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Review – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

17th May 2021

Review – Rogue One: A Star Wars Story Directed by: Gareth Edwards Produced by: Kathleen Kennedy Written by: Chris Weitz & Tony Gilroy Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna & Alan Tudyk Release Date: December 15th 2016 Half a decade after its release, I decided that it was time to go back and review Rogue One, (aka the best Star Wars movie to be released following the Disney acquisition of Lucasfilm.) Upon its release, the film recieved rave reviews; with one review of Rogue One going as far as to compare it in quality to Empire Strikes Back, (widely considered to be the superior Star Wars film.) It actually also garnered a fair amount of Oscar buzz for that years awards ceremony. All of this, – along with the fact that it was following the positively received Force Awakens, – meant that audience expectations were set pretty high going in. For me, the film lived up to my personal expectations that I had for it at the time and in the years with every subsequent viewing, it has actually grown on me even more. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to write an entirely glowing review for Rogue One, as the movie still has its flaws. There are some parts of the film that I loved and some that I didn’t and to really get into the meat of that, I am going to have do delve into spoiler territory. The movie is 5 years old at the time of writing this review, so everyone should have really seen it by now. One of my favourite things about the movie is how well it ties into the start of A New Hope and how it actually fixes that movie’s biggest plot-hole by explaining that the weak point in the Death Star was installed on purpose by Galen Erso while designing the battle station under the Empire’s thumb, so that the Rebels would have a chance to destroy it. I also loved the fact that the movie had the guts to kills off the entire Rogue One crew at the end, which is something that they really had to do since none of these characters are ever mentioned at any point in the original trilogy. And that corridor scene at the end with Vader was possibly the best scene I’ve seen in the cinema in the last 5 years, but I will talk more about why I love it so much later in the review. Those are the stand out positives of the movie for me, however there were also a few flaws throughout the film. First of all, that Grand Mof Tarkin CGI recreation of Peter Cushing is awful, the whole thing looks like a character from the Clone Wars animated series. When he is first introduced it is through a glass reflection on a window he is looking out of and in that part of the scene it was fairly convincing, however he then turns around and the camera moves to a medium close up shot and all of a sudden it feels like watching a video game cutscene. Guy Henry was the actor who did the motion capture for Tarkin and he actually looks relatively similar to Peter Cushing, so why they didn’t just apply some makeup to Guy Henry and dye his hair gray to resemble Cushing more and recast the Tarkin role is beyond me. It would also have also been a lot cheaper than the CG method that they decided to go with. Either that or he should have only been seen in the reflection of the glass, since that was the only time that the CGI effect actually looked convincing. However, I do think that the CGI recreation of 1970’s Carrie Fischer at the end of the movie is slightly more convincing and if it wasn’t for her eyes and the movement in her mouth, it would be way more difficult to tell that that is a CGI character. Another flaw I have with this movie is the how rushed and choppy the first act feels. The characters are all introduced quickly and vaguely, then it takes a good while for them to actually form up as a team. I get that introducing a whole cast of brand new characters in a short space of time isn’t always easy, but they could have handled it better than how they do here. In a lot of ways Rogue One actually works as a contrast to Force Awakens. In Force Awakens, the plot is essentially the same as A New Hope and is a fairly by the book, traditional Star Wars story, but the characters were what makes that movie entertaining. If the characters in Force Awakens weren’t as well written, that movie would have been mediocre at best. In Rogue One, the characters are pretty shallow and underdeveloped. They are introduced quickly and by the end of the movie none of them have really had a proper character arc. However that is not what this movie is about. This film is about a team of people coming together in order to complete a task that sets up the events of the original trilogy and in that sense this movie does what it sets out to do. An example of this is the robot character K2SO, who I thought was going to start off with no humanity, then over the course of the movie realize the value of human life and then sacrifice himself for the greater good at the movie’s climax, but it transpires that the only real reason that he is helping the Rebels, is because he has been programmed to do so. This I feel sums up the level of character development present in the movie and demonstrates that it is not necessary in the film as that isn’t the movie’s purpose. What Force Awakens lacked in an original plot, it made up for in character development and what Rogue One lacks in

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Review – Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice

23rd June 2021

Review – Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice Directed by: Zack Snyder Produced by: Charles Roven & Deborah Snyder Written by: David S. Goyer & Chris Terrio Starring: Ben Affleck & Henry Cavill Release Date: March 25th 2016 A lot has happened since this movie first released half a decade ago. We have lived through the explosive fan backlash to the original cut, had an ultimate cut blu-ray release that fixed some of the theatrical cut’s problems, suffered through a watered down, colour-graded sequel from Joss “Brunch,” Whedon, finally surviving a worldwide pandemic and witnessing a monumental online campaign to get to see Zack Snyder’s untainted vision of an epic superhero team-up blockbuster that is mostly free from studio meddling. So really what is left to say? Well in the wake of the Snydercut being released, I revisited the theatrical cut of Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice for review and realised that I do still have a lot to say about the film. First off, let me give you some context regarding the complex relationship that I have with this movie. For the last eight years I have been reading and collecting comics to an obsessive level and it is actually predominately because of this movie. I have always been a superhero fan (especially Batman,) and I had read some comics in my youth, but when this movie was announced at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013, (8 years ago!!) I was so hyped that I decided that I had to read the comic that this film was taking inspiration from. So I went to my local A1 Comics and bought The Dark Knight Returns, which underwhelmed me but that’s another story. Since then I have become a huge comic book fan due to this movie. So clearly I have a personal attachment to the film. Which means I went in seriously wanting to love it and what was not to love here? It would have been so difficult to get this wrong. It is Batman fighting Superman on the big screen, how amazing is it that this actually happened? And yet somehow they still managed to royally screw it up… Do you read? You will. And then realise how superior the comic that this film is based on is to the actual movie itself, (and I’m not even a massive fan of the source material.) I revisited 10 Cloverfield Lane this week for review and while that movie isn’t perfect, what makes that film great is exactly what makes BvS subpar. 10CL had a small team of people working on a restrictive budget, so every aspect of the movie was scrutinised and perfected to make up the end product and that attention to detail really paid off. BvS had a huge budget and a massive team of people working on it and I think that is what gives the movie it’s unfocused and sloppy feel. The script is a mess, there are clearly scenes cut, the editing is jarring, not all of the performances were up to scratch and while the imagery and visuals are incredible, the best way to describe this movie is all style and no substance. I like Zack Snyder, I love his Watchmen movie, I like 300 and I enjoyed Man of Steel, but I can’t help but feel that this was his fault. His decision to make years of comic book stories into one two and a half hour movie honestly baffles me. The events of this movie should have taken place over at least three movies. This movie really is all over the place and the pace and tone are random at best. Let’s talk about the best part of the movie, which is quite easily Ben Affleck’s Batman and Jeremy Irons’ Alfred. Seeing the two characters and their chemistry are worth the ticket price of the film alone. This is probably the most faithful to the source material Batman that we have had on the big screen to date, except for one pretty major change. Batman in DoJ is pretty much Punisher in a cowl. During the Batmobile chase he questionably kills some goons. I mean, some of them could have survived… If they had Wolverine’s healing powers I guess? But then there is that badass warehouse scene that we all remember fondly during which, he near enough shoots some guys himself. If you can get over this and see this as an alternate version of Batman you should be able to appreciate Affleck’s performance though, which by the way is amazing, he knocks it out of the park. I would have liked some kind of reference to it, even a scene where he discusses breaking his code with Alfred, just a few lines would have made me get on board with this version of the character a lot quicker. Critics have been calling Henry Cavill’s Superman performance wooden for years now, but I have always felt that is too harsh. He was perfectly serviceable in this movie but he was never going to be praised for his memorable performance either. Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman is a standout, my only complaint is that she isn’t in the movie enough as Wonder Woman. Jesse Eisenberg is the stand out worst performance in the movie. It isn’t necessarily a bad performance, it just does not fit that character at all. He was truly miscast here, if they had cast him as Riddler in the Batman solo movie and he put in this performance I would be praising him like mad. Lex Luthor shouldn’t be crazy on a surface level, he should be a respectable businessman and an intellectual force to be reckoned with and he will go out of his way to ensure that this is what everyone sees him as. It should only ever be the people closest to him that that he allows to see him crack. He certainly shouldn’t be making strange noises and gestures like someone with Tourette’s

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Review – Deadpool 2

20th May 2021

Review – Deadpool 2 Directed by: David Leitch Produced by: Ryan Reynolds & Stan Lee Written by: Rhett Reese & Ryan Reynolds Starring: Ryan Reynolds, Josh Brolin & Morena Baccarin Release Date: May 15th 2018 (UK) I was recently asked to review Deadpool 2 for the site and I honestly went back to it reluctantly. Although I did enjoy the movie when it came out, it has never had the same re-watchability as the first one and although it is only a 3 year old movie, I wasn’t expecting it to have aged very well. Thankfully my negative preconceptions were misplaced and I ended up actually having a really good time re-watching Deadpool 2 for review. Deadpool 2 is the kind of sequel that knows exactly what it is. It doesn’t pretend to be anything original and it’s main focus is getting a laugh out of it’s audience over anything else. It succeeds greatly at this with the film being hilarious throughout and it comes very close to being as funny as it’s predecessor, it just doesn’t quite get there. I think that the main reason for this is because it chooses to focus more on a story than the last one did and through that, the humour loses some of the momentum that it builds up. Although the first movie’s laughs have better momentum, an argument could be made for this movie’s individual lines being funnier. My particular favourite was the jab Deadpool makes at his creator Rob Liefeld for not being able to draw feet properly in his comics. Check out our fantasy MCU Casting for the X-Men I loved how they chose to show off Domino’s powers. Her power of ‘luck,’ could have came across really lame onscreen, but David Leitch’s fantastic direction helped it to come across brilliantly. I also loved the cameos, from the room full of X-Men, to Brad Pitt as the Vanisher. When they killed Vanessa at the start of the movie, I was disappointed as I was looking forward to seeing her character develop in this movie and I felt like just killing her off to give Deadpool motivation for his arc in the movie was pretty lazy. Then, they immediately rectified it with the hilarious Bond-esque opening title sequence. Later on, I thought that they were going to make Vanessa become Death, who is Deadpool’s love interest in the comics because he has so many encounters with her, but at the end of the movie we see Deadpool going back in time to reverse her death from happening, which also sort of negates a lot of the emotional beats that the movie surprisingly managed to hit during it’s finale. The Juggernaught is the movie’s surprise villain and while it is nice to see him in his comic accurate form, the CGI used is really cartoony and even hard to swallow in a surreal superhero movie like this one. However, that’s not why anybody watches a Deadpool movie. If I was looking for deep, meaningful character arcs and realistic CGI, there are a ton of other movies for that. Deadpool is there to make you laugh and there is no doubt that it succeeds at that. There are some comedic moments that feel oddly dated, like the constant references to dubstep for example and I feel like they missed a trick not bringing up the fact that the director was swapped out during the film’s production or the real life scandals involving TJ Miller, but every joke earns at least a chuckle, which justifies it’s place in the film. It may not as quite as novel because we have seen it before, but there are plenty of scenes in here that will have you laughing out loud in the cinema and fans of the character will not be disappointed. [yasr_multiset setid=2] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=2] Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE

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Review – Injustice 2

17th May 2021

Review – Injustice 2 Developer: NetherRealm Studios Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment Genre: Fighting Game Director: Ed Boon Release Date: May 11th 2017 Quick disclaimer before I start my review for Injustice 2, I am not a huge online gamer. Whilst playing through the game, I dabbled in a few online fights and played a few co op games with my better half, but for the most part this will be a review of the single player story portion of the game. I was so pleasantly surprised when I played the first Injustice game. I am a big DC fan, but fighting games aren’t one of my preferred genres in gaming, yet this fighting game set in the DC universe blew me away. The story was intriguing, the characters were diverse and it was a unique taste on a beloved universe. Therefore, the sequel had a fair amount to live up to and while it is still a fun fighting game with a multitude of colourful characters, it doesn’t feel anywhere near as special as Gods Among Us did. The setup this time around revolves around Brainiac descending upon the earth in search of Kal-El and Kara, the last two remaining Kryptonians and eliminating them. Since the events of the last game, Batman has been keeping Superman in a special prison that suppresses his powers and the world has remained relatively free of crime, however Brainaic’s arrival changes all this. From here onwards we have our superhero story, which sees epic battles occur and mortal enemies being forced to work together against a common evil. Most importantly, the game is fun. Gameplay feels pretty tight, which is both a positive and a negative when compared to Gods Among Us. The controls feel more solid and purposeful, but also feel more restrictive and less forgiving since the last time. This makes button bashing a void method and forces you to learn intricate button sequences if you want to pull off a decent combo. Thankfully, the super-moves are really fun to watch and make you feel awesome when you manage to successfully pull them off. I was so looking forward to the story mode in this game, I loved the story mode in the first game and was relying on this one to deliver also, unfortunately I found it jarring and hard to swallow, even as a lifelong comic book fan. The story in Gods Among Us was controversial amongst DC fans, as it turned a number of iconic characters on their head, causing them to fight on the opposing side from what we are used to seeing. In that game though, I thought it worked, character motivations were clear and there was context given for the heroes and villains who switched sides. This time around, characters switch sides faster than a tennis ball at Wimbledon and half the time, there is no apparent reason for it. The most jarring moment came when Wonder Woman turned on Kara. In the mission that preceded it, Wonder Woman inhales Scarecrow’s toxin and through a hallucination and it is revealed that her worst fear is turning on her friends, yet in the mission immediately after this sequence, she turns on her friends in reality! With no apparent motive to do so other than she is unconditionally on Superman’s side, making no moral decisions for herself. It came across so awkwardly and felt lazy, it’s as if the writers totally forgot about the last scene that illustrated that the last thing that Wonder Woman wants to do is turn on her friends. I did appreciate the graphics in the game. Netherealm have really stepped up their game since the first Injustice and there are some truly stunning moments throughout Injustice 2 and I don’t just mean in the cut-scenes. The area transitions are gorgeous to look at, the super-moves are very visually impressive and the detailed locations where the fights take place are also effective. The multiple unique environmental hazards present in each environment add an extra layer of unpredictability and opportunity to the fights and they do a good job of helping a player on the back foot start a comeback against their opponent. Facial animations and voice acting across the stable of characters is also solid. Although the game is technically sound and the graphics are good looking, I wasn’t a fan of the character design overall this time around. The last game updated a few character designs, but for the most part followed the traditional style that the characters are portrayed in. This time, a lot of the character’s costumes look goofy and come off looking like toy armour rather than something a superhero would realistically wear. The redesign of the Joker makes no sense. Not only did it look like they were trying too hard to make him look edgy, but in this universe, Joker was killed at the beginning of the first Injustice game and he didn’t look like that when he died. In this game he appears to Harley through one of Scarecrow’s hallucinations and looks similar to the Jared Leto version of the character from Suicide Squad, but why? As far as we know, he has never looked like that in this universe during the time he was alive and if you are going to redesign him, don’t base it on Leto’s Joker, (AKA the worst version of the character.) The co-op is as much fun as you would expect and certain matchups are more interesting than others. As with the first Injustice, pulling off combos and super-moves on someone that is physically sitting next to you is a lot more satisfying than doing it to some AI or an online player thousands of miles away. There is nothing quite like the couch co-op experience when it comes to a fighting game. Injustice 2 is a lot of fun to play in a group as well, setting up a tournament and throwing in real life forfeits also makes

