Monthly Archives: June 2015

SpartanNerd Review…The New DC Universe “Batman Beyond #1”

by

0

As I wrote before The Convergence…Future’s End had a terribly flat ending.  The cliffhanger led me to believe that Batman (Beyond) would be featured in a new title…or something…after the convergence.  Looks like I was correct.  Looks like I was also correct in skipping The Convergence.  A meaningless crossover.

IMG_6166

The cover art is just not very good.  It reminds me of some of the covers and artwork from “Ultimate Spiderman…”  One reason I never read that title was the art was so off-putting.  But DC has surpised me before…sometimes bad art can be overcome by good storytelling…at least for the SpartanNerd.  (Arkham Manor comes to mind.)

Looks like the front cover is also showing us other characters from “the Beyond” story.  Justice League characters The Flash and Superman are evident.  Not sure that I can name the other guys.

My experience with Batman Beyond is pretty limited.  I am seventeen years older than my youngest brother, and he would watch the cartoon every now and then.  A couple of years ago, I snatched up “Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.”  I had a hard time getting past some jarring things about it…one of them being the language.  At the time I felt my children weren’t old enough to watch that, so I watched it on my own later.  I picked up a few things about Terry McGinnis’ universe.  And people use the word “slag” alot.   It bothered me that Tim Drake was made into Joker and Harley’s adopted and brainwashed son.

And besides Future’s End, that’s it…So I can’t say too much to die-hard Batman Beyond fans.

What I do like is that this is a “new” Batman Beyond, with Tim Drake in the suit.

The art inside wasn’t as bad.

IMG_6167

I have picked up that Terry’s future had a super-gang of Joker copycats.  So right away, we are given a taste of something familiar from the Batman Beyond universe.

But something is inconsistent with the Future’s End universe…Terry came 30 years into the past from a time when all of humanity was destroyed and assimilated into “bugs”.  This panel indicates that Gotham at least isn’t made of all bugs.  But as the story goes on, this seems to be something changed in all of the time jumping that Terry did.

IMG_6168

To assist people like me, who have minimal experience with the characters, DC did the right thing and had the Tim Drake Batman visit Terry’s home.  These other characters are bound to be important, soon.  And it seems Terry’s little brother is pretty jealous.  We know this is going to lead somewhere…

IMG_6169

The Statue of Liberty always seems to be a favorite thing to smash in Sci-Fi….Writers do this for us super-patriotic comics fans.  It definitely gets our attention.  But it’s a little cliche.

IMG_6170

Not going to give the ending away…but looks like Superman is a bug.  Who was that guy on the cover?

SpartanNerd Rating of DC Comics New Universe Batman Beyond #1 is 4/5.  The art on the cover led to me taking a point off.  But I think I will definitely read this for awhile…at least to mitigate the bad taste that Future’s End left for me.

I would like my readers who know about Batman Beyond to send me some cool information that I need to know….

SpartanNerd Review…Big Lots Transformers figures

by

1

IMG_6151

Let me clear the air and say I didn’t purchase these.  I snapped the picture, and was highly tempted.  At $5 apiece, it was certainly do-able.

When I talk about being interested in Transformers, this is what I am talking about.  They look exactly like they did on TV.  If only these weren’t so much like “baby toys” or “dog toys.”  Aesthetically…they scratch the nerd itch.  They look the part.  They have a wist swivel, moving arms, and a moving head.  But do not transform.

It is a real wonder I didn’t walk out with Megatron and Soundwave, though.  Sound wave is one of my personal favorites.  And Megatron rarely looks like his TV self, (though Soundwave does.)  Optimus Prime is inescapable nowadays.  The Starscream looks good here, but has a weird smile.

I don’t know the exact name of the line these are from.  I tried looking them up…not much there.  I wish I had thought to take a better picture of the tag.

There are some other cartoon look-alike transformers on the shelves…the “Hero Mash-ups.”  If I got those, I wouldn’t “mash them up.”  They would stay vanilla, so they looked like themselves.  Those don’t transform either, so I’ll pass.

What would I rate these?

Well they look the part.  So there is at least one point.  Megatron and Soundwave look really mean, and they have their weapons.  (non-remavable.)  So here is another point.

They do not actually transform.  Their legs don’t move.  They feel like “baby toys” or “dog toys.”  Starscream’s face is a happy face.

