Review: Avengers Age Of Ultron
Review season is just about upon us for TV shows, so I figured I’d kick it off with a review of Avengers 2: Age of Ultron. If you haven’t seen it, then scroll down to the last paragraph for my rating… unless you want to be spoiled. Yes, there will be spoilers mentioned. You’ve been warned. 🙂
Let’s start with Robert Downey Jr as (Ironman) Tony Stark and Chris Evans as (Captain America) Steve Rogers. If you can’t see Civil War coming out of this, then you missed a lot. Tony and Steve don’t see eye to eye on a lot of things, but Stark’s actions in this movie put them on separate paths toward a common goal. RDJ was once again perfect as Stark. In the comics it was Antman who had created Ultron, but they changed it for the movie. Having Stark create Ultron made a lot of sense here. It was done well overall and it brought out the character flaws this team had. Tony had already created the Iron Legion robo police force and his reasons for wanting to go further were justified. Steve is still trying to adjust to modern times, so being left in the dark about such a bold move was not something he felt was wise. The dynamic here was less about Ultron and the threat than it was about setting up Cap 3.
Chris Hemsworth shined as Thor. More focus was put on the true power that he wields, specifically Mjolnir. Thor’s confidence is almost a cockiness in his abilities and if Captain America almost lifting the hammer wasn’t bothersome enough to THor’s ego, then certainly Vision’s actions were. Heimdall‘s brief cameo fit well and I like how they set up what looks to be Thor 3: Ragnarok. Thor’s role here was to inform about the power of the infinity stones and the role they play in the universe.
Hulk (Bruce Banner) took more of a back seat for me in this movie. Mark Ruffalo’s portrayal was spot on, and though the Hulk shined we got to see more of the struggle Banner has coping with his alter ego. He accepts it less and fears it more than in the last movie. So much so that he is solely responsible for helping Ironman develop the Hulkbuster (veronica) armor. The presence of both Banner and Hulk were equally important this time, but I feel as though he was bullied a bit by Tony. I was a little caught off guard by the sexual tension between him and Natasha, but I’m glad that they strayed from that. Who knows where he ended up in the end. Fury mentioned the craft MIGHT have crashed into the ocean, but you can’t help but wonder if it was all a setup for another Hulk movie (Planet Hulk). I hope not as I don’t particularly like that story.
Scarlett Johansson has proven my initial thoughts on her in the role to be completely false. I love her as Black Widow (Natasha Romanov), though I do have one issue. Whedon could have corrected the lack of RUssian accent in the flashback to her ballet days, but he chose to ignore it. I was pleased that we got a little more of her background though and everything that was hinted at in her prior appearances. Her crush on Banner was strange to me, but then again I was blown away that her relationship with Clint was less intimate than I’d rightfully assumed.
Jeremy Renner really took the lead in this movie. Hawkeye (Clint Barton) was finally called his codename and it was fun how it was done and the reasoning. I was blown away by the reveal of his family but it was a welcome change. There needed to be someone with some kind of personal life and he being the choice made sense. While Cap was the leader and Tony the funding of the team, Hawkeye was the glue that held them together.
War Machine (James Rhodes) and Falcon (Sam Wilson), played by Don Cheadle and Anthony Mackie cameoed in important minor roles that by the ending you realize will become much more in the next installment.
Quicksilver (Pietro Maximoff) and Scarlet Witch (Wanda Maximoff) were perfect. Aaron Taylor Johnson was a much better Quicksilver than the already likeable one that was in X-Men DOFP. My only regrets are that he had to die because of the dual studios usage of the character. In a battle like this however there are bound to be casualties, so I’m fine with the choice. Elizabeth Olsen was both sexy and creepy in her role, and I’m happy with the portrayal of her powers. The slight modification worked well and the hint at the twins’ past can be touched upon more if Marvel ever ended up with rights to X-men. The twins beginning as antagonists and becoming heroes was everything I wanted to see with them.
