Action Figures, Video Games, Comics, Toys, Superheroes, Wrestling — We've Got Game.
Author: Taffeta Darling
Taffeta Darling is Dallas' Dutchess of Dorkdom. She collects vinyl pop figures, low brow art and works in a comic shop. She hosts and produces Texas' first all girl webcast of fandom. Follow "The Dutchess" @TaffetaDarlin
For over 30 years, Batman ’89 and Michael Keaton have stood the test of time as my favorites of the Batman franchise, but last night, Matt Reeves’ The Batman (even surprisingly to me!) now takes the top spot.
The Batman takes sharp deviation from any of its predecessors and offers a super-noir, pulse-pounding, cinematic thriller, that is the most Batman of any Batman to hit the big screen, with Robert Pattinson portraying a deep understanding of Bruce Wayne and Batman during this timeline and world.
Stripped down, this film is classic Bronze Age Batman, with pulls from Frank Miller’s Year One in dealing with the crime families, with nods to Jeph Leob’s The Long Halloween and Hush (but not in the way that any comic fan would immediately think), but interestingly enough –takes very little from Mike Barr’s Year Two, as Gotham is under attack by a different kind of masked vigilante for its government corruption.
This is a younger Wayne (about 25-26 years old) that’s still trying to figure out his place in the world — while also uncovering the dark secrets of his own family name. This Bats does come off as reserved, but vigilant of his surroundings, while willing to work with Captain James Gordon (Westworld‘s Jeffrey Wright) with rescuing his crime riddled city. And while the transgressions and murders spike, so does The Batman’s reputation, which makes the GCPD and its current roster very uneasy.
I appreciate that this movie removes unnecessary and heavy GCI that has become amplified in modern comic movies, and pits the Detective in his very early stages in hand to hand combat against henchmen, cops, and anyone who gets in his way.
Since this is “year two” Batman, I think some fans (mainly casual—and that’s totally cool) will have questions about the look, style, and interactions of all the characters as they evolve throughout the movie. We’ve mostly seen an “established” or “a begining” Batman and his rogues in previous iterations, to see these DC legends in their sophomore stages of detecting, thieving, and riddling the city, it could take a bit to leave those preconceived images behind, but everything presented in this film cements the tone that Reeves’ sought to build. Hell, even the interactions between Alfred Pennyworth (Andy Serkis‘) and Bruce come across distant, cold, and undeveloped, and that’s because they are.
Michael Giacchino‘s score is very foreboding–like you know shit is about to get brutal when you hear the pummeling staccato chords of doom enter. Again, it’s another way that this film defines itself as its own world, by staying far away from the classic Danny Elfman theme which conveys a bit of heroism. The Batman’s theme is all ominous, with some similarities to Vader’s march, not as a tune, but the rhythmically charged notes timed to minacious stride.
The Bat and The Cat — Zoe Kravitz channels Bill Finger’s intention of Selina puuurrrfectly as a high stakes safecracker that seeks answers and revenge for the murder of someone close to her. Although she’s very playful with a stoic surface, Selina does reveal her more vulnerable side when imploring Batman for help.
The Penguin – Collin Farrell is mesmerizing and charismatic and I won’t say much else except that we do know that the Penguin is getting his own HBO Max series which picks up after The Batman, so plenty of room is left for Oswald to grow into “The Gentlemen of Crime”.
Riddler – A brilliant and impassioned take on Batman’s most intellectual foe, whose main goal is to expose the profiteering of the Thomas Wayne Foundation and how it trickles into every corner of Gotham’s elite. Paul Dano portrays an astute and delirious villain who really just wants to be vengeance.
The Movie is three hours, but by the time the second and third acts hit, it’s perpetual adrenaline-fueled fun (with the Bat-mobile and Bat-toys!), and goes by fast. While Reeves does present a well balanced story that can easily be seen as concluded, I wouldn’t be surprised if WB called him back for more. 4.75/5 Whiskeys.
