Video Game Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Edge of Time Redux

In 2012, the release of the first "Amazing Spider-Man" film also lead to a video game based on it. However, unlike the previous Spider-Man movie games, rather than adapt the movie's story while adding in new things, Beenox decided to set the first game after the movie with a whole new story. That was one of the reasons I enjoyed the first game. It had a good story, emotional moments like one between Peter and Gwen, and did a good job at building a universe that I thought could have fit well within the new movie series canon. The facts that Sony gave them a list of certain villains they could use and they asked them to give Spider-Man a belt for his webbing also helped fuel that idea. Not only that, but the controls gave me what I felt was the ultimate Spider-Man experience than ever before. In short, I considered it the "Arkham" of Spider-Man games. When the game based on the second movie was announced, it was said that it would be its own story, and that the games were a separate timeline from the movies. So to clarify that, you have the first "Amazing Spider-Man" movie, then it branches into 2 directions: the movies and the games. It should have been expected though, since characters like Rhino and Smythe were going to be used in the second movie, and their character directions were very different from how they were used in the first game. Given how much I enjoyed the first game, I really looked forward to the second. Unfortunately, it just didn't "wow" me this time around.

First off, I applaud them for working on their own story, and they stuck with it for the most part. However, the one thing I didn't like was how they still decided to touch upon the actual movie plot. Since I played the game before seeing the movie, when it actually used some of the movie's plot, it left me totally confused. When I think about the original movie games, we would actually see moments from those films adapted into the games. In this game though, we only briefly meet Max Dillon, and then the next time we see him, he's already turned into Electro and there's no explanation given in the story. I'll give them that there are audio journals detailing what happened to Max and why he blames Spider-Man, but some people would like to finish the story before looking for collectibles. I think it would have been better if they really tried to keep the game story completely original, and stuck to characters like Kingpin, Kraven, and Carnage as the main villains, and left out Electro and the Goblin. I would have at least liked the allusion of the game being canon with the movies, either as a prequel to the film or a sequel. If they wanted to adapt the film's story, they should have went all out like they have in the past, then we could have gotten more out of the experience.

For the most part, the voice cast was pretty good, but there were two characters that just sounded weird: Kingpin and Green Goblin. Kingpin basically sounds like John Goodman. I'll admit, after seeing him as a drug dealer in "Hangover 3", I could believe him as Kingpin, but Kingpin shouldn't sound like a stereotypical fat guy. As for Green Goblin, based on his actual movie appearance, there was no reason he should have sounded the way he did in the game, when his transformation was more physical than anything else. He basically sounded like Garlic Jr. from "Dragon Ball Z", especially when he laughed. Pretty damn annoying.

Control wise, they didn't really introduce anything new, but at the very least, they overcomplicated things compared to the first game. For starters, the webswinging mechanic has been modified to actually attach to buildings. I'll admit, I liked that aspect, but it took some getting used to use both triggers on the controller when it's always just been the right trigger. Another thing is that whenever you would swing into the building, you had to press a button to actually stick to it. Shouldn't that just be automatic? Then there's the Web Rush system. It was pretty straight-forward in the first game, but in the second, they don't really give you any indication that you're locked on the target you're after, whether it be an enemy, an object you can interact with during battle, or a comic book collectible you can find in the city. It made it really hard to strategize and do what you wanted to actually do. Lastly, the Spider-Sense and dodging system was also complicated. In the first game, you had your basic "white warning", when you could just press the button to avoid being hit, and the "red warning" where you actually had to move to avoid the attack, usually with the Web Retreat button. In this game however, you actually have to move while using the dodge button for every kind of attack, and you have no retreat option. For stealth missions, it made it really hard when you were spotted to get away. I mean, at least in the "Arkham" games, you can zipline to a gargoyle and hide out for awhile. With Spidey's webs, you should be able to do the same. I also didn't like that while you would heal over time in the first game, you actually had to take time to heal yourself in the new one, even in the middle of a battle. There's a real learning curve, but you eventually get used to the updated mechanics, even if they didn't need to be changed in the first place.

Besides that though, it seems like this game has drawn on a lot of aspects used before in past Spider-Man games.

• With Black Cat, you get the same "Black Cat wants to be with Spider-Man, but not know who he is, but he rejects her because he has responsibilities" plot we've seen before in "Spider-Man 2" and "Spider-Man: Web of Shadows." It gets old.
• The Goblin fights are part-glider and part-hand-to-hand like in the first movie game, but you can actually ram him into buildings like in the third. I'll admit it was fun to do that part, but it wasn't new.
• Kingpin has an army with special suits and some even have gliders, just like in "Web of Shadows." Again, nothing new.
• Like in "Spider-Man 2", you have perpetual crimes to deal with in the city. While it's been updated and features new things like fire rescues, just like "Spider-Man 2", it really gets repetitive, and you're essentially playing to unlock achievements and collectibles and earn enough points to acquire all the upgrades.

While the game continues to build a universe and plays well, the new mechanics and toe-dipping into the actual movie plot of what was billed as an original story doesn't leave the same impression that the first game did. It's fun, but you should just enjoy it for what it is and not expect too much.

