The Toad's Burrow

      Let me level with you. I mostly decided to read this comic because people keep on sharing the artwork from this series, especially since Lanterns  is about to wrap up its first season and everyone seems to be buzzing with excitement. Even still, I had decently high hopes, people seemed quite adamant this was a good Green Lantern  run even if it was two volumes at best. And I have to say? It's pretty solid. I don't think it particularly reinvents the wheel, but there are some changes to the GL mythos that I think people can appreciate. Let's talk about it.     During Geoff John's famous Green Lantern run much of it was about showing the Guardians of the Galaxy as the villains they were, with the creation of the Manhunters and everything they chose to hide about the universe and their workings. This series does not change that aspect, but it feels more liberating in the sense that it doesn't feel shackled by years of lore and mythos it has to work ...

      I was never a big fan of the original Ghost Rider. No disrespect to Johnny Blaze but I never quite felt any particular connection to him or his design. You know who I enjoyed reading about as a kid, and whose design I love even more now? Robbie Reyes as the Ghost Rider. Whether it's the car, or the cool metallic skull, respectfully it sort of feels like an update that Ghost Rider as a character could have used. I remember reading about this character when he first came out, and so I decided to revisit it finally. Let's talk about it.     What can I say, this dude looks cool. I just prefer his design and the car so much more than the original Ghost Rider design. Though, I don't quite like that during this original run Robbie keeps on shaving his head or doing dumb things with his hair. The hair he has on this cover, with the white streak through it was just perfect as is, and I'm glad it's become the look he's been most remembered for. Funnily enough, I onl...

      My review for this film feels like the film itself. I feel like I have a lot to say, but in reality I'm not quite too sure. In the same way the film can feel longer than it really is at times, yet you finish and realize only about 80 minutes have passed in total. For this review I don't even need to start it off with any real anecdote. The Blair Witch Project  is quite an iconic film in pop culture, and while I do not lean any particular way when it comes to horror or found footage, I always knew this films name. Yet as technically impressive as this film was, I can't help but feel like my enjoyment of it was always capped by the genre itself. Let's talk about it.      I'm not saying that I went into this film believing it had a ceiling of enjoyment for me, but part of the appeal to this film is the fact that it's so limited on purpose. This film very much feels real, it does feel like if you let three college students go shoot an amateur documen...

      Well there it is I've done three Wonder Woman comics in a row. A common theme between the three is that once again I think this comic is just too short. However, unlike the other two I think there's some real proverbial meat on the bone to chew on that keeps you intrigued. Let's talk about it.     So, basically this comic is about 100ish pages, and is based around the premise of the Hiketeia, which is the Greek rule of hospitality, which Diana extends to a young girl after she's being chased by Batman for murdering the people who destroyed her sisters life. The biggest criticism of this comic I've managed to see online is people think Batman acts out of character, but I'd argue for the purposes of a relatively small one-off comic I think tha's fine.     He's mainly just there to represent the lack of nuance. After all the book is all about social laws and upholding them, you even see the comic mention littering being worse than murder. In that se...

       Yeah I'm going through random Wonder Woman stories? So what? It's pretty easy to argue that this comic is super edgy. It's post-apocalyptic, the art style is decently grimey, and Wonder Woman literally uses Superman's spine as a new whip. And to that I say? Honestly, I think Wonder Woman's allowed to have an edgy comic. I mean like I still enjoyed Wolverine:  Old Man Logan , and I really think Mark Millar is complete edge lord, so I think Wonder Woman is allowed to have one edgy story. Let's talk about it.     Like the last Wonder Woman story I reviewed, this one is also quite short so I won't have too much to say about it. Honestly though, my only complaint is about that random human character that Wonder Woman interacts with. I understand their purpose, someone needs to really hold Wonder Woman accountable/remind her of her own atrocities, btu at the same time she was kind of annoying. Would I have preferred if it was just a Cheetah and Wonder...

      This review will be relatively short. I mean it's only a one-shot that's around a hundred pages or so anyways. Even still, I thought I might enjoy highlighting/talking about this comic briefly just to catalogue it since I really don't read many Wonder Woman comics in the first place. Let's talk about it. In concept this comic is pretty simple. It involves Wonder Woman taking down the rest of the league, Tower of Babel style, because of some prophecy.      I mean this in the nicest way but I think the best aspect of this comic is the art style. it's quite pretty and it's kind of nice seeing all of the textures and shadows within it. It's just a very simplistic comic which is why I'm kind of struggling to write a very comprehensive review. And I think the simplicity is intentional? It is a very mystical/magical story, relying heavily on Wonder Woman's origin as a woman whose lore is based on myth. Final Score: 60/100     On one hand I want to ...

      I remember reading The Flashpoint Paradox , reading about The New 52 and the new universe it created. I'm going to be honest, I don't know if the DCAMU really needs a review, but as someone who always thought they were cool as hell and never got around to them, I figured now was the time. Even still, I think this movie is overrated at least Letterboxd-wise. Like don't get me wrong, I think this film is good, and I also think that the comic it's based on is good. But personally? I think I prefer other comic events. Let's talk about it.     In terms of this movie, it is hilariously ugly. You know how in some comics you'll read it and just be absolutely enchanted by the highly stylized art style? This movie is like the exact opposite. I mean even ignoring the mix of both CGI and traditional animation, these designs are all ugly sans Flashpoint Batman. I mean even the Flash's suit when he comes back looks hideous. It's not the costumes I'm concerne...

      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...