Recent Games 4/29/09

Hey look! A non-comics post!


Outrun Online Arcade (Xbox Live Arcade) -- It's been a long time since the high score fever of Pac-Man Championship Edition hit me, but this "new" Outrun has done the trick. It's technically very short; there are fifteen courses, but you only play through five at a time via branching paths. Playing through all the courses in one go will run you about fifteen minutes, but that's not the real draw. What keeps me coming back to the game is the scoring system, which rewards you for speediness, slipstreaming and passing other cars (and special "Rival" cars) without hitting them. It sounds a bit simplistic -- it is! -- but plotting a course through the game and mastering your own little corner is extremely rewarding. It's almost a bit daunting to think about conquering all of the courses in their entirety, to my satisfaction.

This game is incredibly refreshing in a time where gaming is choked with the smog of "realistic" dark browns and greys. The shining sun (complete with Impressive Ten Years Ago Lens-Flare) celebrates the bright blue sky and tall, healthy trees. This game is just so... happy! And that's nice.


Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection (Xbox 360) -- I thought I read somewhere that this compilation boasts the highest volume of any console collection to date. Perhaps it does, but the list onscreen just scrolls by too fast. Sure, there are like seven or eight Sonic games, two Shinobi's, three Streets of Rage titles, four Phantasy Stars, and original arcade versions of stuff like Altered Beast -- well, when I guess I say it like that, it sounds a bit better. Anyhow, at 30 bucks, it's a decent deal for a blast processing of nostalgia. It's cool to play old stuff I never got around to, like Comix Zone and Vectorman, however well time has treated them.


Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (Nintendo DS) -- I go through these phases with GTA games. When I first pop them in, I'm a bit disappointed that they're pretty much the same as their predecessors. I trudge on for a bit, because hey, I spent my money already. And somewhere along the line, I'm won over by the silly carnage and surprisingly varied missions I'm sent on. During this period, I can often be seen with a stupid grin on my face, throwing molotov cocktails at police cars and doing whatever else it is that the millions of gamers who buy these games do. And then, probably before the end, I stop cold. I might try to pick it up again, but it won't have that same grip on me. Sure enough, this is what happened with Chinatown Wars, old-school handheld flavor or no. I'm feeling pretty over GTA. Until the next game.

Comic Book Day 4/22/09

I promise I'll get to a non-comic-related post soon. PROMISE.


Ghost Rider #34 -- Holy hell, this is maybe the first issue I've seen where an artist handily trumps writer Jason Aaron. Usually the latter chooses artists that compliments his talents and they both look good, but Mr. Aaron took a step back to let Tony Moore shine (though not before spicing up the book with some great Southern dialect). This issue even outshines Roland Boschi's earlier work on this series, at the start of Aaron's run -- no mean feat at all. This is a great self-contained story that I intend to use on folks to get them into this run of Ghost Rider. And help me god, the next issue has ninjas on the cover.

Thor #601 -- I've tried to get my roommates into this series, to no avail. Perhaps they're bored (or intimidated) by the idea of Norse Mythology Action with Shakespearian Dialogue.I don't think they know that part of the appeal of this series is in the deft mix of Asgardian nobility and weight with Oklahoman hospitality and charm. The way these two peoples, brought together at the start of the new series (a little over a year ago; it's since been renumbered starting with last month's #600), interact is sort of heartwarming in an Everything Will Be Alright kind of way. There have been a lot of moments in Straczynski's run that seem like those one-off chuckles in films that gives everyone in the theater a common smile. It does get to be a bit much at times (Dr. Doom mentioning Wikipedia? Really?), but it doesn't ever grate for very long. No, any harsh feelings I have for this series are currently aimed at the permanent pricejacking to $3.99 an issue. This is becoming awfully common for Marvel books.


Guardians of the Galaxy #13 -- Oh hey, speakofthedevil -- a Marvel book that's both better and cheaper than Thor! Not to dump on a decent comic, but Guardians just kicks too much ass. This issue recaptures the first issue's manic pace; awesome brawls are spotted with zippy little "talking head" panels (think The Office, with cosmic superheroes), and the second half finally catapults the Guardians head-first into both sides of the War of Kings! I know I sound like a solicitation from Marvel, but this is such a blast of a comic.

