New Comic Book Review Uploaded!

So here's my next Comic Book Review. This time I'm reviewing the first five issues of Mark Waid's Indestructible Hulk and I also took the time to talk about Marvel's reputation of making their comics mimic the movies, plus I wanted to put out a positive review of a recent series due to all of the negative comments I've made about Superior Spider-Man. I hope you all enjoy the review and please feel free to comment as I'd love to hear your opinions...

Here's the episode link :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W5Phyr2R_Jg

Superior Spider-Man #8 Review

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Superior Spider-Man #8.

Synopsis:

At the H.E.A.R.T clinic, Dr. Elias Wirtham, aka Cardiac, returns with Otto Octavius's Neurolitic Scanner. He reassures Amy Chen as he fixes the device to her head that it is a magic helmet.Wirtham tells another doctor, Vargas, that the scanner is working, but he knows there's more that it can do. Unfortunately, the only one who knows how to properly work the device is it's inventor.

At Avengers Tower. SpOck is facing off with the Avengers while Ghost Spidey looks on. Peter makes the comment "not the face" which distracts Otto long enough for Black Widow to blast him in the back. Captain America then wallops Otto in the face with his shield and declares that it's time the Avengers got to the bottom of this.

Meanwhile, in her apartment, Carlie Cooper is on the phone to a mysterious individual who is apparently on a "leave of absence" thanks to her. She is (rightly) convinced that the Superior Spider-Man isn't the real Spider-Man, but she needs help from this person as she doesn't want to go into this half-cocked. The mystery person agrees to help her with the case.

Back at Avengers Tower, Otto regains consciousness to find the Avengers scanning him with various devices, the tests of which eventually prove to the Avengers that "Spider-Man"...isn't a Skrull, nor is he being possessed (what the hell?), which pisses off Ghost Spidey something rotten (I'm right there with you man). During the conversation, SpOck notices an abnormality in his brain patterns and asks to study some of the data firsthand. Cap states that SpOck is now on probation and if he steps out of line, he's fired (well at least the word was mentioned).

As the other Avengers leave, Black Widow asks to speak to SpOck in private. She tells him that she knows what this is about. She thinks that Spider-Man's change in personality has to do with the death of Silver Sable in Ends of the Earth. She also says that she's there for him as he now has "red in his ledger" (I wonder what that's a reference to). As the two converse, Ghost Spidey manages to take control of his right hand and draws a picture on the notebook in front of SpOck without him noticing. Widow gives SpOck a flash drive containing the data he wanted, Otto thanking her for the offer. As he leaves, Natasha notices the drawing by Ghost Spidey, but dismisses it as a doodle.

Otto makes his way to Horizon Labs, marvelling over his luck that neither Iron Man & Giant Man were present with the Avengers. Upon his arrival, he inserts the flash drive into his computer, but the data is "inconclusive". SpOck determines that he needs a better scan of his brain and he knows just how to get one.

Cardiac and the other doctors are prepping Amy for surgery when the alarm sounds. Cardiac suits up and confronts the intruder, who of course turns out to be SpOck, who engages Cardiac in combat when he refuses to yield the scanner. As they fight, Otto notices his invention and makes to snatch it off the girls head, with Peter trying his best to stop him. SpOck claims that he's in the right, retrieving the stolen property of Dr. Otto Octavius, but Cardiac interrupts saying that he's using the scanner to undo one of Ock's crimes. He explains to SpOck that Amy was in a car crash that killed her parents and left her with brain damage, the cause of which was Doc Ock's global warming scheme. Struck by a sense of responsibility, Otto fibs to the doctors and Cardiac that he has dedicated his life to studying Doc Ock's technology and he can work the scanner "like a virtuoso!" and perform the surgery himself.

