My Own Answer To My DC Multiverse Questionnaire – The Heroes

So, as you saw in an earlier post of mine, a few days ago, I sent a number of people on Tumblr a sort of questionnaire, asking what they would do with their own world in the DC Multiverse. I guess with Multiversity being out (and being AWESOME, btw), with the possibility of the return or integration of the previous continuity on the horizon, and with other stories involving multiple universes being told in other books across DC and Marvel, it’s just really hitting me the mass potential that can exist in stories like these. But, just because I sent the questionnaire out in the first place does not mean that I am exempt from giving an answer myself. As I said before, I’ve done stories with my own take on the DCU, but that was more-so becoming my idealized versions of the characters. So, I guess this is how I would do my own world in the DC Universe, who would its heroes be, and who would its biggest villains be (besides alternate Earth villains or singular entity enemies like the Anti-Monitor or Darkseid). So, let’s start off with the Supers, shall we?

Superman and Supergirl

So, as you can see, I decided to go with some slightly unique Supers for mine. Basically, in this universe, Superman is actually John Henry Irons, though I suppose his Kryptonian name could be Val-Zod or Kalel. The reason I went with Irons, who we know as Steel in the main DCU, is because of all the individuals that tried to pick up the slack when Superman died fighting Doomsday (oh, I’m sorry, put into a ‘healing coma’…), Irons was the one who best represented who and what Superman was as a person. As for Supergirl, I’m thinking Cir-El, except instead of it being some massive and convoluted conspiracy by Brainiac, she’s just an ordinary human with Kryptonian DNA grafted onto her by Cadmus, and is taken on by John to learn to use her radical new powers safely and responsibly.

Batman and Robin

Batman in this universe is still Bruce Wayne, though I’m thinking he’d be changed a bit. For example, I think he’d use a bit more hi-tech body armour for his suit, something that protects him from Justice League level threats. Also, I’m thinking I MIGHT make him bisexual, since he’s the only DC hero I can think of that doesn’t get changes like that…and also, to stick it to that whole Seduction of the Innocent bullshit that happened back in the 40’s and 50’s. Also, I think I’d want Carrie Kelley as Robin, though her costume and gear would be more inspired by her Ame-Comi interpretation, and she would also likewise be the cousin of Barbara Gordon, and thus Jim Gordon‘s niece.

Wonder Woman and Mera

So, remember what theimancameron said about Diana and Mera being married and co-Queens of Themyscira and Atlantis? Well, here was my imagining: Orin and Hippolyta get tricked into a situation where they kill each other by Circe, and with Themyscira and Atlantis on the verge or war, Diana and Mera, not wanting anymore death, opt to get married, bridging the gap between the two lands and bringing their peoples together. Wonder Woman in this universe would have her standard abilities and equipment (the Lasso of Truth, super-strength, the bracers, though I think I’d want her to have a pegasus rather than have the ability to fly herself), but in addition to her compassion and knowledge of warfare, she would also be a master negotiator, opting to talk her way out of massive conflicts before they ever really occur, and is able to convince people not to resort to violence. As for Mera, her character would be pretty much the same (why mess with perfection, am I right?), as would her power-set, though she would mostly act as ruler of Themyscira and Atlantis in Diana’s absence, only joining her for missions of the utmost danger and mostly acting as a reserve for the Justice League.

Poison Ivy, Doctor Fate, Flash, and Green Lantern

As for the remainder of the Justice League, I’m thinking it would consist of Poison Ivy, Doctor Fate, a female Flash, and Green Lantern. Poison Ivy would more or less be like Greg Pak’s Storm (which, if you haven’t been reading, you NEED to), using her powers to help those in need and to hell with the consequences from whatever governments she interferes with in the process. Doctor Fate would probably be the New 52 version from Earth 2, Khalid Ben-Hassin, who is a man of Egyptian descent and finds the Helm of Nabu in a tomb. The female Flash would probably be inspired by Jesse Quick, in that she’s a very organized and goal-oriented heroine, with a bit of Kingdom Come’s version of Iris West as Kid Flash, in addition to actually taking over the role from her father, and perhaps a touch of Wally West, having initially served as Kid Flash and also being a bit jokey when the time calls for it. Finally, Green Lantern would be Simon Baz, who I really feel wasn’t given enough room to develop on his own, and could further explore his role as a hero in spite of being falsely accused of being a terrorist. As time went by, though, more heroes could be introduced, like Oracle, Cyborg, Vibe, Martian Manhunter, and maybe even the second generation Trinity of Power Girl, Huntress, and Fury.

So, that’s the heroes of my world, but what about the villains? Well, check back in soon to find out. Ja né!

