The Gamer’s Quagmire #38: Start Baiting Your Breath
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.
by Jamison DeLorenzo
It may have taken a couple months to catch on, but I think people are starting to find their way over to my camp on the new Nintendo console. It is entirely possible that Nintendo is going to land a haymaker on Sony and Microsoft this time around, but if it is going to happen it better start happening soon. Launch lists are always a telling sign as to what is happening with a console. Right now the only one that looks to be getting games that I am eager to play is the 360, which not so coincidentally is thriving right now (in no small part thanks to Gears of War). This situation will only improve once Halo 3 hits the market.Things are not as one-sided, however. The Wii had a phenomenal launch and continues to sell very well. Sure, the install base for it is quite impressive, but that is hardly the stat you want to point to for success of a console. It is a great way to kick things off, but you never win a war by winning the initial skirmish. You may want to ask Dreamcast fans how that one turned out (especially the bitter ones, it’s very entertaining). Still, even someone as turned off by the Wii as I am, admittedly I am thinking about picking one up to test out Zelda because a person who loves puzzle and adventure games can only hide from the franchise for so long. In some respects I feel like a caveman just thawing out from an ice chamber.
As a Nintendo fan you need to move past this initial victory. Sony is still gaining profit as a company and the PS3 is anything but dead (it is best to ignore people who think the PS3 is already dead because these people may be more deranged than the people who think NASA faked the moon landing). The 360 now has PGR3, Oblivion, and Gears of War under its belt as major gaming titles that have produced huge sales figures. Twilight Princess has done very well indeed, but looking at the Wii launch list you can’t help but wonder when the next game is coming out that will compete with these figures.
Despite my apprehension towards giving Microsoft more money, it looks like we are in the throws of the Xbox becoming the new hot console for this generation. It is the only console that is generating new franchise names without completely killing them off. Nintendo had Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokemon. Incidentally, I would have included Viewtiful Joe in with the household franchises had it not been whored out beyond belief on the Gamecube. I have no problem with turning successful games into franchises, but inventing a new side-scroller in this era of gaming is dumb because the staying power simply is not there anymore. Side-scrollers officially died when Castlevania, a franchise whose success is completely dependent upon 2D, switched over to 3D (Castlevania now exclusively resides in the realm of handheld gaming, the only place side-scrollers have any remaining clout).
If the death of the side-scroller bothers you at all you should be upset that there was never a ceremony to bury the icons of the genre. Contra, Gradius, Mega Man, and Castlevania each deserve a fond farewell. Mega Man transitioned into the Battle Network series that is now more overplayed than the Macarena. Castlevania was able to find a home on the handhelds. Contra III was the last memorable installment and the two soldiers were put out to pasture. Gradius and the rest of the space shooters, let’s face it, as popular as the once briefly were, just met natural selection.
All this is not to say I hate the Wii. This is far from the truth. I may hate the name. I may hate the naming scheme that generated for the Wii’s peripherals. I may hate the Nintendo fanbots more than anyone else. The problem is that it is hard to ignore generations of really enjoyable gameplay and the new controllers are relatively intriguing. What is preventing me from jumping in, aside from a heavy and potentially lethal World of Warcraft addiction, is that past Zelda I cannot see myself playing any of these games. Maybe the new major Mario title would be worth checking out. I say this because after having a lot of fun with Mario Brothers 1, 2, 3, Super Mario World, and Mario 64 seeing the new Mario adventure game with a fresh control scheme would be entertaining. The only problem is that two games does not make buying a console worthwhile. We have a term for where that purchase makes sense, and it’s called a garage sale.
Not knowing any people firsthand who own a Wii I am forced to rely on everything I can find online to formulate an opinion on why people love this console (or any console or game for that matter). Filtering out all of the expected posturing, warped logic, bandwagoning, and straw men I am left with a pretty good idea as to why Nintendo is doing so well. And so you know, it has nothing whatsoever to do with why the PS3 is doing so poorly (that reason, in case you’re confused, is cost). There is more than one reason at play here, so this will not be quick. The primary reason is the innovation in the control scheme. Right now I do want this to succeed because controllers may be the next part of gaming whose development truly evolves even past the Wii controller. The graphics capabilities are going to level off very soon, so controls seem like the next logical step with the possible exception of AI.
I think there is another driving force at play that people seem to be ignoring. This ties in with a lot of the negative press video games have been getting and the swarm of anti-gaming legislation that a plethora of state legislatures are looking to pass. Nobody is ever going to accuse Nintendo of producing a violent game or one that sparks enormous controversy (or not in the foreseeable future at least). No, I don’t think that gamers are really worried about that part of it. Swarms of people talk about the fact that over the Christmas holiday season, something that all consoles look to capitalize on, they were playing the Wii with their parents, relatives, girl friends, and friends who would put about just as much stock into gaming as they would Euro Disney.
What I am struggling with is why would I even care about that? When have I ever purchased a game so that my family would want to play games with me? Call me crazy, but when my parents were purchasing games for me I had no troubles playing with them. I was also under 10 at the time so it also helped that the games that appealed to me then were the much simpler ones. They bought at least two games every year that we all could play and have fun with, but the number of people that purchase consoles so that they can play games with their relatives is miniscule. I’ll be honest, having party games like Wii Sports is a good thing and party games are, for the most part, underrated. When you have several friends over the party game is almost always a great option. However, if you’re going to venture out onto a limb with that as a reason to buy the console you are going to plummet to your untimely demise.
