lines by me... 'member the day i spent waiting at the library reading comics and drawing? this is what i drew.

colors by the amazing Scott Havrisik

Three issues in and I have to admit that I'm starting to feel as though this series is completely unnecessary. The latest issue of Avengers/Invaders firmly establishes where this story fits in the Marvel Universe time line and as a because no other books seem to knowledge its existence it lacks tension. Unless Jim Kreuger and Alex Ross have some large twist planned, there just doesn't seem to be enough story to support this series for 12 issues. However, with all that said, issue #3 is still an enjoyable read thanks to some fun moments with Namor and nice looking artwork by Steve Sadowski.

There are four main plot elements at work here and, to be honest, it makes this a pretty fast read. The first involves Invaders Namor coming face to face with his future self while visiting what amounts to the ruins of Atlantis. The second storyline thread at work involves the New Avengers' plan to free Invaders Captain America by using some Dr. Strange magic. The third features the one lone soldier to get caught up in the time travel having a talk with his future self. It's a touching highlight thanks to some poignant dialogue and complementary artwork. The final thread involves Bucky breaking Invaders Captain America out of his cell on the SHIELD helicarrier. While I have no real complaints about the overall story, it feels like things barely move at all due to the bloated ensemble cast. Each plot thread gets some time, but not much happens in any of them. If things progress like this, maybe the series can sustain 12 issues just by inching forward bit by bit, though I hope that is not what winds up happening.

The writing in this issue is serviceable, but only really shines when the WWII soldier is talking to himself. The characters are written well, but it seems as though the writers enjoy bringing certain characters down a notch. In the first issue, the Thunderbolts were quickly dismantled and then late in this one a key character just comes across as plain stupid. It just lessens things as opposed to heightening, and that irritates me. Also, every line of Spider-Man dialogue is some attempt at wit or humor and while I understand that is a staple of the character, Spidey just comes across as "that guy" dying for some attention. With the exception of the soldiers' talk, the writing here is average at best.

I honestly think I would be harder on this series if I didn't enjoy Steve Sadowski's pencils as much as I do. He does some great work with the characters and scenes in this issue, in particular the stuff involving the two Namors. While a few of the smaller panels feel a bit rushed, I can easily forgive when everything else looks so nice. I do wish the coloring job was a bit better, as it actually has a negative effect on the quality of the pencil work from time to time.

The Avengers/Invaders series is weighed down by the very concept that it hinges on and, as a result, very little comes across as truly memorable. There is some good dialogue from time to time, the artwork is impressive, and it is fun seeing two versions of the same character interact, but as a whole there is nothing here that makes me truly care about what is happening. If you really need a "heroes out of time" fix, you would be better off investing in the excellent series The Twelve. (Grade: C)

- Kyle Posluszny

A Second Opinion

Wow, I actually enjoyed this issue more than the previous two. The nods given to current Marvel continuity are a definite plus. I was actually surprised to see Namor visit Atlantis, given how not too many read last year's excellent Namor: Revolutions mini-series. But having young Namor beat down old Namor? C'mon now! We also finally get a small connection to Secret Invasion, but despite all these connections to Marvel continuity, this book, like the Invaders themselves, is horribly displaced.

No other Marvel title acknowledges the events taking place in this book and because of that, it feels like a hollow read. Making this series a sprawling 12 issue "epic" is a horrible decision that might have been better served as its own event for 2009. But hey, that's just my opinion.

As a stand alone issue, I enjoyed what I read, but I do agree with Kyle in that there's just too many characters and too little happening. This is the same problem that's plaguing Kreuger and Ross' Project Superpowers title (but on a much worse degree). Their next project really needs to be scaled down. Enough with the huge casts of characters and just work on telling a story, guys. (Grade: C+)

- J. Montes

I used to just lean my figures against something (a stack of books or my bedroom wall) to help me balance them when they need assistance in holding up the pose I placed them in. Today, I used some threads and strings and I'm now going "why didn't I think about this sooner?".

Anyway, I decided to stage a Hulk and Iron Man fight just to test my new string setup. First, I suspended my Iron Man figure in the air for the flying/hovering shot. Second, I used the strings to help support the Hulk figure's weight while I make him look like he's running. Finally, Photoshop!

But seriously, I just wanted to make the Hulk and Iron Man fight. Hehe.

Andrea Macco

WANTED - Scegli il tuo destino
(2008 – Regia di Timur Bekmambetov con James McAvoy, Morgan Freeman e  Angelina Jolie)

 VOTO: 5 - -

Grande scopiazzatura di effetti speciali alla Matrix. Basta, non se ne può più. Se Matrix è stato un capolavoro perché ha portato qualcosa di innovativo e nel contempo presentava una trama succosa, ora siamo nel ripetitivo e per di più con una trama inconsistente. Di fondo a questo film temi anche belli, come quello della ricerca del “chi sono” e dell’appartenenza (legami di sangue – legame di setta).  Ma poi spunta fuori la “fratellanza” che legge nella trama dei tessuti i nomi delle persone da uccidere… ma dai! A metà film mi son detto: in un posto così, i nostri “giustizieri del fato” muoiono tutti. E’ da pazzi… E così avviene, con qualche colpo di scena e un po’ di auto-ironia da parte del protagonista (bravo questo sconosciuto  James McAvoy), effetti speciali eccessivi ed una Angelina Jolie nella parte della istruttrice (il ruolo di Morpheus in Matrix) che non mi ha molto entusiasmato.