RATING: 5.5/10

Movie Review: The Amazing Spider-Man 2 - Critics Just Don't Understand (SPOILERS)

 

 

In 2012, Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield brought about a new beginning for Spider-Man with a reboot film that was just like its namesake: Amazing. With a sequel set even before the first film was released, it showed how much faith the studio had in the new film. Even before the second film was released, Sony even set dates for the third and fourth movies. As Sony released more and more info about the second movie, the more excited I was. The new suit alone was enough to get me excited; it looks like Spidey jumped right off the comic into real life, even more than the suit from the original trilogy. But with that excitement, there was worry as well. Worry that even if they were setting things up for future films, that they were trying to do too much in one film, and that we'd have another "Spider-Man 3" on our hands. The fire of that worry was stoked as a lot of negative reviews started to surface. But even with the negativity, I found just as much positive that gave me some hope. Based on the mixed reaction, it seemed that this film would be this year's "Man of Steel", in the aspect that critics just won't get it. After seeing the film myself, my assumption was correct. While the latest film may divide people, as a lifelong Spider-Man fan, I have never been blown away by film in this franchise like I was when watching "The Amazing Spider-Man 2."

It goes without saying that Andrew Garfield has become one with and embraced his character as his own. His performance in the first film showed that, but the second one makes it all the more certain. The one thing that makes Garfield feel so natural as Spider-Man is his sense of humor. Even through the most intense situations, he would still make jokes that would annoy the villain but also give the audience a laugh. That's something that was sorely lacking with Tobey Maguire's Spider-Man. To put it in comparison, between two movies, Garfield's Spidey probably quintupled the amount of jokes Tobey made in all three of his movies. But it's not just his quips that makes him Spider-Man. Garfield's chemistry with his co-stars shows that he knows how to be Peter Parker as well, as he delivered some good emotional scenes with Aunt May and Harry Osborn. And of course there's Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy. It probably helps that Andrew and Emma are dating in real life, but when I was watching Peter and Gwen together, it feels like I would be watching a real couple. Even with their real life relationship, some credit has to director Marc Webb. Before the first film was released, I watched his previous film "500 Days of Summer", which I really developed a personal connection with, and realized that this guy had what it takes to bring emotion to the Spider-Man films, which is very important. Compared to Tobey and Kirsten, Andrew and Emma make the romance feel real.

But the cast is only half the equation with superhero movies like this. The special effects were top-notch, especially with the way they made Spider-Man move. Like the previous film, Spider-Man just feels more natural with the way he swings and fights. If you looked back on Tobey's Spider-Man and compare, it just seems so obvious that if feels staged and choreographed, that that Spider-Man was forcing himself to act so agile.

Let's talk about the villains now. Yes, there were three in one movie again. After "Spider-Man 3", there's the idea that too many villains can ruin a film. However, I think Webb has one upped Raimi in how to make the idea work. When you look at "Spider-Man 3", you can tell that they were trying to make all 3 villains seem like the main threat, and it ended in disaster. With "Amazing Spider-Man 2", the main focus was on 2 main villains who got their story fleshed out, while the other one was there to help set up the future. I mean, with plans being made to use the Sinister Six, you need to establish you can handle multiple villains, especially when you plan to have six in one movie.
Even then, some critics still complained about the film being overcrowded and that the villains weren't that well developed. I respectively disagree and feel each of them served a purpose.

• ELECTRO: I understand how some may feel about Max Dillon when he's first introduced, that he's the stereotypical geek who's wimpy and doesn't get respect. But I think it was necessary to see that first before he gets his powers, the way in which was pretty damn cool and violent in my opinion. In the Times Square scene, you really get to see Max snap, and I felt for him. This was a guy who just wanted to feel needed, like he actually mattered to people, and Spider-Man's pep talk really built him up. Though it was a big misunderstanding and he couldn't control himself, Max felt betrayed by someone important who made him feel matter. Potentially, Electro has the power to rule the whole world, but he's usually portrayed as weak minded, and it's what made him easy for Harry to manipulate later on.
• HARRY OSBORN: While he was only really the Green Goblin for a few minutes, Harry's character development through the movie does make him a villain even without being in costume. Harry became desperate and its what drove him over the edge to become the Goblin. Besides that, there's his relationship with Peter. Despite their awkward reunion at the start, you eventually see them as long-lost friends that pick up where they left off. Then Harry feels betrayed by Peter when he finds out he's Spider-Man, and despite taking away Peter's "hope" (I'll say more on that later), it seems like he really wants to make Peter suffer more, which explains why he would rather form the Sinister Six instead of just revealing Peter's secret to the public.
• RHINO: At first I was a little miffed when I realized Rhino would end up being the closing villain in the film, but when it actually came to that point, I realized it was necessary. I would have thought including him would have been unnecessary, but it ended up letting the film close out on a more positive note, which I see now as the best way it could have gone.

With the exception of Rhino, I really did feel some emotion for Max and Harry. In fact, I felt more for those two than any other Spidey film before. I think that's a testament to Marc Webb's directing abilities that you can feel so deeply for the villains.

Probably the most important thing about Spider-Man is that he gives people off a sense of hope. That's an aspect that really plays out in this film compared to the others, while it is touched upon at the end of the first "Amazing" film. I myself have always seen Spider-Man in that way, that even with all the crap he goes through, eventually everything will work out in the end and that you'll wind up where you need to be. There's one character in the film that isn't that big of a role, but Spider-Man really inspires him, and it leads to a great moment between them in the final scene.

Now it's time to get to the scene that really made the film for me: Gwen's death. A lot of people speculated it would happen and Sony teased the hell out of it in the previews, but even with all that, it was that scene that made my heart pound, my lungs short of breath, and almost cried, especially when Peter realized what happened. It's something that never really happened to me while watching a movie. I knew it was going to happen but it still made me emotional. And even though I knew he wouldn't, part of me still wanted to see Peter save her. It was a scene that was handled really well, especially since they added the mystery element to her death like there was in the comics. The big question: would it had mattered if Peter's web caught her, or was if the sudden stop that caused her death? It was pretty graphic too; I'll admit I looked down when she stopped. The one thing I didn't like though was that just like the first film with Uncle Ben, we have Peter listening to a speech by his lost loved one posthumously in order to help himself move on.

