Superior Spider-Man #14 Review

Hello everybody, Donlinedude here & welcome to my review of Superior Spider-Man #14. Yeah there's been a bit of a break here, but I'll be putting out a video review of the three story arcs of Superior that I haven't reviewed on my Youtube channel either this week or the next, along with a review of the Claremont/Miller Wolverine series to tie in with the release of The Wolverine.

Synopsis:

In Hell's Kitchen, a father narrates that his son is afraid to sleep at night because they live in the shadow of Shadowland, property of Wilson Fisk, aka the Kingpin. The father is frustrated that no one is doing anything about Shadowland, when, as if on cue, the "Superior Spider-Man" arrives, complete with "Arach-Nauts", a small army of "Spiderling" minions & around 300 Spider-Bots, to commit "regicide".

Otto and his Spiderlings cut through the Hand ninja like a knife through warm butter, which convinces Kingpin & the Hobgoblin to fall back. Otto is forced to take a call from Mayor J. Jonah Jameson, who is disgusted that "Spider-Man" is attempting to blow up a building in "his city". However Octavius reminds Jameson of the conversation they had in the previous issue. Jameson protests, saying that lives will be lost, but Otto states the only bodies that will be found in the rubble of Shadowland will be those of Fisk and the Hobgoblin, deliberately leaving the last part of the exchange open to Fisk's security feed so as to intimidate the Kingpin.

Inside the castle, the Kingpin realises that, despite the voice being the same, this is not the Spider-Man he knows. This is one who will kill them if given the chance. He retreats underground with the Hobgoblin, revealing an obese man named Smedley Korfield watching television and stuffing his face. Fisk breaks Smedley's neck and tells Hobgoblin that Mr Kornfield's body has been modified to mimic his own DNA, which, along with cosmetically altered dental appliances, will allow the Kingpin to convincingly fake his death. He then activates the self-destruct sequence, escaping in a one-man sub and leaving Hobgoblin to die.

Ol' Phil is smarter than he looks however, and manages to escape the castle before it collapses. He thinks he's gotten away, only to scream when he realises one of the Spider-Bots has spotted him (what a sissy.). But lo and behold, the drone doesn't alert Otto, instead enacting "goblin protocol" and sparing Hobby, who takes the opportunity to flee.

With Shadowland now reduced to rubble, "Spider-Man" is thanked by the grateful residents of Hell's Kitchen, including the father & son from earlier. All the while, Jameson is fuming that SpOck has him completely under his thumb.

The father leaves for work a short while later, leaving his son with a neighbour. As he walks away, his narration resumes, saying that he believes his son will be safe because "Spider-Man" is watching over them all. Little does he know, new dealers are emerging on the streets, invisible to the Spider-Bot's sensors because of a little goblin tattoo.

Underground, in the sewers, or the "Goblin Underground" as they are now calling it, the Goblin King's henchman welcome the several members of the Hand ninja, who feel disgraced for retreating from battle. They join the rest of the small army building underneath New York as the Goblin King himself makes an announcement that, in having taken over several of the Kingpin's operations, they have now passed the tipping point. 52% of crime in the city is under their control. The Goblin cackles, declaring that New York is his...and he did it without lifting a finger...

Thoughts:

This issue was surprisingly fast. I was expecting more of a complex take down of Shadowland that perhaps might even fail, not an all-out assault by Doc Ock that actually succeeds! Like the decision to kill off Massacre, I'm glad that Slott was allowed to make this story decision and we're left with an interesting ending to this issue with the Goblin King making a surprise appearance as his power grows. It's good that he's making regular appearances and contributing to the plot rather than just standing around in the background letting us know he's there, like Cygor from the Spawn comics.

The "Superior Spider-Man's" new costume definitely reflects Otto's personality and I like the addition of the spider legs and the black lenses. Perhaps this is a metaphor for how Otto is twisting the image of Spider-Man to match his own warped personality? The art by Humberto Ramos is pretty good here since most of this issue is utter chaos and that's something Ramos' style is very much suited to. I will say that the pace was maybe a little too fast, but overall this was a good issue, though after the previous arcs, I'm more than wary of the next instalment...

