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Leveling up to Volume 2: When Video Games Hit the Splash Page

If you love video games and comics alike, then there’s a good chance you’ve picked up a video game comic adaptation (say that three times fast!). I certainly have, and there’s plenty out there. But is it a good idea, or an over-the-top, crappy one? In my latest article for RadNerd, I take a look at what’s worked, what’s stunk, and if there’s any hope for the genre. Here’s a preview:

Dark Horse recently released a preview of the Mass Effect: Redemption comic book, born from the creative minds and hands of Bioware’s Mac Walters along with John Jackson Miller and artist Omar Francia. Pixels will turn to sweet comic goodness with a story that precursors Mass Effect 2. But Mass Effect isn’t the only video game on the line-up for translation into hilarious sound effects of the huge and dramatic variety. Sci-fi writer Orson Scott Card’s (you know, that guy who did Ender’s Game in 1985, and some other stuff) adaptation of Dragon Age: Origins will hit stands this January from IDW Publishing.

Video games are being laid out on the 2D page more and more these days. Good or bad, everything from Army of Two, Halo, and Dark Space to Silent Hill, Resident Evil, and Perfect Dark, and Super Mario Brothers to Sonic the Hedghog have graced or splattered on the page in triumph or a messy pile of pretty-colored gore. Lately I’ve found myself exploring the lovechild of the two mediums with strange and perhaps voyeuristic intrigue. Sometimes it works—Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Brothers comics have always been fun, and they’re everywhere from American comics to manga, which almost always makes our “detailed” pencil work look like the product of an Etch a Sketch. But Metroid Prime, Super Mario Bros., Legend of Zelda, and even Starfox were recurring features of ye old Nintendo Power issues, and thus a beloved highlight of my childhood. Actually, more my sisters’ childhoods that I relocated and piled together from the depths of that musky and frigid place we called our basement.

Continue reading the article here.

Tags: Dragon Age: Origins, Mass Effect: Redemption
Posted in Comics/Manga, RadNerd, Video Games, Writing | No Comments »

Review: Fables Deluxe Vol. 1

Fables has been on my must-read list for awhile, so I was pretty happy to find a shiny review copy of the new Deluxe Edition Vol. 1 waiting for me in the mail. It retails for about $30, which isn’t too shabby for a deluxe book. Here’s a preview of my review:

Bill Willingham’s popular series Fables continues to reshape our cherished fairy tales into a modern, edgy new form, and now Vertigo has recast the magic that first captured the comic’s audience with a deluxe printing. The book splits into “Legends in Exile” and “Animal Farm” and also features a collection of color artwork and sketches titled “Treasures from the Woodland Vaults”; otherwise, there’s not much new to be discovered if you’re already familiar with the series.

“Legends in Exile,” the first arc, introduces the eccentric and memorable characters of Fablestown (pencilled by Lan Medina). From the classic and alleged beanstalk-climber Jack to the murderer turned detective Bigby Wolf, and the disciplined and stern Snow White in charge to her promiscuous and dishonest ex Prince Charming, Willingham’s focus on reinventing the characters of old cements his comic as a success. Many great and long-remembered comics began with a murder mystery, and Fables follows the same path when Snow White’s sister, Rose Red, becomes the center of bloody attention. In between dealing with the Beauty and Beast’s marital rough patches and keeping her manipulative ex-husband at bay, Snow White joins the Fable once infamously known as the Big, Bad Wolf in solving the puzzle of Red’s whereabouts—dead or alive.

To read the full article and learn more about the highs and lows of the trade, check out my review over at the Girls Entertainment Network.

Tags: Bill Willingham, Fables Deluxe Edition Vol. 1, Lan Medina, Vertigo
Posted in Comics/Manga, Girls Entertainment Network, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »

Pull-O-Rama: October ’09

This month’s Pull-O-Rama is a platter of Daredevil #501, Haunt #1, Batman Annual #27, and Batman: Unseen #1. Which are good and which are bad? You’ll have to head over to Impulse Creations to get the full scoop, but here are some appetizers to get you started. And no, I have no idea why I’m using food metaphors. Maybe I’m just hungry … Yeah.