A console with family entertainment is a market, but it is hardly, at this point in time, the dominating or sustainable market. Maybe these games will catch on and maybe the controller will too. Right now it is just a fad with a bunch of people making excuses. If you think a company like Sony would not get raked over the coals for making a controller whose wrist strap kept breaking thusly causing the controllers to be winged across the room then you are in complete denial. Maybe the games will become more appealing for someone like me. Anything’s possible.
As a closing thought, I will state that I was in this exact position around a year and a half ago with the DS and the PSP. The DS felt more innovative and the PSP had more potential. The only difference was that the DS had the game library because of the GBA cartridge input. Now, if anything, the PS3 will eventually have the games advantage. Both handhelds basically failed in terms of promise. Despite the overwhelming sales advantage for the DS the stylus simply isn’t going to take off as a good gaming peripheral. When I can read my own writing at the supermarket checkout with a stylus then, maybe, I’ll believe it is a good thing for gaming. In the meantime, enjoy the next several months as we will get a crystal clear view of which consoles are going to deliver the gaming experiences we hope to enjoy.
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On The Shelf This Week – 01.31.07
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
DARK HORSE COMICS
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Star Wars Knights Of The Old Republic #13, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by John Jackson Miller, Art by Dustin Weaver and Michael Atiyeh. Really have to admit – this series turned out to be nothing at all like expected. It seems so narrow in focus, when all expectations were that this would be a wide look at the whole of this period of the Star Wars universe’s history. This isn’t to say that the series is bad, just a lot different than one might have expected. So far, it has been passable, and very enjoyable if you happen to like Star Wars comics. This issue is billed as a perfect jumping on point- hopefully that is true, it is always good to take a time-out and give new readers a chance to ease into a story. Especially considering how complex Star Wars books can get for the uninitiated in such a short time.
Usagi Yojimbo #100, $3.50, 32 Pages. Stan Sakai with special guests Sergio Aragonés, Guy Davis, Mark Evanier, Rick Geary, Frank Miller, Jamie S. Rich, Mike Richardson, Scott Shaw, Jeff Smith, Matt Wagner, and Andi Watson. He is a samurai bunny, why on earth would anyone like this series? Well, to answer that question, buy this issue. Stan Sakai proves issue after issue that he has a natural grasp of comic storytelling that so many of the so-called “greats” of today can only pretend at. Each issue is accessible and emotional, and you will be shocked at how quickly you are sucked into the world of our favorite rabbit ronin. And don’t let the animals fool you – if you have an affinity for feudal Japan, Sakai has a wealth of knowledge about the period and it shows through in each and every story. Hopefully we will have another hundred issues to sing the praises of.
DC COMICS
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52 Week #39, $2.50, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid; Breakdowns by Keith Giffen; Art by Joe Bennett and Ruy Jose. It definitely feels like things are wrapping up here. Probably a good thing – as interesting as this series has been, it is a real pain in the wallet. Good format, decent story, but is it worth $10+ a week? Not forever. But then, there are only about 3 months left, so just have to hang on until then. Hopefully the climax makes the wait and cost more than worth it.
Batman And The Mad Monk #6 (Of 6), $3.50, 32 Pages. By Matt Wagner. It is strange, but a good Batman mini is actually something of a rarity. Occasionally they are passable, but usually they seem little more than filler. Not so here. Wagner did a fantastic job updating this old Golden Age story – much to all of our delight. If you skipped out on this because it looked like nothing more than another average Batman mini, you should check out the inevitable trade. Hopefully we get another one from Wagner in the near future.
Batman Legends Of The Dark Knight #214, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Christos N. Gage; Art by Phil Winslade. This could well be the last Legends of the Dark Knight… about time? Shame that this title wasn’t given a better send-off, DC just cancelled it. The title did become somewhat redundant once Batman Confidential got started, but for a title that lasted well over 200 issues, you’d think they would at least make some mention of its cancellation.
Blue Beetle #11, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Keith Giffen and John Rogers, Art by Rafael Albuquerque. This title still feels just weird. Not that it is bad – it just doesn’t feel like the Blue Beetle. Maybe it is the whole alien nature of the scarab that is off-putting, but it really seems to be getting to the point to where the only thing this Blue Beetle shares with its predecessors is the name and the color. Not a breakout book yet, but still worth at least a shot.
Creeper #6 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Steve Niles, Art by Justiniano and Walden Wong. Another mini coming to a close this week. Niles’s new vision of the Creeper was certainly interesting, though the series was rocky at times. Mostly because of the content – maybe comic writers just aren’t used to cramming so much into issues these days? This will make a good trade purchase, especially if you are a fan of Niles or the character in particular. This will likely not be the last we see of this character.
Hawkgirl #60, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Walter Simonson, Art by Renato Arlem, This issue is supposed to be set right after JSA Classified #22, which is supposed to be out this week. I have seen it both on and off shipping lists for the week, which may mean it is going to be delayed. If you are reading this arc, be on the lookout for that issue, and if it is delayed, go ahead and sit on this one until it does come out. Wouldn’t want to muddle up the story! As to the title itself, it has shown some serious improvement since Howard Chaykin departed the artist’s chair. Arlem’s style is similar, though not nearly as bad. With some heroines, ok, some sexy **** is probably ok. But Hawkgirl? Just doesn’t fit the character.