My DC Multiverse Questionnaire + Responses

The other day, I decided to ask several people on Tumblr the same question: “If you could build an Earth in the DC Multiverse from the ground up, who would be its heroes? Basically, who would you select to be its Justice League or JSA, and how would they be unique from their standard counterparts? (Black Superman, gay Batman, female Flash, villain turned hero, etc.)” Now, you’ll recall a while back, I wrote stories that I considered to be my own alternate universe in the DCU, but ultimately, looking back on it, it feels less like an alternate Earth and more like my ideal versions of the characters from the main one. Also, I think my Superman story was more-so a jab against Man of Steel and how terribly I felt it portrayed Superman. As such, I WILL be posting my own response to this questionnaire on this blog later on. Until then, though, here’s some of the answers that I’ve gotten so far on Tumblr and Twitter…

ravenalegria13 Answer:
I would love to see Green Lantern and Sinestro switched in this universe. Also Batwoman, not Batman. female gay Green Arrow with Black Canary, Aquaman and Superman the same, and Martian Manhunter the same. Wonder Woman the same and Flash black. Hawkman, instead of Hawkgirl.

Sinestro and Green Lantern (I’m assuming she meant Hal Jordan) switched would be interesting, especially if Sinestro kept the Yellow Power Ring and used fear as a force for good.

tomorrowwoman Answer:
It’d basically be a world of less known versions of heroes. Triumph, Moon Maiden and Regal would be its Triumvirate instead of the Superman, Batman and Wonderwoman Trinity..Other heroes might include the Green Lanterns Alex Dewitt and Jose Hernandez.

I am HORRIBLY embarrassed to admit that I had to Google poor Alex Dewitt to remind myself who she was. I really have no excuse for how I could’ve forgotten who she was, other than just having a brain fart.

theimancameron Answer:
I guess the first thing my DC Earth would contain would be a Black Female Superwoman to lead the Justice League, comprising of Barbara Gordon as Oracle, Vengeance Moth, Mera (who is married to Wonder Woman, and queen of Atlantis, as Diana is of Themyscira), Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern. Wally West (Black, but with pre-Nu52’s personality) as the Flash, Dick Grayson as Nightwing (perhaps with a bionic leg after a fight with Bane), no Batman, Equinox, Alanna Strange, Martian Manhunter, Dinah Lance as Black Canary and leader of the League, and the Movement and Birds of Prey (with Misfit, Poison Ivy, Starling and Deadman training the Movement), as the League’s stealth team! Also the JLD (co-ordinated by Zatanna, comprising of herself, Madame Xanadu, Black Orchid, Raven, Asa or Nightmare-Nurse, Mary Marvel, and Swamp Thing) working to defend the Earth from any supernatural or paranormal threats that may arise! Also Barbara Gordon would have lead the League of Batgirls (as they appeared in Batgirl: Future’s End). And Booster Gold and Blue Beetle (both Ted Kord, and his apprentice Jaime Reyes) would team up on silly adventures together! Not too different from the main continuity, mostly just featuring lesser-known characters in more prominent positions!

So apparently, he really liked that idea I had a while back where Diana and Mera were married and co-ruling Themyscira and Atlantis. 🙂

helenawaynehuntress Answer:
Hmmm…maybe I’m no fun, but I’m quite fond of Earth-2 Classic as is.
At best, I’d transplant the newer characters that debuted with the New 52 Earth-2 as part of the pre-Crisis Earth-2 canon, and have them function as the current generation Justice Society team alongside the second generation Earth-2 Trinity of Huntress, Power Girl, and Fury.
If there are characters I’d definitely borrow from the mainstream universe to be a part of Earth-2 canon, I’d add Barbara Gordon as Oracle (both Black Canaries are already Earth-2 characters), Tom Blake as Catman, Helena Bertinelli as an agent of Spyral, and Renee Montoya as her partner. I quite like those characters.

Honestly, I probably should’ve seen this coming, since anyone who follows helenawaynehuntress on Tumblr knows she ADORES the pre-Crisis Earth-2. 😛 That said, can’t say as I have a problem with these picks, especially the idea of Helena Bertinelli and Renee Montoya as partners in Spyral.

emmythefantasticalbomber Answer:
how about if Barbara Minerva is a Superheroine instead of Supervillain?

Ooh, that WOULD be interesting, especially if her back-story as Diana’s friend was kept intact. 😀

rosenrose851 Answer:
Here it goes.
Oracle overseeing everything
Vixen
Deadman
Poison Ivy
Kate Kane
Mera
Renee

I knew the second I sent the questionnaire to her that Ivy would be on here. lol

So, those are the responses I’ve gotten so far. If you wanna add your own, by all means, post it in the comment section below, and hopefully I’ll have my own posted soon enough. Ja né!

 

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 DC/Marvel Team-Ups I Would LOVE To See

So, the days of DC/Marvel crossovers kinda feels LONG past, where we’ll likely never see them again, save for one company buying out the other, or someone obtaining the rights to both. But, if the two companies ever DID manage a crossover, there are some characters I would LOVE to see team up. Now, because we’ve already seen some characters interact before, I’m gonna try to keep this list devoted to ones that never have before, but I might let one slip that either I didn’t know about or just wanted to see so badly that it overrode that. And, me being me, expect a lot of superheroines. lol So, let’s not waste any time and get the obvious one outta the way…

#1 – Spoiler and Spider-Woman

Yeah, zero surprises with this one, huh? And yes, I HAVE seen the fan-art of Gwen with Batgirl, don’t worry, we’ll get to HER in a sec. For now, I just feel from a personality, fighting style, and equipment standpoint, these two are probably a tighter match. Hell, their costumes are even really similar, and they’re both blondes. The only major thing throwing off their combo is that only Gwen has superpowers, but as seen when she teamed up with other superheroes, that doesn’t do much, if anything, to hold Steph back.

