In this short and sweet tale, someone is imitating Bruce Wayne. If you know anything about his rogue gallery you can pretty much guess who’s to blame. Still, Snyder does a good job throwing the appropriate curve ball and setting up a detective tale that is so enjoyable to read in Batman stories.

Mild spoilers after the break!

Of course as the second half of the story, all has been revealed and it’s Bruce Wayne’s job to stop Clayface from revealing who Batman is.

Snyder seems to have a love affair with long story arcs so it’s nice to have shorter adventures before he starts Year Zero. This one is pretty average as it steps away from the story developing with new character Harper Row and deals with New 52 Clayface. Snyder keeps the classic background of the character and adds his own flare, making Karlo more dangerous. Gotham’s underground needs a face lift or two as it keeps moving on and Karlo needed a new chapter. The twist is fun in a classic comic sort of way, even if the stupid comic citizen reappears. Apparently no one can guess that Bruce Wayne, the man who funds and builds Batman, who operates an advanced suit in the story, could possibly be Batman.

Even for a light story, there are still a few heavy hits in regards to the late Boy Wonder. While the story itself is nothing special, the ending scene got me in the gut. Damian’s death is still bitter and fresh and the issue reveals that it’s taking its toll on our hero. The Batman title often disconnects Bruce from his family and we see him working solo a lot, but Snyder made it clear he understood the role the Dark Knight’s family plays in Bruce’s story and uses that to hit readers where it hurts in one precise move.

The art is still amazing and it’s nice to see how clean and pretty Capullo’s art can be when he isn’t drawing rotting faces. The issue is visually brighter than the last and it’s a welcomed change on the title. It’s been too long since we’ve seen polished Bruce Wayne and the nudge to the Batman Beyond future is always appreciated, as is seeing Batman’s other supporting cast. Seeing Gordon, Bullock and Fox are often forgotten. It was good to see them back again if only for a short time. As Year Zero starts in the next installment, they’re sure to appear again in some form.

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio – Jay Gatsby
Tobey Maguire – Nick Carraway
Carey Mulligan – Dasiy Buchanan
Joel Edgerton – Tom Buchanan
Jason Clarke – George Wilson
Isla Fisher – Myrtle Wilson
Elizabeth Debicki – Jordan Baker
Amitabh Bachman – Meyer Wolfsheim

Directed by Baz Luhrmann

Rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.

Review

If you ever took any English class in high school (which I am assuming everyone has), odds are you have at one point or another reading F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s classic novel ‘The Great Gatsby‘. Written in 1925, it is a story of obsession, desire and the underbelly of the American Dream. So it almost goes without saying that it has been examined numerous times in various different mediums, including film – where it has been adapted five different times, including a fairly laughable attempt in 1974 starring Mia Farrow and an admittedly appropriately cast Robert Redford as the legendary Gatsby. But now, thirty-nine years (!) since the last theatrical film adaptation, Warner Brothers has decided to take another crack at the tale, enlisting visionary filmmaker Baz Luhrmann to take on the challenge of creating a new, fresh take on one a story nearly a decade old.

If there is one thing I can say about Luhrman as a director, it is this – The man loves spectacle. From Moulin Rouge to his abominable  Romeo + Juliet, the man knows how to make a scene. And in all honesty, that makes him the perfect choice to direct The Great Gatsby. Gatsby is a man who is about making a scene, one that cannot be ignored and is over-the-top in its extravagance. This film really lives and dies based on Luhrmann’s ability to make the titular character live up to the legend, and for the most part, he actually succeeds. He manages to craft a bombastic world that occasionally borders on being too overly surreal, yet never fully succumbs to it. This allows his larger than life characters a sandbox to engage in their wild lifestyles of drinking, dancing and partying the night away in a way that feels breathtaking yet still fairly believable. Hell, you may even want to join in the festivities yourself.

Admittedly, the first half of the film is a bit of a mess. For at least the first thirty minutes, the film feels more like it is screaming at you and trying to melt your mind with a sensory overload, and it is pretty hard to understand/keep up with it. I get that Luhrmann and company are trying to make you feel as blown away as Maguire’s Nick, but it sometimes go too far overboard and just abandons the audience. One of the biggest sources of this problem is that for those first thirty minutes, it feels as if the camera doesn’t stop moving. It is constantly in motion to the point of irritation. Just because you can use a lot of pans, tilts and jib shots doesn’t mean you should. I can only imagine what those seeing the film in 3D must have experienced, as I’m sure some must have gotten motion sickness.

Then comes the issue of trying to make the film more “contemporary”. While yes, some of the soundtrack selections were pretty inspired (playing Jay-Z and Kayne West‘s “No Church in the Wild” while explaining the setting of the film being a good example), sometimes it felt way too forced and obnoxious. Luhrmann always seems to try and incorporate this into all his films, and it has always had varying levels of success. It isn’t terrible in Gatsby, but there must have been a better way to work it in from the onset.

However for all the missteps the film takes at the beginning, it truly makes up for and surpasses in the second half. Once Gatsby makes his grand entrance, the film really hits its stride and the characters and story take the film back, creating a satisfying combination of style and substance that is rarely seen. It quickly becomes a mesmerizing tale about Gatsby’s obsession and desire to regain what he feels is his destiny, and it really clicks. There are still moments of bombastity, but is held in check because the characters are compelling enough. Late in the second act is where the film really manages to gain full steam, most notably during the scene in the hotel suite in New York City. All the drama and build-up throughout the film leads to this scene, and it is fantastic. It is intense and thrilling, and an incredibly well-acted and directed scene.

While Luhrmann is the ideal choice to direct the film, Leonardo DiCaprio is an even more ideal choice to play Jay Gatsby. This is a man who must be handsome, charismatic and be the face of a generation, and DiCaprio fits the bill to a tee. Much like Redford’s casting before him, DiCaprio is Gatsby. He is one of the most iconic actors of his generation and is able to step into the role flawlessly. He is undeniably charming and hypnotizing throughout, yet still being able to have a slight air of distrust and mystery surrounding him, all the while still having a haunting look of sadness in his eyes and smile. It is a role with layers upon layers of complexities and quirks, yet DiCaprio makes it look easy. You want him to succeed, even when some of his plans are unsavory, and it is because of how well he is able to become the character.

Carey Mulligan also turns in a solid performance as Gatsby’s long-lost love Daisy. She, much like DiCaprio, is able to resonate an underlying level of sadness to her character throughout the film, as if she is not completely a willing participant in her own life. This gives the character an interesting level of depth, especially as the film progresses and Daisy is not only re-acquainted with Gatsby, but make a choice between which life she wants to choose for herself. It is a series of events that are emotionally devastating, but are played without a hint of melodrama by Mulligan, which really enhances the emotional power of the film.

The weakest link of the film’s cast, if I had to pick one, is Maguire’s Nick. While he is the eyes of the audience, he comes off a little too isolated and out of place. It could just be because he has never really been good at doing voice-over narration, or more than likely it is just because he is simply out-shined by the rest of the main cast. Whatever the reason may have been, by the time it was all over, he left me wanting a little more from the character. He was not by any stretch of the imagination bad, it just felt like something was missing overall.

The remainder of the supporting cast, on the other hand, is simply great. The real stand-out is Edgerton as Daisy’s husband, Tom. This is a character who is meant to be more of a villain and an less-likable character, yet there are still moments within the film where there is a glint in his eyes or an inflection in his voice that rings some sincerity in his feelings about his wife. His contributions in the later portions of the film are what really help make the finale so captivating, which is truly a testament to his ability as an actor. The other stand-out is easily the beautiful Elizabeth Debicki’s character Jordan Baker, who sadly pops in and out of the film far too much as she brings a level of glamor and energy when she does appear.

Bottom Line

While the first act or so of the film suffers from too much over-indulgence in the style department, once the amazing performances by DiCaprio and Mulligan begin to take hold and the true meat of the story arrives, The Great Gatsby is a rather enjoyable film. It is the first film Luhrmann has done since Moulin Rouge that has been able to balance the epic scale of itself while still being able to tell an interesting and engaging story. As a result, Gatsby’s extraordinary tale is done proper justice and is an incredible amount of fun to watch.

The Great Gatsby Theatrical Trailer #2

Star Trek: Into Darkness

If you’re a geek like me, this is a big year for movies. Iron Man 3, Man of Steel, and Pacific Rim are a few of the big releases to look for, but one of the most eagerly anticipated films of the summer is director J.J. Abrams’ latest trip into the Star Trek Universe. I’ll admit, I went into his first Star Trek film with a ton of bias.

Just the thought of going to check it out felt like I was cheating on Star Wars, but I gave it a go and it blew my mind. Then I had to wait four years for the sequel. In a world that can churn out a Twilight movie every year like clockwork, four years seemed like forever. The rest of my review contains some mild spoilers, so keep that in mind below the break.

Once again, we join Captain James Tiberius Kirk and the intrepid crew of the Enterprise as they get up to some action-packed shenanigans in outer space. Their mission is to capture a renegade superhuman with dreamy eyes and cheekbones you could cut a tin can on. Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock; Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy) does an admirable job as genocidal madman Khan. He’s no Ricardo Montalban, but he never tries to be. He gave the character his own spin, and he did a lot to give the movie some much-needed tension.

His appearance is, alas, one of the only really positive things I have to say about Star Trek: Into Darkness. The action scenes were fun to watch, so long as the confused action and flashing lights aren’t a problem for you. And Simon Pegg (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) had me laughing aloud. The problem I found is that, for every dazzling action sequence or bit of humor, there was a drawn-out scene that tried (and failed) to elicit some kind of emotion. It’s really hard to get emotionally invested when everything is as overwrought as the dramatic moments of Into Darkness were. There were no less than four “single tear” moments, and only Cumberbatch really made me feel it.

The interplay between Captain Kirk, brought to us by Chris Pine (Rise of the Guardians, Smokin’ Aces), and Spock/Zachary Quinto (Heroes, American Horror Story) just fell flat this time around. Instead of Kirk’s playful banter smashing against Spock’s strict, emotionless facade, we got a repeated mantra. Kirk would do something that violated the rules, Spock would express his distaste, Kirk would tell Spock that damn it, sometimes you have to go against the rules, and then they would repeat the song and dance in twenty minutes or so. It’s not bad that it was included — this was a great chance to rekindle the tension between the two of them — but the audience can be given a little credit. Reminding us over and over is almost insulting.

This film also raised my eyebrow with its treatment of its female characters, of which there are two of note. You probably remember Uhura, played by Zoe Saldana (Avatar, Death at a Funeral), as the hard-ass communications officer Kirk tried repeatedly to charm in the first film. In Into Darkness, she has been reduced to the role of Worried Girlfriend. Her main contribution is an ongoing argument with Spock about how his ingrained Vulcan blankness is hurting their relationship. The other main female character was the Admiral’s Daughter, Carol, portrayed by Alice Eve (Men In Black 3, The Raven (2012)). She shows up to drop a little exposition before stripping down to her underpants, then getting kidnapped and imperiled.

At the end of the day, Into Darkness just didn’t seem like it was trying very hard. It might well just be the sophomore slump that many franchises (I’m looking at you, Jaws) are prone to. If you’re a big fan of the franchise, this is a film worth going to see. Likewise, if you’re looking for a movie that won’t threaten to make you think. Just learn from my mistake and don’t go into Star Trek: Into Darkness with high expectations.

Cast

Ryan Gosling – Luke Glanton
Bradley Cooper – Avery Cross
Eva Mendes – Romina
Rose Bryne – Jennifer
Ray Liotta – Deluca
Emory Cohen – AJ
Dane DeHaan – Jason
Mahershala Ali – Kofi
Ben Mendelsohn – Robin

Directed by Derek Cianfrance

Rated R for language throughout, some violence, teen drug and alcohol use, and a sexual reference.

Review

If I described film in 2013, I would say that it has been loud and disappointing. It seems as if everything is trying to become too high octane, too full throttle, too Michael Bay. And as a result, this has been one of the worst first quarters of films that I’ve experienced in the last five years at least. This shouldn’t be too surprising, as usually the space between Awards Season (November – January) and Summer Movie Season (May – August) is where studios send bad movies to die and mediocre films to limp out a minor existence. The past few years however, as usually by March there are a few standout films. That has not been the case this year. Don’t get me wrong, there have been a few spectacular films that have come out thus far but they have been few and far between. And these films have shared the connection of being lower-scale films with minimal fanfare. Looking to continue this trend is director Derek Cianfrance’s Place Beyond the Pines – a layered and somber look at fathers and sons.

Without going too far into detail, the film centers around the small town of Schenectady, New York and the lives of several of its inhabitants – specifically stunt rider turned bank robber Luke Glanton (Gosling) and up-and-coming police officer Avery Cross (Cooper) – and the effects they have on each others lives  as well as the lives of those closest to them.  The film is essentially broken down into three different vignettes with their own individual narratives that feed into the main story of the film. This is an interesting and bold approach to making the film, as those coming to see the film for certain actors and actresses may have to wait a long time before they ever make an appearance. The gamble does work though as it allows the viewer to spend time with each character, getting a better sense of who these characters are and gaining an understanding why they chose the actions they do. But on the other hand, this results in the film becoming extremely sluggish in stretches – especially as we head towards the film’s climax. Those looking for fast action and lightning-quick pacing need not apply.

The most interesting point in the narrative is easily Luke’s, thanks to another fantastic performance by the always reliable Ryan Gosling. His character is by far one of the more complex and compelling throughout the film, and he makes it look easy through his soft-spoken demeanor and spot-on nonverbal with flashes of violence in between. If you are a fan of his performance in Drive, you will not be disappointed with him here. You are able to sympathize with his character and find yourself rooting for a man who is doing bad things, but for a pretty good reason. It is a moral quagmire that is not necessarily addressed in the film’s story, but it is the best example of the theme of the film as well as the questions that it poses to the audience on a base level – How far would you go for family? And even if you do everything in you can, will that still be enough to give your children a better life than you?

