New Comics 3rd December 2015

Here is what i’ll be picking up next Wednesday, 3rd December 2015

All-New X-Factor 17

 

Angela: Asgard’s Assassin 1

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Axis Revolutions 3

Birthright 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Death of Wolverine The Weapon X Program 3

Gotham Academy 3

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tooth and Claw 2

New Comics 6th August

I’ve been wanting to get back into doing this for a while now and with this week being a quiet week it seems like the perfect time.  So here’s what new comics i’ll be reading this week!  With no X books coming out this is possibly the first time I’ve had nothing to read from Marvel, this week its all about Image!

Alex + Ada 8

Lazarus 10

New Comics 13th November

Here is my pull list for November 13th.  Looks like its a big week!

All-New X-Men 18

Avengers Arena 17

Fearless Defenders 11

Marvel Knights
X-Men 1

Savage Wolverine 11

Wolverine 11

X-Men Gold 1

Rocket Girl 2

Star Trek: Khan 2

Star Wars 11

Review: Thor The Dark World

Thor: The Dark World

Marvel’s Phase Two continues with the return of the mighty Avenger and with the first Thor film being by favourite from Phase One I had high hopes and even higher expectations for this sequel, and it did not disappoint!

The movie starts on a very dark note which continues through the first third of the film, with Jane Foster thrown into a situation she can do nothing about and new villain Malekith on the warpath it seems the odds are stacked against Thor and against Asgard itself. During Malekith’s attack on Asgard the film has a very Star Wars feel to it, so much so that one sequence looks very similar to the opening of The Old Republic game and it was cleverly enough done to not feel out of place at all.

The tone of the film changes completely once Thor enlists the help of his brother Loki, who is on fine form throughout the movie. From the moment he is released from his prison the one liners and joking quips begin and there is a relentless torrent of Loki/Thor related humour which does a nice job of elevating the mood of the film and breaking up the action sequences so it doesn’t overpower everything. There is a cameo from another well known character which helps create one of my favourite moments in the film, and in any film for that matter!

The film continues with a good mix of action and comedy with a big dose of the downright bizarre but somehow it all works well together. My only real disappointment is that Malekith really didn’t live up to much after his initial victories on Asgard and that some sequences were a little bit too ridiculous (did we really need to see Dr Selvig with no pants?).

Graphically the film is stunning and using the location of London was a good choice as everything so far has been mainly set in America. The scale of Asgard was much better achieved here than in the first film, I thought it felt a bit small and compact before whereas here there is a real sense of scale. The Dark World itself was brilliant in its simplicity, adding any more to it would have spoiled the feel of it I think. Also the 3D was well done but nothing groundbreaking, aside from the usual addition of depth there was only the occasional Mjolnir throw which really benefitted from being in 3D.

As a villain, Malekith actually turned out to be nothing like the threat he could have been. It all started strongly but as the film goes on he seems to be relegated to a background piece as everything else develops around him. This is one of my only real disappointments with the film.

Christopher Eccleston did a good job with what he had with Malekith, although with all the makeup and voice alterations it really could have been anyone. Idris Elba’s Heimdall gets a slightly bigger role this time around and he seems to steal every scene he is in, in particular when he meets with Thor and discusses being useless as a guardian as he can’t see this new enemy. The Warriors Three and Sif all have moments to shine but are used even less this time around than in the first film and the relationship between Thor and Sif is mentioned briefly but never built upon, personally I’d prefer this pairing over Thor and Jane but it is just not to be. With 2 films now under his belt as Thor, Chris Hemsworth now has a strong grasp on the role and is able to deliver every aspect of Thor’s personality with great results. Natalie Portman’s Jane Foster gets to do a lot more in this movie than in the first however there is still something missing between the two which makes the love story between them seem very forced and sometimes overbearing. Supporting characters Darcy and Dr Selvig return mainly for comic relief with Dr Selvig showing adverse side effects to Loki’s control during The Avengers.

Stealer of the show is Tom Hiddleston who gives an outstanding performance as Loki, in this movie he has to show all manner of emotions rather than just anger and his trickster nature (which are both present in abundance). The famous Loki-sass is off the scale and delivered brilliantly and he always has one more trick up his sleeve which means your never really sure who’s side he is on.