Ion #10 (Of 12), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Ron Marz; Art by Fernando Pasarin and Greg Tocchini. Man, this series was slow in starting, but it has really become good. With just this and two other issues to go – where are we going to get our Kyle Rayner fix once this one wraps up? As good as the Green Lantern line is right now, they could passably fit in another ongoing. Well, here is to hoping! Also Available: Ion Vol 1 The Torchbearer TPB, $14.99, 144 Pages. Collection Ion #1-6.[/i]
JLA Classified #33, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Dan Slott and Dan Jurgens; Art by Jurgens and Trevor Scott. Man, did this title’s sales drop like a rock during that disaster of a Chaykin arc! Shame though – a few thousand people jumped ship and may well have missed out on the start of a pretty decent arc from Dan Slott. That is the trouble with rotating creative teams. When you have a really bad arc, comic readers on a tight budget are less than forgiving. If you are one of those who jumped ship – now is a good time to try this book again.
Seven Soldiers Of Victory Vol 4, $14.99, 224 Pages. Written by Grant Morrison; Art by Doug Mahnke, Freddie Williams III, Yanick Paquette and Michael Bair. This one was put on the shelf for a while – those who were waiting for it should be on the lookout for it this week. Seven Soldiers ultimately was hard to nail down. It started with so much promise, but like some of Morrison’s projects end up, it ended leaving you scratching your head and wondering just what happened. If you are a fan of Morrison’s recent work (Seaguy comes to mind as an apt comparison), you will enjoy Seven Soldiers. Like Seaguy, Seven Soldiers started awesome, then became so muddled that it was near impossible to figure out what he was trying to convey. In a three issue mini, that is something to deal with, but the whole Seven Soldiers event was considerably longer and more expensive, and as a result more disappointing. Still – there were some bright moments. The Manhattan Guardian series in particular was great.
VERTIGO
Jack Of Fables #7, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges; Art by Tony Akins and Andrew Pepoy. Still not reading Jack? Shame on you! It is tough singing the praised of a book for months on end, but sometimes it is well deserved. Jack of Fables, like Fables before it, is one of those rare books that maintains an almost unheard of consistency of greatness. This issue is the start of a new story arc, and as such a good time to jump aboard. Do yourself a favor and try it out!
WILDSTORM
Deathblow #3, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian Azzarello, Art and cover by Carlos D’Anda. Well, Wildstorm is back to pretty much where it naturally should be – accessible to those select fans of the style, and not many others. It had quite a long streak of popularity thanks to that formula, and though the reboot seemed to alienate DC readers who were finally giving it a shot, it seems to have satisfied some. Still, it is way too early to tell whether this endeavor is a success or not. Probably be a few more months yet before we know for sure.
Ex Machina #26, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian K. Vaughan, Art by Tony Harris and Tom Feister. Digs on the Wildstorm Universe titles aside, the Wildstorm books in their own continuity continue to be solid – Ex Machina being a good example. This issue is the start of a new story arc set during the Blackout of 2003. A great place to jump on. Ex Machina is consistently well reviewed and well received by readers, and has proven to be a pretty appropriate format for Vaughan’s political tendencies.
IMAGE
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Spawn #164, $2.95, 32 Pages. Written by David Hine, Art by Philip Tan. A little over a year ago, Spawn suddenly started coming out again. All the old late issues were resolicited, and for the most part it seemed like the title was once again going to come out on a regular basis. Well, a year
later, it seems as if it is keeping up – for the most part. In actuality, the title is pushing 2 months behind. While not all that bad, we can see how fast that can cannonball from months to years in this title’s case. Image did a lot of hard work to try and correct its bad reputation when it came to shipping books on time, and they did well, for a short time. This little slip isn’t unique to Spawn – hopefully the fine folks at Image see the direction things are heading and nip it before things get all that bad once again. Image puts out some great material that really would sell much better if it ended up on the shelves when they promised it would.
MARVEL COMICS
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Anita Blake Vampire Hunter, Guilty Pleasures #4 (Of 12), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Laurell K. Hamilton and Stacie M. Ritchie, Art by Brett Booth. It does seem like Marvel’s partnership with Dabel is yielding some interesting dividends. This title is actually up about 2,000 readers since the first issue, and is selling way better than a lot of fairly good superhero books like Catwoman, She-Hulk, and even the love-or-hate Nextwave. It is hard to imagine Dabel pulling these kind of numbers solo, no matter how good their novel adaptations are. For Marvel, it gives them some much-needed diversity, and a chance for some other talent to produce books under a Marvel imprint. Win-win if you ask me.
Astonishing X-Men Vol 3 Torn TPB, $14.99, 144 Pages. Written by Joss Whedon, Art by John Cassaday. The third Whedon/Cassaday Astonishing arc- pretty much in the same tone as the first. There can be no doubt that their run on Astonishing has been acclaimed, though admittedly it gets a real
boost from Whedon’s star power, which waxes over a lot of the bumps in quality their run really has had. This trade collects issues #13-18.
Black Panther #24, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Reginald Hudlin, Art by Koi Turnbull. Really, there is so little to say about this title that hasn’t been said before. If you are enjoying it, you should continue to do so. Sadly for most, it has been a long, hard 2 years since the relaunch…
Daredevil #93, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Ed Brubaker, Art by Michael Lark. Glad to see that Bribaker and lark have managed to keep the luster on this book since they took over, well, about a year ago. About the biggest weakness this book has is the sheer number of ads that totally wreck the artistic flow. Seriously, do we need that many? A great run thus-far for Brubaker and Lark. Can’t wait to see what they have planned next.