Acting as basically the other end of the spectrum is Cooper’s Avery Cross. His story, while loosely staying with the themes of the film, tends to wander off into more of a procedural thriller about police corruption. It isn’t nearly as exciting or interesting as Luke’s story and it really slows everything down, but it provides necessary back-story for the third act. It is mostly saved by Cooper’s strong performance, as this is not the same actor that most know from films like The Hangover and The A-Team. He has grown into a great leading man with a lot of range, while still maintaining that high level of charisma that audiences have come to love about him.  So even as the plot meanders on towards the finale we are able to at least have a reason to still be invested in the overall arc of the story until everything builds up to the slightly predictable yet still rewarding climax.

The cast built around Gosling and Cooper is nothing short of spectacular as Cianfrance has managed to combine quality with quantity, the standouts being Eva Mendes and Dane DeHaan. Mendes’ performance is wonderfully subtle – she always looks tired and worn, with an underlying layer of perpetual sadness. She is by far one of the most sympathetic characters in the film and as the film continues on, you really begin to believe that she is a woman who has had a hard life raising a son in these extraordinary circumstances, and it really enhances the emotional stakes of the film.

Additionally, DeHaan is excellent as Jason. While he does not come in until late in the film, he is the catalyst for tying the themes of the film all together. While on paper it is almost as if he is playing his character from Chronicle again (sans telekinetic powers, obviously), he is able to differentiate the two characters very well. Much like Gosling, he utilizes a strong use of non-verbals and soft-spoken attitude, but there always seems to be a burning rage just barely hidden under the surface of the character, and he is able to balance it all with ease. This seems to be a trend with DeHaan, and he is quickly becoming one of the most exciting young talents in film.

While most of the performances in the film are outstanding, the one outlier seems to be Ray Liotta as the crooked police officer Deluca. While most of the issue with the character comes from the script, Liotta does not really do anything interesting with the character. It is the same character he has played for the past twenty or so years, and it is just simply dull. But it doesn’t feel like it is completely his fault, as the character only seems to be there because the plot calls for him to be there. The film would carry on just as well without the character, and all it really does is add on to the already lengthy run time of the film.

Lastly, as has been mentioned several times, the pacing of the film and run time do tend to drag out a bit longer than they need to be. By the time the third act begins, I did find myself getting antsy. The payoff is worth it, but it does feel like it takes quite some time to get there. It is not a major problem, but those who don’t like more methodically paced films will probably be pulling their hair out by the end.

Bottom Line

Though a tad lengthy, especially in the middle and end, The Place Beyond the Pines is one of the few truly fantastic films to be released this year. It is not only just a poignant film about fathers and sons, but a film about how parents’ lives can affect those of their children as well. Empowered by a haunting theme, a captivating story and lights-out performances by the main cast, it is able to bring a little more life to a year of films that has been horribly stagnant. If you are looking for an alternatively to all the loud, bloated fare that has been clogging theatres for these first few months, The Place Beyond the Pines is a nice, quieter change of pace and well worth the time.

The Place Beyond the Pines Theatrical Trailer #1

Songs You Can Sing Underwater EP Cover

If you’ve frequented DestroyTheCyb.org! enough, you might remember that we did a review of a small indie band from Jackson, Michigan, called PK Fire. Well, member Kurtis Roy has made a new solo project and that is Sea Salt. His first EP under this project is of course the same name as the title of this article, obviously, Songs You Can Sing Underwater. It’s catchy and intriguing. I mean, how can you sing underwater? Wouldn’t it just sound like bubbles? Who knows? Maybe he explains it in the EP (spoilers, he doesn’t.) But he does play every instrument for this EP and wrote every song himself so, hey, that’s pretty cool.

Anyway, down to business.

The first track of the EP is Home Siq starts off with an intro that sounds like we’re in the recording studio/basement with Kurtis which, is admittedly pretty cool. Then the drum kicks us into a very catchy tune. It’s fast paced and the rhythm is nice and fluid which mixes well with Roy’s soft vocals. Although it is a relatively short track, personally it’s my favorite on the EP, but that’s mostly due to the speed of the song.

Dying In Bed Alone, is the second track and it starts off a bit strange. It sounds almost like Roy is playing with a child music box instead of a guitar, it’s a bit eery at first but it grows on you.  The vocals of the song seem to not match with the rhythm of the guitars at first, but the farther you move in the song the more it evens out. Near the end it becomes a very sweet sounding song despite the sad sounding title.

Run On Sentences is the next track and possibly the most lyrically creative track on the EP. As the name suggests, the lyrics are all sung in a style of run on sentences. The beat is steady and smooth, but does a nice smooth key change that turns the run on sentences into something close to a ballad. This track is very reminiscent of early PK Fire, but at the same time has a unique sound that makes it its own distinct style. The song ends with a very catchy and sweet guitar outro that ends almost too abruptly.

Underwater Sleeping is the slow song on this EP. With that being said, that doesn’t mean it’s not a great song, on the contrary, it’s a freaking fantastic song. It’s simple but elegant with its use of an echoed guitar, soft drums, and echoed vocals that slowly pick up and layer themselves almost like the sound of running water. As we move into the second half of the song, a final layer of harmony adds and feels almost like we’re sinking into the sound waves of the song. It’s very calm and pretty.

The final track, Rainey Street, is almost the same rhythm as Home Siq but has a slower tempo and harder drums which gives it a very different feel. As with a majority of the songs on this EP there is a subtle key change half way through the song before picking the tempo back up for the end of the song. While Roy’s vocals never really move up from their soft gruffness, it works well with the song and actually makes this song a perfect outro for the EP.

Kurtis Roy

Now, many of you know that I typically like the harder stuff like pop-punk and some alternative rock. I do not like soft music or independent or “hipster” music. However, I don’t know if it’s just the magic of Kurtis Roy or what but I dig Sea Salt. It’s a beautifully layered EP that is almost in itself like a wave, moving fast to bring the wave up and crashing down before sinking back into the tide just to rise up again. The guitars are smooth and have a very gentle but catchy echo and the drums are soft but can kick up the beat to give you the spring in your step that you need to take on the day.

The bottom line here is that if you like experimental music, good lyrics, or heck, even music in general, then you definitely need to listen to Sea Salt: Songs You Can Sing Underwater.

You can get more information on Kurtis’ projects, both Sea Salt and Pk Fire, on facebook.

Fall Out Boy – Save Rock and Roll

Fall Out Boy went on hiatus in 2010 to an awful lot of disappointment from fans. I really enjoyed Folie à Deux, and was bummed to see them go myself. But now they’re back, and they’ve brought their old spirit back with them. Save Rock and Roll was released on April 16, 2013. But is it a triumphant return to the music scene, or a bunch of old has-beens trying to reclaim their former glory? Read on, and I’ll tell you what I think.

“The Phoenix”

The strings in this song are awesome. They give the song a lot of energy that it wouldn’t otherwise have. This track is exactly what I wanted from a Fall Out Boy album: it’s got that pop sound, but with a very definite edge. It refuses to be ignored. It’s also a really good opener for their first album back from hiatus.

“My Songs Know What You Did in the Dark (Light ‘Em Up)”

If you listen to pop radio at all, you’ve already heard this song. It’s been getting a lot of play, and I can tell why. It’s very reminiscent of their hit “This Ain’t a Scene It’s an Arms Race.” Not because the songs necessarily sound alike, but they have the same sort of vibe. It’s real catchy, in the best possible way.

“Alone Together”

The thing that separates this song from any of a dozen pop songs is the interesting way Fall Out Boy plays with vocal syncopation and spacing. The lyrics seem almost like they’re out of sync with the music behind them, but in a way that’s more cool than it is jarring. It takes what would otherwise have been a pretty standard top 40′s hit and makes it something different in a very cool way.

“Where Did The Party Go”

I only have one beef with this song: it sounds like it wants to be a “gritty” pop song laid over electronic music, but it ends up sounding a bit like both without really being either. It’s a combination that might work for some people, and I don’t think it makes this a bad song, but it doesn’t do much for me.

“Just One Yesterday” (feat. Foxes)

When this song started, I thought I had goofed and put an Adele song into the playlist by mistake. That’s not a complaint, but once I thought of it I couldn’t really think about anything else. I’m not really sure what the message in “Just One Yesterday” is supposed to be, except maybe that the past is sad.

“The Mighty Fall” (feat. Big Sean)

I’m a big fan of music that has that gritty, grindy feel to it, and this track delivers that. It’s really easy to fall into the beat and just bob your head. I really enjoyed the rap laid over this track, I just wish it had been completely different. In a song with the chorus “how the mighty fall,” I don’t want to hear lyrics about womanizing and being awful. I want lyrics that have something to do with the song.

“Miss Missing You”

Musically, there’s not a lot to be said about “Miss Missing You.” It’s not bad, it just isn’t very complex. The lyrics evoke a really interesting feeling, though. The idea that it’s possible to no longer miss someone, but to miss what you felt when you did. It’s very bittersweet.

“Death Valley”

I don’t really have much to say about “Death Valley.” Lyrics like “let’s get you wasted and alone” send up a red flag for me, though. It shows a certain lack of consciousness of the impact popular lyrics can have, particularly on young people. I’m sure they didn’t mean to glorify the idea of getting someone drunk to hook up with them, but it can definitely be taken that way.

“Young Volcanoes”

I spent most of this song fighting the urge to clap along. It’s such a peppy, happy song about turning the tables. Me from high school would have been all about this track. I still enjoy it, don’t get me wrong, but in my teenage years I was much more in love with the idea of “the foxes” hunting “the hounds.”

“Rat a Tat” (feat. Courtney Love)

First, let me just say that I’m really disappointed that this song has nothing to do with Ratatat, one of my favorite electronic groups. Second, Courtney Love’s vocals do not remotely fit in with Fall Out Boy’s aesthetic. That’s not meant to be a slam against her, but it’s a bit like taking a bite of ice cream and finding something crunchy where you weren’t expecting it.

“Save Rock and Roll” (feat. Elton John)

I’ve been a sucker for Elton John since middle school, so I’m going to do my best to be unbiased here. This song needs to be charged with attempted rock ballad and put away for a long time. Instead of being a strong, emotional tune, it was dull, and a really sour way to close out the album.

At the end of the day, I think that Save Rock and Roll is a good album. If you’re a big Fall Out Boy fan, it’s a great album. There’s enough of the old stuff that you know and love, with some new flavors mixed in to keep it fresh. If you’re interested in picking up a copy, check your local music store or head over to iTunes.

Foreign Talks released their self titled debut, reviewed here, on April 16th on Portland, OR based label Expunged Records.  I recently had an opportunity to conduct a brief interview with the lead vocalist and guitarist Marcus Fischer.  In it we touch on the album’s sound, the band’s sound, hopes for the future, and what Marcus hopes you’ll get from the album.

DTC:  Where did the band name come from?

Marcus: We always thought our sound was foreign to a lot of other sounds and we just rolled with it

DTC:  Who are your musical influences?

Marcus: Bombay Bicycle Club, Local Natives, Led Zeppelin, The Beatles, Bob Marley, Frank Sinatra, Arctic Monkeys, Kings of Leon, A Tribe Called Quest, Digable Planets, Jimi Hendrix, and many more

DTC: How much of a whirlwind has it been for you guys since starting in 2011?

Marcus:  Its been pretty steady but we’re ready to step on the gas!

DTC: What has been a memorable moment for each of you individually or as a whole band over the past couple of years?

Marcus:  My most memorable moments would be winning battle of the bands at our school at our very first show, as well as playing at the Roseland theatre.

DTC: What drew you to the indie rock sound?

Marcus:  Nothing really drew us to that sound per say, we all dabble in ALL TYPES of music but the indie sound has found us at the moment although in records to come people will see the diversity of our sound.

DTC:  Tell me about the album. What is one thing you hope people get from the music?  What is something you would like everyone to know about the album?

Marcus:   I hope people can dig it as much as we do and feel the positive vibe that we had with this record. And know that this is just the beginning, so stay tuned

DTC:  Which bands are you listening to right now?

Marcus: All the bands listed above and much more hip hop wise I dig Ab Soul, Kendrick Lamar, xxyyxx. Music wise Kings of Leon, the Maccabees, and much more.

DTC:  Hopes for the future?

Marcus:  We wanna tour the world and i want to be able to freely release all the music we want all the time. Album after album, and discover new REAL talent worldwide.

DTC:  The album is a great mix of upbeat songs, meaningful lyrics, and just plain fun.  Do you run into a lot of people who are surprised by your age given the weightiness and maturity of music and songwriting?

Marcus:  Some people like the realness, most lyrics are freestyles that we end up remembering so they seem raw.

All sarcasm aside, we have got some good stuff for you guys and gals, especially from one company that goes by the name of Dark Horse. You’re going to want to start saving up your milk money because the goodies that are coming out in the next couple of months are not ones to be missed.

Aside from the Dark Horse editor in chief, Scott Allie, the panel was lead by editor and publicity manager Jeremy Atkins along with writers Eric Powell and Tim Seeley.

Atkins opened up the panel with this remark, “Get ready for the longest and coolest panel that uses the most slides in the history of ever.” He wasn’t kidding. Dark Horse is gonna have a good year.

So to cut down on my blathering and just giving you the good bits, I’m gonna just put down the titles and what the panelists said about them. Good? Great.

Witch Hunt: Story by Victor Gischler and art by Juan Ferrerya. Essentially it’s a horror story that is about a magic turf war in New Orleans between a werewolf mafia and a witch who knows too much.

Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight: Story by Alex de Campi. A b-movie horror comic book.

The Fall: David Lapham and Mike Huddleston make a comic based off of Guillermo del Toro‘s famous novel of the same name.

Criminal Macabre- Steve Niles continuing story about an occult detective, who may or may not be recently deceased.