Score: 4.0/5.0

Top 5 Characters I Want to See in Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS

 

Hello everybody. Super Smash Bros is arguably my favourite video game series. The frantic, yet polished style of the gameplay, along with the huge roster of excellent characters have kept me playing for hours. So now that the new Super Smash Bros has been fully unveiled for the Wii U & 3DS, I thought I'd do a list comprising the top five characters that I would like to see join Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS.

No. 5: Waluigi:

We have the Mario Bros, so why not have the Wario Bros as well? Walugi is the only major Mario character who has yet to appear fully in the Smash Bros series (he was previously an assist trophy in Brawl, in fact he's one of two characters on this list who've previously been assist trophies), and quite a few fans have been clamouring to see him made playable. Waluigi could certainly be made to fit in amongst the other character without just being a clone of Wario, though they should both be animated similarly.

Since Waluigi has appeared almost exclusively in the sport-themed games of the Mario franchise such as Mario Tennis, Mario Kart & Mario Golf, his moveset would have to include one or two sporty moves. His regular B move could be hitting a tennis ball at the other players, which he could even charge up for a while like Donkey Kong & Samus. His down-B move would have to be his stomp move from his Assist Trophy appearance. It'd be similar to Donkey Kong's ground pound, but weaker.

As for the Final Smash, since his first appearance was in Mario Tennis, Waluigi's super move would likely be tennis-themed. Maybe he could serve a flurry of fiery tennis balls with his racket and you could control the trajectory of where he launches them?

No. 4: Mewtwo (Pokemon)

Now I realise that Mewtwo wouldn't be a new character since he was a playable character in Melee, but I don't think I'm alone when I say that it was disappointing to see him cut from Brawl & replaced by Lucario (who was only there to tie in with the then-current Pokemon movie). I do think it's likely that Mewtwo will return as he's set to appear in the latest Pokemon film and he's also receiving a new form for Pokemon X & Y, which will also feature in the movie.

Mewtwo's moveset wouldn't need to be altered since Lucario will likely be cut and his new form could either serve as his Final Smash or as an entirely new character who Mewtwo could transform into, perhaps with his Final Smash, and vice versa, similar to Zero Suit Samus & Sheik. I don't think I'm wrong when I say that Mewtwo is one of the most iconic Pokemon in the series and he fully deserves his return to Smash Bros.

No. 3: Ray Mk III (Custom Robo)

The way I see it, Ray Mk III is an ideal combatant for Smash Bros since the Custom Robo series is built mostly around combat (albeit in 3D arenas). Ray also fits in well with the established roster with his bright colour palette and would make a great rival for Megaman since they look very similar. The series boasts a wide array of weaponry to customise your character with, but it's likely that Ray's weapons would be the ones featured on the box art and promotional material, though their functions could be altered anyway like in Super Smash Bros Brawl, and they could always throw in another robo with different weapons. The dash attack would make for a good side-B move and Ray should also be able to air-dash as part of his jumping ability.

As for the Final Smash, the Soulboost would be a pretty obvious choice since it renders Ray and the other robos near invulnerable, and since the robo becomes dirty and therefore more susceptible to damage, it would be a good way of keeping the character from being overpowered. Custom Robo Arena is one of my favourite games on the original DS and in my opinion, Ray couldn't be a better candidate for Smash Bros if he tried.

No. 2: Krystal (Star Fox)

While it was cool seeing the trio of Fox, Falco & Wolf in Brawl, let's face some facts here. The latter two characters were straight up clones of Fox with a model swap and some altered special moves. It's fine having a couple of clone characters here and there (I also have a sneaking suspicion that Falco will return for the fourth game), but I do think it was maybe a step too far with the Star Fox characters and that's why I think Wolf is likely to be cut from Smash 4.