Pare che il fumetto americano da cui è stato tratto il film fosse ancora più deludente (e infatti ha avuto vita breve…). Bocciato.

L’INCREDIBILE HULK

(2008 –Regia di Louis Leterrier con Edward Norton e Liv Tyler)

 VOTO: 7

Tratto dall’omino fumetto della Marvel Comics, anche Hulk risente dell’influenza di Matrix in alcuni fotogrammi di transizione tra una scena e l’altra (l’analogo del codice di Matrix con cui viene fatta vedere la realtà o qualche suo dettaglio). Molto ben curata la prima parte del film: rappresenta un po’ il “dietro le quinte” dell’essere eroe. Si dà per scontato che si conosca già la storia e l’attenzione si focalizza su sentimenti, stati d’animo e combattimento interiore di un Bruce Banner interpretato da un sempre ottimo Edward Norton. Senza lode e senza infamia Liv Tyler.

La seconda parte del film si innesca invece sui binari della storia standard, insomma, cose già viste  in cui fanno quasi solo da protagonisti gli effetti speciali.

Scena finale che preannuncia il sequel “I vendicatori” che riunirà diversi super-eroi, tra cui anche Iron-Man (anche lì è stata inserito un final end post titoli di coda che consenta l’aggancio per i vendicatori)

IRON MAN

(2008 –Regia di Jon Favreau con Robert Downey Jr.)

 VOTO: 7 1/2

Altro film ispirato all’omonimo fumetto della Marvel Comics. Gli appassionati dicono che pure l’aderenza ai sacri testo originali è buona o perlomeno accettabile (non lo stesso dissero per Spider Man). Ma quel che piace di Iron-Man è il suo essere eroe-antieroe. Tony Stark è uomo dai modi duri, prepotenti, spigolosi. Ne sa qualcosa la sua segretaria nonché fedele assistente Pepper Potts (brava la nostra Francesca Fiorentini, meglio di tante altre super attrici super pagate a cui di super è rimasto solo il nome…). Stark produce armi di distruzione di massa e non è certo il tipo che si fa ben volere dalla folla. E’ bello allora vedere come il personaggio cresca durante il film e soprattutto, come metta a frutto il suo ingegno. Finalmente un super-eroe che non è frutto di esperimenti di scienziati pazzi alla Frankenstein o di superpoteri venuti dall’alto: Iron-Man è l’uomo-armatura frutto di studio, lavoro, esperimenti e pure fallimenti… Scontato che gli succeda di tutto e che rimanga sempre vivo, così come è scontato che il cattivo alla fine perda, ma resta invece per nulla scontato il rapporto tra Stark e i mass-media: tutto da gustarsi.

È inevitabile. Il circolo vizioso “lungometraggio - suo conseguente tie-in” pende ancora minaccioso sul mondo videoludico, quasi fosse una proverbiale ed affilatissima spada di Damocle in bilico sulle nostre teste e sul punto di precipitare ad ogni colossal approdato sul grande schermo. La storia dei giochi su licenza, è risaputo, non ha mai avuto dei lieto fine, ma nonostante tutto gli sviluppatori continuano a puntare su questi. Che Iron Man (alla Marvel non hanno mai avuto particolare fantasia con i nomi) sia l'ennesima aberrazione di una lunga serie? Che la software house abbia imparato qualcosa dalle sconfitte di critica a cui sono andati incontro i suoi predecessori?

Il gioco seguirà senza particolari stravolgimenti gli eventi del film, appena sbarcato nelle grandi sale. Il personaggio principale di Iron Man è una sorta di rivoluzione, se vogliamo chiamarla così, in ambito Marvel: Anthony Edward “Tony” Stark è tutto fuorché un “super-hero”. Al contrario, Tony è una normalissimo business-man, ma che si differenzia dai suoi colleghi grazie ad una peculiare abilità: la sua maestria nella costruzione di armi. Maestria che si trasformerà ben presto in un'arma a doppio taglio.

Questa volta la stereotipata lotta tra bene e male vede protagonisti Stark e il Maggia, una compagnia che da tempo punta alla supremazia della costruzione di armi in tutto il globo e che, quindi, vede Tony come una fastidiosa spina nel fianco. Tutto inizia da qui, nel momento preciso in cui il giustiziere comprende come debba lottare da solo contro un'intera armata, munito esclusivamente del proprio senso di giustizia e di un'ingegnosità fuori dal comune. Nasce così l'armatura più forte mai creata da mente umana. Nasce così Iron Man.

Iron Man si presenta come un normalissimo gioco d'azione, casinaro fino al midollo, in cui l'unico scopo è disintegrare nemici su nemici senza la minima cognizione di causa. Ops, abbiamo detto “presenta”? Ci correggiamo: Iron Man E' un normalissimo gioco d'azione in cui l'unico scopo è disintegrare nemici su nemici senza la minima cognizione di causa. Sebbene ogni livello proponga qualche obiettivo secondario capace di spezzare la monotonia del tutto (non vi aspettate chissà che, non è niente che vada oltre le solite prove a tempo) o la possibilità di cambiare l'equipaggiamento del nostro uomo in armatura, tutto il divertimento sfocia sempre nel medesimo concetto: svolazzare da un punto all'altro delle enormi mappe, spazianti dall'Afghanistan (dove il signor Stark è tenuto prigioniero) al Quartier Generale del Maggia, e far esplodere tutto quello che si muove, puntare poi su tutto quello che non si muove, e infine tornare su tutto quello che si muove. Una routine che sebbene in principio possa esaltare, grazie anche alle decine di tecniche da supereroe in nostro possesso, viene a noia dopo appena un paio di missioni.

Il potere distruttivo, comunque, è assicurato: Iron Man potrà esibirsi in spettacolari mosse, dal semplice corpo a corpo ai ben più prestanti raggi laser “pettorali”. Dall'alto della nostra oggettività, bisogna dar merito agli sviluppatori per averci fornito una così vasta scelta di armamentario, sebbene nella maggior parte dei casi la soluzione migliore sia puntare diritto con l'arma primaria e mandare a quel paese orpelli di gameplay al limite dell'inutilità. D'altro canto, ogni azione che ci passerà per la mente sarà praticamente eseguibile: volare in cielo, mantenersi a mezz'aria, fuoco primario e secondario, cazzotti e prese (smaccatamente ispirate a God of War) e chi più ne ha più ne metta.

È forse proprio questo l'aspetto più riuscito del gioco: il senso di potenza sovrumana una volta impugnato il pad. Peccato che qualsiasi buona pretesa venga rovinata da un sistema di controllo legnoso e confusionario. Se apprendere la mappatura dei tasti sarà un'impresa scavalcabile in poche ore, indirizzare il nostro eroe (soprattutto durante le fasi di volo) nella giusta direzione si trasformerà ben presto nel nostro vero obiettivo per tutta la durata della sessione. Gli spostamenti di telecamera in aria, troppo repentini per i nostri poveri occhi, finiscono per impastare il tutto, costringendoci spesso ad andare letteralmente alla cieca mentre ancora speriamo di raggiungere quel dannato elicottero nemico che si sta facendo beffe di noi vedendoci girare incessantemente sul posto.

Nemmeno il comparto tecnico riesce a risollevare le mediocri sorti del prodotto sotto esame: graficamente parlando, andiamo incontro ad alti (si contano sulle dita di una mano) e bassi (si contano sulle dita di un millepiedi). Se ad una rapida occhiata i panorami dall'alto ci appariranno definiti, stilisticamente azzeccati e di grande impatto, aiutati anche da un motore grafico quasi sempre stabile sui 60 fotogrammi al secondo, basterà avvicinarsi un po' per capire che cotanto ben di Dio in realtà non esiste per nulla. Paesaggi naturali a dir poco desolati, texture monocromatiche come non mai, modelli di personaggi e dei veicoli presi di peso dalla passata generazione.

Aggiungiamoci poi effetti particellari praticamente inesistenti e un uso scialbo del poderoso processore Cell per quanto riguarda le scoordinate animazioni ed ecco che vi abbiamo dipinto al meglio il triste quadro della situazione. In poche parole, quasi tutto da buttare. Leggermente migliore il comparto audio, che si bea di un doppiaggio di buon spessore, purtroppo non sorretto da colonne sonore altrettanto incisive.

FONTE: gamesurf.tiscali.it

Iron Man however- he is so smart,  clever, and cocksure....he is seriously in the running.  Yes, he has issues, and I think he might have trouble staying out of his head, but he came up with that whole suit himself, under duress!  And his place in Malibu is magnifique!

Double dating is also a possibility. Iron Man and the Incredibile Hulk's nemesis just met in an LA bar (looked like the new London Hotel).  If you saw IH you know what I mean.  It sounds like those two will be going at it soon in the City of Angels.   And, Hancock lives in LA too, a perfect trifecta.

No real girl threats either, really.  I mean Liv Tyler's fake resume as a cellular bioligist will surely be found out soon so I'm not counting on her and the Hulk staying together.  Hancock's girl can't even get close to him or they both become mortal, and Iron Man's Pepper Potts a.ka. Gwyneth Paltrow is likely a wet noodle in bed, I just have a feeling.

So, that leaves three potential superhero boyfriends, living in LA.  Where would one hang out?

Marcè | Davvero bello. Per quanto mi riguarda tra i film prodotti ad ispirazione dei fumetti Marvel, questo è uno dei più riusciti in assoluto. Dopo la delusione che per me è stata Spider Man 3 un film del genere ci voleva: ironico, divertente, avvicente. Tony Stark ha carattere.