Breath of Bones: A Tale of a Golem: Steve Niles (30 Days of Night) tells a new story about a young jewish boy who trains clay golems to fight Nazi’s during WWII.

BPRD: Mignola-verse. Chicago gets destroyed by lovecraft monster. Liz Sherman is back “in flames.” Art looks pretty sweet. (Don’t have a picture because I can’t take pictures and take notes at the same time.)

Abe Sapien: Abe is out of his year long coma and has gone AWOL. In the mean time he  goes around and fights random monsters.

Hellboy: The Midnight Circus: Mike Mignolia and Duncan Fegredo team up for a graphic novel about a young Hellboy who runs away and joins a demon inhabited circus. The graphic novel is completely in black and white and each page is a work of art. Like holy crap guys. (I don’t even buy Hellboy and I want this thing.)

Hellboy in Hell: Mike is continuing Hellboy in Hell. “This is the book he has always wanted Hellboy to be.”

Hellboy in Hell, Boy!: For the twenty year anniversary of Hellboy, Dark Horse had Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani make a Hellboy comic for kids. It’s super adorable. That’s all I have to say.

The Goon: Eric Powell said that the book will be coming out monthly…eventually.

The Shaolin Cowboy: An old Dark Horse character is being reborn in  new way. It is a three issue series coming out in October.

Amala’s Blade: “A steam punk action fantasy epic with romance and a monkey.” The story is about the best swordsman in the world “according to her” who is a bounty hunter that is haunted by the ghosts of her past…kills, that is. By Steve Horton and Michael Dialynas. Issue one out now.

Conan: Brian Wood‘s new run includes Conan and sidekick getting a vision quest because they are tripping on drugs. It sets up for the end of the 25 issue arc. “The end begins after this arc.” – Brian Wood.

X: Old 90′s hero relaunched and revamped. Dwayne Swerczynski writing.

Ghost: Kelly Sue DeConnick writing. Set in Chicago and follows a deceased journalist who is trapped between dimensions. She is a hero who is trying to solve her own murder while helping others as well. Art by Phil Noto. Comes out in July.

Captain Midnight: Josh Williamson‘s more traditional super hero story which also premiers in July.

Blackout: Frank Barbieri on art with Nick Richardson writing. Story about a human character that stumbles upon a black hole suit that takes him into a new dimensions. He is constantly trying to figure out the mystery of the suit, the new world he’s discovered, and the truth about his strange benefactor. “This is an interesting story because it’s about a person that doesn’t seem like a person who would be a hero.”

The Occult: Tim Seeley and Mike Norton‘s new project about a novice wizard in control of a dangerous magical book. This is the second arc of the story. Tim Seeley described it as, “Dr. Strange meets Requiem for a Dream.”

Catalyst: New nine issue series by Joe Casey.

Buzzkill: Story by Donny Cates. The story of a Musician turned super hero who is a recovering alcoholic. Premiers in September.

Dream Thief: Written by Jai Nitz and art by Greg Smallwood (his debut comic.) The story is about a man who discovers that his body is being possessed by vengeful and murderous spirits while he is asleep. Premiers in May.

Black Beetle: They showed a picture of this and didn’t really talk about it all. Little weird.

The Victories: Written Michael Avon. Is a creator owned super hero book and is a monthly series coming out in May.

Buffy: It’s apparently going to continue.

Matt Fraction: Okay so they didn’t list a title for this project but apparently Matt Fraction will make his dark horse debut in a short story about time travel.

The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys: Gerard Way‘s new graphic novel, co-written with Shaun Simon and art by Becky Cloonan. This story is the sequel to the events of the story told in the last album, Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys, by My Chemical Romance.

(At this point they were just saying one word sentences because they were running out of time. Sorry.)

Halo: Halo initiation, follows Sarah Palmer. Launches in August.

Mind MGMT: Matt Kindt‘s continuing series.

The Massive: Brian Wood, “For everyone who read DMZ. I destroy New York again.”

Star Wars: Brian Wood, “It’s fun writing Han Solo.”

So, as you can see there are is an incredibly long list of books to come from Dark Horse. Of course, you can pre-order each of these titles from your local comic shop or from the Dark Horse website.

Read on and stay strong.

Now, there are all kinds of writers and all kinds of jobs they can get. One of these kinds is writing for video games, and at C2E2 we got to hear from some professionals what writing for games is really all about.

The panel was lead by two guys who have lots of experience in the industry: David Rodriguez and Lewis Harris II.

Rodriguez has been in the industry for 12 years and has worked on such games as Hunter: Reckoning and Marvel Ultimate Alliance.

Harris has worked in the industry for 10 years and currently teaches game design and production. He has worked on various games such as Hunter: Reckoning, 50 Cent: Bulletproof, and Iron Man 2.

Like before, I will give you the slides and information that they presented.

1. What Does a Designer Do?

• Provides Creative Direction: Makes the story.
• Documentation: Creates the necessary documents for each design team.
• Collaboration: Deals with communication between design teams.
• Implementation: Instructs, translates, and implements changes for game.

2. Types of Designers

• Creative Designer: Thinkers.
• Systems Designer: Creators.
• Scenario Designer: Testers.
• Narrative Designer: Writers.
• Audio Designer: Sound Magicians.
• Technical Designer: Mechanics.

3. Narrative Designers

• Provide Narrative Framework for the Entire Game: Create the world, characters, and story for your game.
• Write Background Story and Dialogue: Create historical and personal background for ALL your characters as well as their dialogue.
• Ensure Text and Dialogue Properly Communicates Essential Information to the Player and the Matches IP: Create dialogue and information for game. Only information that is NEEDED.
• Monitor the Dialogue for Plot Holes and Misinformation: Make sure the story makes sense to the gamer.
• Define Narrative Systems for Engineering: Cutscenes, quips, and in-game dialogue: Create dialogue for every aspect of the game that includes any form of speech.
• Participate in Voice Over Recording Sessions: Monitor actors doing voice over for game.

4. Narrative Design VS Writing

• Non-linear Storytelling: Games are an active experience between the developers and the player. Games leave space for the player to decide how the story is told. “It’s like a choose your own adventure book times a million.”
• Presentation: Provide context, motivation, and emotional connection without overloading the player with exposition. Remember: Ever word costs MONEY.
• Story vs “Story”: Not every game needs a “story.” Know how to tell the story without saying a word.

5. Clash of Ideals/Art VS Business

• Compromise: It is very rare to in the days of big budget games to have a single voice. Learn to play ball.
• Indy Vs Corporate: There are pros and cons to both. Corporate you have more money where Indy you have more freedom.
• Multiple Voices: Learn to be able to deal with Internal Executives (in-house execs), licensers (owners), stakeholders (VP’s in other offices, shareholders (money people), producers (schedulers and budget-ers.) Learn to balance what is best for the product vs what is best for the company/team.
• Pick Your Battles: Constrains are not bad. Every project has its own limitations. Most people can look at a pile of bricks and think of what is missing. See what you can make with the pile you have.
• Stay Positive: Find Ways to Surprise and Delight

6. How Can You Become a Narrative Designer?

• Personal Projects: If you want to make games, then make games. The technology is out there, go and find it. Write all the time and read all the time. 
• Become a Play Tester: It gets you in the industry.
• Work at Game Related Retail Outlet: Everyone has to start somewhere.
• Involvement in Game Community: Lots of small games need writing but can’t afford to hire a writer.
• School: It helps. Participate in class. Take extra courses and do extra curricular activities. Research books and other activities for inspiration.

Now, go get ‘em tiger. Or…tigers? I dunno. Go and write video games guys.

Cast

Robert Downey Jr. – Tony Stark
Gwyneth Paltrow – Pepper Potts
Don Cheadle – Col. James Rhodes
Guy Pearce – Aldrich Killian
Rebecca Hall – Maya Hansen
Jon Favreau – Happy Hogan
Ben Kingsley – The Mandarin
James Badge Dale – Savin
Ty Simpkins – Harley Keener

Directed by Shane Black

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense sci-fi action and violence throughout, and brief suggestive content.

WARNING: Review contains some mild spoilers.

Review

It is hard to imagine that it has been five years since Marvel released Iron Man – setting a new standard for superhero movies and re-igniting the career of Robert Downey Jr. in the process. The first film proved that you could still make a fun, exciting superhero film and not have to rely on grimdark realism in order to convince audiences to go see it and it quickly became a surprise hit with audiences and critics alike. Since then, Iron Man has become one of the most iconic characters in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Although Iron Man 2 admittedly was a bit of a miss, The Avengers ensured that audiences still loved and wanted more of Tony Stark and his friends, and so Marvel has finally opened the floodgates on Phase 2 of their MCU plan the same way the began Phase 1 – by putting Stark front and center.

There have been a slew of changes in the Iron Man universe – first and most notably is the fact that this is the first film since the mondo-blockuster The Avengers came out, and now the character must deal with the a post-Battle of New York world on top of everything else he is going through. Adding to the mix is the long-awaited arrival of Iron Man’s greatest foe – The Mandarin, a character that has been hinted at throughout both of the first two films. Finally adding to the hype – at least for fans of the comics – is that the story is taken from comic legend Warren Ellis‘ fantastic Extremis arc and as a result the expectations are through the roof.

However, even beyond narrative there are huge changes going on in the world of Ol’ Shellhead – Shane Black (who has previously worked with Downey on the stellar Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang) has taken over the reigns as director from Jon Favreau and brought his own unique style and sensibilities to the franchise. People already love the character, but superhero films are notorious for having weak third installments -so the question is does Iron Man 3 have enough momentum to keep the fans happy while starting Phase 2 off on the right foot?

From the onset of the film, it is made extremely clear that this is Shane Black’s Iron Man – snappy dialogue, a Christmas setting, intense action and a confused narration – and for the most part it works. Black’s style of humor and action is ideal for the character of Tony Stark, and it feels right. While Stark is still a hero and does good deeds, he feels a little more reminiscent of his old smart-ass self from the original film. He makes snarky comments to men, women and children as he sees fit but will then turn around and save them, even if they irritate him. It is in these moments where the film does a good job of showing off the complexity of the character and while yes he is the suave, handsome bastard we all wish we could be, at the end of the day he is still a caring, selfless hero. This was something that felt missing from Iron Man 2, and was gratefully accepted back into the fold with this film.

While Black’s script and direction is a huge plus for the film, they were quite a few kinks that should have been worked out better. As mentioned earlier, the dialogue and snappiness of the film is definitely a Tony Stark attitude, sometimes it became blurry as to whose voice we were actually hearing – Stark’s or Black’s? Every now and then it is okay for Tony not to have a snide comeback, but it seemed like especially for a guy as exasperated as he is in the film, he always knew what to say and when to say it. It doesn’t hurt the film by any measure, but the film’s identity would occasionally distort.

The biggest complaint with Black taking over however is that the pacing is way too fast. At 130 minutes it is the longest film of the three, but it felt like it was trying to tell the entire story in one breath. Yes, the film is supposed to be a high-octane thrill ride but it shouldn’t do so at the cost of character development. There are several new characters introduced throughout the film, but beyond Pearce‘s outstanding Aldrch Killian we hardly get decent enough look at them. And once things start going down, it is hard to feel shocked that they are happening because you don’t really know or care about the people it is happening to. Just slowing things down for five minutes might have helped, but that did not seem to be an option.

These gripes aside, the film works really well. The characters we know and love are still well-developed and interesting. Downey is still Tony Stark through and through, but there is a satisfying addition to his character as a result of his experiences during The Avengers. The film basically examines what happens to the character most adjusted to the pre-Avengers world after he is witnesses an alien army invading and finds himself fighting alongside a Norse god, a man who turns into a literal monster, and a war hero who had been frozen for sixty-plus years. It is a lot to throw at a person, and Downey handles the resulting anxiety and stress well. There is only one moment where he goes too overboard with it, but it is early on and quickly forgotten and the rest of the performance is smooth.

Downey’s two prominent co-stars, Paltrow and Cheadle, manage to keep pace with him for the most part. Of the two, Paltrow’s Pepper Potts is more interesting since she is given more to do than just react to Stark’s shenanigans. In this film, she actually plays a crucial role later in the film. Cheadle on the other hand, while doing a great job with what he has, just doesn’t seem to have that much to do. Beyond the first film, War Machine/Iron Patriot feels a bit too forced and the filmmakers need to think of another way to include Rhodey – as he is a necessary character – that flows better within the film.

Without going into spoilers territory, one of the film’s biggest gambles is The Mandarin. Kingsley, in the short amount of time we do see him, is pretty extraordinary and delightfully over-the-top and seems to be an ideal villain to square off against Iron Man – especially after two armor based antagonists in the first two films. But then – again, avoiding spoilers – something huge happens and everything that the early films seems like it has been abandoned. The film manages to rectify the situation in a fairly satisfying way, but this is definitely the “make it or break it” moment of the film. It is truly a Shane Black curveball, but not everyone will like it. After several days of contemplation I finally decided that I liked the big revelation, but I could easily see why some would feel disappointed. That said, the decision the filmmakers made was a bold one that I can’t help but respect, and in the end it makes the film’s climax far more exciting.

Finally, the action in this film is by far some of the best in the series. There is a lot more action outside the armor in this film than there has ever been, and it is a nice change of pace. There is now a greater sense of danger, as the film’s violence is surprisingly intense and occasionally brutal. The film also makes it clear Stark is inept with a gun that isn’t attached to his suit and he is finally vulnerable. This all comes to a head in the spectacular final showdown that is one of the cooler moments of the film as he basically scrambles between suits trying to take down the bad guys. It is fun to watch and it is a great way to showcase some of the different armors he has concocted, and it is pure fun to watch.

