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May 22, 2006
Marvel's Greatest Comics: Runaways
For the past three years, I've heard Scott Hinze (Fanboy Radio) rave about Runaways by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona. I've promptly ignored him until the most recent Fanboy Vaughan interview, when the tenor of Scott's sincerity really got to me. I dove in and started reading Runaways Vol. 1: Pride and Joy
Something about the Runaways artwork just didn't seem like it was aimed at me, with it's youth-appealing Manga overtones. I've overcome that and grown to love Alphona's artwork, which is perfectly suited to teenagers, who never don costumes, by the way. Vaughan's dialogue and Alphona's facial expressions really make me believe that these are children, facing their own worst nightmares. By setting the series in Los Angeles, which is devoid of super-heroes, Vaughan really preserves the kids isolation. Marvel's most famous runaway kids from the past do show up (Cloak and Dagger), and Vaughan's portrayal of these cult heroes is refreshing.
I was worried that when the initial Pride arc was over, that would be it for the Runaways, but Volume 2 is proving to be equally as good. If you've ignored Runaways until now, give it a chance, especially if you're a Buffy, Harry Potter, or Philip Pullman fan. Nuff said.
Posted by Kid Flash at 5:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)May 16, 2006
A Bust of Power Girl's Bust
I caught this on Comics Continuum's preview of DC Direct products: Power Girl Bust! "Feel the power! Continuing the stunning line of Women of the DCU Busts designed by award-winning illustrator Adam Hughes, this limited edition, hand-painted, cold-cast porcelain bust measures approximately 5.625 inches tall x 4 inches wide and x 2.25 inches deep, and is packaged in a four-color box." $45 smackers for this breast-popping cold-cast wonder of porcelain. Just remember to put back in the drawer when you're all done. Nuff said.
May 11, 2006
DOAX2: Jiggling Japanababes in HD
The trailer for Dead or Alive Extreme Beach Volleyball 2 appeared on IGN and XBox Live Arcade yesterday. This is either the most exciting game ever made or the most boring, depending on your POV. Buxom bikini bitches play volleyball on a tropical island. For rewards you get to buy string bikinis to the point where they practically walk around nude. In this next gen version, the breasts jiggle and bounce to an extent that cannot be believed. Behold...the power of the 360! Nuff said.
External Link:
IGN Interview with DOAX2 Creator
May 10, 2006
E3 2006: Wii Wii Wii I Want Some Too!
It's impossible for me to try and work during E3--luckily I don't have a job now! I imagine this is what football addicts feel like when the NFL Draft is on ESPN or March Madness for basketball fans. With the internet coverage, you almost get the full E3 experience, without the wear and tear on your feet or traffic jams on the 405. Joystiq has been my main source of news, giving blow-by-blow accounts of the Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft conferences. Gamespot also has a cool blog with video opinions from key staffers. Sony went first and struck out in my opinion, by offering up the Playstation 3 in two bundles for $499 and $599. That price point will be a barrier for many gamers that I know, but Sony could still sell out to the early adopters this fall. It seems crazy to buy the $500 model when it doesn't have features like HDMI output. After reading numerous opinions of the Sony conference, I don't get any sense that people were blown away by Sony's game demos. Gran Turismo was pumped up in HD but apparently it didn't look any better than Project Gotham Racing 3. Sony's controller was changed from a boomerang design to the old classic dual-shock look, but without the shock-they put in sensor motion capabilities, which means the Rumble feature had to be disabled. The most interesting new PS3 game is Resistance: Fall of Man from Insomniac Games, which I saw Ted Price demo on G4's E3 coverage. Gosh darn it, but Hot Shots Golf looks impossibly cute in 1080p.
Nintendo's show was much better received. How can you wrong by having Miyamoto walk out and conduct a symphony using the Wii remote? It's like Mickey Mouse in Fantasia. IGN's web site has a number of videos showing off the Wii remote in games like Zelda, Metroid Prime, Red Steel, etc. The Tony Hawk game I mentioned previously is called Downhill Jam and it is very much like SSX: going downhill in various locations and pulling off tricks to acquire boost. There's a nice interview with the Downhill Jam game producer on IGN. Without the new remote, I'd say it was too derivative, but with the remote-I want it! The most irresistible game for me is Wii Sports, a title that combines Golf, Tennis, and Baseball in one package. The graphics are nothing to shout about, but the remote makes it so much damn fun. Take a look at these videos on IGN's site where Miyamoto plays tennis with Reggie, Iwata, and an audience member. I can easily see myself buying a Nintendo Wii this Christmas instead of the Sony PS3.
Microsoft's showing was better than Sony's, but not a Revolutionary as Nintendo's. Gears of War, Forza 2, Fable 2, more Live Arcade classic games, and Live Anywhere were neat but not mind blowing. Gears of War leaves me cold, no matter how Microsoft tries to pump it up-I don't like that third-person mode and I want to blow shit up at will. I really just wanna have a decent version of Unreal Tournament on the 360. Forza 2 looks pretty but the first one was such a gear-head game. I am more interested in Test Drive Unlimited, a cool Massively Online Racing game where you have the entire island of Oahu perfectly mapped out with GPS. I downloaded the TDU demo that just appeared on XBox Live and it's fun, even though the graphics aren't up to PGR3 quality and it crashed my 360 twice. 