Ghost Rider Finale, $3.99, 72 Pages. Written by Ivan Velez, Art byJavier Saltares and Mark Texeira. This is an issue that will really appeal to long-time Ghost Rider fans… the unresolved fate of Dan Ketch. Included in this issue is the unreleased issue #94 (with completed art), the previously released issue #93, and other “bonus” features. Hey, it is 8 years late, but at least it finally happened! Also Available: Essential Ghost Rider Vol 2 TPB, $16.99, 568 Pages. Collecting Ghost Rider #21-50.
Iron Man Extremis TPB, $14.99, 160 Pages. Written by Warren Ellis, Art by Adi Granov. Boy, is Iron Man everywhere these days, or what? Between the upcoming movie, the animated movie, all the minis and his prominence in Civil War, it seems like Marvel is really pushing to get Iron Man past that A-List level and up to the elite area that characters like Spider-Man reside in. Will it work? Tough to say. Can’t blame them for trying, though.
Kabuki #8, $2.99, 32 Pages. By David Mack. To call this a comic book is almost insulting. If anything, it is an artistic treat. Traditionally a little light on the story (the artsy tone helps gloss over the story weakness), Mack does things with art that you won’t see anywhere else in this format, and it is great. Definitely not for everyone, but if you are the type of person who looks at comics as an art form rather than a leisurely read, you should be getting this title.
Ms Marvel Special, $2.99, 48 Pages. Written by Brian Reed, Art by Giuseppe Camuncoli, Lorenzo Ruggiero, and Chris Sotomayor. Marvel has been teasing some major changes for Ms. Marvel, and it looks like they are going to start with this issue. Her title has been really light since it started up – not horrible, just not deep. Maybe a little character update will add some much needed depth to her book.
Ptolus City By The Spire #4 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Monte Cook, Art by Caanan White. The second of the Dabel Brothers minis to start after their affiliation with Marvel. This one doesn’t seem to have quite the buzz that Anita Blake has had, but it has proven itself to be a fairly solid fantasy. Of course, if you are a fan of the game, you probably are getting a lot more out of it.
Ultimate Civil War Spider-Ham Crisis #1, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Wike Wieringo, Mike Allred, John Severin, Nick Dragotta, Ariel Olivetti, and Jim Mahfood. Do you really need a reason to buy this issue? If this wasn’t such a hot week, this issue could have easily been the pick of the week. Should be a load of fun – come-on, Mahfood doing Spider-Ham? How much cooler can you get?
Ultimate Fantastic Four #38, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Mike Carey, Art by Pasqual Ferry and Justin Ponsor. Carey’s first arc wraps up here. So far, things don’t seem to be going well. Those who were big fans of Millar’s sensationalistic storytelling style are disappointed, and those who jumped aboard this book once Millar left still aren’t finding much to get excited about. Shame really – with the exception of Ultimate Spider-Man, the whole Ultimate line has been suffering for some time now. It was hoped that Carey would be able to bring some spark back.
X-Men #195, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Mike Carey, Art by Humberto Ramos and Carlos Alberto Cruz Cuevas. Fans are divided about Carey’s X-Men, but through all the debate, no one seems to revile it as much as they might have prior to his taking over, and that is a huge step in the right direction. It is cool to have some people just not enjoy a story, but when everyone agrees that the title is repulsive – that is when you have a problem. Carey has done a decent job repairing a lot of the damage that was done to these characters, and has made the book readable again. Seems like
pretty good time to be an X-Men reader.
Craig’s Pick of the Week
Annihilation #6 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel. Written by Keith Giffen, Art by Andrea DiVito and Laura Villari. Man, this is one you just hate to see
end. It is so hard to believe that something like this, an almost perfect event mini, is coming from the same company that gave us disasters like House of M and yes, Civil War. It has it all – great art, a compelling action story, fantastic characterizations – it even makes you start to care about certain characters that had been nothing more than plot devices before this series. Annihilation has been an amazing story that wasn’t bogged down by distracting marketing and meaningless tie-in issues. Sure, there was the horrible Prologue issue, but that is easy to close your eyes and pretend didn’t happen. If Marvel can find a way to infuse this kind of quality storytelling throughout their top-tier books, there won’t be any question of which of the big two is on top – DC won’t even be close. Hopefully come World War Hulk, Marvel will use this series as a template, and NOT Civil War.
NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.
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January 24, 2007
On The Shelf This Week – 01.24.07
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
Craig’s Top Ten Comics of the Week
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#10 – Civil War: The Return #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel. Written by Paul Jenkins, Art by Tom Raney. This might seem to be ranked pretty low to some of you, but Civil War has disappointed on just about every front. The Civil War aspects of this issue aside, a major “return” is promised, which is why this issue warrants attention. Of course, Marvel is rightly trying to play this off as if the returnee could be ANYONE. But odds are, pretty much all of us already know who it will be…
#9 – Moon Knight #7, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel. Written by Charlie Huston, Art by David Finch and Frank D’Armata. One arc into it, and we already get a Civil War tie-in? OK, if this is a “coming out” issue where different characters from the Marvel Universe pop in and just make an appearance, just to establish continuity, while the story progresses unmolested? Not so bothersome. Huston has done a great job of building Moon Knight up once again, and giving him a real individuality that has been lacking in recent appearances. A little less padding and this book would be secure amongst the best Marvel has to offer. Hopefully that Civil War tag on the cover will inspire some people to give this issue a try.
