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

Avenging Spider-Man #18 Review

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Avenging Spider-Man #18. This issue features a team-up between Doc SpOck & the Mighty Thor. Both of these heroes have huge egos, but will they be able to put them aside in order to combat the return of Electro? I guess we'll find out.

Synopsis:

The Superior Spider-Man observes a small crater in Queens. He determines due to the energy signature that it was caused by Electro. He then correctly figures out that Electro desires revenge against Thor after the thunder god blasted him into space during Ends of the Earth. Meanwhile Electro talks to members of A.I.M via video link. They tell him that they can help him kill Thor.

At Avengers Tower, SpOck warns Thor of Electro's return. But Thor laughs at this, saying he has nothing to fear from Electro, which leaves Otto infuriated. Back at Peter Parker's apartment, SpOck stews over Thor's arrogance,. He taps into various weather satellites in order to track Electro's energy signature. Upon discovering his current location (an unknown A.I.M laboratory in New York), he curses the villain.

Meanwhile, several A.I.M scientists run Elector through the procedure, which will hook him up to a quantum field generator, converting his electrons to protons. They warn him that he could kill himself as well as Thor, to which Electro that he doesn't care as long as he takes Thor with him. As they start the procedure, Doc SpOck arrives, effortlessly defeating the A.I.M soldiers. By the time he reaches Electro however, it's too late. Electro has been successfully converted to anti-matter. He leaves to find Thor.

However, SpOck gets there first. Thor once again shrugs off SpOck's attempts to warn him, only to receive a massive shock from Electro. He prepares to attack Electro with lightening, but SpOck prevents him, saying that if Electro were to take a direct hit of electricity in his current state, the protons and electrons could possibly collide, causing, as Thor put it, "annihilation", wiping out New York.

SpOck asks Thor to buy him some time whilst he rigs a field version of A.I.M's Q-Field generator, complaining to himself yet again about Thor. As he works on the generator however, he observes Thor taking more punishment from Electro, noting to himself that Thor's willingness to die if it means saving lives. Minutes later, SpOck finishes the machine, telling Thor to blast Electro now, which he does. At the point of annihilation, the generator redirects the energy, seemingly killing Electro. SpOck helps Thor to his feet, telling him this. Thor acknowledges that he should have heeded "Spider-Man's" warnings, but he also notes Spider-Man's disrespectful attitude towards Electro.

Later, at Doc Ock's underwater lab, he muses on how far he is willing to go to get what he wants. We then see that Electro is indeed alive, SpOck has imprisoned him in his lab alongside Sandman...

Thoughts:

This is the best issue of Avenging to feature the Superior Spider-Man so far. The dynamic between Thor & SpOck is surprisingly entertaining. Christopher Yost captures Thor's voice perfectly, . It's also good to see SpOck gain a form of respect for Thor, given how the last two issues featured characters on which his opinions did not waver. As with #15.1, it's not enough to make him grow substantially as a character, but he definitely comes away from the issue a little contemplative, even while he continues with this mysterious scheme of his.

The fact that Thor notes Spider-Man's change in personality also impresses me, I'm really hoping this will tie into the Fired storyline as Thor also features in the teaser image. This is the first issue to feature a prominent Spider-Man foe, Electro is a sensible choice given past events and I enjoyed his battle against Thor. Marco Checchetto takes the reigns as artist this issue. His artwork is just fabulous. I really like the way he draws the Spider-Man suit.

So far it seems as though Ock is gathering his former Sinister Six teammates for some kind of plan. I'm very curious as to his motives with this, and I also wonder how this involves the Jackal?
Right now though, it definitely looks as though Avenging Spider-Man is the "Superior" title. It's actually making Otto bearable as Spider-Man, and given how irritating the character can be, that's a big acheivement...

 Score: 5.0/5.0

Iron Man #7 Review

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Iron Man #7. Part Two of the Godkiller arc.

Synopsis:

Tony Stark sits languishing in his prison cell, pondering his current situation. At that very moment, someone enters the chamber. It appears to be a floating tray holding Tony's "birthday drink". However, it then shapeshifts into an android, who introduces itself to Tony as Recorder 451 of the Rigellian Recorders, The Recorders are probes sent out to gather data, being mindwiped upon their return. Since 451 had a bug, he wasn't wiped and has since come to a realisation, Eventually, it's not enough to watch, you have to act. He says that although he contacted Stark's "friends", they won't reach him before the Voldi laws have had their way with him. When Tony asks what his plan is, 451 replies that he has acquired an extensive knowledge of judicial systems across the known universe, which causes Tony to groan and say "you're a lawyer."