Jack of Fables #33 -- I am not one to say that It Was I Who Told You As It Was, but, I do remember wondering earlier in this blog if the rushjob on the previous Jack issue was a casualty for the coming of the Great Fables Crossover. Indeed, Braun's lines here are so much stronger, matching the confident swagger of its titular hero. One need look no further than the second and third pages, a spread which details the meeting of dozens of Fabled persons and creatures in a decidedly Mos Eisley fashion. I especially loved one inset zoom-in on Jack, eerily channeling the similarly brutish Beauty and the Beast villain Gaston. The writing here is quite solid, too, especially the bits with the ultra-powerful Kevin. It sounds funny when you say it that way, but this is a guy who can bend reality by writing with his pen, and as it turns out, his creative half is also his sadistic one. I do abhore the ongoing full-page Peanuts-esque lamentations of Babe the Blue Ox, though I do like his newfound Woodstock. Kevin has his own text-heavy six-panel spread too; I wish it would replace its obnoxious cousin.


Detective Comics #853 -- This is the second part of the etherreal Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusdader? arc. I should mention that I take issue with DC calling this an "arc". An arc, by its very nature, has at least three parts, so it can rise and fall. This story is made up of exactly one couple of issues. The absolute most it could ever aspire to be is a line segment. I don't care that it's Neil Gaiman's lovely and surreal love letter to Batman, complimented with Andy Kubert's stunning visuals. It's still horseshit.

Buck Rogers #0 -- I can't complain about the price of this one. Though street-priced at what was once associated with a single Shave and a Haircut, I actually scored this for the low sum of True Love. And heck, it's not a bad comic, to boot! It's gotta be maybe ten or twelve pages, but it's a pulpy and fun dozen pages. I thought the new look of Buck Rogers was pretty cool, until I looked at the front cover of this week's Guardians of the Galaxy to see a dude (Chris Summers, I think? Brother of Cyclops?) in uncannily similar duds. Ah well. This little guy did its job -- I'm interested to check out the "first" issue of the series, whenever that's coming.


Scalped #28 -- I am kind of damned excited that I'm "in" on this series at close to the ground floor. I swear this series will keep growing in stature among comics fans, even moreso when the book concludes in a few years. We finally get RM Guera back to draw this whopper of an issue, wherein we finally find out what happened on that day, more than 30 years ago. Criminy Christmas, this series is great. Have I said it's my favorite series currently running? Because it so, so is.

Comic Book Daypocalypse -- Tax Day Edition

So, I sort of forgot to write about comics last week. Or anything else, for that matter. I really wanted to get something new in before writing about comics again, but here we are. Maybe I should split up my blogs according to topics. Rocket Lawnchair isn't a good name for a comic blog, I don't think. Maybe I should just write more. Like right now!

Two weeks worth of comics. This'll be long. Just so you know, you one or two people who will read this besides me. I'll try to keep it short and sweet, but we all know how that's turned out in the past.


Air #8 -- Soo I think I'm getting a handle on this whole situation with Blythe and hyperpraxis, etc. It's been sort of a rush to get here, but this issue was nice enough to slow down and tie some strings together. I should really get more people to read this book. I should also probably read Cairo.

DMZ #41 -- That last sentence there reminds me. I'm always talking about what I should do, mostly involving rereading comics. Do I read them too fast? Because in the last arc of this series ("War Powers"), I could've sworn that Matty was upset that Zee killed herself? Perhaps it was something slightly more subtle, like his guilt for siding with Parco eating away at him. Anyway, I enjoyed taking a break from escalating political struggle for a good ol' fashioned morality tale with nice, big panels housing clean lines and moody colors.

Green Lantern #39 -- I sort of just want Blackest Night to be here already. I love GL, but spending four issues exploring each color of the rainbow and its Lanterns has worn a bit thin. It's interesting to think that the leader of the Orange Lantern Corps (powered by greed) may actually be the only real member, and the art is stellar as usual, but I somehow I feel overwhelmed at the same time I feel bored. Maybe it's just been the mood I've been in while reading the past few issues, because I sure don't have a problem with the "little brother" series.