I just want that Magnum P.I. fantasy--the game opens with your avatar eating chips and watching TV in a luxurious pad that would have supermodels drooling. There are two driving wheels coming for the 360, one from Logitech (priced at $99 I think) and another one from Microsoft, a wireless wheel. If you use the wireless mode, you sacrifice the force feedback capability, but if you plug it in, you get true FF. The Halo 3 trailer got me all hot and bothered (even though it won't ship until 2007), and I was lucky enough to download it on Xbox Live around 1pm PST. After that, XBL really got pegged and it took me over an hour to download the Forza trailer. I think the most exciting 360 game at the show is Crackdown, an open-world game featuring super-powered cops-I really hope it will ship this year. The trailer on Xbox Live shows off various game features while panning between comic book panels--but in an upscale graphic novel sort of way. Nuff said.
May 8, 2006
E3 2006: Tony Hawk and Nintendo Wii
Just read a story (courtesy of Joystiq) about the upcoming Tony Hawk video game using the Nintendo Wii controller. I have been getting more and more excited about the Wii since I've heard that game makers are really utilizing that controller in new ways. This almost nails it for me, I have to get the Wii. An SSX game using the controller would be cool, too. Nuff said.
External Link:
E3 Insider
Avi Arad Will Make Marvel An Independent Studio
I heard this on CBS Radio over the weekend: Avi Arad is working on having Marvel finance and produce its own movies. Instead of having Fox or Sony produce them, and grab most of the profits, Arad's secured a significant amount of credit to produce movies based on Captain America or Nick Fury. The article also states that Arad hopes to make the Hulk sequel and Iron Man movie independently as well. Existing franchises like Spider-Man or X-Men would have to stay at their existing studios. Very interesting article, especially the beginning part where Arad is telling X-Men director Brett Ratner what to shoot. Nuff said.
External Link:
Business 2.0: Marvel Leaps Into Movie Making
May 4, 2006
Evil Robby Rips Apart Infinite Crisis #7
Power Girl's smashing breasts! Superboy's disgusting carnage! The wisdom of Bemzarro! Only a few of the many things awaiting you in Dial B For Blog's Infinite Crisis #7 and wrap-up review. As much as I hated Infinite Crisis #7, I loved this review. It made me laugh out loud and I couldn't explain to my wife what was so funny. I am almost glad this shit got published so I could laugh so hard.
External Link:
Dial B For Blog's Infinite Crisis Series Review
Firestorm: More Powerful Than Superman
Some of you Superman fans don't believe it, but it's true: Firestorm is more powerful. If it weren't for the fact that either Ronnie or Jason are young, they'd be the most dominant player in the DC Universe. Look at the classic scene from Firestorm #4 (circa 1982). Ronnie Raymond takes on the entire Justice League and blows them away pretty quickly. Superman is instantly crippled inside a ball of kryptonite and only survives due to Wonder Woman's intervention. Luckily, Firestorm is a good guy. Nuff said.
Lost's Latest Losses Explained
If you watched LOST tonight like I did, you were probably blown away by what happened during the last 10 minutes of the episode ("Two for the Road"). I didn't see that plot twist coming at all. It's great to be so genuinely surprised by a TV show. If you're wondering about the reasons for what happened to Ana Lucia, check out Ausiello's interview with Damon Lindelof.
External Link:
Michael Ausiello's TV Guide Blog
May 3, 2006
Civil War #1: No Split Decision Here, We Like It!
Now here's a surprise: I liked Civil War #1, a lot! The basic premise left me cold when I heard about it, and the hype machine is in overkill mode with Quesada getting quoted on NPR and various newspapers. I'm also not crazy about the Road to Civil War stuff in Amazing Spider-Man. J. Michael Straczynski seems like an idiot who thinks all corporate CEOs must be evil and so Tony Stark must be one, too. I can't buy Straczynski having Stark manipulate Peter Parker into supporting his position in Amazing Spider-Man.
One of the things that won me over in Civil War #1 is Mark Millar's portrayal of Tony Stark. He gives Tony a much better motivation for supporting the President's call to register all super-heroes. Tony feels a certain amount of guilt (the fuel that drives all Marvel Heroes) over the Nitro-schoolyard explosion. In the public eye, and especially in the eye of a parent who lost her son, Stark has been the biggest corporate sponsor of the Avengers. And the Avengers inspire countless wannabes like the New Warriors and the Young Avengers. I can buy that Stark may feel partially responsible for this tragedy, and that it could turn him against Steve Rogers. There are other little character bits with other Marvel players which make you wish that Millar will visit them as a regular writer soon. I love it when the Thing says to Wolverine: "Tell me about it, stumpy. You think Johnny would have ended up in the hospital last night if morons like you wasn't out there givin' us a bad name?"
Millar's script works very well with Steve McNiven's dynamic pencils. This man not only makes the action scenes come alive, but he makes the talking heads dynamic as well. Millar knows each chapter of a book like this needs some action, and the most rousing sequence involves Captain America fighting S.H.I.E.L.D. This is totally awesome-the freedom loving Captain from the Englehart years-fighting authority. Non-regular readers reading Civil War must be shocked at Cap's behavior.
Speaking of non-regular readers, Joe Quesada has prepared a special two-page promotional piece for them at the end of the book. I applaud this move, because they are making no bones about it, but keeping the promotional aspect separate from the story-unlike DC Comics! The books they have chosen to promote are all first class collections: New Avengers by Bendis\Finch, Captain America by Brubaker\Epting, Astonishing X-Men by Whedon\Cassaday. It's interesting to note that the Iron Man collection is "Demon In A Bottle" instead of anything more recent.
Let's hope the rest of the Civil War series keeps up this level of quality. Nuff said.
Posted by Kid Flash at 2:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)