So I give them a 2/5…being generous because they ARE cool.  They might be cool in my office at the school.  I would feel fine leaving these guys there, and I think the kids would recognize them too.  But they just aren’t the kind of toy that I buy.  So I passed.

SpartanNerd…Follow up on “He-Man: The Eternity War”

by

4

I have been very impressed with the current run of DC masters of the Universe.  “He-Man: The Eternity War” has really been developed.  And we are seeing the characters presented in ways we have never seen before.

IMG_6160

Here is a pic of all six issues I have.  I have two of the covers from Issue 1.

IMG_6162

The version with the toys came only to subscribers, if I am correct.

What is so impressive?  Here are issue by issue thoughts.

Issue 1.  Hordak returns to flesh, using He-Man’s blood, drawn unintentionally by She-Ra in the preceding story arc.  And then he becomes a super charged version of himself by tapping into the power of Grayskull.  See what I mean…We’ve never seen Hordak presented like this.

Issue 2.  Man-At-Arms converts Roboto into a flight suit to take out the Horde’s orbital disruptor.  (This weapon wiped out most of the Masters of the Universe and the Eternian army in prior issues.  Kind of a mini-death star.)

Issue 3.  The deal with the Eyes of Grayskull returns from the digital-only books that began DC’s current run on Masters of the Universe.  She-Ra finds the Eye of Chrono and unintentionally leads Hordak to it.

Issue 4.  She-Ra takes a beating, but Skeletor rescues her using the eye of Chaos, which he had in his possession.  (Now Skeletor has both eyes!)

Issue 5. Skeletor witnesses She-Ra use her sword to heal herself, and asks her to heal him.  Then he explains that he has had a change of heart and doesn’t wish to be constantly defeated, as he has seen over and over in different versions of himself as he traveled the Multiverse.  The Green Goddess (or Sorceress, or Teela, what should we call her now?) lets He-Man know that “The Goddess” (adding to the confusion) has three faces, Serpos, Zoar, and Horokoth.  Eternia has witnessed the age of Zoar, but she fears the Age of Horokoth is inevitable.  He-Man chooses to look at the future behind a door with the Horde symbol on it, (which means Horokoth, the destroyer now.)  He sees himself as King He-Man, with the normal skinned (and naked) Teela as his queen.  A military state is evident.

Issue 6.  “The Problem with Power.”  He-Man sees a vision of the future.  DC uses King He-Man…an impressive draw to this story…the cover is magnificent.  We see more of the kingdom that King He-Man will bring about.  Notably, Skeletor’s allies are now his allies, while the “Good Guys” are now “The Great Rebellion!”  At the end, He-Man breaks the sword in half, destroying it and relinquishing the power to return to the form of Prince Adam.

I can’t wait for issue 7!

IMG_6161

Skeletor’s romp through the Multiverse let him see many versions of himself, each one ending in defeat.  He never acquires the power of Grayskull.  Check out my Skitch below…

IMG_6161 skitch

IMG_6163

“The Problem With Power” was the title of perhaps the greatest Filmation episode, where He-Man changes into Adam…a reverse transformation rarely seen, and then throws the sword into the abyss.  He decided in that episode that being He-man wasn’t worth taking the life of someone.  In this issue, there are echoes of the same, but all of Eternia is the victim as King He-Man is a despotic leader.

IMG_6159

This page kind of captures the state of things.  Beast Man is wearing Battle Cat’s hide as a cape!  He-Man is riding Panthor, and the Eternal Guard are riding Nightstalkers!  Also, notice the weaponry all over castle Grayskull.  In this issue, He-Man also orders an insurgent’s head on a spike…exactly the the thing Mattel told the moviemakers to avoid in the 1980s.  (I recall seeing the the Art Book instructions for “No Heads!  No Spikes!”

Finally….

IMG_6158

He-Man destroying “The Sword of Eternity.”  (A new name for “The Power Sword.”  Christened thus for only a few panels.)  a moving panel…Prince Adam appears so weak in the next few panels walking away, and I wonder how this is going to work.

“He-Man: The Eternity War” is a terrific read, and keen fans will see little allusions and nods.  I see it as the comic writers have a box full of toys, and are constantly playing with them in new ways.  Shaping a story the way little kids would have, and then making modern comics meant for an adult audience.

I hope DC keeps making MOTU comics.  I don’t ever want that dry spell that seemed to happen for so long to ever return.  I want to see toy versions of these comics characters.  The work is certainly deserving….