Green Lantern Corps #35 -- This is where the Green Lantern action is at. The stories here are smaller in scope than in the main series, but when it comes to GL, that still means jailbreaks, genocide and entire planets at war are all fair game. It helps a lot that the Corps is populated by real characters, as opposed to the somewhat pre-molded Hal. If GLC stays this good, I'm okay with a bit of a dip in GL proper here and there.

War of Kings: Ascension #1 -- I kind of sort of read a little bit of the War of Kings: Darkhawk two-part mini that precedes this new four-part series (it really could just be one big six-parter, but we can't have a side series as long as the main one, can we?). I was a bit interested in the character, but was a bit apprehensive as to exactly how this could be that different than Nova. The end of this issue definitely takes measures to assuage those fears (I always wanted to use the word assuage in a sentence), though it takes a bunch of mindless action to get there. Ah well. I'm a hopeless DnA fanboy these days anyhow.

Young Liars #14 -- In a rare chapter, this issue actually answers more questions than it creates. Things are finally coming back together. I guess that's David Lapham's cue to blow them apart again.Read this series or else the spiders from Mars will get you, too.



Wolverine: Weapon X #1 -- This issue is mostly just a set-up, but knowing Jason Aaron, it's going to pay off big-time in the next few chapters. Because I have to mention both writing and art, Garney's work here is solid. And if that's a Death Wish reference on the subway, I owe both men a kiss on the mouth.

Incognito #3 -- Thanks a lot Brubaker, for making this series a bi-monthly. I really don't feel like waiting eight weeks between each installment awesome supervillain noir action drawn by Sean Philips. I'll never read another one of your comics again!

Captain America #48 -- Hur, get it? It was just like a great sitcom joke, what I did just there. Anyhow, this issue is kinda filler, but then again, so was tonight's Lost. Doesn't mean that episode wasn't any good, and it doesn't mean I regret reading it, but we all know both of them are stalling just a little bit in the shadow of the no-doubt huge events just around the corner.



Ignition City #1 -- The panels in this comic seemed extra wide, to me. So much so, I double-checked it with something else I got last week. Nope. Same size. Maybe it was the great world Warren Ellis has already created, fusing Buck Rogers and steampunk together like it's already been done before a dozen times. Maybe it was the instantly-iconic imagery that pulled that world together (I want a full splash page of the protagonist taking a nap in her spaceplane). I want more of this world. More than just the four issues it has left. I guess that's a sign of a great comic, no?

Fables #83 -- Like Weapon X, this issue is mostly a set-up. It does it well enough, but there's only so much you can ask of the very first part of a multiple-series spanning crossover event. I do wonder how the hell they're going to work this out in trades, though.

Batman: Battle for the Cowl #2 -- This was a nice surprise. I was just sort of going along with this mini, just to "be there" when the new Batman (Dick Grayson, no doubt) takes the cowl. But really, this issue ramped up with some great action and a typically stirring call-to-arms minispeech by Alfred. Still, whatever finale Tony Daniel has in store will probably pale in comparison to Morrison and Quitely's Batman and Robin.

The Walking Dead #60 -- I always rush through a new issue of Walking Dead. It's not my fault. This book is the one that rushes me. I've just got to get through to see what happens, who dies, how many zombies get it right in the head. I loved seeing Rick and Co. literally run right past the Night of the Living Dead scenario (unfortunately for them, the zombies shuffled by it too). Too bad it looks like they're going to stick with the "most dangerous creature of all" bit for the next little while.

Comic Book Day 4/1/09

Okay, I'm going to try (in vain) to make this quick -- I'm already way behind and another New Comic Book Day is just around the corner. Plus I've got to find some time to go over the cool crap I got at the Emerald City Con (and from Rick, that generous yahoo).


