Posted on November 1, 2009 by Darren
I’m not quite sure what to make of the collection. I know it’s the first of six volumes which will include the entire 80-issue run of James Robinson’s reimagining the concept (plus extras) and I know that it’s the opening chapter of a much more expansive story. And I know that – as a story – it is structured in a much more dynamic and interesting way than most other superhero adventures. But I’m not feeling it. At least not yet.
No hero here(o)...
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: comic books, david mckean, dc comics, dc universe, golden age, grant morrison, graphic novel, jack knight, james robinson, omnibus, Opal City, review, sins of the child, starman, starman omnibus, ted knight, tony harris | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 29, 2009 by Darren
This is probably on a shortlist for the best Batman story of all time, alongside Frank Miller’s other definitive work on the character, The Dark Knight Returns. Whereas Millar focused on the eventual end of the character’s crusade against crime, here he focuses on the origin of the character. Expanding from the one-page origin which accompanied Batman #1, Miller brings his keen eye to Batman’s psychology, but also the world in which Batman functions. This isn’t the gothic construction of Tim Burton, but a grimy urban cesspool like Christopher Nolan’s. In the world that Miller carves out for the hero, he greatest opponents aren’t the disfigured freaks who would become his adversaries, but the architecture of greed and corruption that defines Gotham.
Imagine if it had been a seagull that crashed through his window that fateful night...
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: batman, batman begins, batman: year one, comic books, dc comics, frank miller, review, year one | 2 Comments »
Posted on October 28, 2009 by Darren
Well, at least it’s an action movie that acknowledges its pointlessness. It isn’t a spoiler to point out that – since Wolverine doesn’t remember his origin in X-Men and has to reminded in X-Men II – none of the events here have any real importance to the character development of the Canadian superhero. The audience knows buying a ticket that anything he learns will be erased and lost and that the film itself is just an explosion-filled flashback which, even if had something worth saying, would be pointless anyway. That said, it does deliver somewhat convincing action sequences and two very good leading performances.
The other man of steel...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: danny hueston, Deadpool, gavin hood, liev schreiber, Movies, non-review review, review, ryan reynolds, wolverine, x-men, X-Men Origins, X-Men Origins: Wolverine | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 27, 2009 by Darren
Just when you think there isn’t an original concept left in comic book storytelling, Ed Brubaker and Greg Rucka come up this ingenious concept: what is it like to police a comic book city – and the one populated with the same sorts of loons which give Batman a headache? Brubaker and Rucka construct a truly surprisingly awesome noir police procedure that takes a gutter’s-eye view of one of the darkest cities ever to appear in comic books. It manages to combine the two aspects brilliantly, simultaneously bringing a fresh perspective to both the Batman mythos and the police procedural.
The joke's on Gotham...
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: batman, comic books, dc comics, ed brubaker, gotham, gotham central, gotham city, greg rucka, half a life, in the line of duty, motive, review, soft targets, unresolved | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 26, 2009 by Darren
Kill Bill is an epic, but personal, work for Quentin Tarantino. It’s his Gangs of New York – a movie he’s clearly wanted to make in his own way for a very long time. It’s a tour through the cinematic locales which inform his filmmaking – though he uses Tokyo and Texas, and other names of real life locations, the film isn’t set in anywhere that really exists, or ever could exist, outside his own imagination. Kill Bill is a darkly violent and ultimately juvenile film, but one that was clearly well-loved and properly nurtured. It never ceases to impress, even while it makes you flinch.
Not quite mellow yellow...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: david carradine, films, kill bill, kill bill: vol. 1, kill bill: volume 1, Movies, non-review review, post-modern, quentin tarantino, revenge, review, the bride, uma thurman | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 24, 2009 by Darren
Talk about a change of pace. Apparently it was originally conceived that Bendis would be in charge of both Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimate X-Men during their run. Instead he’s spent almost a decade at this stage with the web-spinner, but he did migrate over to the sister title for a year at the end of Mark Millar’s run. The run is unfortunately too short to fully develop the potential of Bendis on the title, but it represents a massive upwards swing in the quality of the book from the crazy illogical and teen-angst-filled Millar run. It’s still far from a classic, but – read in the context of the entire series – it is perhaps a better representation of what Ultimate X-Men could have been.
