LunarKnight

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  1. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Agonus View Post
    As mentioned already Final Crisis, and the other incomprehensible mess that was Batman: RIP too.
    I really liked RIP myself. It didn't wrap up quite as well as it needed to, but there were several moments that made the whole thing worthwhile. Punctuating Jezebel slipping on the black glove with the Joker's maniacal laugh and "do you get it?" was awesome. Pulling Zur En Ar from ancient Batman history and giving it a powerful meaning was terrific. Overall though, the best issue of the whole thing is Bruce's run as the Purple/Red Batman. Threatening the thug with the "batradia" was just hilarious, as were several bits of the conversation with the gargoyles. It's a shame it sort of got marred by FC, but RIP itself was one of the more interesting and original Batman stories I've read in ages, IMO.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Agonus View Post
    Eh, I actually -like- the whole X-Men vs Vampires thing. >.>

    Thunderbolts have been neat, and I like where Shadowland is going, but I'm only getting the main mini and Daredevil.

    But I've dropped every post-Siege Avengers book, haven't touched the Hulk since Red Hulk picked up Thor's hammer, and I haven't touched Spider-Man since OMD.
    I haven't read the vampire thing personally. I actually don't think its a bad idea, just really poorly timed. The X-Men needed something a little more grounded immediately after Second Coming. The vampires really just feels like it should have been done a little later, under a little lower profile.

    I dropped Thunderbolts somewhere in the middle of Secret Invasion. I just knew there was no way anything was going to live up to Caged Angels and figured it was a good time for a change. I haven't touched Hulk since Iron Man's "oh the humanity" bit with the Golden Helicarrier and Spidey's been off the list since OMD became my first comic ever to go through the shredder.

    I dropped most of the Avengers stuff during Dark Reign, which was mostly not what I wanted out of the concept, particularly as New Avengers became the biggest batch of do nothings ever. Post-Siege I've been reading Secret Avengers, but thus far it hasn't really done anything to lock me in. I tried Avengers proper, but between the art and premise I didn't last more than an issue or two. Really, outside of cosmic, I read Cap and Iron Man, neither of which have really wowed me in quite a while.
  2. Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChrisMoses View Post
    I'm out on the Ultimate line. I haven't enjoyed them since the reboot. Ultimate Spider-Man is still the best, but I'd rather just preclude all involvement with the universe rather than just go for one book. Brubaker's Captain America has a history of excellence, but I just haven't liked it lately. And I don't like that I pay a buck extra for the Nomad back-up story I don't want. I mentioned Thor has seemed slow since Siege, but I'm behind on it. And Invincible Iron Man should have been in there... An oversight if I did miss it. I'm with that title for as long as Fraction is.
    Honestly, none of my former great Marvel loves have been very interesting since Siege. The only thing that's kept up its quality thus far is the cosmic stuff.
  3. LunarKnight

    Forms of love!

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lord_Nightblade View Post
    I love you, BBM. Not in the way of the ancient Greeks, but in the way a robot loves a human, a human loves a dog, and, occasionally, a gorilla loves a kitty.
    This concept of 'wuv' confuses and INFURIATES US!
  4. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Energor View Post
    ok so someone explain this to me.

    however many years ago shortly after Red Hulk came out, just after World War Hulk, and no one knew who Rulk was. I thought I saw a comic that clearly showed Rulk being Rick Jones.

    am I crazy? was that a bait and switch? I know I saw it.
    The very first issue heavily implied that Rick Jones was the Red Hulk, but it turned out he was the Blue Abomination (A-Bomb) instead. I wish people wouldn't keep forcing me to remember that...

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Cowman View Post
    I liked it.

    The opinions I've heard the most were good for Messiah Complex, fair for Messiah War, and mostly great for Second Coming.
    Messiah Complex was good, but didn't end quite as strongly as I would have liked. Messiah War was outright terrible and entirely pointless. Second Coming was really good outside a couple of needless and horribly obvious character deaths. The only real problem I have with the series is their tendency to go nowhere and focus on too many stories instead of telling one really good one.

