Movie Review: Batman vs. Robin - An Exceptional Follow-Up (SPOILERS)

I'm going to start this review with a little honesty. I haven't been impressed with an animated Batman movie since the Dark Knight Returns two-parter. In addition to that, I've found the depiction of villains in this new DC animated continuity of films to be lacking, either being evil for evil's sake (Darkseid), made into a lesser version of themselves (Deathstroke), or not given enough focus or potential (Black Manta). These reasons are why I went into "Batman vs. Robin" cautiously. I've made my thoughts clear in my earlier review about the preceding film "Son of Batman", and given the villains of this new film would be the Court of Owls from Scott Snyder's acclaimed run on the Batman comic series, because they're such a big threat, I was worried they would take a backseat to the relationship between Bruce and Damian. I mean, the film's called "Batman vs. Robin"; I would have preferred it be "Batman: The Court of Owls" since it's a popular storyline. It's so popular, I even got one of their masks.

 Though through press releases and synopses, it was clear that that storyline was going to incorporate elements from the "Born to Kill" storyline from the Batman and Robin series. Like I said, I went in with low expectations, but ended up genuinely surprised, especially with how it ended.

But I really should begin with the actual beginning of the film. We have the Batmobile heading toward an abandoned toy factory in a neighboring city, but it's not Batman, but Damian/Robin (should be worth mentioning that he's 10, and he's DRIVING). The father/son dynamic duo have been working a case on kidnapped children, and when Damian gets a lead, he heads off on his own, leaving a note for his father, who's pissed about Damian going out on his own and wanting him to wait until he gets there before doing anything, but of course, Damian disobeys.
I'm going to jump in and say that compared to the last film, the voice acting and character interaction have gotten better, especially for Jason O'Mara as Bruce/Batman and Stuart Allen as Damian/Robin. I believe that in his third going as the Dark Knight, O'Mara has finally gotten his hold on the character, with more emotion showing through, especially when he's lecturing his son, and I'm starting to see a little more distinction between his Batman and Bruce Wayne voices. As for Stuart Allen, given he's a year older now, I feel he did even better as Damian this time around. Between these two, you could really believe the interaction of a father and son, both feeling out of place with one another. There's one other voice actor I like to applaud, but I'll do that when I get to him.
Back to the story, this is where we meet our film's intro villain, the Dollmaker. He's not a straight adaptation from his current incarnation in the comics, but, while I'm not sure it was intentional, I saw elements from different villains used in him from storyline that heavily involved Damian. The first is Professor Pyg from the inaugural arc from the first volume of Batman and Robin, where the villain brainwashed and mutilated people into his henchmen called Dollotrons. In the film, the Dollmaker, who grew up abused by his father, wanted to protect children by turning them into perfect dolls, even removing their hands and replacing them with saws and flamethrowers (it's just as disturbing as I described). The other storyline I saw elements from was from the short lived Streets of Gotham series where Victor Zsasz kidnapped children and forced them to battle to the death with each other while onlookers would place bets. Damian would infiltrate this ring and put a stop to it, and you could tell that this was affecting him because of all the kids in his age group. It's a similar situation in the film with Damian becoming infuriated by what he saw the Dollmaker do to these kids. Between Zsasz and the Dollmaker, Damian also comes very close to killing them both. Overall, I feel it was a strong opening with a dark villain and good introduction of our main protagonists and their interactions with each other.

Let me now talk about the main villain of our film, Talon. He is not given a civilian identity, but his backstory is similar to Moran Ducard, AKA Nobody, from the "Born to Kill" arc, in that he was trained by his father but could never meet his expectations. He is recruited by the Court of Owls and made into a Talon, and his lethal approach to taking on criminals appeals to Damian, given his own upbringing with the League of Assassins. Given Talon's way of trying to take away Batman's role as Damian's mentor, it seems fitting that he is voiced by Jeremy Sisto, who voiced Batman in the "Justice League: The New Frontier" animated film years ago. I just have to say that Sisto brings a much stronger performance this time around. There's a lot more emotion in his voice compared to when he tried to voice Batman.

As for the larger Court itself, while I was worried they wouldn't get a faithful adaptation, I was really surprised that they were given as much focus as they did. The film does a good job of balancing the main Bruce/Damian story while still sharing the focus on the Court, their history, goals, methodology, and even the process of training and keeping Talon soldiers at the ready for their needs. I especially enjoyed the fact that the film retained a young Bruce's belief that the Court, who Bruce's father assured him was only a story), had a hand in his parents' murder, only to be crushed to find that there was no grand plan, and that some violent things just happen. Aside from Ocean Master in "Throne of Atlantis", this is the first time the villains of the new DC animated universe have been portrayed properly and interestingly

I have to give the film props on the action in this film. Usually in these movies, it's pretty over the top and violent, sometimes to the point where I'm desensitized. Those elements are still present, but in this film however, there were some fights that were pretty grounded, reminding me of "Captain America: The Winter Soldier", in that they kind of made me cringe or go "Oh shit" to what was happening. There's a sparring match between Robin and Nightwing that gets pretty brutal, even getting to the point where Nightwing pulls Robin's cape over his head and just proceeds to punch him. Following that is a battle between Batman and a group of unfrozen Talon warriors, which doesn't get extremely violent like other DC animated films, but gets very close while still remaining believable. Then there's the climax of the film when the Talons invade Wayne Manor and the Batcave, just like they do in the comics. It does go into that over the top area, but I would say this if my favorite fight of the movie, if only for the fact that we get Bruce's Knight Thrasher suit, where you know he's done screwing around, and who wouldn't love to see a man in a giant armored suit fight off a bunch of kind of zombie ninjas?

Another thing I have to give the film props on are its subtle references. In one scene, we see Dick talking on the phone to someone named "Kory". Comic readers know that Kory is short for Koriand'r, better known as the Teen Titan, Starfire. When I watched that scene, I had to back it up because I didn't quite catch the name, and put on subtitles to make sure I wasn't missing an easter egg. I'll just say I was surprised that they used Starfire and not Barbara, because the contents of their conversation were very, let's just say, mature. It was also kind of surprising because aside from references to a past relationship, we haven't really seen the two of them interact with one another in the New 52 timeline. While I've found that these new animated films are only loosely based on the current comics continuity, it still surprises me when they do, especially when they brought in a non-Gotham based character for Dick to be in a relationship with.
Later on, there's a scene where Bruce is under a psychotropic hallucination via the Court where he witnesses his parents killed by a grown up Damian in a Batman suit (from Batman #666 of course), with a young Bruce telling his older self that he's just as bad as the people he fights, that he's turning his own son into one and that he'll bring great destruction to Gotham (that itself was a reference to the last Damian/Batman story from Batman Incorporated #5 from the series' second volume). I know it's just a short scene, but I loved seeing the grown-up Damian/Batman. It also brought a great emotional scene where Damian keeps shooting Bruce as he tries to get closer to him. As Bruce keeps taking bullets, he eventually gets to Damian, hugs him and apologizes, which turns Damian back into his ten year old self.