I did enjoy the way they wrapped up the storyline with Peter's parents. They used the traitors aspect from the comics and made it work in their own way. I didn't even mind the reason Peter's the only cross-species who's relatively normal. At least it wasn't the whole "father did something to his blood and passes it down to his son who got his powers activated later on in life" like they did in Ang Lee's "Hulk" movie. There were rumors they were going to go this route for the first "Amazing", but we should be glad they didn't go that route.

I think it's obvious that Aunt May knows that Peter's Spider-Man. She probably just doesn't want to make him worry about her worrying about him. It's kind of like what they did with Amazing Spider-Man #400. You know, before they made it so that it was an actress hired by Osborn and made up to look like May.

Much like last year with "Man of Steel", despite how much I enjoyed the film, I have been trying to figure out why many critics didn't. I have a few theories:

• When you think about it, all the other Spider-Man films have been relatively self contained and focused on one villain and critics got used to it. This time though, they took the MCU approach and wanted to help set up plans and characters for the future. While that tactic made critics think that they were using too many characters and stories, when you think about it, it's all connected and OsCorp is the focal point of it all.
• I talked about before how Spider-Man was really on with the comedy in this movie, but apparently Spidey making corny jokes through the whole movie made some critics consider it campy. Newsflash: SPIDEY IS SUPPOSED TO MAKE FREAKING JOKES. I blame the Raimi films' non-quipping Spidey affecting people's perception.
• The use of the slow motion through out the movie. Like I said before, this is the most natural moving Spider-Man than any other movie. In a way, the slow-motion was seeing things from Spidey's point of view when his Spider-Sense is activated. Let's face it, if they actually showed those scenes in real time, critics would have complained that things were moving too fast for them to understand what was happening.

I guess the overall complain from some critics was that they actually treated a comic book movie LIKE A FREAKING COMIC BOOK.

But of course, the negative reaction may lead to some repercussions for the franchise. As I've learned, Sony's goal for the film's box office was for $800 million, to make up for the $255 million budget, $180 million for marketing, and still make a good profit. By the look of things, they may not reach their goal. The last time a Spider-Man movie didn't meet expectations, it ended up leading to a reboot. But comic book movies today are different from then. Studios like to plan out the future and build a universe now. Film wise, "Amazing Spider-Man 3" may not be affected, but Sony will probably try to rework their marketing campaign. Besides that, they may have to hold off on their spin-off plans for the Sinister Six and Venom. If they can't bring in a big audience for Spider-Man himself, what hope could there be for the villains? Right now, the focus should be on making "Amazing Spider-Man 3" an overall success as the first film was. In my opinion, if Sony were able to do just one spin-off, Venom would be the best bet. He's already an anti-hero with a fanbase, and Carnage would be the perfect villain for it. Even when it was announced, I thought a movie focusing on the Sinister Six would be a tough sell. You got a team of villains, guys who are supposed to lose. What audience would be interested? While the "Superior Foes of Spider-Man" comic book has received a lot of praise and could be the basis of the film, it still may be best to put that film on the shelf for now.

Spin-offs aside, there's still a lot of potential to be done with the main Spider-Man series and the third movie. Based on the blueprints teasing the Sinister Six line-up, it will include Dr. Octopus, Vulture, Green Goblin, and Rhino for sure, as well as either Black Cat or Kraven, and Mysterio or Chameleon. I can't say for sure about the last two spots, but right now I can only speculate how Ock and Vulture will join up. For Vulture, I think they may use the younger Vulture, Blackie Drago. If Harry's building a team to take down Spider-Man, he'd probably want a young criminal and not an old man like Adrian Toomes. They could still make Drago bald too, like his Ultimate version is. As for Ock, I could see OsCorp sabotaging one of Octavius' experiments and making him believe Spider-Man was responsible, thus giving him reason to join them.
Aside from the villains, we also have Mary Jane's introduction to look forward to. Mary Jane was originally supposed to appear in this film and be played by Shailene Woodley (from "Divergent"), but ended up being cut from the film so they could focus on Peter and Gwen's relationship (which was probably the first clue she was going to die). While Woodley may not be back and the role will likely be recast, I could definitely see Peter meeting Mary Jane and developing feelings for her, but afraid to get close after what happened to Gwen.
This last idea is purely speculation. The third film should introduce the symbiote and black suit, which would lead to Venom as the main villain the fourth. Venom's supposed to get his own movie, so it only makes sense they're planning to introduce him in the main series. I mean, you can't have Venom without Spider-Man first.

So to wrap a bow on this puppy, Marc Webb has doubled down on what made the first Amazing Spider-Man film so great. For some, that means an even better Spidey than before, but for others, well they'd probably feel better watching the Tobey Maguire movies for some reason. Then again, it could probably still win over those still mad about the reboot in the first place. In my view though, to quote Saint Walker, "all will be well" when it comes to what's next for Marc Webb and Andrew Garfield's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.

RATING: 10/10

Next up will be my review for the Amazing Spider-Man 2 game, which is based on the film. It was released before the movie, but I wanted to hold off on writing about that until I could compare the two, since the game does touch on some movie details while still being its own story for the most part.

Series Review: The Superior Spider-Man - A Love Letter to Peter Parker (SPOILERS)

2012 was Spider-Man's 50th anniversary, but I don't think any fan expected how it would end. In the 700th and (then) final issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, a dying Dr. Octopus switched minds with Peter Parker, and while Peter tried his best to undo the process, Ock had taken precautions to ensure his victory. However, unlike other body-swapping stories, Octavius was able to access Peter's memories, making it very easy to pose as him, and it was those memories that made the villains see the error of his ways. Before Peter died in his body, Octavius promised Peter he would carry on his legacy and be a better man than Otto Octavius and a better hero than Peter and become "the Superior Spider-Man." It was a concept that divided fans from the start, and even earned writer Dan Slott death threats. How could Marvel make Doc Ock Spider-Man? But like many things, you can't judge something without even trying it, and when it comes to the Superior Spider-Man, it was considered by many, self included, to be the best book at Marvel.