Despite some basic flaws, Aquaman is magical, fantastic and absolutely entertaining. It’s as if Jules Verne gave birth to the legendary classic tale of Arthur (Curry) in The Sword in the Stone. The world James Wan has created for the sea kingdoms, creatures, and armies are whimsical, and feels heavily influenced by James Cameron’s The Abyss (strange, I know, considering Cameron “directed” the last Aquaman movie starring Vincent Chase). I can’t emphasize enough how beautiful Wan’s underwater world is, pretty much everything I want a live action Atlantis to be visually. Although there’s been much hype for Jason Momoa in his black tight water jeans dripping wet, there’s much more to his performance than the goofy man fans except to see.
The supporting cast of actors are on point, and it’s almost a shame that Willem DeFoe can’t be Namor in the MCU. Patrick Wilson‘s Ocean Master is perfect, as is Nicole Kidman‘s battle ready and stunning Atlanna. I wish we could have had a bit more of Yahya Abdul-Mateen‘s Black Manta, but it’s a damn good set-up for a continuing villain for Aquaman, should they continue on with the series. At the heart of it all, beyond the action and gorgeous visuals, Aquaman is a love story, and not necessarily the kind of love story you’d think. 3.75/5 Aqua-Bibles.
-Taffeta Darling
“Monsignor” Travis Moody @TravMoody
Fun movie, but needs a lot more Adrian Grenier. I kid, of course, but it’s quite ironic that this Aquaman — from both on-screen and early fan reacts — could have been the flick Entourage so brilliantly satirized for the legendary Vinny Chase. Despite a plot akin to Geoff Johns’ New 52 comic that made Arthur Curry the joke we now laugh along with instead of at, the script has a lot more dialogue misses than hits. If early-90s cheese humor is up your alley, you’ll be OK with the film’s bro-heavy lightheardedness. Thankfully, the further you dive into Wan’s majestic sea palace the stronger Momoa’s Curry comes off the screen. As Taffeta mentioned above, the seascapes are quite the eye-candy. Just beautiful. Mera? Wowzers. Amber Heard‘s chase scene on the Sicilian rooftops from Black Manta’s Halo Reach-inspired aquasoldiers is just splendid. The panoramic parkour piece is a nasty blend of Assassin’s Creed action and ironic shit-I-shouldn’t-be-here humor. Kicking plenty of Chicken-butt of the Sea, our jackedtor‘s purty eyes should also steal filmgoers’ hearts in scenes with his non-Atlantean pops (Temuera Morrison); Momoa also expands that acting range in scenes where he’s drowned into his half-brother’s megalomaniacal third act abyss.
Pete sent us here to kill you, dude.
WB did a fine job with casting across the board, seeing a former Norman Osborne float above his ensemble despite his Vulko not doing a whole lot but sinfully grin. Dafoe’s just that great. Kidman (no stranger to DC Comics films either; see, actually don’t see Batman Forever) is absolutely terrific despite getting the Princess Leia treatment (is that CGI, prosthetics, or… yeah, nevermind). Speaking of which, there’s a Dolph Lundgren (King Nereus) sighting too. At the end of the day, your liking of Aquaman will prominently depend on: 1.) How much you already hate the DC/WB Universe, 2.) How much of a Marvel fanboy/girl you are, 3.) How important cinematic cosmetics (wonderful CGI, beautiful people) are to you in contrast to plot, 4.) How much you can forgive 90s frat-jokes that don’t quite hit, and 5.) Whether or not there’s a place for an underwater LOTR in cinema (there is). A critic sitting behind me couldn’t help but laugh at everything in the movie you’re not supposed to, but I guess that beats sleeping through everything like we all did in Waterworld. Oh, and 6.) A few scenes portray New England’s Maine seaport and the Boston Aquarium, so it definitely has that going for it. #chowduheadsfaheva. Aquaman is a fun popcorn movie, definitely worthy of seeing once and preferably in IMAX. 3.5/5 Chattin’ Krakens.