Bottom Line

While the first Iron Man still holds the distinction of being the best film of the three, Iron Man 3 is a close second, successfully building off of its predecessors and The Avengers for an exciting and enjoyable experience. The main cast is incredibly strong and the plot – despite the break-neck pacing issues and weaker supporting characters – is intense and captivating. Bringing in Shane Black was definitely a wise decision as the series feels revitalized and fresh, which really helps the film stand out against and reminds us all why we loved the first film so much. This is yet another big win for Marvel, who succeeds in setting the pace and tone for what Phase 2 will be about. By far one of the best films of this year so far and clearly the best action film of 2013 as well.

And one final note: Make sure you stay through the credits. You’d think it would go without saying, but I still saw a lot of people leave beforehand.

Iron Man 3 Theatrical Trailer #2

Unfortunately, the crowd of people who attend these geek-culture-oriented events like C2E2 are very protective of who they let in to their club. The good and talented people who organize these massive events should (1) expect more of their veteran attendees, (2) be welcoming of their newcomers of all shapes, sizes, and genders, as well as (3) make their expectations for everyone crystal clear.

Sadly, C2E2 cannot have those set expectations for their attendees until they set the bar for themselves.

Now, don’t get me wrong - I had a fantastic time at C2E2. Jon and I splurged a bit and rented out a nice room for the weekend, we ate some Chicago pizza and saw The Bean, wandered around and got lost, and spent way too much money on comics. All in all, it was a great weekend. While at the con, I had been looking forward to one particular panel on the last day. Since I am a girl after all, Exorcising the Spectre of the Fake Geek Girl was sincerely at the top of my list of things to do.

It was in a room that I had not been to yet- I had gone to mostly larger panels, and one teeny tiny one (Adding Character to Your Character- I think about 20 people showed up for an intimate talk on character development). FGG started at 12:15pm. Around 11:45am, I departed with Jon and made my way upstairs. Pretty normal departure time for most panels, I think. Especially one that I anticipated to be quite large, given the hype that the FGG theory has caused within the past year (a lot).

For reference, let’s refer to this PDF. I got in line and talked to some fellow geek girls and their counterparts while we all waited anxiously.  Now, the gig was in room W473. If we look to our PDF, we see that there is 809 square feet available in W473. I would like to note that my apartment is just over 900 square feet. The line kept growing and it eventually trickled down through the grapevine that there were only 30-50 seats available.  The crowd stretched from the door of the room all of the way down to between rooms W471 and W472. Something isn’t adding up here. Obviously, the people who would want to attend this panel were not all going to fit in here.

As a long time Geek Girl, and as a first time Con-goer, this was a huge slap in the face. Chicago Nerd Social Club were offering an intelligent discussion on the obsession with Fake Geek Girls, gate keeping, and general discrimination in the geek culture, but the organizers at C2E2 made it very clear that they didn’t think anyone would be interested in such a thing. And if they were, well, it was only going to be girls, and how many girls go to cons anyway? Considering we make up over half of the population, I think it’s safe to say that at least half of the attendees this past weekend identify as female.

Craig Ferguson, everyone.

While chatting it up with some other people waiting, I noticed that not everyone in queue was -gasp- female! A good chunk of the attendees for this panel were male, as well as black or trans or tall or short and or cosplayers or non-cosplayers or Who-vians or Killjoys or pirates or WHATEVER -and this filled my heart full of butterflies and unicorns because (take a lesson here, con organizers) if you’re not part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem. Seeing such a smorgasbord of different people queuing up for a panel discussing one of the many hurdles we as a group haven’t quite figured out how to jump proves that we can. We’ve been doing it for some time, so the big unanswered question is, why is it still a topic of conversation? Why are our expectations for each other set so low?

It’s become a never-ending cycle of bitching and moaning, expecting things to change, but never taking any action. It’s often advised that the best defense against a troll is to just not respond. While we could consider these gate keepers and discrimnators trolls in their own form, we as a group and as a culture need to stand up and hold each other accountable - even (and especially) massive entities like C2E2.

Now, I understand that the great people at C2E2 probably didn’t intend to slap anyone in the face (not in a mean way, anyway. Maybe a slap of awesome, but I digress), and that sometimes things come up and shit gets jumbled. Let’s consider though that there was one other panel dedicated to women, one booth that I saw that was dedicated to African-American geek culture (forgive me, as I can’t find the name of that exhibitor), LGBT Speed Dating, and some booths for certain fetishes. Out of the literally thousands of opportunities to incorporate all stops on the spectrum, only a select few made it. I find it hard to believe that someone on the staff simply did not have the capacity to do some internet research and get in contact with vendors, exhibitors or special guests to come and display their work, share their experience, or generally provide a safe space for every Geek represented. And if C2E2 doesn’t have someone working that position, well, I’ve got experience in Community Outreach and would be happy to step in (cough hire me cough).

Regardless of this little bump, I had a genuinely spectacular time at C2E2. I hope to attend again next year and maybe even muster up the will power to make a costume. Seeing such a massive event pulled off semi-flawlessly is awe-inspiring. Of course, there’s always room for improvement (i.e. diverse panels and exhibitors, a more efficient in-and-out process, increasing the number of activities for adults, providing a better outlet for attendee feedback), but organizers learn new things with every year. This year, the biggest take away that I hope cons will acknowledge is their ever-changing demographic. Geekdom is adaptable. Geekdom is flexible. Geekdom is excited to share itself with others and wants everyone to be happy. So let it.

Whether an avid comic book fan or otherwise, comic conventions invoke images of everything from artists, comics, vendors, and cosplayers. From ComicCon to DragonCon and E3 to PAX, I’ve always regarded them from the perspective of an observer. Strange, perhaps, since both comic books and video games have been integral parts of my life since I was a kid.  It was not until I made it to this years’ Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo (C2E2) that I got a real taste of what the comic convention experience entailed.

Entering the convention, one thing is clear: you will be standing in lines. No problem. I’ve been to Disneyland. I’ve experienced Black Friday sales (as both employee and customer). I’ve sat in LA rush hour. If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s queue. Also: I know how to spell “queue”. So, two things I know.

As this was my first convention, the crowds and lines gave me a sense of scale and the kind of impact that the comic book industry has.  Sure you get a taste of this through photos, videos, and online forums, but I’m sure that (like me) there is a large portion of the comic book reading audience whose entire social experience surrounding comic books has been limited to their room, their local comic shop, and a group of friends that share the interest. So you can imagine that for me, a socially introverted comic convention newbie, the experience was a little overwhelming at first.

After receiving useful tips and a basic run-down from our editor, Mike, who’s been to C2E2 a number of times, I walked through the stalls to see the sights, on no mission in particular.  And boy are the stalls plentiful. Whether in Artist Alley or the ever teeming merchandise section devoted to venders, there is almost every comic book related thing you could think of.  Comic book vendors collect in one portion of the showroom floor, each specializing in different comics, displaying different collections, and boasting different deals. Vendors ranged from Dark Horse to local shops, each with a different selection and pricing.

The amount of vendors will probably overwhelm and confound most. But then you begin to get that “kind in a candy-shop” look on your face and may silently mutter (as I did), “I’m going to be so poor after this”.  And it was then that I experienced firsthand that conventions are the best time to buy comic books whether old or new; picking up trades and single issues alike at fifty to seventy-five percent off. Wait until the conventions last day and you may manage to grab new comics at 25¢ an issue from vendors wanting to get rid of their stock.

From C2E2 On High…

But being able to shop until your bag is too heavy to carry isn’t the only thing conventions allow you to do. Conventions also offer activities and panels… lots of panels. These panels as well as Artist Alley allow you to listen to and interact with writers, artists, and editors in the industry.  Depending on who’s attending the convention, you may meet anyone from the artist of your favorite web-comic or the writer of your favorite mainstream comic book.

The panels also let you get a sense of the people behind your favorite books, ask them questions, and/or buy sketches or commission from them.  It was extremely interesting to meet and attend the panels of comic greats like Kieron Gillen, J. Michael Straczynski, and Brian Wood.  Getting to meet and listen to these guys after having read their comics was enormously intriguing as I not only got news of future issues, but it also allowed me to see a bit of who these people are. And learning more about my favorite authors and artists was just as (if not more) interesting than news about their comics.

Whether browsing the comic vendors or attending the panels, you’ll have more than ample chance to admire the many MANY cosplayers. Costumes vary in quality, but in the end, each costume represents someone’s interest and investment in comics and the culture surrounding them.  I personally did not cosplay this time around, but man did it look fun; I’ve gotta do it at the next con I attend.  Whole articles can and have been written on the culture of cosplay, and I won’t attempt to tackle that topic out of hand. Suffice it to say that cosplay is an integral part of the convention and getting to meet and talk with cosplayers in person (and in costume) is a lot of fun.

I won’t end this piece by stating that “you have to attend comic book conventions to be a true comic book fan”, even though that would be really controversial (and wrong) and potentially get us a lot of traffic.  Personally, C2E2 helped me build a stronger connection to this media that I love and meet and build relationships with people that love it just as much as I do.  Whether you’re taking the opportunity to meet the creators of your favorite comic, purchase back issues, cosplay, or all the above, conventions like C2E2 give fans like us the chance to interact with the industry and have a good time doing it. If you’re on the fence about attending a comic convention, I hope to… push you over the fence?… by giving you my highest suggestion to attend, even for a day. Get some friends to go with you, or make friends when you get there. Go. You won’t regret it.

Friday

The 5:15 AM wake up call to make it to the gang’s 6:00 AM departure spot should have been the first indication that C2E2 2013 would be met with a constant tiredness. As we made our way to Chicago, I already started comparing this year’s con, which hadn’t even begun, to last year’s. This year I only had a total of 4 writers/artists that I just HAD to meet, and then about 3 or so that I would have liked to chat with, but not seeing them wasn’t a matter of life or death. Last year’s C2E2 had “Bigger Name” people like Scott Snyder, Geoff Johns, and Adam Hughes, to name a few (and DC Comics-related) writers and artists. Sure, there was going to be some repeats from last year, Like Tony Daniel, J. Michael Straczynski,  and Rick Remender, but with the newness New 52 now passed, I guess DC didn’t need to send over such big wigs to represent and defend their new universe. 

Despite not having much initial interest in the comic book guests attending this year, I was still very much looking forward to the general con experience, hanging out with my fellow comic book aficionados, finding unique and new stories to read, and of course, standing in the presence of Natalie Dormer, who plays the future Queen of Westeros Margaery Tyrell on HBO’s Game of Thrones. Before I get into my encounter(s) with the lovely Ms. Dormer, I have to say that in terms of entertainment guests this year, C2E2 had an interesting mix.

Burt Ward and Julie Newmar of the 1960′s Batman fame (poor poor C2E2 must have been so proud when they initially had these two actors AND Adam West, but alas, he canceled a few days before the show), Ron Perlman, several members of Jack Sparrow’s crew from the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, and three members from The Walking Dead were all featured guests. More impressively, C2E2 even got Kevin Smith for An Evening With Kevin Smith (I’m assuming that Kevin Smith is a big deal here). Before it was announced that Natalie Dormer would be attending the con, I really only planned on possibly meeting Ron Perlman, depending on how long his autograph line would be. I will say now that I never got to meet Ron Perlman. Was it because the line was too long? Heavens no. Was it because I threw all of my autograph money (and more!) at Natalie Dormer? Yup, yes, absolutely, that is the reason why.

Me and my con buddy arrived at C2E2 a little after the doors opened, and our first task was to get a very special autograph and photo op tickets. Natalie Dormer’s line was not long at all, it being early on Friday and all, so the two of us hardly had time to simultaneously freak out and compose ourselves before it was our turn to meet this stunning actress with an enchanting English accent. We exchanged pleasantries. She asked me if my hair naturally does that (Yes, it does. who would do this on purpose?). I told her that her character was the next best thing since sliced bread (not an exact quote) and we parted ways (until the photo op at 5:00 PM). It was with this encounter that I was overcome by adrenaline and over-excitement. And it was only noon! On a Friday! Would anything out on the con floor be able to maintain this natural high I was experiencing (Spoilers: No)?

My next stop and time killer was to stroll through artist alley, to see if I could find any of the few people that I wanted to meet. Luckily for me, the wonderful, charming, and cheerful Kieron Gillen was at his table with very few people standing around him.

“Hello,” He greets me, “How are you?”

“Good,” I reply with a grin on my face, “How are you?”

“I’m powerful,” he responds, throwing around other wonderful adjectives as well. By the end of the con experience, Gillen would become my favorite comic book guest that I had the utmost pleasure of meeting. We talked about how issue 4 of Young Avengers was one of our favorites of the series so far (it was my favorite, his second favorite after #5, which of course he and a select few have had the pleasure of reading), and he just gushed about how excited he was for the rest of his current arc. Now, I had at that point only read issues 1 and 4 of YA because I wasn’t really feeling the other two issues, but after meeting Gillen, I am now a biased fan of the series and have faith that this guy will produce awesome, butt-kicking arcs as the series progresses. Gillen and I crossed paths again that day, where it appeared that he was leaving for a panel, recognized me, and waved. I can only pray that I was able to close my mouth in time to smile and give him a nod of acknowledgement (I fear that my prayers have not been answered).

After meeting Gillen, I moved on to my next targets: John Layman and Rob Guillory, the dynamic duo behind one of my favorite series that I have recently discovered, CHEW. For have such a silly/cartoony style, Rob Guillory was way more soft spoken than I was expecting him to be. We discussed the ending of the latest trade, and I told him that although I thought it was sad, it made for a great story. And then of course I just had to tell him that I was a big fan of his art style. John Layman was talking about important matters on the phone while signing the comics for the dude in front of me, so I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to chat with this writer whose writing I admired so.