A few issues in, my thoughts on Ock as Spider-Man was that he was actually doing a good job. While Peter started using more tech in his arsenal in recent years, Ock took it even further. For one, I really liked the updates he made to the costume, including the new lenses that could have special functions like a heads-up display and the claws on his fingers that could inject enemies with nanite spider-tracers. Not only that, but for a time, the Spider-Bots patrolling the city gave Ock a real leg-up on crime in the city. And while I'm usually in line with Peter's "no kill" policy, the only time I really saw Ock killing an enemy excusable was with the psychotic mass murderer Massacre in issue 5. Given all the mass shootings in the United States in recent years, it isn't hard to feel a little happy when someone gets what they should, and Massacre did. But I think what made me like Ock as Spider-Man was that he reminded me of Lelouch Lamperouge, the main character from one of my favorite animes, Code Geass. Like Ock, he was calculating and had a goal he would stop at nothing to accomplish. Lelouch even had an army at his command like Ock would starting in issue 14.
While Ock as Spider-Man was fun to read, Ock acting as Peter was very different. To be blunt, Ock made Peter look like a douche on several occasions. The one thing that really irked me was that Ock was upset that Peter didn't have a doctorate that he went back to school to get one.

While Spider-Ock, or SpOck, made an interesting read, what really made this book so interesting is that it was really unpredictable, and even if you think something will happen, Slott turned it into something else. The best example I can think of is issue 9, which featured a mind battle between Peter and Ock for control of his body, and that ended with Ock wiping out all of Peter's memories, and essentially "killing" Peter again. You'd think that would be the point Peter would be back, but nope, it gave fans a moment that would be just as upsetting as what happened in Amazing Spider-Man #700. While fans knew Peter would have to come back at some point, this moment brought on the question of exactly how it would be done. Issue 19 brought about the first clues though.
Another favorite example was SpOck's meeting with Black Cat. The cover to issue 20 showed her trying to seduce Spidey like she always does. What actually happens in the issue though? SpOck punches her square in the face, knocking out one of her teeth, and leaving her for the cops. As you could imagine, she's pissed. That's also example of another thing though. Since we all knew Peter would be back at some point, it would be fun to see how much of a mess Ock would make for both Peter and Spider-Man, and how Peter would have to deal with the consequences of "his" actions.
Other things I didn't see coming as the series progressed were Ock setting up his own headquarters (Spider-Island II) and starting up his own company with Parker Industries.

One of the aspects of the book was the tension of whether or not someone in Peter's supporting cast would figure out something was different with him. While Ock did try to get with Mary Jane, Peter's memories of her actually brought him to call off their relationship to protect her, something Peter would probably have never done. Now MJ got a lot of flak throughout this series for not being able to figure it out, but considering how much Ock ignored her through the book, I can see how she wouldn't have been able to. Then there's Aunt May, who should know Peter best since she raised him, right? But let's not forget, that even as Otto Octavius, Ock was able to charm May into thinking he was a good person. Hell, they almost got married at one point! So, even as Peter, Ock would have been able fool her.
But those are just civilians. When it comes to the other heroes Ock would interact with, like the Avengers. Now I know this series had to last awhile, but Slott kind of made the Avengers look like idiots. I mean, the Avengers did try to find out if Spidey was under mind control or a Skrull in issue 8, but even when those proved negative, they didn't really do anything to follow up on it. Hell, they saw Spider-Man with henchman and piloting giant spider robots, and they were still like "Hmm, he's acting different but I'm sure he's the same guy." Then there was the final part of the "Darkest Hour" storyline where SpOck was using the Venom symbiote but lost control, and when he got free, he acted like the symbiote was what was making him a dick the whole time. They almost bought it, but after they tried to confront SpOck about his actions again, he decided to quit the Avengers and jumped out the window. What do the Avengers do after that? Nothing. They were basically like "Oh, he quit the team. Nothing we can do now." I mean, come on! I really hope that Peter calls them out for being such idiots for not totally realizing he was different for some big reason.

Perhaps the biggest breakout character of the series was Anna Maria Marconi, Otto's classmate at grad school and later love interest. What makes her different in this supporting cast was that she was a little person, which we don't see a lot of in comics. When I first saw her when Otto met her, I was kind of surprised. I mean, as soon as I saw her, I pretty much knew right away she would be his love interest. I'll admit, the idea kind of made me uncomfortable, not because she was little, but that she would be involved with Peter even though it wasn't really Peter. But as their relationship developed, I really started to enjoy it and she became a character I started to care about. Even so, I thought at some point in the series, she would die. Over the course of the series, Ock had experienced a lot of the Parker luck Peter usually would, like not being able to honor some commitments to loved ones or losing his job at Horizon Labs. I thought Otto losing a love interest would have been the last thing he needed to really know what it was like to be Spider-Man. By the end, Anna Maria made it through the series alive. Since Otto is gone now, he kind of leaves Peter with the ball that is the relationship with Anna Maria. It should be interesting how that goes. I'm not sure how many people spotted it, but in issue 27, Otto as Peter was seen holding a ring box, meaning he was planning to propose to her. It's a good bet that Peter doesn't know about that, and I think Anna Maria will find the ring, and that will definitely lead to an awkward moment.