The surgery goes off without a hitch thanks to Otto. Afterwards, he and Cardiac have a conversation in which they both admit they were wrong about each other, to the point where Otto even approves of the H.E.A.R.T clinic. He then asks to borrow the Neurolitic Scanner for a while, promising to return it once he's done. Cardiac agrees to this, notably calling SpOck friend. One of the other doctors then calls the two in, saying Amy wants to see the two of them. She thanks "Spider-Man" and offers him her toy, Mr Pinky Penguin. SpOck says he can't, but Cardiac reassures him that they've found her a replacement. A Spider-Man doll.

Later, at Horizon, as Otto muses over his "victory", Peter promises him it won't last as he will soon find a way back. Otto then responds with "no Peter, you won't", revealing that he can hear Peter now. He also reveals that "Peter" is in fact the memories of Peter Parker taking on a life of their own. SpOck instructs the Living Brain to prepare his equipment, as he's about to perform a "Parker-ectomy"...

Thoughts:

So in a storyline that was teased specifically with the word "Fired", SpOck doesn't actually get fired? From the Avengers or Horizon Labs? This is such a bizarre issue to review. It feels as though Dan Slott is cancelling out every good thing he does here with something bad. It's not the first time he's done this, the whole thing with Mary Jane in #2 was frustrating enough. Here though, it's in complete reverse.

After building up this showdown with the Avengers, having them scan SpOck and determine that he's fine is quite hard to swallow. I know the Avengers present aren't geniuses, but Slott makes them out to be monumentally stupid. SpOck attacked Captain America and refused to submit to the tests! Peter Parker would never do that and Cap should know that! It's such a massive cop out and what's worse is it could easily have been avoided by, oh I don't know, SpOck willingly submitting to the tests and not acting like a complete moron! Superior Spider-Man my arse! The scene with Black Widow is very mixed, the cheap gag at the end is annoying and the Avengers Assemble reference isn't exactly subtle, but I do like the way Widow opens up to "Spider-Man" and what could be done with this development going forward. Also it's good that SpOck remembers her words later on when he performs the surgery

There are some good things to enjoy about this issue though. I like that Carlie Cooper is still suspicious of "Peter" and the conflict with Cardiac is resolved in a very good way. the latter situation is very well written and gives Otto a much needed chance to grow as a character, and then it's ruined by the very next scene. I thought the whole point that Dan Slott was building towards was Otto being humbled by the girls gratitude for saving her life? Instead it's just used to massage his planet-scale ego, and then he moves onto attempting to get rid of Peter! Speaking of Peter, I was pleasantly surprised by the revelation behind his appearances here. This actually means there could be a lasting effect if Otto were to successfully perform his "Parker-ectomy". Which I suppose puts my fears to rest that Ghost Peter's presence in these past eight issues

I don't really have much to say about Humberto Ramos's artwork, there are some good shots here and there, though I was left confused by the Avengers vs SpOck scene, I couldn't tell if SpOck was dodging or being hit? While there is some very good stuff to be had in this issue, there's a lot of bad as well and it's just SO frustrating. I've been worried about the way #9 might be going for a while now and reading this issue hasn't helped at all...

 Score: 3.0/5.0

Doctor Who Series 7: Cold War Review

Full spoilers for the episode follow...

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Cold War. This episode features the return of the Ice Warriors, an enemy not seen since the 70's. I'd been looking forward to seeing this classic monster return to the series and writer Mark Gatiss handles this episode very well, even if it doesn't quite reach the heights of the series premiere.

This episode takes place entirely on board a Russian submarine during the Cold War, they have retrieved an Ice Warrior from the North pole, thinking it's a frozen mammoth. After being freed from it's prison, the Ice Warrior attacks. At the same time, the Doctor & Clara (thinking they're heading to Las Vegas) arrive on the submarine and are stranded there when the Tardis mysteriously de-materialises. Normally this would have seemed too coincidental, but since thanks to dialogue in the Series 6 episode "The Doctor's Wife", it's easy to assume the TARDIS brought the Doctor here because he was needed.