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Review – Invincible: Eight is Enough

23rd June 2021

Review – Invincible: Eight is Enough Written by: Robert Kirkman Pencils by: Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley, Matt Roberts, Mark Englert, Dave Johnson, Cliff Rathburn Inks by: Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley, Tony Moore, Erik Larsen, Dave Johnson, Cliff Rathburn Letters by: Robert Kirkman Colors by: Bill Crabtree Release Date: December 12, 2006 Check out our review of Invincible Vol 1 Family Matters here. Introduction If this is your first foray into Invincible, I do recommend going back and reading the first six issues found in Family Matters. It’s a solid origin story that lays the groundwork for the rest of the series. Invincible is a 144 issue long superhero comic series created by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, published by Image Comics. Amazon Prime has licensed the comic for an animated series adaptation. Kirkman does a really good job, with Invincible, of writing comics in a way that works not only as stand alone issues, smaller trade paperback chunks, but also as the story overall. He might be the very best at balancing consistent, long form storytelling in the comics medium. Volume 2, Eight is Enough continues the story of our titular hero, as the son of renowned superhero Omni-Man. While continuing with those characters, Eight is Enough begins to broaden the world with more characters and a broader scope. This volume introduces us to Allen the Alien and the Guardians of the Globe, both of which are important going forward. We’re also shown that the book exists in the larger Image Comics universe, with appearances from the likes of Super Patriot and Savage Dragon. Story This second volume is where you really start to see what makes Invincible special. The pacing is still a little slow and it doesn’t feel like a lot happens, just some big things. Even in the first issue though, you start with what seems like a standard slugfest until the characters start asking questions. These subversions of comic book tropes are a hallmark of the book. It ends up being painfully clever and I can’t not appreciate how much care went into writing these moments. Kirkman also starts to show off his skills at sprinkling in little moments that he plans on paying off later. There’s a grounded nature to the series, either in how they handle relationships or small things like not ignoring that a high school kid has homework. The conversations Mark has with his friends feel genuine for kids their age, where they’ll just have a rant about something like shortening names. Much like how in The Walking Dead Kirkman could sell you a zombie comic where you didn’t see zombies for multiple issues, I could read issues with these characters not throwing a single punch. Thankfully they don’t let up on the action that much though. The Guardians of the Globe are a great parody piece. The small little snippets we get into their lives are pretty entertaining and feel like just the right amount. The twist at the end of Chapter Three gives the book a serious dose of spice and gives the reader endless questions. It’s not that dissimilar from the twist Kirkman delivers in early Walking Dead and defines the book similarly. This is followed up by a lesser cliffhanger at the end of Chapter Four that’s still exciting enough to keep you wondering. Review – Invincible: Eight is Enough continues below Art If you read the intro in the book, Erik Larsen tells us that Cory Walker was having trouble keeping up with the pace of a monthly book. This leads to some friends coming in to do some guest spots on issue 3. After that Ryan Ottley comes on to do issue 4. So the book gets a decent variety of art to compare. We’re introduced to a lot of fabulous new character designs in this book, from the Guardians, to Allen, to Science Dog, and that’s one of the strongest aspects of the Invincible series, in my opinion. These designs carry into the rest of the series and they help define the world. Review – Invincible: Eight is Enough continues below The guest spots are primarily for The Guardians of the Globe slots and they’re pretty fun. It’s a nice change of pace and gives each of the characters a little extra personality. Cory’s work in the book is better here than in volume 1, particularly when it comes to facial detail. The fight with Allen is really pretty with the space contrast behind them. The design for the attacker from the college campus is inspired and creepy. There’s consistent elements throughout the book, but it’s all kind of average. Ultimately I think you can tell that the pace wasn’t working. The splash pages are great but the smaller panels and quieter moments in the first couple issues do struggle sometimes. All that said, when Ryan joins the book for Chapter Four, it clicks. The book takes on a personality that he will carry forward into the rest of the series. Cory’s designs are crucial for the start of this saga but Ryan’s art fits the book so well and looks so smooth. I think a lot of this goes back to Cory Walker’s comfort level with a monthly title. Ryan Ottley’s work on four comes across like more traditional superhero art. That style works so well for the universe Kirkman and Walker built. Overall Eight is Enough is another solid chunk of story in the Invincible universe. It’s an improvement on the first volume and better in many ways. It’s only four issues, though, and in that it does feel like it does less overall than the first version. It does meander a bit, especially as it stops to introduce us to the Guardians of the Globe. I would have preferred a bit more story in the volume, as far as progress, but the moments we do get are big enough to carry the volume forward. Out of the 144 issue run, Eight

