To celebrate the Avengers game coming out this week, it's only right that I read an Avengers comic. This is one I'm super thrilled to read about, and I hope that enthusiasm translates in this post. BACKGROUND:
Although I am usually unable to follow comic runs that were released recently (mostly because I cannot afford to buy them), I was somewhat aware of this Avengers run due to the marketing and online discussion. I looked a bunch of the art, read a few articles on it, and was fascinated by what I saw. Based on that, I am very excited to be able to finally read this in full. THE WRITING: The Avengers are currently on hiatus, with its various members dealing with the fallout of past comic events. Tony Stark's just gotten back from a coma (which happened around the time of Civil War II; I don't recall at the moment), Cap's back to normal (after the Secret Empire debacle that turned him HYDRA), Thor's reclaimed his worthiness (after Jane Foster's run as the goddess of thunder), She-Hulk is back to being Jen Walters after losing control, and Captain Marvel is in space working with Alpha Flight. Other characters (like T'Challa, Doctor Strange, and Robbie Reyes) are also present. They're all in different places character-wise, but that isn't explored much here, if at all. Bringing them all together is a calamity of cosmic proportions: Celestials (giant god-like beings from outer space) are falling from the sky, causing massive damage to cities below. What's worse, freaky alien bug creatures are popping out of the ground, wreaking havoc wherever they go. And if you think that's bad, a group of Dark Celestials called the Final Host is here to wipe out the planet. Sounds like another day at the office for Earth's Mightiest Heroes, right? While it seems the current crisis seems random, it isn't. Turns out, Loki is behind all of this, and his machinations reveal a mind-blowing truth that makes the entire Marvel Universe make sense. You may have wondered how there seems to be a disproportionate number of superpowered beings on Earth (Spider-Man, Daredevil, all the mutants, the Hulk, and more); well, this comic reveals the reason why it's so commonplace, and the answer blew my fucking mind. This reveal takes the whole Earth bias of Marvel heroes and has it make complete sense in-universe, so not only was the reveal itself cool, but it satisfied me in a world-building sense. An equally awesome revelation is that the Avengers of present day weren't the first superhero team in Earth's history to defend the planet. No, that honor belongs to the ragtag team from 1,000,000 years ago, which had the likes of Odin (in his prime), the first Black Panther, the first Iron Fist, the earliest known Ghost Rider, an early bearer of the Starbrand, Agamotto himself (the first Sorcerer Supreme), and a host of the Phoenix Force. The idea of a prehistoric Avengers was so cool to me when it was first revealed, and seeing them in action in this comics was as amazing as I hoped it would be. The ancient Avengers are also integral to the main plot, as their greatest battle is directly connected to all the Celestial business that Loki brought about in the present. It also adds an entirely new layer to Odin's character, as well as enhances the legacy of time-honored Marvel mantles (like Iron Fist, Black Panther, Ghost Rider, and more). Though their appearance is quite brief, the Eternals are also involved in the story, which make sense given they are products of Celestial experimentation themselves. They don't factor into the plot all that much (save for one pivotal moment at the end, and the fact at they hint at a later plot point), but I'm glad they were included in this Celestial-heavy storyline. The comic has fun action moments all throughout (like She-Hulk vs. Ghost Rider), but it's toward the end where all the amazing shit happens. Iron Man's new armor is incredible, Thor and She-Hulk kick humongous ass, and Ghost Rider does the sickest goddamn thing in Ghost Rider history. For the most part, the comic is the Avengers struggling to fight against invulnerable giants (which adds a whole "can they ever hope to win" vibe to the story), and that is something I hope to see in a movie during my lifetime. I also loved the little references in the last issue to other Marvel characters, with the likes of Man-Thing and Black Knight seemingly sensing the impending cataclysm. It really hammers home how impactful the events are when folks are praying to Khonshu and the Shi'ar are looking on from afar helplessly. THE ART: Since a small assortment of artists did art for this volume, there is some variety to the approaches to shading and outlining, but overall, the art looks great, has a decent amount of detail, and boasts some nice coloring. Personally, I really like the shading in the FCBD comic (which is included in this collection). VERDICT: I had an absolute blast reading this Avengers comic, to the point that I can say that it's up there as one of my absolute favorite comics of these weekly lockdown reading sessions. It had the perfect mix of massive superhero action, brilliant world-building that enhances the Marvel Universe, a great roster of characters (both the present day Avengers and the prehistoric ones), and solid art. Highly recommended for anybody looking for a recent Avengers run to dive into, especially those who are interested in the minutiae of Marvel lore. Read Avengers: The Final Host on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Avengers-by-Jason-Aaron-Vol-1-The-Final-Host/digital-comic/703729?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS90cmFkZUl0ZW0 If you're on the fence, you can read Marvel's FCBD 2018 Avengers comic for free (which, as mentioned previously, is part of this collection): https://m.comixology.com/Free-Comic-Book-Day-2018-Avengers-Captain-America-1/digital-comic/679375?ref=c2VyaWVzL3ZpZXcvbW9iaWxlL3NsaWRlckxpc3QvSXNzdWVz - end -
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I have quite the read for this week; nearly 400 pages, in fact. With the end of Agents of SHIELD still fresh on my mind, I thought this would be a somewhat appropriate read in honor of the show. BACKGROUND:
I've only ever been vaguely familiar with Deathlok until the first season of Agents of SHIELD adapted his character for TV and properly put him on my radar. At that point, I started reading more about him, and have since learned more. I've never encountered this run of comics, however, so this is a blind read. THE WRITING: This collection has a whopping 16 issues in it, each containing all sorts of stories featuring Michael Collins as Deathlok. Some are tied to his origins as a Cybertek project, others include guest appearances from various characters, and a few are weird side adventures. Apart from the issues explicitly labelled as part of a story arc, these are mostly standalone affairs. Although you don't see the actual origins of Deathlok here, it is described quite well that you don't have to seek out the original issues unless you want to see it for yourself. In some of the issues, it is shown that Michael Collins wasn't the first Deathlok, something I was aware of, but have never explored in the comics. The stories where Deathlok meets up with other Marvel characters is pretty fun. He gets to team up with Misty Knight, talk to Mr. Fantastic, go toe-to-toe with Ghost Rider, and argue morality with the Punisher. Nick Fury even shows up to help Deathlok out in certain situations. It's always cool to see lesser-known characters interact with more well-known names, and it makes me wish Deathlok showed up in the movies. Deathlok faces off against a good variety of villains in these issues. Some are connected to his Cybertek origins, like the awesome Warwolf and the grotesque Biohazard, while others are villains from elsewhere in the Marvel Universe (like Silvermane, as well as Nightmare, which was interesting to read about considering the supernatural nature of the character). One of the more interesting ones was Mechadoom, a machine connected to none other than Doctor Doom himself, and his encounter with Deathlok provided some poignant philosophical musings. As