The dialogue between the Doctor and the Ice Warrior, General Skaldak, is great and Nicholas Briggs does a great job voicing the character, but then again, Briggs is always great whenever he does these roles. Skaldak's armour looks fantastic, its very faithful to the original look of the Ice Warriors and the fact that it's used minimally makes it all the more awesome when we see it in action. The episode is also given an Alien vibe by having Skaldak leave his armour for half the episode and scuttle around the submarine picking off the crew. I would have liked if the Doctor had referenced how he's the last of his species to Skaldak when he attempts to launch the submarines nuclear missiles, but that's only a minor gripe. It's nice that this episode ends somewhat happily for Skaldak when he is rescued by his people at the end of the episode, proving he isn't the last of his species like he thought, which helps prevent this episode from having too many parallels with Series 1 episode "Dalek".

Jenna Louise Coleman & Matt Smith give good performances as usual. There's an interesting dynamic between Clara & the scientist Professor Grisenko (played brilliantly by David Warner), who is the one character they meet in this episode with any real personality. The rest of the submarine crew, while the actors give decent performances, aren't very memorable. This is a mostly serious episode, though the few jokes there are prove quite funny. The music by Murray Gold (who I haven't really mentioned much in my reviews for some strange reason) is brilliant as ever. I've enjoyed his work on the show from Series 1.

This was a good episode. The Ice Warriors are back with a vengeance as is Doctor Who in general, and this makes me all the more pumped for the impending 50th anniversary special. I'm really enjoying this series right now, let's hope that the next episode continues this trend of quality...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Doctor Who Series 7: The Rings of Ahkaten Review

 

Full spoilers for the episode follow...

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of The Rings of Ahkaten. This is actually a difficult episode to review, evidenced by the fact that I took a whole week to get it done. It has a good start in terms of story. We see the origin of Clara Oswald in mere minutes, from the moment her parents met to the tragic death of her mother, all observed by the Doctor. These scenes were beautifully handled. I liked the explanation of the leaf in Clara's book and the fact that she lost her mum makes her all the more sympathetic. What also works is that this takes the focus away from the mystery surrounding Clara, so we can appreciate her as a character rather than an interesting plot device.

Since this is Clara's first trip in the TARDIS, she needs to be taken to a wondrous place, and the Rings of Ahkaten are the perfect location. The special effects are some of the best I've seen on the show, and the props and makeup matched them in quality. The scene with the Doctor and Clara in the alien market reminded me of the troll market scene from Hellboy II, not really in look, but in the general atmosphere. This was a truly immersive place...it's just a shame the plot didn't match it. Try as I may, I struggled to maintain an interest in the Old God plotline. It wasn't that it was bad, it just didn't interest me. The Old God wasn't a particularly original villain. The scene where the Doctor faces off with him reminded me a little too much of Satan's Pit. I would have liked the Old God to have a voice at least. Considering he's an alien sun, that would have gone a long way towards making him an actual being rather than a big force of nature (Galactus must surely sympathise). I did like the touch of Clara sacrificing the leaf to defeat the Old God, it was certainly an emotional scene.

The Doctor is given less to do in this episode due to most of the focus being on Clara, but he has some funny moment regardless and Matt Smith delivers them well, though I think he overplayed the scene with the Old God a bit. The direction from Farren Blackburn was also a highlight. This episode looked great. Even though this wasn't as good an episode as The Bells of Saint John, I still enjoyed it more than some the other Moffat-era episode's I've seen. Clara benefits very well from this episode and as her first trip in the TARDIS, this isn't that bad a start...

 Score: 3.5/5.0

Superior Spider-Man #7 Review

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Superior Spider-Man #7. I'm really sorry for the delay as there have been some issues with my laptops Internet connection, but now that's been all straightened out. I hope you all enjoy the review.