With Krystal however, the developers can create a character with a unique move set. In Star Fox Adventures, Fox uses Krystal's staff throughout the game for combat and puzzle solving. The obvious thing to do would be to have Krystal use the staff. The powers it has are actually a good fit for a Smash Bros game. The Fire projectiles could be the standard B move, the Ice beam the side-B move, the Ground quake the down-B move and the flight boosts the up-B move. As for the final Smash, while Krystal could have an Arwing or a Landmaster similar to Fox and Falco (I have a feeling one of them will get the Arwing) It would perhaps be better to give her a brand new move that we haven't seen before, like Luigi has with the Negative Zone. With all of the unique skills I've listed, I'll be really surprised if Krystal doesn't show up in the next Smash Bros.

Honourable Mention: Rayman

With Megaman confirmed and Sonic the Hedgehog & Solid Snake likely to follow, there's little chance that Rayman will appear in this generation of Smash, which is why he's my honourable mention only. I'm a huge Rayman fan, much of my time with the Gamecube was spent playing Rayman 3 (which was also the first ever game I played on the Gamecube) and Rayman Origins was not only an awesome platformer, but it made up immensely for Rayman getting shafted by those pesky Raving Rabbids for several years.

Rayman would definitely fit in with the likes of Mario, Sonic (let's face it, it would be a shock if Sonic didn't come back for this game), Megaman & co since he has a unique, but cartoonish look. His abilities are actually a great fit for Smash Bros, like his floating fists that he charge up and fling almost like projectiles, and his helicopter hair, which would be an obvious choice for the recovery move. Rayman could even use the Raving Rabbids as his Final Smash. Either that or they could appear as an Assist Trophy, though you'd have to be able to beat them up!

No 1: Mii

Not only is this the character I want to see the most in Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS, but it's also the one I see as being the most likely. The games director, Sakuri, has stated that he'd like to bring a more personal experience to the Smash Bros series with the latest instalment. Well there's hardly a better way to make it more personal than to let you play as yourself, or at the very least, a character that you have designed personally. You can already play as the Mii in Mario Kart Wii, Sonic & Sega All Stars Racing, Animal Crossing: City Folk & the Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games series, so the character making the jump to Super Smash Bros is not a question of if, but when, and I think that it's now.

The Mii's moveset could be taken from the various games they've starred in, such as Wii Sports, Wii Fit, & Wii Party, though most likely Wii Sports as that features a lot of sporting equipment which could easily be adapted for a fighting game. Or maybe you could customise the Mii's moves with the powers of other characters? And as for the Final Smash? Mii Parade is my answer to that. Imagine Mario & Mega Man being trampled by a stampede of randomly generated Mii's, with a sped-up version of the Mii Channel music, it would be hilarious.


Well thanks for reading everyone. I hope you all enjoyed the list and, like me, are looking forward to Super Smash Bros for Wii U/3DS. I'll see you all soon...



Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1 Review *Updated*

*Update* After reading #2, I've realised that I wrongly identified the all-black Deadpool seen in this issue as Dreadpool (the Deadpool from Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe). Since explaining this in the review of #2 would be rather awkward, I thought I'd update this review instead. I'll now refer to the all-black Deadpool as "Gimp-Pool" since Deadpool jokingly referred to him as a gimp. Also, Since I haven't read Deadpool Pulp, I didn't realise that the Deadpool who I said looked like Iron Fist is the Deadpool from that universe. Sorry for the mix-ups and I hope you enjoy the updated review...

 

Hello Everybody & welcome to my review of Deadpool Kills Deadpool #1. Prepare to see the word "pool" a lot!

Synopsis:

In a messy, dilapidated kitchen. Headpool (the disembodied head of the Deadpool from the Marvel Zombies universe) is placed into a microwave by Gimp-Pool (who...looks like a gimp). Headpool assumes that this is some sort of sick joke (this is Deadpool we're talking about) until Gimp-Pool activates the microwave and watches as Headpool and eventually explodes inside it. His work done, Gimp-Pool teleports out of the kitchen.