a character, Deathlok is a compelling one to read about. His eternal struggle to defy his programming as a killing machine is engaging, and seeing him always take the high road (despite being constantly nudged to use lethal force) cements him as a hero. His condition has also driven him away from his wife and child, and it's heartbreaking to see him desperately find a way to return to his human body just so he can be with them again. I also quite enjoy his banter with the Deathlok operating system, and his very human responses to the cold, emotionless programming of his cyborg frame was rather endearing. Deathlok has meaningful interactions with various characters, like Misty Knight (who, to a lesser extent, is a cyborg herself, and they connect over that), Punisher (who, once again, is the "extreme vigilantism" foil to the more straight-and-narrow character), and even villains like Mechadoom, Nightmare, and Biohazard (who put him in a position to be introspective and contemplate his condition). His bonds with characters like Jesus (his roommate/not-sideckick, not the son of God) and his family also provide a good helping of nice character moments. The comic does not shy away from the fact that Collins is black, and some of the issues tackle race despite not being the main focus of the stories. In terms of real-world themes, there's a bigger emphasis on "violence is not the answer," which is the crux of Deathlok's character. The Deathlok Annual comic is also in this book, and it's a series of short stories that don't really tie into anything or progress the narrative. The longest one is a weird time travel story where he finds himself in a Skynet-esque dystopia, which was interesting. The others are much shorter, but the one I liked the most was the story where Deathlok had a dream that his son took him to Show and Tell at his school. It's as weird as it sounds. THE ART: This run of Deathlok has this classic comic feel: relatively simple colors and shading, but a decent amount of detail in terms of lines and faces. Despite these comics being published in the '90s, the art reminded me of art styles from before then, and I mean that in a good way. Deathlok's overall design is cool, but both in the writing and the art, the fact that his face is sort of grotesque is highlighted, which makes him seem like a bigger monster than he actually is. The freakier designs are still the villains, as the like of Nightmare and Biohazard looks rather monstrous (especially the latter; that thing looked fucking disgusting). VERDICT: Deathlok: The Souls of Cyber-Folk is an enjoyable collection of comics starring the cyborg himself; the protagonist is engaging to read about both in terms of action and character, the stories have a lot of variety and feature interesting villains, the guest appearances are substantial and not just cameos, and the themes are meaningful food for thought. Apart from the debut comics, I cannot think of a better jumping-in point for the Deathlok character; if you're curious about this guy (especially coming off Agents of SHIELD), this is the book for you. Read Deathlok: The Souls of Cyber-Folk on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Deathlok-The-Souls-Of-Cyber-Folk/digital-comic/177278?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS90cmFkZUl0ZW0 - end - As the COVID era of wrestling continues to be fucking weird, NXT hits a milestone as it holds its 30th Takeover event. No way I'm missing out on this one!
There still isn't a proper Nintendo Direct in this shitshow of a year, but there have still been mini presentations throughout 2020 to keep me satiated. I'll be talking about the latest one today.
Lastly, we have a trailer showing off a free update adding two-player to the indie sensation Untitled Goose Game. Still need to play that for myself. They also mention that there's a sale on indie games on the eShop. Oh god, I'm too broke for this shit. Though there are a bunch of things still MIA in this presentation (Silksong, Axiom Verge 2, to name a couple), I thought this was still a solid showcase. There were a few high-profile announcements, a good variety of genres, and a surprising amount of shadow drops. I got Hades, so I was already happy no matter what else came after.
- end - I'm quite excited to talk about this week's read, as it's a comic I ended up really liking. Let's begin. BACKGROUND:
Being a character who is a) hasn't been that prominent in the comics and b) relatively recent in terms of conception, I don't know a great deal about Blue Marvel. Thankfully, this comic series is his debut appearance, so I have the perfect opportunity to learn about him. THE WRITING: After a battle with a seemingly new supervillain named Anti-Man nearly kills the Avengers, Tony Stark's search for a solution leads him to learn about Blue Marvel, a hero from the '60s who was able to defeat Anti-Man back in the day. He had not been seen since 1962, and Stark uncovers the unsettling truth about his disappearance. Though there are plenty of superhero fisticuffs to be had in this book, that was far from the most engaging thing in the story. The circumstances behind Blue Marvel's disappearance takes center stage, and the reasons behind it made for a compelling read. Instead of being some supernatural or sci-fi mystery, the truth behind Blue Marvel's disappearance is one brought about by the messed up sociopolitical climate of the '60s: Blue Marvel is black, and the US government demanded he retire in order to "ease racial tensions". I recognize that bringing this reveal up is possibly the biggest spoiler for the book, but it's this reveal that really sold me on the story. The story a sobering look at how much of a mess racial issues in America are (especially during that time), and it was difficult not to feel furious for Blue Marvel as he is reduced to "black man" despite having been a respected hero, a brilliant scientist, and a veteran of the Korean war (who saved his comrades from certain death, no less). Bigotry remains a big problem in today's society, and this comic highlights that well by having a straight up superhero not be immune to such prejudice. There are a lot of perspectives on the whole situation coming from various characters, from Iron Man's need to apologize to Blue Marvel over everything (to which the latter responds that he doesn't want to hear apologies for sins the former didn't commit), Mr. Fantastic's insight on how prejudice still exists even in present day (citing the double standard between the Avengers, who are respected heroes, and the X-Men, who are feared for being mutants despite also being heroes), Namor's disagreement with Blue Marvel's decision to acquiesce to the government, and even Anti-Man's extreme approach to eradicating bigotry. Of course, it is the views of Blue Marvel himself that should take center stage (his philosophy despite all the shit he's been through is truly commendable), but I found it interesting nonetheless to see how other characters get frustrated at how badly Blue Marvel was screwed over for something so insignificant as skin color. In terms of world-building, this book doesn't really expand the Marvel mythos, but Blue Marvel is immediately established as an important figure. His origin is tied to the Negative Zone (classic Marvel dimension), he's had encounters with Uatu the Watcher and Namor, SHIELD was (unwillingly) involved in the government's move to force him into retirement, and one Bolivar Trask appears in a flashback. There are also no tie-ins to previous events, so this is an easy book to jump into. THE ART: Although I can't say much about the style, the art is pretty solid, boasting a decent amount of detail and excellent shading. Most of the characters have ridiculously well-defined muscles, which I found amusing. VERDICT: I really enjoyed Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel. The story and struggles of its main character was poignant, compelling, and is still very much relevant in today's sociopolitical climate. Some people claim comics don't have stories with depth or maturity, and this is yet another counterexample to that claim, as it tackles racial issues head-on while still having the superhero action one would expect from Marvel. I highly recommend this comic, especially for anybody who seeks comics with more serious themes. Check out this full collection on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/Adam-Legend-of-the-Blue-Marvel/digital-comic/139216?