Review: Strip Search

Yet one more awesome reality competition I've found myself happily addicted to is Penny Arcade's Strip Search.  Like Top Chef or Project Runway, this is a competition to find the best in a certain field, namely running a web comic.  Unlike most other reality shows, the contestants on this one aren't constantly at each other's throats and backstabbing each other.  In fact, this is quite possibly the nicest group of people on TV I've seen since the character on Full House.  Quite the opposite of the reality competition trope, they do seem to be here to make friends.  Also, instead of the judges (Jerry and Mike from Penny Arcade) crushing the soles and hopes of anyone who gets eliminated, they meet two on one with them with words of encouragement.

The show is broken down into 20-30 segments that follow the pattern of a social challenge mostly for funsies, a competitive challenge to determine potential contestants to eliminate, and an elimination challenge to whittle down the contestants.  Jerry and Mike definitely had a lot of fun both mocking tropes of reality competition shows and interacting with the contestants.  Just a warning, there is some NSFW language throughout the series, but kind of what you should expect if you've ever read the Penny Arcade comics.  Despite that, this web series is a great way to counter other shows making you lose your faith in humanity.  I really hope they can manage to make more seasons of this show at some point in the future, but they're pretty busy guys.

Movies I Grew Up On: Batman

This movie is a strange, but fond Christmas memory of mine.  I remember my family had went up to Canada to visit my grandparents and other family on my dad's side and someone got the VHS of Batman, so we watched that together.  This was the first Batman movie in 23 years and decidedly darker than the so very awesome Adam West Batman.  Unlike the even darker and more "realistic" Christopher Nolan, Tim Burton still embraced the comic book source material and kept the characters fairly faithful (e.g. Joker wasn't just a crazy killer, but wanted everyone to die laughing/smiling).  It stars Michael Keaton as Batman, who in my mind is the best Batman, but not a fantastic Bruce Wayne.  It's also the the only Batman movie to only have a single villain (which really should be the norm for comic book movies, not the exception).

If you haven't seen it, this movie serves as both an origin for Batman and the Joker.  Jack Napier, second in command to Gotham's current crime lord, is set up to take a fall during a crime at the Axis Chemical factory.  While trying to stop the criminals, Jack falls into a vat of chemicals, partly due to Batman.  Instead of dying from the chemicals, Jack Napier is instead transformed into a deranged killer who uses chemicals in every day hygiene products to cause people to laugh to death.  Things escalate to a very climactic fight up at the top of a cathedral bell tower.

Unfortunately, this movie starts the trend of comic book movie villains dying in their first (and only) movie appearance.  I'm not talking about random villains created specifically for that movie (like the Superman movies), but one of the villains from the hero's gallery of villains.  I've never quite understood this since not only do the heroes only have a small number of villains that could actually hold up a movie by themselves, but usually the villains they do kill (like The Joker) have so many more stories that could be explored and character depth that could be done.  This can only lead to more future reboots that (for some reason) must retell the hero's origin story again and again.

Books I Grew Up On: Disney Adventures

I guess every kid has at least one magazine they grow up with.  Or at least they used to, not sure what the equivalent for kids nowadays would be...anyway, the magazine that I subscribed to was Disney Adventures.  The magazine was filled with tidbits about the current movies, music, and television that was popular (obviously heavily focused on ABC, Disney, Touchstone Videos, etc.), random educational tidbits about whatever the current issue's theme was, and it had a bunch of comics from all sorts of Disney cartoon worlds.

One random thing I remember from my issues: the magician themed issue taught me that statistically, it takes 7 perfect shuffles to completely shuffle a deck of 52 cards.  I think this magazine also cultivated my love for everything Disney and helped solidify Walt Disney as one of my top role models.  I don't know about the later issues, but when I got it, it never felt like it was just a big advertisement for anything, but actually seemed like useful and worthwhile information.  I'm not sure how exactly to explain what I mean.  It felt Disney focused, but not blatantly biased "Disney is good, all else is bad".  I have the same feeling towards Nintendo Power and the opposite feel to Gamestop's magazine, Game Informer.  Of course, I'm probably the one that's super biased since I grew up with Nintendo systems and watching Disney movies...