Flash Rebirth #1 -- I was reading some reviews and forums online, and the general consensus was that the series was off to a "slow start" (Get it? Flash? Slow start? LOL?) -- but for me, it was just fine. There's something like four or five Flashes of different ages and colors running around, and this issue gave me time to get acclimated and remember who's who and what the hell's going on. I'm a sucker for Geoff Johns' writing (loved that chat with Hal), and artist Ethan Van Sciver is just the god-damned man (see: The Flash Museum, the farmland scene, Flash getting his suit out). Dug the slightly WTF ending, too. Looking forward to the rest of this miniseries, with a strong likelihood of giving Geoff Johns even more money month after month for the new Flash series proper.

Scalped #27 -- Jason Aaron did it again, god dammit. He took a character we all hated, and skillfully showed us his sympathetic side. He's just doing this to build us up, get us to know each character before he kills one or more of them. Stupid bastard and his compelling storytelling.


Deadpool #9 -- I talked to Daniel Way at Emerald City, and he told me that he's signed on to write this series at least until issue 24 or so. "Awesome!" I exclaimed, barely masking my girlish glee. I had the same reaction when I heard he's doing an arc coming up wherein Deadpool becomes a pirate.

War of Kings #2 -- I'm thinking about just waiting until I've got this entire series and just reading it all in one go. It might make Guardians of the Galaxy and Nova a bit more confusing, but I'll be damned if I can't figure out which character is which. So, Vulcan is Cyclops' brother, but also somehow King of Shi'ar? Ronin (Ronan?) used to rule the Kree but has stepped down to let Black Bolt in because he and his people are "the future"? Sure, there are sweet space battles with lasers and giant robot men who scream spaceships to death, but what does it mean? I guess if you put it that way, does it even matter?


Irredeemable #1 -- Mark Waid is something of a legend in comics (I guess? I really should read his Flash stuff), but I haven't read anything of his until now. This series is said to chronicle the descent of a boy scout superhero to a seriously evil supervillain. Judging from this guy's actions in the first issue, he's already made some serious headway. After murdering a former superhero comrade and his family, the other capes are all scared shitless. They wonder if they can even stop this guy, if he has any weaknesses at all. Something certainly happened to send this guy over the edge. I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out, moreso as to where it goes from there, as an ongoing series.

Boys #29 -- Man, this arc had been plodding along leisurely until the end of issue 28; now that we hit 29, everything has really hit the fan. We learn the reprehensible acts behind the G-Men and their creators, and pulling the camera back even further, the incredible last few pages change the game completely with a twist that will no doubt affect the remainder of this series. Really cool stuff.

F My Life (dot com)

I'm a little late on this, but the site fmylife.com seems to have really gained popularity over the last few months. Delivering short, pithy tales of woe from around the globe, FMyLife (or FML) is at once hilarious and depressing and reassuring. Some choice snippets:

Today, I was trying to get drama students to attempt to make themselves cry. I was not having any luck, until suddenly a girl burst into tears, sobbing uncontrollably. I jumped up to applaud, saying what a wonderful thing it is to have such expressive kids. Turns out her grandma just died. FML

Today, my boyfriend told me he couldn't hang out with me because he felt really sick. I went to his house anyway to surprise him with homemade soup. I walk in to his room only to find him hooking up with my sister. She can't drive, our mom drove her there. FML

Today, I had drunk sex with a girl that I barely know. I didn't have a condom and was nervous about getting her pregnant, but she assured me that I could pull out. Right when I was about to pull out, she wrapped her legs around me and yelled : "BE MY BABY'S DADDY!" I couldn't get out in time. FML

Today, I decided to eat at this new cafe near my apartment. When I sat down a super flamboyant waiter came up to me and asked for my order. I asked him what he recommended. He said "to be honest honey, you could go for the salad." I just got out of an eating disorders rehab and put on 30 pounds. FML

Heaps more are at the site, with more every day. While many of them probably aren't real, take solace in the fact that some of them are, and those that aren't have could still probably apply to some poor soul.

Comic Book Day 3/25/09

I missed last week because there were only two comics; I'll rectify and pellet-review them. Just for you!