Meanwhile, in the 616 universe, Deadpool (the one who has his own series) is fighting Ultimatum in New York City, partly in a bid to impress either the Avengers or the X-Men. Naturally the goons are no match for Deadpool, but the giant robot is considerably more challenging. Thankfully, a ship with the Deadpool logo on it's front smashes into the robot, destroying it. Wade recognises the ship as the Bea Arthur, which belongs to the Deadpool Corps. Reuniting with Lady Deadpool, Dogpool & Kidpool (as well as a WWII-style Deadpool & Deadpool from Deadpool Pulp.), Deadpool is told by Lady Deadpool that they have all been targeted. She doesn't have time to explain as they need to go.

Deadpool protests however, saying he wants to stay and take the credit for defeating Ultimatum when the Avengers or someone else shows up. Kidpool bluntly tells him that the Avengers aren't going to give him a medal or anything. Deadpool already knows that, but he still feels sad about it. WWII-Pool begins to give him a cheesy pep talk, but is cut off when he is struck by an energy beam that also kills him. Gimp-Pool has arrived, armed to the teeth!

He fires at Deadpool, who dodges and strikes back, damaging the glider and causing Gimp-Pool to crash. Deadpool prepares to attack with his sword, but Gimp-Pool quickly "bodyslides" out of harms way. Deadpool is then impaled by Gimp-Pool's chainsaw-sword (somebody likes Gears of War). Gimp-Pool is about to kill his mainstream counterpart when Dogpool intervenes. Unfortunately, Gimp-Pool is quicker than Dogpool and fires his huge gun at Dogpool, killing him.

While Kidpool mourns Dogpool's death, Deadpool call Gimp-Pool an ass for killing the dog and uses the teleporter to "bodyslide" Gimp-Pool in two, after which Deadpool picks up the huge gun and shoots the remaining half, theorising that it's some sort of anti-regeneration ray. Lady Deadpool repeats that they have to go, warning Deadpool "there will be others".

Onboard the Bea Arthur, Deadpool tries and fails to comfort Kidpool over Dogpool's death, eventually resorting to "are you gonna be all right?" Pulp-Pool interjects that none of them are going to be alright if they don't do something, saying that all the Deadpool's in the last dozen realities they visited had been murdered. Deadpool finally loses his patience and asks that someone tell hims what's going on. At that moment, A Watcher appears to answer him. He tells Wade that "the
crusade to obliterate existence has begun...and Deadpool is the progenitor of all things!"...

Thoughts:

Despite not reading or very much caring about the previous two entries in the "Deadpool Killogy", I couldn't resist the idea of an epic, multiversal adventure starring Deadpool & his many different incarnations, especially if Cullen Bunn is on hand to provide the story.

This first part can be summed up in two words, grotesquely fun. There's a lot of violent scenes that more than earn this title a Parental Advisory warning, but what's great is that they aren't always used for comedy. These scenes show just how dangerous Gimp-Pool is to his dimensional counterparts, and the fact that they're mostly played straight made him all the more intimidating, even if the character was a little over-the-top evil. Speaking of Gimp-Pool, I couldn't help but be reminded of Rorscasch from Watchmen every time he said "Hrr".

This issue features the welcome return of the Deadpool Corps, who, despite losing three of their members, look set to bolster their ranks over the course of this mini-series. The dynamic between the team is as surreal and funny as it was in the DP Corps series, to the point where there is some small feeling of sadness when Headpool & Dogpool bite the dust. The 616 Deadpool gets the biggest laughs of the issue, my personal favourite being his first line to Gimp-Pool.

Salva Espin draws this issue very well. The fight scenes, violent imagery and the varying Deadpool's are rendered brilliantly by Espin's pencils. The colours by Veronica Gandini are vibrant and bright, adding to the insanity of this story.

Overall, I'm very impressed with this opening issue and (now being something of a Cullen Bunn fan thanks to his work on Venom) I'm eagerly anticipating the next instalment. Go Deadpool Corps!

Score: 4.0/5.0