    X-Factor annoys me in its position of "consistently almost great". There's great, long running plot threads always going that generally amount to fantastic character moments, but then it will get sidetracked for 3 months or so and feel entirely mediocre. I do love the book; I just wish it jumped to its heights more often.
  5. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay View Post
    Give it to me straight: Does Marvel suck?
    Their cosmic stuff is still pretty good. That's about it though.
  6. Quote:
    Originally Posted by NinjaPirate View Post
    Except they wanted to pull the "we're gonna fool the readers by implying it was Sampson and the have it NOT be him, hur hur" gag.
    Particularly since Rulky kills Ross in one issue...

    hur hur LMD duh!
  7. Quote:
    Originally Posted by BafflingBeerMan View Post
    In case you missed it, Scott Pilgrim vs. The Animation
    ***COMIC/MOVIE SPOILERS BELOW***

    You know, the point where that bit is put into the movie is sort of weird and I wonder how it came about. (I'm assuming this is the thing they showed on Adult Swim animating the River City Ransom scene in the comics?) In the movie Scott sarcastically tells the whole story to Romona and she brushes it off as him being a jerk.

    I sort of wonder if they thought it would be a hilarious nod to the fans to have Ramona brush it off like that, while we all giggle secretly knowing that it really happened. If that's the case, I have to assume said decision was made before O'Malley decided to reveal in the last book that it didn't really happen that way. I had the strangest reaction to it in the theater, because it felt like an in joke that wasn't funny because it was true. Like a guy joking about his girlfriend cheating on him when you know she is, in fact, cheating on him.
  8. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Durakken View Post
    How do you mess up angry ex-military guy that shoots people...
    Honestly, while I don't LIKE Frankencastle, the story itself doesn't bother me. It's clearly not intended to be a permanent change; just something goofy and different to do with the character for a while. Part of the Punisher's problem is that he's such a one note character you can only do so much with him. Giving him the random bizarre detour ever now and then isn't so bad. Punisher remains fine as long as you don't try to screw with what makes him interesting in the first place. Like don't send him back in time and accidentally be the one that killed his family. That's the kind of stuff that JMS does that causes so much trouble.
  9. Quote:
    Originally Posted by BafflingBeerMan View Post
    Cera doesn't play the hipster. Maybe in Scott Pilgrim. He usually plays the awkward teen. That's why most people don't like him or his roles, the awkward humor that comes from his similar roles grates on people. I find that reaction to awkward humor is usually one of two ways: either you love/can stand the cringeworthiness or you hate being forced to cringe and you find that sorta humor terrible and painful to watch. And when comedy "hurts," it tends to sear a negative feeling into the opinion more so than just bad, lame humor.

    Jason Schwartzman (Gideon) often plays a hipster, if you want to compare.
    Yeah, I've never liked awkward humor. Main reason I'm not a fan of the Situation Comedy either. I can do dark humor well enough, but whenever I hear a laugh track over someone's pain I change the channel.

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by BafflingBeerMan View Post
    Wacky hijinks and a last minute reunion do not make good movies, nor good romantic movies with comedy bits.
    Did you see that one where the couple gets together via an improbable lie, but then when the lie is revealed they break up, only to realize they care about each other more than the lie and get back together in act 3? I love that one.
  10. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Durakken View Post
    Also Spider-Man isn't the first marriage to be removed from canon... Batman and Catwoman were once married and had a child named Helena Wayne that grew up to be the Huntress but that's all been removed from canon ^.^
    Well, in all fairness, at least when they reset that one, they reset the whole darn universe along with it.
  11. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Father Xmas View Post
    Well I liked the music. True the Scott Pilgrim character isn't a very talented bass player. Sex Bob-omb reminds me of a lot of college bands in the mold of alternative pop groups like The Ramones, The Pixies, Shonen Knife, etc.
    I'm actually curious how Sex Bob-omb compares to their comic counterpart. The guitar chart is in the comic when they play, but I don't read guitar cords well enough to be able to tell you what it actually sounds like.
  12. Saw it Friday. It was superb. It's very heavily geared towards a specific mindset (aka mine) but it was hilarious fun with smart characters and really solid action and effects. It's a very different experience compared to the comic after about the third evil ex, with the attacks coming together really quickly in order to cram them all in. Truth be told though, while #5+6 are glossed over pretty severely in the movie, they contributed little to the comic either so its not a great loss (it would have been nice to include their one real addition though, and the game joke that went along with their defeat).