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Review – Invincible: Family Matters

18th May 2021

Review – Invincible: Family Matters Written by: Robert Kirkman Art by: Cory Walker Lettered by: Robert Kirkman Colors by: Bill Crabtree Release Date: December 12, 2006 Introduction Soon to be adapted into an animated series by Amazon Prime, Invincible was an ongoing superhero comic from Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, published by Image Comics. Kirkman, more known for Walking Dead, actually started Invincible shortly before Walking Dead in 2003. The series ended its 144 issue run in 2017, wrapping up most of the main stories. The series follows our hero, Mark Grayson, the son of the powerful Omni-Man. When we meet Mark he’s an average teen, except his dad’s a superhero and he’s waiting on powers of his own. Family Matters is the first 6 issues of the run. Like many Image books, Invincible has been collected in smaller paperbacks, larger hardcovers, or the giant compendiums. The series is particularly well suited for the 6 issue format though because each volume feels like an episode of a great serialized story. I’ve read the entire story, multiple times, but we’re only looking at the first 6 issues collected in Family Matters. Still, Future Kenny will pop in to give a small review in the context of the larger run, because it’s a run worth reading. Story Family Matters lays the groundwork for the universe as we are introduced to the Grayson family and their supporting cast. From the start, it’s good superhero fodder. There’s dashes of sci-fi, a lived-in-world where superpowers are normalized, and an origin story that is unique while still feeling familiar. Our creators do a great job at making super-heroics and comic book tropes feel normal in this world. Even as Omni-Man dashes back to the dinner table after being kidnapped to an alternate dimension, there’s no hysterics about how crazy that may seem. The book is about the ordinary lives of super people. The characters are the best part of these issues. The Graysons are a lovable family. Omni-Man is a solid combination of Superman and a tv dad. Mark feels like a pretty average teenager and his origin feels organic and fun. He’s a less overwhelmed Peter Parker. Deborah is written as a mom that worries and cares about her family but has lived in a world of super heroics for years and isn’t shaken by it. Most of the supporting characters in friends or other teammates stand out as memorable when another writer might have used shells to move the plot along. The cast feels so varied and authentic, that they just inherently make the world feel more interesting. All that said, this first run just feels like pretty standard super hero fare. It’s a solid pilot. There’s a few small villains, taken down with minor struggles. It’s even an above average superhero book. There’s a few moments that stand out, like the folks from another dimension, but the book sort of tells its slice-of-life story and leaves. The world is interesting and the characters are charming, but nothing particularly bombastic or remarkable happens. It shares that in common with another Kirkman project, where the Walking Dead lulls you into false security before taking off. However, it is the pilot for a larger series so it works in that regard. Art The art in these issues is colorful, with an almost pastel or watercolor feature about it. It also feels anime inspired, at times, with some of the simpler designs and the less-than-realistic take on faces in some panels. These first issues of Invincible thread a needle between anime and traditional cartoon, so it adds to the excitement that it’s being adapted into a cartoon now. Cory Walker’s work here feels like a style that will lend itself well to animation. Through the book the character designs are clever and really stand out as unique. When I say the designs feel very Image-y, it’s a compliment. The action feels real and the layouts are easy to follow. Cory is able to take the more pedestrian moments and lay them out in clever ways to just feel normal. The use of repeat panels or similar panels says almost as much as the dialogue at times. It makes the lives of these characters feel more normal, as they sit around the table like us non-super folks. Review – Invincible: Family Matters continues below Overall In itself, Invincible Volume 1 is a fun read. It’s a new world of characters that are satisfying to explore and learn about. Kirkman hints at a broader universe throughout the book, but it’s a great origin story for a newly developed teenage superhero. The future seems bright for our teen lead and his family. It’s hard to judge by itself though, when even its creator knew it was the start of something much bigger. While the book is better as a jumping off point for an incredible series, you could read this on its own and still be satisfied with the read. In the overall context of the 144 issue run, Family Matters is perhaps the least exciting. This is true of a lot of pilots, of course. It’s slower in pacing and smaller in scope than the future of the series by far. This is likely by design, as a slow build to lure you in. You may finish these issues feeling like you’ve read another solid Image superhero book, not realizing the groundwork that has been laid. If you’ve ever seen art from the future of the series, you might even be surprised at how tame the story seems. Kirkman is good at surprises, and giving you unique twists you didn’t know you wanted. Future Kenny says it would be a mistake for you to stop reading this series here. If you enjoyed our review of Invincible: Family Matters then leave a comment or leave your own rating below. 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Review: Earth-One: Wonder Woman Vol 3

