Well, despite the fact that there were no comics that I wanted to check out this week, I am still here to talk about…
Don’t worry, I didn’t forget this time. I just wanted to wait a day before I gave my thoughts, since this is not a comic or movie, it’s a video game. Let’s take a look at Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure for the Nintendo 3DS!
So the game begins with two siblings, Maxwell and Lily, who are the main protagonists of the game. They’re currently engaged in a dispute comic book fans always seem to have at one point or another: Who is the better superhero, Superman or Batman? Well, they decide to find out, as both have very unique powers that can find the answer: Maxwell has a sketchbook that can make whatever he sketches real, and Lily has a globe that lets her and whoever she wants travel wherever she wants. So, Maxwell tears a page from his sketchbook, writes ‘Gotham City‘ on it, and slaps it onto the globe, thus making the DC Universe real. However, in his excitement, Maxwell made a terrible mistake, as it seems the page he tore had something on the back: Doppelgänger, his evil twin, who aligns himself with the villains of the Justice League and goes on a rampage in Gotham, Metropolis, Oa, Atlantis, and more. Thus, the goal is to try to undo the chaos that Doppelgänger and the Injustice League creates.
The game works as many Scribblenauts games do: You control Maxwell and use his powers to solve different puzzles and scenarios, only this time, they’re spread across several iconic locations in the DC Universe. There are a lot of ways to go about solving these, by creating items, summoning heroes, adjusting pre-existing objects and people, and more. Sometimes you’ll have to do something very specific, while others can have multiple options with varying levels of reward. Many puzzles are non-mandatory, for the most part, but the only way to move on to new levels is to complete these puzzles and earn reward points. Fortunately, the non-mandatory ones are randomized, so if you don’t like the ones presented, you can just leave the level and come back. Also, Superman villain Mister Mxyzptlk will occasionally present optional challenges when you enter a level that will limit what you can and can’t do while there for that trip, but if you take him up on his challenges and succeed at solving the scenarios, they’ll grant you additional reward.
So, given that this is a crossover game with DC heroes, who all shows up? Just about EVERYBODY. Not only are there the major A List superheroes, like Wonder Woman, Batman, Superman, and Green Lantern, with multiple variations for many (although usually defaulted to their New 52 versions), but there are so many others in the game as well, and each with summaries of who these characters are for anyone who isn’t familiar with them. And yes, the roster includes Stephanie Brown as Spoiler, Robin and Batgirl. Yes, it includes Wally West, Donna Troy, Helena Bertinelli, Cassandra Cain, Renée Montoya, both Aqualads, and so many more. Everyone should have at least one favourite hero in this game. Heck, even Linkara’s favourite superhero of all time, Danny Chase, is in here. And that’s just the heroes! You can summon villains too (although why you would ever want or need to, I have yet to discover), and yes, there are a crap ton of them too, with their own bios! This isn’t just a game, it’s a freaking encyclopaedia! I think there was only one or two moments where I searched a character and couldn’t find them, and even then, the number that are in with their own unique assets kinda makes me forgive that pretty easily.
Now, I do have one complaint about the game, and it centres around the version I got. This game is also available for the PC and Wii U, and one of the features of the game that was promoted pretty heavily was the Hero Creator, where you can create your own heroes by mixing and matching parts of other heroes, colouring them to your liking, giving them their own unique powers, etc. And as you’ve probably guessed by now…yeah, it’s not in the 3DS version. That was a MAJOR let-down for me, as I was planning to create versions of my own superheroes, The Hexagon, in the game.
I do understand what is the likely reason it wasn’t put in the 3DS version, though: Putting in as many characters and variations of characters with their own unique powers that can be used for battles or puzzle solving, on top of a lot of the different stuff already in a standard Scribblenauts game, and even making copies of their weapons, gadgets, and costumes that Maxwell can create for himself, was pushing on the game’s memory too much. Plus, you can make adjustments to heroes by summoning them and adding adjectives to them, like Fast, Flying, a different colour, stuff like that. And, the 3DS DOES have something unique to it, in that it has Streetpass support, here you can unlock hero costumes for your Mii. HOWEVER, all of that said, if it wasn’t going to be in the 3DS version, they should have made that explicitly clear from the beginning. And I checked, I checked the crap outta news sites, and other than speculation, there was NOTHING solid either way.
Overall, though, while I feel disappointed in missing out on the Hero Creator, I am still enjoying the heck out of this game. If you’re a fan of the Scribblenauts series, I think you’ll really like this installment. Also, if you’re like me and are a comic book fan that was curious about getting into Scribblenauts, I think this is the way to go. But hey, feel free to let me know what you think of the game in the comments section below.
Anyway, next week is October, which means my regularly scheduled comics can start coming out again! So, be sure to check in as we venture to Earth 2 to see how the future JSA is getting along, and we check in on The Movement. Ja né!
Yep, that time again, where I told about How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. This time, we’re talking villains again, but I’m doing something a little different. Basically, I’m gonna be showing who belongs in whose’s roster of villains. Now, I know that these are all pre-established villains that have been paired with superheroes before, but this would basically be me trying to shake things up and keep things fresh. So, by pairing different heroes and villains, or by bringing back older villains that were forgotten in time for one more go, it keeps things new while also experienced. On top that, I’ve found that some heroes have far too many iconic villains to try to count, *COUGH!*Batman*COUGH!*, while some heroes don’t have enough. Also, this doesn’t mean that someone on Batman’s roster would never fight Wonder Woman or anything like that, it’s just who they would generally go up against.