Two hours later, Tony is brought before the Supreme Justicar to answer for the death of the Pheonix Force. Tony attempts to explain that it was in self-defence, that the Pheonix attacked Earth, but the Supreme Justicar rebukes such claims, calling them madness. She is about to sentence him when Tony suddenly claims his right to "Shay-Tah-Run", an ancient Voldi rite which amounts to trial by combat. It turns out this is meant to be a distraction so that 451 can retrieve Tony's armour for him.

Tony proves to be a competent fighter against the Voldi warriors, defeating them in quick succession. The Supreme Justicar grows frustrated, saying the Voldi are romantics, and will eventually call for Stark to be released if they do not end this now. Her aide says they have just the person, though they will have to pay him substantially. Meanwhile 451 kills a guard when he fails to manipulate him to move aside. He enters the room the guard was protecting, which doesn't contain the Iron Man armour, but the Heart of the Voldi. He repeats what he said earlier, "it's not enough to watch, you have to act."

Back in the arena, The Supreme Justicar tells Tony that they find him innocent of "grievous theological harm". The next charge is "conspiracy of decide". Tony's next opponent towers over hi. He tells him that he will make this quick, but that he shouldn't worry because "Death's Head is a professional, yes?"

Thoughts:

So far, this arc has been quite fun. Kieron Gillen is no doubt taking Iron Man to more lighthearted places when compared to Matt Fraction's run, providing a Tony Stark more in line with Robert Downey Jr.'s portrayal of the character, fully embracing the character's sense of humour, but pulling him back at the right moments so we take him seriously. Not content with referencing Star Trek, Gillen also throws in amusing nods to Star Wars & John Carter, both of which I found very funny.

I also like that we don't have a massive debate over whether or not Tony was directly responsible for the death of the Pheonix Force. The character of 451 is very intriuging as well as morally ambiguous, I look forward to seeing his plan unveiled. I didn't care for Death's Head in Avenging Spider-Man and I don't care for him here. This isn't a criticism of Gillen's writing, I just find the character too silly.

Greg Land unfortunately tends to be slightly repetitive in his facial design as all the unmasked characters have similar faces, even the aliens. This is made a little worse by the fact that Tony spends the whole issue separated from his Iron Man armour, as drawing armoured/masked characters, particularly Iron Man, is definitely Land's strong point. I do like that Tony's prison cell looks similar to his arc reactor.

Despite clearly being the middle issue, there's definitely enough progression in the plot to make this feel necessary to the overall story. I'm enjoying this arc a lot despite some of the more negative reviews I've read. Kieron Gillen is beginning to find his footing with the series, I look forward to the third & final part of this storyline.

Score: 4.0/5.0

Iron Man #6 Review

 

Hello everybody and welcome to my review of Iron Man #6. When we last saw Tony Stark, he'd flown off into space in his awesome new armour "to boldly go where no man has gone before" (I just had to do that)...

Synopsis:

The issue begins with Tony fighting a bunch of pirate spaceships, musing that while he's seen so many incredible things, he doesn't realise it as often as he should, and it scares him. We then cut to Tony flirting outrageously with an alien girl in an alien bar. While this is going on, Tony notices another armoured figure staring at them. The alien girl, Veritina, says he is Death's Head, a dangerous bounty hunter. The two then head for the Veritina's "house" (more of a palace really) and she tells Tony about her species, the Voldi, and how they taught several other alien races including the Kree and the Shi'ar. Tony thanks her for the conversation and tells her about his father, saying he's still living up to what his father wanted for him. They arrive at Veritina's bedroom and just as things are about to get intimate, Veritina recoils in horror at the sight of Tony's beard. She tells him to leave at once, to which Tony silently complies. As he is on his way out, he is attacked by several robot soldiers, who say he is wanted for "the crime of decide". Tony decides to surrender in order to clear this up. He is taken to the Supreme Justicar, who brands him "The Godkiller", the god in question being the "Void Falcon", or as most would call it, the Phoenix Force...

 

Thoughts:

The concept of Tony Stark exploring the universe to learn and experience more is a fantastic idea and writer Kieron Gillen gets things off to a cracking start with this issue. Gillen's characterisation of Iron Man is spot on. He throws Tony joke after joke, most of which fit the character's sharp wit. But Gillen also delves deeper into Tony's character and shows his more vulnerable side. I also appreciate that Gillen embraces the obvious similarities to Star Trek in this issue rather dodging around them with the odd, vague reference. The humour is also well-applied, who'd have thought that not shaving could be so problematic? Greg Land is given a lot more creative freedom with the space setting and goes absolutely wild, treating us to awesome spectacles of interstellar madness. The twist at the end is interesting. It's not hard to imagine the Phoenix being worshipped as a god by other species and while Iron Man didn't directly kill it, he certainly aided in it's supposed destruction, key word here being supposed. From the looks of things, Gillen & Land are set to deliver on all the potential this storyline has and I eagerly look forward to the next instalment...

 

Score: 4.5/5.0