Vision is both the evolution of JARVIS and the creation of Ultron. His origin was similar to the comics and his presence and sleek look were a very welcome addition. He was to this movie as Hulk was to the last, and earned his place quickly. Although his solar gem atop his head was changed to the mind gem, the origin and use of that which was once in Loki’s scepter placed well. It was a primary reason why he became so powerful and heroic. As part machine with organic matter in him, he is able to wield it without being corrupted by temptation or control. They even gave a nod to the romance that will be eventual between him and Scarlet Witch.
Samuel L Jackson is always great to see as Nick Fury, and with him and Maria Hill back on the scene with SHIELD it will be interesting to see where this takes the agents of shield series.
Finally, on to the villains…
Baron Von Strucker while having a minor role was a good starting point for the film. Why not have a minor subplot with HYDRA before kicking into another threat? I’ve welcomed this with the Spiderman movies and any characters that have a huge rogues gallery.
Ulyses S. Klau played by Andy Serkis had a story element that will directly lead in to Black Panther. They mentioned Wakanda, he had his arm torn off, and he’d stolen vibranium. It is an excellent lead in that didn’t feel forced.
Ultron was easily the highlight of this film. James Spader gave off the vibe that this robot was like a child with a god complex. Designed to eliminate threats, the cliched “robot thinks it knows better by eliminating the human race” felt fresh here because of Ultron’s personality. There were hints of logic, and Tony’s personality that made him unique in many ways. So much so that it almost felt like Tony Stark was the villain at times.
Thanos had only a brief scene. While it was not anywhere near one of the better credits scenes, it was something that laid ground for the next installment.
What else is there to say? From the plot to the set ups of the next few movies and where the characters go personally, there is a lot packed in to 2 hours and 20 minutes. Stan Lee‘s cameo was my favorite of them all, and that says something right there. People have complained that Age of Ultron is not as good as the first Avengers movie, but it’s an unfair assessment. These movies are entirely different from one another. I feel that this tied up a lot of loose ends and opened the movie universe up to so much more potential. In my opinion it exceeded Avengers 1 in many ways while not surpassing it in others. It isn’t a perfect comic book movie, but it is damn close. I give it 9.5 sCrypt Coffins out of 10.
If you have anything to add, please comment below.
Review: Avengers Confidential Punisher and Black Widow
I won’t get too wrapped up in spoilers, but there will be some spoilery things in my review, so if you just want my rating, skip down to the last paragraph now. Unlike MOST of Marvel’s animation, this one looked and felt great. I’m a huge Punisher fan, and enjoy the way that he was brought into this and represented. That being said, I’d still like a solo Punisher animation that really does him justice.
Animation breakdown – The animation in this was outstanding. The Japanese style art flowed well and although the characters had certain characteristics that felt different from the traditional versions we are used to, everything worked. One flaw I did find was that in the beginning of the movie, the Punisher broke a man’s arm and hand violently… Two scenes later, that man’s arm was in a sling, only it was the OPPOSITE arm that had been broken. I don’t know if the frames got reversed or what, but this was an amateur mistake that was very noticeable. There were also a few scenes where Black Widow’s breasts looked extremely large and not fitting with her look in other scenes, but that was brief.
Voice acting – I’ll just say that I was convinced that these were real character voices. Excellent job by the cast and voice direction.
Plot – The story was original. It was refreshing and really showed the turmoil that goes through Frank Castle’s (and even Black Widow’s) minds. They are a perfect team up because their pasts are so hazy on the “right side of the law”. My big problem?… The campiness in parts. The hacker kid working for SHIELD was stupid. I didn’t buy it, and it was unnecessary and annoying. As for the Avengers showing up, that annoyed me too. It felt forced. Sure, there was a need for them at that point, but it seemed more like a SHIELD operation than an avengers gig, and yet there they were. Oh, and the kid was dangling from Hulk’s back too like a school bag. dumb. I also felt that the villains were forced as well, but on a good note at least they forced both sides and it balanced out. They also didn’t overshadow what Punisher and Black Widow were doing either. They both got to take down the main threat. Just when I was getting irritated at Natasha telling Frank not to kill anyone, he did deliver the final blow in tradition Castle style.