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS9zbGlkZXJMaXN0L2l0ZW1TbGlkZXI - end - I haven't been in the mood to watch any show since the pandemic started, but I knew I had to be there for the final season of Agents of SHIELD, one of my all-time favorite shows. I just finished the series finale, and I want to take this opportunity to reflect on the series as a whole. After a wild ride through space and time, the S7 finale sees the culmination of the battle between SHIELD and the Chronicoms. To say anything more than that is serious spoiler territory, but goddamn, the action, the suspense, the emotions... they all delivered in my book. S7 overall shaped up to be much stronger than the previous season. Although S6 had its amazing moments, it had the misfortune of both being truncated to 13 episodes, as well as following up S5 (which would have made for a satisfactory series ending if the show had been cancelled). The chase through time in this season gave me something I've always wanted from the MCU: a look at mostly-unexplored eras in its timeline. I'd say the only real gripe I had is with the villains; I didn't really care about their motivations or endgame, but they sufficed as a seemingly insurmountable threat the team may not be able to beat. Speaking of the MCU, it is no secret that the show's connection to the movies has become less and less tangible over the years (no thanks to the schism between Marvel Studios and Marvel TV), but the one-way connections in this season still had me excited. The bombshell reveal in the finale actually ties in with one of the latest Avengers movies (something S5 wasn't able to do with Infinity War, and again in S6 with Endgame), and it actually answers the eternal "is it canon" question in a neat and tidy way (whether or not it's satisfying is up for debate). Perhaps the show's strongest connection to other Marvel properties is the massive tie-in to the Agent Carter series (which is technically canon if the Endgame cameo of Edwin Jarvis is to be believed). If you're somewhat aware of this show, you may already know what I'm talking about, but I won't speak of it any further in case you don't. All I'll say is that it was a brilliant addition to the show. In relation to previous seasons, S7 made plenty of meaningful callbacks to older story arcs without feeling like glorified references or cameos. Stuff from all the way back from S1 and S2 were referenced, and they actually added to the overarching narrative. Sadly, not everything was referenced, but that's OK, as some of those threads have been resolved neatly in other seasons (in my mind, at least). The only real thing that went completely unaddressed was the cliffhanger from S3, but I don't really know how that would fit in anyway. My journey with Agents of SHIELD has been an interesting one. I remember first hearing about this show and being skeptical over the fact that Coulson's death from Avengers 1 was undone. Then it was made known that this show would be MCU canon and connect to the movies. And then S1 came and the references I was looking for weren't as strong as I expected (in the show's defense, my expectations at the time were a little unreasonable), so I ended up only casually watching the show as opposed to being super into it. I decided to stick it out through S1, and I couldn't be happier that I did, as the tie-in to Winter Soldier completely changed the complexion of the show from the usual "case-of-the-week" formula to "oh fuck what's gonna happen next?". At that moment, I was all in, and every season after, while not perfect, managed to blow me away with cool storylines with all sorts of different scenarios. Throughout all that, I got more into the characters who weren't Coulson, and now some of these folks are among my favorites in any TV show. There are plenty of things I wish the show handled better (stuff like Mockingbird and Hunter's departure, some of the stuff with Ward, among other things), but I found myself enjoying the highs way more than I was bothered with the lows. To name a few, I liked how S2 ramped up the spy vs. spy action, how S5 handled time travel (and how it resolved the Graviton plot thread that went unresolved since S1), and how S4 (up there as one of my all-time favorite seasons of any TV show ever) was split into three arcs that featured the supernatural, the sci-fi, and psychological trauma all rolled into one neat package. Even if the references to the movies are few and far between, the few that do exist still made me happy. The rare Nick Fury appearance, Sif teaming up with the agents, cute references and name-drops.... they all brought me delight despite not being the big "it's all connected" conceit the marketing promised everyone. I never did get an Agent 13 guest appearance, or specific references to Hank Pym's SHIELD days, but thinking about moments like S2 directly connecting to Age of Ultron, or S4 using Doctor Strange visuals for key moments still feels rewarding as a fan. It's not just the movies this show showed love to; it took some stuff directly from the comics and really made it their own. The biggest one was their handling of the Inhumans in S2, and while no characters from Attilan were involved at all, I was still very happy with how they adapted this classic corner of Marvel lore into the show (even using it to elevate one of the main characters). They also gave us unique takes on classic but relatively obscure comic characters, like Absorbing Man, Deathlok, Slingshot, Lash, Mr. Hyde, and even fucking Ghost Rider. They also took on other things from the comics outside of characters, like the show's use of the Kree, incorporating the Darkhold, creating a short-lived version of the Secret Warriors, and the amazing story arc in S4 revolving around the LMDs. In short, my comic geek side was satisfied. Like most people who first got into the show, I was most interested in Coulson. As time went on however, I found myself more and more attached to the rest of the cast. Daisy's (FKA Skye) transformation from renegade to hero was satisfying to watch, May is a cool take on the silent badass but still had depth to her character, and Fitz & Simmons the science duo were delightful to watch. The last one is a standout to me, as those two characters had a romance that even I (someone usually averse to romance) was really rooting for and enjoyed watching. Even characters who were introduced later (like Deke, Enoch, Mack, etc.) were made compelling, and there were very few I could say weren't interesting, or were underutilized. It's kind of bizarre to see this show end. S1 began when I was a freshman in college, and now it's a new decade (and everything sucks, but that's beside the point). SHIELD was under threat of cancellation so many times that it still blows my mind that the show got to end on its own terms. Hell, it managed to outlive every other Marvel TV show, making it both the beginning and the end of the Marvel TV era of the 2010s (which had the rise and fall of the Netflix series, Cloak and Dagger, Runaways, and... Inhumans). It really felt like a fixture of my life through college, and I'm quite sad to see it go. But hey, at least it wasn't cancelled! Honestly, there is so much more I can say about this show, like some of its standout episodes (like 3,722 Hours, or As I Have Always Been), how much I enjoyed the Monolith stuff (despite the weird execution of it in S6), or how well they did to cement HYDRA as an omnipresent threat, but I don't want to pad this post out too long. The last thing I want to say is: please watch this show if you are interested. Whether it's because you heard the positive buzz, or you're a fan of the MCU, I think you owe it to yourself to check it out. I fucking love this show, and I feel obligated to recommend it to as many people as I can.