Thank the Old gods and the New that his phone call ended. We talked about how the series had just finished a sad arc, but was now heading in more funny direction. I told him that I’ll have to see for myself. Going back to the phone call during the con, I noticed that this year a lot more of the people in artist alley were on their phones. I don’t want to name names, but when my con buddy went up to an artist to get something signed and thank him for doing a free sketch from last year’s con, the artist barely glanced up from his phone during the conversation. There was even a delay to say goodbye when my buddy thanked him and told him to have a good con. Way to connect with the fans who BUY YOUR PRINTS AND COMICS, DUDE. After that, I stood in line with my pal to get some of his comics signed, explored the floor, and before we knew it, it was time for our photo shoot op with Natalie.

Natalie recognized me from earlier (Bless her) put her arm around me and smiled (You got to give the entertainment guests props for getting close and putting their arms around complete strangers as if we’re old chums). As if she read my mind, she said, “See you later!” as I walked out of the booth. My buddy went right after me and I heard her say “It’s like a reunion, isn’t it?” Please read all of her quotes with an English accent. It enhances the story. An hour later we returned to her booth to get our photos signed, I asked if she could write her favorite line that she’s had on the show (she wrote her character’s house’s coat of arms; “Growing Strong”) and she said she wanted my hair. And with that, the first day of C2E2 was over.

Saturday

Shockingly, Saturday’s tale is shorter than Friday’s (partly because Friday’s tale was SO freakin’ long). The con was packed, even more so than last year’s Saturday in my opinion. I was skeptical that I would experience the same euphoria as I did on Friday. I didn’t have many guests to see, the panels weren’t of major importance to me, and I was going to be walking around with a backpack for hours and my back and shoulders were still killing me from yesterday. The highlight of Saturday, other than hanging out with friends, was the glorious strength of the building’s air conditioning system. I never felt like I was overheating, whereas last year I felt like I was going to need to buy a Princess Leia bikini just so that I could attempt to cool down. This was, honestly, a crazy highlight of the entire con for me.

Since Brian Azzarello was no where to be found, I decided to attend the DC Comics – New 52 Panel (Brian Azzarello was not at this panel, much to my disappointment). This entire panel was a big ol’ waste of time. They talked about series that I didn’t even read, and that weren’t major titles. They even briefly discussed Vibe (I’m not dissing the series, but no one clapped when the panelists brought it up). There were a few good bits of information (Nightwing is moving to Chicago!), but other than that, the panel was a major snoozefest. I actually fell asleep. After the panel, I checked out the Archaia booth and took advantage of their Buy-One-Get-One-Free deal. I met the super friendly and sweet writer Andrew Rostan, the creator of An Elegy for Ameliea Johnson. He was a wonderful conversationalist and I hope that I enjoy his book.

At this point in time I was dehydrated and coul barely manage to carry my backpack, which had very little in it, I might add. I decided to end my day by attending the Dark Horse panel, assuming that I could take another little catnap. Well, I was more than happy to stay awake for this panel. The panelists did an amazing job of teasing all of their new series and storylines, and I can see my comic collection gaining many new Dark Horse titles in the very near future.

Thanks to the Dark Horse panel, my Saturday ended on a little more impressive note than it had started. All I had left to do for Sunday was meet Brian Azzarello and reunite with Natalie Dormer at the Game of Thrones Q&A.

Sunday

And on the third day the Con gods said, “Let their be personal space (again).”

This extraordinary final day of the con started with the extraordinary Kieron Gillen, as me and my con buddy returned to his booth to say hello and ask a few questions. For those of you who didn’t get a chance to meet him, y’all seriously missed out. I hope he comes back next year. I also returned to Rob Guillory and John Layman to get issues 31-33 of CHEW–that I had bought on Saturday–signed. Rob recognized me. It’s totally because of my mane of hair.

Next, I waited in line to meet Brian Azzarello, the writer of Wonder Woman, aka, Paloma’s Favorite New 52 Series. He seemed pretty chill and cool, and when I told him that Wonder Woman was my favorite series, he said, “Mine too.” Comic writers and their cheeky humor, am I right?

Since by that point I had basically accomplished all of my comic guest goals (even got Ryan Stegman to sign a copy of X-23 that he did the art for), my con buddy and I decided to attend the Marvel: Next Big Thing panel because it sounded promising (and mainly because it was in the same room as a directly before the Game of Thrones Q&A with our new bestie Natalie Dormer). Even though I have somewhat dropped out of the Marvel Universe because I have no clue what’s going on anymore, the panelists (including my boy, Kieron Gillen) were pretty funny and entertaining, and at the end everyone sang along to a ukelele cover of the 90′s X-Men cartoon’s theme song. I am excited to see where Miles Morales is going in Ultimate Spider-Man (during the panel, they revealed a major spoiler, much to the dismay of my friend).

Finally, the main event of Sunday, what me and my buddy have been waiting for: our reunion with the magnificent, deific Natalie Dormer. My pal and I sat in the front row, and while the crowd was giving them another warm welcome of hoots and hollers, she saw noticed us amongst the hundreds of faces, said “Oh, hello again. Hi, how are you doing?” The cheering died out just as my pal and I high-fived, our C2E2 experience made at that point. Natalie and James Cosmo were charming, funny, sweet, and all those other things you hope the actors of one of your favorite television shows are.  what a wonderful way to end C2E2 2013.

As I struggled to stand up from my seat, my body was now reeling from the physical and mental strain that I had put on it all weekend. I could practically hear my shoulders begging me not to put on my backpack again. But, I must admit that the soreness and pain was all worth it. Although last year’s con had way more comic guests that I admired and actually knew, and more exciting or at least worth-my-time panels, this year’s C2E2 was still filled with fun, new comics, and the feeling of being starstruck by brilliant writers and artists (and goddesses actresses and actors). I hope that next year can live up to the insane levels of over-excitement and fatigue of C2E2 2013.

Keep in mind, the panel wasn’t about how to create comics, simply how people have broken into the industry.  If you were hoping for more of a guide on how to write comics, check out Rene Rodriguez’s article.

The panel was comprised of Ryan Stegman (Superior Spider-Man artist), Shawn Crystal (Deadpool artist), Declan Shalvey (Venom artist), Tom Brevoort (Executive editor), Ramon Perez (Wolverine & the X-Men artist), Arune Singh (Director of Communications), and C.B. Cebulski (VP Executive talent scout).  They went down the line, explaining who they were and what they do for Marvel. Now, some of you have have noticed, as I did, a distinct lack of writers in that line up. As the final panelist finished introducing themselves, the person leading the panel also seemed to come to the same conclusion. And that’s when irony took the wheel for a gloriously awkward moment.

The panel leader turned to the attendees and said something to the effect of “Well, it looks like we don’t have any active writers on the panel. Some of these guys used to write, so I’m sure they can answer any questions you might have. By the way, how many aspiring writers do we have here?” And, in an awkward silence, about half of the audience raised their hands.

After the briefest of pauses and an exchanging of “I don’t care, I’m still getting paid” shrugs, the panel continued on. The panelists went back down the line, going more in depth as to just how they broke into the comic, specifically Marvel, business.

I’ll spare you the details, as every panelist basically had, more or less, told the same story with different words. The story went something like this “I always knew I wanted do something with comics since I read my first comic book at age (x). Back when I was in college/young, there wasn’t a college/career path to follow to achieve that goal. I went to (x) conventions and met (x) people in the industry. Then, one day, after throwing myself at Marvel/DC, I got a job.”

I’m not trying to say that any of these panelists don’t deserve to have the jobs that they have. I think they’re all wonderfully talented and nice people who very earned the jobs they have. It’s just that everyone story revolved around 3 major themes:

1. Don’t give up, ever. Just keep putting yourself out there on the internet/at conventions/wherever you can. All the artists stressed the fact that you have the internet at your fingertips. Post your artwork everywhere for everyone to see. Just make sure people know it’s yours.
2. Know the right people. Rub elbows with literally anyone who has a name for themselves. If the right people don’t know you, you might as well be throwing your resume into a large pit, in the hopes that someone will fall down said pit and have nothing to read but a large pile of your resumes until their rescue.
3. Be lucky. Plain and simple, sometimes the only reason you get the job is because you were in the right place at the right time.

And that just seems to be how jobs in this industry are acquired. The fact of the matter is, this isn’t a necessary job. It will always be harder to become a comic book artist/writer than it will a cashier/farmer/plumber because those jobs are more necessary and created by much more of a pressing demand (which is to say, when your house is flooding, there’s a very high demand for a plumber). 

But, writers, there is good news; the panel did have some advice for the artistically challenged. The bad news is that it’s twice as hard for writers to get noticed than it is for artists. If you’re an artist, all you need to is print out your art and shove it into the hands of an unwitting Marvel talent scout at a convention. They will flip through it and decide immediately whether they like your or not.

Writers can’t do this. If they push a bare script into the hands of an unwitting Marvel talent scout at a convention, the response will most likely be “words? I have no time for these”, and the script will be abandoned. So, how do writers get noticed? Pay an artist to illustrate a comic for them. Then you have something with pretty pictures that can be handed to someone and leafed through with relative ease.

Paying an artist to illustrate your comic script was brought up during the Q&A section at the end of the panel. Sadly, it was also the last topic of any importance to be discussed at the panel, as the next several questions were just aspiring writers asking/begging the panelists to read the comic they had created and provide feedback (read as: give them a job).

As happy as I am that they were able to produce something for their efforts, there is time after the panel for things like that, instead of taking up time in which unanswered questions might be asked.

All in all, I found the panel interesting, if for no other reason than to hear the interesting lives the panelists lead before getting to where they are now. I think it provided useful information to aspiring artists and writers, I just think that the information provided had a “better lucky than good” feel to it.

Now, this is was NOT a panel about getting into the industry, it was about how to write in the COMIC BOOK STRUCTURE.

The panel was lead by Andy Schmidt who was an editor for Marvel and edited works such as Marvel Civil War and X-Men. He was also a senior editor at IDW for a time. He also worked for Hasbro Proper, editing the Transformers comic. He now works at Comics Experience, which is an online comic book school that teaches about various parts of the industry (specifically: penciling, inking, editing, coloring, lettering, and writing.)

Along with Schmidt were various comic book writers.

Josh Fialkov- writer of The Ultimates, Alpha, and I Vampire.

Paul Ower- writer of the Teenaged Mutant Ninja Turtles one shot.

Mike Costa- writer of Transformers ongoing, Cobra Files, and Black Hawks.

So, for now I’m going to go step by step, and slide by slide, of what the professionals talked about during the panel.

And here…we…go.

Step 1: The Idea

Every story needs a catalyst. Catalyst: What if…what would people do if?

Essentially the Catalyst is your initial action that gets the story started. The catalyst for every comic book is created based on one three ideas: character, headline, or a theme.

• Character: It’s about a guy who…
• Headline: I was reading the other day about this situation in…
• Theme: I want to tell a story about…

Each of these ideas are all about the human condition.

“Stories should tell us something about ourselves. Tell a truth about humanity or a particular human, and the reader will follow the story wherever it goes.”
-Costa

For character: What makes a great hero?

• Motivation/Goal: He needs to have a goal. The goal has to be something understandable and agreeable to the reader, but it also has to be attainable.
• Unique Traits: He has to have something that makes him special, either powers or something else. “Indy has a hat…and a whip.” – Costa
• Underdog Status: At some point he has to hit a low point. It has to look bleak and he has to come back to win.
• Internal Conflict: The story is about the human condition, he has to either doubt himself or the situation.
• Man of Action:

“Your character shouldn’t just be active but she be proactive. They should always be doing and not just reacting to the stuff that happens to them. They should go off and act, change the game.”
- Josh

What does the hero do in the story?

• Reaches for His Goal: It’s the point of the story for them to make their goal.
• Takes Action/Makes Decisions: This causes the progression of the story.
• Is tempted to Stray: This works in the internal conflict as well as brings out what the story and what the character’s truest desire is.
• Learns and Grows:In comic books there is the “illusion of change” because some characters can’t change, like Batman. But the character has to change, even if it seems minuscule in the long run, it is huge during the moment of your story. “Stuff isn’t cool unless something is emotionally at stake.” – Costa
• Faces His/Her Opposite/Meets Ultimate Demise: The showdown has to happen between protagonist and antagonist. Either your character wins or they die trying.

“I used Optimus and Megatron because they disagree.”
-Costa

“Optimus is a truck and represents the open road…and Megatron wants to destroy that road, right?”
-Josh

2. Structure

A three act structure is the most famous and popular way to tell a story in movies, television, plays, and even books. But Comics differ because comics are told in incremental chapters, which will start to dictate the parts of your structure.

Comics can and do play with the three act structure much more than film does. This is because a film does this structure in one piece where comics do a three act in each issue which can become a seven part series or more. That moves a three act structure into a twenty-one act piece. Crazy, right.

But comics can’t slow down the action. You can not have a three act play that has nothing happen because a second play is coming out. Your comic must always be moving.

“Every issue should feel like things are happening.”
-Costa

“Each issue should have mini-endings. Which is the reason for the ‘To Be Continued…’ bit.”
-Josh

“Editors will get on you for more action. And you’ll say ‘well, speaking can be just as interesting as action.’ Sometimes yes, and sometimes…make an action scene.”
-Costa

Keep your story interesting and always moving as well as write for each issue. Do NOT write for the trade because more often than not, people won’t stay interested long enough for the story to finish.

“Stop reading screen writing books, and start learning about COMICS. BUILD YOUR OWN STRUCTURE TO FIT YOUR COMIC.”
-Schmidt

3. Working With An Artist

The first thing is to know your limits as an artist and a writer. If you can draw and write then great. But aware of your own talent. If you’re a bad artist but a good writer, its better to find an artist than do it yourself.

Important Tips

• Visuals Tell the Story: Without art, your story is just words. Be clear and very descriptive. 
• Artists Aren’t Cameras: They cannot capture everything you see, but be clear with your descriptions as best you can.
• Write for Your Artist’s Style (or the Books’): Tense and style help the flow of the piece. Write based on how your artist draws or even how the book should feel.
• Talk With Your Artist: Communication is great, talking on the phone and over email are good but talk in other ways too. Talk with your artist in the script and speak often.
• Collaboration: Work as a team, not as servant and master.

