The Toad's Burrow

      What? Huh? I mean I've heard about this comic before, I know what it's about. But at the same time you think it can't be that bad. I mean this is the same guy who wrote The Dark Knight Returns  and that's one of the best Batman stories out there. Except it really is that bad. Ten issues of some of the worst writing you've ever read. I'm unconvinced DC actually released this comic. If you ever wanted to see 2000's comic books at their worst, at their edgiest, at their dumbest, it's this comic. I mean just look at the thumbnail Batman is painted completely yellow and they play the scene seriously. Let's talk about this.     If you told me a Batman hater wrote this comic I'd have believed you. In fact, if you told me this comic was written by someone who hates the mediums of comic books, I'd have believed you. The fact that Frank Millar, a very famous comic book writer, was supposed to have written this, I'd laugh in your face. But it...

      I know this blog has been absolutely inundated with comic reviews, as I slowly wean myself back into that hobby but indeed, I am still reading regular books. As such, like I mentioned last time I wanted to begin going througn the Hainish cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin, whose sci-fi novel, The Dispossessed , absolutely blew me away last time. This time however, this review will be a little bit different. Instead of reviewing one story, I'll be reviewing a collection of her older stories, titled Worlds of Exile and Illusion. As such, this review will be written over a longer period of time than I'm used to, but I think it'll be good to have a place to compare some of her earlier work. So every time I start talking about a new story, some time has passed for me to read the next story so they're all fresh in my mind. Let's talk about it.     Speaking on Rocannon's World , I would say it's quite a strong story. The reason I say this is because it's such a w...

      Fuck man. This isn't even my first time watching this film, yet I just have to sit here in awe of it again. Look I know it's not particularly novel or new to say that this might be one of the best films ever made, but Good Will Hunting  has the goods, whether it be the dialogue, the acting, to the soundtrack, every little bit of it is perfect. It doesn't have action, it doesn't need to be overly funny, yet when Will starts crying, it is absolutely so cathartic. It's just a complete release of everything the film has been building up to until that point. It doesn't feel old, it feels sacred watching this film, just feeling honored to be witnessed to such an achievement. Let's talk about it.     I don't even know where to start with this film. I'm just gushing over it, yet I need to finish this review, because I don't know how much longer I'll be able to capture the giddiness this film makes me feel. Ultimately, the story boils down to on...

      This may be a controversial take, but I think The Penguin  is only okay at best? Part of the reason it took me so long to watch this show despite it being so critically-acclaimed is that I just had other things going on at the moment. I have a bit of a love-hate relationships with non-sitcom TV. Sometimes I'm really into it, other times I watch so many eight-episode limited series that just leave me feeling kind of meh. Sadly, I think The Penguin  is that kind of show. I remember an acquaintance telling me how much they loved this show, that really to them it was like a great mafia/crime show, just that it happened to take place in the same universe as The Batman . Let's talk about it.     I don't hate this show? I'm just kind of lukewarm on it. Maybe the issue is that Lanterns  is going on at the same time, and so I can't help but compare them and feel just utterly blown away by Kyle Chandler and Aaron Pierre. Maybe part of it is also I jus...

      I was originally going to watch Good Will Hunting  with my sister, but I sadly I'll have to save that for another day. Instead, I get to watch what was for the most part quite a wholesome rom-com. I can see why this movie is rated pretty highly. I must admit the movie did get a nice big grin out of during the ending. However, it's hard not to feel a little cheated. Not in the sense that I think the film was bad or anything, but in the sense that I almost think it came out with the wrong message? I think part of it might just be the different age we're in, but another part of me thinks they might have gotten it wrong. Let's talk about it.     I'll start with my nitpicks with this film, which aren't many. First of all, I think the showrunners needed to organize William Thacker's life just a little bit more. My sister and I were both confused about his friend/family dynamics, and who was related to who/dating who when we first met them all. Eventually it...

      What? What? What? I don't think a green screen has ever been stretched to these levels before, and I'm just kind of in awe that in the end they made a functioning movie. This movie is far from flawed, frankly I'll say it straight with my chest that it gets kind of boring sometimes. But when this movie finally hits its stride and starts rolling like a giant ball of snow, it never really stops. The odds were completely against it. This movie has no dialogue, it's black and white, it relies almost entirely slapstick comedy, yet it works. Let's talk about it.     Now don't get it twisted, I think this movie has its flaws. First of all, I know it's kind of funny that they don't do any sort of introductory credits until 30 minutes in, but regardless of the gag it takes them way too long for the introductory credits to begin. Certainly, there's some real novelty to the beginning of this film. They sing a surprisingly good song, there's this funny ...

      You know, the older I get the more I appreciate alternative art styles when it comes to comics. I don't think it's the deciding factor but it can really help. Which is funny because I basically said Asterios Polyp  was too weak outside of it's art style. Even still I must admit as a lifelong superhero's fan there's something about Avengers: Twilight  that just scratches that right itch. I mean it's not anything that's never been done before, but it does make you feel a little bit of something, and it maybe, just maybe wants me to believe in Chip Zdarksy a little bit. Does this mean I'll check out Avengers: Armageddon ? Eh probably not these events take like a year to finish so you always have to wait a while to fully read them all at once, but this comic was good at least. Let's talk about it.     When you first read this comic there are a couple comparisons that come to mind pretty immediately. The Dark Knight Returns  and Kingdom Come , bo...

          I'll be the first to admit, I came into this comic very skeptical of it all, and frankly I can't say it wasn't unearned. I mean I only read this comic because I saw some goofy panel of someone posting it, only to learn the premise of this book was basically a light-hearted Game of Thrones  style fantasy involving most of your favorite characters from the DC Universe. It's quite corny to be honest all things considered. Oddly enough, I think I enjoyed the spin-off companion comic books quite a bit more, whether it be the Aqua-man themed one or the Deathstroke-centric one. In fact, I might even say that Dark Knights of Steel: Allwinter is kind of easily the best comic here. Let's talk about it.     I'll focus on the original 12-issue run first, Dark Knights of Steel  by Tom Taylor and Yasmine Putri. I will say at the very least for the first comic you need to be able to not take these characters too seriously. I would consider th...

    I'm finally glad to have watched Supergirl , not in the sense that I was super excited to see this film, but I like most other people was inundated with so much discourse surrounded by this film while it was coming out, about how it's the worst film of all time, so many stupid, pointless culture war talking points and how it had one of the worst superhero needle drops of all time. And to that I say, some good points were made, but some of them were overblown, and while this is a very, very underwhelming film, I would say it's far from franchise-altering and I don't think the DCU needed Supergirl  to do super well, even if I wanted it to do that. Let's talk about it.     I never actually wrote about Woman of Tomorrow  though I was debating it so it'll be fun to talk about both that comic, how it compares to this film, and what I liked about each. I will say, for all the crap this film got about it's horrendous needle drop at the end, and I do mean horren...