Proof #18 -- I'm sad that nobody reads this comic. I'm glad Image has kept it going this far, at least. For those who don't know (so, Rick and Antony) this series is about a sasquatch named John Prufrock (nickname Proof) who works for a government agency that tracks down and preserves fantasy creatures. So, fairies, chupacabras, sewer alligators, etc. It sounds a little lame, maybe, but would a comparison to a wonderful mashup of Fables and The X-Files help? It's all tied together with neat, sketchy inks and solid, moody colors? You can brag to your friends you read Proof "before it was cool"?

Anyhow, this is a neat issue that really shows how much this series can expand. I really look forward to seeing what comes next in this book.

Battlefields: Dear Billy #3 -- This issue wrecked me, a little. After a few pages of Billy blabbing away, we get to the good stuff: Carrie's narration. As things start to get rocky, we see the real difference between her and Billy, and how their similarities and shared bonds ultimately doom their relationship. The last page is stunning, stirring and haunting all at once. I really don't know how the next Battlefields miniseries ("Tankies") can top this.

The trade of this short series comes out soon. Definitely keep an eye out for it.

Crossed #4 -- Garth Ennis has written about guys stuffing their own dicks up their ass after being told to fuck themselves, and Crossed is still the most messed up thing he's ever written. He spends this issue hammering home, as he has for the past few issues, that there's absolutely no Great White Hope in this world of zombies. They're not even zombies -- they're humans who, once infected, become the most evil and sadistic individuals the world has ever seen. They're smart (did a zombie ever think of spitting on someone to infect them?) and they've got a diabolical sense of humor (one word: horsecock). This miniseries is relentlessly nihlistic, and it's not even half over. Things can only get worse for the featured survivors, and I'll be there for every minute.


Guardians of the Galaxy #12 -- Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of what's going on. Drax (the dude who looks like a green-skinned version of Kratos from God of War) and Phyla (the daughter of Captain Mar-vell and inheritor of sweet Quasar power bands) were "killed" in effort to go to the realm of the dead to bring back Heather (the former's daughter and the latter's lover). It sounds a little convoluted, but it gets away with it with a fistful of dismemberments and one big black space dragon. I'm glad we're getting back to the rest of the gang so I can see some characters in the War of Kings event that I actually recognize.

Captain America #48 -- I'm only just now caught up with Brubaker's epic Cap run (cue: kicking self for waiting so long), just in time for Bucky's first big outing after donning the shield. It's a short and sweet bros-on-a-secret-mission with Namor and Black Widow for backup. Toss in a creepy, menacing villain and a mad scientist who's got a past with the Winter Soldier and you've got yourself a great chaser to a sprawling 40-some-odd issue saga. They're switching the numbering back to include all back issues in a few months (joining Daredevil's upcoming 500th issue, and matching Thor's recent 600 benchmark), but I hope Bru sticks around for a while. What else is he doing? Incognito? That comes out like what, every two months?


Nova #22 + 23 -- After catching up with the last two issues, I'm having a hard time deciding which Abnett/Lanning book I like better -- this or Guardians of the Galaxy. They're pretty different books (Guardians an ensemble series, Nova centering on The Richard Rider Show), but they share that same zippy DnA flavor. I guess I should just be glad I have both. I mean, check out the slick one-issue crossover with Nova 23 and Guardians 12; Quasar flies off at the beginning of Nova, makes his appearance in Guardians and still makes it back in time for the end of that same issue of Nova! That's what you get when one section of continuity and crossovers (in this case, Marvel's cosmic space) is handled by two dudes.

Jack of Fables #32 -- This issue suffers from the same rushed feeling that the last issue of Fables did, thanks to the impending Great Fables Crossover starting next month. Unlike Fables, though, Jack actually has some important, game-changing stuff to deal with in the latter half of the issue. It's a revelation that sort of blows away the reader and those affected in the story, but those explaining it (both the authors and the characters in the issue) seem to pass it off non-chalantly, like breaking up with a girl in a postscript. Anyway, glad to have everything sorted out for the crossover, which I expect big things of, Mr. Willingham. Don't disappoint, or else I'll... keep buying Fables. Bastard.