#8 – Invincible #38, $2.99, 32 Pages, Image. Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ryan Ottley and Bill Crabtree. This book is running, what, 2 months late right now? This has to be the biggest drawbacks of Kirkman’s Image work. Invincible and the Walking Dead are such good reads, but you can never count on them coming out on time! Actually, that is probably Image’s biggest failing as a whole. They are better than they used to be though. Should be another outstanding issue.
#7 – Outer Orbit #2 (Of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages, Dark Horse. By Zach Howard, Sean Murphy, and Reed Buccholz. The first issue was a fun action/sci-fi read that didn’t take itself too seriously. Boy, could we use more comics like that. Looking forward to a good laugh here.
#6 – Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #14, $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel. Written by Sean McKeever, Art by Takeshi Miyazawa. So the news is pretty well out – Sean McKeever is off to DC with his brand new Exclusive contract, and his tenure on this title will come to an end at issue #20. So, counting this issue, we have 7 to go – that is an eternity right? Sad thing is, this is one of those books that is almost totally dependant on the creative team. Without the art looking the way it does, and without someone like McKeever handling the story, it wouldn’t be nearly as good as it is. Will Mary Jane fade away once McKeever is gone? It is really impossible to say at this point. In some ways though, that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Better to go out on a high note. Even still, we have 6 months left on this one. It is still a book that deserves a large reader-base – enjoy it while you still can.
#5 – Hellblazer #228, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC/Vertigo. Written by Denise Mina; Art by Leonardo Manco. The very sudden end of Mina’s run on Hellblazer. Her departure seemed really out of the blue – her first arc had some bumps, but the story was good and she seemed like she had some real promise. Maybe it was previously announced that her run would be limited, but I haven’t seen mention of it anywhere. Odd. In any case, there are plenty of Andy Diggle fans out there who have been itching to see him on another Vertigo book. A little sad to see Mina go so early, but there is promising stuff on the horizon.
#4 – Fables #57, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics/Vertigo. Written by Bill Willingham, Art by Mike Allred. A new story arc is always a good time to start reading Fables. ANY issue is a good issue to start, but the first part of a story is always the easiest. This issue focuses once again on the North Wind, this time Bigby has decided it was time to bury the hatchet with his father. No doubt that is only the very surface of this story – Willingham always delivers much more than is readily apparent in the solicit. Always a good read.
#3 – Helmet Of Fate Ibis The Invincible #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics. Written by Tad Williams, Art by Phil Winslade. The Helmet of Fate series of one-shots (oiy, why not just make it a mini?) has begun in earnest. It seems like we are going to get a pretty basic formula for these issues – Title Hero finds the helmet, assumes they are meant to be the new Doctor Fate, finds they are wrong, and the helmet moves on. Basic, but it worked pretty well for the Detective Chimp issue, so why not a few more times? If anything, we are going to get a good look at some of the lesser-known magical characters in the DCU, and that is a good thing. Hope this issue pans out just a good as the last one did.
#2 – Wolverine #50, $3.99, 48 Pages. Marvel. Written by Jeph Loeb, Art by Simone Bianchi and Ed McGuiness. They say it could be the last battle, but we all know that isn’t true. Has it already been 50 issues since Wolverine relaunched? Time sure flies, doesn’t it. We get a new creative team this issue, and the start of what will probably be a really action-packed arc. Exactly the kind of story this title needs. Can’t wait to see what Loeb can do with Logan – looking forward to a good issue.
#1 – Silent War #1 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages, Marvel. Written by David Hine, Art by Roy Allan Martinez and Peter Pantazis. Son of M had to be one of the biggest surprises of 2006. It managed to bring about something good and entertaining from that House of M mess. Well, it did leave a couple hanging plots, and Hine is picking them up right here. As those of you remember from the last series, Black Bolt declared war on humanity (and man, that scene where he whispered ‘war’ was plain cool), and this issue picks right up from there. The Fantastic Four are the first line of defense (clearly this is pre-Civil War). This has the makings of another great series for Hine.
NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.
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January 22, 2007
The Gamer’s Quagmire #37: 2007 Gaming Sabbatical – Part I
Everything you wanted to know about gaming, and less.
by Jamison DeLorenzo
Adventurer’s Perfectionist Disorder, it’s back! The 2007 year kicked off with one of the greatest gaming experiences of my life. Being a gamer at heart I know that if I had it my way I’d be out in California as a game tester and all of my money would go towards an apartment and my entertainment system. It’s an interesting experience to be at work year-round and then take almost two weeks of your life and just sit on a couch and play video games. It honestly feels like a vacation.Sure, you can travel, learn some history, go to an amusement park, visit relatives, go camping, live it up on beach, enjoy a cruise, or whatever suits your fancy. Any real vacation should only be about one thing- avoiding everything about your normal life and just doing something you want to do. I’m always amazed by people that bring laptops on trips and make sure they don’t fall out of the loop while they are away from the office. The last time I had the opportunity I forced someone to leave the laptop at home by convincing them it was in the car when it really was back at the apartment. I’m a good friend that way.
What does any of this have to do with APD? Allow me to bring you on that journey. The last two weeks of 2006 were a vacation from the office for World of Warcraft where I was making leaps and bounds leveling my new character. It’s rough being in a guild where the only way to keep up with the top players is to not have a job, but I still enjoy it immensely. After another week and a half my gaming sabbatical took place in Seattle, something which I hope turns into an annual tradition. During this sabbatical the perfect mix of gaming past and present took place.