E per tutto il film erano disseminate ottimi pezzi di Design. Attendo il seguito fiducioso.

kazza | Ennesimo film marvel per l'afc, l'iron man di favreu, ed è un gran bel film (anche) questa volta. Intendiamoci: niente di trascendentale, non è uno di quei film che ti fanno fermare e dire "oh, cavolo!", ma tra i film "fumettosi" è forse quello che mi è piaciuto di più; non perchè la scena di apre con "back in black" degli AcDc (almeno, non solo ehehhehehehehe), quanto piuttosto perchè il regista è riuscito a mantenere un tono ironico-distaccato-accattivante: decisamente, non è poco. Ottime le scene di battaglia, con gli effetti speciali finalmente al servizio del film e non componente entropica (vedi le battaglie di "transformers"), ottime le scenette tra Stark e la segretaria, ottimo Downey Jr che torna ai suoi livelli standard (da fuoriclasse): speriamo non si butti via un'altra volta. [****]

<<iniziamo piano, potenza al 10%....splat!>>

cape | Molto bello, spassoso, diverte e scanzonato quanto basta. Ottimo Robert Downey Jr. con quella faccia da schiaffi e quell'espressione tra lo strafottente e l'idiota.

Foi um fim-de-semana em "grande" para as duas estreias da semana, Wall-E e Wanted. Conheça todos os números, já a seguir ao intervalo.

TOP 10

Fim-de-Semana de 27 a 29 de Junho de 2008

Wall-E, a mais recente aposta da Pixar Disney, conquistou a crítica e o público norte americano. O filme é até ao momento, o que melhores críticas conseguiu em 2008 (tem 96% de críticas positivas no site rottentomatoes.com), sendo por isso o principal candidato ao Óscar de Melhor Filme de Animação deste ano. Nas bilheteiras o pequeno robot conseguiu 63 milhões de dólares em 3 dias de exibição, conquistando assim o 1º lugar da tabela.

Na 2ª posição ficou o filme de acção Wanted, com James McAvoy e Angelina Jolie nos principais papéis, que surpreendeu pela positiva ao conseguir 51 milhões de dólares. A maioria das previsões apontava para uma estreia na casa dos 35-40 milhões...

Get Smart caiu 2 posições e encontra-se agora no 3º lugar do pódio. A comédia de Steve Carell amealhou mais 20 milhões de dólares, tendo um total acumulado de 77,5 milhões de dólares.

Kung Fu Panda não se intimidou pela presença de Wall-E. Arrecadou mais 11,7 milhões de dólares e já vai a caminho da marca dos 200 milhões. A animação da Dreamworks estreou esta semana nos cinemas portugueses.

Na 5ª posição ficou esta semana The Incredible Hulk, com 9,5 milhões de dólares. O herói da Marvel rendeu, até ao momento, 116 milhões de dólares.

Quanto ao resto da tabela, o destaque vai inteirinho para a 4ª aventura de Indiana Jones, que alcançou a marca dos 300 milhões de dólares no passado domingo. É o segundo filme do ano a conseguir tal feito, depois de Iron Man.

Para a semana saberemos como foi o regresso de Will Smith aos cinemas norte americanos, com a comédia Hancock. Prevê-se, por isso, mais um fim-de-semana concorrido nas salas americanas... Até lá!

Read the entire article HERE.

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Oh, look.  Another superhero movie.  Neat.  Well, actually it is.  Hancock is a surprisingly refreshing superhero movie released in a sea of look-alike superhero movies.  Will Smith plays the title character, a drunk amnesiac who happens to have superpowers.  He flies about the city, stopping bad guys and saving people.  The only thing is, everyone hates him.  Hancock destroys more than he protects.  Not on purpose, of course, but he's just clumsy, and well, he really doesn't care.  Hancock is a bit of an asshole and never tries to apologize whenever he destroys something.

Hancock eventually befriends Ray Embrey (Jason Bateman), a PR rep, by saving him from an oncoming train.  Wanting to give something back, Ray suggests a makeover of sorts for Hancock.  Seeing as how the entire city of Los Angeles hates his guts, Hancock decides to roll with it.  What Ray suggests doesn't please him, however.  Hancock has some jail time racked up due to missed court appearance for the various buildings, structures, and freeways he's destroyed, and Ray thinks it'll be good for Hancock's image if he does time for them.  The overall plan is to hope that the crime rate skyrockets and the public will be clamoring for Hancock to return, thus getting him out of jail.  After some resisting, Hancock agrees.

The rest of the movie is interesting.  It's not your typical summer-action-superhero movie, since we spend a good amount of time in jail with Hancock.  It's an odd place for him to be, considering he helped lock up many of the criminals in the first place.  Meanwhile, Ray's wife, Mary (Charlize Theron), disagrees with her husband wanting to help this belligerent and unlikely superhero.  Ray doesn't understand this, but doesn't seem to notice that there's a lot more to his wife's hesitation than he's seeing.