    I did really like how Mary Elizabeth Winstead portrayed Ramona though. She's a very different character than her comic counterpart, but mostly for the better. In the comics I liken her to Haru from FLCL; older and worldly, but with more of a Japanese magic girl slant. Winstead as the jaded american hipster fit the setup a lot better overall. The only real disappointment is that you never really feel like Ramona falls for Scott and truth be told, the last couple scenes feel oddly disjointed because of this. Gideon being in her head was sort of cheated in and while not terribly problematic, it would have been much better for the meaning of the idea for Ramona to accept Scott like she does in the comics. Also, Nega-Scott is woefully misplaced and misused, particularly since his purpose in the comic is a big part of the movie and he would have been fantastic used just a little bit earlier.

    All that's pretty minor in the grand scope of things though. Terrific film, wonderful cast, brilliantly realized world and a strong, heartfelt story. All three pillars of the franchise are a great experience in their own way and luckily, they're all different enough to enjoy in their own way.
  13. Quote:
    Originally Posted by BlackArachnia View Post
    Sorry, I do not have the information about it. Having just read today's Gutters comic, he makes a mention of it.

    So, has anyone read it and can they explain why he is saying it's a kick in the gnads to the fans? Keep in mind I boycotted Marvel prior to the release of OMD/BND.
    JoeQ takes the original wedding issue and inserts his own art and pages in to make the wedding never happen. The reason he misses the wedding is because a fat guy somehow manages to throw a cinder block and hit him in the head, then fall on him and pin him so he can't get up. Then MJ decides they should be together forever, but never marry because he'd be just like her abusive father.
  14. Step 1: Destroy MJ & Peter in the comics
    Step 2: Stop using MJ in the movies
    Step 3: Start using Gwen in the movies
    Step 4: Gwen is brought back to life in the comics

    I for one am guessing that Norman gave her some sort of ultra regenerative STD when he got her pregnant, but it took her longer to revive from the broken neck than it took him to revive from the glider impalement.
  15. Quote:
    Originally Posted by NiVra View Post
    Saw it.

    Loved it.


    Confused/Curious on two points made in the movie that might be present in the comic books (my theatre crowd enjoyed it too much and laughter cut out some dialogue)...



    *SMALL SPOILER ALERT*

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    a. Was the fact that Scott could never beat that White Ninja in the Ninja Ninja Revolution game a foreshadowing of his fight with Gideon? Or am i stretching it?

    b. Someone said aloud walking out the theatre that something Scott did earlier actually created Nega-Scott, but i didnt pick it up and it was a surprise to me at the end. What did i miss?
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    Sadly, I still haven't gotten to the movie (tomorrow or Friday a crew is going; had to spend opening weekend out of town helping some friends get married). That said, from the comic perspective, not knowing if the movie covers this:

    ****SPOILER ANSWERS****

    2. Nega-Scott was created by Scott living in denial of his past mistakes, the biggest of which were how he handled his high school romances.
  16. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Kasoh View Post
    In the early to mid ninties, there was a issue of X-men something or other that sold over a million copies. The top selling book in 2010 is usually around 100,000 if its amazing.

    There are less people buying comic books.

    If the industry is on the rebound, good for it, but its still fairly niche.
    That's not really what he's talking about. He's more referring to the idea that for the most part, the graphic novel genre has been completely absorbed by stagnant super hero tropes, to the point where legitimate art like Y can't be taken seriously because it is assumed to be another teen power fantasy. There's a lot of talk of the wasted potential of the comic book medium that I assume he's referring too, and he fears videogames' love of shooting things may lock it into a similar niche.
  17. Quote:
    Originally Posted by BlackArachnia View Post
    But all the fans CLAMORED for Deadpool.