Air #7 -- This is one of the more compelling ongoing series around. Blythe's existential journey takes an even trippier turn this issue when she figures out she can travel not only through time and space, but through people, as well. I'm loving MK Perker's art, too -- detailed facial expressions, subtle body language and some of the most convincing kissing I've seen in a comic. This issue's on sale for a special price: one American dollar. You don't really have an excuse if you see this comic on the stands. Better yet, try out the first trade for a tenner. There should be all sorts of impressive quotes from comic creators on the back.

Deadpool: Games of Death -- Blargh. After Daniel Way's great run on the title character, this one-shot really disappoints. It's front-loaded with tons of exposition, while at the same time weighed down by uninspired cartoony violence and flat jokes in the last half. Mike Benson's got another shot with a Deadpool miniseries in a little while, so we'll see if some breathing room helps smooth things out a bit. Otherwise, I might have to drop Deadpool proper if this guy takes over after Way's run is through.

Recent Games 3/15/09

This'll be an occasional thing; I haven't been playing too many games lately (well, much less than usual), but a few have sucked me in . We've got a couple hardcore Capcom games and some stuff that's... yeah.



Street Fighter IV (PS3)-- I got pretty into Street Fighter II when they released the HD Remix edition for Xbox Live a while back, so I felt right at home with IV. It's... pretty much like Street Fighter II, but with shiny graphics, a few new characters and online play. The latter works a lot better than expected, except for the cheap sons of bitches online -- I guess I can't blame the developers for that, though. I guess. It's a very familiar game, and there are definitely some balance issues (pick Sagat and you win), but it's still an incredibly solid and engaging fighting game.



Peggle (Xbox Live Arcade) -- It's hard to explain the appeal of this game; you've just got to play it. There's a demo right here for your PC. It's very simple. Either you don't get it, or you spend hours bouncing a little ball down rows of pegs in order to clear all the orange dots on the screen. I've had good experiences with the multiplayer, though when I say good I mean the pure luck involved in this game sometimes fills me with an unspeakable rage that would frighten my mother.



Resident Evil 5 (Xbox 360) -- The demo for this game really turned me off. After loving Resident Evil 4, I was disappointed to find that the game hadn't really evolved at all. There was the same tank-like controls that, in the four years since RE4's release, have been improved upon greatly by games like Gears of War and Dead Space. Resident Evil 5, in the year 2009, does not allow you to move and shoot at the same time. At first I thought this was a real gamebreaker for me--the demo shot the game down from an instant purchase to a definite rental for me.

I sat down to play the game this weekend, and was really surprised with the results. The controls don't matter too much after about half an hour, and the same unique visceral feeling that permeated RE4 starts to shine through. Besides the incredibly polished and detailed graphics, the only real new wrinkle is a co-op mode, which really does add a lot to the game. It makes proceedings a bit less frightening (though the fear of getting your head cut off by a chainsaw-wielding maniac is still there), but the action remains as tense as ever. The teamwork dynamic is very well suited to this game.

The series director has said that the next game in the main franchise will be another big reboot/retooling like RE4 was. I believe it. This game is like a huge tribute to (or a museum for) old school game design, for Japanese development especially. There are the bosses and enemies with big bright and obvious weak points, bosses that you have to lure into traps of fire, buttons to push and levers to pull. Hell, there's even a level full of conveyor belts that just keeps feeding flammable containers into a furnace -- a veritable exploding barrel factory. That and the tons of unlockables and fun arcadey Mercenaries mode really scratch the right spots for a longtime "hardcore" gamer like me.



Noby Noby Boy (Playstation Network) -- Can you call something a game if there's really no objective, or um, point to it? Sure, stretching your snake-like body around simple, clean storybook levels is fun, but why? Yeah, I giggle every time I eat something and a big bump slithers down my body until I poop out the object (or person) unharmed, but does that really justify an official software release? For five dollars, I felt like I had my money's worth in fun and dicking around doing nothing. And isn't that really what games are for, anyway?