What I find interesting about this movie is it's approach to the superhero formula.  Hancock is very much like an origin story, only we don't see Hancock gain his powers.  We do, however, see him understand and make use of them properly.  It's kind of like M. Night Shyamalan's excellent Unbreakable, only with more action.  Also, we see this personality change within Hancock.  He, and every one else, knows he can just fly away or break through a wall to escape the prison, but he chooses to serve his sentence.  Hancock understands that his problem is cyclical: people hate him because he's an asshole, and he's an asshole because people hate him.  He takes Ray's advice and decides to break the cycle and change for the better.

There's enough action and special effects here for this to be a qualified summer action movie.  Cars explode, building collapse, and people get knocked through walls.  There's a nicely choreographed bank robbery/hostage rescue scene at the beginning of the third act.  With this being a Will Smith vehicle, there's plenty of humor, too.  One of the funniest lines in the movie comes from when a lady tells Hancock she can smell the alcohol on him.  He replies by saying, "Cuz I've been drinking, bitch!"  A lot of the humor in the movie, especially in the first half, comes from how Hancock interacts with people, whether he's trying to be nice or not.

What the movie didn't do so well was exploring the characters.  As with pretty much all summer action superhero movies, people don't expect much character depth, so it's not really that big of a complaint.  However, the movie does touch upon a lot of themes: loneliness, responsibility, and even justice.  Is it right to punish someone if, in the end, they were doing something good?  The movie just doesn't take it the step further in order to make this one a 'classic' superhero movie.

I also found the cinematography a little annoying as well.  Director Peter Berg employs the same shooting style that was seen in his action/drama The Kingdom.  There's plenty of saturated colors, long lenses, and handheld shots that are found in many modern action movies; my complaint really is that this movie didn't really need a lot of that, especially the shaky camera stuff.  Even in simple talking head dialogue scenes, the camera is constantly moving.  Unfortunately, not all directors can pull off something like that, and here it just gets annoying.  Not to the point where someone might feel queasy, but it's distracting at times.

The cast is uniformly good.  Will Smith, as usual, is funny.  Jason Bateman has been funnier in other roles, but he and Will Smith play off each other nicely.  Charlize Theron is fine here, and I think she plays the role of the concerned wife well, but, there's nothing here that makes her stand out (she did look smokin' hot, though).  Also, stay a bit after the credits start rolling for a funny cameo by Mike Epps (don't worry, it's not at the very end, only about a minute or so into the credits).

Overall, Hancock is a fresh take on the tried and true superhero formula and I'm glad it finally got made (rumor has it the script has been making it's way around Hollywood for some time).  I would like to see a sequel, since there are things about the plot that aren't fully explored.  While I won't give away anything, the plot does open things up for a potential sequel and I think the filmmakers can get a little extra mileage out of this character.  Definitely light-hearted summer fare, and something you can bring your kids to see, provided that they're old enough to hear the adjective 'asshole', they say it a lot in this movie.

7.5/10

(images from Yahoo!)

Os trabalhos a seguir foram produzidos por Nico di Mattia. Clique AQUI para ver a galeria.

In those days a cover was a sales tool.  It would tell you which characters were actively involved in the storyline, whether it be supporting cast or guest stars.  It would show you who the bad guys were.  And in most cases it would give you some insight as to what to expect from the plot.  Readers could peruse the comic rack and decide which books to buy without ever opening a book. 

Of course, most often I did anyway.  I had to shuffle through the pages to ensure there was actually some action in the pages.  At that age I really hated to plunk down my 25 cents and get one of those “character development” issues where the characters talk throughout the book while the bad guys run amok, setting the groundwork for the next issue. 

Some of the most memorable comic covers I have ever seen come from this simpler time.  The cover was less a work of art than it is today, but they stand out in my mind more than the offerings we currently have.

I remember one particular issue of Captain America.  Zaran and Machette lounge in the back ground while Batroc the Leaper lunges at Cap, apparently to kick his head off his shoulders.  Cap is saying something like, “All right Batroc.  A deal is a deal.  You can have one free shot.  Better make it a good one!”  And Batroc responds by saying something like, “One shot is all I shall need.  Good bye Captain America!”  I was not a Captain America reader back in those days, but there was no way I could have resisted buying that issue.  I picked it up immediately, and still own it to this day. 

How about the issue of Amazing Spider-man where Hobgoblin has been blackmailing millionaires like the Kingpin, Harry Osbourne, and JJ Jameson?  On the one cover the Spider-man logo in the top left corner has been replaced by an image of the Hobgoblin laughing and he says, “It’s great kids!  Steal it!”  A great line!  Very humorous, and uttered by one of my favorite villains of all time. 

Of course there are far too many great covers to make any sort of comprehensive list.  The Puma leaping off a building onto Spiderman, Hercules all alone against the Masters of Evil, Bane breaking Batman’s back, Captain America with Hawkeye’s bow and Hawk with Cap’s shield, Iron Man removing his armor as the Fixer hold Kazar hostage, Captain America blowing away terrorists with a machine gun, or She-Hulk in a skimpy bikini.  An official no-prize to anyone who can identify all these issues.