Music and sound – meh. I’m neither happy nor upset. It seemed like a metal techno soundtrack, but it worked.
Overall rating… This is perhaps one of the BETTER Marvel animations yet, despite its flaws. If you don’t like the two main characters though, you won’t like this movie. I’d like to see if they continue on with it from here and do more Avengers confidentials or a follow up Punisher animation. Call me satisfied, with some complaints. 6 out of 10 sCrypt coffins get awarded to this one. What are your thoughts?
Avengers Week Post #6: Music And Ironman
Ironman loves rocking out to great music, so it is only fitting that he have some songs to honor his heroism. Below is a list of songs I have found that mention or are themed after him. If there are any others, please comment below.
Ironman (by Black Sabbath): Although this wasn’t written about the character, fans around the world constantly mention this song in referring to Ironman. Then suddenly, it was featured in the first Ironman movie. Now it is a staple. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LjbMVXj0F8
Prelude 970519 (by Pete Townshend): The album itself is called “Iron Man.” Kind of a wierd one, but I love Townshend’s stuff, so here it is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9P6X_eeGEE
Who’s The One (By Winger): Wow, this band takes me back. There is only one line in here that mentions him, but the name is capitalized in the print version, meaning it is talking about an Ironman. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1jPsU4DkjSs
Ironman (by Ghostface Killa): This is the title of his debut solo album, and while it may seem at first that this has nothing to do with the character, the rapper voiced a villain in the Ironman animated series. This album was done in tribute to Tony Stark and his alter ego. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2iTkwxh5xcY
Theme Song From Ironman short (in The Marvel SuperHeroes): This animated hour consisted of many different characters, and Ironman got his own few episodes. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-Lx9eEox2A
Ironman Theme Song (From Marvel Action Hour): This was a great cartoon in the 1990s. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=go3PEcZKLI4
Ironman Armored Adventures Theme Song: A CGI animated series in the 2000’s. It was a fresh take on the character and portrayed him as a teenager. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxzDTt0RT7U
Ironman Anime Theme Song: Even Japan did their Ironman story in animation, and it is probably one of my favorite Ironman incarnations. Check out the series if you get a chance. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzOmdkqYO9w
The Invincible Ironman Theme Song: I have no idea how Lionsgate films didn’t have them take this down, but the entire animated movie is up on youtube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-GCB5pLhfk
There you have it folks. There were a few other mentions I found during searches, but they didn’t seem relevant enough to include. Ironman (Tony Stark) is played by Robert Downey Jr in The Avengers movie.
Avengers Week Post #5: Widow’s Bite
Although she has appeared in Ironman 2 as well as a significant role in the Avengers, Black Widow has not had much information leaked on her background. I figured that now would be a great time to briefly talk about her role in comics as well as media.
Natasha Romanov was abandoned as a child and raised by a Russian soldier. She learned ballet at a young age and joined the KGB when she was of age. She advanced as an elite intelligence operative. Her dance and training gained her a brutal but graceful fighting style that is accentuated by classified government enhancements. This superspy eventually became a top member of S.H.I.E.L.D. and has been involved on more than one occasion with Clint Barton (Hawkeye).
The Black Widow is a master martial artist, an expert markswoman, a natural actress, an infamous seductress, and a gifted veteran spy. She often carries multiple small explosives, throwing knives, surveillance items, a high tech taser, and firearms.
Other than her live action appearances in the current Marvel Cinematic Universe, Black Widow was originally going to be played by Angela Bowie in the 1970s. The planned Daredevil and Black Widow series never made it past development, but there are pictures online. There also have been multiple failed attempts throughout the years to give her a solo movie.