CYBERPUNK 2077 (CD Projekt Red – PS4, X1, PC – TBA) – After years of speculation and anticipation, fans of CD Projekt Red will finally exhale with excitement as they prepare to launch into (what appears to be) a lengthy marketing campaign for their newest single player game, Cyberpunk 2077, at E3 2018. As a hardcore fan of the company’s last title — and many publications’ Game of the Year — The Witcher 3: The Wild Hunt, my expectations are set high and this Dutchess can’t help but compare my experience with The Wild Hunt to the upcoming highly under wraps role playing game. The release of Witcher 3 further progressed the company’s development of their REDengine software platform with a REDengine 3 debut that allowed for better detailed facial animations, higher resolutions for texture, mapping and advanced dialogue lip syncing in the open world driven fantasy realm.
There hasn’t been much, except lots of speculation, about Cyberpunk 2077 since its development was announced in 2012. We know that it’s had some creative hiccups, and has dealt with thievery and ransom. Hell, the Polish government help fund $7 million to its development; the game is based on the tabletop game Cyberpunk2020 and has kept its creator Mike Pondsmith, involved as a consultant. But most importantly is that CDPR has once again updated their gaming engine technology and will be releasing CP2077 on their REDengine 4.
And here’s where I start to get excited: the technology, details, passion and genius that goes into every CDPR gaming engine continues to blow gamers away. The game, set in the open world metropolis Night City, California features non-English-speaking characters. Players who do not speak the other languages will be given the option to buy translator implants for their character to better comprehend the alien languages. WHAT??? And with even more detail; depending on the advancement of the implants, the quality of translations will vary, with more expensive implants rendering more accurate translations. (So anything could go wrong in space!)
This “Braindance”, a digital recording device streamed directly into the brain, allows the player character to experience the emotions, brain processes and muscle movements of another person as though they were their own. This is truly an incredible design to totally submerse the gamer into the world of 2077, something that CDPR has made a name for themselves doing. And much like The Witcher, there will be different endings based on player agency and choice. With all this and a growing team of talented artists creating the beautiful landscape and worlds, it’s no wonder there’s an enormous amount of hype and anticipation for Cyberpunk 2077, which could easily steal the show at E3.
CALL OF DUTY: WWII (Sledgehammer Games/Activision – PS4, Xbox One, PC – November 3) – What am I looking forward to from E3? The new Call of Duty, of course! On November 3, 2017, CoD returns to its roots with Call of Duty: WWII — a new, engaging experience that retells World War II for the new gaming generation. It all starts from the Normandy D-Day invasion to big battles across Europe; thus, players will experience memorable locations in history’s war to end all wars. With Josh Duhamel headlining as the voice of Sgt. William Pierson, WWII looks to maintain the classic CoD combat with the bonds of camaraderie (unless playing multiplayer online, of course) and the unforgiving nature of a fist person shooter.
I’m looking forward to this franchise returning to its roots; after wandering off into space with the last installment, Call of Duty: WWII has promised a return to the series roots with combat mostly ground-based warfare that it seems to have lost the past few years. Along with a new time period, expect the weaponry to be slower — making the older weapons pack less precision and much less ammo. Since the newest CoD is created by Sledgehammer, you should also expect the same level of quality to Advanced Warfare — a near perfect addition in the annual franchise.
I sit here, writing my thoughts on the Wonder Woman movie on fucking Wonder Woman Day — a Wonder Woman Day, an actual day designated by DC Comics dedicated to The First Lady of comics. Having seen the movie on Thursday, I’m stilled with so much inspiration, admiration, excitement and hype for a character that debuted in December of 1941, who just now got the big screen Hollywood treatment. Throughout the years there have been many incarnations of Diana Prince, and I’ve applauded most of them for the sole notion that Wonder Woman is getting another 15 minutes. However — not this time.
I grew up with more male heroes where the women were portrayed as “Girl Friday’s” and sidekicks. I mean, at an adolescent it was easy to be thankful for April O’Neil and the Turtles, I loved Gadget and the Rescue Rangers, and of course Demona and the Gargoyles, and so on. But the one constant about those cartoons that influenced my younger years: those women would not exist without the male leads. With Wonder Woman, she stands on her own, she stands to save mankind and love mankind. In Diana I found a leader and a fighter, filled with compassion, knowledge and the determination to follow her heart regardless if it meant defying tradition. I found a hero and traits in which I could aspire to be and she was a stand alone heroine.