Let me present to you my experience of the Playstation 3- it matches what the X-Box 360 brings to the table with the exception of the online play system. I realize that expecting Sony to match Live with their first go at an online delivery system is just insane so that’s okay, but there is a problem. Considering the cost of a fully loaded console with hi-def playback, the 360 is noticeably cheaper than the PS3. I have yet to characterize why. The cosmetic issue of the 360 requiring a peripheral for their HD-DVD drive pushes the aesthetics trophy over to the PS3, but that that can’t be everything can it? If the 360 could handle HD-DVD at launch then the 360’s look would be the best of any of the consoles. The PS3’s design is average at best, same for Nintendo.
Microsoft does not nearly get the beating they deserve for their HD-DVD peripheral. A console having an attachment is inexcusable, reprehensible, sacrilegious, nauseating, and unforgivable. In the age of hi-def entertainment this type of lunacy just shouldn’t happen. It’d be like serving ice cream in a bowl and then bringing along a cone 10 minutes later (you know, because that is what you really wanted and refuse to admit it). That’s not even why they deserve a flogging or two. They announced that the 360 was not about hi-def entertainment, that consoles don’t need it, and Sony was doing too much with their console which is why their launch was delayed so much. Hypocrisy is a major irritant, and this statement reeked of it.
Anyway, the pricing issue is the primary reason why the PS3 is getting crushed right now in the console wars. The 360 is established (for those of you keeping score at home, you need to now admit that the early launch was a good idea) and the Wii offers something that nobody else has. Of course the Wii’s success is based on a gimmick. Zelda is the only game with any good depth to it and the console will not survive on titles like Wii Sports, whose popularity will diminish quicker than the Macarena. Trust me when I tell you that unless a host of good games come out for Nintendo the console will crumble and fall. If the PS3 gets a couple good games out for it then people will eventually flock over to it once the inevitable price cut occurs.
What scares me about my gaming sabbatical was that despite playing good titles on the PS3 and 360 the highlight of the trip involved one of the old classics- Final Fantasy VII. Okay, perhaps it was destiny that picking to play through this game one more time after writing how that was the defining game of the PS2 era for me that VII would once again highlight a gaming weekend. For what was perhaps one last time, our small little group from Gettysburg which set out on the Final Fantasy VII voyage together took the vessel out for once last spin.
As you would expect, simply walking through the game would not be enough. Goals were to capture everything we possibly could before the final dungeon ending in the showdown with Sephiroth. We captured the Gold Chocobo during the final hours of the trip. This felt like the proper ending, but something was wholly unsatisfying about the achievement. Do not misunderstand my apprehension to call it a success. Three people obtaining Knights of the Round in 4 days while playing other games at the same time was a remarkable achievement. What bugs me was that due to a wireless controller issue North Corel was not saved from the train wreck. The blue Huge Materia was not rescued from the spaceship despite me somehow recalling that circle-square-x-x was the password (seriously, I entered the password and picked it up… it was weird). The scales required to put out the fires in the Wutai mountains were missed. Several key Enemy Skills were not uncovered. The Mime materia was not located. The Earth Harp remained a complete mystery. The Battle Square was not conquered.
I’ll be honest with you, as a gamer I was impressed that I remembered certain things about the game. Remembering the song for the piano in Tifa’s house and the spaceship combination was quite prolific (for whatever reason checking my mail every day is still something I forget to do). The fact that so many important items were missed along the journey may making one more last run through the game necessary despite still having my perfect save on a memory card that still remains in my possession. This is a direct effect of a severe case of APD. I should be able to let something like this go. The game has been defeated multiple times with precision, but because my previous run failed spectacularly, in my eyes, it warrants another potential run.
All of this ignores the fact that I still have not made my way through Final Fantasy XII, a game which I claim may be the new champion of the franchise. Vaan, it’s nothing personal. Cloud is a much more compelling hero. Sephiroth is the quintessential villain, something that Vayne cannot claim. It’s not that I think VII is a better game, it’s just that the story in the game is perhaps the best of them all and the Materia system has its place etched in gaming history. Also, not being able to cope with missing several key spells and abilities is eating away at my conscience. Not even Full Cure will ease the pain- only completing the game one more time will. If you have ever played through one game multiple times then you understand my pain. You also understand that there will be one more inevitable article about Final Fantasy VII.
After all, Aeris does deserve a proper burial.
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January 17, 2007
On The Shelf This Week – 01.17.07
ON THE SHELF THIS WEEK
by Craig Reade
DARK HORSE COMICS
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Conan & The Midnight God #1 (Of 5), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Joshua Dysart, Art by Will Conrad and Juan Ferreyra. Whether you like Timothy Truman on Conan or no, the great thing is, these Conan minis have continues to be outstanding, and Dark Horse keeps us in a steady stream of them. Looking forward to seeing why Dysart and company have planned on this one. Also Available: Conan #36, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Timothy Truman, Art by Paul Lee and Dave Stewart.
Outer Orbit #2 (Of 4), $2.99, 32 Pages. By Zach Howard, Sean Murphy, and Reed Buccholz. The first issue of this series was about as silly as you might have expected. If you are looking for hard sci-fi, this isn’t the place. But so far, if you like solid tongue-in-cheek sci-fi humor, this is the right place. DC COMICS
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52 Week #37, $2.50, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns, Grant Morrison, Greg Rucka, Mark Waid; Breakdowns by Keith Giffen; Art by Patrick Olliffe and Drew Geraci. Week 36 was a pretty big one with the promised death. Sadly, it ended up being a little disappointing. The character got such a build throughout the whole Infinite Crisis experience that the death was a little deflating. Not horrible – we have seen way worse comic deaths, but that was not the odds on favorite to fall by any means.