She has had a fair share of animated appearances as well, including roles in: The Superhero Squad Show, Ironman Armored Adventures, Ultimate Avengers 1 and 2, The Marvel Superheroes, and The Avengers Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.
Anything else that you would like to add on the character, please feel free in the comments below. Black Widow (Natasha Romanov) is played by Scarlett Johansson in The Avengers movie.
Avengers Week Post #4: Captain America #368
Review by Rick Pipito
Issue: Captain America #368 Mar
Story: “Red Twilight”
Publisher/Year: Marvel Comics 1990
To celebrate Captain America’s in our Avengers’ week, I thought I would dig through my old comics of the same name, and choose one to review. This issue features my favorite Captain America villain, Crossbones, and though he doesn’t do much, it reminded me why I like the character. He is just badass and mean. WARNING!!! SPOILERS AHEAD!
The story begins with Crossbones and Machinesmith searching through the wreckage of their underground hideout. As they look frantically for their boss, the Red Skull, they begin to see signs of who might have attacked their base. With the way all of the robots and metal are torn apart and thrown around, it appears to have been Magneto, but they don’t know why.
Back at Avengers headquarters Jarvis is hard at work cleaning up a similar mess, when Captain America arrives. Immediately he has their communications person look up intel on Magneto, as it is assumed that the destruction of the mansion was his handywork. These two scenes are great because it shows how balanced this story is. They constantly flip back and forth between the characters and settings without becoming confusing.
After giving up their search temporarily, Crossbones beats the crap out of the head of security for allowing such a thing to happen. As he is about to land another punch, Red Skull shows up and stops him. Okay, this isn’t really the Red Skull, but it sure fooled Crossbones. Machinesmith tells CB that they can make it appear as if their leader is still active and fine until they find him. As they walk through the lab, there are parts of Machinesmith’s bots lying around to be assembled. Two of these bots are the bodies of Colossus and Wonderman, but they ignore those and head straight to the destined Magneto bot. The idea is to use the false Eric Lensherr to lure the real Magneto out in the open.
Apparently word gets out quickly that the Red Skull’s people are offering 100,000 dollars to whoever has information on Magneto’s whereabouts. Diamondback, Black Mamba, and one other member of the Serpent Society are in civilian clothes enjoying a few drinks when they hear about this. This part of the story is insignificant other than the purpose of showing just how far the word of the Red Skull can go.
Meanwhile, Captain America is told that Magneto is in front of the Capitol building for some pro mutant demonstration. Suspicion number 1… This is not Magneto’s style, and Steve Rogers goes to investigate. When he arrives, Magneto is attacking a group of mutants called the Resistants. Suspicion number two puts Rogers’ intuitive mind to work. Magneto never attacks other mutants unless they provoke him, and this was a peaceful demonstration.
Here is where I begin to have my doubts… A forcefield surrounds Magneto’s area. A magnetic field would project outward and underground as well. Not this one. Cap uses his shield and digs a hole to crawl underneath. Even at this point, the field doesn’t continue down as the hole is exposed. I get why they chose to do this, but it is a flaw in writing in my opinion. Apparently Cap thinks so too as he finds it suspicious for the third time.
Knowing that Magneto always keeps a personal field near him, Cap wings his shield as hard as he can. He is shocked to see that it connects so hard that Magneto’s helmet cracks. Although he is suspicious again, I would think at this point Rogers would seem more alarmed that he could have potentially cut Magneto’s head clean off with the throw. Instead, they begin a short battle. Between the fighting style and the words the villain is using, Cap is now sure that it most certainly is NOT who it appears to be.
By the way, on Page 18 in the first frame, there is a misprint in the “Has Magneto Since the New Tricks Since the last time we clashed?” The thought bubble came from Captain America and the first since was probably supposed to be “learned”. Anyway, it was a simple editing mistake, but it somehow made it through to the presses.