Superman’s Enemies
Superman’s powers make him not only arguably the world’s greatest superhero, but also one of the more adaptive. Naturally, his villains need to either be able to match his strength, be unique enough in their abilities, can combat him on an intellectual level, or have access to one of his weaknesses. Examples:Atomic Skull, Brainiac, Doomsday, Dyna-Mind, General Zod, Lex Luthor, Magpie, Metallo, Parasite, Solomon Grundy
Batman’s Villains
Batman is the World’s Greatest Detective, has peak physical conditioning, and near endless gadgetry. Naturally, his opponents have to be the type that challenge him from an intellectual angle, or can take advantage of the simple fact that, for all those advantages, he’s still a human with no super-powers. Also, given his own issues with vengeance vs justice, his foes might likely have similar problems. Examples: Bane, Clayface, The Joker, Killer Croc, The Mad Hatter, Mr. Freeze, The Scarecrow, Ra’s al Ghul, The Riddler, Two-Face, Victor Zsasz
Wonder Woman’s Villains
Wonder Woman’s mission as an ambassador of her people can be considered as trying to show the world of man it can be a world of compassion, equality, and peace. So, it only makes sense that her enemies would be the types of individuals that are in direct contrast to that vision: Villains that seek to oppress, create chaos, or outright destroy. Also, Wonder Woman is no stranger to magical or Godly villains, so they would fit in as well. Examples: Ares, Captain Nazi, Cheetah, Circe, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Poison Ivy, Trickster (New 52 Apokolips version), Veronica Cale
Cyborg’s Villains
Cyborg’s advanced tech, enhanced strength, and history with the Titans makes his choices relatively simple: The bulkier opponents of the Titans in the past, villains that can circumvent his circuitry, or other technologically advanced individuals. Examples: Amazo, Cinderblock, Deathstroke, KGBeast, Overload, Plasmus, Prometheus, T.O. Marrow
The Flash’s Villains
As I mentioned before, I would make Wally West the Blue Lantern Flash, so his opponents would occasionally be evil Lanterns out to snuff out the Blue Light of Hope. Still, that doesn’t mean his classic enemies, The Rogues, can’t pop in from time to time. 🙂 Examples: Bleez, Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, Heat Wave, Magenta, Mirror Master, Reverse Flash, Pied Piper, The Top
Green Lantern’s Villains
Naturally, Green Lantern would face other Lanterns, like the Sinestro Corps, or the Red Lantern Corps, but what about some of the classic GL foes from before the various Lantern Corps started going at it? Don’t really see many of those much anymore, huh? I think I’d wanna bring some of ’em back, but with modern takes on them to make ’em more threatening. Examples: Atrocitus, Hector Hammond, Javelin, Krona, Larfleeze, Major Force, Puppeteer, Sinestro, Weather Wizard
Justice League’s Villains
Since the Justice League of America is made up of the greatest heroes in the world, the villains to oppose them have to either be galactic threats, foes that a single hero would need aid in defeating, or teams of villains that require an equal and opposite team of heroes to beat. Examples: Black Hand, The Crime Syndicate, Darkseid, The Legion of Doom, Neron, Paragon, Starro the Conqueror, The White Martians
Batgirl’s Villains
As a heroine inspired by Batman and occasionally trying to earn his trust, it’s only fitting that Batgirl’s foes would be villains inspired by other villains, or just some of the villains he doesn’t always have time for. Plus, y’know, some of his female rogues, since…Okay, I know I wrote Batman kicking the new Copperhead in the face, but I wasn’t exactly all that comfortable doing it, know what I mean? Examples: Calculator, Condiment King, Harley Quinn, Matilda, Roxy Rocket, Twiddledum and Twiddledee, The Ventriloquist (New 52 version), The White Rabbit
Like I noted before, the Teen Titans would be going back to their roots as a response team to distress calls from teenagers, so a lot of their villains would be the types that try to corrupt the youths of the world. Also, plenty of their enemies would be enemies based out of Jump City, or foes that even the Justice League need the extra help taking on. Examples: Billy Numerous, Doctor Light, The Fearsome Five, Goth, Harvest, The H.I.V.E., Johnny Rancid, Mister Twister, Terra
Batwoman’s Villains
Batwoman operates out of Gotham City, and is usually (in my canon, anyway) investigating the ties between secret organizations and trying to bring down mob bosses. As such, her enemies are mostly mobsters, criminal syndicates, and hired guns, usually from around Gotham. Examples: Alice, Black Mask, Deadshot, Firefly, The Great White Shark, Intergang, The Penguin, The Religion of Crime, Rupert Thorne. The Secret Society
…Okay, I think my tags are getting a bit insanely high, so I’m gonna hafta stop there. lol Lemme know what you think, if there’s anyone I should switch around, and I’ll see ya next time! Ja né!
Well, welcome back to my own personal Put Up Or Shut Up moment for comics, How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch. Granted, I may not be the best person to make such judgements, since apparently DC Comics is meant for 45 year olds, but this is just my own personal take on it. This time around, I thought I’d take a closer look at the members of one of my favourite superhero teams of all time, who I wouldn’t be surprised if I end up writing a fic about in the future…
Now, because a lot of these are known primarily for being Teen Titans, and/or for being sidekicks to other superheroes, not all of ’em have logos, so I’ll be using pictures. With that said, let’s start with who is usually considered the leader…
Robin
As I mentioned before, I’d naturally start with Dick Grayson as Robin. However, following his eventual transformation to Nightwing, I’d probably do as the Young Justice cartoon apparently did and skip over Jason Todd in favour of probably my favourite Robin of all time, Tim Drake. Now, that’s not to say that I would never involve Jason Todd, just not as Robin. Why? Well, for starters, I’m not exactly a huge fan of Jason Todd and what DC continues to try to do with him. Second, like I said, I prefer Tim Drake as Robin (and yes, he WAS Robin, I don’t care what anyone says. I don’t even mind calling him Red Robin, I just hate that DC insists he was never Robin). Now, would I put the mantle on others like Stephanie Brown and Damian Wayne later on? I dunno yet. Either way, though, Dick would be the leader of the team, though would often-times confer to this next individual…
Cyborg
I already covered most of what I’d do with Cyborg, but at the same time, I think I’d want him to act as a sort of mentor to the Titans. He’d be in charge of training them, putting together their base and equipment, etc. He might occasionally butt heads with Robin over leadership decisions, but otherwise would be friends.