Batman Year One Hundred TPB, $19.99, 232 Pages. By Paul Pope. This one only took about 8 months to come out… not too bad. You really aren’t saving too much money buying it in the trade over the prestige format books, but for some reason a 200+ page trade at $20 sits better on the mind than a single issue at over $5. This ended up being pretty decent – Pope has a good handle on the character and setting, and churned out a much better than average Batman mini. Worth checking out if you passed on the Prestige Format before.
Birds Of Prey #102, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Gail Simone; Art by Nicola Scott and Doug Hazlewood. The new Birds of Prey chugs right along with a pretty solid story. It isn’t amazing… yet. In the past, Gail Simone has always started off kind of slow when coming off a new direction for this book. Still a good read, but it usually takes a few issues for all the groundwork to be laid. Things are still looking up for this book.
Catwoman #63, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Will Pfeifer; Art by David Lopez and Alvaro Lopez. Seems like we have pretty much everything wrapped up insofar as Selina’s baby is concerned. Of course, the baby isn’t going anywhere – it will be curious to see how that works with Catwoman’s character dynamic over the long term. Film Freak turned out to be an awesome villain in a very classic sense – hope to see him pop up again a couple years down the road.
Green Lantern #16, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Geoff Johns, Art by Ivan Reis and Oclair Albert. It took a while, but this book finally got good. Maybe Hal Jordan as a character just had to work out the old ring rust – happens to the best of them. With this title shaping up, Ion getting more interesting, and the Chaykin Guy Gardner series- well, ending… the Green Lantern universe is strong indeed. Pick your poison, they are all good.
JLA Classified #32, $3.99, 48 Pages. Written by Dan Slott and Dan Jurgens; Art by Jurgens and Trevor Scott. Gah – no more crossovers! Really, we do need a break here! Things have toned down a bit, but when reading JLA Classified, one hopes for a fairly self-contained story. Not one you have to keep buying JSA Classified to fully enjoy. Dan Slott on this arc is a head turner – if there was any writer out there that would do a great job with Plastic Man (now that Kyle Baker isn’t doing him), Slott would be near the top of the list. Should get to see that a bit in this issue.
Omega Men #4 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Andersen Gabrych; Art and cover by Henry Flint. Not really the best DC Cosmic story out there right now, but even near the bottom of the barrel, this one isn’t so bad. Good action, decent art – very passable.
Shadowpact #9, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Bill Willingham; Art and cover by Tom Derenick and Wayne Faucher. Starting with Day of Vengeance, Willingham took two characters I thought were long dead (in terms of
popularity) and made them interesting again. One was Detective Chimp. The other was Ragman. Nice to see that the latter got a bit of the spotlight last month. This art has improved dramatically since what can only been described as a rocky start. Still not totally sold on the art (or Enchantress’s costume), but this has become a decent read. Finally!
Spirit #2, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Darwyn Cooke; Art by Cooke and J. Bone. Not really sold on this yet, and I can’t really say why. The first issue seemed to be missing some intangibles, and Cooke just seemed to be trying way, way too hard. The cussing was a little bothersome, but not a killer. Not ready to give up on The Spirit though – Cooke had some huge shoes to fill, and he may just need a few issues to settle into a groove. Patiently waiting for this one.
Superman: Emperor Joker TPB, $14.99, 224 Pages. Written by Jeph Loeb, J.M. DeMatteis, Joe Kelly and Mark Schultz; Art by Ed McGuinness, Doug Mahnke, Todd Nauck and others. A classic story arc in which Mr. Mxyzptlk is tricked into giving the Joker virtually all of his power, allowing the Joker to remake the world in him image. Worth checking out if you haven’t read this arc.
VERTIGO
Testament #14, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Douglas Rushkoff; Art by Peter Gross and Gary Erskine. This series is having a rough time. It really hasn’t latched on to a strong fanbase thanks to some early less-than-stellar issues, and seems to be slowly fading away. Vertigo is a strong label, but sometimes it seems like if one of their books doesn’t find a following from minute ones, it will be doomed. This might have been a concept just better suited to a graphic novel than a serial format. Happens sometimes. Also Available: Testament Vol 2 West Of Eden TPB, $12.99, 128 Pages. Written by Douglas Rushkoff; Art by Peter Gross, Gary Erskine and Liam Sharp. Collecting Testament #6-10.