If there's one thing I find at fault in this movie, it's Nightwing's inclusion. Honestly, there is just no reason he really needs to be here. Sure, he's a good foil to Damian, in that he's the well behaved adopted son of Bruce, but other than that, he doesn't really bring anything to the film. He's either helping patch up Bruce after his fight with the Talons and recovering from his drug trip, or getting his butt kicked by either Damian in their sparring match, or getting pierced by blades from Talons like Logan did in "The Wolverine". There's even a bit where he's fighting the main Talon, who remarks that Dick would have made a great Talon; this is in fact a reference to how in the comics, Dick was about to be inducted into the Court before his parents were killed and Bruce took him in. While I appreciate that reference, and kind of see it being used for Damian, being that he's a Robin being recruited by the Court, but said reference and Dick are just wasted space in this movie. Like the previous film, he kind of fills the Tim Drake role of the somewhat brotherly spat with Damian, but that just really wasted needed this time around. That's just how I feel about it.

Once everything is said and done, Damian, believing that he's either living his life by Talia or Bruce's teachings, decided to leave Wayne Manor to find his own path, taking Bruce's advice to go to the monastery where he trained. Initially, I was really surprised by this development. In the "Born to Kill" arc, Bruce and Damian were able to have a heart to heart talk and they remained a team afterwards. But now that I've had some time to let it sink in, I think the way the film did it was actually better. When you look at Damian's path in the comics, we see him very loyal to his mother, and when he becomes Robin, there's this transitional period where he tries to adhere to his father's methods, trying to fight back his assassin instincts, eventually fully switching sides. If you think about it, Damian in the comics is more of a product of his environment and changes over time based upon it. Damian going out on his own like he did in the film makes total sense.
It also does leave me wondering what happens next.
Next year's animated films from DC haven't been announced yet (aside from a leak about a Batman '66 movie reuniting Adam West and Burt Ward which I am EXTREMELY looking forward to), but given how these Batman films have been more focused on Damian, I expect he should be returning for the next one. But who knows. They could go left field and finally adapt "The Killing Joke". It would be nice to explore other aspects and characters in Gotham, and that storyline could be what's needed, saving Damian's return for the film after that.

To wrap this up, I found "Batman vs. Robin" to be a well rounded film and a great addition to the DC animated film line. It's definitely better than "Son of Batman", does the Court of Owls justice, and I'd go so far as to say that it's the best film yet of the new animated continuity, and just as good as "Under the Red Hood". If you're a fan of Batman, and more specifically Damian, I highly recommend it.

RATING: 8.5/10

TV Review: "Ultimate Spider-Man: The Spider-Verse" - A Satisfactory Dimension Hopper (SPOILERS)

I've talked about the "Ultimate Spider-Man" cartoon in passing in other blog posts, usually in a negative way. For the first two seasons, it was very childish with a very incompetent Spider-Man that isn't as smart as the character's supposed to be. He once stole something from SHIELD without knowing what it is to use in a science fair, tried to use taser webbing on Electro (the idiocy of that action speaks for itself), and couldn't even beat the Sinister Six without help from his friends. And don't even get me started on the Family Guy style cutaway gags with chibi versions of characters and fourth wall breaking elements that are more suited for Deadpool (there was an episode that starred Deadpool though and it was awesome). What really pissed fans off with this series was that it wants you to take it seriously but throws in so much ridiculousness that it couldn't be. By the episode "Back in Black", I decreed it as the worst thing to happen to Spider-Man since "One More Day". However, I continued to watch in hopes that it could improve. And while it did with some episodes, there were still some stupid ones like the one where he moved to Boston and got his own Spider-Cave. Please don't ask; I killed enough brain cells watching that, so I don't need to lose more trying to explain it. Some supporters of the show say it's more directed at kids, but as I've said in my Power Rangers retrospective, kids shows CAN appeal to older audiences and that's what makes those the most successful. It's why the preceding "Spectacular Spider-Man" show is more widely acclaimed than "Ultimate."
However, when the third season started, it was easy to see that Marvel listened to fan complaints. The show definitely cut back on the cutaway gags and Spider-Man has greatly matured and improved since the first episode, even acting as a mentor to newer, younger heroes. It still doesn't hold a candle to "Spectacular" or even the 90's series and still forgoes looking into Peter Parker's social life in favor of superhero team-ups, but it has definitely gotten better.
As part of the promotion of season three, a teaser was released showing the main Spidey surrounded by alternate versions (pictured above). It would later turn out to be for the four part story, "The Spider-Verse", which was the show's version of the recent comic story of the same name (and to extension the Shattered Dimensions video game). I wasn't planning on writing a review on it, but after watching it, I found I had a lot to say about what could be considered a mini-movie. So let's jump in.

With the Goblin on the run after escaping his prison at the end of the previous "New Warriors" story arc, Spider-Man goes in search of him starting with one of his old hideouts. He finds the Goblin with Electro, who wants him to power the artifact known as the Siege Perilous so he can travel to alternate dimensions to find different versions of Spider-Man. Electro refuses, but not taking no for an answer, the Goblin sucks Electro into the gem and forces him to open inter-dimensional portals. Goblin opens and enters a portal with Spidey following after.

As we go through this, I'm going to do it by segment/universe with my thoughts on it. Let me do say though that the common theme for each segment is that the Spider-People are doubting themselves and has some version of J. Jonah Jameson being his usual dicky self and ranting about Spider-Man.

2099: This is a real highlight of not just this crossover, but for the series as a whole. When regular Spidey jumps to the alternate future, the animation goes from traditional 2D to CGI animation similar to the 2003 MTV series starring Neil Patrick Harris. It was a nice change of pace and kind of makes me want to have a new Spider-Man series in that style. It was pretty slick, especially with the design of the Goblin. That's all the good I can really say for this segment though. While it's cool to see Miguel O'Hara for the first time on TV, he doesn't really set himself apart from the others; not to mention I wasn't a fan of his voice here. It does end on a high note though with Peter and Miguel stopping a large antennae from falling to the streets.

SPIDER-GIRL: When it came to the Spider-Girl that would appear on the show, there was speculation to how she'd be done. While it would have been nice to see May Parker, Peter and Mary Jane's daughter from an alternate future, it turned out to be the other likely route and be a Peter Parker from a gender-swapped universe called Petra Parker. Because you know, apparently showing Spider-Man married and have a kid makes him unrelatable for some reason (Quesada logic). When it came to the actual segment itself, I honestly kind of found it sexist and childish. When Spider-Man falls through the portal, he runs out of webbing and ends up being saved by Spider-Girl, who then berates him for "cosplaying" and saying "a boy can't be Spider-Girl." Eventually, Peter's able to convince her of who he is and they team-up to battle the Goblins of their worlds, one of whom is known as Norma Osborn. Here's what I don't get though: I can buy that it's an alternate world where women are more in charge and I assume men are treated unfairly (probably making less money), but based on Spider-Girl's comments, it seems that men haven't done much compared to women in terms of being treated equally. Though I could be wrong and maybe Spider-Girl's like how Peter was at the start of the series and is just immature, but even then, Peter didn't berate White Tiger for being a girl when they first met. I feel I should point out though that if women are considered the stronger gender in this universe, then shouldn't Petra really call herself Spider-Woman instead of girl? It's not like Peter decided to call himself Spider-Boy, and he and Petra should be about the same age. At least the recently created alternate version of Gwen Stacy with spider powers calls herself Spider-Woman. Please note I don't intend any of these comments to be sexist; only an attempt to analyze the segment. Honestly though, it would have been more interesting if they used the May Parker version, seeing not only him possibly having a daughter, but that he and Mary Jane are married.