While it’s true she was created by Dr. William Marston, a man, behind his action was the “unusual” suggestion of his partner and psychologist Elizabeth Holloway Marston to make his new All-American comic hero a woman. As mentioned above, I haven’t been able to process all my thoughts on the actual movie details just yet. There were some points during CGI that were off, some of the acting was slightly less than heroic, and the villain reveal was obvious halfway through — and wouldn’t have been my first choice for casting. But, overall, it’s still a near-perfect movie. After years of failed attempts to treat a super heroine right, hundreds of thousands of identifying wonder women finally got to see our hero on screen, with tears of happiness, relief and wonderment–and that’s the most important beat of them all.
The Truth: I’m Awesome.
Diana Prince, our Wonder Woman is filled with love, believes in love and cherishes mankind and wants to save it. It seems like a typical cliche, but also the purist. Diana left her home, her world, and her family–all that she ever knew–to save mankind even after she’s told we don’t deserve her. If cliche, I can’t think of a better one; the world could use more.. hell.. needs more of the sweet love, compassion and determination punched through by the Warrior Princess. 4.75/5 Bad-ass Guitar Riff Themes. – Taffeta Darling
“Monsignor” Travis Moody @TravMoody
I’ve never felt so much pressure writing a movie review in my life. After praising two would-be DC Extended Universe disasters in Man of Steel and Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice (hey, at least I got Suicide Squad “right”, right?), nerd parishioners around the world had to be chomping at the bit to hear my say on the official cinematic debut of Princess Diana. But first, let’s get this right off the bat: Gal Gadotis Wonder Woman. Despite initially receiving nearly as much hatred for the casting as Batfleck — Gadot is beyond perfect in the role in every way imaginable. She’s the righteous blend of brilliant, beautiful, bold and the brave. She’s the right touch of enthusiastic naiveté and unbridled compassion. She’s an entirely believable superior daughter of a goddess and gifted warrior princess. She’s every woman’s everywoman (as an adorably out-of-touch fashionista who likes ice cream). In fact, there’s never been a superhero played by an actress who had this much of a magnificent on-screen aura and presence about her.
As for the film itself, a lot of fans and critics are going to overlook its more “comic bookish” elements in favor of its enjoyable performances, heart-pumping action, and outstanding framework–but I can’t. Much of Diana Prince’s origin tale should have been shown on the Paradise Island of Themyscira, and we only get that for one act. It feels forgotten. While that likely helped with the film’s overall pacing, her Amazonian upbringings are an arguably far more intriguing time of origin (see: George Perez’s Gods and Morals). Unless you’ve played the first Injustice game, we simply don’t know enough about Ares other than a rushed foretelling of him as the Godkiller — which sets up a slightly predictable end-game. Diana Prince also comes out full bracelets blazing without much of an explanation. WW’s costume/armor is arguably one of the most fascinating things about her and its cosmetic aesthetics seem to take precedence over importance.
Is Moody coming? I better hide.
But my favorite thing about Wonder Woman the movie–besides Wonder Woman, the character–is that it feels right at home with the other DCEU films. Many were worried that DC/WB/Director Patty Jenkins (Monster) was going to “Marvelize” Wonder Woman in response to all the harsh criticisms this cinematic superhero line has received. Aside from its obvious comparison to fellow superhero period piece, Captain America: First Avenger (more-so for its WWI setting than anything else, really; tell me you don’t miss ABC’s Agent Carter after viewing all the great costume work in this one!), WW still packs an ominous tone with sprinkles of organic humor — nothing that detracts from the otherwise strict philosophical and moral fiber of a world-spread identity crisis. The audience isn’t beaten over the head with the whole “fish outta water” scenario, either. That’s much in thanks to a wonderful script from Allan Heinberg (Grey’s Anatomy, Young Avengers comic) and the akwardly delicious chemistry of Chris Pine (Star Trek) and Gadot. Just wait till you see the outstanding “love” boat scene, an absolute favorite.
As for other precious experiences, I also had the pleasure of viewing Wonder Woman in a very limited 4DX theater (LA Live’s Regal Cinemas). While getting your upper-body cranked around in a mechanical chair for 2-hours and 20-minute could be a bit jarring for some, the experience went totally hand-in-hand with the tremendous action of the flick. The action scenes fully utilize the following and more: extra pressurized air during heavy environmental conditions; heat pumps during explosions; light water sprays during jaw-snapping fistacuffs (bring a tissue for your 3D rims); slight lower back pokes during falls (which I wish would’ve kept going for selfish massaging purposes); and even a chair that sways either back or forward (in the slowest of motion possible) during the film’s more subtle moments. If you enjoy riding on the Star Tours at Disney, then go ahead and give this golden 4DX lasso a whirl. 4.25/5 ThemysciranBibles.
“The Priestess” Eva Ceja @evaceja
Wonder Woman has become a kind of wonder to young women, such as myself, that we needed men to make movies in the first place. Although filled with cliche superhero moments (i.e. a CGI-filled battle that makes a clunky-paced final act that much clunkier), the Wonder Woman movie had me otherwise teary-eyed, filled with laughter, and even–at least on one occasion–had myself imagining myself.. as Wonder Woman. Now, as an action film geek, martial artist, and, quite frankly, all-around badass.. I love this movie.
Best Bumble date ever.
Gal Gadot shines as Diana Prince, an acting job so superior you’d forget she was in Fast Five. Gadot was believably bad-ass, ourspoken, tender, and intelligent. The full package! It was also a blast to see the oh-so-talented Danny Huston (whom I have had the pleasure of working in a movie with on Newness, directed by Drake Doremus — shameless self-plug), as the real first World War General, Erich Ludendorff. While his role makes more of an impact in the film’s second act, Huston certainly sold me on his inspirations for conspiring with Doctor “Poison” Maru (Elena Anaya), last seen in the New 52 Wonder Woman comics. Sadly, her mustard gas subplot is arguably underdeveloped and used more as a gateway mechanic of sorts, while Ludendorff — as a man at loss and desperation — comes off as a far more dimensional bad than both Maru and who we see later on.
Yet, the real reason above all to adore and support WW: Patty Jenkins (Monster). She is the first female to direct a big-budget comic book/superhero film, also shattering the 12-year long period of drought of non-female superhero main character movies — especially one so damn awesome. So fuck yeah, ladies, let’s hope Wonder Woman gives us more, great female superhero movies (Black Widow, please?) from a female perspective we can count on. 4.25/5 Bibles.
Warner Bros. Pictures’ Wonder Woman is in theaters now.
DOOM PATROL #1 – Young Animal“The Dutchess” Taffeta @TaffetaDarlin
There have been various incarnations of Doom Patrol and despite their being different in many ways, the one constant has always been their dedication to the weird. Since I haven’t read much, if any, Doom Patrol in decades, I assumed I’d be out of touch–or even lost–with this new team; but, thankfully, previous knowledge is not a requirement.
Umbrella Academy and Fabulous Killjoys writer Gerard Way is responsible for the Young Animal line launch at DC Comics, which definitely feels like an homage to old school Vertigo. Prepare for more mature titles, readers! Even though Doom Patrol will exist within DC continuity, I expect to see more experimentation from it as it grows than the classic return of the current DC Rebirth titles.
The main character in Doom Patrol #1 is a well-intentioned EMT named Casey Brinke who’s perfected the art of driving an ambulance. In the first part of the issue, Casey finds a robot. The comic then ends with a galactic singing and dancing unbirthday telegram moving in, the apparent set-up for more strange run-ins that Doom Patrol is known for.
