn't.
This is a thing huh? Its cats... kind of dressed up like Street Fighter characters and then they fight MK style. In fact they probably should have done MK since there are no sprites in this video. I mean it's Saturday... what else are you going to do with your day?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gtf-3-jbqbg
Via Obvious Winner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fu-YOntNLsA Looks like someone's back on the sauce! Wait, he doesn't drink anymore does he. Well, then this was done out of pure greedy! Shame on you Tony! Shame, shame!
Dude in Florida robs a Wells Fargo with an Iron Man mask. Flagler County Sheriffs say the 5-foot-4 bandit showed a gun in a Palm Beach Wells Fargo branch and demanded cash Thursday afternoon. Our anti-hero — sporting a tan jumpsuit, boots and a backpack — got away in a maroon car.
Watch the footage after the jump.
I'm telling you, Japan is on fire with their live action adaptations this year. I don't even know what Tiger Mask is about and I want to see the damn thing. Check it out and hope that it finds its way to North America at least on Blu-Ray or something... no, not Blu-Ray something affordable. Japan's Blu-Ray prices are the same cost of a video game. Anyways enjoy the trailer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDjjpYAVVPw
Via Twitch
Via Geeks are Sexy
Well... it's the new 52 Justice League animated. *Siiiiiiigggggggghhhhhhhhhh* What I find interesting is that Flash, Green Lantern and Cyborg look like the only three willing to pay for all of her party shit. Really what would Aquaman do? Offer some shitty puca shell necklaces? Also, what type of mom forgets her son's birthday until after he's left for school? Listen for the Wonder Woman comment at the end, the only word I have for it is sexist. She single handedly takes a step back for all women... it's terrible. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7RnzB_5LQ-0
Via Newsarama
Zod's coming to Injustice. And why wouldn't he be? Man of Steel is the number one movie in world so of course they'd strike while the iron is hot. He doesn't look like a Superman clone so that's good. He also has some pretty cool moves like trapping you in the Phantom Zone and then punching you out of it. Although he does tell you kneel before him a lot. What I actually found strange was that they mimicked the original Superman movie for the way Zod carries himself. His hands always behind his back even while fighting and yet his design is terrible. Four hash marks for side burns? Weird. Check out the game play video after the jump. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5hUpYKMceY
There are a lot of good movies coming out of Japan this year. Gatchaman is definitely a franchise that can be a hit or miss, but I'm thinking this movie is going to be good! Hopefully it receives some kind of North American release, but we'll see. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCkSzqZjvaI
Via Twitch
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y549RqJr-SA
This is why I like Manga/Anime. The 11th volume of Maken-Ki released in Japan and with it came an exclusive (and likely limited) Blu-Ray with an anime short. It stars the female students of the series and takes place on the tropical training island. The gist of the story is that they're make love confessions, but in typical harem comedy fashion... they're doing so in their underwear. This is a different anime team from the first series and I'm not sure if it's going to be the same team tackling the second. I do know that if this is kept as part of the series it won't line up with the first Anime which totally screwed the pooch on the ending of the first story arc. The trailer for the Blu-Ray is after the jump since it's unlike this will make it to the states any time soon. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vCfUggh7Tg
This is a porno. I know that it’s labeled as an erotic comic, but it’s actually just pornography. The thing is that erotica has a story, a narrative, some point to the sexual act other than just the sexual act. Pornography is all about the sexual act. Sure there might be a situation that’s set up prior to the sex, but at the end of the day that set up is not important or a driving force behind anything other than creating a setting.
In Sticky, it’s the act of buying a belt. Its two pages of a man flashing his abs while selling a belt inter-cut with the characters undressing. The entire rest of the story is sex, graphic sex considering it’s a comic book. I say that as someone who has read several volumes of Milo Manara’s work, which I also believed was graphic at times.
And you’re right, that’s probably a matter of taste and obviously my taste finds it to be a bit much. I go back to the pornography argument because there are panels that actually support this. There are scenes that show the character’s POV, there are scenes in which we’re shown extreme close ups and wide shots. It’s the medium shots that suddenly take a different angle on the page; a noticeably different angle. Suddenly it’s no longer an attempt at art, but rather pornography. The view of the act becomes the focus of the panel rather than the characters and that’s what separates this from erotica and makes it pornography in my opinion.