NOIR: When we meet the Noir Spidey of this segment, I didn't quite like how he was done. Compared to the comics version, he was very hardened and has pushed all his loved ones away. But then I realized, this version of Spider-Man Noir has probably been doing this for much longer than his comics counterpart, so it makes sense for him to be so down in the dumps about his crusade. It's like Batman, as the Noir version of Spidey is constantly compared to. What also stands out during this segment is that we meet the Noir version of Mary Jane, and there are hints to her and Spider-Man having a relationship, the first instance of such since the show began. Even if it isn't the main versions of Peter and MJ, it's nice to see at least some hint of the romance the characters have shared.

SPIDER-HAM: While I've known of Spider-Ham, I've never really had interest in the character. I can't really say much, but what really stands out about this segment is the animation style. With the cartoon animal motif, there's a lot of slapstick comedy, very reminiscent of classic Looney Tunes, and it's actually very well done. It's also worth mentioning that unlike the previous Spideys met so far, Peter doesn't have a brawl with Porker, or the other Spider-Men from this point on. That made me glad, because it would have been tiring to see every Spider-Person be at odds with Peter.

SPYDER-KNIGHT: A new creation for the crossover, we meet a version of the wall crawler living in Medieval times. Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of medieval lore so I can't really say much about this segment. But I do applaud them for doing something new, and I'd have to say it is pretty well done.

MILES MORALES: This was my personal favorite segment. When Peter arrives, he thinks he's back in his world, but then finds the Goblin fighting another Spider-Man. Eventually, that world's Goblin arrives and attacks his doppelganger. Considering that the main version of Goblin on the show is a mix of the gadget based 616 Goblin and the mutated version of the Ultimate Goblin, the alternate Goblin here is full-on mutated, looking like a demon and even has the fire powers; he even has gargoyle like wings, but I wasn't a fan of that addition. While the Goblins battle, Peter gets the other Spidey to safety, where he discovers that this Spider-Man is a thirteen year old named Miles Morales. The interaction between the two is great and very reminiscent of their meeting in the "Spider-Men" crossover of the comics. You can tell the scene is written by Brian Michael Bendis because it definitely sounds like a conversation he would write. Eventually Miles tells Peter that this world's version of him had died saving the city. While Miles had his powers before that, he feels guilty, believing that had he done something, Peter may have been saved, and doubts that he can live up the legacy Peter left. Eventually the battling Goblins find their way to the Spider-Men. As Peter's Goblin makes his escape, Peter and Miles have a pretty good battle against that world's Goblin, working well together, making me think of the recent Ultimate Comics "Revival" story where Peter mysteriously comes back from the dead and works with Miles to beat the Goblin. As Peter follows his Goblin again, he gives Miles his blessing and tells him to not worry about being a "Peter Parker Spider-Man" and be a "Miles Morales Spider-Man." As someone that's followed Miles' comic adventures, it was nice to see him being put into the spotlight, and hopefully it gets people interested in the character and see how he's made the role of Spider-Man his own and that we see more of the character outside of the comics. If there's one thing about this segment I didn't like, it's that unlike after Peter's death in the Ultimate Comics, the Jameson of Miles' world is still anti-Spider-Man. I'm gonna chalk that up to the possible fact that like on the show's main universe, he and Peter didn't have a relationship.

Following that, Peter finds himself back in his universe and tracks the Goblin back down. Not only has the Goblin used the blood he stole from the Spider-People to transform himself into the Spider-Goblin, but he's also pieced together that Peter is Spider-Man. With the Spider-Goblin too much to handle, Peter is able to get the Siege Perilous with Electro still trapped inside, and uses it to bring reinforcements in the form of the Spider-People he met through the previous episodes. They all have some pretty good interaction with one another, especially with the others having a hard time taking Spider-Ham seriously. The Spider-Goblin is still too much for them, but they're eventually able to use Electro's powers to fry out the serum the Goblin used, and he transforms back into Norman Osborn, in addition to suffering amnesia, in turn forgetting Spider-Man's identity. But Electro is able to escape the gem and use the Siege Perilous to his own use, placing the whole city at risk of destruction. They're able to take Electro down, and the Siege Perilous has enough juice in it to send the other Spider-People home. Before departing, they all thank Peter for giving them confidence they were all looking for to continue fighting crime. It's very reminiscent of the farewells the four Spider-Men had at the end of "Shattered Dimensions", in a way that shows how much of a part Spider-Man plays not only in one world, but across the multiverse.

Here's how I would rank Peter's dimension visits from best to worst:
1. Miles Morales
2. Noir
3. 2099
4. Spider-Ham
5. Spider-Girl
6. Spyder-Knight

So overall, I thought this was a pretty good story arc. While it could have been better in some areas, it's definitely a high point in the series' run so far, and shows how far it's come since the first episode. Plus, I'm a sucker for alternate versions of Spider-Man and when they interact with each other. So even if you're still not a fan of the show, I'd recommend any Spidey fan to check it out, especially if you enjoyed "Shattered Dimensions". Even if it's not exactly an original idea, it still pays a good tribute to the character and the different ways he's been seen through the years.

SCORE: 7.5/10

Movie Review: "Justice League: Throne of Atlantis" - OUTRAGEOUS! (SPOILERS)

Before I start, if you understand the reference in my review tagline, I hope you had a moment of pure joy when that line was uttered in the movie itself. Now, on to the review.

When Aquaman was replaced with Shazam in last year's "Justice League: War" animated movie, a lot of fans like myself were able to forgive the change as long as a sequel was released and based on the "Throne of Atlantis" comic book story. And sure enough, that's what happened, but with a difference. While in the comics story, Arthur had already been Aquaman and part of the League for years, the film adaptation also serves as an origin story for the character. That decision is what I feel is the source of problems in an otherwise good sequel.