So Cap ends up beating the mechanized version of Magneto and deduces that it was Machinesmith’s doing. Now he just needs to know why. It is left open for a lot more, but the story ends there with a few more pages showing the impact of the events. Black Queen of the Hellfire club begins to wonder where Magneto is, and then the final frame shows the man of interest and his daughter, the Scarlet Witch. 
This is a normal sized comic, that also includes a bonus story in the back. I was unaware of who the Machinesmith really was until this bonus told his origin. It was a nice way to end the comic. Overall, I give this issue a 5 out of 10 for keeping me intruiged.
Captain America (Steve Rogers) is played by Chris Evans in the Avengers movie.
Avengers Week Post #3: Brotherly Love
Thor and Loki grew up as best friend brothers, but jealousy tore them apart. Now Loki will stop at nothing to torment Thor and destroy everything he cares about. Thor, the god of thunder, often needs the assistance of the Avengers to defeat Loki’s mischief. If Loki were to defeat Thor, you’d be sure that he would make a mockery of him. That is exactly what THOR AND LOKI: BLOOD BROTHERS tells in its story.
On September 13, 2011, the motion comic was released. Based on the storyline “Loki” by Robert Rodi & Esad Ribic, this dvd comes in four chapters. First off, I’ll say this… I can watch just about anything and not get bored. Although the artwork in this motion comic was outstanding and should be commended for that alone, the story was very slow and bland.
Loki has beaten his brother and chained him in a dungeon. There are cameos by other Marvel entities such as: Hela, Karnila, Sif, Odin and Balder, but that does nothing to make the story flow. The concept is intruiging, and I’m sure that the original comic was spectacular, but to translate it into something you want to watch doesn’t work… at least for me. I could read the book a lot faster and be more interested. A few times I caught myself dozing off, and forced myself awake in the hopes that something would happen to spark my interest. There is almost no action at all, and while I don’t believe a story needs this, it needs at least some exciting script to go along with it.
Don’t get me wrong. If you are an artist, then I recommend checking this out for the talent put into it, but otherwise you should probably forgoe this one. If you are like me, and want this just to complete your collection of comic book dvds, then make sure you have a few cups of coffee before watching this snooze fest. I give it a whopping 3 stars out of 10.
Thor is played by Chris Hemsworth, and Loki is played by Tom Hiddleston in Marvel’s The Avengers movie.
Avengers Week Post #2: Hawkeye’s Quiver
Hawkeye is sort of like the odd man out of the group, but he is as valuable a member of the Avengers as anyone else. What makes him so special? His skill with a bow is unmatchable. To top things off, he has an arsenal of trick arrows in his quiver that each do something unique. Here is a list of the arrows he has used in the comics:
Acid Arrows: Perfect for disolving a lock or burning a hole in something solid.
Adamantium Arrows: A step up from the standard arrow head, these can pierce even the toughest of metals.
Blunt Arrows: Picture firing the blunt force of a baseball bat from a bow. That is what these do.
Bola Arrows: No one can escape by running. These will unfold in mid air and wrap a trip wire around fleeing legs.
Boomerang Arrows: These return to the shooter
Cable Arrows: Hawkeye can swing from one place to another or walk on the tense wire fired from these arrows.
Electric Arrows: After hitting its target, the arrow heads release an electrical charge.
Boxing Glove Arrow: These act as an extension of Hawkeye’s fist. A hit from one of these could knock a target out cold.
Exploding Arrow: It is basically a grenade on the end of an arrow shaft that explodes on contact.
Flare Arrow: In an emergency, Hawkeye can shoot this flare in the air so that his allies can find him.
Magnetic Arrows: Usually are combined with other arrowheads, but can be used on their own.
Magnesium Flare Arrows: Even brighter than a flare arrow, these can light up entire areas.