Speaking more to the art, I wish that I could say that it portrays the human form realistically, but it doesn’t. The characters are reduced to having different hair styles and looking like underwear models. Now, this is somewhat typical in erotica to have beautiful people, but I have read some stories that attempt to include all shapes and sizes of human beings. Sticky on the other hand plays to stereotypes more than anything. The thick line work only serves to highlight the muscular physique and place more emphasis on the sexual act and I would even guess that some of the scenes are photo referenced.
Numerous people are quoted with praise for the issue/series in the description on Comixology and I can partially see why. This issue is bold and likely nothing like this has been produced or distributed on this scale. It’s a novelty almost. Because the thing is, I don’t know what other purpose it serves. In Click! by Milo Manara, the story is about women taking control of their sexual identity, to be in control of their sexual desires. Sticky is about looking at a belt and then having safe tantric sex.
For me, if pornography is your thing then that’s fine. We talk about porn parodies on the site, not for the sexual acts performed in them, but rather their abilities to tell a story or at the very least the characters and the costumes that they included in them. I’m sure that some comic book readers are happy at the existence of Sticky and that’s fine. But I have to wonder if it’s given a free pass due to the content being somewhat controversial, because at the end of the day a comic should tell a story. Whether that story has words or not, doesn’t matter, but it should have a story all the same. If you were looking for the shortest story in the world Sticky would be a strong contender: two people meet and have sex for several hours… maybe they share a connection there too, but that’s not something the story tells us.
I will point out that I was given a review copy of this from Comixology. You’ll have to decide if it’s worth your money or not and feel free to leave a comment on what you think because this is again my opinion of the material. Keep that in mind if you decide to tell me that my opinion is wrong.
Writer: Dale Lazarov
Artist: Steve MacIsaac
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 6/19/13
Available on Comixology
UPDATE: I have closed the comments. Thank you all for the comments, but it's becoming more of an internet argument than anything else and we all know what it's like to argue on the internet. I gave the review I wanted to and I treated the material with respect and went in with an open mind and that's all I can do. I have reviewed a variety of material over the years and so I will not justify my opinion further because I believe the consistency of my criticism speaks for itself. In fairness to this issue I did refrain from scoring it on our usual system because I felt that it would give casual readers a bias-ness towards the overall review and the title. Thank you again for the comments as I have heard your feedback and it will influence my decision on what to review in the future, but I don't think this is the right place for the discussion to take place. As I said on the original review, but will clarify and reiterate, it's up to the individual to decide for themselves on whether this series is right for them.
One of the best things about being married to a British girl is having the perpetual opportunity to make fun of celebrate their ridiculous endearing accent. This is especially true when she’s excited and/or angry about something. In such a humor, she tends to sound like an early 20th Century BBC news reporter while doing that uniquely-British condescending thing in finishing declarations with a question (“Well, that was a bit stupid, wasn’t it?”) or using language so archaic, it would stir Winston Churchill from his grave with pride (“That spot of lunch was jolly nice!”). It’s bloody brilliant, it is, and it just so happens to also be one of the main reasons I love the absolute shit out of Dan Boultwood’s Titan book, It Came! (sub-title: Something is coming round for afternoon tea ... AND IT ISN’T THE VICAR!) Our story begins midway through the innocent courtship between Dr. “Boy” Brett and his ladyfriend, Doris. A graduate of “Space University” and resident scientist at “Space Lab,” Dr. Brett is your classic British man’s-man: a morally upstanding, rough and ready, tally-ho-and-all-that sort of chap; the type who loves his Queen, his country and a well-packed pipe. Yes, he’s the kind of bloke who leaves the sandwich-making to the womenfolk ... except, perhaps, knuckle sandwiches, which he only serves to boorish louts. Or something.