I'll start by saying that this is a very different Aquaman than I'm used to. Since I don't follow the Aquaman comics, including the New 52 origin I believe this is based on, all my exposure to the character has been when he's already king of Atlantis and confident in his role. The origin depicted here delivers a new less polished take. Like "Man of Steel" did with Clark Kent, "Throne of Atlantis" shows a more broody Arthur Curry on his journey to becoming Aquaman. The broodiness is understandable though as Arthur just lost his father and discovering his superhuman abilities, making him unsure of his own future.
While I said that doing the origin may be the source of the film's problems, honestly, the real problem is the short run time of the movies from this line, the average being 75 minutes. When you're doing an origin movie as well as a team movie, things are understandably rushed. Because of that, Arthur has to take in not only the fact that Atlantis is real, but that he's destined by blood to be their new king. When Mera tells him all this, he goes from "I don't believe you" to "Okay, I believe you" in pretty much under a minute. Despite that though, it does show he has doubt in taking on this responsibility, but there's a good moment where Superman puts in his perspective that if he could meet or help anyone from Krypton, he would take it and that Arthur should do it for his own people. There's also how he's discovering his new abilities very quickly, particularly his ability to communicate with fish. I know he's half-Atlantean and it probably comes natural, but Arthur here has lived his life as a human. A training montage of sorts would have helped, cliche as it would be, but it is kind of necessary for an origin story.
Honestly though, I think what would have made the film better is if Arthur was already living in Atlantis and that there was a power struggle between him and his brother Orm over who would rule Atlantis after their mother dies. That way Arthur would already be adept to his powers and we would have had more of a relationship between Arthur and Orm, as I see familial betrayal/feud as having more of an impact. In a way, Arthur and Orm are similar to Thor and Loki, and that's something I'd like to see depicted in the live action movie coming out in a few years.

I'd also like to talk about his design in this film. I may get some flack for saying this, but I like it a lot better than his classic look. It looks more like armor that you'd expect from an ancient civilization, like Wonder Woman and the Amazons. I'm glad that his orange top isn't scaly like it is in the comics.
Problems aside though, the movie does set out what it wanted to do with Aquaman: show what a badass he is, and that's he not just the guy who talks to fish, although that power doesn't get made fun of so much when you can raise a shark out of the water to eat somebody, and yes, that happens in the film.

But of course, while Aquaman is the main focus, this is still considered a Justice League movie. As a sequel to "War", the development of characters from before continues. Since Victor Stone just became Cyborg in the last movie, he's still adapting to his new body and role. There's a dream sequence where he's human only to be woken up by his armor, acting like a very personal alarm clock. It's kind of creepy in a way, but it's something I hope leads up to the armor becoming the sentient Grid from the Trinity War/Forever Evil storylines. It also appears I was wrong from the last review that Victor's relationship issues with his father were resolved more quickly than in the comics, but it appears he still has some resentment toward him, but that should most likely play out in future movies.
As for the rest of the League, well, since the New 52 started, a lot of people complained about how all the heroes are kind of jerks and can't get along with each other. For the most part, it's true, because in the comics, the League only acts like they get along to put the people at ease, but it's after the "Villain's Journey" storyline that they realize they have to stop pretending to be a team and actually act like one. In this movie, I have to agree that everyone is kind of dickish. The animosity between Batman and Green Lantern continues from the last film, with Batman berating him for catching the Scarecrow's men before getting any information out of them. There's also the fact that when Cyborg calls a meeting, only Shazam and Flash show up, having to force everyone to show up. But when they're all together and start on the case, it feels natural how they play off one another and become a real unit, especially compared to the last movie. We also get some one-on-one interaction between Batman and Superman in this movie and they have some good banter while investigating a ransacked professor's office. Superman reminds Batman that he is an investigative journalist, to which Batman replies "Journalism's dead." That's just such a dick thing for Batman to say that it's perfect.

I feel I should bring up Green Lantern though. I made some comments about how he kept getting owned in "War", and while it's not as prominent in this movie, I do feel that's he keeps getting the short straw. There are two constructs he makes that were just weird to me. When he catches the Scarecrow henchmen for Batman, he has them drive on a racetrack and eventually crash into a blockade. It just kind of brought back some bad memories from the Green Lantern movie. Also in the climax in the film, there's an instance where he makes a giant robot that vacuums up Atlanteans. I think that speaks for itself. Along with that, Lantern just seems like the most obnoxious out all the League; it makes me almost wish they used Guy Gardner instead of Hal Jordan.

There's also an element present in this movie that is really underdeveloped: relationships, three in total of this movie. The forefront relationship is between Arthur and Mera. They're a couple in the comics and she becomes his queen, but in the movie, it feels really rushed and I can't really find the chemistry between them. A training montage would have helped show them getting closer; it worked for Trice and Four in "Divergent". A relationship is also sparking between Cyborg and Sarah Charles, his father's assistant from "War". It doesn't get much development, but they do slightly have better chemistry than Arthur and Mera in my opinion.
That brings me to the relationship that actually does show development: Superman and Wonder Woman. Hinted at before in "War", the two heroes have begun a relationship in between films. In a scene straight out of the comic arc, they actually go out in public on a date as Clark Kent and Diana Prince, and Diana is quite surprised that wearing a pair of glasses can hide a superhero identity (trust us Di, it surprises all of us). But what makes the scene interesting is when Lois Lane shows up and is surprised to see Clark on a date with someone like Diana. I may be reading too much into this, but there might be potential of a love triangle; I'm not sure how it would play with the plan of one Justice League and one Batman movie released every year as part of this new universe, but I think there's potential.

Like "War", there's a lot of action. I can't really say much other than it really showcases the characters' powersets. There's two moments I loved when Aquaman and Mera are fighting the Trench and the League show up one by one to help out. When the Flash shows up and takes out a few, he introduces himself to Arthur, and then he punches out one of the Trench coming up behind them. The other moment is actually the end of the fight when Superman drops down hard in the middle of the scene with his eyes glowing and it scares the rest of the Trench back into the sea. Considering the use of the Atlanteans, a lot of the fight scenes remind me of "The Flashpoint Paradox", particularly the violence; there's a lot of impalements in this movie.

One area I think that has shown improvement from "War" to "Throne" is that the voice acting has gotten better, mostly due to some recastings. The biggest improvement is Nathan Fillion reprising Green Lantern from past DC animated films. Even through GL's obnoxiousness, Fillion can still pull it off; he really is the definitive Green Lantern voice, like Kevin Conroy and Tim Daly are for Batman and Superman, respectively. Jerry O'Connell and Rosario Dawson have also taken over the roles for Superman and Wonder Woman, and they sound so much better than their previous voice actors. When you have big roles, you need some big name stars. Everyone else that stuck around continue to do a good job; I'm even coming around to Jason O'Mara's Batman.
But let's not forget the newer cast members. Matt Lanter, who voiced Anakin Skywalker in the Clone Wars CGI show, does a good job as Aquaman, playing both the self-doubter and pulling off the powerful voice you'd expect from a character from royalty. Then you have Orm voiced by Sam Witwer, who portrayed the vampire Aidan in the SyFy drama "Being Human" and provided the voice and likeness of Starkiller for the Force Unleashed video games. Hmm, funny how these brothers have Star Wars alumni doing their voices. Anyway, I feel Witwer was able to channel some of Tom Hiddleston's Loki in his performance, and that helped in my opinion considering the similarities between character. I've always liked Witwer and this is just another performance I've enjoyed from him.

I do have to mention the one character that suffers in this movie: Black Manta. Being one of Aquaman's archenemies, Manta is for the most part relegated to a henchman to Orm. While he states that he has his own plans for Atlantis was manipulating Orm's actions, that doesn't come apparent until the very end. But alas, despite being considered a badass like Boba Fett, he seemingly dies like a bitch...much like Boba Fett. For such a popular character, I think it would have been more interesting had Manta betrayed Orm and at some point took over the Atlantean armies for himself.