Net Arrows: In mid-air, these unleash a durable net that will wrap around a target.
Putty Arrows: These are good for gunking things up, especially machinery.
Pym Particle Arrows: Henry Pym designed these to be able to shrink or increase the size of a target upon impact.
Rocket Arrows: Have a much farther range than a standard arrow, and can be combined with other trick arrows.
Smoke Arrows: Great for a quick escape or confusing a group of people.
Sonic Arrows: emit a high frequency sound that can shatter glass and make ear drums bleed.
Suction Cup Arrows: These are not from a kid’s toy, but they have a similar purpose. It can be combined with any of the other arrows as well.
Tear Gas Arrows: exactly what they say they are. Upon impact, tear gas is released. Anyone near it will have some serious seeing and breathing issues for a while.
Thermal Arrows: These can be so hot that they melt metal, but also can be explosive heat as well.
Vibranium Arrows: Deaden vibrations on a particular target, or can reduce the kinetic energy of something.
In addition to these arrows, he of course has the standard durable arrows with multiple size, razor sharp heads. If there are any others you can think of, please comment below. Hawkeye (Clint Barton) is played by Jeremy Renner in the Avengers movie.
Avengers Week Post #1: Incarnations Of The Hulk
Don’t make him angry. You wouldn’t like him when he is angry. It’s no secret that the Avengers debuts here in the United States this friday (rumor has it that we get an extra end credits scene as well as the mid credits, just for waiting). It is probably one of the most highly anticipated films of all time (it should be after building it up for nearly six years). So to celebrate, sCrypt Comics will be doing a few articles relating to the characters and the Avengers. First up, is our Green Goliath, the Incredible Hulk.
Doctor Bruce Banner has had his issues with being able to control his anger, but just how many sides of his personality are there? Let’s take a look at the many incarnations of Hulk over the years.
Gray Hulk: Under the alias of Joe Fixit, he worked as a Las Vegas enforcer. The Gray Hulk has average intelligence, although he occasionally displays knowledge and intellectual ability normally associated with Banner. He is cunning, crafty, hedonistic, arrogant, and distant, with a hidden conscience. This persona is strongest during a new moon and weakest during a full moon. As the smallest of all the Hulk incarnations, he dresses in mob style suits and still towers over the average human. Joe Fixit is able to lift about 70 tons in his calmest state.
Savage Hulk: This is the most common version of the Hulk. He thinks like a young child and refers to himself in the third person. Green-skinned and heavily-muscled with a hunched over, caveman like walk, this personality just wants to be left alone. While in a functionally calm emotional state, or at least as calm as the Hulk can be, the Savage Hulk is capable of lifting about 100 tons.
Mindless Hulk: Nightmare penetrated Bruce Banner’s mind and by doing so caused an unexpected side effect; a new personality began to develop out of Banner’s worst visions of the Hulk. This version was based on a nightmarish imagination made of all of Banner’s worst fears and ideas of his former alter ego. The dark incarnation to gradually rose to the surface and became its own personality after Banner made his “psychic suicide.”
Devil Hulk: The malevolent personality of Bruce Banner. He is all of Banner’s resentment at the way he is treated by the world. He is also one of the Hulk’s enemies, constantly threatening to escape confinement in Banner’s mind and destroy the world that has tormented and abused them. He first appeared when Banner was dying of Lou Gehrig’s Disease, and Banner used a machine to travel into his own mind and make a deal with the three dominant Hulks that they would gain control of his body once the disease became too much for him to bear. Fortunately, he was contained long enough for a cure for Banner’s condition to be found.
Professor Hulk: This personality represents Banner’s ideal self. His physically distinguishing characteristic is his pony tail. He is the largest of the three primary Hulk incarnations and he also possesses a higher base strength level. While in a calm emotional state, the Professor is capable of lifting about 100 tons. However, unlike the other Hulk incarnations, Bruce Banner subconsciously installed a type of safeguard within the Professor. When the Professor’s anger reaches a certain level, he will transform back into Bruce Banner, though with the mind and personality of the Savage Hulk. Due to this safeguard, the Professor is ultimately the weakest of the three primary Hulk incarnations despite being the physically largest.