And he still doesn't shave...
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: bendis, blockbuster, brian michael bendis, comic book, marvel comics, new mutants, review, ultimate marvel, ultimate spider man, ultimate wolverine, ultimate x-men, wolverine, x-men | Leave a comment »
Posted on October 17, 2009 by Darren
There’s a reason you don’t hear a lot of people talk about this particular addition to Mark Millar’s bibliography. Very simply, it’s not very good. It’s as if Mark Millar has taken the usual explosive energy that underpins his work and turning it up so high that all we can discern is just a screeching noise. It doesn’t help that the book manages to turn just about every strength he demonstrated during The Ultimates into a weakness.
Because it wouldn't be an X-Men book without Wolverine on the cover...
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: a different world is possible, andy kubert, comic books, Comics, hellfire and brimstone, magneto, mark millar, return of the king, return to weapon x, review, the tomorrow people, ultimate comics, ultimate marvel, ultimate universe, ultimate war, ultimate x-men, world tour, x-men, you always remember your first love | 2 Comments »
Posted on October 16, 2009 by Darren
Five years in and the Ultimate Universe is starting to look a little cluttered. In fairness, it was a little bit inevitable, with so many classic storylines to play out and so many classic characters to reimagine in a relatively short space of time. Bendis tries to keep the toys from cluttering up the pram through various means, and none of these new characters seem forced (though some do feel gratuitous). I suppose that if the Ultimate line is supposed to offer a mirror to the mainstream history of Marvel, it’s only natural it should become cluttered. Still, like playing with your favourite toys, it’s only natural to make a bit of a mess…
No claws for alarm...
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Filed under: Comics | Tagged: brian michael bendis, clone saga, Comics, Deadpool, graphic novels, hobgoblin, Knights, mark bagley, marvel, marvel comics, Morbius, review, Silver Sable, spider man, spiderman, The Talk, ultimate clone saga, ultimate comics, Ultimate Deadpool, ultimate hobgoblin, ultimate marvel, Ultimate Morbius, Ultimate Silver Sable, ultimate spider man, ultimate spiderman, ultimate universe | 1 Comment »
Posted on October 14, 2009 by Darren
A modern classic. The finest portrayal of one the greatest villains ever created. Only the third film to win all of the “big five” Oscars. The first horror film to win the Best Picture Oscar. The movie which kickstarted Hollywood’s grim fascination with gory and sexually frustrated serial killers and those who hunt them. The movie which energised an ageing veteran’s career and confirmed one of Hollywood’s youngest female actors as one of its greatest stars. One of the most often referenced and quoted movies ever made.
It’s pretty good.
I bet his favourite book is To Serve Man...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: anthony hopkins, best picture, best picture oscar, buffalo bill, film, hannibal, hannibal lecter, hannibal the cannibal, jodie foster, jonathon demme, Movie, non-review review, review, serial killer, silence of the lambs, the silence of the lambs | 4 Comments »
Posted on October 13, 2009 by Darren
Ah, the almost forgotten stoner movie subgenre. Well, except for Harold and Kumar Get the Munchies and its sequel. Okay, well, you get the idea. Pineapple Express isn’t the best movie to emerge from the Judd Atapow machine, nor is it the worst. Despite a lengthy introduction and setup, it did manage to illicit a few giggles and to amuse for the bones of two hours (which may have been just a little too long).
Their bark is worse than their bite...
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Filed under: Non-Review Reviews | Tagged: comedy, danny mcbride, david gordon green, ineapple express, James Franco, judd atapow, marajuana, non-review review, review, seth rogan, stoner comedy | Leave a comment »
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