4. Final Words of Wisdom

“Your scripts are really only for two people to see. Your editor and your artist. What you’re really doing is writing a letter to your artist.”

“Clinically written scripts are boring. Show yourself on the page, don’t be safe and write like a robot. That’s lame.”

5. Question and Answer

Your script is written, how do you get your foot in the door?

Costa: “Don’t write Spider-man scripts.”

Josh: “You can’t just be a writer. You also have to be a business man, a team leader, and a marketer. You have to be able to sell yourself and your story.”

Advice on collaborating with other writers?

Costa: It’s all about negotiation.

Schmidt: Have an understanding. Make sure the labor is divided.

Josh: Honestly, don’t co-write. Write your own stuff. Why would you want to split your money? At the end of the day, you’re either a writer or your not. Do all the work, or don’t.

How do you find the right art style for your book with your artist?

Schmidt: Find an artist who has their own ideas that are in synch with your vision. Somebody that brings something cooler to the story.

Josh: I only work with artists who are better than me, because you learn more from them and they make you look good.

How much time should you spend writing?

Josh: Do you have hobbies? Yeah, drop them.

For more information about writing for comics you can visit www.ComicsExperience.com. And to read comic book scripts for free you can check out Comicbookscritparchive.com.

Now, I know this sounds scary and some people might not think they have the nerve to try it, but let me tell you that it’s not as bad as it seems. Believe me, I had the pleasure of trying it out at this year’s C2E2 and it was the best decision I made all weekend. Here, let me tell you a bit about it.

First off, the entire thing was founded and is hosted by Ryan Glitch and it’s called, Sci-Fi Speed Dating. Ryan is terrific at making everyone feel comfortable and, more importantly, safe. Lets be honest, giving your information out to complete strangers feels like it should be a huge no-no. However, Ryan is there with comforting words and a system set in place to make sure only the people who you want to have your number or email. He was also a stand-up comedian at one point and his cheesy jokes help make the room less tense. I mean, when you feel like you’re not the biggest goof in the room it helps boost your confidence level just a bit.

Now, here’s how the whole thing works. Everyone is given a tag with a number on it. This number replaces your name so you can remain as anonymous as you’d like. The girls sit in one row of chairs as the boys sit in chairs directly across from them. You are given a 3×5 card and pen to keep track of which people you would like to spend more time with by writing down their number. Now, Ryan was highly opposed to us making any kind of notes on the boys we were interested in, but I found it would have been very useful in remembering who I was talking to. I felt frustrated not being able to put a face to a number at the end of the session.

(I should say here that they have a specific session for the LGBT community as well, which I thought was absolutely amazing, though I was sad to see there was only one and it was filled with pre-registrations so quickly no one who simply happened upon it could get in.)

To begin, a boy sits in front of a girl and they “date” for three minutes. You can talk about whatever you like. Mostly I tried to see what state they were from, if they were enjoying the con, and anything that they thought was a major aspect of their personality (i.e. they’re a musician or an illustrator).

Sometimes the three minutes felt like thirty seconds and other times it was just awkward enough to feel like it was dragging by. My experiences with the men were always pleasant enough and no one was rude or too strange. I even happened across one of the people exhibiting in the con! I won’t drop any names, but it was great to be walking down artist’s alley later and see the same guy behind a booth smile and say, “You’re the girl from speed dating!” Yeah, that put a bounce in my step.

After the three minutes is over, the boys move over to the next girl down the line. Yes, the girls get to stay seated and the boys have to move. Why this is, I don’t know, but I was thankful for the few seconds I got to actually write on my paper and to also not have to deal with shuffling from chair to chair in my cosplay (Princess Bubblegum, WHAT?). After all the boys have “dated” all the girls, the session stops and the groups are separated by gender to different sides of the room. There are tables with sheets that have the opposite group’s numbers written at the top. This is when your little 3×5 comes in handy. You find the numbers that you liked and write down your first name, number, and either an email address or a phone number they can contact you at. Ryan suggested leaving a cell number over an email just so you can arrange a meeting more quickly and I completely agree.

After everyone is done writing down their information the groups switch sides and you find the sheet of paper with your number at the top. This, for me, was the second best part of the entire thing (after getting to talk with some interesting and funny people), because when you see those phone numbers on your paper, you can’t help but have a boost in confidence. Now, unfortunately, there may be times when people don’t get anything on their sheets, but don’t be discouraged! Sometimes it’s just not the right group of people and you should definitely try another session, even just to meet some new folks.

Now, you might be wondering what the actual outcome of something like this will be. Sure, you gave your number to some people, but who knows if they’ll get in touch. Yeah, you have some numbers, but maybe you’re not interested in contacting them. For me, I have gained four new friends that I will never forget. I got up my courage and texted one person that night (who happened to be friends with three other guys in the same session) and we all hung out for the rest of the weekend. Even now after the con, we’re still talking and I’m looking forward to hanging out with them soon.

The outcome is going to be what you make it. Be brave and reach out to someone. You don’t have to be looking for your soul mate, but you can easily find a new friend. Everyone there was incredibly nice and just as nervous as everyone else. It’s really easy once the session starts and you talk to the first few people, and, if you’re at the con alone, this is the perfect way to meet new folks to spend some time with. You know you all have at least one thing in common from the beginning: you’re all at C2E2 for a reason. Whether it’s because of comics, television, or one of the other many interests that this con holds, you’re a fan and so are they.

One good recommendation I have, if you’re still leery and are able, is to bring a friend. I took one of my best friends with me and we had a blast together. Whenever I got nervous or tense, it helped to be able to just look over and see a familiar face. It’s also just a fun experience to share and be able to talk about later.

I can’t express how much I recommend going to one of these sessions (if you’re single and looking to mingle). I had a wonderful time and got to meet so many new people that I kept encountering all weekend and it made the experience of C2E2 even more enriched than I thought it could be. Going to these events is, for me, about making memories and experiencing things that I wouldn’t normally and speed dating was definitely new territory for me. As long as you’re smart, safe, and open to it, speed dating is an event that you will never forget or regret trying.

Ten Grand #1

There are names in comic books that, I feel, everyone knows: Alan Moore, Warren Ellis, Todd McFarlane, Neil Gaiman, Jim Lee, Robert Kirkman, Grant Morrison, Jack Kirby, Frank Millar, John Romita Jr., Brian K. Vaughn, and even Brian Michael Bendis. They’re names that have created some of the most gripping, groundbreaking, and gorgeous comics we comic book readers have come to know in the last thirty years. And maybe, when we dig a little deeper, we start to recognize other names; Matt Fraction, Greg Land, Geoff Johns, Steve McNiven, Gail Simone… but there are two names I am missing and, surprise, I did it deliberately for emphasis: J. Michael Straczynski and Ben Templesmith. Two creators who quite possibly may be two of the greatest comic book names in the last decade–even if they’ve been in the comic book game for longer.

Now that I’m done stroking some digital… we’ll say, “ego,” let me get to the point of all of this: Together, J. Michael Straczynski and Ben Templesmith have created something very new and exciting, Ten Grand. A series set in a dark and gloomy world where we follow one “enforcer” named Joe, and quite frankly, Joe lives a strange life. Now, I was lucky enough to be at C2E2 this past weekend and I was lucky enough to have grabbed a copy of the very pretty variant cover of Ten Grand #1, and with that a full issue of gritty detective work courtesy of our main character, Joe.

Ten Grand #1 is a jump into a supernatural world where angels and demons and monsters roam on the very outskirts of every day life. With the brief mention throughout the comic of supernatural entities, it seems that we will most likely see these types of creatures in the future. Joe, as a character, is grim and the type of character you like for being seasoned in his occupation and grin at for a complete ass hole because of it.

Straczynski’s story telling abilities paired with Templesmith’s crude yet accurate art make for a comic that stands out in your mind. You remember pieces of dialog and their attached frame. Characters are incredibly unique and vibrant. The atmosphere in each scene is depicted through perfect color mashing and shading–giving whole new feelings between flashbacks and current day in the story. The entire comic feels cinematic.

Without spoiling things completely, I will say that this is a supernatural story and the twist ending will floor you. This entire comic is overwhelmingly well done. The dialog is smart and pacing is as fast as walking down an escalator. Templesmith’s art is more human in this than in other comics (ie. Choker/30 Days of Night), but is allowed moments here and there to branch out into stunning horror–a preview of what is to come.

Being the first issue, this comic definitely leads you around in hopes of exploring the world, and my biggest complaint was the issue length only because of how much was crammed into one issue. Having, say, an extra 10 pages would have helped, I think, but regardless, the story is very well explained and leaves you wanting a whole hell of a lot more.

Look for Ten Grand #1 in stores on Wednesday, May 1, 2013.

Wonder Woman #18

With these two issues it’s now official: Wonder Woman is my favorite New 52 series.

Brian Azzarello’s Amazonian epic had won my affection since the first issue, but it was issue #18 that won my heart, and #19 that had solidified my devotion to the last Amazon’s ongoing myth.

Issue #18: We open to the reunion of Wonder Woman and Hermes, the reunion (or should I say fight) we’ve all been waiting for. With this battle, Hermes finally gets to show everyone just how formidable and  speedy he can be. I swear, for all of the issues he has appeared in up until this point he was sporting an injury of some sort. Heck, Hermes is downright cocky during his fight with Wonder Woman, and it’s quite refreshing to see this side of him, since when I think of Hermes I think of mischievous trickster and not the mother hen he was towards Wondy and Zola (Although that was a rather cute depiction of the god). Who knows how their fight would have ended, because the new stud in town, Orion sweeps Wonder Woman out of Hermes’ clutches.

Orion’s and Wonder Woman’s dynamic adds some fun banter to the series, and I have enjoyed this duo because we haven’t really seen Wonder Woman annoyed or bothered with any of her allies (I am not counting Strife as an ally because who in their right mind would ally themselves with someone whose name means conflict?) like she is with Orion. While all of this action was taking place, good ol’ War finds Demeter and everyone’s favorite baby.

The series’ design of Demeter is pretty awesome. She really comes off as the goddess of the harvest and fertility when War (rudely) pulls out the baby from her stomach. With War seemingly running off with the baby, Wonder Woman is left feeling betrayed and furious at herself. At this point we know that Wonder Woman is willing to give these crazy gods and super-beings the benefit of the doubt, so this instance of doubt in her beliefs showed a vulnerability in Diana that makes her a relatable character despite her demigod status. This instance of self-directed anger gives Orion a chance to show his tender side, until he blows it with one of his stupid come ons. However, Diana is pleasantly shocked to see that War did not betray her, and we end this fantastic issue with the cutest family portraits you ever did see.

Throughout this issue we continue our journey with the First Born, who ends the issue getting swallowed by his grouchy uncle, Poseidon. I find the First Born to be an arrogant blowhard as of now, but I am so pumped to finally see his confrontation with Wonder Woman in the very near future. Goran Sudzuka has done a great job with the art for the First Born’s story. Tony Akins takes care of the art for the majority of the story, with Cliff Chiang finishing off the issues last three pages. Normally having 3 artist for one issue would drive me crazy, but since Sudzuka his doing the art for the First Born’s story, and Chiang’s and Akins’ styles blend nicely together, the aesthetic quality of the art still remains.

Issue #19. I am totally digging these fold out covers that DC has done with their #19′s

Issue #19: This issue is a great prelude to the inevitable meeting and subsequent battle between the First Born and Wonder Woman, even though the two are still unaware of each other’s existence. It’s also nice to check back in with our snotty brats who run Olympus; Apollo, Artemis, and Dio(nysus). Dio’s design is interesting in its lackluster-ness, as I expected the god of wine to be more cheerful and robust than a sullen looking punk. Back at Camp Wonder Woman, her favorite half-brother, Lennox, is leaving the team for no apparent reason other than he’s used to working alone.

I find this reason to be very odd and hypocritical, because I feel like not too long ago Lennox was criticizing Wondy for going into battle on her own. When he hears the news, Orion speaks of that which is never meant to be spoken: incest amongst the gods. I’m guessing that Orion saw Lennox as competition for Wonder Woman’s legs affection. Well, this somewhat vulgar Romeo gets that affection, but it does not end the way he wants it to, and it certainly didn’t end how i was expecting it to. Before Orion BOOOMs back home, we get a glimpse of what I’m going to call Orion’s “Mr. Hyde.”

The issue ends with Poseidon and Hades placing bets on who will be the victor in the battle for the title of Lord of Heaven, with Hades betting on our favorite Amazon, and Artemis hovering outside the window getting ready to bring the pain to Zola (I swear if Zola and her baby Zeke are separated this soon…).

Sudzuka and Akins are on art duties again this issue and their work still impresses me. I like how their depictions of the gods haven’t differed to much from Chiang’s original depictions in previous issues. Azzarello keeps the saga going, developing a fantastic dialogue between the characters that really makes each characters’ voice unique. Nineteen issues into the series and the only thing Azzarello has disappointed me with is his depiction of Persephone and her (lack) of story and design. But then again, I am biased when it comes to interpretations of her.

I’m sure it won’t be long until we get a Wonder Woman vs. the First Born battle, but until then, we are left with questions like what is Orion’s deal and is baby Zeke going to be taken away from his mother again? But the biggest question is, who are you betting on to take the throne as the Lord (or Lady) of Heaven?

Written by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti and illustrated by Jerry Ordwell, Human Bomb is a four issue mini-series that takes place in DC’s Prime Earth. The story follows Michael Taylor, ex-marine, now-construction worker who is part of the work force that is rebuilding the World Trade Center. It’s important to mention that, at this point in the issue, I was really hoping this would be the kind of comic that didn’t take itself seriously. I’m not 100% sure why I wanted so badly for this comic for this comic not to be a super serious. I just think that if you want to write a super serious comic, you shouldn’t make the main character’s power the ability to blow up.