Review: Batman: The Brave and the Bold

You know how last August I said I wanted superhero shows that were okay being campy?  Well, it may not be a live action show, but I definitely got my wish with Batman: The Brave and the Bold.  This show seems to not only celebrate all things Batman - from the list of villains, to superheroes, to references to previous Batman iterations - but have fun doing it.  It's definitely a campy cartoon more in the style of the Adam West Batman series than Batman The Animated Series.  It's not quite as campy as Adam West, which is made obvious when there's an entire episode made in that style with the vertical wall climbing, the Holy ___, Batman! lines, and the giant POW!, BIFF!, and BOP! bubbles appearing when people hit each other.

The general formula of the show seems to be this: start with Batman teaming up with one superhero against some villain near the end of a fight/crime, show them being awesome and quippy, then capture the villain and play the show's theme song.  Then start a whole new crime to solve with a completely different villain and superhero team up that has nothing to do with that first one.  I like this format because you get to see even more of the ridiculous villains and superheroes of the DC universe, like Crazy Quilt (a guy who REALLY likes colors I guess?), Ace the Bat-Hound (exactly what it sounds like), and Detective Chimp (essentially a Sherlock Holmes in Chimp form).  Since the show switches characters so frequently, you don't really get any back story on anyone, it kind of just assumes you'll know about them or can look stuff up on your own.  At least that's my impression.  I do believe every one of these characters comes from either Batman's roster or one of the other superhero's rosters based on some of Green Lantern and Iron Man's earliest villains, so it really makes me want to go back and see where these ridiculous ideas came from.

The cast of the show is pretty phenomenal.  Wil Wheaton makes an appearance, Michael Dorn, Kevin Conroy (in one of the most amazing reversal episodes ever), Adam West, Paul Reubens, Will Friedle, John DiMaggio, Neil Patrick Harris (of course starring in a musical episode), and a whole bunch of other people I'm sure I recognize, but don't know their names.  I don't know how good this show would be if you don't get any of the references to things, though.  Like if you don't recognize the Batman: The Animated Series intro, then when they spoof it in one episode, you're not going to understand how totally awesome and clever they are.  If you don't recognize that show's Batman, Lex Luthor, or Lois Lane, then Kevin Conroy's episode won't be nearly as entertaining.  But if you are someone who grew up on and adored that show and all DC cartoons in that era, then this show is an amazing homage to that, with plenty of entertainment on its own to offer.  It is definitely a kid's cartoon, though, so if you're looking for something serious or with any continuity past two episodes, this is not the show for you.

Weregeek

A webcomic I discovered fairly recently was Weregeek.  The whole webcomic is a celebration of nerdiness/geeky things in all its forms.  The basic plot is about a (at first) normal guy, Mark, who stumbles into a group of geeks playing Vampire: The Masquerade and discovers the beauty of relishing in his inner geek.  It's really awesome because each chapter of the story cycles through various different games.  Sometimes they'll be playing D&D, sometimes Shadowrun, sometimes Vampire: The Masquerade, etc.  The comic will alternate between showing the people playing the games and what it looks like in those peoples' imaginations.  There's also a couple stories running throughout the entire series (some interpersonal drama, some strange fantastical mysteries, etc.) that are intriguing in their own right.

As with most webcomics, the art style has drastically improved since the beginning.  The characters are all highly amusing and unique, the hilarious puns and punchlines are well-written, and the celebration of things geeky is a thing of beauty.  It does make me a little sad that (as far as I know) I don't turn into an awesome were-beast when I really geek out, though.