Dr. Brett’s mettle is tested, however, as the pair pull in from a leisurely drive in the country for a stiff liquid pub lunch. That’s when they happen upon some sort of ginormous Martian mechanized death whatsit. But if it’s one thing that It Came!proves, it’s that even the assembled fury of outer space is no match ... for a Gentleman!
This bawdy yet reverential pastiche of a late 1950s drive-in British B-movie is quite possibly the funniestdamn comic book I’ve ever had the good fortune to read. That’s not an exaggeration, either. Boultwood has managed to harness the robust yet nuanced humor at the base of his culture with such mastery, his subtle moments are just as hilarious as his boisterous ones, all of them mirroring that razor sharp Brit wit shit we all eat up with such relish. In short, he fucking NAILS it.
Now, this is tongue-in-cheek stuff, but if you can appreciate the humor in its archaism, then you’re gonna love this book. Everything from Brett’s terribly misogynist condescension towards Doris (who he describes as “a good egg ... for a girl”), to his horrendously outdated senses of vocabulary and chivalry, plays beautifully with this amazing matter of fact, stiff upper lipped, smug Britishness, of which there is simply, and unfortunately, no American equal.
It Came! is riddled with horribly-aged hllarity, that completely un-PC style of humor that people of a certain advanced age still come out with randomly in polite company. It completely embarrasses you in public, but holy shit is it funny in private. I’d also like to thank Boultwood for bringing me the phrase “pebble-dashing the cistern chapel.” Its existence has fundamentally changed my own.
The art, also plied by Boultwood, is the perfect complement to the story. Awash in soft greys, it not only visually matches the old-film tone established in the writing, it even employs some of its most iconic cinematic tropes. The car scenes, for example, replicate those old shots where the moving background is clearly shot on a green-screen. It’s great little touches like that, and in the demure yet increasingly emboldened visual reactions Doris has to Brett’s choice of words, that make this world come to life on the “screen.” Adding even more depth are little splices outside of the feature presentation.
Various “intermissions” are used toward the middle and end of the “film,” shilling things like “Smoke & Choke’um Cigarettes,” another film called My Reptilian Bride, a product called Liquid Hair and, most interestingly (not to mention anachronistically), a pair of IMDB-like entries for the “actor and actress” portraying Boy and Doris in this story. I’m not quite sure why we get the backgrounds of Dick Claymore and Fanny Flaunders, but I do find its inclusion leaving me to wonder if this story isn’t bigger than we think. Mind you, even if it isn’t, and all we are a party to seeing is this classic, self-deprecating British arcana, then I will still be overjoyed with this fun-as-hell book.
I just want to say real quick ... Titan Comics, you folks are fucking killing it. The Bastards have begun plundering the depths of Titan’s wares, and so far I’ve been hugely impressed. They are already becoming one of my favorite publishers, which is saying a lot right now. So keep up the good work over there, guys and girls - you sure can pick ‘em!
Anyway. You guys! Buy It Came!
Don’t be ... “common.”
Score: 5/5
Writer/Artist/Creator: Dan Boultwood Esq.
Publisher: Titan Comics
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 8/14/13
For someone that’s really tired of reading Star Wars, I sure seem to be reading a lot of it lately. When I first saw this I kind of sighed because there is more Star Wars parody these days than actual legitimate franchise content. But something about the idea of Vader being involved in Leia’s life during her adolescence interested me, that and it’s Jeffrey Brown. I dig his stuff! There is no narrative. This is not a story that has a beginning, middle and end; it’s actually just a series of one page comic strips. Think of The New Yorker or any other variety of one panel strips from the newspaper and add Star Wars. Now there are some pages that have two to four panels since someone is bound to correct me on that, but they don’t dominate the book.
Really all of the stories are just father daughter moments, but with Vader and Leia. On the opening page Vader is about to choke a guy out when Leia interrupts by hugging his leg. Her cuteness takes Vader out of the moment. One of the best was Vader giving orders to IG-88 only for him to be Leia and Luke’s babysitter.
It’s a quick read and something that everyone can enjoy for sure, but again it’s just a series of shorts. Some of them are touching and all of them are funny and relatable. Brown does a great job of capturing the Star Wars universe both with the art and dialog. His style has come a long way and it was cool seeing him take on such a big franchise.