Now, like I did, you’re probably thinking “Surely this must just be an homage to that national tragedy.  The remainder of the story will probably take place somewhere else.” NOT THE CASE! That’s right, within the first half of issue one, they bomb the World Trade Center, again.

Unfortunately, from page three onward, the comic quickly starts to lose its “not taking itself seriously” demeanor, which is quickly replaced with a horribly contrived and mashed together plot. Other than the first few pages worth of “Oh wow, they actually went there,” the comic doesn’t really have all that much to offer. The dialogue is awkward and about as subtle as a car alarm made of crying babies. The story feels like it was written by someone who was afraid you would miss the point if they didn’t verbally bludgeon you about the face with it.

For example. Michael Taylor uses his power and, well, blows up in the middle of the street during a fight that seemingly had no point and one that I didn’t fully understand. A bystander then shouts, “He’s got a bomb!”, to which another responds, “No, I think he is a bomb”. First of all, this was shouted after Michael Taylor blew up. After. That’s not how bombs work. I have yet to find a fully grown adult who is incapable of understanding that concept. And second of all, it feels like someone is afraid you’ll have forgotten this is a comic is called “Human Bomb” if you’re not reminded of it at every opportunity–despite the fact that there is literally an explosion every three pages. (I checked).

The other major thing that really ground my gears about this comic: Michael Taylor (Editor’s note: Wait. Is that the bomb guy? *EXPLOSION* Okay. Good, just checking.) meets with one of his old squad mates right before something terrible happens. The squad mate tells Michael to remember something called “C.R.O.W.N.” (Don’t give me that look, I tagged this with “spoilers”).

Later, when the World Trade Center is bombed again, a secret government facility is going over the five terrorist groups who are all claiming responsibility for the attack.  They read like so on the screen (they’re called “cubes” in the comic, because, you know, science):

Capricorn Terror Group

Renegade Sun

Orbital Revolution

Warriors for Freedom

Nezbali Terror Group.

Oh man, the first letter of each group put together spells crown!  (This is really hard to miss in the comic, as the first letter of each group is, for some reason, in purple bubble letters). Several panels later, the secret government boss says “Isolate the first letter of each group and bring them to the front of every cube.”

So, the names are flipped sideways and now even the people who are too stupid to be able to read sideways can see the glaringly obvious neon sign saying “HEY, THIS IS CONNECTED TO THAT OTHER PART OF THE COMIC!”

And the best part? Other than that one panel, nothing, literally nothing, is said about the flipping of the names of the terrorists groups. No explanation as to why the request to flip the names was issued. Not a single god damned thing. It’s convenient that scene took place at the end of the comic, because that’s also when I decided to stop reading.

It wasn’t so much the actual act of hinting at something, then revealing more about it later on that bothered me. It had more to do (read: everything to do) with the way it was presented to the reader. Which is to say, it felt like the writers were scared that we would miss their attempts to reveal the plot to us if they did anything less than spell out (literally, in this case) what was happening. It’s not rewarding to piece together the plot if the answers are being forcibly spoon fed to me as I read.

The one thing I will say in defense of Human Bomb.  It’s pretty.  Specifically, the explosions are very well done. It’s honestly a treat to get to see so many different sizes and kinds of explosions all packed into 20 some odd pages.

If your favorite colors are orange or yellow, or if really awkward and forced dialogue is your thing, this comic is for you.  Otherwise, I would steer clear of this… Uh… this (insert bomb pun).

Boy You’ll Forget Album Cover

YouTube comedian/musician Dave Days has had a pretty amazing career, going from small parody videos of Miley Cyrus to having several EP’s, albums, and collaborations with various artists on YouTube and in the music industry. His latest work is his new album Boy You’ll Forget, which is a compilation of old demo’s from earlier works, acoustic versions of his previous songs, and three new songs. So, enough beating around the bush, let’s get down to business.

I’ve always enjoyed that Dave Days was able to do more than just a basic pop-punk sound but could evolve a little more pop or even hip-hop into his works. But I truly believed that he was a pop-punk kid at heart. However, in Boy You’ll Forget he ditches his pop-punk roots and goes against everything he’s done in the past. And not for the better.

His first track is an acoustic track he released on his first album The Dave Days Show, and it’s pretty alright. However, it is also at the end of his album. This wouldn’t be so bad except that its the same version he released on DDS. He didn’t do anything with it. It’s not even an enhanced or updated version of the song. He just literally took From East To West as it was from DDS and put into this album, which to say the least, is disappointing.

There are a few acoustic songs from his last EP We’re Just Kids on this album as well, but before we get into that I want to talk about the new acoustic version of his song What Does It Take from his Dinner and a Movie EP. The version on this album is not just a solo acoustic guitar but has two layers of guitars, violins, piano, and even bass in it. This makes it more of a ballad version than an acoustic which definitely works for this song, turning it from the fast paced pop song into a sweet serenade. There’s even an electric guitar solo into the song which evolves the song even more. This was my favorite song on the album because it wasn’t simplifying or regurgitating old tracks. It was remolding a Dave Days favorite which did take effort and came out well made.

Dave takes several songs from his earlier EP’s and makes them into acoustic tracks, which he’s released separately prior to this, but for some reason felt it necessary to release them again. His pop-ier punk songs such as First Kiss and Last Song work great as acoustics, his more punk ballad songs like We’re Just Kids and Don’t Let Go have turned into songs I can’t take seriously as acoustic. It’s not that hearing those songs as acoustic would be bad, but the fact that Dave felt the need to add piano and turn them all into sweet love ballads makes their emotion as rock songs go away. The beauty of We’re Just Kids was that it was a pop-punk anthem of young life and rebellion. As an acoustic it would still be powerful but slowed down and with piano makes it seem like a sick joke. The same with Don’t Let Go, as a fast paced song it was about holding onto memories and summer love and friendship, as a piano ballad it becomes a whiny and beg like plea. I was very upset that these two songs, which were of my Dave Days favorites, had been lowered to such standards.

Screen Shot from We’re Just Kids

As for the new songs like Boy You’ll Forget, You, and Out of the Box… all I can say is I am a little bit disappointed. Boy You’ll Forget is an incredibly slow song with a small skippy guitar and not really much else to it. Even though Dave has made slow songs in the past, he’s usually made them with at least a little bit of oomph but this was just lacking in so much that it almost seemed like he felt like experimenting with different music styles. What this one is, I have no idea. It was like Train meets John Mayer meets Jesse McCartney. I mean, what the hell?

You is an okay song. It starts out slow with a single guitar intro that seemed like it was going to build into some awesome punkness….but never did. It just added some symbols and violins. It kept feeling like it was building up to something colossal but it was more of a sad crescendo. By the time I got to Out of the Box I’d already accepted that this album was a slower and more mellow Dave Days and I was almost considering not finishing the album. But I’m glad I did, because Out of the Box has a hint of what I love about Dave Days. It’s got good guitar and a nice drum beat with a bit of techno hit. While it was still a little mellow it reminded me a bit of early Simple Plan, which I don’t entirely hate. While I wished that it was a bit harder, it was still rather enjoyable.

Dave Days

I was very excited when I heard this album was coming out, especially because of the direction Dave was heading with his release of We’re Just Kids just last year, but then I saw that the “new” album was just acoustic versions of old songs and three new songs I was incredibly disappointed. If he’d advertised this as an acoustic album with bonus songs then I wouldn’t have been quite upset. But declaring this a “new” album and having half the songs being old favorites, it just upsets me.

Honestly, Dave Days is an amazing musician and is able to play all different kinds of music but lately it seems more and more that he’s turning into a regular pop artist that pumps out similar songs over and over again. I hope for more from him in the future but needless to say, this album is not his best work.

Maybe you’ll agree with me, and maybe you won’t. You can always check for yourself. Dave Days: Boy You’ll Forget is now available on iTunes.

The album kicks off with the low key and at the same time upbeat ‘Denial.’  Immediately I’m struck with how much this band reminds me of Vampire Weekend, minus keyboard and electronic influence.  Between the driving drum, the sparse guitar, and the vocal harmonies this song pulls you in and makes you want to hear more.

The second song on the album, “Santa Cruz,” ratchets it up a notch.  Initially the vocals remind me of Spoon, but the added harmonies later in the song make this all their own.  The whistling at the end is a bit of an earworm, remaining in my brain for a few days after I listened to the album.

The next song pulls back a little bit, with a kind of slow burn Americana feel.  Track 4 picks back up a little bit, while keeping a laid back feel.  The chorus of “Different route, different different route” is infectious though and will have you singing along in no time.

Track 5, “Years From Now,” slows things down a bit.  As cliché as this is for a review, the harmonies on this track start out as very Beatles-esque.  Again they take a foundation, intentionally or not, and transform it into something of their own sound.

If we were still living in the era of record albums and not digital downloads this would be a good breaking point for side 1.  Track 6, “Mama,” is almost pleading in nature.  The protagonist envisioning a future where music will save their family from rough times.  A protagonist that prefers playing music to football.  They say all good stories have an element of truth.  Perhaps that is the case here, perhaps it is just a well written story.

From there it is more of the same with another low key track followed by a couple of upbeat tracks with some interesting guitar work.  Then the last song kicks in and the album ends on something unexpected.

Track 10, “Save Your Energy,” sounds like it came straight off of a Fleet Foxes album.  Again this isn’t a band riding on the coattails of established sounds.  The band’s personality shines through on these songs making this their album above all else.

Indeed this is an album worth picking up.  I think it could very well be a surprise breakout album for 2013.  It is a strong debut from a young band and I look forward to hearing more from them.

X-Men Legacy

Starting off in a Himalayan monastery, we encounter David Haller attempting to manage his multiple personalities with the help of Merzah the Mystic. With Merzah’s psychic aid, David successfully contains his personalities, envisioning a prison in his mind to incarcerate and pacify the more violent sides of himself.  Having had multiple sessions in policing his mind-prison, David believes he is on the way to having full control of himself.  However when one of his personalities facilitates a jailbreak, David unleashes a vast amount of power decimating the monastery.  Now injured physically and mentally, David sets off in search of something, anything, to keep himself sane.

Stumbling upon a pair of persecuted sibling mutants, David tries to keep himself together well enough to protect them. Encountering the mutant Ruth Aldine, aka Blindfold, David is alerted to a vision of destruction and terror at his own hands and struggles with the good and ill deeds of the X-men. All the while, David must contend with the virulent forces in his mind and overcome them in order to protect those around him from danger… especially if that danger is himself.

Written by Simon Spurrier, having written his own comic book material in The Simpering Detective and Bec & Kawl as well as for comics such as Judge Dredd and Silver Surfer, Spurrier puts his ten plus years of comic book writing towards X-Men Legacy. It’s clear that Spurrier’s experience serves him well as Legacy gives us a wonderfully paced story full of twists and turns and some pretty heavy content.  Spurrier’s juxtaposition of the world to that of David’s mind offers a fantastic parallel as David fights to keep himself under control.  Yet, Spurrier’s Legion is a light-hearted one considering the circumstances, keeping the story from getting terribly dark with cleverly inserted quips often incorporating British slang. All in all, I feel Spurrier’s Legacy is among the best of the writing I’ve seen coming out of Marvel Now thus far.

The illustration in Legacy is likewise fantastic. Initially penciled by Malaysian illustrator Tan Eng Huat (The Authority, Ghost Rider), the comic shifts after issue #4 to artist Jorge Molina (Avengers, Captain America, Spider-Man).  While the art shifts slightly in the changeover, the comic doesn’t suffer as both artists do excellent jobs, really doing justice to Legion’s array of amazing and perplexing powers.  Divided between the world of the physical and the world of David’s mind, the comic covers everything from vast mind-prisons to the Himalayas. The numerous mutants that David runs into in each of these places really give the artists a playground for the amazing as we get to see a plethora of new powers and character’s visual quirks, something that Huat and Molina both excel at.  The comic’s figurative cherry-on-top is the beautiful and abstract cover art by the incomparable Mike Del Mundo (look at this freaking work!), whose artwork can be seen gracing the covers of Deadpool Killustrated, Constantine, and Marvel Zombies, just to name a few.

Not having read X-men Legacy before the Marvel Now! re-boot, I went into this series with few expectations. And not knowing much about Legion, I had even less knowledge about what I was getting myself into.  To be honest, I was a little put off by the way that David Holler’s mental disability was handled at first. It seemed very flat and a tad sob-story-esque. But as the comic progressed, my silly thoughts were dashed as the story dug into the characters and really made us feel for them. We see more and more of what David deals with in his mind, and both his mental and physical struggles really give him depth and made me empathize with him.

As David continues to seek power over himself, his mantra of “I rule me” really hits home with anyone who has ever felt exasperated over being without control. The phrase not only represents David taking full control of himself, but also perhaps symbolizes his overcoming of obstacles whether mental or physical. In suppressing the prisoners in his mind as well as fighting of a psychic attacker, David whispers, “I rule me”; a sort of encouragement, a reminder, a constant mission.

Whichever way I look at it, I’ve truly been blown away by this series so far, and I only hope that it continues to be as entertaining and powerful as it has been so far. From the artwork to the deep characters and fantastic pacing, X-Men Legacy is most certainly at the top of my suggestion list. Definitely pick this up if you’re looking for a unique and fresh look at the world of mutants.

Justice League issues: 15, 16, 17

Why on earth is Captain Marvel on the cover?

Aquaman has become one of my favorite characters to come out of the New 52, with a major thanks to his ongoing series written by Geoff Johns. So of course I was thrilled to follow his “Throne of Atlantis” crossover because 1) The whole event was focused on Aquaman, and 2) I had already been reading Johns’ run on Justice League and therefore did not need to pick up a random title just to enjoy the crossover. Before I had even purchased the prelude issue, this story already had two points in its favor. Spoilers for Throne of Atlantis below.