Darths and Droids

Have you ever wanted to combine Dungeons and Dragons and Star Wars?  Or just very slowly make fun of all those little ridiculous logic flaws throughout the series?  That's where Darths and Droids come in.  Starting with Episode 1 and currently up to about 2/3 through Episode 4, Darths and Droids takes you through the Star Wars movie in comic book form, except all the characters are gamers playing an RPG campaign in a Star Wars setting.  But in their world, Star Wars never existed.  Basically it pokes fun at Star Wars, D&D, video gaming, and various other nerdy tropes in clever and hilarious ways.  It gets especially entertaining when they introduce new characters who haven't played D&D before (one is an actress, the other is a video gamer).  Also, the post after each comic usually has some good tips and ideas for potential or current DMs.  It's because of this webcomic that I can't help but call the Death Star the Peace Moon from now on.

Review: The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes

Never before had Netflix suggested I would give a show 5 stars before The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes.  I had seen suggested 4 and a bit stars, but never a full 5 stars.  So I decided to test Netflix and see what the big deal was.  A few days later I finished both seasons of this cartoon.

From the sound of it, there isn't anything new about this cartoon.  It revolves around a union of some of Earth's mightiest superheroes - starting with Iron Man, Thor, The Hulk, Wasp, and Ant/Giant Man and eventually adding Captain America, Black Panther, Hawkeye, Ms. Marvel, Vision, as well as having many heroes in reserve.  These heroes fight bigger and badder super villains as the show progresses.  I think one of the things that really hooked me, though, is that very rarely would one episode be separate from others.  There was a wonderful feeling of continuity here.  There is always some bigger evil plan being worked upon in the background of each episode until it comes to a head and the heroes need to deal with it.

One of the reasons I knew this show was really good is that normally I will be doing something else while watching TV (unless the show is subtitled like Naruto) and the TV will be the lower priority task.  However, I constantly found myself just closing the lid of my computer or putting down the game system to just sit and watch this show.  Granted, I am a huge superhero nerd, but still, there is definitely something magical about this show.  It's got plenty of action, plenty of intrigue, and plenty of interpersonal drama.  And just like the movie based on The Avengers, it managed to make me really like The Hulk, which I always find an impressive feat.  So Netflix, good call on the 5 stars!

Review: Spider-Man Edge of Time

In the year 2099, Walker Sloan, a scientist at Alchemax, is researching time travel for the sole purpose of re-writing history so he can introduce all of Alchemax's discoveries early and take credit for them.  Miguel O'Hara, a.k.a. Spider-Man 2099 can't let this happen.  Especially when he finds out that in this new timeline Walker Sloan is going to kill Peter Parker, the original Spider-Man.  So, Spider-Man 2099 creates a chronal link with Peter Parker so he can talk across time and warn him.  And then things get really complicated...

Throughout Spider-Man: The Edge of Time, the other timeline (2099 if you're currently Peter Parker or Peter Parker's time if you're Miguel O'Hara) will pop up in the corner to show what danger they're currently in or what effect your actions have had on the other timeline.  All of these events are scripted and the ones you have to actually succeed within a certain time have a timer displayed to indicate that.  Generally when a game says "You have to do this immediately!" I will specifically take my time and do everything but that.  However, just like the Uncharted series, for this particular game, I went with the sense of danger and tension and it made the whole game a much more cinematic experience.  And ultimately, that's what this game is, a really long, really epic movie.

Make no mistake, this is a very linear experience.  As stated above, all time changes and dramatic events are scripted, so ultimately, it's just a bunch of fight, chase, and boss scenes gameplay-wise, but the story is top notch, the voice acting is perfect (Spider-Man 2099 is voiced by the actor who was Spider-Man's voice in the 90's cartoon show), and the difficulty is just right.  Aside from the story, there are a large number of challenges (a Web of Challenges, in fact) that can be done to earn different costumes and concept art.  These challenges are unlocked as you go through the story and can be replayed individually at any time. They are just difficult enough to require skill, but there is just enough of a margin of error on all of them that they don't require you to be perfect.  I guess you're supposed to complete them as you complete the story since they award you with upgrade points you can use to make the game easier, but I waited until the very end to complete them all and the game wasn't too difficult.