Wonder Girl
Yes, I know that’s Donna Troy. Sorry to Cassie fans, and I MIGHT eventually show her some love too, but frankly, I just prefer Donna. As for her origin (hoo boy, Donna Troy’s origin), I’d probably just go with the story where she’s a mirror duplicate of Wonder Woman as a teenager, though I’d put her in the black costume with the blue stars. It’s just my personal favourite look for her. Otherwise, her role would be something similar to what Superboy’s was in the Young Justice cartoon, though with a better relationship with her counterpart. Finally, I think I’d want her to have a silver lasso as opposed to Wonder Woman’s golden lasso.
Bunker
Y’know, much as I like to rag on Scott Lobdell from time to time, one thing I can thank him for is for intentionally making Bunker and his back-story completely angst free. And trust me, you have no idea how much I appreciate that, given the status quo of DC Superhero angst these days. So yeah, Miguel’s personality? Perfect. His powers? Pretty awesome. The only thing I’d change about him is his costume’s colour-scheme. I’d change it to violet and some other colour, like green or black. I just don’t like that sort of reddish-purple that goes down the middle of his mask and across the right side of his costume. Maybe it just bugs me because, in the comics, he’s on a team brought to you by the colours red, yellow, and brown, but it’s always bugged me.
Jesse Quick
Yeah, with enough characters in other colours, I can let Jesse Quick keep her normal red and yellow. 🙂 Also, as far as why I picked Jesse Quick over Bart Allen, it’s two-fold. One is that I already picked Wally West over Barry Allen to be The Flash, and two is that I’d want a more diverse team. After all, Jesse can not only tap into the Speed Force, but she also inherits her mother’s enhanced strength and stamina. As for her back-story, pretty much the same, minus the affair with her mother’s younger fiancée, because oh dear GOD that was stupid. Speaking of which, she’d also have the costume she wore in the earlier issues of The Titans, AKA Lewis Lovhaug‘s favourite comic book series ever. I just like it a lot, and find her other costumes to be kinda…eh.
Aqualad
No offence to Garth (in fact, far from it, I think I’d rather have Garth as Tempest), but Kaldur’ahm would be the Aqualad of this team, likely in his Young Justice TV show appearance (although I’d change the shade of red to a more orange tone) and power-set. However, to keep things from getting overly repetitive, I think I would kinda want him to be the sort-of Sixth Ranger member of the group (look it up on TV Tropes). Still, Kaldur would be the serious one, and would pretty much play designated driver to some of the antics the rest of the team might occasionally get up to.
Anyway, that’s it for the Teen Titans. Next time, I talk more about the villains, specifically who faces whom. Ja né!
So, ever since we got our first look at the Pokémon anime‘s XY series, a lot of people have asked the same question: Does Ash look older?
And no, I’m NOT just talking about the fact that he has teeth now, although that IS an improvement. Just look at him! He looks taller and a bit lankier. His hair seems a bit different, like it’s added some length. So, as far as my own personal answer goes…Yeah, he looks older. However, that brings up a much more important question for me: Did Ash finally GET older?
Now, anybody that’s been watching the show since it started has taken notice of this, especially since Best Wishes started with the declaration that Ash was still 10 years old. And, I’m gonna try to avoid spoilers here by keeping names out, but SOMEBODY uses the Kanto-Johto Magnet Train in the second to last episode of Best Wishes, and the last time we ever saw that Magnet Train, they said it would be a year since it would be finished. That was a LOOOOONNNGG time ago, so we can no longer make the argument that Ash is completely these Regional Championships in a few months, AT LEAST ONE YEAR HAS PASSED. And this is not the first time that the passage of time has been addressed in the show, and yet, Ash remains 10.
And before anyone theorizes, tossing out crap like the coma theory, lemme put this to rest: The reason Ash is 10 is because the writers intentionally keep him 10 to appeal to the main demographic for the show, whether it makes any sense or not. It’s extremely weak logic directing that decision, but that’s the reason. If you want the whole story and all forms of evidence and arguments, I suggest you watch TheJWittz’ video on the matter, which I will give the link to below.
Speaking of which, in said video, he brought up the possibility and potential for a time skip. And I’m not saying that IS what’s happened, but it sure as heck looks like it. And honestly, I kinda hope so. The longer that he goes without growing up, the less people will tolerate him. He’s been at this for a while, he should NOT still be such a screw-up. And hey, there’s some hope on the horizon, since one of the first episodes apparently features him battling a Garchomp on a high rooftop. And y’know what? At least the opening promises to be more badass than Best Wishes did. lol
So, what do you guys think? Vote or comment below, and be sure to check out JWittz’ take on all of this as well (Hey, I like co-operating with my fellow Pokémon fans, gimme a break), and we’ll see what happened when the XY series begins. Ja né!
Aaaaaaaaannnnnd welcome back to another edition of ‘How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch?’, the ongoing series where I talk about what I’d do if I were in charge of a DC reboot, tv series, alternate reality series (Think Marvel’sUltimate universe), and so on. And seeing as how I’ve taken a lot of these ideas and used them in my fanfics nowadays, you’d THINK I’d wanna keep these ideas to myself, but I like sharing them, seeing what people think, and getting feedback.
So, up until this point, I’ve been talking about the characters, but what about the stories? Like, if I was gonna do an adaptation of a story from the comics, like in one of the DC Animated Original Movies, or a novelization. And I’m not against the idea of possibly doing a novelization of certain stories for FanFiction.net, btw. So, let’s see what I’d do with some of my favourites, some of my less-than-favourites, and some that desperately need a rehash.