Y The Last Man #53, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Brian K. Vaughan ; Art by Goran Sudzuka and José Marzan Jr. It is going to be sad to see this one go. What more can you say at this point? Y has been an outstanding series, and Vaughan is thus far bringing it to an end perfectly. Still several issues left, but already the loose threads are being tied. This whole series will make one heck of a hardcover someday…
WILDSTORM
Red Menace #3 (Of 6), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Danny Bilson, Paul DeMeo and Adam Brody; Art by Jerry Ordway and Al Vey. Still not as amazing as it probably should be, but some of that might be how forced the whole concept is. You know how whenever you see a movie about a dead singer, or a painter, or something like that, and you can just tell that it is a manufactured Oscar flick? One of those movies that are designed to push all the right buttons of the film elitists, but with all the artistic integrity of a paint-by-numbers? This book feels like that. Can’t explain why… It is decent, but it doesn’t seem really groundbreaking or original.IMAGE
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Noble Causes #26, $3.50, 32 Pages. Written by Jay Faerber, Art by Tim Kane. This title is sometimes hard for the average comic reader to get into because it is so very soap operaish. There are many plotlines going on at once, and they all resolve themselves at different times – there isn’t a coherent arc structure like so many comic readers are used to. It is well done though, and so long as it stays on time, it is well worth the time to read. Admittedly, the Blackthornes are getting a little tiresome, but they can’t be around forever. Definitely one of Image’s top five books right now.MARVEL COMICS
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Avengers Earths Mightiest Heroes II #5 (Of 8), $3.99, 32 pages. Written by Joe Casey, Art by William Rosado and Tom Palmer. Man, seems like there is a lot of Avengers stuff out there right now. If all of these extra minis are selling well, is it any wonder they want to make the Avengers into a stable title? This one seems to be shaping up about as well as the original – which is good news if you enjoyed the first go around. Good for Avengers fans.
Cable & Deadpool #36, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Reilly Brown and Jeremy Freeman. I was lucky enough to catch an advance copy of this issue, and it was outstanding. No appearance by Cable, for those who read this title for him, but this was like a little taste of the Golden Age of Wade Wilson. Some cameos by his classic supporting cast and an overall decent look at the character. Deadpool fans will eat this issue up. Also Availabile: Cable & Deadpool Vol 2 Burnt Offering TPB (AA), $14.99, 144 Pages[/b]. Written by Fabian Nicieza, Art by Patrick Zircher.
Exiles #90, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Chris Claremont, Art by Paul Pelletier and Rick Maygar. The long anticipated Claremont era finally begins this issue. Bedard’s run on this book was well received overall, though it certainly wasn’t as good as some of his past efforts. It has been a long time since Exiles was truly excellent – hopefully Claremont can bring it back to that level.
Fantastic Four #542, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, Art by Mike McKine and Andy Lanning. Looks like this issue will be a big transition between the broken First Family and the new Fantastic Four to come. Last issue was a pretty obvious stall – Part of the problem with Civil War being so tie-in heavy is that the delays in the event title are bogging things down for the ongoing. Hopefully we get some real plot advancement here.
Ghost Rider #7, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Daniel Way, Art by Richard Corben and Jose Villarrubia. Still kind of baffling that they can’t seem to produce a really solid Ghost Rider title. Especially so since this title has had such a long rest, one would think that a standard, run-of-the-mill Ghost Rider story would be very well received. With the movie coming out, this is kind of troubling.
Marvel Adventures Avengers #9, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Jeff Parker, Art by Juan Roman Cano Santacruz and Raul Fernandez Fonts. This continues to be a solid all-ages Avengers read that isn’t too dumbed down for the adult reader. Pick this one up if you are looking for an easy superhero read.
Sensational Spider-Man #34, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Art by Sean Chen and Scott Hanna. This issue continues the “Women in Peter Parker’s Life” arc, more fallout from his unmasking and his decisions regarding the “civil war.” This title has been surprisingly good, and probably the most readable of all the core Spider-Man titles right now. Spider-Man is usually good when there is a strong supporting cast, and Aguirre-Sacasa doesn’t neglect them at all. Quite enjoyable.
She-Hulk 2 #15, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Dan Slott, Art by Rick Burchett and Cliff Rathburn. As good as She-Hulk has been under Slott’s pen, it has become clear in recent months that the lawyer thing is getting a little overplayed. Not that it shouldn’t be a part of her character, but She-Hulk hasn’t always only fought villains that were tied to a case she was working on. One of the reasons this Planet Without a Hulk arc is going to be such a refreshing change of pace.
Ultimate Spider-Man #104, $3.99, 48 Pages. Written by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Mark Bagley. The end of the Ultimate Clone Saga has finally arrived. The story did run a tad bit long, but it wasn’t nearly as padded as most recent arcs of this title have been, and it was a really solid story. Really looking forward to seeing how this one wraps up.
Ultimate X-Men #78, $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Robert Kirkman, Art by Ben Oliver and Jason Keith. Some ideas in comics leave you scratching your heads wondering just what the creative team was thinking. Ultimate Cable is one of those ideas. Kirkman is such a strong writer, it is baffling to see him struggle so much on books like this one that he didn’t create from scratch himself. He is really better than this.
X-Men First Class #5 (Of 8), $2.99, 32 Pages. Written by Jeff Parker, Art by Roger Cruz and Victor Olazaba. This book really is an enigma. The idea isn’t exactly original, and let’s face it – the dialogue is horrible. On the other hand, Parker is churning out some very worth X-Men stories that are all-ages friendly. He definitely has a sense of what the X-Men were always supposed to be, and reading this series is in many ways refreshing. Buy this one for your kids, and if you can get past some corny lines, read it yourself. You might be surprised.
Craig’s Pick of the Week
Helmet Of Fate Detective Chimp #1, $2.99, 32 Pages, DC Comics. Written by Bill Willingham, Art by Shawn McManus. Bobo! Willingham didn’t take too long to prove that Detective Chimp could be a viable character in a modern DCU, and it is awesome to see that he is sticking around in some form outside the Shadowpact ongoing. This issue is the first of five Helmet of Fate one-shots that will help bring about the return of the good Doctor. Looking forward to this one.
NOTE: Opinions here may not reflect those of X-World Comics LLC or it’s staff and are solely the opinions of the writer.
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