If you’re into Star Wars, this is definitely one of the best things to come from the franchise in recent memory. It was good enough that I will probably check out Darth Vader and Son next. If you’re a parent you’re sure to love it, but even if you just like Star Wars you’ll appreciate the quality of this book.
Score: 4/5
Writer/Artist: Jeffrey Brown
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Price: $14.99 (Hardcover)
Release Date: 4/23/13
This is a story of General Hume’s men with each of their guns. Each one of them has been interesting as it has shown the unique power of each gun and how it affects its owner. This issue captured me, I’m not too sure why but it has become my favorite of the series.
Silas “Bitter Ridge” Hedgepeth is ready to swing from a tree by his own choice. His attempt fails and he falls from the tree. A boy from the outlying town is looking for a few head of cattle because his father and mother are sick. The sickness intrigues Silas and he heads to be the town’s doctor since the old doctor has passed from the same plague attacking the town. Silas takes this as a chance to bury his sins by trying to heal this incurable disease. After a confrontation with the town judge to try and quarantine the town Silas finds a connection. The meat is what is carrying the disease.
The story at first kind of left me ho-hum, but after sitting on it for a day I enjoyed in more and read it again. It shows the struggle on one man trying to make a difference to cover his sins of the past. A man taking a chance to become new but falls back to his old ways. You can feel his struggle. The art is everything sixth gun and always enjoyable.
This series is an interesting one and this is one of jewels of it. It stands alone but still ties in well with the rest. If you not reading The Sixth Gun this series gives you an insight to the back story and the characters of the Guns.
Score 4/5
Writers: Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt
Artist: Brian Churilla
Publisher: Oni Press
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 6/19/13
This is going to be a pretty quick review because this is the end of the mini-series and the pacing chugged right along. It’s definitely the strongest of the three and had the first two been this good perhaps the overall series would have been better. It came across as the series was written for the ending, which can have mixed results depending on your preferences. I’m still not really sure how this story benefits the main “Unleashed” story, but that might just mean that I need to re-read that series or the payoff hasn’t hit yet.
In a complete change up we actually start with the Witch Linda; she’s visiting her sick son in the hospital and is given the news that he’s terminal. Now the scene is quick so she either joins a witch Covent or is already a part of one. She asks for permission to cure her son and is denied, but silver lining the one that denied her is bitten and killed by Samira. She offers her a cure of sorts for her son if she’ll join her and help. It’s strange because we’ve seen Linda treated like shit from the very beginning. Back in the floating castle we find Linda stopping one of the “Black Plague” from helping Vanessa kill Samira.
We cut to Samira and Vanessa fighting while Blaine is still locked up. The fight breaks to the hallway and suddenly we find Linda dead. I was actually bummed by this. The fighting continues as Vanessa gets the upper hand and her other progeny arrives and begins killing all of the other Vamps in the area. It doesn’t end well for anyone that found their way into that hallway, though I’m sure it didn’t end well for most of the people that ended up in the bedroom with Samira.
The overall tone and writing has been consistent throughout the mini-series. I get that impression that this was written as one story in mind first and then the proper breaks for the issues were found. I’m kind of glad that Samira’s past has been closed out and now we can see that she’s not a complete monster, that there is a heart somewhere inside of her. I still wonder if that will come up again. I think that she’ll just continue to kill and destroy at her master’s command and now there’s nothing left for her to go back to.
The art was as good as it has been on the series. I’m still a bit confused on when Linda was killed exactly since it seemed like a scene was missing. The Vampire deaths were pretty cool actually. They looked like deflating balloons as grey smoke left their orifices.
If you’ve been reading the series it’s definitely worth finishing. As I said in the beginning this is the best issue of the three. If you’re new to the series then I would wait for a trade or a digital sale to pick them up since you’re going to be reading them back to back. If you only have interest in the main “Unleashed” storyline then I would say you can skip this book unless you end up wanting to know more background info on Samira.