#2 – Birds of Prey and Fearless Defenders

Really, I think THIS is where Babs is best suited: With the Birds of Prey, teamed with The Most Fabulous Fighting Team Of All, the Fearless Defenders. My God, the awesomeness of this team-up would be AMAZING, but more than seeing them kicking ass and taking names, I would love to just see them doing some post-battle chillaxing at someone’s pad or something. Also, while they aren’t in the picture, of course I’d want Huntress in there on the Birds side of things, and Dani Moonstar and Elsa Bloodstone with the Defenders.

#3 – Superman and Hulk

Okay, I know for a fact these two have met, but I don’t know if they’ve ever actually teamed up. That said, I have an AMAZING idea for why they would team up: Basically, Superman and Hulk have to go and save Sakaar, which has been taken over by Brainiac…I’ll leave ya with that thought. XD Now, this next one is another team-up of teams, but the second isn’t really so much a “team” as…well, you’ll see.

#4 – Teen Titans and Hawkeye, Ultimate Spider-Man, Nomad, Ms. Marvel, and X-23

Why these five heroes with the Teen Titans? Well, because they’re all simultaneously younger heroes and successors to previous heroes, which is what the original Teen Titans were made up of. Granted, one of them is from the Ultimate Universe. Still, I just think it would make a nice team-up of the younger heroes from both worlds in this crazy world that’s seemingly out to get them.

#5 – Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel

I don’t know if this team-up has ever happened before or not, but if it hasn’t, it NEEDS TO. lol Seriously, the leading ladies of DC and Marvel. I would thoroughly enjoy watching these two interact, not to mention kick the asses of anyone foolish enough to try to take them on. Hell, I would FAR sooner read a book about these two teamed up than frigging Superman and Wonder Woman, which focuses primarily on their relationship that I have no idea why it’s still going on, if for no other reason than we’ve clearly established it is leading to bad stuff happening.

So, that’s my list of team-ups. Who would YOU like to see in a DC/Marvel crossover? Lemme know in the comments below, and I shall see ya’ll next time. Ja né!

Batman Confronts His Family In This Exclusive Preview Of ‘Batman Eternal’ #26

Batman Endgame and Superman Doomed #2 News – Just When You Think You Have The Answers, The Questions All Change

Soooooo, couple of noteworthy things on the horizon that I felt like bringing to everyone’s attention. First up, there is a story arc coming up in Scott Snyder’s Batman called Endgame. He’s kept his lips as tightly sealed as possible, and the covers for the next few issues have been a complete mystery…UNTIL NOW, when we got an early look at the cover for Batman #35, which is part one of Endgame.

Basically, based on this, a few preview sketches that have appeared on occasion, and some rumours that have been floating about, Endgame will feature a confrontation between Batman and the rest of the Justice League, or at least some sort of situation that puts them at odds or creates distrust among them. And considering that Batman has collected little boxes with items meant to exploit each of the team’s weaknesses, tricked them so that he could break into the Watchtower and take his Hellbat suit to go to Apokolips to save Damian, stood up for Lex Luthor joining the team, and is generally the most paranoid and distrustful member of the group, I can’t possibly imagine how they could EVER be at odds. lol I will say this much, though: Ever since I saw that variant cover for Justice League drawn by Greg Capullo, I’ve been wanting to see him draw the Justice League in a book for YEARS. And because Scott Snyder is writing this story, I know I can trust him to write a story about the Justice League and Batman being at odds and have the proper balance in place, as opposed to making Batman look so much better than them just because he’s Batman. I HATE that shit.

But yeah, that’s the second biggest news I’ve heard today. THE biggest was made apparent at the end of Superman Doomed #2, when Brainiac, and by extension, the readers, were shown THIS…

HOLY FUCK, THEY’RE STILL AROUND! O_O …Okay, naturally this raises a few questions. Basically, here’s what I think happened: Either the pre-New 52 Multiverse never actually disappeared and has continued to exist along with the New 52 Multiverse (which shouldn’t be possible, but then again, when has that ever stopped them from doing something insane before?), OR there’s a world in the New 52 Multiverse that is a condensed version of the DCU’s history before the reboot in September of 2011. Now, either one of these explanations is, of course, a major continuity mess in the making, is almost certainly going to get worse far before it gets better, and is a weak attempt by DC to have their cake and eat it too…and I can’t even be mad! LOOK AT THEM! It’s Superman in his red trunks! It’s the Justice Society of America! It’s Harley Quinn in her old costume! It’s the New Teen Titans, with Donna Troy and the REAL Starfire before she became whatever the frak she’s supposed to be in Red Hood And The Outlaws! Okay, there’s also stuff like Nightmare Batman and the Flashpoint versions of Aquaman and Wonder Woman, but c’mon, it’s the pre-New 52 universe! There’s a good chance we could see more stories told of that universe in the future! Although, I gotta wonder what’s different with Batman and Green Lantern, since their New 52 stories started by more or less picking up where their old continuity stories left off. I mean, we’ve since gone back to show some of the stuff that’s the same and different about the two continuities, but that aside, you can see a lot of what’s happened as the natural progression of those stories.