Also: special shoutout to Sam for encouraging me to stick with the show. Glad I heeded your advice. - end - Another week, another read. You know the drill by now. ![]() Publisher: Dark Horse | Writers: Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Tom Sniegos-Ki, Brian McDonald, Miles Gunter, Michael Avon Oeming, Brian Augustyn, Geoff Johns, Scott Kolins, Joe Harris | Artists: Mike Mignola, Ryan Sook, Curtis Arnold, Matt Smith, Derek Thompson, Michael Avon Oeming, Guy Davis, Scott Kolins, Dave Stewart, Adam Pollina, Guillermo Zubiaga, Cameron Stewart | Contains: BPRD: Hollow Earth (and Other Stories), BPRD: The Soul of Venice (and Other Stories), BPRD: Plague of Frogs BACKGROUND:
I've discussed my familiarity with Hellboy in my blog entry on Seed of Destruction (which you can find here), so I won't repeat myself on that front. All I will add is that, apart from a few Lobster Johnson comics, I haven't read many Hellboy spinoff comics. THE WRITING: This book is actually a collection of multiple stories, including the titular Plague of Frogs. The first big story is Hollow Earth, which sees the BPRD team rescue Liz Sherman after her pilgrimage to a monastery goes horribly wrong. The second is called Soul of Venice, where the team investigates disturbing goings-on in the Italian city. Lastly, Plague of Frogs builds upon events that occurred in Seed of Destruction to bring back a familiar threat into the fold. Plague of Frogs was the standout in my eyes, as it's a decently long story with a lot of interesting bits of lore, but the other two stories had plenty to offer themselves. Hollow Earth was interesting from a character standpoint, as it sees the fallout of Hellboy leaving the BPRD, and how that affected the other members. Soul of Venice had a sense of mystery to it, as it hinted at Roger having a bigger role in the overarching story than I initially assumed, which I hope to explore in later books. Although this is very much set in the Hellboy universe, the man himself is nowhere to be found here (apart from the occasional flashback). The stars of the show this time around are his fellow BPRD investigators: Abe Sapien, Liz Sherman, Roger the homunculus, Dr. Kate Corrigan, and Johann Kraus. Everyone gets a bit of time to shine and show their character (apart from Kate, perhaps), but you'll see the most out of Abe in this collection. Abe's origins have always been rather mysterious, but it's finally revealed (somewhat) in Plague of Frogs, and the significance of that cannot be understated. While the other characters were introduced within the pages of Hellboy books and have had some of their growth happen there, Johann Kraus makes his debut in Hollow Earth. His origins were super fascinating to me, and it puts him in a rather interesting position in terms of his character and personality. I also just think his entire concept and design (an incorporeal spirit of sorts housed in a suit) is awesome. Aside from the three story arcs I mentioned, there are also a small assortment of one-shots in the collection. These are short stories featuring the other BPRD members in case-of-the-week situations, and I found them just as enjoyable as the proper story arcs due to their wildly varied scenarios (like evil stuffed toys taking children, or perfectly preserved corpses from the witch trial days). There are even a couple of stories that star Lobster Johnson, which is neat. Of all these one-shots, I'd say Drums of the Dead was my favorite; the circumstances surrounding the paranormal activity in that story felt poignant to me. None of the stories are really tied strongly in terms of each event building upon the last. That said, one can sense the passage of time as you go through the book; it begins with Hollow Earth (where, at the end, Liz returns to the BPRD after her departure), goes into Soul of Venice (Liz is back as a full-time agent), and then into Plague of Frogs (Roger is seen reading about something he saw in Venice). Most of the cases BPRD tackles in this book are not connected, but there's still a sense of structure thanks to elements like this that help readers place events in a chronological order. THE ART: As this is a collection of several stories as opposed to a regular graphic novel with a singular creative team, this book features a wide assortment of artists and writers. To my understanding, these were among the first Hellboy spinoffs where Mike Mignola let other creators have a go at the art, so seeing familiar characters in different art styles was quite the treat. Some of the stories still had direct artistic input from Mignola, so his style is not completely absent (see: Killer in My Skull), but the others feature a dramatic shift in style. A couple lean more into detail and realism (Night Train, Drums of the Dead), while others had a more distinct look that felt cartoony in a good way (Dark Waters, There's Something Under My Bed). VERDICT: I thought BPRD: Plague of Frogs Vol. 1 was an excellent collection of comics: its major story arcs were engaging and helped flesh out the Hellboy universe, the one-shots were entertaining and had all sorts of interesting scenarios, a lot of the secondary characters in the Hellboy books got some time in the limelight (especially Abe Sapien), and the variety of art styles was a delight to see. This is highly recommended for anybody who is a fan of or is getting into the Hellboy comics; the stories and characters still feel interesting even without Big Red himself, so they're still worth reading. Plus, if you're a relative newcomer to the series, it's a great place to see the secondary characters in action and get to know them a little bit better. You can read this collection on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/B-P-R-D-Plague-of-Frogs-Vol-1/digital-comic/229948?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS9zbGlkZXJMaXN0L2l0ZW1TbGlkZXI - end - The promised August update for Animal Crossing is here, which means more stuff for me to check out! Let's go over what 1.4 brought us this time around. BACKGROUND:
Last month, we got the 1.3 update (which I discussed here), and it added small but meaningful changes to the game. At the end of the reveal for that update, another update for August was announced. Well, it's August, and here it is. WHAT'S NEW: Dreaming Your bed actually has a use now! Starting in 1.4, lying down on bed-type furniture allows you to go to sleep. Once you do, you enter a realm of dreams, where you meet Luna the tapir. She tells you that in this dimension, you can visit the islands of other people (and vice versa). This feature was in New Leaf, and was referred to as the Dream Suite. It basically lets you visit other people's islands without the user actually being online to open gates and host you. In the dream version of the island, you are free to roam around, and anything you do in there will not reflect on the other person's island. You can also upload an instance of your island so that other folks can visit whenever you aren't active. As it is, it's not really an engaging feature. It's pretty much the same as properly visiting islands, except there's less to do (e.g. you can't shop or fish), and the social aspect of interacting with others is removed. The fun of it lies more on exploring the islands of complete strangers you're otherwise unable to connect with and appreciating the work they've done decorating the place. Unless you've been living under a rock, you're probably somewhat aware of how massive an online phenomenon this game is, and this feature capitalizes on that by giving players a new, more involved way to enjoy the content they see on Reddit or Twitter. The