NEWS HAPPENING IN THE COMIC BOOK WORLD:
I've been avoiding reading any news updates about this because I just begun reading the AvX story and comics but the day is getting closer. In just mere weeks the ending of Avengers vs X-Men will be out and the new titles in Marvel Now will be starting. I'm both excited about this and now a little aprehensive consdiering they are ending Amazing Spider-Man. Though at the moment I'm waiting to find out what will be done and how this series is going to end.
Right now I've only made it to issue #5 of the core titles of Avengers vs X-Men but it's been pretty exciting with lots of action. I've been impressed more and more with Marvel taking these big storylines that span into other titles where they actually flow like one book instead of multiple titles. At times there's a little back and forth where I'll read one title that has the end or beginning of an event going on in another title but they don't give away anything. It's like credits in a movie, you get them in the beginning to tell you who the big names are then the full list at the end. Well, there's the core titles that give the story while the other titles that the story cross into are the credits and it plays out just as smoothly.
Right now where I'm at the story is really just kicking into high gear and someone dies at some point in the story (DON'T TELL ME I DON'T KNOW), see that I don't know so I can't say who, and I think another character is supposed to die before it ends. I'm wondering how this will affect the Marvel Universe and we are about to find out soon. Which means I guess I need to speed up my reading.
COMICS IN THE MOVIES AND TELEVISION:
DC Universe Animated has done it again with their latest of original movies, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 1. What can I say, it’s a great animation, well aside from it only being 76 minutes long, this was a lot of fun to watch. There were a few parts that I didn’t quite like at first but as the movie progressed I got over my initial dislikes. First being the voice of Bruce Wayne/Batman by Peter Weller, you know the guy that played Robocop. He has a decent voice, I think one that would have been fitting for Commissioner Gordon, but for Bruce Wayne/Batman he just didn’t have that edge that’s needed. There was a slight hint of it there, at times I could hear it come out, but it was like someone trying to do a foreign accent but their accent always breaks through more as they talk. Considering that Batman is supposed to have a raspy voice to begin with, now he’s older, grumpier, and is mad at himself, the criminals, and Gotham, so I’m thinking he’s going to go to another level of grunting. Peter Weller does a good job with the voice, like I said he has some grit, but he sounded more like the mean grandfather than the vengeful vigilante.
I also didn’t like the time limit on this though I wasn’t surprised by it. It’s one of my continuous gripes about animations is the short time length. Like this one, most animations are just at or a few minutes over an hour long and I don’t get that. One of the positives that always said about animations is that they can do what live action can’t, well aren’t live action movies an hour and half to little over two hours long? Well, I’m here to say I want an animation that gives me the same amount of movie that a live action does. If I’m going to pay $20 for a movie that I get two hours of viewing then why am I paying $20 for a movie that’s only an hour and ten minutes long? But it’s not only the price that irks me but with this movie it’s part 1 of a 2 part movie and it’s only 76 minutes long. If they are doing it in 2 parts and part 1 is 76 minutes I’m going to guess that part 2 will be around the same length. So here’s my question, why not just put out one movie that’s two and half hours long? Oh I know, because that movie would have cost $20 but in 2 parts I’m now spending $40.
At any rate, aside from those two things, I loved this movie, which I better considering that I will end up spending $40 on a 2 hour long movie, well actually it will be around $47 after tax. The Blu Ray looks superb and sounds even better. For me it’s animations that showcase the abilities of Blu Ray the best because with animations everything is created from nothing, from having that bounce in the hair to the flutter in Batman’s cape, it has to be created. Whereas with live action the small details of a person is already there and yes Blu Ray will bring it out to be seen but with animation those same small details have to be created and then have the Blu Ray bring them out. It’s here that the qualities of Blu Ray stand out because this animation has such a smooth, clear look to it.
Also, if you don't know by now, Kick Ass 2 is already underway for filming. It will be taken from the sequel to the first comic series as well as the first movie. Cast includes originals like Aaron Taylor-Johnson as Dave Lizewski aka Kick Ass, Chloe Grace Moretz as Mindy aka Hit Girl, and some new faces like Jim Carrey and Donald Faison. Along with them Nicolas Cage is listed in the credits, though I don't know why he's in this movie considering he's not even in the comic, you know because he's dead. I guess it don't matter cause it's Nicolas Cage and he gets to do whatever he wants, which is destroy the potential of good movies (cough cough coughostridergh cough).
I'm going to guess or hope that this sequel will try to follow the comic by picking up after the events of the first but now people know about Kick Ass and other heroes. Not only that but there are more of them out in the world fighting crimes and forming groups. Kick Ass joins a group of heroes that want to be like the Justice League but end up being what they are, guys dressed up playing hero. Staying true to fashion of Mark Miller, he has it hit the fan by the end of the series where all hell breaks loose and Kick Ass and the other heroes must face reality with how the police see them and the super villians. This is a great book so I'm really hoping that the movie will be just as good.
UPCOMING TITLE THAT LOOKS PROMISING:
Avengers vs X-Men #12 (should be a given since I started this blog off by talking about this)
Written by Jason Aaron
Illstrated by Adam Kubert and Jim Cheung
Price $4.99
Plot: I don't know, it's the end of this Marvel Universe changing story so I'm sure it will be exciting and big.
BOOK TO READ THIS WEEK:
Batman: The Dark Knight #0
Written by Gregg Hurwitz
Drawn by David Finch
Price $2.99
Plot: Batman investigates who murdered his parents. Wonder how this will turn out and if they will let him find who did it (or if it's someone 
different).
RANDOM THOUGHTS BY ME FROM ME:
Here's a random thought that I've been having that deals with last weeks random thought, Thor. Last week it was about him flying but this week it's about his abilities. According to the Marvel website where they give the bio of Thor, he's supposed to be pretty much unbeatable yet he keeps getting beat up. He might be holding back when it comes to punching someone but he's supposed to be really resliant to injury and has a very quick healing factor. So again, how is he always getting beat up?
Another random thought is his age. He's supposed to be thousands of years old, well you know what I want, a story of Thor from those early days, and no not a story of young kid Thor out playing around in Asgard with young Loki. No, what I want is young Thor, like 20 year old Thor, being on Earth or Midgard, doing whatever he did back in the year 616 (ha).