Anyway, leave your comments below what you think about all of this, if you think this will end well or BADLY, and we’ll see what comes of this. Ja né!

Red Sonja #12 Review – Voilà! She Is Clean!

Red Sonja #12 Cover by Jenny Frison

You ever read a comic that you knew was amazingly good, made you laugh out loud at least a couple of times, had some great action, but you knew there was one thing that kept it from being perfect? Well, that’s this comic in a nutshell. So what was it that kept it from being perfect? Well, basically that this issue is the end of the current story arc that’s been going on since #7. Why is that a problem? Well, it just feels like this could’ve been stretched out to two issues, would’ve lost nothing, and instead had a bunch of extra added on to help build to the conclusion of this story. Instead, it feels kinda rushed, but I’m almost certain I know why that is: The last arc was six issues long, as is this one. Chances are, Dynamite wants the arcs to each be six issues long specifically for the sake of the trade paperbacks sold later on. And I’m not even against that idea. I just think it kind of bit the ending of this particular arc a little bit.

Red Sonja #12 Variant by Joyce Chin and Ivan Nunes

But whatever. It’s still a great issue. Gail Simone’s interpretation of Red Sonja remains awesome, and while I feel it was rushed, the conclusion to the story was still alright, not only in how Sonja finally gets these six people to the Emperor’s party, and sees to his slaves’ release, but she FINALLY gets clean, and as we can tell from the ending, she FINALLY gets laid…THANK GOD. XD Lemme tell you something: Not the Anti-Monitor, not Galactus, not Heath Ledger’s Joker, not Freddy Krueger, NOTHING is as shit-your-pants terrifying as Red Sonja when she has not had sex in a LONG TIME, and has to be told everywhere she goes that she smells. As she said when she barges into a place in this comic, and this was what made me laugh out loud first…

…Honest to God, the day that Gail stops writing Red Sonja will be a SAD FRAKKING DAY, because I could read this Red Sonja for YEARS. But yeah, great issue if not a bit rushed to end this arc, can’t wait to see what they do with the next story. Ja né!

Jyger’s Favourite 10?! – 10 Favourite Achievement Hunter Minecraft Moments

Yep, time I talked about this. As I mentioned before, RoosterTeeth’s Achievement Hunter group has done a number of Let’s Plays for various video games. One of the longest running LPs that they’ve been doing is Minecraft, which I’ve been watching quite a bit of…despite not owning the game. I really SHOULD rectify that someday, but in the meantime, here are 10 of my favourite moments from Achievement Hunter’s LPs of Minecraft. Also, if you haven’t watched this LP yet but plan to, you might not wanna read the descriptions and instead check out the episodes listed yourself, because there will be spoilers.

#1 – The Lava Engulfed House from Episode 1

I figured I’d go through these in chronological order. Gavin had been doing some mining, during which Jack kept taking his stuff. Well, eventually, Gavin had had enough, so after finding a lava flow, he decided to fill a bucket with lava, go to the rest of the gang’s house, and pour the lava down on it. For a few seconds, no one noticed, save for Ray, who was new to AH at the time and had to share a screen with Gavin, who alerted the others somewhat calmly “There may or may not be lava engulfing our house right now.” The reactions by the others are HILARIOUS, as they all scramble to divert the lava flow into the river and salvage as much of the house as they could. Of course, Gavin was later dealt some comeuppance for this.

#2 – Plan G from Episode 3

This was given further elaboration on in a recording shown in the form of a flashback at the beginning of Episode 100. Basically, Geoff and Gavin had spent several hours of their Memorial Day weekend constructing a location in Minecraft called Achievement City. It had houses for Jack, Michael, Gavin, Ray, and Geoff, each with their own unique look and feel to them, and a gigantic Achievement Hunter logo. Basically, their home away from home. But in actuality, the whole thing was done for one thirty second prank on Jack, to lull him into a false sense of security and gratitude. In Jack’s house, on the ceiling, was a block of wood that was out of place. Now, of course, anyone seeing that would just think they made a mistake. However, in the attic of the house, just above that block, waiting to be released, was lava. LOTS of lava. However, Jack was a little too quick to react for it to be particularly effective…though this was not the case for what was labelled ‘Plan G’: A button off to the side of Achievement City that Michael decided to press, which activated hundreds, if not thousands, of sticks of TNT that were buried under the Achievement Hunter logo and blew the city sky high. Since then, Achievement City has acted as their base of operations, though both prank triggers are still present for various reasons.

#3 – Thunderdome from Episode 43

Pretty much ALL of this episode, from Geoff trying to coordinate these guys and getting HIGHLY exasperated, to the fights themselves, to what is now referred to as Ghost Ray. Anyone who knows anything about Thunderdome knows how it works: Two men enter, one man leaves. The spin here was, after a round, the winner would open one of several chests that were set up. In each chest was either a weapon, an item, or a block of gold used to erect the Tower of Pimps, the tower of four gold blocks that Gavin originally came up with and was later used to crown the winner of the individual Let’s Plays done in Minecraft. The winner of that round would then re-enter the arena with the next player in rotation, Ryan would lock them in, and the fights would continue until someone erected the complete Tower of Pimps, thus winning the game. The fights themselves range from awesome to hilarious, with various shenanigans coming into play, but something odd happened: During a double elimination that Ray was involved in, a second Ray appeared on the map along with him, which would fly around randomly, phase through solid matter, and cause general mischief. This was termed Ghost Ray, and I honestly have no idea what the hell it was, whether it was a glitch in the game, or a prank someone decided to pull on the others. They say that Ghost Ray continues to haunt the grounds they battled upon that day, and thus, tragically, Ghost Ray never got BEYOND Thunderdome. XD

#4 – Ray No Longer “Cakeless” from Episode 46

Okay, this one requires a little back-story: During an earlier LP, where the gang went through an obstacle course of sorts and they had a cake available that they could take to eat if they needed to recover health, Ray opted not to take it, claiming he was going “cakeless”. Since then, anytime that the guys have been able to taunt him with cake, they’ve done so. However, the ultimate stunt they’ve pulled with this joke happened at the beginning of this episode, where Ray realized that his house had been upgraded to include a large portrait on the back wall. However, in his excitement, he failed to notice the floor panel that had been placed in front of the door that, once stepped on, triggered a device hidden behind the portrait that continuously launched 57,000 cakes out into the room. Once again, Geoff’s pranks continue to cause havoc throughout Achievement City. 😛

#5 – The Clichéd Action Shot from Episode 49

Really, this whole three-parter is great and highly recommended, but there’s two scenes in particular that I remember most of all, so I’m gonna cover them individually. This three-parter was about the gang deciding to take on the Ender Dragon in THE END. However, because THE END is filled with Endermen, and the Ender Dragon is a phenomenally powerful foe, it takes them until halfway to two-thirds of the way into Part 3 to finally get to the point where they’re ready to enter THE END, and the rest is all preparation for the excursion. However, the three-parter really highlights the group’s teamwork skills, as they prepare for this hellish battle that’s ahead of them, taking on various goals, and as seen here, Gavin, Ryan, and Ray geared up in full iron armour and headed to The Nether, which is as far as I can tell the literal interpretation of Hell in Minecraft…or the Dark World from Legend of Zelda, I guess, but we’ll get to that in a bit. lol But yeah, the moment I remember most about this episode is the ending, where the trio find themselves face to face with a Ghast, a giant floating ghost crossed with a jellyfish that spews fireballs. They flee just as the Ghast shoots a fireball at them, leading to Gavin getting an epic shot of an explosion just barely missing Ryan as he runs. It’s the classic action cliffhanger. The only thing missing was that it wasn’t in slow motion…though, I have seen the scene in slow mo, and it’s AWESOME.

#6 – Gavin’s Parents from Episode 51

The second moment that I, and most people, remember from THE END is the incident where Gavin found a pair of Creepers, those self-destructing green monsters, that weren’t attempting to blow him up. Now, Gavin is usually dressed up as a Creeper, so when he saw this, he made the crack that he’d found his parents. He even built them a house with the sign saying ‘Gavin’s Parents’, until finally ‘Dad’ decided to explode. Naturally, everyone had a big laugh at this, as well as Gavin’s having “gone native”, as Ryan put it. And, of course, a moment like that has resulted in TONS of fan art. lol

#7 – Dark Achievement City from Episode 56

Y’know you’ve done something bizarre when Ryan, the Mad King himself, has to do a double take and go “WTF?”. In the middle of this LP, Ryan has to venture into The Nether, when he spots a structure that looks an awful lot like Gavin’s house. Sure enough, he quickly realizes that, not only is he right, but Achievement City has been completely rebuilt in The Nether, leading him to declare “It’s like fucking Link To The Past!” As it turned out, Gavin and Geoff had built what they referred to as ‘Dark Achievement City’ for a future LP. And, much to Ray’s disappointment, his house was still the most pathetic-looking of the bunch. 😛

#8 – #FreeEdgar2013 from Episodes 60 & 61

This one’s actually spread throughout a two-parter, and has connections to a number of other episodes, so I suppose the word ‘moment’ ill-defines it, but whatever. Here’s the back-story: A cow, later named Edgar, had wandered into Kung Fu House, which had been remodeled into a home for Ryan when he joined the LP full time. Edgar was so intent on remaining in the house that every attempt to remove him failed, so instead, Ryan did the only logical thing possible: He dug a hole in the floor and trapped Edgar under a glass roof. Okay, they make it sound a lot worse than it actually is, but I don’t really blame anyone for finding it creepy. Well, a few episodes later, Michael decided to break into Kung Fu House and set Edgar free. However, little did he know, Ryan eventually discovered this, silently lured another cow into the house, and repaired the damage. When everyone realized what had happened and Michael argued that the real Edgar was still free, Ryan had this creepy response: “You don’t understand, EDGAR IS THE ONE IN THE HOLE.”

#9 – The “Weird Animal Burial” from Episode 83

This is kind of a follow-up to what happened with Edgar, but I felt it deserved its own section. During some renovations the group was making on Geoff’s house (the height limit was expanded, so they decided to increase the size of the freaking monolith that was Geoff’s home), Michael took notice of the fact that a cow was trying to get into Kung Fu House. As Ryan wondered why animals were constantly drawn to his place, Michael then saw a sheep that had wandered onto the roof, and that by that point, in his own words, “There is a cow outside your house, there’s a cow inside your house in a hole, there’s a chicken in glass, there’s a pig in a pen, and there’s a fucking sheep on the roof now!”, leading Gavin to actually wonder aloud if they’d built Kung Fu House on an ancient animal burial ground.

#10 – Russian Roulette from Episode 90

Y’know, it’s starting to occur to me that Ryan is kind of a sick fuck. XD In this episode, which is Part II of a two-parter, Ryan is King of Achievement City for the second time and has created a series of tasks to determine the next king, during which he had Kerry appear as a special guest assistant. Really, the whole two-parter is great, and it’s always nice to see people like Kerry and Lindsay show up for various LPs with the gang (it is also revealed that Michael had built a basement apartment for Kerry in his and Lindsay’s house in Minecraft), but in terms of what I think of first when I look back on this, it’s the Russian Roulette game in the chamber hidden under the throne. In Ryan’s own words for how this game works, “You will, one at a time, step into this room onto this red spot, and when you look up, there is a button here that is in this light unit that you will hit, and either this lamp will illuminate or you will be annihilated.” What does he mean by annihilated? Well, I don’t necessarily wanna spoil this particular one, but I will say that the screams of terror and shocked laughter that happen when the first elimination from this round occurs is just hilarious, as well as a bit terrifying.

So, those are my 10 Favourite AH Minecraft Moments. Got one that’s not on here? Leave it in the comments below, and I shall see you next time. Ja né!

The Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman Book Needs Its Own Series

You’ll notice that, on this past Wednesday, I did not review Edge of Spider-Verse #2. For those that don’t follow the current Spider-Man comics, Spider-Verse is an upcoming event where Spider-Men from alternate realities are being hunted down and killed, and so a large group of them are being gathered to fight this threat to them and figure out why they specifically are being targeted. And, I’ll admit, it’s an interesting story. The problem is, while there are limited side-stories that tell more of what’s happening from other perspectives, the majority of it seems to be told in Amazing Spider-Man (PASS), and a resurrected Superior Spider-Man (ULTRA PASS). However, one issue of the prologue to the event, Edge of Spider-Verse, got everyone’s attention, as it focused on an alternate reality version of Gwen Stacy (whose tragic death in the comics was recently relived in the movie Amazing Spider-Man 2) being the one the spider bit in that version of events.

Now, why didn’t I review it? Well, before you ask, of COURSE I bought it. Gwen Stacy is awesome, and seemingly even more-so in this book, as she’s shown to be highly skilled in parkour (which goes GREAT with spider powers) and has a love of music (which is seen when she uses her drumming on some poor bastard, lol). Also, I love the twist on the classic Spider-Man mythos, where her acting irresponsibly with her powers leads often-bullied Peter Parker to become that universe’s version of The Lizard before dying, thus being the death that teaches Gwen the “With great power comes great responsibility” lesson (and these aren’t technically spoilers, since all that is in the first few pages as told in an interestingly done montage). So, why didn’t I review it? Because going in, I KNEW this was gonna be a book that I’d have NOTHING unique to say about, and looking at some of the other reviews, I was right. This isn’t even me slapping myself down, either. This is just a fact, on account of everyone and their dog having something to say about this book. Yeah, it’s one of THOSE ones, that’s so good or so unique or just comes out at the right time that everyone’s talking about it. And what’s the one thing that’s being agreed upon the most? That this character NEEDS her own book when Spider-Verse is over.

Of course, if you’ll allow me a moment to play devil’s advocate, on the one hand, I can understand where Marvel might be concerned that the presence of multiple ongoing books (not events, but ongoing) focused on alternate reality versions of Spider-Man might make the stories seem less interesting, as part of the novelty of Miles Morales (and the Ultimate Peter Parker before him) is that he’s a Spider-Man from another universe. And yeah, I know her name is Spider-Woman, but there’s a very clear difference between Spider-Man and Spider-Woman of the mainstream universe, and Gwen in this book clearly has more in common with the former. So, if she had her own book, we would then have 616 Peter Parker, 1610 Miles Morales, and whatever number this version of Gwen Stacy gets. Still, I feel that there is enough uniqueness to each of them that they can all have their own books and not feel like retellings of each other.

And frankly, I would LOVE to see what they did with the rest of the supporting cast. Like, we see in this book that Gwen’s dad is still a Captain on the force, and I already mentioned what happens with Peter Parker, but in addition to that, Mary Jane is the lead of her own band with Gwen as the drummer, J. Jonah Jameson is leading this rally against Spider-Woman (don’t know if he’s still the head of the Bugle or not), and Matt Murdock is actually WORKING for the Kingpin. But what about the rest? Maybe Aunt May and Uncle Ben could be supporting characters that help Gwen out, with her feeling conflicting guilt over that due to Peter’s death, and they could possibly set up certain male characters (or female, if they feel like doing that) as love interests.

And then there’s the villains, and oh man, what they could do with the villains. Since it’s an alternate universe, they could pretty much get away with anything. Like, Doc Ock’s tentacles could be actual octopus tentacles, or Rhino could be an actual mutated rhinoceros, or Matt Murdock could be a villainous Daredevil that pushes Spider-Woman’s skills to their limit, or Electro could get his powers by being bitten by a lightning bug while drinking Red Bull. lol Okay, maybe not that last one, but really, alternate universe, they can pretty much do as they please.

But yeah, those are my thoughts on Edge of Spider-Verse #2 and the Gwen Stacy Spider-Woman in general. So, if you wanted a review, in short, I thought the book was great, and it left me with a craving for MUCH more, which is always a good thing. Big ups to Jason Latour, Robbi Rodriguez (who I swear to God has a name that makes me think he’s a superhero, lol), Rico Renzi (him too), and everyone else who helped work on this, and let’s hope that, if enough people say the same thing, that Marvel gives us what we want. Ja né!

Batman Eternal #24 Review – That’s My Girl :) (WARNING – SPOILERS)

So, in addition to not buying anything related to Future’s End, with the exception of the Batgirl issue, I’ve also not been buying Batman Eternal. However, in this case, it’s less of a disinterest with the story and more of a simple matter of IT’S A YEAR-LONG WEEKLY COMIC! What, am I made of money? lol However, at this time, I currently have two issues of Batman Eternal in my possession: #3, which was the New 52 debut of Stephanie Brown (not counting Batman #28), and this week’s issue. Why this week? Because the primary focus of the plot is on Steph and her activities now that she has become Spoiler. So, with that said, let’s take a look at what happens, and…well, for the lack of a better term, spoilers ahead. 😛

So Stephanie is spying on her dad, the Cluemaster, as he’s explaining to someone in the dark how a group of C and D-List villains are using their own unique talents to upset the natural order of Gotham in a slow, methodical fashion, so that when the time is right, Gotham’s citizens will be ready to riot. Since most people following this story already know the man’s involvement thus far, I’ll just go ahead and say it: It’s Hush. Hush is pleased at how the plan’s progressing for now, but tells Cluemaster that he needs to kill Stephanie before she can get in touch with Batman and spoil everything that’s going on, and wow, they’re just going all out with the Spoiler theme, huh? lol

Anyway, cut to Batman dealing with a situation at the Gotham Gallery of Modern Art, where Simon Ecks, AKA Doctor X, is causing trouble, and Batman has to put him down with an Nth Metal Batarang. I have no idea WHY he was carrying a Batarang made out of Nth Metal, since the gadgets in his belt are generally rotated based on situations, so I don’t know what made him think he’d need it, but whatever. He also finally realizes that the situation Batwing was looking into at Arkham Asylum may not be going as swimmingly as he was led to believe, and has Penny-Two look into Ecks…Oh yeah, for those that haven’t been following along, Alfred’s daughter Julia was found fighting Fang in Hong Kong, and after a recent incident where Alfred got injected with fear toxin by Hush, Julia found her way down to the Batcave, and she’s been helping Batman in place of him, meaning she’s the one we saw working down there in Batman #28.

Back to Stephanie, who gets attacked by her dad, who knew she’d come looking for him eventually. He’s not quite ready to murder her yet, instead trying to get her to join him, but after a struggle where she tears off on a motorcycle, he gets his incentive. Anyway, after a chase on the highway, during which she was making a phone call, she escapes him, leaving him to be caught by the cops. However, whereas he’d be able to get free if this was the GCPD (Jason Bard in this continuity turned out to be working for Hush…huzzah…), Steph had led him past the city limits, and now he’s dealing with the state police. The only thing missing here is the Price Is Right fail sound, which I will supply right now…

So, this issue was pretty good. If I have any complaint to it, it’s that this rebooted Stephanie Brown seems to be a bit too good for someone who just put on the mask and is fighting crime with no previous training. I mean, it’s POSSIBLE she’s acquired these skills she’s using prior, but we haven’t really seen any indication of this. She beats her dad all too easily, although I doubt we’ve seen the last of him, and he’s just a small part of a much bigger problem. Also, I don’t know if I’m forgetting something, since I’m mostly just reading about stuff that happens in the series as opposed to picking it up at the shop, but it feels like the situation with Batman at the art gallery fighting Doctor X comes right the frak outta nowhere. Last I checked, he was dealing with the Architect, a villain from Batman Gates of Gotham, who had triggered a small earthquake that leveled several buildings, though not quite as bad as the one from No Man’s Land, and dear God, I feel like I’m gonna set off the Continuity Alarm any second now.

But yeah, other than those problems, this was still an enjoyable read, and hell, I can’t complain too much about a book that focuses on my favourite superheroine BEING my favourite superheroine. So, not winning any awards or anything, but still a good issue nonetheless.

Jyger’s Favourite 5 – 5 Favourite Kamen Rider Opening Themes

…Y’know what I haven’t talked about in a while? Kamen Rider. And really, why shouldn’t I? Kamen Rider is one of, if not the, greatest series of the Tokusatsu genre. It’s lasted for four decades (ignoring a television hiatus that lasted from 1989 to 2000), has had crossovers with a number of different series in Japan, including Super Sentai, Ultraman, and Metal Heroes, and has spawned dubs in other countries, including two in English. But, as many people know, one thing that’s needed for an action show is for it to have a kickass opening theme that gets the audience ready for the half-hour that’s about to ensue. Now, other than the opening themes, Kamen Rider HAS had a number of insert themes that are really good too, and I’ll go over some of my favourites later on down the road as well. For now, though, let’s look at my 5 Favourite Kamen Rider Opening Themes, and I think I’m gonna do these in the order in which each season aired, starting with probably the most obvious…

Yeah, you knew this was gonna be up here. While I admittedly prefer the 2000 version of Let’s Go Rider Kick, this is the version used for the official intro, so it’s the one I’m posting. And I’m sure everyone’s wondering what I think of the 2011 cover by Kamen Rider Girls, and…I don’t really have an opinion. I didn’t really care when it was first released one way or the other beyond “Oh, that’s neat, they did a cover for the movie”. I neither really like it, nor am I in the group of people that practically called death down on these women. It’s just a cover, you guys. Get over it. Despite being one of my favourites, though, if I WAS going to rank these, this would probably be near the bottom. No disrespect, it’s just I like the others on this list a lot more. Still, it continues to maintain its position as the definitive Kamen Rider theme. Just, uh, don’t pull a Neo Saban era Power Rangers with us and have a remix of this theme for every season anytime soon, ‘kay?

BLACK! 😀 Okay, while I haven’t watched most of this season, there’s just something about the general aesthetic of Black’s suit that I really love. And dammit all, I LOVE the opening theme to his season. It really gets you in the mood to see this guy lay down some hurtin’ on some Gorgom scumbags. I actually really love the closing theme, too, if we’re being totally honest. That’s why I can’t help but giggle and hum that theme when I watch the net movie for Kamen Rider Decade where all the suit actors are dressed as Showa Era Riders for a race, and Black is just walking like in the end credits. Funny stuff.

YES, for the 150th time, I actually like Kamen Rider Kiva! Honest to God, I don’t get the hate for this series, and I DEFINITELY don’t get the Twilight jabs at it, especially since, while the books had been out for a few years, the first movie didn’t come out until November of the same year Kiva started airing, by which time we’d already had 40 episodes of the series. Really, it just comes off as people being vampired out by that point, and not wanting to give this show a chance. But anyway, getting back to the theme song, I think it’s a really catchy theme, and fits the tone of the series pretty well. Also, good God, the weird-ass imagery. If that didn’t make you wanna watch just to find out what the frak was going on, I don’t know what would do it for ya. Still, as catchy as this theme is, it pales in comparison to the next two on my list, in particular…

FUCK YEAH! I have said before that Kamen Rider W is my favourite season, it has my favourite Rider of all time in Kamen Rider Skull, and Goddamn it, it has probably my favourite opening theme of any Kamen Rider season. It’s energetic, it fits the tone of the series, and the imagery produced gets you ready for this combo of a superhero show and a detective story that balances comedy with tragedy in all the right ways. The only theme I would stack up against it is the last one on this list…

While I don’t think it’s the BEST theme that was produced for OOO, and we’ll talk about THAT later on, the intro theme does exactly as is required: Get your pulse pounding. Granted, with some of the later episodes and some of the more tragic elements of the plot, hearing this energetic and happy theme can kinda result in mood whiplash. And while it’s true that other themes have done this, none quite to the level of OOO. Still, it’s a solid hit, and the opening credits sequence that accompanies the music definitely does a good job of highlighting these three individuals that are caught up in this hectic chase for the Medals.

So, those are my 5 Favourite Kamen Rider Opening Themes. Have a favourite that wasn’t on here? Lemme know in the comments below, and I shall see you guys the next time I talk about Kamen Rider, when I list my 5 Favourite Insert Themes. Ja né!