process of dreaming requires you to have a unique code for the island you want to visit, so I basically have to know of an island's existence so that I can visit it. The reverse is also true; if you want people to check out your island, you have to put your code out there. That's all well and good, but I would like it if there were a "visit random island" feature; it feels more in the spirit of dreams if you don't know what you're getting into. Alternatively, a basic search engine would be nice; just look up islands by username/island name, or perhaps implement a category system where islands have specific tags to them. As much as I enjoy perusing the Animal Crossing subreddit and finding dream codes to check out, it would probably be better to have various ways to find dream islands available in the game itself. Overall, I like that this feature is back, but it's not one I see myself using often. If I find an island that looks interesting online, or a celebrity/person whose work I admire shares their island, I'll check it out. Otherwise, I'll stick to "real-world" visits where I can get into stupid shenanigans with friends. Fireworks Show The last patch didn't have a limited-time event like the spring update, but this one does. On every Sunday in August, a fireworks display will be held from 7PM to midnight. Throughout that time, the skies will be illuminated with dazzling fireworks, and your villagers will be out and about enjoying the show. It's really pleasant to look at, and the cheery music complements the overall positive vibe. Now, there is more to do than just look at the pretty lights. Throughout the show, criminal bastard Redd will be in the plaza holding a raffle. You can pay 500 Bells to test your luck, and you can win one of 12 items each time. The items range from sparklers, fountain fireworks, bubble blowers, fans pinwheels, tweeters, and balloons. Unlike previous limited-time items, these raffle rewards aren't decorative items like furniture, or exclusive clothing pieces. These are purely novelties that you can play around with. They serve no real function other than to provide amusement with cute animations and flashy lights (as they probably would in real life). Items like that probably seem pointless in most video games, but it works incredibly well here. They just provide you with a fun thing to do while enjoying the fireworks, and isn't fun what video games are all about? In a shocking turn of events, Isabelle gets something to do other than sit behind her desk at Resident Services during the fireworks show. Every Sunday, she will give you a neat bopper headband that you can wear, and there are four designs to collect. You can also talk to her to set up your custom designs to appear as fireworks! This feature is pretty awesome, and seeing my pixel art patterns show up in the sky as fireworks is satisfying. It really adds a personal touch to the fireworks display, and encourages creativity. Based on content, the fireworks shows seem like a nothing event; the items aren't exactly must-have collectibles, and there's little else to it but looking at the sky. Despite this, it's still one of the most delightful things I've ever experienced in this game. The fireworks look wonderful (and I can make my own designs), the novelty items are silly fun, and it was charming to see majority of my villagers all in one place cheering and clapping at the fireworks display. I even played a session in multiplayer, and all of us were having a blast just holding balloons and waving sparklers. Maybe it's just that the depressing news cycle over the past few months has broken me to the point that the shallowest of amusements bring me immeasurable joy, but this event just has a certain je ne sais quoi to it that puts a stupid grin on my face. Maybe I just like fireworks. I don't know. Other things Per usual, I don't know the full scope of changes outside of what I've observed, so I'll stick to stuff that I've encountered personally. I'm sure the dataminers have found more shit, so just go look up their findings if you want definitive information. A "mechanic" was added that causes your character to trip. Yes, trip as in "fall over and fully eat shit on the pavement." This can happen when you run around holding a balloon, or you put on the King Tut mask (which is a new DIY clothing item introduced in this patch). As of now, it seems to be a feature purely to appease the schadenfreude crowd (which does include me), but it may hint at a returning feature: luck. In previous games, your character had random luck each day, and this affected certain actions. If you had bad luck, you are more likely to trip, you're more likely to fish out garbage items, and your villagers may even avoid you. I somewhat like the idea of a whack-ass luck mechanic returning and causing chaos (even though it may end up annoying me), so I hope the fact that tripping is back is a sign of things to come. Another cool quality-of-life feature they added is the ability to toggle off the UI in camera mode. Previously, this was achieved through a glitch, and people used this in order to put together cinematic video clips (among other things). In a succeeding update, the glitch was patched out (to the chagrin of players), but now it has returned as a proper feature. I'm glad the devs did that, as it makes recording video clips much nicer. It also shows that they are, on some level, paying attention to player feedback. One thing I forgot to mention in the previous updates was the rotation of seasonal items in the Nook Shopping catalog that are updated each patch. These items coincide with real-life holidays (only becoming available to purchase around the date it happens in real time), and feature all sorts of exclusive decorations and clothing. They've put in some really inspired choices each time they update the seasonal catalog (including items pertaining to holidays I've never even heard of), and it has me excited to see what's coming in the coming months. Lastly, a save data backup feature has finally been added for this game. Animal Crossing was not compatible with Switch Online's cloud saves feature (presumably to prevent forms of cheating), and now they've introduced a similar feature that is completely separate from that (but still requires a Switch Online subscription). It's a nice insurance policy that really should have been here from the start, and I can't help but feel for people who a) lost data before this patch, and b) can't really afford a Switch Online subscription. In my case, I now have one less thing to worry about should my Switch explode sponatenously. Nintendo also hinted at an upcoming save transfer feature coming in a future update, which, again, wasn't available at launch. It's really strange how keen they are to preserve the Animal Crossing experience at the expense of significant quality-of-life features. One can't help but wonder if there's a better way to handle all this, but this is Nintendo, and it wouldn't be Nintendo if online features made any sense. VERDICT: Truth be told, the 1.4 update for New Horizons isn't as robust in terms of content compared to previous updates. I don't really use the dream stuff apart from updating the dream version of my island, and the fireworks show is a pretty straightforward event with little to do. Even so, I'm still quite happy with this patch; I found myself pleased as punch with all the fireworks stuff, and dreaming is a fantastic feature for exploring and appreciating creativity from all around the world. This probably won't feel substantial to players who want actual new shit to do, and likely won't pull back lapsed players for more than a few days, but I personally wouldn't call this a lackluster update by any means. While not an actual gameplay addition, the save data backup feature is really appreciated, but it only appearing now (with save transfer on the way) raises more concerns with how Nintendo's handling the online side of their games. That said, the fact that these features exist at all does seem to indicate that they're taking (painfully slow) steps to do better in that department. Regardless on how you may feel about this patch, the next update is confirmed to come in the fall, and that has the potential to be big. Based on the Halloween tease, it may not come until October, so there may be a bit of a content drought heading into September. P.S. If you also play the game, go check out my island via dreaming. The Dream Address is on the image above. It won't be as impressive as some of the islands you've seen online, but I hope you'll like it nonetheless. - end - It's August and shit still sucks. Time to distract myself yet again with another comic read. BACKGROUND:
This is another blind read for me, as I've never heard of this comic. THE WRITING: Erik is a 12-year-old boy who's run away from home for ressons that are unclear. When he wakes up after falling asleep under a rock, he finds that he is no longer in our world, but in a strange dimension filled with fantastical creatures. This world is unfortunately not as idyllic as I make it sound, as it is ruled by an evil dragon thing named Baalikar, who rules with an iron fist and sends his lieutenant Doctor Once to perform wicked experiments on the inhabitants and pit them against each other in gladitorial combat. Right off the bat, there's a lot going on, and the potential for world-building is sky-high. Erik immediately encounters the antagonists and discovers the awful status quo, meets various characters who seem friendly, and learns that this world is a hodgepodge of other worlds. I found myself rather intrigued, especially by the fact that this place appears to have geographical similarities to Manhattan, and the fact that Erik appears to be the only human here. As a character, Erik himself is quite interesting. The exact circumstances behind why he runs away from home are not revealed, but it is made clear that he feels strongly about doing it. He also loses most of his memory from his old life once he enters this new world, leaving all of that to remain a mystery for thr time being. His internal dialogue reveals a level of maturity that isn't usually common for kids his age, as he ruminates about living and learning, making decisions, and more depending on the situation he finds himself in. I found myself rooting for the kid largely because of this; he's not afraid to acknowledge his flaws, he shows compassion towards these people he's only just met, and displays courage and even intelligence in dangerous situations. A lot of the things he says are surprisingly profound, too, which was not I epxected going into something that was marketed as an all-ages book. Though Erik is the character focused on the most, a bit of time is spent to establish a few others. Doctor Once is immediately built as a cruel scientist with very little regard for the well-being of others. Morgan and Thea, two warriors that Erik meets early on, are given distinct personalities, and it seems they're being built as his long-term allies. Later on, Erik meets Raj Nod, king of the Groundlings, and the backstory of their people is interesting (and even expands upon the world-building a little bit). The book is unfortunately a little short to learn a whole lot about these other characters, but I hope later volumes expand upon them. While it's probably inevitable that Erik and Baalikar will end up being the main conflict, the story doesn't rush itself and lets Erik get his bearings in this new world. The book focuses more on having Erik learn what's going on (along with the reader) and be more concerned about his immediate survival. Even so, the story gives Erik a few significant opportunities to forge some potential alliances, establish a conflict between him and Doctor Once, and slowly build up to the notion that he may become the hero this realm needs. THE ART: A lot of the art has this "rough sketch" texture to it, and I mean that in a good way. This quality combined with the darker tones and shading, as well as a decent level of detail give the world a somewhat gritty vibe, which contrasts the inherently fantastical setting but complements the slightly serious plot. The character designs really shine here, and there's plenty to like in that department. Baalikar looks absolutely imposing (and badass), Morgan looks like a cool take on an aquatic warrior race, Thea has a design that highlights her status as royalty (and has cool wings), and Doctor Once and his minions look fiendish and grotesque. All these unique-looking characters ironically help make Erik stand out, as he just looks like a regular human wearing street clothes. The design of the locations are pretty interesting as well, as it really highlights the "patchwork" nature of this strange world. The few areas you get to see are overrun by forests and rock formations, but it is clear that elements of Manhattan still remain, as skyscrapers like the Empire State Building are still present, towering over the place. The arena where most of the fighting happens appears to be based on Central Park, and the Groundling kingdom feels like a steampunk version of Grand Central Station. This is only the first volume, but I'm already impressed with what I see both in terms of character design and environment design, and I'm sure it's expanded upon in later volumes. VERDICT: The Only Living Boy has a lot going for it: it features a young, but surprisingly well-rounded protagonist in Erik, a strange, mysterious world with a lot of potential for world-building, and introduces characters with inspired designs. The story is still in its early phases, with few characters other than Erik getting screen time, and the central conflict not fully established, but it seems evident that the creators are building up to this slowly. I enjoyed what I read here, and if I get the chance, I will gladly read the later volumes of this comic. Here's The Only Living Boy on Comixology: https://m.comixology.com/The-Only-Living-Boy-Vol-1-Prisoner-of-the-Patchwork-Planet/digital-comic/337771?ref=c2VhcmNoL2luZGV4L21vYmlsZS9zbGlkZXJMaXN0L2l0ZW1TbGlkZXI - end - There's another Switch Online Game Trials game, and you bet your ass I've played it. It's time to talk about Pokkén! BACKGROUND:
Pokkén was a pretty big deal around five years ago; its existence was heavily rumored thanks to a leak and the excitement around it online was palpable. I remember being pretty hyped myself at the time with the idea of a Pokémon fighting game. The original game came out for the Wii U, but I never bought it. There was a demo for it, though, and I played that briefly. I remember being confused by the gameplay, so I ended up not playing a lot of it. In 2017, Pokkén was given a definitive edition on the Switch, because every Wii U game has to have a Switch port, I guess. Now, thanks to Switch Online's Game Trials program, I have the opportunity to give this game a proper chance. PLOT: You're a nameless trainer in the Ferrum Region. Like any place in the Pokémon universe, training and battling Pokémon are a thing here, but they take a wildly different form in this place. Instead of the usual turn-based action you may be used to, Battle Trainers pair up with Pokémon through the power of Synergy Stones to fight opponents in high-octane arena battles. It's like Pacific Rim, but instead of a robot, you're essentially piloting a Pokémon (well, sort of; the Pokémon still has a sense of agency). Helping you on your journey is Nia, who is mostly the game's tutorial in character form. You don't really get to know her much since most of what she says is shit about the game, which is disappointing given that she has a bit of personality. She's pretty much just there to give you advice or information. Most of the story is about you going through the Ferrum League and becoming champion, which is about as Pokémon as it gets. None of the opposing trainers you face have any personality (even the Gym Leader equivalents, who only get a few lines of dialogue that convey very little character), so there isn't much satisfaction in succeeding from a narrative standpoint. As you go through the league, a mysterious subplot is introduced involving a very angry Mewtwo with a large rock sticking out of it. Its true nature is revealed later on, and the lore surrounding it reveals a little bit about the nature of the Synergy Stones that make battles in the Ferrum Region possible. It sounds cool on paper, and is in line with the Pokémon formula of "massive conflict that distracts from the journey to become champion," but it just didn't work for me. So much of this storyline was exposition, there was virtually no world-building that made me care about the Ferrum Region, and there are no compelling characters to be found. Perhaps if the roles were reversed and this were the focal point of the game's story as opposed to the same old "be the master" shit, this Synergy Stone business would be way more interesting. PRESENTATION: Before Sword and Shield, Pokkén was the first proper taste at an HD Pokémon experience. The Pokémon models look impressive, and boast striking textures that give them a realistic feel. I remember seeing the initial leaks of the game and going "goddamn, Blaziken looks awesome." Plus, each Pokémon is incredibly well-animated, and they give off a lot of personality in their intro and outro animations. The combat looks flashy as well, with all sorts of awesome effects for each Pokémon's attacks. The stages are also quite beautiful, depicting a wide variety of locales in the Ferrum Region. You have bustling city streets, rustic meadows, charming old towns, and even volcanic ruins. The only real sticking point with these stages is that the models of people and Pokémon in the background look kinda iffy, but other than that, they're all pleasing to look at. Characters like your avatar and Nia appear as static sprites, so there isn't much to say about them. You nave a number of customization options available for your trainer, which is nice, but it feels limited in some aspects (like options for the face). The other NPCs either have pretty average designs, or are just a random mix of the avatar customization options. Nia is a bit more interesting in terms of appearance, as you can actually change her outfit. There aren't a lot of cinematic cutscenes in the game, but the few short ones that do exist look great. If the game had more of a story, there'd be more of these to enjoy. The music is solid and fits the fighting game vibe well, but no track in particular stood out to me as amazing (to be fair, that could just be due to the fact that I find it difficult to focus on the music in games that require my full attention). Sound effects are also a strong point, complementing the visuals in combat and helping make landing moves feel really satisfying. There is a bit of voice acting in this game, and I would say that it's OK. Most of it is just Nia talking your ear off, so there is very little opportunity for anyone (including Nia herself) to showcase a wide range of emotions through the voice acting. GAMEPLAY: As established, Pokkén is a fighting game, but it's not like your Street Fighters or Tekkens. It's kind of a mix of both; a hybrid of 3D arena fighters and traditional 2D fighters, if that makes any sense. Each fight is split into two phases. Field Phase is the part of the battle that's a 3D arena fighter; combatants can move around freely in the circular arena in this phase. Duel Phase, on the other hand, is your traditional 2D fighter, and will feel more familiar to people who've played a fighting game or two. The battle switches phases if one fighter does enough damage to an opponent, or they use a move that specifically changes phases. I found this really jarring at first (I greatly preferred Duel Phase and did not enjoy Field Phase), but I came to appreciate the strategy of it after a while. Shifting the phases can help you press a lead by going to Duel Phase (where most of the combo game takes place), or stifle an opponent's momentum by forcing a shift to Field Phase (which favors zoning with projectiles). It also allows you to recover a small percentage of damage you've taken if you cause the shift. Your moveset in each phase is slightly different. Some moves exist in both phases, but the majority of moves are exclusive to one phase. For example, homing projectiles can only be used in Field Phase, while most of your combo strings are only in Duel Phase. The control scheme is a little unorthodox, but it's nothing completely bizarre. You have three buttons: light attack, heavy attack, and Pokémon move (AKA special move). Block is a separate button (Mortal Kombat-style), and so is jump (which feels odd in 2D). Performing moves is simple, as it's usually just direction + button. You won't be doing any quarter-circles or any complicated motions of the sort. The basic combos are easy to execute as well, as you usually just have to press the attack button a number of times as opposed to stringing together normals yourself. You also have a grab (which is Y+B) and a Counter Attack (X+A) that armors through basic moves, but can be beaten out by grabs or piercing attacks. The latter is particularly interesting, as it gives you a handy option to get out of situations where you're getting rushed down or are in a corner. You can even combo out of it if you use the charged version, making it an excellent punish tool. It's pretty high-risk, however, and if you're opponent sees it coming, that's a free punish for them. Unlike most fighters, the concept of lows, mids, and overheads aren't that big a deal, as the block can defend against any basic attack. That said, there's still a good amount of complexity to defense and counters: there are moves that low profile high attacks, anti-air attacks, and you can jump over certain projectiles and come in with a jump-in attack. There are even moves you can charge, which not only serve to deal more damage, but can also be used to mess with opponents by switching up your timing. In terms of combos, there's a decent variety of stuff you can do depending on the character, but it's nowhere near the level of, say, Marvel vs. Capcom. You have a couple of moves and strings that can be special cancelled, some hard-hitting moves that leave the opponent in a momentary stun state (allowing you to follow up with a string), corner combos in Duel Phase, and even specials that can combo into each other if the conditions are right. It's honestly a lot more than I expected, and I was pleasantly surprised at some of the shit the game lets you get away with. Speaking of Marvel vs. Capcom, there are assists in this game. Here, they're called Support Pokémon, and they can do all manner of things to aid you in battle (from dealing damage, to giving buffs/debuffs, and healing HP). Support Pokémon come in pairs, and before every battle, you pick one of these sets to take with you. Before a round starts, you choose