While Ock as Spider-Man was the main focus, there were many moments in the series that featured the newly returned Green Goblin building an army from the remnants of criminal henchmen left unemployed after Spider-Man had taken out their bosses. It would lead to the book's final storyline, "Goblin Nation". In that story, we saw that while Otto, and to some extension I as a reader, thought he was doing a good job, he only made it easier for the Goblin to take control of the city. Besides that, the final story arc brought about a few emotional moments. There was one moment involving Don Lamaze, who was Otto's classmate back when he was actually Otto, but as Peter, he was his grad school teacher. When the Goblin had hacked into SpOck's spider legs and trying to kill him, Lamaze had gotten in the way of one of the legs and sacrificed himself to save SpOck. In his last moments, Lamaze told SpOck that he wanted to make up for his past cowardice from issue 21. In essence, Ock was able to inspire someone to be a hero, which is what Spider-Man was meant to do.
The other emotional moment from this arc, and perhaps the most emotional scene through the whole series, was what everyone expected to happen: the return of Peter Parker in mind and body. When Ock realized both that he had failed the city and that Peter was still alive in his head, he decided relinquish control back to Peter, calling him the true Superior Spider-Man. To do so, Ock wiped out all his own memories, so Peter would have all his wits about him, so that he could save the city, and Anna Maria, who had been kidnapped by the Goblin. While Ock had been trying to play the hero in this series, it was this moment that I felt brought about his true redemption. In order to save the woman he loves, Ock erased all that he was so that a true hero could do so. It was also this moment that made me realize that while I have always related to Peter Parker, it turns out I relate to Octavius in some way too. While talking to Peter, Otto described himself as knowing that he's flawed and tries to compensate (which explains all the tech he's used as Spider-Man throughout the series), and he describes Peter that while he has potential, he always sets himself up to fail. In a way, I'm like Ock because I worry that I'm not good enough for anyone so I sometimes try too hard to be a part of  something. And I'm like Peter because while I do feel like I have potential, and others see it in me too, I'm afraid to fail that I sometimes don't even try. My own life aside, it's cool to see how opposite, but similar Peter and Otto were.
Since the Goblin first reappeared in the book, there was some speculation that it may not have been Norman Osborn since we never saw him unmasked. It wasn't until the final issue that he was unmasked, and it was one of those moments where the unpredictability that always kept readers on the edge of their seats kicked in again. It turns out it was Osborn, but he got plastic surgery and became "Mason Banks" so that he could remain in the public and help set up Alchemax and create a new industrial empire to leave behind for his grandson to inherit. I really like this twist Slott used for Alchemax's creation, because it shows that even in 2099, the Osborn legacy is still a thorn in a Spider-Man's side, the future web-slinger in this case being Miguel O'Hara.

While I enjoyed Ock as Spider-Man for the first 30 issues, the final issue showing Peter back in the driver's seat and in his classic costume made me realize that I did miss Peter, his jokes, and his way of doing things. I love the fact that the instant Peter made a quip that Osborn automatically knew he was dealing with the real Spider-Man again. A lot of people may not get the point Dan Slott was trying to make with this book was that Peter Parker is the one true Spider-Man. Yes, Ock's tactics did gets results, but the final arc showed that everything fell apart because Osborn was able to use Ock's system to his advantage. I wouldn't say Peter's unpredictable, but the way he has gotten things done in story arcs like "Spider-Island" and "Goblin Nation", shows that he is a true hero that will rise to the occasion.

This whole series was the shot in the arm the Spider-Man series needed. While it divided the fan base in the beginning, it eventually won a lot of people over. I really think that anyone who says they didn't enjoy it probably didn't even give it a chance. There will be some who complain that comics rehash old ideas, but then complain when something completely different like this happens. This was the most fun I've had in a long time reading Spider-Man comics. I do kind of worry about things getting stale again with Peter totally back, but I think with everything that happened in the Superior era, it gives me two things to look forward to: 1) Peter will have learned a few things from this experience and work to become an even better Spider-Man than Ock and himself before. 2) Ock left some pretty big messes that Peter will have to deal with eventually.

With that, here are my ratings for Dan Slott's 31 issue "Superior Spider-Man":
STORY RATING: 9/10
RECOMMENDATION RATING: 10/10

Now this is the first of 3 Spider-Man related reviews I have planned for awhile. Stay tuned for my reviews for both "The Amazing Spider-Man 2" film and the video game based on it over the next week or two.

Coming soon: Superior Spider-Man series review

This week marked the end of an era, as the Superior Spider-Man comic book series, which followed Otto Octavius taking over Peter Parker and Spider-Man's body, life, and duties, finally reached its conclusion. I won't be able to get to my comic shop until next week though to pick up the final issue, but sometime after that, I will write about the whole 31 issue series in what will be the biggest review I have undertaken on my blog so far. I'm not sure how I'll go about it yet, but I'll probably take it arc by arc for the most part but will jump ahead to other points of the series for things like story and character development. Anyway, stay tuned.

Movie Review: "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" - Game Changer, Man! Game Changer! (SPOILERS)

Before trailers hit for the Super Soldier's second solo film, I was excited and hesitant at the same time. On one hand, it included the Winter Soldier, which is self-explanatory. On the other hand, it was being directed by the Russo brothers, who made "You, Me, and Dupree." I thought "Marvel's trusting these comedy guys with a serious film?" Then I started to see some footage, and it was getting me hyped. However, I was worried that this sequel may have been along the lines of the second Iron Man and Thor films, but I knew that unlike those films, Cap's sequel had more going for it: 1) It was building off something that was expected from the first film with Bucky. 2) SHIELD being involved would mean some major shit was gonna go down. And 3) It would lead into Avengers 2. Jump to a few weeks before the film hit the US and it was getting outstanding reviews saying it was even better than Avengers. Now after seeing it myself, I can safely say that in my opinion, that claim is true.