Covers today are art.  They inevitably feature the hero of the book in some dramatic pose.  They are often dark and unattractive.  They offer little or no information about the book itself.  If you want to decide if you should buy the comic, you will have to open the book and have a look inside.

I think the problem is that the artists want to be… well… artists.  They do not want to create an advertisement for the book, they want to create a work of art.  This is all well and good, but when you look at all the works of art being produced, it all becomes utterly forgettable.  That’s just my opinion.

The last word goes to Xuthl's Wilderness Comics and Collectibles which has just made the move from EBay to Comic Collector Live.  Go to http://www.comiccollectorlive.com/LiveData/Seller.aspx?id=cc0608d3-03c2-4b73-81dd-40662b76b9c9 and check out the titles I am offering for sale.  Please remember to consider the cost of shipping as part of the total price.  You will find my prices are often the lowest available.  I have also come across some really nice 1970's Mego Star Trek Action figures which I am listing on EBay.  If you go to EBay, and enter the community section, you can search for me under the user id xuthl69 and see the items I have for sale.

Also, if you collect current comics, I encourage you to consider ordering your books from me.  I charge cover price plus $3 shipping and handling for the first book and an additional $1 for each book after that anywhere within Canada.  This may sound expensive, but with the cost of gasoline continually rising you really can't lose.  This is also ideal for readers living in cities and towns without a local comic shop. 

Lastly, if there is a book you are looking for but can't find, drop me a line and I will see what I can find for you.  I have a good network of sellers and have had great success in the past.  Feel free to contact me at xuthl@yahoo.ca. 

 Again, if you have any comments, I would really love to hear them.  Please leave feedback!

Have a great week!

America—and it would seem the world—cannot get enough of superheroes these days. At least that’s what Hollywood is seeing from the box office returns. With almost a dozen superhero movies released in the last ten years and another dozen or so expected in the next ten, I see this as America’s opportunity to make an evaluation of “the supers.” It is time to see which really are iconic and mythological and which are due a falling by the wayside.

In my opinion, the latest and bravest superhero film in theaters, Iron Man, is not good for young children with undeveloped discernment, but is an excellent iconic hero story that will have influence in this country for years to come. It’s time for Christians to take the fictional heroes as seriously as they take non-fictional heroes, as they make a great, if not a greater, impact on our culture.

Unlike Any Other Superhero…

  Whether you have or have not seen the film yet, there’s one thing you’ve got to know that makes it stand out from the rest of the super-movies. Iron Man is different than the rest of the superheroes. Period. Tony Stark, Iron Man’s “secret identity,” is a business tycoon selling advanced weapons/technology to the military—very pro-American, but other than that, Tony doesn’t have any lasting, personal values until his life is turned around (at the beginning of act two) from a near death experience. I don’t want to give anything away so I’ll leave the details at that.

It is refreshing to see a superhero in film—like Iron Man—who doesn’t develop tremendous inner turmoil and drama. Stark, from beginning to end, does not develop a complex of deep inner turmoil and a wrenching heart for his loved ones and his “purpose” in life. He simply comes to the realization that he needs to grow up in some areas of his life, forms resolve to take action, and thus needs super-heroics to achieve his calling in life. It’s neither for revenge, hate, nor gifts that he puts on the armor clad techno suit, but for the pure innocent objective of righting some of the wrongs his company, Stark Industries, has committed. He’s compelled to do this to protect his country, the world, and to honor the memory of his deceased father.

Stark’s “superpower,” if you want to call it that, is his genius. He’s not an idiot at the start who must learn all the ins and outs of real life and the world around him—like so many other superheroes. He’s very consciously aware of the evils around him and most of his life has been dedicated to protecting the innocent anyway—so the super heroics aren’t a new thing for him. In the movie, it is simply the first time he is personally putting his own life in harms way to protect and to right his own wrongs. This is something else characteristic of most superheroes that sets Tony Stark as different: he realizes he is flawed and he’s working to solve his own failings—not pump up his ego with everything he’s capable of doing with his gifts.

But like Bruce Wayne, only better.

Bruce Wayne (Batman) is compelled to use scare tactics to frighten the criminals into inactivity in Gotham. What happens after Batman dies of old age or, God forbid, he gets himself killed by a criminal who can now boast and destroy everything Batman fought for? Bruce is flawed in his approach to “war on crime” because his narrow focus, and ultimately I believe his fear of man, inhibits him from taking on crime with full force with Wayne Enterprises at his disposal. Bruce Wayne is arrogant for believing he’s the only soul that can be entrusted with the task of saving the world (again, a lot of superheroes have this immature attitude).

On the other hand, Tony Stark isn’t afraid to use his company to advance his new mission, nor is he afraid of letting the public know what he wants to do with his company (to save lives) at the expense of financially crippling the company and enduring bad press. With Bruce, everything is a facade, secretive, riddled with deep inner turmoil.  For Stark, all his laundry is hanging up on the clothes line for all to see, so there’s no secrets, no complex psychology, no facade for the public. He’s just Tony Stark carrying out the latest thing he is compelled to do (without giving away too much of the story) with a spirit of genuine humility.