There's just two things I need to point out that I found a little weird or underdeveloped:

• After Orm kills his mother and takes the Throne, he's able to rally his troops to a war with the surface by claiming that the queen was killed by a surface dweller. When you think about it, it just doesn't make sense for an explanation? How exactly could a surface dweller go unnoticed, survive the pressures of being so deep underwater, sneak into the royal chambers, and kill the queen? Ladies and gentlemen, that does not make sense.
• Orm is able to summon lighting that transforms Shazam back into Billy. That moment just left me really confused. How could Orm have pulled that off? I mean, I know it's magic lightning, but I really think Billy himself has to summon the lightning, but even then it has to be a different kind of magic lightning compared to Orm's. I don't know, maybe I'm reading too much into this. I do hope however that Shazam's secret is out and the rest of the League know he's just a kid, because that opens some new possible storylines, similar to how in the "Young Justice" animated series how they questioned whether to allow Billy to remain in the League after they find out his true age.
• Was there really any point to having a cameo from John Henry Irons, the man who would become Steel? Unless they're hinting at him becoming the hero in a future movie, it's kind of a waste. But between this and Lois' appearance, maybe they're planning a new Superman focused animated movie at some point, my best bet being the "Doomed" arc, considering both characters' roles in that story.

Like the last film, there's another post-credits scene that sets up next year's sequel. Unlike last time though, I'm not sure what to expect. I won't spoil it here, but it appears they're setting up a film with the Secret Society...or Legion of Doom...or Injustice League. One of those anyway; honestly, it's hard to keep track of what the premiere supervillain team is in the DCU.

While not as good as "War" in my opinion, "Throne of Atlantis" delivers an entertaining follow-up, with the positive attributes of good character interaction, action moments (like the ones showing Aquaman's badassery), and voice acting overshadowing its short comings that are mostly the result of its limited run time. If you've enjoyed what you've seen from this new DC universe, you might as well continue the journey.

SCORE: 7.5/10

Comics Review: "Amazing X-Men: World War Wendigo" - A Hairy Situation

Following Jason Aaron's initial arc for the new "Amazing X-Men" title, he left the book and was succeeded by past X-Men writers Chris Yost and Craig Kyle. So with their first arc, "World War Wendigo", it was somewhat like starting on a new series again. I was worried I wouldn't like the transition after enjoying the last story so much, but it turns out I should have more faith in the two.

So in Canada in the Marvel universe, there's a spiritual curse that those who eat human flesh would become Wendigo, and those they bite and scratch would also receive the curse. Considering the story starts with a murder at a meatpacking plant and the body is ground up and shipped out with the rest of the product, you can probably guess the results. The title of the story is probably a good indication too.

Aside from that, Wolverine has also made a trip up to Canada to help his old friend Heather Hudson find her husband James, who's gone missing after a pretty big argument. The Hudsons are also part of the Canadian superhero team, Alpha Flight. With his tracking skills, Logan and Heather track James to a seemingly abandoned town. It's here we get a cool moment where Logan uses his skills to figure out that James was attacked by a Wendigo. What I really liked about that moment is that it showed more of a detective side to Logan that I haven't seen before and another way his powers could be used.

Meanwhile back at the Jean Grey school, Colossus has returned to join the team. He's greeted by Nightcrawler and they have a funny conversation about how they've both died and come back. I must say, considering that the last few years has shown him to be possessed by the Gem of Cyttorak and gained Juggernaut's powers (earning him the fan name "Juggerlossus") and has been part of Cable's violent X-Force team, it's gonna be nice to see Colossus back in a more traditional role with the X-Men.
In addition, Storm is trying to find Logan at the school, worried about him being out alone since he's lost his healing factor. What I like about this is that it shows that Storm is the mother figure of the group, worried about the others and wanting them to bring out the best in them. She's able to get the answer of Logan's whereabouts from Iceman, and they have a good conversation that's called back to later in the story. She then has Rachael Summers use Cerebro to get an exact location. Rachael's having trouble, but once Storm threatens to just let her "teenage mother", she gets a hit, discover the situation . To clear something up, Storm was referring to the Jean Grey from the past shown in "All-New X-Men". And to clear THAT up, Rachael is the daughter of Scott and Jean from a possible future. To the casual fan, that may seem weird, but for long time readers, displaced characters from alternate timelines and futures are quite normal. If you see an X-Men character, there's like a 10% chance they're not from the present. I can name three more right off the bat: Bishop, Cable, and X-Man (who he himself is an alternate version of Cable). But I'm getting off point. Back to the story.

What I liked about the last arc by Aaron was the interaction between the characters. Thankfully, Yost and Kyle have retained that aspect. Aside from the interactions I've mentioned before, we also get more interaction between Iceman and Firestar, which only furthers my hopes that they enter a relationship at some point.
We also get more of a look at Northstar, who didn't have much spotlight in the last arc. The only aspects I really ever knew about the character were that he was gay and could fly at super speeds. After getting to know him, he seems a little stuck up at first but once you get to know him, you can see there's a caring person in there, shown when he rushes to save a girl from Wendigo, even when Nightcrawler is already trying to help her. We then meet his twin sister Aurora, also part of Alpha Flight, and let's just say that she's even more stuck up than he is and kind of has a cold personality. I guess it makes for good conflict between the siblings. Considering it's my first real time reading the two characters, I'll assume they're always like that.
I've mentioned Alpha Flight a couple times in this post already, so I feel I should mention my thoughts on them since this is pretty much a team-up story between them and the X-Men. I have no past reading about Alpha Flight and this story didn't do much to get me interested in them. That is all.

We're also treated to an appearance by the Avengers, specifically the big (Cap, Thor, and Stark), who are helping keep the Wendigo virus from spreading into the US while the X-Men handle it in Canada. They're not a big part of the story, but I actually like their appearance here. In a lot of recent Marvel stories, the Avengers are the main team to help stop the threat while other characters like the X-Men are there in a more supporting role. To see it reversed here is a nice change of pace.

There's one thing I also think is relevant to speak about here: Wolverine. While it's his team and he makes an appearance, he is quickly incapacitated 2/5 into the story because he himself has become a Wendigo. That leaves the rest of the team to stop the curse. This is pretty significant because this is the last arc starring Wolverine before his recent death take effect in the series. I've been worried that the future lack of Wolverine would make me lose interest, but after reading this story and seeing other great characters interact with one another, it shows that while Wolverine's the flagship X-Men character, he's not necessary to tell good stories (now someone tell Fox that; ha ha). In a way, "World War Wendigo" could be seen as a way to ween readers off of Wolverine before he totally gone "forever" (considering how comic book deaths work, you know the reason for the quotation marks).