Prelude (Aquaman 14):  Prelude issues can be tricky, because on the one hand, it needs to be an introduction for key characters and relevant plot points, but then again, many people skip the prelude and wait for the first part of the arc. The problem then is how can a prelude issue feel relevant without being absolutely necessary that a person needs to pick this issue up before starting the meat of the arc. However, that doesn’t seem to be a problem for Johns. Past characters and artifacts are brought up, while we are introduced to two new characters, Aquaman’s brother and current king of Atlantis, Orm, and the land-living Atlantean, Vulko. Johns gives us a brief glimpse into the tempestuous (pun intended) relationship of Aquaman and Orm; a brief history of how past Atlanteans go about revenge, and a preview of things to expect in the rest of the story. As far as preludes go, this one gets 5 ancient Atlantean relics out of 5.

Parts 1 & 2 (Justice League 15 & Aquaman 15): This crossover event literally starts off with a bang (okay, technically it starts off with a scared school of fish swimming away) that sparks the inevitable conflict: An aircraft carrier unexpectedly shoots off its new missiles at the bottom of the ocean. Judging by the crews faces, this was not the intended target of those missiles. Batman is in pursuit of a group of speed boating baddies, while Wonder Woman and Superman go on a civilian date as a couple of four-eyed lovebirds. I have to get this out of the way: In comic books I find it really strange when people with the exact same hair and eye color date. They just look too related for me, so I’m asking colorists to start using varying shades of blue and black. Back to our more important matters, Aquaman and his incredibly awesome partner Mera “help” Batman stop those boating baddies; Cyborg finds out that he is becoming more and more machine; and Metropolis is hit with a flood/tsunami and an aircraft carrier, well, Superman and Wonder Woman manage to catch the aircraft carrier before it can add on to the tsunami damage. As Superman states “Dammit, we can’t save everyone,” flash to Lois Lane underwater. I don’t care how much Wonder Woman understands you or that you are the Superman of the New 52: You always have to save Lois Lane, Clark! But Clark’s mistakes are fixed thanks to Vulko (Prelude!), who saves Lois. Back with Aquaman, Mera, and Batman, they too see a crazy storm brewing, and find out that Orm and his army of are behind this, following the Atlantean war plans that Arthur himself wrote.

Aquaman #15

Part 2 focuses on the devastation the storm is causing in Gotham now, as our heroes struggle to save as many people as possible. the highlight of this issue is Mera stopping a tidal wave from hitting the city. Oh, and Orm asking two startled sailors where their king is, getting blank stares as an answer, and then asking them if he is speaking their language correctly. The League take an exhausted Vulko to the Watchtower, where Cyborg has stayed for the past two issues. The other four League member return to the battleground, where Orm and his army confront them. We end part 2 with the lovely scene of Aquaman grabbing Batman by the neck. Personally, I think Aquaman is using his whole “Do I fight for Atlantis or the Surface World?” conflict in order to release some pent up hostility he has against Batman from their early disputes about who’s the leader. Parts 1 and 2 are a great start to the crossover event. Johns provides the main conflict at hand, while also giving hints of things to come.

Parts 3 & 4 (Justice League 16 & Aquaman 16): The issue opens with everyone’s favorite scientist, Dr. Shin being saved by Cyborg, only to be attacked by what I am assuming is a member of the Atlantean Black Ops. The whole issue is pretty much one gorgeous battle between Aquaman, Orm, and the rest of the JL. Ivan Reis has done absolutely amazing work in Part 1 and now in Part 3. His fight scenes do not have that problem where the action is difficult to follow or look like a hot mess. These scenes are what every superhero comic book battle should be, which is super. Our heroes are defeated (for now) in one foul swoop by Orm, and Reis makes their pain quite real. Cyborg, who has remained away from his teammates and the water, has returned to the Watchtower with Dr. Shu, but after hearing that his comrades have fallen, Cyborg makes a crucial decision: Removing one of his few remaining human attributes in order to dive deep into the depths of the ocean. Part 3 ends with a call to arms of some of the superheroes that the League has come in contact with at some point (Zatanna’s costume is insanely lame).

Part 4 touches a bit on Cyborg’s connection to the last physical remnants of his human body. This conflicting issue of being more machine than man has been severely, disappointingly underused in the New 52, but I am glad that Throne of Atlantis has touched on it a little. Honestly, it’s a much more interesting inner struggle than being the last of your kind (*cough*Superman*cough*). Meanwhile, Aquaman is struggling to save his friends (I’m using the term loosely here) as he gets attacked by those creatures from the first arc of Aquaman. Batman is actually conscious and communicating with Aquaman from the pod thing he is encased in, which I find to be pretty funny. I am starting to wonder if New 52 Batman isn’t part machine or has some sort of super power himself. Up on land, superheroes like Black Canary and Hawkman (who is pretty freakin’ bloodthirsty and a tad scary) battle Orm’s army. Paul Pelletier’s pencils have grown on me, and though I find his battle scenes to be less spectacular than Reis’, they still are exciting and well organized. Down below, Mera and Cyborg save Aquaman and the rest of the JL from their pods, except Batman, because, well, he doesn’t work well under (water) pressure. speaking of water pressure, I know she’s a demigod, but I was surprised to see that Wonder Woman could handle being out of her pod and able to talk (!!) that deep down into the ocean. While I was contemplating the capacities of a demigod and the JL were busy chatting, those deep sea creatures escaped and made it to the surface. For me, though this was still a great installment, Part 4 was the weakest issue for me. Lots of talking. Obviously too much talking since our heroes didn’t notice AN ARMY OF MONSTROUS SEA CREATURES swim up to land. So we leave off with the surface world having to not only face Atlanteans, but also an army of muscular man-eating sea monsters. Oh, and apparently Vulko, our other Friendly Neighborhood Atlantean, isn’t as friendly as we thought.

Justice League #17

Part 5 (Justice League 17): Magnificent. Positively magnificent. Reis’ artwork coupled with Johns’ story gives Thrones of Atlantis the ending

it so rightly deserves. Those who read Throne of Atlantis will never think of Aquaman as a ridiculous, joke of a superhero, lest they want to be smote by the King of Atlantis. While the Justice League and the back up heroes continue the fight with the Atlantean army, Aquaman and Orm finally get to work out their brotherly angst. Apparently the best way to do that is by punching your brother in the face and taking your rightful place as the King of Atlantis. In all seriousness, no matter how awesome Aquaman looks shouting “I am your king,” it is not what he wanted at all. By being the king, Aquaman must leave the surface world that he was never truly a part of to rule over Atlanteans in a kingdom that he can never truly relate to. Thus, Aquaman is left being the exactly what he never wanted: alone. But being the king has its benefits, as Aquaman uses the old king’s scepter to send those nasty sea monsters back to sea. Vulko will be taken to Atlantis and tried for his crimes, but as a cruel punishment, Orm is forced to stay on land and serve his punishment there. Seeing the guy in his prison cell, even after all of the damage that he has caused, is a sad sight to see, and just like his brother, Orm too is in a place where he is alone. The ending itself is quite melancholy, as Aquaman must bid farewell to Mera and the people of the surface world now have a strong negative opinion about Aquaman and Atlantis.

Overall, this was an incredibly enjoyable crossover featuring one of the New 52′s best superheroes. Though I am bummed to see Reis leave Aquaman for Justice League, Pelletier is already starting to improve and find his grove within the series, and proved that he can handle the responsibility of making Aquaman look awesome. I look forward to things to come in the next arc where we see Aquaman act out his kingly duties. As for the Justice League, I hope that Cyborg’s struggle to hold on to what is human is put more into focus, and I am excited to see who they will replace Aquaman with. Throne of Atlantis is a great little crossover, and even if the story wasn’t as good as it turned out to be, I would still recommend it for Reis’ art alone. I mean, just bask in its glory.

The Kapital

Following “Landfall”, “Black Pacific”, the second chapter in the story of The Massive, gives up just what we need: a deeper glimpse into the lives and histories of The Kapital’s crew. The first arc being an introduction to the story and the propensity for violence in the post-crash world of The Massive, this second arc focuses inwards as the characters struggle to survive on the open seas.

Quick recap (w/ minor spoilers):

Issue #4, “Mog”, sees Callum’s stopover in Somalia to acquire supplies. While there, he meets Arkady, a friend from his BlackBell PMC days. Discovering Arkady’s current work as a gun-for-hire and his goal to seize The Kapital, Callum must keep himself in check as old disagreements about ethics in war begin to surface.

Meanwhile in issue #5, Mary takes Ryan, the ships resident American, on a trip to Antarctica to find a source of freshwater for The Kapital at a drilling research station. Once there however, they run across violent men who have made the research station their home and Ryan must summon all her courage to survive the bandits as well as the freezing conditions.

Once reunited in issue #6, “Micronesia”, The Kapital’s crew runs across a seemingly abandoned ship laden with supplies.  With food and supplies in short supply, Callum sends Mag and Georg aboard to seize some crates. When the ‘abandoned’ ship turns out to be manned, Mag makes use of his training with the Tamil Tigers and BlackBell PMC to turn the tide and acquire the supplies they need.  But at what cost to his morality?

Illustrated now by Garry Brown, the series now has a grittier look to it.  And when combined with the series’ color work by Dave Stewart, The Massive continues to deliver stunning images in everything from bringing life to Callum’s trip to Somalia to showing the desolation of Antarctica with ease. Brown definitely gets the chance to show off his illustration chops as the crew jaunts around the globe, and he takes advantage of it beautifully. Each issue in this arc is filled with moments that make me thankful for Brown and Stewart’s roles in this series.

This arc seems to be all about courage, morality, and the process of overcoming great obstacles. Whether it’s Callum standing up to Arkady in Somalia, Ryan surviving the icy waters of the Antarctic, or Mag making the hard moral choices with taking another ships supplies, each issue in this arc not only gives us more back story into characters, but also has something to say about the morality in a world of loose laws and people looking only to survive; almost a wild-west scenario on the open ocean, where the creaking you hear may not be just your ship.

Brian Wood has definitely created a solid cast of characters, and it’s clear that he’s got a plan for them and the series.  What I find most incredible about Wood’s work is the detail of the worlds he’s created.  With DMZ, it was clear that a lot of thought was put into what would happen in a second Civil War scenario, and in The Massive the detail of the ships, the lingo, and the history of each location the crew of The Kapital visits is incredibly deep.

One of my favorite series at the moment, The Massive is only nine issues in at the moment and easy to pick up and read (if you can find copies).  With amazing characters, gripping story, and stunning artwork, this is definitely a series to get into if you haven’t already. Seriously. Why aren’t you buying this right now?

If there is one thing I love about the internet it is that it allows people like Brian K. Vaughan, Marcos Martin-as well as other artists in the world-allow their work to be out there without the necessary guidance and push from large companies and/or studios.

Many people have sold their work online independently for years, but more and more artists have seemed to be going to it because it just works. I am not just talking about comics either, comedians like Louis CK, musicians, filmmakers, pretty much any artist that can make their work digital have sold their work independently for quite some time on this interweb machine. But the concept behind this comic and the irony is what sold me on the fact this just works.

We start off with a beautiful city and a private investigator, named P.I., being chased by some sort of law enforcement called “the fourth estate.” The law enforcement officials chase P.I. and shoot at him with paint balls instead of actual bullets, but alas he gets away on a moving train. The story continues to get more interesting as it progresses, but here are a few things, that won’t spoil the story, that blew my hair back:

• The internet and everything is gone from a Noah-the-ark-like flood
• People who want their identity concealed in public wear costumes called “Nyms”
• The LA Times is funded by tax dollars
• And marijuana comes in filtered packs like cigarettes.

Yeah, the future is pretty badass.

Anyways, P.I. turns out to be a guy who can get information about people, for the right price of course. The story continues and the ending of issue one starts the comic perfectly for the 10-issue series Brian K. Vaughan promises at the end.

Personally I felt that the story wasn’t too cliché and offered a new take on the overused detective noir look at non-superhero comics. With the future being pretty mystic and wondrous,  it makes the reader ask more questions about the future than anything. It personally had me itching for more about this universe like a heroin addict for “just one more fix” (not to say this is as addictive as heroin).

The artwork is not only vibrant with colors of this futuristic Los Angeles full of costumed people wearing “nyms” to conceal their identity, but Marcos Martin uses every single panel to make the reader question more things in this universe. After reading this a few times, there is not one panel that doesn’t make me see something new or ask more questions; “Why is the LA Times funded by the government?” or “Why is P.I. reading books like Freakonomics and Joseph Heller’s novel Something Happened, and listens to The Flaming Lips on record even though it is well into the future?”

It is not just the artwork that makes the reader ask questions about this universe it is also the writing. I keep asking myself who the “fourth estate” is and why everyone uses “nyms” as a way to keep their identity hidden, and what happened from the time the Internet went away to now? And why the hell are paintballs the new weapon of choice? Needless to say, the use of making things “open to interpretation” has worked on keeping my interest piqued.

Private Eye not only has a fresh take on story that has been presented so many times before, but it also seems to find a way to allow people to get their comics in a fresh way as well. With is being as much as you decide it is worth, it just goes to show that if you want something out there for all to see, the internet offers a plethora of options.

Brian K. Vaughan says at the end of issue one that he plans to make Private Eye a 10 issue series on a monthly basis. You can get more information, as well as your own digital copy of Private Eye, at his website PanelSydicate.com where he plans to host all of the upcoming issues of Private Eye as well.

If you have the time, and maybe a few bucks to spare, I highly recommend grabbing a digital copy for yourself. It is not only well worth your money and time, but it also supports the people creating this all on their own. Plus, if you chose not to read this you are only hindering yourself from a series that has loads of potential. Private Eye just makes a story that may be a tad overused seem so futuristic and keeps me on the edge of my seat with the turn of every page.