16th June 2021

Review: Earth-One: Wonder Woman Vol 3 Story: Grant Morrison Att: Yanick Paquette Colours: Nathan Fairbairn Covers: Yanick Paquette, Nathan Fairbairn Released: March 2021 Introduction This concludes the critically acclaimed story arc unique writer Grant Morrison (Doom Patrol, Animal man etc..) crazily brought to Wonder Woman. Gloriously proud, fantastically feminine and here to take down the boring patriocracy with Girl (or should I say Woman power!) After the death of Hippolyta at the hand of Paula Von Gunther, Diane must lead her people against the forces of men both today and a thousand years in the future. So let’s grab our tiara and lasso of truth, put on our knee-high red boots and start the review of Wonder Woman Earth-One’s triumphant final Volume! Jumping between the future and current timelines we find the world is a Paradise, all war eradicated and all genders and sexualities proudly working for the greater good of the world. But watch out! Let’s cut to the past and the evil Maxwell Lord who wants to bring the war to the Amazons using his A.R.E.S. mark 1 suits (corny but subtle clue Mr Morrison!) These mecha-men won’t stand for this and have had enough of women protesting and complaining about harassment. Can Steve break out of prison? Can Diana unite the tribes of Amazon women? Will there be death by Snu-Snu? Why is the queen’s heart still burning? And will I stop asking questions and get on with this review..? All the answers are in this issue….and a few you didn’t even think of If you are going to end on a high why not have Diana riding a giant kangaroo while an army of cold unfeeling menbots descends on the Amazons to stop their very way of life? Story/Writing As with the previous two volumes, Grant’s vision of Earth One’s Diana is stunning with the story jumping from the pages into your imagination. You find yourself flicking back a few pages in case you missed a text bubble or two. This finally is Diana triumphant, ruling her people and bringing peace, love and equality to the world whether men want it or not! Men have not bargained on her using the ultimate threat! All women will withhold sex if men do not succumb… Death by no Snu-Snu? I can imagine Grant smiling as he finished this novel and then dedicated it to his sister Leigh. If you are going to write a bonkers battle of the sexes, this is how you do it! I doff my cap to Mr Morrison! Art/Visuals Yanick’s art style is perfect for this we move from fairy wings and female empowerment motifs to the stern, cold world of men where Maxwell Lord sits on a symbolic throne watching and directing the action. The fight sequences are great, sometimes a little confusing with the armies of Amazons and Robots hard to distinguish key characters. But if that is my only complaint it is a small one and I’ve already read it twice now from cover to cover!Some of the images such as the cover are a homage to great works of art depicting strong women and anything that can get kids excited about art is worth it! Overall thoughts This could drift have drifted into a lecture on female empowerment. Instead, Grant and Yanick skillfully handle the current drive to strengthen female characters beyond the bosoms and bodices that the industry is far too guilty of. From me the father of a strong, proud daughter and husband to an even stronger wife there needs to be more of this type of book. My only slight criticism of this is that there still seems to be a small amount of Body Dysmorphia represented here with traditional tight revealing outfits and standard gravity-defying huge chests on most females. So let’s finish this review of Wonder Woman triumphant legacy and allow you to grab your significant other! Buy a copy at your Local Comic Book Shop, brew a tea and cuddle up to the joyous conclusion to one of the freshest titles to come from the Earth-One universe. If you enjoyed our Review of Earth-One: Wonder Woman Vol 3 then comment below or leave your own rating below. Join us on Discord, Instagram, Twitter etc – linktr.ee/BGCPComicCon [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Buy tickets for BGCP Comic-Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE

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Review – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (video game)