I really can't think of anything negative to say about the film. The Russo brothers pretty much nailed every aspect you'd expect from a film like this, it's no wonder they were asked back to direct the third Captain America film and that Marvel would set a release date for it before the second was even released. At the moment though, it shares the same release date for the Batman/Superman movie. I'm just saying, one of them is going to have to move, and I say Batman/Superman should, because not only did Marvel have the spot first but DC appears to need all the time they could get. Compare the reviews for "Man of Steel" and "Winter Soldier", and you would see that not everyone has been won over by our new big blue boy scout...the one with a cape that is.

Let me start with the characters and their interactions, and I think the film brought out the strongest performances in everyone compared to their past MCU appearances. Chris Evans was able to prove again that he makes an amazing Steve Rogers that can inspire hope and leadership in everyone, and I loved his partnerships with Falcon and Widow, not to mention an emotional meeting with an elderly Peggy Carter. One of the best parts in my opinion were when Steve and Natasha were undercover in the mall and acting kind of like a hipster couple, wearing glasses, hoodies and the like. It's needless to say that Samuel L. Jackson nails it once again as Nick Fury, plus he gets a little more action this time around, even though his death scene didn't really fool me. Come on, it's Nick Fury; the guy can't be killed that easily.
In some interviews, Sebastian Stan said he used Heath Ledger's Joker as inspiration for when he was the Winter Soldier. I didn't really see Joker in his performance, but Stan definitely performed well as the a ruthless brainwashed unstoppable killing machine. He didn't really say much, but he didn't need to. I only wish Marvel didn't spoil that he was Bucky in some previews and interviews. I mean, yeah you could look it up on Wikipedia, but some people do like to go in blind. This isn't the last we've seen of Bucky though, as it's been revealed Stan has a 9 picture deal with Marvel, which means he has 7 left. This means we'll see more development for him in the future, and once Chris Evans finishes his contract with Avengers 3, it's quite possible we'll see Bucky take over the mantle of his friend.
While Winter Soldier was in the film's title, he wasn't technically the main villain. No, that role went to Robert Redford as Alexander Pierce, Fury's superior at SHIELD. I'll be honest, I, and a lot of people for that matter, thought he would turn out to be Red Skull. It wouldn't be hard to think that considering they had similar goals. Skull or not, Pierce definitely played his role well.
Cobie Smulders returns to play Maria Hill, Fury's "sidekick." Like in Avengers though, she doesn't get too much character insight, but she does get some good moments in the film's climax.

Now on to the action, and there was a lot of it. While the last Iron Man and Thor films had some spectacular special effects with battles involving high-tech armors and magical artifacts, Captain America kept things more down to Earth and realistic, featuring more hand-to-hand combat, gun fights, and car chases. One could argue that Iron Man is like Batman because of the gadgets, but Captain America could definitely give Bats a run for his enormous amount of money in a straight up fight. The choreography of the fights and chases in this film were great to watch and will definitely make you cringe at some moments; I think that's what lets you know how good a film is when you actually worry what will happen to the characters.

While I knew the film would feature some uprisings and infiltrators in SHIELD, there was one thing that I didn't expect: Arnim Zola's reappearance via a computer program and HYDRA's very slow and calculating rise in SHIELD to reach their goals. Hell, it was their ultimate plan that made me believe Pierce would have been Red Skull. Plus in an "Oh shit" moment for me, it's implied that Winter Soldier was responsible for Howard Stark's death. If Tony and Bucky ever have a scene together, that could be interesting if they decide to bring it up. Although there probably wouldn't really be any evidence of Bucky's involvement in Howard's death, and Bucky wouldn't even remember doing it unless he saw some. Still, there's some potential here.

I think what really makes this film so revered is that it is definitely contemporary with society's issues at the moment, particularly privacy. With all the news of the NSA, phone taps, and drones, it really isn't hard to see the Russos play off those fears in the film and how Cap would reject to them. Plus, it shows what would happen if someone got hold of that kind of power. People want to feel safe, but some attempts to ensure safety could actually lead to a lack of safety.

As with all Marvel films, "The Winter Soldier" gives us a tease of what's to come. There were two things that really stood out to me:

• Remember the scepter Loki used in "Avengers"? Well it turns out SHIELD kept it, and now HYDRA has it. The one thing that really stood out to me about the weapon was that the blue orb in the center. My idea since "Avengers" was that it would turn out to be an Infinity Stone, the Mind stone to be exact. I mean, there had to be a reason they focused in on it while everyone was arguing in that scene.
• We saw our first appearances of the Maximoff twins, Pietro and Wanda, better known by their codenames, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch. While in the comics they are mutants and Magneto's children, due to Fox owning the X-Men film rights, Marvel cannot call them mutants or reference Magneto in their films. No, in the mid-credits scene, the twins are referred to as "Miracles." Now if Miracles are going to be the Mutants of the MCU, it makes me wonder if there will be more showing up in the future, and if that happens, will it lead to an X-Men like team since they can't use the real deal. While I didn't have the idea at first, it did hit me later on. Kids finding out they have abilities that are unexplainable and need to learn how to control them? Can anyone say Avengers Academy? Wink, wink. Nudge, nudge.

Even though some will disagree, I stand by my statement that "Captain America: The Winter Soldier" exceeds "The Avengers" and all other Marvel films before it, continuing to change the landscape of the cinematic universe for years to come. Therefore, I give the film a 10/10.