Synopsis:

Norah Winters & Phil Urich are interviewing Dr. Elias Wirtham, who is intent on reopening Mr Negative's old homeless shelter, rechristening it as the H.E.A.R.T clinic, for New York's ill and infirm. Behind closed doors however, it is revealed that the clinic is a front to allow Wirtham, as the vigilante Cardiac, to heal the ill using medicines not approved by the F.D.A. Cardiac is informed by one of his Doctors that her patient, Amy Chen, who is suffering from severe brain damage, needs a specific device in order to be properly treated. Cardiac replies that he shall do all in his power to "procure" it.

Meanwhile, at Peter Parker's apartment, Otto Octavius is asleep, blissfully unaware of Ghost Peter's presence. Peter decides that this situation has to end and concentrates, managing to move his right hand. He grabs his pen and tries to write a note, but quickly realises that he doesn't have access to the language center of his brain. All of a sudden, Otto's patrol app starts to ring. Acting quickly, Peter uses his left hand to knock the pen and notepad into the bin (even though the narration specifically says he uses his left hand?) before Otto awakes. He suits up and heads out to deal with the threat.

The threat turns out to be Cardiac, who is breaking into Yardyale Storage (also known as The Boneyard) to steal the device needed to save Amy Chen, tossing aside any police officers who attempt to stop him. SpOck arrives on the scene, telling the cops to stay out and secure a perimeter while he deals with Cardiac, who is growing frustrated at his inability to find Crate 113. SpOck then attacks Cardiac, giving him until the count of three to put his hands up "before things get decidedly unpleasant". As he prepares to kill Cardiac, Peter yells at Ock to stop. Surprisingly, Otto hears this and looks around for whose there, taking his mind off Cardiac, who takes the opportunity to fight back.

After a brief tussle, Cardiac finds Crate 113 and attempts to make off with it. SpOck however, has other ideas and fires off a webline, snagging the crate away from Cardiac, which SpOck discovers to be one of his inventions, the Neurolitic Scanner. Enraged at this attempt to steal his invention, Spock immobilises Cardiac with a single punch and grabs him by the throat. Peter once again intervenes and causes SpOck to let go of Cardiac's neck, allowing the vigilante to avoid having his face pulverised by SpOck's fist. Cardiac zaps SpOck with his Beta Energy, giving him time to grab his staff and escape with the Neurolitic Scanner, though not before SpOck tags him with one of Peter's Spider Tracers.

Later, at Horizon Labs, Otto is interrupted from his work by a Priority One alert from his Avenger's I.D card. He heads for Avengers Tower where Captain America, Thor, Wolverine, Black Widow & Spider-Woman are all waiting for him, assuming the fate of the world is at stake. Upon his arrival, Cap informs him that, due to his violent nature in dealing with criminals, they're going to run a full battery of tests to see if he is really Spider-Man (he isn't). SpOck attempts to leave, saying he doesn't have time for this. Cap places a hand on his shoulder, replying that it wasn't a request. In response, SpOck throws Cap to the floor. Obviously this pisses the rest of the Avengers off. Peter looks on in eagerness as SpOck prepares to throw down with the Avengers...

Thoughts:

Again a more solid issue compared to what we've seen before. Slott seems to be steering this series in an interesting direction, though I'll reserve my judgement until #9. I was pleased to see that Cardiac was included in this issue. He's a good way of showcasing the difference in the way Otto & Peter deal with criminals. SpOck still lacks any decent characterisation and is still as unlikable as ever. The moment with the Neurolitic Scanner didn't help either

The scene with the Avengers left me with very mixed emotions. Otto comes off as a complete idiot during these sequences, he can't honestly expect to win against a Thunder God, can he? On the other hand, a part of me got very excited on the closing page as the Avengers seem to realise now that Spider-Man isn't really Spider-Man. Let's face it, the real Spidey would NEVER call Captain America a "flag-waving fool". Of course, we need to wait and see if SpOck's arrogance against the Avengers is justified in the following issue.