“Daredevil #501 unrolls the welcome mat for new readers, and it also boasts a gripping storyline of betrayal and darkness on top of bold art complete with a striking color scheme.” - Daredevil #501

“The monstrous union of a foul-mouthed, bitter priest with a cigarette in one hand and a rosary in the other and his ruthless agent of a brother drenched in blood creates something inhuman and surely blasphemous—all in a way that’s dripping with gory comic wonder.” - Haunt #1

“Overall, the comic keeps the reader’s interest on an entertaining level—just not an essential one. In this case, that just might be a good thing.” - Batman Annual #27

“… whether dealing with Batman or Glass, the meat and bones of the comic are vanishing with every melodramatic crescendo.” - Batman: Unseen #1

Tags: Batman Annual #27, Batman: Unseen #1, Daredevil #501, Haunt #1
Posted in Comics/Manga, Impulse Creations, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »

Bat-Reviews: Streets of Gotham #4

Just look at that awesome cover art of Mr. Zsasz, one of my personal favorite rogues from Batman’s gallery. The actual comic should be just as great, right?

It’s somewhere in between good and bad, I’d say. Batman: Streets of Gotham #4 follows up on the Black Mask’s seemingly generous donation to Zsasz’s criminal interests, which led to a new look and the means to fulfill it. Logically, the next issue would more deeply explore the results of Victor’s new-found fortunes, but instead the comic takes an outside view—starting with Hush and working its way to none other than the Broker. There’s nothing wrong with the narrative technique, really, and Paul Dini’s decision to take his time reinventing Zsasz, but strangely nothing seems to progress, either.

Hush is on a tight leash now that Zatanna’s illusions allow Bruce’s astute allies to keep a close watch on Tommy and his sudden passion for charity and public image. Knowing the villain, it won’t be long before he figures out a way to slip past their careful detection.

Quickly, we’re taken to a scene that works its way in later, but is perhaps needless. The connection is loosely made, and acts more as background filler than a crucial part of the issue. Likewise, the events with the Broker—while making for an interesting character story, especially later on—don’t feel essential, either, nor necessary to the current, larger storyline Dini is creating. After dealing with the Great White Shark, the Broker (aka Sherman Fine) recounts Gotham’s days as the Wonder City of amusement parks, wax museums, and other gaudy attractions that eventually died out, leaving manufacturing and crime to expand in its absence.

The following scene with Zsasz shows his first steps at the expense of Black Mask, and shortly after the story wraps up and moves on to the secondary feature with Manhunter and Jane Doe (still enjoyable, but not as solid this time around) and a cheesy preview of R.E.B.E.L.S. Annual #1: Starro the Conquerer (writer Tony Bedard and artist Karl Moline).

Streets of Gotham #4 doesn’t satisfy as much as it did previously, but it wasn’t bad enough to caution that the book might be in any sort of danger. Dustin Nguyen and Paul Dini still make an excellent team, and I’m eager to see what the writer does with Zsasz and Hush. Let’s just hope there’s more of a focus next time.

Recommendation: As good as one of Tommy’s sappy public speeches as Gotham’s most popular bachelor. Sniff. Beautiful.

Curious how the Bat-books stack up here on the blog? Look here.

Tags: Bat-Reviews, DC, Dustin Nguyen, Paul Dini, Streets of Gotham #4
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Review: Robot13 #2

When Robot13 #1 came out, I was impressed by the highly original idea and strong art (despite its likeness to Mike Mignola’s trademark visuals). Recently I was given the chance to review the second issue, which comes out on October 16th. But does it live up to my high expectations, or flounder in those monster-infested waters of its own lore?

You’ll have to find out over at the Girls Entertainment Network. Let me know what you think!

Tags: Blacklist Studios, Daniel Bradford, Robot13, Thomas Hall
Posted in Comics/Manga, Girls Entertainment Network, Reviews, Writing | No Comments »