My now current ranking of MCU films:

• Captain America: The Winter Soldier
• The Avengers
• Iron Man 3
• Thor
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Iron Man
• The Incredible Hulk
• Iron Man 2
• Thor: The Dark World

Tracy Got a Raw Deal: How I Met Your Mother's Disappointing Finale

After nine years, fans of "How I Met Your Mother" finally got to see how the main character, Ted Mosby, met the mother of his children, whose name we now know was Tracy McConnell. And for nearly the entire ninth and final season, fans had to endure a "24" style format as it was spanned across Barney and Robin's wedding weekend, where Ted and Tracy would meet. Now the series is over, and as a fan who got on board half-way through and was able to catch up thanks to reruns on a number of channels, I was very disappointed in how things played out in the final episode, which spanned over a number of years to get where Ted was telling his kids the story.

Let me get to the first thing that made me mad. Apparently after three years of being married, Barney and Robin got divorced. My literal reaction was me screaming "Are you kidding me?!" Fans spent the last six months watching things lead up to the two getting married, enduring meaningless episodes that would make you go "Oh my God, who the hell cares?", including the infamous rhyming episode "Bedtime Stories", and then the series finale shows that it didn't even last? What was even the point then? It also greatly cheapens the way Barney proposed with his final Playbook move, "The Robin", which in my opinion was the best proposal in television history.
Then after that, Barney goes back into his old ways, eventually knocks a girl up, and starts to get serious when he meets his newborn daughter, Ellie. Now I probably would have enjoyed this more if we actually met Ellie's mom, who Barney called "Number 31." Hell, this probably ties in with that new "How I Met Your Dad" spin-off CBS is planning. Yes, "How I Met Your Dad" is apparently a thing that is going to happen. I'm just calling it: Barney's the dad. There, I saved you a bunch of time. I mean, do you want to go through this kind of story again? That's like doing a "Smallville" type show for Batman, where you'd wait years just to see like five minutes of him in the suit. Yes, I know that's actually being planned with the "Gotham" series; I'm making a point. But I digress, let's get back to the main couple.

For years, we listened along with Ted's kids about everything that led to him meeting the woman who is supposed to be the love of his life. During the last two seasons, it was also implied that Tracy had died, which was the reason Ted was telling his kids the story. As the finale approached, I was expecting to watch and be overly emotional and bawl my eyes out. Well it turns out I would be emotional, but to another extreme. Yes, Tracy did die, but we didn't get to see her and Ted's last moments, or Ted and the kids mourning her death and moving on. All we got was Ted narrating over a scene of them in her hospital room and see the moment they actually met, referencing the yellow umbrella and the first day of Ted being a teacher where he was in the wrong classroom, both signs that they were destined to be. What ends up happening? Ted finishes the story, and his kids tell him to date "Aunt Robin", and then Ted shows up at her apartment with the blue French horn again like he did in the first episode. This is a serious "WTF" moment for me. Yes, Ted meeting Robin was the overall catalyst that led to Ted meeting Tracy, but they weren't supposed to be. Ted chased her, lost her, let her go, and started a family. So six years after Tracy died, Ted goes running back to Robin? I'm sorry, but that's bullshit. Again, Ted let her go and found Tracy, and him going back to Robin really cheapens both Tracy's character and her death in my opinion. I've been through what Ted did with Robin, believing in your heart you found "the one", getting your heart broken, and learning to let go. I'll give you that Ted and Robin were able to remain friends through it all, but if there was some scenario where I had the chance to be with that person, I wouldn't take it, as the pain from before would be a remind of why it wouldn't work. No, I'm leaving my "Robin" in the past, and will wait for my "Tracy" to show up.

So it started with Robin and disappointingly ended with her too. There's just no other word to describe the finale: disa-wait for it...ppointing. Disappointing. I can't be the only one feeling this way. We waited nine years for Ted to meet Tracy in what was supposed to be a story of destiny and true love, and it's tarnished by a finale that didn't honor her memory, but made Ted go back to the woman who didn't deserve him in the first place.

Oh well. It was a fun ride for the most part at least, especially with everything involving Barney.

Back in the Habit: DC's Issue Delay Problems

Recently, it was revealed that the final issue of DC's current line-wide event, "Forever Evil", would not be released until the middle of May. This will make the issue, which was originally solicited for release this month, 2 months late. Considering that this book started back in September and some fan complaints that the story had been slowly paced, it appears that "Forever Evil" really is lasting forever. Now, sometimes the finales major comic events do get pushed back. Some examples include 2010's "Siege" and 2012's "Avengers vs. X-Men", both from Marvel and both only a month late. But two months to wait for the end of a big story can make some fans agitated or lose interest. In my own time as a comic reader, this isn't my first time dealing with a story I'm invested in and have to wait long periods of time to see what happened next.

The first occasion where my reading has been plagued with delays was when I was 14 back in 2005, and a highly anticipated series had just begun: "All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder", by Frank Miller and Jim Lee. Before DC had started the Earth One graphic novel series, the All Star line was their original attempt at trying to emulate Marvel's Ultimate line, which reimagined characters for the 21st century, of which I am still a reader of that line's Spider-Man title. As Spider-Man was my favorite Marvel character, Batman was my favorite from DC, so I just had to get the "Ultimate Batman" book, especially since it was by two legendary Batman creators. The first issue was out in July, second in September, and the third was set for October. However, the third issue would end up being released in September. Issue 4 wouldn't come out until May of 2006, and after that, a whole year went by before issue 5 would be released in 2007. By then, the series was able to put out an issue on a bi-monthly basis, until #10 was released in 2008 before going on hiatus. It was then announced the story would be wrapped up in a 6 issue miniseries called "Dark Knight: Boy Wonder." That announcement was 4 years ago, and the story has gone unfinished ever since. Now even though the All Star line has been defunct in favor of the Earth One line, the fact that Miller and Lee's story is still left hanging can be frustrating to the readers who spent 4 years waiting only to collect 10 issues. At least finish it up as a graphic novel Is it the best Batman story? No, but it's so bad it's entertaining, like a Michael Bay movie, but better. You have to see some of the hilarity in the story. I mean, this series gave us the infamous "Goddamn Batman" line in #2, not to mention the epic trolling of Batman on Green Lantern in #9.