Aside from the blip I mentioned earlier, Humberto Ramos is actually on good form here, I enjoyed the fight scene and Cardiac looks as good as ever. Ramos seems to be fading away from the disproportionate look also, as everyone looked much better in this issue. Like I siad before, it's hard to judge this issue given the cliffhanger it ends on. I'm interested to see where Slott takes things next issue. I do have to agree with Spidey though. Otto IS a tool...

Score: 3.5/5.0

Doctor Who: Series 7: The Bells of Saint John Review

Full Spoilers for the episode follow...

Hello everybody & welcome to my review of the mid-series premiere of Series 7 of Doctor Who. The Bells of Saint John. This episode marks a change for the series in more ways than one. Jenna-Louise Coleman's "official" debut as Clara Oswin Oswald brings with it a refocused tone to the series. In fact, the Doctor's outfit reflects this perfectly. The more goofy elements of the past two series are mostly gone, and the few that remain no longer feel obnoxious in their humour. This episode is more edgy and possesses a spirit of fun and adventure that Series 5 & 6 mostly lacked.

The chemistry between Jenna-Louise Coleman and Matt Smith is the best thing about this
episode. These two are hilarious together. Jenna won me over in Asylum of the Daleks and she's just as good here, if not better. Clara is a model companion to the Doctor, she's plucky and quick-witted, as well as being something of a genius herself. That particular trait is explained away by technobabble in this episode, but it makes sense and allows Stephen Moffat to use a hilarious joke about Twitter as a plot point. Moffat also makes Clara sympathetic by showcasing her sense of responsibility. I also appreciate that despite being held captive by the villains twice, Clara still manages to be instrumental in their defeat. I'm not saying that Jenna is a better actress than Karen Gillen, but Clara is certainly a more likable and compelling protagonist than Amy Pond.

The villains, the Spoonheads, while interesting, don't quite reach their full potential here. I do love that Moffat uses Wi-Fi as the main threat though. It makes this episode feel very modern and while it isn't nearly as scary as the Weeping Angels, it's still pretty unsettling since we all take Wi-Fi for granted. Celia Imrie does a good job as the woman in charge, Miss Kizlet, considering she is really just a lackey for Richard E. Grant's Great Intelligence. I was pleasantly surprised to see Grant again, and it's great to see him in a prominent role given how he only looked set for a guest appearance in The Snowmen. It's great that Moffat is making full use of Grants talents by making him the big bad of the series (unlike what Richard Curtis did with Bill Nighy in Vincent & the Doctor) and I'm looking forward to seeing him again.

 

Thanks to the more serious nature of the script, Matt Smith is able to portray the Doctor as an eccentric traveller instead of an insufferable man-child. Matt is just as capable of playing it straight as he is at being comical, and being able to do so allows him to give one of his best performances as the title character. The Doctor has grown up since losing Amy & Rory, he's no longer as goofy or overly alien. He's more enigmatic, more calculated, he has a better sense of style, and he owns an anti gravity motorbike! Now that is cool. I prefer his new outfit over the old one, it's dashing and perfectly mirrors the new tone of the series. I also need to comment on the new TARDIS interior design. It looks awesome, a lot more sci-fi as well as a throwback to the design of the classic console. 

The direction of this episode is stunning. Colm McCarthy does a fantastic job. I love that Moffat & co are trying to make Who look as cinematic as possible. The opening and the scene where the Doctor drives the anti-grav motorbike up the Shard are highlights of this visual fest. Moffat's script is sharper, wittier and creepy as ever. This is Moffat back to his best, and I hope it maintains. He also turns the creepy factor up to 11 (see what I did there) when The Great Intelligence orders Miss Kizlet to "reset" all the staff (including herself) and Kizlet is shown to have the mentality of a small child.

 

This is one of the best Moffat-era Doctor Who episodes I've seen, right up there with the Doctor's Wife. This is a brilliant opener to the second half of series 7 and I'm looking forward to the rest, not to mention the 50th anniversary special...

 Score: 4.5/5.0