Maestro:The Hulk of a possible future where nuclear devastation has eliminated all heroes and villains. This highly ruthless and intelligent version rules an immense territory known as Dystopia. The Maestro is similar in height and build to the Merged Hulk, with a bald crown, long white hair over the sides and back, and beard. With a slight hump of the shoulders from age, the Maestro also has a more muted green skin tone and numerous warts and age spots. It is unclear if this incarnation’s strength increases with rage, or what his base-level strength is, though, presumably it is equal to that of the Savage Hulk.
Beast Hulk: Known as the Guilt Hulk, he is Bruce Banner’s culmination of regret. The Guilt Hulk originally manifested itself in Banner’s mind as his father and tormented him by forcing him to relive memories of his traumatic childhood. Due to its monstrous size, the Guilt Hulk was physically very powerful. It also possessed claws and spikes all over its body. The Guilt Hulk also showed the ability to breathe fire on one occasion. He is twenty meters tall.
Australian Hulk:A combination of Gray Hulk, Savage Hulk, Bruce Banner, and the Professor Hulk all in one.
The Green Scar: The current hulk has the intelligence of banner the cunning of the gray hulk and strength of the savage hulk. His base strength is way over 100 tons. The Hulk of World War Hulk is a cunning and more powerful version than the previous incarnations. His rage is at its most focused, due to meditation training. This incarnation has extremely high durability, has had training in combat arms, including broadswords, spears, and battle shields, and is a capable leader and strategist. Another source of the Green Scar’s strength is his lack of inner conflict, and alliance with Bruce Banner. Several instances have been shown where the Hulk and Banner have worked together strategically. Caiera, the Green Scar’s wife, understood Banner as well, and both personalities loved her equally. This is seen as the driving factor in the Banner/Hulk alliance. As a result of being caught in the explosion of the warp core of his ship which brought him to Sakaar, which destroyed the planet, Green Scar’s base level of strength was dramatically increased. He can lift well over 100 tons in a functionally calm emotional state. This Hulk has also proven to be resistant to the psionic effects of Professor Xavier.
Blue Hulk: This is a cosmically powerful version of the Hulk who has been given the Unipower. Captain Universe’s powers are added to the Hulk’s initial abilities, and therefore gains the following: Flight, Matter Manipulation, Time Manipulation, Reality manipulation, Invulnerability, Psychic Abilities and Energy Manipulation.
All of the above are of course Bruce Banner in the role, but there are other Hulks as well, including She Hulk, Skaar, Red Hulk (aka Rulk), Hulk 2099, and The race of Hulks in 2099. If you can think of any others I may have missed please add to the comments below. The Hulk pictured above is of course played by Mark Ruffalo and Voiced by Lou Ferrigno, in the Avengers movie.
Music And The Avengers
Last time we talked about the Justice League and the influence they have had on the music industry. This installment brings the Avengers to the limelight. The Avengers debuted in the early 1960s and have been fighting to protect Earth, other dimensions, and universes ever since. With their first big screen movie coming up this spring, I’m sure we’ll get more musical inspirations. Until then, here is the current list I’ve found through a bit of research. If you can think of any others please mention them below (even if they are original creations by you or someone you know). Keep in mind that this list is only about the Avengers as a team, and doesn’t single out any particular hero in general. Enjoy!