The Culling
Okay, I originally submitted this on the tumblr AT4W Secrets, but something went wrong with it, so I decided to post it here instead. Well, more or less what I originally said, anyway. And for the record, it’s not a good thing that, after watching Linkara’s review of The Culling that I can pick out over half a dozen things they could’ve done differently to make the story at least SLIGHTLY better…
Make the suits they wear have some sort of device on them that Harvest can use to keep constant track of them, or that keeps them from leaving The Crucible without his permission, or something like that. In other words, MAKE THE SUITS MAKE SENSE.
I don’t know if Harvest’s real back-story about trying to create an army to wipe out all meta-humans was created before or after The Culling, but if it was before, make it clear here. Stop trying to make it so that he seems sympathetic, because it doesn’t work. NO ONE sympathizes with Harvest. AT ALL. Plus, then it would make the presence of a group of heroes from the Legion of Superheroes make sense, as they would know who and what Harvest is and would be trying to stop him.
Honestly, I think I would make Harvest FAR less of a spin-doctor. I mean, wouldn’t he actually seem a lot more credible if he admitted that the Titans and Legion Lost managed to get the better of him, and then swore to come back and take his vengeance for ruining his plans? It’d be horrifying to think that someone with as much power as he has would one day return, only royally pissed off and ready to kill them all.
Make it so that the people who survive The Culling are MADE to join The Ravagers. Y’know, with brain control or something. Then make it so that Ridge got free of his near the end and left the group…Speaking of which…
DO NOT CALL THE SPIN-OFF TEAM THE RAVAGERS! I’ve actually brought this up before, but if DC really wants that dark and edgy group of Teen Titans, then here’s an idea: Make THESE GUYS the dark and edgy Titans! You could even call them The Savage Titans or something like that. Plus, then you would have a place for Skitter, since she kinda disappeared in The Culling and hasn’t been seen since.
I would not kill off Artemis in her one and only appearance. Involving her in this story actually created a great opportunity to sell the Teen Titans book to fans of the Young Justice series, as her coming along for the ride after The Culling was over would get fans of the character to want to read it…Plus, it would add some GREEN to the team…
I’d change the ending a bit so that the three groups got to meet up for a moment before they all had to flee The Crucible. Basically, just so they can have a moment to say something like “Well, Harvest got away, but we shut down his operations and saved all these people, and that’s more important”, and they could all bid fond farewells to each other and have the series end on a more positive note. Plus, I’d probably take out the scene at the end where the Titans arrive on Mystery Island. Just saying, it kinda detracted, although I will admit it almost felt like an ending to an episode of Quantum Leap. lol
I guess with his new origin, Beast Boy being red KINDA makes sense, but then you gotta wonder whether the new origin is better than the old. Really, I’m torn between making him green again, or just making him FUN again…Or both, whatever.
Not really as much to say here, since I’d wanna keep a lot of it the same. If I was doing a movie, I’d want it to be a two parter obviously, and I’d probably take out a lot of the filler and crossover stuff. Like, Red Hood and the Outlaws can go, since it didn’t add anything, and we can just see small shots of Batgirl, the Birds of Prey, and Robin taking their targets, as well as maybe shots of Red Robin and Batwoman fighting a Talon or two. Nightwing’s part in the story can be mostly reduced to his interactions with Batman, finding the book of names, learning he was supposed to be a Talon, taking on his great-grandfather, and the resolution of his character and where he stands. Not to say that the stuff involving him touring with Haly’s Circus wasn’t a good story, it was. It’s just that if I was focusing primarily on Night of the Owls, that part doesn’t need to be there.
JLA/Titans: The Technis Imperative
…Leave it as is. No, seriously, nothing needs changing with this story. Now, if I was gonna adjust anything, it’d be that, if this were a movie, the little red boxes that show everyone’s info when the probes scan everyone would be little pop-ups you could switch on and off on the DVD…In fact, why they hell doesn’t this have a movie already?! SOMEONE MAKE IT HAPPEN!
Anyway, I think that’s all for now. Next time, I think I’ll look at a few more of the heroes, including probably my favourite Robin of all. Ja né!
Well, looks like the new Fossil Pokémon have had their evolved forms unveiled, so let’s take a look at ’em!
Tyrantrum
Tyrantrum is the evolved form of Tyrunt, and holy crap, does it look AWESOME! :O It looks like if Greymon was a Pokémon. I half-expect it to fire Nova Blast in my face. That said, it probably will be able to learn Fire Fang, considering its Ability powers up biting moves, and hey, it needs something to deal with those pesky Fairy-types (Tyrantrum is Rock/Dragon-type, remember).
Aurorus
Aurorus is the evolved form of Amaura. Like its pre-evolved form, this Rock/Ice-type can turn Normal-type attacks into Ice-type attacks. Also, it can apparently learn a move called Freeze Dry, an Ice-type move which can freeze opponents, AND has the added effect of somehow doing super-effective damage to Water-types.
There have been a couple of other details released about Pokémon X & Y, though I cannot be 100% certain as to the validity of these, so take ’em with a grain of salt. First off, apparently none of the new Pokémon found in the Kalos Region can Mega Evolve, at least not in X & Y. That makes sense, and frankly, I’m rather glad they’re focusing on the older Pokémon with Mega Evolution. Also, there are rumours that Pokémon will still gain experience from battle even if the opponent is caught, which is rather different, and that there may be a place to change clothes in every Pokémon Centre in Kalos. Again, can’t confirm these, but it would certainly change things up, especially the part regarding experience.
Anyway, lemme know what you think below, we’ll see what gets revealed next. Ja né!