This doesn’t mean I don’t like Batman. There is room in good story-telling to depict all types of heroes with all kinds of character flaws. What I am saying is it is refreshing to see a hero who is not like all the rest shown in this movie genre. Ultimately, the character Tony Stark is 100% refreshing. If you get bored easily with super-movies because you don’t “get them” and they all seem the same, then you may still like this one.

So that’s the hero. What about the movie?

It has some highly developed characters, interesting locales, dazzling technology (demonstrated in lots of cool detail), real world conflicts (global as well as national) and a few plot holes as it progresses. You will not go away unsatisfied with the action, character development, special effects, the music, or pure entertainment value. I may note, however, that this film is not about the action as much as it is about the drama. If you hoped to primarily see action you may not be satisfied, although the action is top-notch.

Tony’s progression makes sense from start to finish (good storytelling), but the greatest downside to the film is the villain’s does not. There are some cool twists about the bad guy’s character throughout (mostly predictable if you’re paying attention) and he is an interesting, collected, realistic guy—up till it is time for a finale of the movie. He brings out his “secret weapon” that obviously would’ve taken much more time to create than the movie allows, and he uses it on unsuspecting victims without merit to fulfill his ultimate scheme of keeping his diabolical plot secret. He let’s the whole ugly cat out of the bag, and if he does survive the battle at the end with Iron Man, he will be running from authorities and joining foreign terrorists to live out the rest of his days (at best). The villain’s “secret weapon” will do him no good because he cannot maintain his reputation as an honorable businessman and get Stark Industries to produce his devices of destruction. You’ll see what I mean if you watch the movie. It’s hard to overlook.

Other than that plot hole, I may note that the film, like any other superhero action-flick, does have just enough language, innuendo, and a sampling of sexual activity to get it the PG-13 rating. That being said, the sexual content is part of Stark’s character and would be difficult to side-step altogether since the man is made of low moral values at the beginning. I see this flaw/weakness in his personality as a reminder that he has some areas to grow in during the rest of the film as he turns his life around. The film doesn’t pass off the immorality and his philandering as justifiable or right; Tony does it because of his immaturity and he has nothing else he lives for. It is also encouraging that his associates do not support him in his personal affairs and exhibit their disapproval.

Final Note

And because this is an action-superhero flick, of course there’s going to be some “violent” nature to the stunts that the hero pulls to save the world. However these were handled tastefully and with merit, demonstrating that violence is not a pleasure to behold. The focus is on the heroics in all demonstrations of a violent nature. The villains are demonstrated as wrong in their behavior entirely.

I give this film 3 out of 4/3.5 out of 5 stars. It is a fun film and inspiring to me as a creative designer (in a similar fashion with the hero since he is a designer by profession in the film). The film reminds us that not all corporate titans are evil, while unfortunately making the point (like so many other Hollywood movies) that some of them are real villains waiting to happen. It implies spirituality at least three times (concerning afterlife, a God given purpose, and an ultimate standard of morality) but doesn’t flesh these out anymore than the next super-hero flick. The basic message of the film is that you can do a 180—make your sins right and make a difference in humanity long after you are labeled a lost cause.

We decided to stop at a lookoff just a bit before Sudbury. It was a very beautiful view and was well deservant of a few photos.

Tony (being in a suit of Iron) found it was too hot to be getting out of the car and wandering around in the sun so he just sat in the car and watched us play.

There's still no reliable information around on the cast or even the director of Spider Man 4, but at least there's a date: May 2011. I don't know if that's a good thing.

And quite frankly, I'm really, really curious now, who's going to play Steve Rogers in The First Avenger: Captain America. Really.

At least finally it seems set that Jon Favreau does direct Iron Man 2. With or without a Thor cameo.

Speaking of Iron Man, make sure to check out these marvelous (no pun intended) Marvel Kids animations! They are really great!

So, which Ant Man version will we get in the upcoming movie of the same name? Hank Pym? Scott Lang? Eric O'Grady? Personally I hope for Pym, but Meredith over at io9 doesn't think so.

Further concerning the Avengers, Graeme at io9 has some ideas who should be in it. Personally, I'd go with Hawkeye anytime!

And finally: Magneto! Yup, it's gonna be made, as expected. Where do we know that from? Well, the script has been leaked! Go check out the details!

5. 21

Es una película muy entretenida. No hay mucho que decir de ella, no hay un gran mensaje ni una producción épica. Es simplemente una película que combina elementos exitosamente, Y es divertida, chistosa e inteligente.

4. Get Smart

Ésta es una que me sorpendió y me hizo reir mucho más de lo que pensé que lo haría. Aparte tiene unas escenas grandiosas frente al coloso de Frank Gehry en Los Angeles, tal y como...

3. Iron Man

... que también incluye su dosis de Gehry en algunas escenas. Iron Man fue otra que me sorprendió, siendo completamente nuevo al mundo de este personaje, nunca esperé que Downey Jr. brillará tanto como Tony Stark en esta película.

2. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Siendo gran fan de Raiders y las subsecuentes entregas, Indy 4 no me decepcionó en absoluto y terminó con un gran bang! que demuestra que nada es imposible y nada está lo suficientemente out there en el mundo de Indiana Jones.

1. Wall-E

Mi preferida del año y la única película seria de esta lista. Cuando una película quiere ser seria, es decir, tratar con temas más profundos cae en el peligro de ser un fracaso, como The Happening que aunque no la consideró mala película, tampoco fue un gran éxito. La decisión de la seriedad del tema puede llevar a películas grandiosas como No Country for Old Men o como Wall-E. Sólo basta ver el trabajo de la cámara y la atmósfera que tiene la película en los primeros treinta o cuarenta minutos para darse cuenta que está película debe tomarse en serio. Si se pudiera, yo le daría el premio de la Academia por mejor fotografía enseguida.

La segunda parte de la película es más irónica. El radical cambió de la paleta crómatica nos hace creer que estamos en un mundo perfecto, pero enseguida notamos la muerte, decadencia y pérdida del mundo dentro de Axiom. Nos enfrentamos ante la aparente felicidad, dada por la animación y la decadencia y tristeza dada por lo que está pasando. Es un claro ejemplo de la calidad de Wall-E, la relación entre forma y contenido. Se convierte en una mezcla de Brazil de Terry Gilliam y 2001 de Kubrick.

Pero claro, esto poco le importa a la mayoría de la audiencia que estará viendo Wall-E la cual es alcanzada con el increíble poder emocional de la historia. Tan efectiva como Spielberg en E.T. Sin duda, Pixar ha hecho otra obra maestra y simplemente no puedo esperar para ver qué más puedan hacer estos genios.

Bueno, hoy va a ser un día plagado de noticias sobre cómics y su salto a otro medio. Casi como si de un especial se tratara. Si antes veíamos un avance de la nueva serie de animación de los "X-Men", ahora podemos disfrutar de un cortometraje hecho íngramente por ordenador con tres personajes icónicos de la editorial Marvel.

Precisamente dos de ellos han disfrutado este año de sendas adaptaciones cinematográficas. Hablo de Iron Man, Hulk y Spider-man.

Y es que hay algo que siempre me ha rondado por la cabeza. Excepto en una serie del arácnido, que se podría ubicar entre la primera y la segunda película, donde la técnica de animación era digital, el resto se siguen haciendo de forma tradicional (obviando algunos elementos que se suelen introducir).

Viendo cortometrajes como este, de una gran calidad, queda la duda de si no sería una gran idea dar luz verde a más proyectos de este tipo. Sin dejar de lado lo tradicional por supuesto, lo cual en animación sigue teniendo cabida y da muy buenos resultados.

 SPIDER-MAN, IRON MAN Y HULK, SALVAN LA CIUDAD

Sencillamente impresionante ver a estos héroes en su versión 3D. Casi se podría decir que no hay mucha diferencia entre lo que vemos aquí y lo que vemos en el cine (bueno, ahí he tendido a la exageración como vereis :P).

Fdo: Snake  

Come out a couple of years back and always wanted to read these. Going to read the first one soon and I'll post and tell what I think. Anyone else read these then comment and tell me what you thought ;).

The Mandarin is up to his tricks again.  He's managed to capture Iron Man and The Vision and it's up to Captain America and Hawkeye armed with all of their 8-bit powers to put and end to his nefarious ways.

Captain America and The Avengers reminds us of the days when a game could be drastically different across various consoles.  The game was originally a coin op arcade game before it was ported to home consoles.  While the Sega Genesis and SNES versions were more or less direct ports of the original, the NES version was a completely different game with only two playable characters instead of four.

Instead of being a beat em up like the original, the NES version is a platformer.  The player must move from stage to stage on a world map, collecting Key Stones to open up the exit on each level to proceed to the next.  Levels are populated with your typical fare of enemies that stand in place and shoot constantly, turrets that shoot in random directions, etc., and of course there are also jumping puzzles with moving/disappearing platforms that come standard with these types of games.

Captain America and Hawkeye handle quite differently which is a bit surprising.  Cap's attacks consist of either throwing his shield or hand to hand combat.  Tapping forward twice on the d-pad sets off his speed tackle which is useful for quickly getting rid of enemies.  Also, Cap's shield will reflect enemy bullets.  Hawkeye on the other hand relies on his bow and arrows, of course.  His arrows have a much further reach than Cap's shield, allowing you to get much more distance on your enemies as well as hit items that are far away.

While this game isn't particularly fun, it's not overwhelmingly bad like some Marvel NES titles *cough* Spider-Man, and not frustratingly difficult like others *cough* Silver Surfer.  I wouldn't recommend anyone go out of their way to play it, but if you have an NES and a copy of this game laying around it's a good way to waste time if you need to do so.

New Iron Man composite from yours truly. I didn't want to waste this "alternate" shot of Shellhead I took earlier so I created the photo above. To you who's viewing this, I hope you like it!