Score: 3/5
Writer: Pat Shand
Artist: Vittorio Garofoli
Publisher: Zenescope
Price; $3.99
Release Date: 6/19/13
I remember in the first issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles when I saw Old Hob for the first time I thought he was an awesome character. His connection to the Turtles origin story was a cool new twist and I honestly thought that they would be fighting him for a good while before the introduction of better known Turtle villains, but that didn’t turn out to be the case. The series didn’t suffer from it, but it was definitely a big “what if” in my book. Sadly, this issue isn’t as good as the first two in the villain’s micro-series.
Whereas we saw Krang go from a helpless brain with arms to a fierce killer and Baxter Stockman’s true colors and hidden intellect were revealed; here we see Hob follows the path of a gangster and nothing else really. It’s a shame because there’s a ton of potential for him, but they seem to be content with making him a thug. Sure they paint the picture of intelligence in this issue, but the problem is that good villains need to think more than two moves ahead and Hob has run out already.
Another problem I had instantly with this story is that Hob narrates it… out loud. It’s obvious that he’s talking to someone even though it’s not revealed until later, but it’s completely different from the other stories in the series. Krang wasn’t standing before his men regaling of his murderous exploits nor was Baxter going all James Bond villain while executing his plan.
Hob reveals his biggest hang up… humans. His tale begins with the first human he met, his owner, whose name he’s no longer certain of. One day the boy’s mother throws Hob out on the street when the boy fails to keep up with the litter box. Hob, once a cute and comfortable cat is now at the mercies of the street and fighting for every scrap of food he can find. This leads him to the Turtles on their faithful day of birth and his encounter with Splinter that cost him his eye. He’s shown lying on the ground feeling as if he were dying and then transforming… which felt about the same.
Hob wakes up in his anthropomorphic state and hears Baxter and the scientist from the first issues, talking about “the rat.” Hob stumbles out and tells them that he can find the rat. From there bunches of test are run on Hob and he plays along while building information on Baxter, the Turtles and everything else he can.
The problem with the story begins after this. His rise to power with a gang of thugs, his fall from grace and how he thinks he’s very clever. Frankly his characters potential has been completely botched when they gave him the appearance of having low intelligence and even if he was “just playing along” with Baxter’s plan, his only real plan was to cheat his death. If he had a actual plan he would have staged a coop on Baxter right before he was about to be killed. The comic isn’t bad, but Hob’s character is really uninspired and it’s a shame considering the world that he lives in: Mutant Ninja Turtles, Aliens, scientists, undying Ninja overlords and then Hob… a thug with a chip on his shoulder.
Other than Hob narrating the issue, the writing isn’t bad, but again the characterization of Hob is poor. I really liked his character and now he seems out of place with the rest of the world. He’s not big enough to be a major player and even a temporary alliance it’s doubtful that his storyline will improve.
The art is very good and Hob looks like Cat Nick Fury… like a lot. It’s awesome though. The art really saves the issue, but it only has what the story offers at the same time. I personally enjoyed the baby Turtles scene and seeing Hob’s transformation. Wasn’t too crazy about boxer brief’s Hob, but hey better than tidy whiteys any day.
I’ve been patiently waiting for this issue and I can’t even say that the hype let me down because there was none. Some people may have enjoyed this issue because of Hob’s tragic background being revealed, but that doesn’t make the rest of the story good or forgivable. Maybe Hob will show some potential in the next issue of TMNT, but otherwise I think he’s as good as dead in terms of character development. Retire him next to animated Bebop and Rocksteady because he’s not much better.
Score: 3/5
Artist: Jason Ciaramella
Artist: Dave Wachter
Publisher: IDW Publishing
Price: $3.99
Release Date: 6/19/13
...with yourself!! Ha, that's right meat beater, there is no way you're going to be pulling any tail with this thing on your girly ass twin bed! How do I know? Let's just say your mom told me when she woke up on MINE!!! Oh SNAP! I'm sorry I didn't mean that. I was just thought you guys would thing I was cool because I used a "mom joke". Oh and at $229 there's no way I can afford that Incredibeds gem!