If there's one thing I found lacking in this story, it was the ending. It gets a little crazy when part of the team enters the spirit realm to stop the Wendigo curse at the source, but there is a pretty awesome moment where some of the heroes are granted god-like elemental forms (lightning for Storm, fire for Firestar, and ice for Iceman) to stop the big bad. Aside from that, the ending is kind of rushed too. In the "Quest for Nightcrawler" arc, we had the main story in five issues with a fallout issue after that with Kurt getting a welcome home celebration. In "World War Wendigo", after the curse is destroyed, we aren't shown much other than characters recovering and we're left wondering whether a little girl's mother is alive or dead after everything that happened. It just needed more in my opinion.

But aside from its problems, Yost and Kyle continue what made Aaron's initial arc for the series so enjoyable: good character interaction and heroes being heroes. If you liked Aaron's "Quest for Nightcrawler", you should be able to enjoy Yost and Kyle's "World War Wendigo" and look forward to what those two have up their sleeve next.

STORY RATING: 7/10
RECOMMENDATION RATING 9/10

Comics Review: Superman Unchained - A New Classic

When it was announced in late 2012 that Scott Snyder and Jim Lee would be working on a new Superman book to coincide with "Man of Steel"'s 2013 Summer release, I was really excited. I've loved Lee's work since "Batman: Hush" and Snyder's run on "Batman" has earned him a place alongside Dennis O'Neil, Paul Dini, and so many others as one of the best writers of the character. Since I only just started reading Superman, I was eager to see what these creators would do with the character. Instead of collecting it issue by issue though, I decided to trade wait. I'm glad I did that too, because due to art delays, the nine issue series ran from June 2013 to November 2014. So for a story that was meant to commemorate Superman's 75th anniversary, it took nearly a year and a half to finish, but thankfully the series more or less stood on its own. So now that I've read the whole series in one setting, since jumping on to Superman at the start of the New 52, I can say that this is the best story I've read for the character of this or any era.

It's needless to say that Jim Lee delivers on the art like always, though I think this is probably his best work in a long time as well. When he was working on "Justice League", I couldn't help but feel that being on a monthly schedule for a flagship book kind of made him rush. But with "Unchained", I could tell that he took his time, and though I've complained about art delays hurting books' momentum, it was probably worth the wait. Then again, I read the whole story in one setting, so I might have complained if I was reading one issue at a time and having to wait months for each. Whatever the case though, Lee proves again why he's one of the industries' best artists.

But while Lee brings the story to life visually, it's really Scott Snyder's writing that makes this book so good. Reading his work on "Batman", you can tell that he likes to take a cinematic approach to his comics, that he even though you're reading words and looking at pictures, he wants you to feel you're watching a movie. Going from the more grounded Batman to the powerhouse of Superman, Snyder writes a story on a global scale and shows he has a handle on the Man of Steel as much as he does the Dark Knight.
Snyder does a good job writing all the characters in this story. With Superman, we get a look into his thought process, like how he needs to use his powers and whether or not his action or inaction will put others in harm's way. That's been done before in other recent Superman stories, but it keeps getting hammered in too much in my opinion. Snyder's able to do that in a way that feels natural. I won't spoil how, but something that really stood out to me was a very creative way Superman was able to a building from falling over. We even get some flashback scenes to when Clark was a boy in Smallville that's chilling but almost made me cry by the end.
Snyder also does well writing Lois Lane. Like many Superman stories, she isn't just there to serve as a damsel in distress to be saved (hell, I doubt I'd even consider her that here), but she actually helps contribute to discovering villains' plans and helping Superman overcome them. The interaction between the two is also the best I've seen written out of all the New 52. I read before that Snyder was working on this story for years, so he may have had to change some things to fit the new timeline since Clark and Lois were married prior to the reboot. But despite that, you can really see the connection between the two, and part of me was hoping one of them would say "I love you". It actually kind of feels that was supposed to happen, but then again, the changes for the New 52 probably brought about changes to the original story. I'll just blame that on the Superman/Wonder Woman relationship.

I mentioned before how Snyder takes a cinematic approach to his writing, and that said, this is one story that I hope is adapted into a new Superman film set in DC's upcoming film universe. Reading this, I could definitely see the actors of the films playing out the scenes. Henry Cavill as Superman, Amy Adams as Lois, Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor, Ben Affleck as Batman, and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman. Sure Batman and Wonder Woman are part of the story, but they don't take away focus from Superman (to clear something up, even though all three are part of the "Dawn of Justice" movie, it really has become more than a "Man of Steel" sequel at this point, so that criticism is moot). I mean, you have Iron Man and Black Panther in the next Captain America movie, but it's still going to be Cap's movie. Affleck and Gadot can make appearances in that vain as well should "Unchained" be adapted.
Another thing that I think would make this a good film adaptation is how different it is from other Superman stories. While there is another alien powerhouse to fight and a potential alien invasion near the end, a good majority of the antagonists in this story are human based, between a branch of the US Army led by General Lane, Lois' father, and the cyberterrorist group Ascension that wants to give the human race a fresh start, and since I'm really trying to go full spoiler mode during this review, I won't say how they try to do it.

Overall, Snyder and Lee have produced the definitive Superman story for the New 52 as well as a new classic to stand alongside other great Superman epics throughout the years and will certainly be part of future recommended reading lists for new readers. It really makes me wish Scott Snyder would have continued this book in some way, even without Jim Lee. Maybe he'll return to Superman someday, and I'll be there waiting.

So if you're a fan of Superman or Snyder's work on "Batman", this is a story you definitely don't want to miss out on as another classic character is given some new life.

STORY RATING: 10/10
RECOMMENDATION RATING: 10/10

Comics Review: "Avengers and X-Men: AXIS" - A Hidden Gem (SPOILERS)

I haven't had a strong opinion about a Marvel event since "Age of Ultron." Since then, we had "Infinity" and "Original Sin". I did enjoy "Infinity" but did not review it because I didn't really have much to say. With "Original Sin", considering Marvel was already prepping for the next event, any impact I thought would come from the event, no matter how significant, would fall to the way side since there wouldn't be much room to explore it. That brings us to the recently concluded Marvel event, "AXIS", and considering this is my first Marvel event review since "Age of Ultron", that certainly means something about how I felt about it. Now I wasn't sure what to expect with the event since Marvel has been going from event to event without much breather, and wondered if I should even care. I was half worried because I haven't liked a Marvel event since "Avengers vs. X-Men" ("AVX"), but half excited because I've been enjoying Rick Remender's run on "Uncanny Avengers", which was leading up to this event, not to mention I could see "AXIS" as being part of an unofficial trilogy following "House of M" and "AVX". I ended up being surprised.

First some backstory: after "AVX" and the death of Charles Xavier, the Uncanny Avengers were formed to help bridge the gap between the team. Around the same time, the Red Skull stole Xavier's body, taking part of his brain and placing it as part of his own, and acquiring Charles' telepathic powers, using them to spread anti-mutant riots where he went. Though the Uncanny Avengers stopped him, the Skull got away, which led to the final arc in the series that lead directly to "AXIS". The Red Skull had kidnapped the mutant members of the team, Havok, Rogue, and Scarlet Witch, and placed them in a mutant concentration camp he set up on Genosha. Magneto had uncovered Skull's plan and was hell-bent on killing Skull for what he's done. We also learn during that arc that a small part of Charles' mind was still alive and was doing what he could from keeping Skull from accessing his full power. However, when Magneto smashed Skull's head in, believing to have killed him, it only allowed Skull to become the even more powerful Red Onslaught (Thanks a lot, Erik). That's where "AXIS" began.