 



DC's not the only company that has issue delay problems. The Spider-Man line had it's share of problems between 2006-2007. Some of the delays were originally because of Marvel's "Civil War" event, which affected Spider-Man prominently. "Civil War" had many delays that the Spider-Man aftermath story, "Back in Black" also had to be delayed as to avoid any spoilers before the main series had ended. Eventually the Spider-books got back on schedule until the controversial "One More Day" story. The 4-part story was supposed be take place in August of 2007 with each part coming out one week after another, but would end being released one part a month, and wrapping up in December. Considering the bullshit Marvel had been putting Spider-Man through, from his unmasking, to Aunt May getting shot, and having his marriage dissolved via a deal with the devil, it was like I just wanted them to put the webhead out of his misery.

Now back to DC and Batman. In 2010, DC was preparing to bring back Bruce Wayne, who had apparently died in "Final Crisis" but actually sent back in time, to the present day DC Universe. Here was the initial plan:

• Grant Morrison would be behind the story in the pages of the miniseries "The Return of Bruce Wanye" and his current ongoing series "Batman and Robin", both to wrap up things up in September of that year.
• October would be a "bridge" month, releasing a series of one-shots called "Bruce Wayne: The Road Home", featuring Bruce interacting with members of the Bat-family since his return, wrapping up in the Morrison-penned "Batman: The Return."
• November would be the start of the "Batman Incorporated" era, which Bruce would star in a new book of the same name, as well as his new solo book "Batman: The Dark Knight", while Dick Grayson would also be Batman in the pages of "Batman", "Batman and Robin", and Detective Comics.

What ended up happening? The final issues of Morrison's books would end up being released in November as well as "The Return" and "Batman Inc." era books, while the "Road Home" one-shots were still released in October. But even after that, the Batbooks were still plagued with delays, specifically the books starring Bruce. While "Batman Incorporated" had its share of problems meeting a release date, the real problem was with the "Dark Knight" book, which released only 5 issues before the span of 9 months before being relaunched as part of the New 52. Frankly, it was a mess.

Now before I move on to the New 52 era, let me get to the common thread between why all these stories were delayed: the artist.

• Jim Lee on "All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder"
• Steve McNiven on "Civil War"
• Joe Quesada on "One More Day"
• Frazer Irving on "Batman and Robin" #13-16
• David Finch on "Batman: The Dark Knight"

Don't get me wrong, I like good art, but when that good art leads to a story getting erratic schedule and affecting other books, it can make fans impatient and stop caring.

When the New 52 started, some of the "problem" artists like Lee and Finch were placed on books such as "Justice League" and "Batman: The Dark Knight", respectively. Neither of them were met with any huge delays, as a point that DC wanted all their books to be released on a scheduled basis. This makes me think that Lee and Finch had their books finished well in advanced.

For almost 3 years now, DC has been able to keep things constant. However, the first signs of trouble started when the "Batman/Superman" Annual was supposed to be released in January, but would end up being released in March. As that annual was supposed to wrap up a story in the main book, it caused some more delays for the book as well as "Worlds' Finest", as the books were crossing over with one another in a 4-part story called "First Contact", with the last half being delayed a month from its original release. Well technically, DC currently lists part 4 to be out March 26 and part 3 to be out April 16. I'm not the only one who sees the problem there, right? DC's not dumb enough to let that happen, right? I really hope not.

Not only that, but those aforementioned "problem" artists seem to be falling back into old habits. Currently, Jim Lee has been working on Scott Synder's "Superman Unchained" book, and while the ninth and final issue was originally solicited for April, DC's website currently lists #8 to be released in May, with #9 nowhere to be seen and likely to be resolicited. Now, I'm going to give that book's problems a pass because even though it's part of the New 52, it's more or less self-contained.

We now get what brought on this new write-up. "Forever Evil" artist David Finch, on the other hand, gets no pass. The guy had originally been on "Justice League of America", but had to be pulled after #3, apparently not only to work on "Forever Evil", but so DC could get the series out on time to crossover with the other League books for "Trinity War." And unlike Lee on "Superman Unchained", "Forever Evil" is affecting other ongoing series as a comic event should. Because of the delays of the main series, books that are to be affected in the aftermath of the series, are also delayed, including "Justice League", as well as the final issues of "Justice League of America" and "Nightwing." Even though the Nightwing book hasn't tied in to "Forever Evil", the after effects of whatever happens to the character in Forever Evil #7 will play out in the book's final issue.

Again, I have nothing against good art, but when delays on one book affect others, it's a problem. I mean, "Forever Evil" is DC's first major event since the relaunch of its line, and they are totally botching things up when the final issue is 2 months late. Yeah, I understand wanting to have the best art on an event book, but the artist on that book also needs to be dependable. There are good artists that can make sure a book is out on time. I cite other DC events "Blackest Night" and "Flashpoint." Ivan Reis and Andy Kubert were both able to get their respective books out on time, and both had great artwork.

Let me just say that I am purely speculating the reason behind the delays on "Forever Evil", but with David Finch as artist on that book, and his own history of book delays, I don't think I'm wrong to think he's the cause of the problem. All I'm hoping for DC to do is learn from this ordeal, and when their next event comes around, that they take precautions to make sure to get the issues out on time.