I would highly recommend this game to anyone who is looking for the video game equivalent of the summer blockbuster, especially if you're a fan of Spider-Man (the loading screens are chock full of fun Spider-Man trivia).

Brawl In The Family

One of my absolute favorite webcomics is Brawl In The Family.  First off, it's all Nintendo-based humor (generally related to Super Smash Brothers Brawl, hence the name).  Secondly, it's all very family-friendly humor.  Thirdly, there are a ton of visual gags/puns.  For the most part, the comic is just a series of random gags that either make fun of something very video game-y:

or character specific things:

The first set are mostly about Kirby eating something and what happens to him afterwards:

But every once in awhile, story arcs will appear or the artist, Matthew Taranto, will compose and perform a song that goes along with a comic.  I think those are my favorite.

So, yeah, there's a reason I gladly supported his Kickstarter to make a book of his comics - which is the first Kickstarter project I've given money to.

Review: The Amazing Spider-Man

Just like video games based on movies, movie reboots are typically things people fear.  While trying to come up with a list of examples, I could only actually come up with two bad examples, however: The Karate Kid and Land of the Lost.  Every other reboot/remake/rewhatever I've seen has been great (and usually better than the original).  Ocean's Eleven, Bedazzled, Batman Begins, The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, among others.  The Amazing Spider-Man definitely falls into that latter category.

I love Sam Raimi (especially because he puts Bruce Campbell somewhere in everything he does) and the first two Spider-Man movies he made were entertaining, but the characters were a far cry from the characters in the comic books.  Peter Parker was nerdy without any intelligence to back it up.  Mary Jane was not in those movies at all, just some whiny damsel-in-distress redhead.  And I'm not even going to talk about the atrocity that was "Venom".  The new movie, on the other hand, got things much more spot on.  Well before Peter Parker was ever bitten by anything, there were various examples of his obvious intelligence.  Not only could he instantly diagnose a broken refrigerator just by looking at it, he had a remote-controlled mechanical door lock on his room, he talked shop (i.e. science!) with Curt Conners as if it was second nature to him.  He studied textbooks.  So it made a heck of a lot more sense when he made his web shooters (instead of having webbing come out of his arms just like spiders do...wait...) and he figured out how to stop the Lizard with brain power instead of brute force.

Ultimately, that's what makes Spider-Man what he is.  Sure he has the agility and strength of a mutant spider and he can shoot webs, but he almost never wins his battles merely by fighting.  He always out thinks his opponents.  He quips all the time to get his opponents angry so they stop thinking clearly (that and because it's hilarious).

On top of getting Peter Parker right, they also had a lot of little things that made the movie more believable.  After every single time Spider-Man went out and fought, Peter Parker would come home bruised.  Sure, he's strong enough to get sideswiped by a bus and survive, but he's still going to show the impact on him somehow.  When he was swinging around as Spider-Man, he'd wear a backpack to hold (among other things) his phone and his camera because there was no room in his unitard for it.  Along with his spider powers, he also showed subtle signs of acting more like a spider.  He was twitchier, he liked sitting in corners, etc.  Curt Connors also displayed subtle hints that the lizard DNA was affecting his personality as well.  Both a sign of great acting and direction in my opinion.  It was a little strange he never ran out of webbing mid-battle/patrol, but the rest of the movie was logical enough that I can just assume he carried extra cartridges with him and swapped them when we weren't looking.


So all in all, this was an amazing movie all on its own.  It respected its source material and brought those characters to life while changing things enough to clearly indicate this is its own story line and universe.  I very much look forward to seeing more Spider-Man movies along these lines and hopefully someday I'll get to see Venom done right.  And then see him fight Carnage.  And then see both of them fight Toxin.  Symbiotes are awesome.