Now the way Marvel did this event was in three acts, three issues each, over three months. For this review, I'm going to go through each act, discussing my thoughts. Let's get started.

ACT ONE: THE RED SUPREMACY

So when this event started, I wasn't that impressed. It was basically Avengers and X-Men against Red Onslaught. Eventually the two teams were aided by a group of villains recruited by Magneto, who escaped the battle to do so, helping because they don't want the world to be destroyed either. As you'd expect, it's pretty much a big overcrowded battle, but there are some good moments. For one, we find out that Skull used his telepathy to make Tony Stark build Iron Sentinels without him even knowing, planning to use them in his goal of eradicating mutants.

The other shining moment from this act comes from something we see a lot of in this event: great character moments. The first one coming from, believe it or not, Deadpool. After Tony's armor gets knocked out, Deadpool drags him to an area to help him recharge, and all the while, he keeps asking "Can I be an Avenger?" It's quite hilarious. Later on, apparently Tony begrudgingly allowed it, because Deadpool then pops up to attack Sabertooth singing "Then I saw her face, Now I'm an Avenger!", in the tone of the Monkee's "I'm a Believer." By that point, I think I was won over just for that moment.

We then get to a pivotal moment. A plan is devised to invert the personalities of Red Skull and Charles Xavier, placing Xavier in charge as the dominant personality, with Scarlet Witch and Dr. Doom using their powers of Chaos and Order to cast the spell. It works and it reverts Skull back to his human form and unconscious. The Avengers and X-Men argue over what to do with him, the Avengers wanting to lock him up and the X-Men wanting to find out if Xavier is back. It all comes down to Steve Rogers' decision, and as you'd expect he sides with the Avengers, which doesn't set well with the X-Men. Now this is a moment that makes me think back to "Avengers vs. X-Men" with the debate on who was in the right. While during that story I was on the Avengers side, in this instance, I was with the X-Men. Even though it was Skull's body, there was still a chance Xavier was in control. Honestly, I think it's discussions like this about characters' actions that make the best events rather than them saying "You should feel this way" about something. It's those feelings about characters that plays well into the next act of the event.

ACT TWO: INVERSION

With Red Skull defeated, it left many wondering what's left to this event. Well as the second act began, we started to see the heroes and villains behaving very differently. Carnage saves a family without killing anyone, Tony Stark is selling Extremis to people and drinking again, the X-Men have sided with Apocalypse (who is Evan Sabahnur/Genesis rapidly aged into his true form), and the Avengers plans to kill Red Skull so the X-Men can't get to him. As it turns out, the inversion spell not only affected Red Skull, but everyone that was on the island. That means the heroes will be acting more like villains and vice versa. There's even a moment where Jarvis tries to stop the Avengers from getting to Skull, only to be knocked away so callously. I have to say that when I was reading this, it was very disheartening to see these characters act like they are. Again, if you're this invested in a story, then the writer is doing a good job. On another note, seeing these inversion kind of makes me think this is how it would be if Marvel had their own Crime Syndicate world like DC does.

There's one moment that I think is a bit ridiculous though: apparently the inversion's affect on Hulk is that when he's sad, he becomes Kluh. That's all I'll mention about that before moving on.

As it turns out though, Red Skull has gone missing, and it causes the inverted Avengers to suspect everyone at this point. This leads to a meeting being called for all Avengers, but it turns out to be a trap, with everyone being shrunk down into an ant farm using Pym technology. Only Spider-Man and Nova escape.

Speaking of Spider-Man though, even though he doesn't really bring much in terms of story, he is just so damn entertaining to read in this event. Rick Remender certainly knows how to write the character, especially in the quips area. Before the inverted Avengers set their trap, Spidey has a good conversation with Nova, who he's kind of hazing since he's the new kid. He also knocks on Hawkeye for changing his costume every few years while his "bright red leotard", as Hawkeye put it, is timeless. Then there's when Spidey and Nova are being pursued by the Avengers; Fal-Cap threatens to snap Spidey's neck and he replies "Literally the least 'Captain America' line of dialogue ever." I don't know what Marvel plans to do with Spidey after "Secret Wars", whether they reboot "New 52" style or not, but I certainly hope they consider putting Remender on a Spidey book at some point in the future.

Spidey and Nova are eventually saved by an inverted Magneto, who takes them to Steve Rogers, who explains what's happened. Eventually, Apocalypse and the X-Men attack the Avengers in New York and threaten to kill every human in Manhattan with a gene bomb and this leads to an all out battle. While this happens, Rogers recruits the other inverted villains to help stop the warring teams and find a way to undo. The last one they recruit is Loki, who narrowly escapes a drunk and gambling Thor. I must say that even though Thor isn't technically a viking, it's kind of cool to see him act like one since vikings did believe in Norse Mythology. Of all people, it's Sabertooth who explains the big problem to Loki, and in a pretty damn good speech you'd probably expect from Wolverine. This is another character moment that is great to me. I never really liked Sabertooth and usually just saw him as a more savage and evil Wolverine but with finger claws. To see him act in a way that actually makes me like him, I give credit once again to Rick Remender for his writing.

For the most part of this act, it's exploration of the characters and how they've changed. It's similar to what was done in "House of M" for an issue before getting back to the main story.

ACT THREE: NEW WORLD DISORDER

As the third act begins, the inverted villains, referred to as the Astonishing Avengers, enter the fray of battle between the inverted Avengers and X-Men, acting as a distraction so Spidey and Deadpool (inverted into Zenpool) can stop Apocalypse and the gene bomb. While Deadpool tries to talk sense into Apocalypse (because Deadpool was a parental figure to Evan), Spidey works to defuse the gene bomb. This is another good moment for Deadpool, because I feel that even if he wasn't inverted, he still would have done what he could to bring the Evan side back out of Apocalypse. While that's going on though, Spider-Man is unable to defuse the bomb with only minutes left. Then enters Carnage to bring another great character moment out of this event. Carnage tells Spidey to clear out while he uses his symbiote to cover and contain the bomb so it doesn't hurt anyone. You guys get that: CARNAGE, of all people, is willing to sacrifice himself for the greater good. It actually tug at my heart strings, but at the same time we got a laugh because Carnage wants Spidey to build him a statue in his honor that plays "Free Bird" nonstop. But in all seriousness, bravo Remender! You actually made me feel for Carnage. CARNAGE! That's a guy who's character is nothing but "Kill! Kill! Kill!" and like Sabertooth, you actually made him something interesting. So the gene bomb is stopped, but the battle continues.