Comic Book Heroes: by the Tearjerkers, this song fits in with the time that it was released. It mentions more than jus the Avengers, but they are mentioned nonetheless. Take a listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E07JLJcCLbA
Avengers United They Stand Theme Song: In the 1990s, there was an animated Avengers show that only lasted 13 episodes. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but almost forgot this theme song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLD1yq7eVoY
Okay Go: This was the song used in the boss fights of the arcade game Captain America And The Avengers. Man I miss this game. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BaJDwv56ii0
Level intro song for Captain America And The Avengers Arcade Game: Another from that game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ui_BOcddxkk
Ultimate Avengers animated movie: This is the title intro song for this Ultimates animation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Nt4A0ATt3Y
Avengers in Galactic Storm: This was an arcade game, that I was unaware ever existed. It’s a bit dated, and this is the best I could do as far as the soundtrack. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGtF0eYr-uI
Review: Sleepwalker # 3
Review of: Sleepwalker # 3 Aug
Publisher: Marvel Comics in 1991
Article by: Rick Pipito
I chose this issue of Sleepwalker because it was my first introduction to the character back in the nineties. I feel he is one of the most underrated characters in the comic book universes. Reading this issue once again, years later, it has resparked my interest in seeking out more stories involving the Sleepwalker. There are SPOILERS AHEAD, so if you don’t want to know, then skip down to the last paragraph for my rating.
The story begins with Rick Sheridan, filming a college horror film. Rick is struggling to keep awake, because he knows that by falling asleep, he will let the Sleepwalker loose. The panels here are one of the reasons why as a younger boy I got into comics. A female actress, who just so happens to be Rick’s girlfriend, is dressed in almost nothing. She is glad for the wrap on the scene because she claims she is freezing, and it shows. The artist has her nipples drawn so far protruding, it is enough to spark any young boy’s fantasies.
I digress. Anyway, it turns out Rick has screwed up the camera work. As they are viewing the film, he is suddenly approached by the Sleepwalker as he comes out of the viewing screen. Sheridan fell asleep afterall. As he begins to freak out, the creature reassures him that he means no harm. To do so, he goes into an explanation of his origin. Yes, this is an origin story, so there isn’t a whole lot more than establishing the character in this issue, but it is done well.
Sleepwalker explains that in order for this explanation to work, Rick has to realize that this is all in his mind at the moment. If for one second, he believes that what he is seeing is any more than a dream, then it will become real… and dangerous. A few frames are shown of the memories of Sheridan’s past first. He forgets about it being a dream, and suddenly they are sucked into a vortex of sorts, but he is able to reground reality once again by forcing himself to think it.
Next we are introduced to the Mindscape. It is a dimension that links unconscious minds together. Sleepwalker is from a race that has a sole purpose of preventing evil creatures and other races from entering the vulnerable unconscious of an innocent. He goes on to explain one being that has constantly escaped banishment. The nemesis, Cobweb, is this being. Once introduced, Rick has a hard time grasping the reality/dream factor once again, and it places him and Sleepwalker under the attack of Cobweb.
It turns out that the reason Sleepwalker is trapped in Rick Sheridan’s mind is because Cobweb had tricked him into a trap there. As Sleepwalker is being beaten around by the enemy, Rick decides to use his dream to call in backup. The reinforcements are none other than dream versions of X-Factor, X-Men, Avengers and Fantastic Four members. He had the power to do so, but Rick’s quick thinking didn’t realize that he would have no control over these versions. The heroes begin attacking Sleepwalker because they believe that HE is the monster that Rick wants to get rid of.
Finally, he is able to force his mind into realizing it IS a dream, and all goes back to normal. Sleepwalker explains that he tried to get back to the mindscape, but he can’t find a way. He makes a deal with Rick that when Rick sleeps, Sleepwalker will continue to protect innocent from threats. This time however, he will do it by walking in physical reality instead of the mind. They shake hands, and part ways with Rick waking in class again.
This story, though semi-predictable at times, was different than the standard comic. The antagonist was really just the hero’s mind. For a refreshing story, I give this a 6 out of 10, and hope to be able to review more of the Sleepwalker’s adventures in the future.
sCrypt Publishing 