So, having finished writing Tales of the Caped Crusader, I’ve decided to move onto my next fanfic, also inspired by my talks of How Would I Rebuild The DC Universe From Scratch, as well as taking place in that same sort of ‘verse that I created with TotCC. The name of the fic: The Man of Tomorrow.
Here’s the basic premise: Superman has been an active superhero for some time now. Lois Lane is aware of his secret identity, and the two are currently in a relationship while also keeping up their friendly rivalry at the Daily Planet. Lex Luthor is in jail following an incident that also cost him his presidency over the United States. As a result, Metropolis is enjoying relative peace time. I mean, there’s still stuff like burning buildings, bank robbers, jumpers, the occasional criminal, but over-all, FAR less occasions that look like a job for Superman. Also, as was the case in TotCC, he has met Batman and Wonder Woman, but there is no Justice League yet.
One day, down-town Metropolis is attacked by Plasmus, and after a fight between the two, Superman quickly learns that someone is gunning for him, someone that’s created a liquidized version of Kryptonite and gave some to Plasmus. Problem: The #1 suspect is behind bars, and can’t be responsible…or can he? Worse yet, a young man named Victor Stone gets horribly burnt during the fight with Plasmus, with most of his body melting. So now the hunt is on to find the one responsible before anyone else gets hurt.
As with TotCC, this story takes a lot of plot elements from other established stories and continuities, and not just for Superman. For example, Victor will play a huge role, though parts of his back-story are actually inspired by the character Steel. Plasmus has elements to his character that are borrowed from the Teen Titans animated series. Lois knowing that Clark and Superman are the same person is inspired by Man of Steel and Superman: Unbound. Superman’s costume is based off of concept art for Injustice: Gods Among Us, as shown below (minus the face, although honestly, I gotta wonder why they didn’t use that look for Regime Superman). Also, Kara is mentioned on occasion in the story, currently in the process that will see her transform from Supergirl into Power Girl. And trust me, lots of other characters from Superman and the DC Universe will pop up in this story.
Anyway, that’s all I wanna tell for now. Thoughts? Opinions? Lemme know in the comments, and click the image below to read the fic. Ja né!
…You watch, I’ll post this, and then immediately after, they’ll reveal a new Pokémon. lol Anyway, only criteria is that they are Generation VI Pokémon, are not Mega evolutions (I’ll get to them later), and only one per family line (so no evolutions/pre-evolutions of ones I already picked). Also, keep in mind that my reasoning changes from Pokémon to Pokémon, and I don’t know squat about what their stats are, so there could be changes to my favourites as time goes by. So, let’s start with…
Seriously, this little guy (or gal) is too cute for words. Also, several people have noticed that the Kalos Region starters seem to be following a sort of Warrior/Wizard/Rogue theme, with Chespin falling under the Warrior category, and that suits me just fine. After all, in the early days of your journey, especially in a brand new region, you want a heavy hitter. And what’s more awesome a starter than one that’s über cute AND kicks the snot outta the opposition?
#2 – Tyrunt, the Royal Heir Pokémon
…Play it again. XD
Yeah, I know I’m silly, but c’mon, people have wanted a frigging T-Rex for a Fossil Pokémon since the very beginning! And of all the Pokémon that have attacked primarily by taking a bite outta their opponent, Tyrunt may be the most potent with its Strong Jaw Ability.
#3 – Sylveon, the Intertwining Pokémon
Of the new Fairy-types revealed, Sylveon is probably the most awesome. Like I said before, though, I have no idea what the stats for any of these new Pokémon are, so while I can assume Sylveon’s base total is the same as the other Eeveelutions, I don’t know what role it plays otherwise in comparison to the others. Either way, though, I suspect that Sylveon will be a popular Pokémon among Trainers in the Kalos Region.
#4 – Talonflame, the Scorching Pokémon
Talonflame breaks tradition by having the first Normal/Flying-type you meet in the game evolve into something different. And frankly, I couldn’t be happier. And given that Fairy-types don’t work all that great against Fire-types, and given the new Sky Battles in Pokémon X and Y, I would imagine it’ll find its way onto many a team. Really, the problem I have with it is that, since I don’t like doubling up on types for my team, now I’m forced to choose between it and the next one on my list…
#5 – Pyroar, the Royal Pokémon
Holy crap, is this thing awesome. I may decide to simply rotate between Pyroar and Talonflame where necessary, since they’re both so awesome. It’ll be a pain in the ass, but it could prove to be worth it. The one problem I have with it is that its Abilites seem kinda situational as far as their usefulness is concerned. Then again, that could just be me and my tastes. I like multi-purpose Abilities, or Abilities that can work in lots of scenarios.
#6 – Skrelp, the Mock Kelp Pokémon
The only Poison-type revealed so far, Skrelp looks pretty cool, and I’ve known from the start that if Poison-types turned out to be super effective against Fairy-types (and they are, yay) that I would need to get ahold of one. So, yeah, I guess I’m gonna need to trade for one, since I’m getting Pokémon X Version, and it’s exclusive to Pokémon Y Version, and dang it, can I just say how much easier it is to trade with friends now that cords are a thing of the past? I HATED those as a kid. And I don’t wanna hear anyone complain about load times or not getting the infrared link to work right away either…but that’s a rant for another day. lol
Anyway, if this list has proven anything, it’s that adding the Fairy-type is making a profound shake-up as far as battle strategies goes. In retrospect, it’s actually pretty easy to see why they waited so long to add a new type. One new type, and EVERYTHING changes. Poison and Fire are suddenly more useful. Dragon is more vulnerable than it’s ever been. Spiritomb and Sableye are vulnerable for the first time. That’s all from ONE type.
