This week in the Comic Roundup I review Nightwing, which this month ties into the Night of the Owls event, the return of Youngblood, the title that launched Image, and a comic book that is all about the fighting, AvX Versus.

Nightwing #9
By Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows and Andres Guinaldo

When the titles in the New 52 were announced and it was revealed that Dick Grayson would be returning to his Nightwing persona after a time as Batman, I was thrilled. He is one of the more fully fleshed out heroes in comics and I was glad the spotlight was going to be fully on Nightwing again. But I had no clue when the Court of Owls storyline began that it was going to elevate Nightwing to almost equal status with The Batman, which has been a long time coming.

See, in the Court of Owls, storyline, it has been revealed that the Grayson family has long taken the role of the Court’s lethal assassins, the Talons. Dick Grayson was supposed to be one of them, but fate stepped in and changed the plan. Now, in this Night of the Owls tie-in issue, Dick has to fight his great grandfather to save the Mayor of Gotham. Over the course of these events, Higgins and Batman writer Scott Snyder have made Dick Grayson a character with equal weight to Bruce Wayne, something that writers have been struggling to do for decades. He has officially stepped out from under Batman’s cape and become a stronger, more prominent hero in his own right. The icing on the cake is the art by Barrows and Guinaldo, who do some great work and make the revelations of the issue all the more powerful.

If you haven’t been reading Nightwing, start. