We just witnessed cinematic history with Avengers: Endgame. Let's celebrate that with a few momentous occasions from the comics. THE THEME: This week's five comics are those of large-scale comic events (think "Civil War", "Secret Empire", "Blackest Night", or "Crisis on Infinite Earths"). Comics featuring a certain character/group of characters are fun and all, but when time comes for the many characters of a given universe to cross over, that's when exciting stuff happens. The MCU has done a fantastic job making awesome crossovers with the Avengers films, but let's see how the source material does it. THE COMICS: ![]() DOOMWAR #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Jonathan Maberry Artist: Scot Eaton - Doctor Doom has found a way to take control of Wakanda, Storm is in danger of execution, and all the vibranium is at risk of being stolen. The Black Panthers (T'Challa and Shuri) ask the X-Men for help in infiltrating the unconquerable nation; what could possibly go wrong? - Comixology link ![]() FEAR ITSELF #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Matt Fraction Artists: Stuart Immonen, Wade von Grawbadger - Sin (the Red Skull's daughter) has claimed the hammer Skadi, which summons Serpent, the Asgardian god of fear. Sensing the impending threat, Odin orders the Asgardians (residing in Broxton, OK at the time) to leave Earth, despite Thor's protests. Seven mysterious objects crash into Earth near the end, which is probably a bad sign. - Comixology link ![]() INFINITY COUNTDOWN PRIME #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Gerry Duggan Artist: Mike Deodato Jr. - The Infinity Gems have recently resurfaced, and an all-new Infinity Watch has come together to guard the gems. This comic shows where each gem (and its corresponding holder) are at before the main Infinity Countdown event (and the subsequent Infinity Wars event... comic events are confusing). The comic also offers a retrospective on the Infinity Gems, showing where they've been throughout the Marvel Universe's history. - Comixology link ![]() INFINITY WAR #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Jim Starlin Artist: Ron Lim - This Infinity War is nothing like the movie. It involves the Magus (Adam Warlock's evil twin) creating equally evil duplicates of our favorite heroes. Thanos (of all people) looks to deal with this threat, and seeks the help of the Infinity Watch. - Comixology link ![]() INFINITY WARS #3 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Gerry Duggan Artist: Mike Deodato Jr. - Not to be confused with "Infinity War" (singular). This event features Requiem murdering Thanos (that happens in the first issue), collecting the Infinity Gems, and folding the universe in half, creating some fascinating hero hybrids (for example, Weapon Hex, who's a cross between X-23 and Scarlet Witch). - Comixology link There have been all manner of events in comics, ranging from world-changing to multiverse-breaking, but all have the same effect: the characters (and the universe at large) are never quite the same again. It amazes me that a live-action comic adaptation was able to replicate the thrills of something like the Infinity Gauntlet comics, despite movies being significantly more difficult to put together in terms of logistics. In much the same way there are great movies and not-so-great movies, comic events vary greatly in quality, and their aftermaths can often be divisive. Flashpoint, for example, was a great comic event, but its fallout (the creation of DC's New 52 continuity) was not well received by fans. I'm glad Avengers: Endgame doesn't meet this fate. If you're a new reader, jumping into comic events can be a real gamble. Some events have 700 tie-in comics you have to read along the main comic to fully understand everything, while others can be started with little to no problem (either because the comic does a good job of filling in the gaps, or the event is fairly standalone). It'll serve you well to do a bit of research, or to ask around. PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
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Japanese paper isn't as rigid as normal paper. Be careful when working with it. SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: I was playing the Mario Tennis Aces demo on my Switch before I started writing this, and that put Mario music on my mind. I decided to pull from some childhood favorites and went for the Battle Mode music from Mario Kart DS. I played the absolute shit of Mario Kart DS with my good friends back in the day, and listening to this track brings back some fantastic Balloon Battle memories. COLOR CHOICE: I was digging through paper for shit to use for future butterflies, and I found this barely-used pack of blue Japanese paper from many years ago. I knew I had to try and make something with it. DIFFICULTY: This is another one that's incredibly easy. For one, you perform only the most basic of folds to put it together. For another, you don't even have to use square paper to make it; your garden variety rectangular paper will do just fine. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: The butterfly is attributed to one Lerlin Woodrow. According to the diagram, they're a primary school (I assume this is the equivalent to elementary) teacher in London. Wonder how they're doing right now. I found the instructions here. OTHER THINGS: The diagram insists that you use A5 paper or smaller. Don't let this discourage you; A4 paper will do just fine, as the width to height ratio of the A series of paper is constant (1 : √2). You don't even have to use paper that conforms to that aspect ratio. Using letter-size paper or even typical origami square paper to make this butterfly can result in some nifty-looking variations. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
Always pay homage to the source material... SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: I was watching a Twitch stream of somebody playing through Pokémon SoulSilver before editing the video. Seeing perhaps my all-time favorite Pokémon game again after a couple of years led me to remember my favorite track from it: the battle theme that plays when you face off the Pokémon League Champion Lance. COLOR CHOICE: Apart from gathering a variety of colors to use, I've also been gathering unique paper/paper-like materials to try and make into butterflies. I've been putting off using the latter for no good reason, so I decided to pick something out from that category. I settled on a repurposed brown envelope I carefully cut apart. DIFFICULTY: The designer of this model touts this butterfly as a "simple" design, and they're mostly correct. It starts with the easy-to-make waterbomb base, and there aren't any particularly complex folds to speak of. The only thing that's remotely challenging about this model is when the diagrams ask you to make two simultaneous valley folds (to the uninitiated, this just means I fold the paper inwards, or towards me); not only is keeping everything symmetrical when doing so a little tough, you run a very tangible risk of tearing the paper if you overextend the folds. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: This is another one designed by Hyo Ahn. Check the instructions here. OTHER THINGS: I mentioned in the previous section that there's a risk of tearing a paper when doing the simultaneous valley folds. The latter two of these steps where you need to perform this (it's the part where I form the angle between the upper wings) have an annoyingly high chance of tearing. I practiced this design several times, and I almost always ended up with torn paper. There are two possible solutions that I explored in a couple of my trial runs. The first involves folding the model vertically in half and outside reverse folding the right angle corner, which forms the required double valley folds as a consequence. This, however, is not a reliable solution. For one, outside reverse folding, which is already challenging as it is (especially for newer folders), is even more difficult to pull off with this particular model. More importantly, the few trials I attempted this method, I still ended up with a fair share of torn paper. My second solution is the one you see in the video: I concede, take out a pair of scissors, and just cut the middle line that's gonna tear anyway if I force the valley folds. If you want to do things as the designer intended, by all means, but I would honestly just spare myself the frustration. Besides, you don't even see the cut part in the final product. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
Holy fucking shit. I am almost at a loss for words, but I'm gonna try my damnedest. Don't worry; no spoilers. The story is simple: Thanos shit in everyone's mouths, and now the Avengers are looking for payback. There's no need to explain motivations or goals or whatever the fuck (unless you haven't been watching the previous movies, in which case: why are you here?); it fires on all cylinders from the very beginning. There's plenty of slow moments (mostly dialogue), but what makes the MCU so goddamn special is that it's managed to get damn near everybody to care about these "less action, more character stuff" scenes. It's not just the novelty of a crossover anymore (though you do still get the occasional "hey, these two haven't interacted with each other yet; this should be fun"); there's a clear emotional weight to these interactions now courtesy of Infinity War. When shit picks up, oh, it fucking picks up. I can't divulge too much, but from the jarring (in a good way) first part, the "oh shit, here we go" part when Endgame starts slamming on the accelerator, speeding up until it reaches the apex of the movie.... "thrilling" might be a gross understatement. And this is throughout the course of three hours. Not once did I feel the length of the movie or sense any lulls; even with the slow bits, I feel that they paced this fairly well. Most of the characters get moments big and small — from the seemingly innocuous, but meaningful gestures, to grandiose, "this is what this character's all about" character-defining moments, to the "holy fucking shit", melt-your-face-off, "this character is the sickest motherfucker alive" action shots, everyone gets to shine one way or another. Of course, some characters get more than others, but in this case, I don't really feel that anyone in particular got the short end of the stick. Going off of Infinity War, the stakes are at their most dire, and the movie does a good job of pointing out (in various ways) how shit could go absolutely sideways. Yes, the Avengers felt like they have a chance, but there's a decent balance between "we might pull this off" and nigh insurmountable. I never really had a moment where I went, "wait, that's it?", or "man, they're gonna have to deus ex machina this shit, because there's no way this ends well." Despite all the seriousness, the movie's still able to fit in the "trademark" MCU humor, all without clashing too much with the tone. There are a few jokes here and there that I probably could've done without, but there wasn't anything that made me go "all right, that's enough of that." Perhaps the best thing about this movie for me is how much this feels like a love letter to the entire MCU's decade-long history. You get callbacks out the wazoo, incredibly cathartic payoffs, and (without going too much into it) shockingly brilliant tie-ins/surprises/references to previous movies (there are a ton of completely unexpected ones). There's even an absolutely god-tier MCU reference that is so specific and obscure, that I'm pretty sure only like 12 people would get it. Those who are diehard fans of the MCU (like I am), and those who went on the MCU Rewatch journey (like I did) will go absolutely mental with the (this is no hyperbole) plethora of references. I could chatter on and on about every single one of those references. Hell, that could be its own blog entry. Of course, it's not a comic book movie without some sweet, sweet Easter eggs, and boy oh boy, this movie's got a bunch, some of which were brilliant. I don't want to talk much about the ending, but as far as denouements go, I felt satisfied. It really feels like the end of the Infinity Saga, but there was room made to build upon the next series of MCU stories. I have been a fan of comics for almost all my life. The MCU in particular was my companion through adolescence, and Endgame feels like an utterly satisfying culmination of both the franchise's epic saga, and my own personal journey.
This movie had Infinity War — an incredible film in its own right — to live up to, a shit ton of characters and plot threads to juggle, and the entire weight of a beloved franchise that's spanned a decade on its shoulders, and even with all of this pressure, it manages not only to deliver, but exceed expectations. I really don't like throwing around "my all-time favorite", as I detest comparing various things that I like, but goddamn, I may have to concede for this one. Would I say this movie is perfect? Not exactly; there are a few plot contrivances I could pick apart here and there, and some stuff I would've liked to have seen more of, but none of them felt like they took away too much from the movie, and I think that the fuckton of amazing shit this movie has to offer easily outweighs the questionable. To better illustrate how much this movie means to me, let me put it this way: I've gasped, teared up, nearly yelled, and applauded at movies before (some of which I first did during my first go-arounds with certain MCU movies). But never, in my entire life, have I literally trembled in excitement and joy because of a movie. I've been on the verge of tears in my fair share of movies, but holy shit, did I feel like crying tears of pure elation multiple times in this movie. And the crowd, my god, the crowd. To hear their cheers, their gasps, their applause, their subdued sniffles, their squeals.... for so long, I felt like an outcast for loving these characters, but sharing in the emotions of an entire room full of people feels like some form of vindication for those tumultuous times. I normally like my theaters quiet, but it's for cinematic events such as this that I feel obligated to break my usual habit of picking an afternoon weekday screening. Also, I must say that there is neither a mid-credits nor a post-credits scene. That said, it's absolutely worth the trouble to stay until the main credits end (i.e. you stick around to the point when you'd usually see a mid-credits scene). Lastly, to my dad, and Fred, who weren't able to see this journey to the end: I think you would've loved this. - end - How serendipitous that this chapter comes out on the 24th, the exact day I'm seeing Avengers: Endgame. SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: I took the easy route and picked out an iconic track: the music from the first level of the original Doom. This track is synonymous to the game that popularized the FPS genre, so much so that it got a badass remix in the reboot. COLOR CHOICE: I noticed a peculiar abundance of orange paper that I haven't used yet, so I decided to use one of them. DIFFICULTY: It's another boat base butterfly! Like most of butterfly designs created from that base, this model isn't hard to make at all. Even the newest of folders will do fine making this one. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: I found this design on deviantArt, of all places. A user called Lord-Sevy made the diagrams for it. OTHER THINGS: The video accidentally cut off before I could finish the final step, which was inside reverse folding both upper wings. I'm saying this on the record in case anyone is confused by the fact that the final product on the wall looks slightly different from the end result in the video. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
Avengers: Endgame is this week! The wait is almost over; can you believe it? My reads for this week will serve well to build up the hype, I hope. THE THEME: Just as Thanos was the focus of Infinity War, the comics I'll be reading today will center around the Mad Titan himself. I think it's important to remind ourselves of how terrifying and dangerous he is going into Endgame. THE COMICS: ![]() COSMIC POWERS #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Ron Marz Artist: Ron Lim - This comic is legitimately just Thanos curbing boredom by committing mass murder, dressing up like a samurai, wrecking shit with a sword, and looking for a fight worthy of his time. Jesus Christ. - Comixology link ![]() INFINITY #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Jonathan Hickman Artist: Jim Cheung - One of the biggest comic events Marvel put together this decade, featuring the debut of the Black Order, an impending showdown between the Avengers and the Builders, and teases of the return of Thanos. Exciting stuff. - Comixology link - Bonus comic: the FCBD 2013 Infinity comic, which you can read for FREE ![]() THANOS (2016–2018) #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Jeff Lemire Artist: Mike Deodato Jr. - After spending some time distracted by other events (including, but not limited to Civil War II), Thanos makes his return, much to the chagrin of Corvus Glaive and the Black Order. The comic teases a confrontation with his family, as well as presents a shocking revelation about the Mad Titan. - Comixology link ![]() THANOS (2016–2018) #13 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Donny Cates Artist: Geoff Shaw - This comic made a few headlines when it first came out, as it features Thanos, millions of years from now, reigning absolute, with nearly every hero dead at his feet. - Comixology link ![]() THANOS VS. HULK #1 Publisher: Marvel Writer: Jim Starlin Artist: Jim Starlin - Hulk gets caught in Pip the Troll's bullshit, and is now being held captive by Annihilus. Thanos is not pleased and tries to interfere. - Comixology link My hype for Endgame is at a fever pitch, and reading more stories of Thanos kicking ass has me excited for his inevitable rematch against the Avengers. It's still surreal to me that he's in a movie, let alone a household name that even the most casual of fans recognize. Additionally, some of these comics made me wish that the Black Order and Outriders in the MCU were as cool and/or fleshed out as they are in the comics, though.... PANEL OF THE WEEK: - end -
I feel like the middle part of this butterfly draws a little too much attention, even when in the process of making it. SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: For whatever reason, when I was writing this, I was thinking of how frustrating it was that the only Fire Emblem Fates music we have in Smash Bros. are remixes of one song. Granted, Lost In Thoughts All Alone is the game's de facto theme, but Fates had great tracks other than that. The musical representation of Fates is almost as bad as that of Final Fantasy's. Almost. As such, I selected my favorite track from the game: Road Taken (Roar). COLOR CHOICE: I only had one dark color left among my assortment of paper, so I decided to use it here instead of putting it off. DIFFICULTY: This is yet another butterfly that starts out with a waterbomb base, and butterfly models that start with that base are (on average) as easy to make as they are common. This should pose no problem for people new to the craft. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: This is another one by Fumiaki Shingu. Here are the instructions on his website. OTHER THINGS: I think this model would look better if one used paper with the same color on both sides, but I decided against that to highlight the unique design of the butterfly. I made some modifications in the final few steps to put the wings at an angle (as opposed to the more "perpendicular" appearance that the diagram shows). I don't think it looks any better this way; I just prefer the wings at that angle. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
I had to stop myself from using blue for every butterfly at the beginning of this project. My resolve has finally broken. SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: The previous chapter's soundtrack got me in the mood for more puzzle game soundtracks, so I selected the Fever track from the original Dr. Mario (one of my favorite NES games ever). Coincidentally, it's composed by the same guy who composed Tetris Type A. COLOR CHOICE: I wanted to make another butterfly in blue, so I did. Complex reasoning, I know. DIFFICULTY: It's not too different from the other boat base butterflies, so if you could make those, you'll be OK. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: This was another one I found in Origami Resource Center. The model is attributed to one John Smith. You can imagine how poorly that Google search went. In any case, here are the instructions. OTHER THINGS: This butterfly is referred to as a "pureland model". I have no idea what that means. The way the instructions go about constructing the boat base is quite different, and is referred to as a "pureland method" of making it. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
Forgive the quote from Winter Soldier; I'm just really excited for Endgame. SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: Here's a track that most people probably know (or at least recognize): the Tetris Type A music. Tetris is one of the most popular games of all time, and Type A has been remixed in nearly every which way in the circa 30 years of the game's existence. I went for the original track from all the way back on the Game Boy version. COLOR CHOICE: This design called for the use of paper with the same color on both sides. Instead of picking paper strictly by color, I went for a more unorthodox choice and picked an entirely different type of paper: manila paper. DIFFICULTY: This butterfly only takes a few steps to make, and some of those steps you pretty much just do twice. It's easily a beginner level model. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: This is one of various butterfly designs by someone named Hyo Ahn. I got the instructions from their website. OTHER THINGS: The main gimmick of this design is that it looks exactly the same from the front or the back. The only other butterfly model I can think of that can boast this quality is Chapter 2's butterfly. If you make this model with paper that only has color on one side, the final product's upper wings will have the color of the blank side. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
I really need to get my sleep schedule back in order... SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: I've already featured a track from a Toby Fox game before, but I thought I'd throw some love to the game that put him on the map: Undertale. Undertale is perhaps one of the biggest indie games of this entire decade, and while most people remember it for its complex lore or its convention-breaking gameplay, the game boasts some great music. I picked one of my personal favorites: Battle Against a True Hero. COLOR CHOICE: I went for a bright yellow, as I intended to position this butterfly next to a) the large, purple-ish butterfly, and b) a mostly black butterfly. It was a choice based on both contrast and half-assed color theory. DIFFICULTY: For the most part, this is a pretty easy butterfly, but I see the middle steps to form the butterfly's shape (especially the squash fold to form that square shape) to be troublesome for inexperienced folders. This may require a bit of practice. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: I stumbled upon the instructions for this model on Pinterest. The name of whoever designed it is on the diagrams, but here's the thing: it's in a language that I can't read. If anyone can help me with that, I'm all ears. In any case, here's a link to the image. [EDIT: After months of searching, I have discovered that this model is designed by one Yoshio Tsuda. Whether or not that's the name on the diagram is beyond me.] OTHER THINGS: This butterfly model is great, as its design allows it to stand upright on its own on a flat surface. For my purposes, however, this is a bit of the hindrance, as the design makes it hard to place against a wall. Paper with different colors on either side works best for this design. I would also recommend using larger paper, as this model is on the small side. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
Yet another sleepless night for me. Decided to knock a butterfly off the list. SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: I'm shocked that it's taken me this long to use a track from Splatoon, which is probably my all-time favorite shooter game. The series has its fair share of killer tunes, but I played it safe and used Splattack!, which is essentially the de facto theme of the series. COLOR CHOICE: This butterfly was gonna be next to some "unexciting" colors (black, white, brown), so I went for a supposedly exciting color in this fuchsia/magenta-looking paper. DIFFICULTY: A child could do this. You'll be fine. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: This model is from the 2004 edition of the Origami Page-a-Day Calendar. There is a name for the author of the calendar (Margaret van Sicklen), though I am uncertain if they themselves designed the butterfly, or if it was a design provided by someone else. I'm also not sure if the Origami Calendar is still an active thing, but in any case, the website for it is still up. The instructions for this design are also on there. OTHER THINGS: This is probably one of the most basic-looking butterflies I've made, and it could really benefit from some modification. I encourage getting real creative with this model; draw patterns, modify the wings.... whatever strikes your fancy. Also, I suggest using smaller paper. The final product is massive relative to the paper's initial size. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
This is it. This is the end of the line. The MCU Rewatch comes to an end today, and while it's sad to see this end, it means that Avengers: Endgame is next week. Let's hop right to it. BACKGROUND:
After the emotional beatdown that was Avengers: Infinity War, it seemed like an ill fit for an epic tale to be followed by a much smaller-stakes affair in Ant-Man and the Wasp. I, for one, didn't mind, and was more interested to see where Ant-Man and co. were during/before the events of Infinity War. I actually talked about this movie on this blog right when it came out. You can read it here and compare my gut reactions from back then versus my post-rewatch feelings now. COMICS TO READ:
MY FAVORITE MOMENTS:
THE EASTER EGGS:
THE HEROES: Scott once again gets to be a cool dad, and his relationship with his family (especially with Cassie) is as endearing as ever to watch. We also see him try to make up for past mistakes, and him dealing with the fact that when he helps, sometimes he ends up getting other people in trouble. He's also still hilarious to watch. After being robbed in the first Ant-Man, we finally get Hope as Wasp, and it is glorious. Not only does she get to kick ass, we also get to see her relationship with her family evolve. It really feels like she has buried the hatchet with regards to her dad, and we get more of her love for her mother, something the first movie shows very little of. Huh. Family is a real big theme here, isn't it? THE VILLAINS: To our heroes, Ghost isn't anything more than a nuisance, as the primary goal of Pym and co. in this movie is to rescue Janet. That is, stopping Ghost isn't the central story. Despite this, Ghost is still a hell of an interesting character. I liked the "tortured soul" angle, and how she's motivated by fear and desperation as opposed to power or whatever the fuck it was Darren Cross wanted. She also gets a cool power set (complete with cool visual effects), plus a backstory that I really want to see more of. I hope she returns. Sonny Burch joins Ayesha in the league of "villains that kinda have to be here to move a few plot threads forward, but otherwise they're just here to annoy the heroes." It doesn't help that he's "generic evil businessman #576". OTHER THINGS:
THE AFTER-CREDITS: We get two stingers again. The first has the gang collecting quantum juice to help Ghost. Scott makes the jump to the Quantum Realm, but as luck would have it, the Snap just happened, and everyone except him dies, leaving him trapped in the Quantum Realm. This is probably the most traumatic mid-credits scene in the entire MCU (I heard a few gasps at the screening I went to). Additionally, there's no doubt in my mind that Scott being trapped will play an important role in Endgame. Janet even offhandedly says something about a "time vortex"? What's that about, I wonder? The post-credits scene seemed like it was meant to be funny, as it's the ant who was posing as Scott continuing the house arrest routine as normal. Instead, I found it incredibly eerie, especially with the emergency broadcast display on the TV. We only briefly see normal, everyday people affected by the Snap in Infinity War, and this is a clear sign that shit has really hit the fan. VERDICT: Ant-Man and the Wasp was a nice palate cleanser after the unadulterated madness that was Infinity War. It was (comparatively) low stakes, the focus was less on fisticuffs (but there's still some fun size-changing action to be had), and it was hilarious from start to finish. It's just good, ol'-fashioned fun, with some nice family dynamics to tie it all together. POSTSCRIPT: Well, here we all are, 20 weeks of rewatches (plus Captain Marvel) later. A wait that felt like an eternity is now suddenly mere days away. I really enjoyed revisiting all these movies (again), and trying very hard to find new things to say. I don't know if people liked this blog series at all (I don't even know if people read this shit to begin with), but at the very least, I hope I've encouraged a few readers to check out some of the source material I've provided (via the Comics to Read section). It's a goal of mine to get more people into the wonderful world of comics, and I can only hope that at least one person was encouraged by my attempts to share this interest. I've loved comic book characters for as long as I can remember, and the MCU is a realization of a childhood dream: a blockbuster franchise that not only brings my favorite characters to life, but is nearly universally beloved by people (even by those who haven't read a single comic book). As somebody who got picked on for liking comics (among various other things), it's refreshing to see that other people have actually grown to like stuff that I've enjoyed for a long time (even if it vexes me that some individuals treat me as if I'm a gatekeeping hipster). A lot of my passions are rather niche in nature, and I'm happy that, thanks to the MCU, there's at least one passion that I can share with more than just a small online community or a handful of friends. Whether you're just as much of a comic geek as I am, or you're a casual viewer with questions (perhaps to prepare for Endgame), you can always shoot me a message if you want to talk more MCU. Heaven knows I have a lot of shit to say. In addition, I would also like to hear what you think about certain things. "Did you like the Mandarin twist or not?", for example. I'm game for any discourse (as long as it isn't mean-spirited or just looking to start shit). Anyway, whatever, you don't care about this shit. Let's all get hyped for Endgame next week, shall we? I can barely contain my excitement! - end - After a couple of hours of powering through Nintendo's server troubles, an additional hour of waiting for the download, and an entire day spent just playing the game, I can finally talk about the latest update to Smash Ultimate. BACKGROUND:
The previous update (which came during the beginning of February) didn't have much in terms of entirely new content, save for Piranha Plant, who I thought was a fun character to play as. People have been itching for V3 since the throwaway tease during February's Nintendo Direct, which revealed next to nothing. Everyone wanted to see how Joker (announced way back in December during the Game Awards) would play, and there was much speculation on new game modes. I personally wanted the former, because as somebody who's never played Persona 5, I was quite curious about this character that I've heard very little about. WHAT'S NEW: First and foremost, this update adds the game's first full DLC character: Joker from Persona 5. I know very little about Persona (or SMT, for that matter), but given the fact that Persona is more associated with Sony consoles, I recognized that Joker's addition in the roster is fucking huge. It's like when Cloud was added to Smash 4 a couple of years back: everyone was basically going "how the fuck is this even possible?" Joker himself is a fun character to play. He's fairly fast, has a decent jump, but feels below average in terms of weight (i.e. he's probably easy to KO). A lot of his normal attacks are decent, but nothing really stands out as a particularly phenomenal or terrible. His specials are fine as well; the gun is decent at tacking on damage, and the added gimmick of being able to dodge while firing (even in mid-air, where Joker essentially becomes Dante) is fun. His side-b has a surprising amount of knockback, but is mostly useful for adding extra damage. I thought his recovery being a tether grab would be troublesome, but the grappling hook has an insane amount of reach, and its added function as a command grab can lead to some useful follow-ups. That's great and all, but we're all here for Joker's gimmick, which is his ability to summon his Persona. Over time, a meter on his icon fills up slowly, and taking hits makes it fill up slightly faster. Using Joker's down-b (a damage reduction move that acts like a counter but strictly isn't a counter) fills it up even faster, which adds this risk-reward dynamic of "tank hits in exchange for Persona." Once the meter is full, Joker calls on Arsene, and as long as he's out, all his moves now have added damage. Some moves even change, like his up-b, which is now a souped-up version of Pit's recovery, and his down-b, which is now Palutena's counter/reflect. Arsene only sticks around for a short time, and once the meter goes back to zero, you must repeat the process of filling it up. Overall, I enjoy Joker as a fighter in this game. He's a very rushdown-style character, which is always fun, and there's an incentive to actually leap into the fray and get hit. The Persona gimmick is a lot of fun as well, though it's too early to say if it's "broken". Aside from combat, the character just oozes style, between his movement animations, his taunts, and even his victory screen (which I'm told is pulled straight from Persona 5). As usual, the Smash team put a lot of love into the characters, and Joker is no exception. Joker is the main dish of the first DLC, but purchasing him nets you other things as well. You get a Persona stage as well in Mementos, which looks absolutely gorgeous, but in terms of hazards and the like, it's not too exciting. You also get 11 tracks from Persona 3, 4, and 5, and holy shit, if I knew Persona music was this good, I'd have started playing those games sooner. The music has the added gimmick of changing the color of Mementos depending on the track (e.g. the stage is red when P5 music is chosen, yellow with P4, blue with P3), which is an amazing touch. With new characters, you also get a new Classic Mode route. Again, I don't know Persona 5, so I don't get the reference behind his route, but I can tell that there's a reference. It's just a shame that the final boss is just Master Hand, though. Another neat bonus of purchasing the DLC was the addition of DLC Spirits, all from Persona 5. There's an entirely separate Spirit Board just for these characters, and as somebody who enjoyed collecting every single one of these Spirits (yes, I have all of them), I'm always down for more Spirit Battles. V3's main event is Joker, but that's not all that was added in the update. The second biggest highlight is the addition of the Stage Builder, which allows you to, well, build custom stages. I didn't mess around with it too much, but from what I can tell, there are a lot of tools and options to tinker with, and when it comes to creator suites, having a shit ton of tools is the best case scenario. Another addition was the video editor, which allows you to put together multiple videos to make a highlight reel or something. It's no After Effects, but it looks like a pretty decent editor. Splitting clips seems easy, you can add scene transitions, and you can use the entirety of Smash Ultimate's soundtrack for background music? That's not bad for a rudimentary editor. Custom stages and edited videos are cool, but what's even cooler is that you can share both to the world. There's a new menu option called Shared Content which allows you to view the Miis, videos, and stages (among others) of other people. You can download their shit, or upload your own shit. Either way, this adds a whole new level of interactivity between players, and I can't wait for whatever ridiculous shit people come up with. In addition to all this new stuff within the game, the first wave of Mii Fighter costumes have come out. I'm pretty content with the Mii Fighter costumes in the base game, so I didn't really pay this news any mind. Outside of the game, the Nintendo Switch Online app has launched Smash World, which is like this mini-social media platform where you can browse the popular videos/stages/whatever of the day. It's neat, but I don't see myself using the app any more than I do right now just to see what's what. VERDICT: V3 brought us a fun new character, gave us a meaty Stage Builder, even gifted us some new Spirits, and opened the floodgates for more player-created content. As far as updates go, this is awesome. I'm gonna be busy for a while just looking at what ridiculous stages people have made. Now, if only those rumors of Persona 5 coming to Switch were true, because hot damn, Smash has once again successfully convinced me to check out a new game... - end - I've got some time until my download of Smash Ultimate's V3.0.0 update finishes, so I decided to check out this demo. BACKGROUND:
The BoxBoy series is one of my favorite small franchises to come out in recent memory. I've beaten both BoxBoy and BoxBoxBoy 100% on my 3DS, though I still have to pick up the third game. When I learned that the series was getting a game on the Switch, I was like one of five people who was excited. WHAT'S IN THE DEMO: For the unfamiliar, the BoxBoy games are puzzle platforms. You play as Qbby, and your primary solution to getting through levels is spawning boxes that you can use to create platforms, block hazards, interact with certain elements (like switches) and more. You have a limited number of boxes that you can spawn at one time, and this number varies from level to level. In this demo, you can play eight short levels, which I guess is the tutorial world of the full game. None of these levels are hard (especially if you've played a shit ton of games like these like I have), and are meant more to show you the ropes than to challenge you. There are a few new mechanics introduced in some of the levels (new hazards, colored switches, and I think box throws are new), so there's still plenty for seasoned veterans like me to get excited about. There's also a striking abundance of color in the visuals compared to the previous games, which is a welcome change of pace. Other than that, this is the BoxBoy I know and love. Fun puzzle platforming that starts out simple but can get deceptively challenging, minimalist visuals, and the rewarding optional challenges of collecting crowns and clearing the level using less than x number of boxes. You also get a tease of a story once you get to the end of the demo, but like the previous games, the story is rather simple, so it's not too much of a talking point. There's also an option to play co-op (which seems to be the big selling point of this title), but I didn't try it. I assume it's like Portal 2 where the co-op levels are completely different. VERDICT: This demo has me excited to pick this game up. I thoroughly enjoy the BoxBoy series, and I'm curious to see what wacky platforming shit they throw at us in this game. These games have always been inexpensive, so I see myself buying this whenever I have cash to spare. - end - Listen, I had to use it as a chapter title at some point. SOUNDTRACK IN VIDEO: Something would be amiss if I went on a whole thing about using amazing video game tracks for background music without mentioning Crypt of the NecroDancer. It's a brilliant hybrid of rogue-like dungeon crawlers and move-to-the-beat rhythm games, and this unique concept elevated it as one of my all-time favorite rogue-like games. Of course, a good rhythm game should have an awesome soundtrack to back it up, and NecroDancer is no different. I picked out the lobby music (named Rhythmortis; there are more grade-A puns in the soundtrack like that) because it's the one track that consistently gets stuck in my head. You can play Crypt of the NecroDancer on Steam, and enjoy its soundtrack on Spotify. COLOR CHOICE: When I was preparing paper for this project, the first piece of paper I cut into a square was some random bond paper with shit printed on it. I kinda felt bad that I still haven't used it yet, so I resolved to use it for this one. DIFFICULTY: Another beginner-level butterfly. Just have a pair of scissors handy and you're good to go. INSTRUCTION SOURCE: FabricOrigami.com, which is the site listed in the diagram, no longer exists. I grabbed the instructions from an archived version of the site on Wayback Machine. I did try to do some digging on those archives, but couldn't find anything on who designed this butterfly. OTHER THINGS: The "tails" of the lower wings are loose flaps, so you might want to consider securing them with glue or other adhesives. THE WALL'S PROGRESS: - end -
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June 2024
Derryck
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