    *rolls eyes*

    They should have kept him out of the picture. If they can't do a villain right, (Bane, Venom, Deadpool) then don't put them in the film to try to appeal to fanbois. You just tick off the people that really do not care about them by lessening the charater of the other villains, and tick off the fanbois due to the fact that you did not get the character right.
    Ok, there's not doing a villain right and then there's not even aiming in the general direction of the target.
  18. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lazarus View Post
    He does have one good point though: newer games are getting way too dependent on setpieces and scripted events. Singularity was a big offender where the entire game was on some very obvious rails and there is little point in replaying as you know everything will unfold the same way every time.
    Personally, I'd love to see games start adding some randomization to their setpieces. Take the first Resident Evil and in particular, the dog through the window scene. There are at least 3 versions of this scene I know of; probably more made in the different rereleases. How much scarier would that game be if instead of a scripted event like that, the game picked one of several possible scripted events when you ran through the room?
  19. Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marcian Tobay View Post
    At least two-three chapters used their chosen question to avoid the actual question and give a basic introduction of Utilitarianism.
    This is generally true of nearly every philosophy book ever written.
  20. LunarKnight

    True Blood, 8/15

    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Lothic View Post
    If you think about it the TV show has already apparently redefined Debbie Pelt as far as this goes. In the book it's established that she's one type of thing but in the TV show they've apparently simplified that into making her the same kind of thing as all her friends, if you know what I mean. Maybe they're planning on "simplifying" the Hotshot folks too in the same way. *shrugs*
    Probably in a similar way, though a couple oddly connected lines in last night's episode lead me to believe they might be planning to do so in a different way.
  21. LunarKnight

    True Blood, 8/15

    Great episode. Didn't mind delaying Sookie's bit personally, just because there were far more interesting things to cover and its probably better to put it earlier in an episode rather than later. Personally, right when Sookie gasped I expected the credits to roll. Assuming its what it obviously appears to be, had Bill actually answered at the end of the episode, it would have left a pretty boring final scene. Instead we got one of the best final scenes the series has ever done.

    Also, props to the classic horror movie tunes used when Russel is looming on top of Fangtasia. All he needed to go full classic Dracula there was a billowing cap against a full moon with one of his werewolves howling in the background.
  22. So.... back to the Burton look?
  23. Quote:
    Originally Posted by ChrisMoses View Post
    Also, where the The Expendables video game?

    The Scott Pilgrim game is awesome.
    I've been playing River City Ransom all week waiting for this to come out.
  24. Quote:
    Originally Posted by QuietAmerican View Post
    As MMO's stand now, I have this experience anyway, with being in a Massive world, but my play experience is with a small dedicated group of players that I play with. The other players don't even need to be there for all the interaction we have with them, but without them, the game would fail because of economics.
    In all honesty, MMOs haven't really expanded all that far beyond the old lobby systems that online gaming was first built around. You meet up in a central gathering location, isolate yourselves from other players, then go adventure as a small party. The only real difference is that the place you go adventuring is part of an open world where you come across other, isolated groups of players. The problem is that games generally want to provide isolated experiences to players, despite dropping them into shared environments. This leads to environments balanced around the isolated group, with a bunch of heavy handed rules to avoid exploitation and griefing that mostly serve to further isolate players from one another. It's reached a point where you might as well simply make the persistent world a hub, and design most of your content in isolated instances.

    I think if the true massive MO experience is going to continue, rather than contract into a smaller experience, its going to have to find a way to embrace the petty, squabbling masses and make the persistent concept something that matters. Likely this means going back to the MMO roots, and giving players paths to follow other than adventurers, replacing the game's usual PCs with players instead. It also likely means finding a way to keep the players persistent in the world, even when they're not logged on. Giving them a day job that serves the other active players as a shopkeeper, bodyguard, doctor, or whatever when they're not online. It also means letting them radically effect the world, which is the most difficult task to include while keeping the game fun.

    Do I think any of this will happen? Absolutely not. Players in general are simply too self centered, impatient, and prone to treating one another poorly for a real persistent, unguided experience to do anything but drive its playerbase away rather quickly. I think the answer is simply to regress to a less massive scale. Hubs where players can chat and gather with instances of designed combat. The true open world game is a neat premise; it just doesn't seem to hold up in theory to the reality of the community it attracts.