The movie stands up well on its own and there is only one possible tie-in to Avengers: Age of Ultron, although to be honest it would be a better tie in to the next Thor stand alone film if it happens. Overall I loved it and the only few disappointments are only minor really and I really hope they make a third, it is my favourite film of the year so far, I liked Iron Man 3 but thought this was far superior.

As for the 2 post credit sequences, the first is a nice lead in to Guardians of the Galaxy and a good link back to Thanos, it also gives me some hope of some of the other Asgardians appearing in that film, if only briefly. The second finally answers the are they/ aren’t they question regarding Thor and Jane but I’m wondering if that has been built up just to be torn down at a later date. Only time will tell!

8/10

Related articles

• Thor 2: The Dark World (Released 30th October) (salfordianussu.wordpress.com)
• Review: Thor: the Dark World (2013) (monsterzeronj.wordpress.com)
• Review: Thor: The Dark World (forthebl0g.wordpress.com)
• Thor: The Dark World Review (kassyapple.wordpress.com)
• Thor: The Dark World (2013) – Film Review (jpatreviews.wordpress.com)
• Review – Thor: The Dark World (thelazygeeks.com)
• Thor: The Dark World Review (pwruponline.wordpress.com)
• Thor: The Dark World (chaoticinvocations.wordpress.com)

New Comics 6th November

Here is my pull list for comics released on the 6th November, particularly looking forward to the start of Amazing X-Men!

Amazing X-Men
1

Longshot Saves the Marvel Universe 1

X-Men Legacy 19

The Star Wars 3

Reviews: New Comics 16th October (Marvel)

Here are my reviews for comics released by Marvel on the 16th October.  Including: A+X, Cable & X-Force, Indestructible Hulk, Uncanny X-Men and X-Men Legacy

Reviews: New Comics 16th October (IDW)

 

Star Trek: Khan 1

Star Trek: Khan 1

Although this is only the first issue of this series I am sill in 2 minds about it, is it simply milking the popularity of Star Trek Into Darkness (and arguably Benedict Cumberbatch as well) or is it a much needed look back at the origin story of one of Star Trek’s most well known villains: Khan?  It could well be both.  However given this new universe was created at the point Nero and Spok arrived in the 22nd Century, surely Khan’s origin story should be identical to the already established one seen in the TV series and the original Wrath of Khan movie, apparently its not though, which could get annoying if you are very familiar with the original story.  One thing this series will be addressing is the way Khan looks, something which probably should have been dealt with in the movie and it will be interesting to see how the story progresses in telling how Khan went from Indian appearance to very British.  This issue its a good starting point for the rest of the series to flesh out the villain and provide some much needed back story to the character and while it may bug a few continuity buffs, it will appeal to the fans of this “new” Star Trek universe.

Mike Johnson gets the “voice” of the established characters down perfectly, which you would expect as he has been writing the Star Trek ongoing series for a while now so he has a good grasp on the characters.  The artwork is split between 2 artists, one for present day and one for flashbacks, the present day artist David Messina makes all the known characters look familiar and everyone looks as though this could have been a deleted scene from the movie.  The flashback artist Claudia Balboni also does a great job of making everyone have their own look and makes the story flow well throughout the rest of the issue.

Related articles

• Star Trek FIRST LOOK: IDW’s Khan #1 (raptorsclaw.wordpress.com)
• Comic Book Review: ‘Star Trek: Khan’ #1 (geekbloggeruk.wordpress.com)

New Comics 30th October

It looks like its a quieter week than usual this week, which is probably a good thing as it gives me the chance to catch up! In addition to these releases i’ll also be going to the midnight premier of Thor: The Dark World! (The UK gets an earlier release this time)

 

Superior Spider-Man Team-Up Special

Thor:
Crown of Fools

Uncanny X-Force 13

X-Men: Battle of the Atom 2 (Chapter 10)

 

Thor: The Dark World

 

New Comics 23rd October

Here are my picks for this week (23rd October), I should be caught up with reviews by the end of the week as well.

Infinity: The Hunt 3

Marvel Now What

Savage Wolverine 10

Uncanny Avengers 11

Wolverine and the X-Men 37 (Battle of the Atom Chapter 9)

Young Avengers 11

Star Wars Legacy 8

 

Reviews: New Comics 9th October (Image/Dark Horse)

Here are my (very delayed) reviews for the new releases by Dark Horse and Image on October 9th.  Beware of spoilers throughout