Way does an admirable job with DP’s resurrection and, although I enjoy that his writing demands a lot of effort from the reader from the get, I didn’t lose my shit over it. A few parts felt “forced strange” just to be strange and unusual; but, it’s not a huge turn off and will probably keep the “Lydia Deetz is my spirt animal” readers coming back for another issue. Artist Nick Derrington, along with colorist Tamara Bonvillain, compliment Way’s writing with an askew, off-kilter retro style that changes as the story does. They’re a great team to take on this rejuvenation and present their work as more than capable evidence.
Doom Patrol is not your usual super hero title, yet it’s also not completely original and provided enough entertainment to keep me hungry for more. 4/5 Gyros.
HADRIAN’S WALL #1 – Image Comics“Archangel” Andrew Leos @MrAndrewLeos
Engrossing. Complex. Sci-Fi. Tech-Noir. Murder Mystery. 80’s Nostalgia Soaked Bad Assery. These were the many buzz words floating through my mind as I close my copy of issue numero uno of Hadrian’s Wall, the new detective story from Image. Set in the year 2085, a floating frozen corpse is all that remains of one of the crew of the Hadrian’s Wall Space Station, a victim of fate, or foul play? What slowly unravels is a tense and dense whodunit, as a self medicating contract detective takes the case to investigate the death. Will his past–and ties to the ship–come back to haunt him, or will he discover the riddle of the ship? The first issue does an amazing job of laying the groundwork for the mystery ahead of us and left me ready for more.
The amazing team that brought you C.O.W.L is back and the gang is in glorious form. Kyle Higgins (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) and Alec Siegel (Batman Beyond 2.0) hit the ground running, as they dig deep into the lexicon of 80s Sci-Fi mythos; the duo weave a wondrous noir tapestry, drawing inspirations from films and comics of the era while blending in elements of traditional pulp stories. The mystery feels familiar and warm in the cold clutches of space as the engrossing artwork of Rod Reis (Nightwing) draws the reader into a chilling nightmare, blending color and line work that captures the books desolate futurescape and scope. I honestly could go on and on about how this new book is going to be a hit and tickle your Blade Runner/Alien special place, but honestly you’d be better off grabbing a copy for yourself. 5/5 Synth-Filled Cyber Bibles.
GOTHAM ACADEMY: SECOND SEMESTER #1 – DC Comics“Great Rao” Bass @kidtimebomb
It’s been a few months since the first volume of Gotham Academy ended, so it’s past time to check back in on what Olive Silverlock and her friends have been getting up to while the rest of the DC Universe has been busy Rebirthing itself all over the place. Last month’s annual put Olive on the bench while the rest of Detective Club took center stage, so everyone in my house was ready to get the whole gang back together for the start of the second semester. However, writers Brendan Fletcher, Becky Cloonan, and Karl Kerschl have slightly different plans.
This issue serves as more of an interlude, finding Olive holed up at the school during Christmas break with only good old Professor MacPherson for company, at least until she gets a new roommate, Amy. Amy is a bit more of a stock character than we’re used to around these parts, basically your run-of-the-mill teenager-who-chooses-bad-behavior. This is not an entirely unwelcome development, though, as she steers our protagonist toward some acts of vandalism that are cathartic, fun to watch, and reasonably set up by the beginning of the issue. Their adventures also carry them around the campus, setting up potential new mysteries for this semester.
Artists Adam Archer, Sandra Hope, and MSASSYK, along with colorists Chris Sotomayor and Serge Lapointe turn in quality pages that blend well despite the number of people involved, hearkening back to this book’s house style set forth by Kerschl in the first arc. Though by the way things were going, it seemed to me like Amy was going to be revealed to be a figment of Olive’s imagination, which I would have been okay with, even though that’s a bit of a cliché at this point.
Overall, this first issue is a solid read and a welcome return, but it isn’t until the rest of the cast drives up on the last two pages that you realize that this whole deal has been kind of a prologue, maybe an overture, for what’s coming our way here in this second semester. All Maps has to go is hop out of the car and bellow a single proclamation to make us realize how badly we’ve all missed her. This issue succeeds on its own merits, but it’s very apparent that the best is still yet to come. 4/5 People Suck, Olive.