There's another significant moment that needs mentioned. During a battle between Scarlet Witch against Quicksilver, Magneto, and Dr. Doom, she casts a spell to strike down anyone who shares her blood. It affects her brother Quicksilver, but not Magneto, her father (?). That leads to the revelation that Magneto is not the father of the Maximoff twins. Now this ties into the theory that in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch will be Inhumans, since Fox owns the rights to mutants and Magneto. It's another instance of Marvel trying to change things in the comics to fit the movies, and right now I'm not sure how I feel about that. I can see it from both sides, because this isn't the first time comics and movies have worked off another, but I can see how people would be upset about such a big retcon to one format just to fit the other. That said, I'll just wait and see how this plays out.

Eventually, an inverted Red Skull is found and has to be gotten to Dr. Doom and Scarlet Witch, possessed by Brother Voodoo's brother, so they can cast another spell to get everyone back to normal, and he's being attacked on all sides by Avengers and X-Men alike. Out of everyone, it's Tony Stark that most doesn't want to change back. While we've only been shown glimpses of the inverted Stark in the event, it's during these moments where we see just how vicious he's become. There's even one moment where he grabs Skull and speaks to the Xavier side still possibly in there, saying he's going to build and sell more Iron Sentinels and mock that that's what his legacy will bring. That's just really cold, even for Stark. I will say that when it comes to the inverted Tony Stark, reading him in these moment does make me interested in his new "Superior Iron Man" book, but I do have this thing about not getting books that start out as tie-ins to an event, so...yeah.

There's one last character moment that needs to be talked about though. Through all this melee, Thor and Loki are fighting again, and get this: Loki is actually able to pick up Mjolnir. Loki is worthy! It doesn't last long, but it is quite exciting to see a character that is constantly seen as a failure and outcast finally have a moment of greatness.

As you'd expect, the new spell is cast and everyone is reverted back to normal. Well, almost. Stark actually had a contingency plan where he activated a barrier to not be affected by the spell, and not only that, but Sabertooth and Havok are caught in the barrier as well. Because of that, those three character remain inverted. Stark's still an asshole, Sabertooth is still actually interesting, and Havok...eh, I don't care that much where he goes from here.

A week goes by and we find out that the formerly inverted villains prerecorded a message to take credit for the destruction caused by the Avengers and X-Men, claiming they took control of them, in order for them to retain their good names in the end. While it's a smart plan, I do think it lessens the impact this event has already had. Part of me thought this event would have been the main thing that lead to the events being shown in the "Time Runs Out" storyline running through "Avengers" and "New Avengers", but not now.

If there's one thing I think that's lacking in this event, it's the lack of exploring fallout. We get short views of characters during the last few pages that are being narrated by Sabertooth, but not much else. I think it would have been interesting to see how some of the heroes would have dealt with their actions while inverted, or if any of the villains may have truly wanted to become good. It would have also been nice to see how the new Uncanny Avengers team forms before the new volume starts; I don't plan to read it, but I still would have liked more than just one panel. I remember the last issue of "House of M", and we saw that the mutant population was decimated down to nearly 200 and that some heroes were reeling from the memories they have from the alternate timeline, like Spider-Man wanting them erased because of knowing the life he could have had with Gwen. I think I've complained about how Marvel events are drawn out and should be shorter, but I think this is a case where I think they should have made it longer; make the two prelude issues of "Uncanny Avengers" part of the series and have one last issue exploring the fallout, and it would have been twelve issues. That would have sufficed for me.

So with this event, I think others may have overlooked it for a number of reasons. For one, they were probably tired of seeing heroes vs. heroes again, but like "Trinity War", I think it's handled well. Also, Marvel already announced "Secret Wars" for their Summer event next year, and everyone's probably more hyped for that that "AXIS" is probably viewed as filler until then. But really, "AXIS" was very entertaining in my opinion. The art's hit and miss, but the writing is dead on, aside from a few doors still left open.

To close out, if you enjoyed previous Avengers/X-Men crossover stories like "House of M" and "Avengers vs. X-Men", I don't think you'll be disappointed in "AXIS".

STORY RATING: 7.5/10

RECOMMENDATION RATING: 8/10

Album Review: "Angels and Airwaves: The Dream Walker" - Different But Beautiful

Aside from ranking Linkin Park's albums awhile back, I've never done a music review for my blog because I can find some listen-ability in almost everything I listen to. However, this is a special case.

When Blink-182 went on hiatus, Tom DeLonge formed the new band "Angels and Airwaves", sometimes shortened to AVA. They released their first single "The Adventure" in 2006 and I really enjoyed that and the other singles that came after it, "Do It For Me Now" and "The War". But it wasn't until their second album "I-Empire" that I really became a huge fan of them. I got that album and then their first one, "We Don't Need to Whisper", and then later their "Love" double album. In my opinion, with the combination of epic melodies and beautiful lyrics, AVA epitomizes the feelings of love, compassion, and peace. Whenever I listen to them, it always brings up a positive feeling from in me. Now we're at the end of 2014 and they've just released their fifth album, "The Dream Walker", and it's break from the norm for this band.

I'll be honest, while listening to it for the first time, I was planning for this review to be quite negative. Let me explain. When it came to their previous work, the best way to describe it was "space rock" because it really was out of this world, and yeah, I know that's an overused expression. On the new album though, while the "space rock" elements are there, you can noticeably hear more of a rock vibe, like something you'd expect from Tom and Blink-182. With some of the songs, you could probably tell someone it was Blink-182 and they'd might believe you. Now I'm not against trying out with different sounds; Linkin Park does that every album. But that brings me to my second point. During the first listen-through, for the most part, I found Tom's vocals being drowned out by the music. It got to the point where I just found myself trying to get through the whole album. But I'm glad I did, because my feelings changed by the last two songs on the album. With "Tremors", while it still had the mix of Blink and AVA styles, it was the first song of the album that I found an AVA song trying to break through. Then there was the final song, "Anamoly". Usually the last song of an AVA album is like an epic grand finale. While that's not there with "Anamoly", it still does something more special. Unless I'm mistaken, it's the first use of an acoustic guitar in an AVA song, and it's just beautiful. Have a listen:

After that, I decided to listen to the album again from the start and all of a sudden, Tom's lyrics started coming in much clearer, almost like my senses finally tuned in to the right frequency to get the full experience of the album. I would say I can't explain it, but I might have a theory. With "Anamoly" probably the most unique song from their library, I think it made me realize that even though their sound may be different sometimes, it's the lyrics and message of the song that truly matter when it comes to AVA's music. After that, it became so much easier to listen to "The Dream Walker." Kind of makes me wish that "Tremors" and "Anamoly" were the first songs on the album to help realize it quicker, but maybe I needed that learning curve.
Starting with my third listen-through, I was beginning to pick up on the lyrics better and sing along. Along with the two songs I've mentioned, the others ones that really stand out to me are "Tunnels" and "Bullets in the Wind."

While some people will probably need time to get their head around this album, it's worth it in the end. I can't really say where I'd rank this with the other AVA albums, because they're all great in their own way. "The Dream Walker" may be different, but it's a nice new addition to AVA's discography. And if you're more of a fan of Tom's work with Blink-182, I'd say you'd enjoy this album too.

This is one of those rare moments where I don't give a score in a review, but I'll just say that this would make a great holiday present for your significant other.