between one of the two you selected, and you have the option to change it up in succeeding rounds. It's a novel way to get more Pokémon into the game, and it adds another layer of strategy to battles. My favorite thing in particular is that you can cancel moves into a Support call, and depending on who you have, that can lead into a combo extension. Lastly, there's what's called a Synergy Burst. Think of it as the X-Factor (from Marvel vs. Capcom 3; I swear this is the last mention of MvC) of this game. It's a meter that builds up as you take or deal damage, and once it's full, you can activate it to heal some HP and get a significant stat boost. In this state, you can activate a Burst Attack, which is basically the game's super move. Comeback mechanics can be a bit iffy at times, but this one isn't that oppressive, I feel. Synergy Burst doesn't last that long (you can stall it out easily if you know what you're doing), and Burst Attacks are easy to telegraph (though you can combo into them, which is pretty awesome). Nia actually does something in this game outside of being the guide character, believe it or not. In between rounds, she cheers you on, and it has a tangible effect in gameplay. You can choose from a variety of cheer types depending on your playstyle; some are assist-focused and help build up Support Pokémon meter faster, while others are Synergy-based. It's not that consequential unless you're in high-level ranked play (where having supports ready matters a lot, for example), but it's yet another thing to take into account when it comes to strategy. Plus, it sort of makes Nia an important character. The roster is pretty diverse both in terms of Pokémon and playstyles. You have your obvious choices (Pikachu, Lucario), picks that make sense in a fighting game (Machamp, Blaziken), and some really inspired choices (Suicune, Chandelure). There's an obvious bias for bipedal Pokémon, but I'm still pleased with the representation in the roster. I would have loved it if there were a playable fish Pokémon, though; the idea of it sounds hilarious to me. On the subject of playstyle, you have your all-rounders (like my current main Braixen, who has good zoning tools but also has decent up-close options), speedy and aggressive rushdown characters (Pikachu Libre), zoners (Gardevoir), heavy-hitting hosses (Charizard), tricky setup characters (Sceptile), and grapplers with command grabs out the ass (Machamp). I haven't gone through the entire roster yet, but I've played against most of the characters, and the variety is pretty impressive for a modestly sized roster. Though the stages look distinct from one another visually, the layouts are virtually similar all throughout. The only real differences are in the size of each stage and the nature of item drops. These item drops only show up in Field Phase, and they fill up Synergy meter. It's not really worth going for them in my experience, so unless you luck out with your positioning, you might just want to focus on fighting. Pokkén has all the modes you expect from a modern fighting game. You have the main campaign, your local versus, an online mode that lets you play casually or in ranked, a CPU battle mode, and a training mode (complete with a decent tutorial and specialized modes that teach stuff like combos). They're all self-explanatory, so I don't feel compelled to expound any further. There's also a Daily Challenge mode, which has you take on a fight with specific conditions. I thought that was neat, but it didn't really hold my interest. The main campaign has you go through the Ferrum League, but it works a bit differently from the typical fighting game arcade mode. Instead of a sequence of fights that culminates in a boss, the Ferrum League is structured like a proper tournament. You take on a series of random fights that will change your rank when completed, and you must do this multiple times to rank up. Once your placement is high enough, you can enter the tournament, where you have to win three straight times to win the title. Once that happens, you fight the Gym Leader equivalent, and if you win there, you rank up, which allows you to move on. There are four individual leagues in the Ferrum League, with one being unlocked each time you rank up. The process is the same all throughout, with the difference being in the difficulty increase and your rank at the start. It gets super grindy in the higher ranks, as you have to start from absurdly low rankings and climb all the way to at least 8th, and there's no guarantee that finishing a series of fights will rank you up significantly. Interspersed between league battles are fights related to the Mewtwo subplot. There aren't many of them, but a few do change up the fight in neat ways (e.g. no Synergy Burst, no supports). I wish there were more of these gimmick matches, but it is what it is. After beating the main story, you unlock a fifth league for you to go through. It's just more of the same, so as far as post-game content goes, it leaves a lot to be desired. However, the game does have replay value through online and the Daily Challenge, so there is still something to do regardless. Completing fights in any mode raises the skill level of the Pokémon you're currently maining. Once you gain a level, you can put a skill point into one of four stats: Attack, Defense, Synergy, and Strategy. I don't really notice any significant growth in single player, and I assume this is irrelevant in online modes, so I fail to see the point in this. You also earn money whenever you complete fights. The amount you earn is based on a star ranking system whose exact criteria still eludes me. This money is used to purchase items to customize your avatar with, which would have been neat if it weren't for the fact that there's not a lot to buy. Besides, you can earn some of these items by unlocking achievements or completing missions in the Ferrum League, so I don't see the point in this, either. This is the definitive edition of Pokkén, which means there's stuff here that isn't in the original Wii U version. The most notable additions are new fighters, with the biggest one being Decidueye (who couldn't have been in the original game, because Gen 7 wasn't out yet). They also added new DLC fighters, but there were only two, which is kind of disappointing. An unfortunate drawback to this version, however, is that all the base characters are unlocked, so there is very little point to go through the main campaign. You apparently unlock Mewtwo by beating the final league in the original game, but in this version, it's already unlocked. Oh, this is completely unrelated to anything I've said throughout this post, but Pikachu Libre is in this game, and she has a move where she basically hits the Stone Cold Stunner. Give me a hell yeah! VERDICT: After being initially put off by its gameplay in the Wii U days, playing through Pokkén Tournament properly on the Switch left a more favorable impression on me. The battles had a lot more to offer than I initially gave it credit for, and I ended up having lots of fun figuring shit out and getting better at the game. Not only that, but the game looks fantastic, and I'm overall glad that I gave it a fair shot this time around. That said, the game is not without its imperfections. The story and the way it was presented could have been improved upon by making it a larger focus of the game, the tournament system felt a bit tedious (though I appreciate the different approach), and stuff like the currency system felt extraneous. I would love a sequel to this that addresses these issues. - end - |
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