23rd November 2025

Review – The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (video game) Developer: Beenox Publisher: Activision Genre: Action-Adventure Writer: Christos Gage Release Date: April 17th 2014 You are probably thinking Dan, why the hell are you putting out a review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game in 2021? It was a poorly reviewed movie tie-in game that came out seven years ago. That is a very valid question. I chose to go back and review The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game because I actually believe it is one of the most relevant games I have ever played in terms of the wider gaming landscape. So yeah you may have me rumbled, this won’t be so much a review of The Amazing Spiderman 2 for PS4 as it will be a commentary on bad games in general and their place in the modern gaming landscape. I first played this game about three years after its initial release; picking it up cheap in an era that was dominated by Rocksteady’s Batman Arkham games. I remember that I had just come off of finally getting around to playing Until Dawn after putting it off for a long time. Until Dawn is a well made, well written, well acted, well executed teen horror story that had atmosphere and intrigue in spades. I then went on to play a game that I thought was mediocre by comparison, DMC Definitive Edition. When playing through the story I remember being so underwhelmed and disappointed in what they had turned this once great franchise into; an angsty, melodramatic, arcade slash ‘em up with as much depth as the shallow end of the kiddies swimming pool. I remember thinking, what a waste of cash and time. What a piece of garbage. Oh how naïve I was, as I had no idea how much worse it could get. The first thing that I was painfully reminded of upon revisiting The Amazing Spider-Man 2, was that this game graphically is at the same level if not worse than the first Amazing Spiderman game that was first released back on PS3. In 2021, after playing Insomniac’s 2018 Spider-Man game it is even more pitiful to look at than it was at the time. However, games with under par graphics can still be fun and UI’s and poly counts aren’t everything, So I began working my way through the game. Let’s start with the only positive that this game has going for it, the web slinging. Traversal feels and looks great in the game, zipping around NYC is a treat and when everything works correctly, you can pull off some truly spectacular acrobatics while shooting around in mid air. The shoulder buttons on the controller are matched to Spidey’s arms, left trigger for left swing, right trigger for right swing, and unlike the first Amazing Spiderman game, in this one the web shooters have to be aimed at a building in order to perform a successful swing. The important phrase here, is ‘when it works.’ There were several times when I would be right next to a building and press the trigger to swing, only to hear Spidey say, ‘Hey, this just in, web slingers need something to stick to.’ I realise that Spidey, that’s why I’m pressing the trigger on the side where the huge goddamn skyscraper is. Also, there would be times when I had a decent amount of momentum going, swing left, right, left, right consecutively and as I pressed the left trigger again to attach to the building on my left. Then, for some odd reason, Spidey would fire his right hand web shooter, attaching to a distant building on the right. Thus, turning me away from the direction I was swinging and totally ruining my momentum. This was particularly frustrating during boss fights and chase sequences or when swinging against the clock. Still though traversal is fun, – it is not a patch on Spider-Man 2018, but it still holds up fairly well. Now that the game’s one positive is out of the way, let’s rip this thing apart. Animations are stiff, glitches are common and every cutscene in the game ends abruptly with an awkward animation that resembles the look of a news anchor when they run out of words to read off the teleprompter, but the camera is still rolling. I have no idea why they decided to add a dialogue system, it is so unnecessary and out of place and has absolutely no effect on the outcome of the game’s narrative. It was simply included just for the sake of having a dialogue option. The plot is fairly standard, but is bearable for the first two thirds of the game, however the point that the publishers told the development team to get a move on and meet the deadline to coincide with the release of the movie becomes instantly clear. The last 5 or so chapters in the game are so rushed it’s like going through a checklist. The first bossfight in the last third of the game is pretty mundane, but at least there is an attempt at a build up to it. However after that fight you are teleported to the top of a skyscraper to battle Electro in a boss fight with the least build up in any game ever developed. So you do that and then you are corrected, this next boss fight with the Green Goblin is the least build up to a boss fight in any game ever developed. You don’t see the transformation of either Electro or the Goblin and honestly, if I hadn’t seen the movie that goes with this game, I would not have had a clue about what was going on. Then it’s as if the game remembers that they made a half cocked attempt at introducing Carnage away back at the beginning of the story and so they throw in another out of the blue boss fight to end the game. This lack of story build

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Review – Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witches’ Road

18th May 2021

Review – Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witches’ Road Publisher: Marvel Writer: James Robinson Art: Vanesa Del Rey, Marco Rudy, Steve Dillon, Chris Visions, Javier Pulido, Jordie Bellaire, Frank Martin, Vero Gandini, and Muntsa Vicente Release Dates: 2015 – 2017 Scarlet Witch has taken the world by storm these last few weeks thanks to WandaVision. Fans of her literary and live action appearances are very aware that daughter of Magneto is not perfect. She is one of the most powerful beings in the Marvel Universe. She can rewrite reality with a single thought; however, she cannot control everything or everyone around her. Wanda Maximoff has committed unspeakable acts that changed the world forever. She carries guilt for those acts to this day, but must push it aside to face a looming threat. Enter the Scarlet Witch. Story Scarlet Witch Vol:1 Witches’ Road follows Wanda Maximoff’s return to fighting evil. But instead of facing purple-skinned tyrants and her technical father-in-law Ultron, she faces a silent threat. A “broken” magic is surrounding the world. Dark forces are forming at work, and old villains vie to become our hero’s new rival. The world may not want the Scarlet Witch, but she is the best they got. The five issues together follow Wanda’s trek to confront the witchcraft that permeates the globe. However, each issue can be treated as a stand-alone story as each issue puts Wanda to a completely different location and in touch with completely different people. This is what makes Scarlet Witch Vol: 1’s such a fantastic read; James Robinson gives his readers a story wherein Wanda is constantly confronting herself and the forces working against her. But by approaching the story as a loosely tethered anthology of short stories, Robinson adequately toes the line between lore-building and having fun with Wanda’s character by placing her in ever-changing circumstances. This philosophy of giving readers short stories with a beginning, middle, and end is descriptive of Scarlet Witch Vol: 1 as a whole. Previous knowledge of the Scarlet is not required. The story provides you everything you need from the get-go, and it is not a lot: Wanda Maximoff is Scarlet Witch; she has a disembodied mentor called Agatha Harkness; Wanda is living with the sins of her past and she is ready to atone for them. Readers who find their way to the end of the volume are invited to continue journeying with Wanda into Volume 2, yet Robinson’s cohesive storytelling also allows readers to stop their journey at the final page, satisfied with what they read. Art The absolute best thing about Scarlet Witch Vol: 1 is the art. Every issue contains a different illustrator’s art. Each artist uses light, shadow, color, dimension, shapes, and even panels differently. However, none are bad; in fact, it is very difficult to pick out which is best as this will depend on the reader’s preferences. This shotgun approach of having different illustrators illustrate their own issue of a 5-issue arc serves two accomplishments: 1) First, it resonates with Robinson’s loose-anthology approach to Scarlet Witch Volume: 1 in that each issue can be treated as its own short story. 2) Second, it gives readers of different artistic preferences something to like. If a reader did not like the overuse of darkness in issue #1, that’s fine because more than likely that reader will like the bright colors of issue #5. Everyone will like something. While this shotgun approach is risky for sacrificing artistic consistency, I believe the risk was well worth it as each illustrator is no doubt talented in their given style. Scarlet Witch Volume: 1 Witches’ Road is a cohesive, fun story comprised of smaller cohesive, fun stories. Scarlet Witch fans will watch Wanda grow beyond the sins of her past. New fans who only know Wanda from the MCU will be treated to a fun time and may come to respect her comic book counterpart. Come for the Scarlet Witch; stay for the eye-catching artwork. If you enjoyed our Review of Scarlet Witch Vol 1: Witches’ Road then leave a comment or rating below. Join us on Discord, Twitter, Instagram etc – linktr.ee/BGCPComicCon [yasr_multiset setid=1] [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE

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Review – Suicide Squad #1

17th May 2021

Review – Suicide Squad #1 Publisher: DC Comics Writer: Robbie Thompson Artist: Eduardo Pansica Inker: Julio Ferreira Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo Letterist: Wes Abbott Release Date: March 2021 Let’s Begin: Ever since the feature film released in 2016, The Suicide Squad has changed into a completely new beast. The past 5 years has (for better or worse) been a unique half-decade for the team becoming more mainstream and emphasizing the importance of many crucial members of the team. Clearly, the series about a group of expendable D-list villains forced to work together on a covert black ops mission without knowing who would live or die at any moment had changed into something new. While Amanda Waller was still calling the shots, the members of the team seemed to become less and less expendable as they cemented themselves as permanent members of the team who were mainstream characters in the DC universe. Unlike the original conception of the series, there are clearly some characters that are untouchable. Everyone knows that Harley Quinn is going to make it to the end of the series…whether this is a negative thing or not depends on who you ask. However, one thing is for certain; The Suicide Squad has been something different. With a brand new movie by James Gunn coming this year, the Suicide Squad has the potential to enter a brand new era, and Robbie Thompson is looking to help make that happen. Guess Who’s Back: Waller’s back. And much to the dismay of Rick Flag, she has a crazy plan to turn the Suicide Squad into it’s most absolute form, Task Force Z. Amanda Waller sends Peacemaker and a few other obscure villains like Film Freak (yes, Film Freak) on a mission in Arkham Asylum to retrieve William Cobb, the Talon himself. While the Squad makes light work of the officers guarding the Asylum, Talon himself proves to be enough of a challenge on his own, as he seems to have forgotten who he is and is immediately hostile toward the team. Meanwhile, Rick Flag is clearly not a big fan of Waller’s secret plan, but Amanda isn’t having it so she electrocutes him and throws him in chains. It quickly becomes clear though that Flag isn’t the only one Waller has locked away, and the chains on this surprise prisoner definitely aren’t gonna be staying on for long. As we cut back to the Squad in Arkham Asylum, each member is dispatched one after the other by a release of Joker gas in the vicinity and the overflow of expendable guards trying to subdue them until only 2 remained. With Peacemaker and Talon retreating up flights of stairs with Asylum guards gaining from below and green toxins filling their only escape route, the two prepare to fight off the horde of officers quickly approaching as the issue comes to a close. Not Here To Show Off: The art in this book done by Eduardo Pansica is very good. The style complements the action focused storytelling by providing dynamic scenes that show the ability of the characters skills. The obscure villains utilized within are made to look powerful and cool despite their obscurity and quirkiness. The characters specifically are drawn with great detail and full page spreads are done very well. Overall, this is a clean art style for such a muddy and murky cast of characters. Some Kind Of Suicide Squad: Ultimately, this new Suicide Squad team is refreshing and intriguing enough to warrant your attention. I wasn’t going into this issue with much of any expectations, but this new set of squad members and whatever Waller has planned got me invested enough to want to continue reading the series. All of the characters seem like unique and sensible fits for the Squad with Peacemaker and Talon specifically peaking my interest to see where these characters are taken. The lack of any mainstay Suicide Squad members may throw off some fans of the series, but I think that is exactly what this series needed. The uniqueness of this story in comparison to recent storylines gives it a sense of unpredictability that a title like the Suicide Squad greatly benefits from. Every aspect of this issue seems to give off a unique energy different than what this title has had before. This year seems to be a big one for the Suicide Squad, and if you are looking forward to the upcoming movie or looking for a unique new title, this is a really solid first issue that should at least warrant picking up the next issue to see what happens next. [yasr_visitor_multiset setid=1] [yasr_multiset setid=1] Please don’t hesitate to leave a comment down below for our Review of Suicide Squad #1 and give us your rating of the comic if you’ve also read it. Join us on Discord, Instagram, Twitter etc – linktr.ee/BGCPComicCon Buy tickets for BGCP Comic Con in and around Glasgow Scotland – BUY TICKETS Check out all of our Comic, Movie, Television and Videogame Reviews HERE and our Podcasts/Interviews HERE

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