But yeah, those are my 6 Favourite New Pokémon. Will they all be on my team? Hard to say. Will depend on what comes to pass. I expect many more new Pokémon to be unveiled in the new games, and I suspect that Skrelp and Mother F’ing Tyrunt (and yes, that’s what I consider to be his full name, lol) to get evolutions. But, for now, lemme know what you think of my list, what your favourite new Pokémon are, and we’ll see what comes to pass as we are now less than one month until release. Ja né!
Based off Gardner Fox‘s story, “Crisis on Earth-Three!”, and Grant Morrison‘s “JLA: Earth 2“, this movie was originally conceived to act as a bridge between season two of the Justice League animated series and the start of Justice League Unlimited. However, for reasons I’m not sure I completely understand, that plan was scrapped and it was instead reworked into its own story in its own continuity. So, how does it fare? Pretty awesome, albeit not perfect. As usual, let’s do a summary of the plot before I talk about what I really liked and didn’t like.
“…ARE YOU CRAZY?!?!“
So the movie starts off with Lex Luthor and an alternate version of The Joker called The Jester breaking into a maximum security vault to steal something called the Quantum Trigger, but it becomes clear right away that this isn’t the Justice League’s Earth (which, for simplicity’s sake, we’re just gonna call their world Earth 1 and the Syndicate’s world Earth 3) when evil versions of its members corner Jester and try to kill him, only for him to go out with a bang to buy Luthor time to escape. While Luthor is briefly cornered by the Crime Syndicate’s five leaders, he manages to get away by escaping to Earth 1. Once there, he contacts the Justice League and, since Superman can tell he’s from a parallel Earth right away with his x-ray vision, they hear him out. Apparently, Luthor’s Justice League has been taken out one by one, with him as its last member. The Syndicate have almost complete control of the world, and only the threat of a nuclear response is keeping them from achieving that much. As such, the Justice League votes on the matter, with Superman, Wonder Woman, The Flash (Wally West, THANK GOD, lol), Hal Jordan, and Martian Manhunter vote to go help, with only Batman opting to stay behind, as their new Watchtower isn’t even complete yet.
The evil Vibe, “Breakdance”
Arriving on Earth 3, the Justice League find Lex’s base of operations being ransacked by the Syndicate, who are looking for the Quantum Trigger. The Quantum Trigger is the last component to a bomb capable of destroying the world, which they plan to use as leverage on the government of the world to make them bow to them. A huge brawl breaks out between the League and a large number of villainous counterparts to various heroes of the DCU, including Vibe, Vixen, Elongated Man, and the Shazam family. Barely escaping with Owlman’s jet, the League go to Jester’s hideout, where Luthor explains the command structure of the Crime Syndicate, and Superman decides they need to move out in teams of two to stop their various operations. Meanwhile, Owlman has learned of Luthor’s device that allows him to travel to alternate worlds, and it becomes clear to Superwoman, who is his mistress, that he’s growing increasingly nihilistic. After all, even if they were to detonate the bomb on Earth 3, all it would do is cause the world to branch into two: One where they made the choice to detonate the bomb, and another where they didn’t. In essence, he feels that nothing he does will ever matter because there’ll always be another world where he did the exact opposite, or worse, where he never existed at all. As such, he commits himself to finding the original Earth, the one from which every Earth in the multiverse spun from, and destroy it with the bomb, as it’s the only decision he could ever make that would have lasting consequence, and since Superwoman is a murdering psychopath, she goes along with it.
Power Ring, Johnny Quick, Ultraman, Superwoman, and Owlman
Superman’s operation turns out to be a complete success, even to the point where he and Luthor manage to get Ultraman arrested. However, President Slade Wilson (seriously) orders his release, on account of the fact that there’d be no way to protect anyone willing to prosecute. This enrages his daughter, Rose, who thinks her father a coward, but Martian Manhunter suggests that isn’t the case, having accidentally read her thoughts since they appear to be attuned for some reason. Superman simply tells the President that they’re not leaving until the Syndicate is defeated, and they show themselves out. Afterwards, Slade is visited by Ultraman, who tells him to tell his daughter to stop speaking against the Syndicate in public, or he’ll do to her what he did to the First Lady. Slade is rightfully pissed off and threatens to nuke Ultraman if he comes anywhere near Rose, but Ultraman laughs him off, informing him that the Syndicate are creating a bomb of their own.
The Justice League have a ‘talk’ with President Wilson
Sure enough, during a public speech, Rose is nearly assassinated by an evil version of Green Arrow called Archer, but Martian Manhunter had been posing as one of her guards and easily stops him. It seems that, being attuned to Rose, J’onn can’t get her out of his head, and the two are quickly falling in love due to how well their minds compliment each other. Meanwhile, Owlman sends Superwoman and the evil Shazams to Earth 1, as it seems that Lex hid the Quantum Trigger on the Watchtower when he was there. Batman puts of as good a fight as one can expect, but it’s clear that he’s out-numbered and out-gunned, so he calls in the Calvary, teleporting Black Lightning, Aquaman, Red Tornado, Black Canary, and Firestorm in to tilt the odds in his favour. While this works for the most part, Superwoman still gets away with the Quantum Trigger, and while Batman gives chase, he finds himself captured instead. Despite being completely outmatched by Superwoman, however, even to the point of being toyed with, Batman outsmarts her by tricking her into breathing in enough anaesthesia to kill an elephant, knocking her out. After calling the Justice League, Lex admits to hiding the Quantum Trigger on the Watchtower, but only because it was impossible to destroy it, and the Watchtower was the safest place to hide it, or so he thought. A quick off-screen interrogation of Superwoman reveals Owlman’s plans, and, with Rose granting knowledge of the Syndicate’s base on the moon, they go to face them, with J’onn remaining behind for the time being.
The Justice League Reserves
Once on the moon, Superwoman manages to get free and knock Lex out, making it a 5-on-5 fight with the League each squaring off against their evil counterparts. While the League gets the advantage, Owlman’s computer locates Earth Prime (no, not Superboy Prime’s world), and he teleports himself there with the bomb. Once the rest of the Crime Syndicate figure out what’s happening, they all come up with a plan to stop him: Johnny Quick will vibrate his body as just the right speed to piggyback on Owlman’s signal and open a portal, but they can only send one person, so naturally, Batman decides to go, squaring off with Owlman 1-on-1. It becomes clear in the fight that Owlman has the advantage in nearly every way, but Batman manages to trick him, tying him to the bomb as he teleports it to another Earth in the computer’s memory banks: A frozen, uninhabited world. Owlman has enough time to abort the detonation, but opts not to, claiming “It doesn’t matter”, dying in the explosion. Batman returns, but despite desperately yelling at Johnny to stop vibrating, he dies, having gone so fast that his body aged to the point of death. Ultraman quickly decides to end their truce, but J’onn arrives, accompanied by the President, who was not to thrilled with the attempt on Rose’s life, and the Marines. They’ve also come packing nuclear warheads, and in the face of that, the Syndicate surrenders. In the end, while Rose asks J’onn to stay, he made a promise to protect his new home, so sadly, they say goodbye, the League returning home as Superman suggests they could use a few extra hands in the future. Batman agrees, opting to start a membership drive, as Black Canary and the others greet them on the Watchtower.
“There IS a difference between you and me. We both looked into the abyss. But when it looked back at us, you blinked.”
So, like I said, this movie is pretty awesome, but it does have its flaws. And, since I wanna end this review on a high note, let’s look at those flaws first. Oh, and before anyone asks, no, I have not read the source material this was based on (yet), so I will not be making comparisons, with a single exception, and you’ll understand why when we get to it.
While I don’t have a problem with Hal Jordan or the casting of his voice actor in this movie, it’s pretty clear he was not intended to be here. I’ll get to why in a second, but there just isn’t enough of Hal being the snarky, flirtatious, and possessing-the-greatest-of-wills kind of guy that he is in this movie. In fact, a lot of the time, it doesn’t really feel like he nor Power Ring are really doing much of anything. Of all the main characters involved, they seem like the ones with the least going on…though I DO love the Rock Beats Scissors moment Hal has in the Earth 3 JLA headquarters. lol However, as I said, it’s clear he wasn’t meant to be here, which brings me to the second major problem I have with this movie…
Why the hell did they abandon the plan for this to be a Justice League animated series movie?!?! Think about it, all of the pieces are in place: The Justice League in this movie consists only of Superman, Wonder Woman, Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Martian Manhunter, which were the same team at the end of Starcrossed when Hawkgirl quit. The Watchtower had been destroyed, which would explain the new one being built here. Black Canary, Aquaman, and the others all become supporting members of the JLU. The only thing off is that, in the movie, this world’s Lex Luthor is in prison, Aquaman doesn’t have his hook hand, and, as I mentioned before, John Stewart is swapped out for Hal Jordan. And speaking of which, because they did that, they left out a great opportunity for a story with John here: He could’ve encountered evil Hawkgirl, which would in turn dig up his issues of having broken up with her recently and put him in a situation where he needs to deal with it.
Okay, this isn’t so much a complaint, just a sorta WTF moment when I sit back and think to myself “How the hell did they get away with Superwoman in this movie?” This is a PG-13, and in case it got past anybody’s brilliant senses, Superwoman’s character is pretty much that of an evil dominatrix…No, really. Watch the scene where she takes on Batman again and tell me you don’t see it. Also, while I said I wouldn’t be comparing to the source material, I do have to admit that I find it a little jarring that they changed Superwoman from being an Amazon Lois Lane to being Mary Marvel (hence the evil Shazams), which is kinda icky because now I have no idea how old Superwoman ACTUALLY is…o.O
This is actually something that even the movie points out as making little sense: Why is Batman the one to save the universe? Think about it: The bomb’s gonna blow the whole multiverse up. Wouldn’t you wanna send your best guy in to stop it? Y’know, SUPERMAN?! Really, the only reason Batman is there is because it’s his evil counterpart, which I don’t think is enough to justify his presence, and because he’s DC’s biggest meal ticket, which I swear to God is making it harder to be a Batman fan EVERY DAY.
And that’s all the stuff I didn’t like. So, what stuff did I like the most?
Pretty much every time Wally opens his mouth. lol Seriously, I miss the crap outta Wally in the comics these days. There’s also a running plot (pun intended) of Flash thinking Batman REALLY doesn’t like him, until the end when Johnny Quick is dying and correctly deduces that Flash could’ve opened the portal, but Batman told him he wasn’t fast enough because he knew there was a chance it could’ve killed him. I thought that went pretty well.
Wonder Woman gets her Invisible Jet in this movie, but it’s actually Owlman’s jet. Thing is, it has a cloaking device, but when the Shazams blast it with lightning, it fries the circuitry and keeps it invisible. I thought that was a really good explanation, plus I loved Owlman’s little Air Force One moment when he told Diana to “Get off my plane”. Cute, Warner Bros.
While the romance sub-plot with Rose and J’onn seems kinda rushed, the explanation allows me to forgive that, and really…J’onn doesn’t get enough romantic interests! I honestly feel bad for him sometimes. When you watch Justice League, where is he most of the time? Cooped up in the Watchtower. It wasn’t until the last season he finally met someone, and that was off-screen! And these two actually do give the feeling that they would work well as a couple…although I dunno if that justifies people making AMVs of them to the song, I swear to God I’m not kidding here, “Kiss From A Rose”. Also, I admit to getting a small giggle out of him saying that, knowing his luck, the Earth 1 version of Rose is evil, to which I always say “…Erm, kinda…ish…Depends on who’s writing her.”
EVERYBODY is in this movie! Freaking EVERYBODY, whether it’s the real them or their Earth 3 counterparts, are in this movie. On top of the ones I already mentioned, there are CSA versions of Looker, Gypsy, Halo, Katana, Hawkman, Mister Terrific, Man-Bat, Wildcat, Power Girl, Swamp Thing, Lobo, and TONS more! And while a few of them do stand in the background, a lot more are shown using their unique powers and abilities so that they aren’t wasted. Heck, Vibe’s evil counterpart actually gets a good shot in on Superman…before being promptly punched out like a jobber, but still, a good shot. And, of course, seeing the Justice League Reserves show up for an awesome fight scene is really cool too, though it would’ve meant more if they had, again, gone ahead with the original idea for this movie.
All in all, with a possible exception for Hal Jordan, I find the characters are all well-represented. Aside from the ones I already touched base on, Superman is distrustful of Lex Luthor, but would still risk his own life to save Lex’s world. Wonder Woman is a kickass fighter that’ll punch out Superwoman when she gets outta line, but is compassionate to her team-mates and even suggests that if J’onn wants to stay with Rose that he should. Ultraman works as a great cautionary example of what someone like Superman could’ve been if he hadn’t been raised by the kindly couple that he was. Batman and Owlman work as great opposites, as one is occasionally paranoid of others but would still lay down his life for his team, while the other is sleeping with one of his team-mates but would still kill her to get what he wants. I should note, though, that while the voices aren’t what I’d call bad, in fact some are really good, the voice actor for Batman had clearly been watching The Dark Knight Trilogy. He doesn’t quite go too far with it, but he’s got this growl in the back of his throat that makes me think that, at any moment, THIS was gonna happen…
So, overall, how does this movie stack up? Awesome. Yes, it has a few flaws, and I REALLY wish they’d stuck with the original idea for this movie (especially since we woulda gotten the DCAU voice actors), but if I were to do my best to ignore that and not fault the movie for it, I’d say this movie is one of the better DC Animated Movies out. So, if you’re looking to start a collection of DC movies, this should DEFINITELY be on your To-Buy list.
So, what do you guys think of Crisis On Two Earths? Love it, hate it, indifferent towards it, never seen it before? And hey, how do you think it compares to the current story in DC, Forever Evil? Leave your comments below, and will see you next time. Ja né!
Welp, only this one left to complete the Digivolution levels from Rookie to Mega (and don’t worry, I will get to the others later), so let’s get my 5 Favourite Ultimate-Level Digimon out of the way now. And, as is tradition, let’s start with…
GeoGreymon Chou Shinka!…RizeGreymon!
I’m sorry, MetalGreymon, but this thing is AWESOME! RizeGreymon just looks and feels like MetalGreymon on steroids, I honestly feel that his colour-scheme works better than his counterpart’s, and he has a giant gun on his arm! Heck, I’m actually kinda surprised Disney kept that in (remember what they did to poor BomberNanimon). Speaking of which, RizeGreymon’s finisher is the Trident Revolver, where he fires a triple shot of high-powered rounds from his gun. He can also let loose the Rising Destroyer, lasers from his chest and wings.
Lekismon Chou Shinka!…Crescemon!
The Ultimate-level form of the mascot for Digimon World Dusk, Crescemon is both awesome-looking and a hell of a fighter. She can slash crescents of ice at foes with her Ice Archery, or fire a dark crescent blast with Dark Archery. Her greatest attack, however, is the Lunatic Dance, where she creates temporary clones of herself to strike at the enemy simultaneously. This is one mon you don’t wanna mess with. Believe me, I’ve been on the receiving end of a beating from her more than once in the games.
Gaogamon Chou Shinka!…MachGaogamon!
So, let’s see: ZeedGarurumon beat MetalGarurumon, Gaomon beat Gabumon, Garurumon beat Gaogamon, and now MachGaogamon beats WereGarurumon. So, in terms of the old vs new of signature Beast Digimon, I guess it’s a tie. Anyway, MachGaogamon uses his jets for high-speed attacks, like the Gaoga Tornade. He can also use the Howling Cannon, a massive ultrasonic wave in the form of a howl.
Gatomon Chou Shinka!…Angewomon!
…It is NOT okay that I find something that simultaneously is animated, is made of data, was a cat before Digivolving, and is an Angel to be physically attractive! And yet, doing a simple Google search, it seems I am not the only one who feels this way…We don’t just live in a digital world, folks, we live in a WEIRD one. Anyway, Angewomon’s main form of attack is her Celestial Arrow, where the wings on her glove turn into a bow that she uses to shoot an arrow of light. She also uses the Heaven’s Charm, a bright cross made of light that can be used as a shield or to evaporate evil completely.
BlackGatomon Chou Shinka!…LadyDevimon!
Okay, I’ll admit that LadyDevimon gets on here for more than just what she brings to the table, which is admittedly a lot. I’m planning to eventually do my 5 Favourite Evil Digimon, where the criteria will be any Digimon that has been an antagonist to the group without being under any kind of mind control or the like, and has never been a Partner Digimon. Well, believe or not, LadyDevimon IS a Partner Digimon to the character Mirei from Digimon World Re:Digitize, so I can’t count her there, and like hell if I was gonna leave her unmentioned in my Digimon Favourite 5s. Her Darkness Wave attack is pretty much as it sounds: A wave of darkness, usually taking on the form of a swarm of bats. She can also turn her arm into a giant spear called the Black Wing, which she uses to pierce opponents.
Anyway, those are my 5 Favourite Ultimate-Level Digimon. I think I’m gonna take a little break before moving on to some of the other Digimon. After all, I still got lots of other stuff to blog about, and I wouldn’t wanna hit overload. lol Ja né!
Jyger's Rant 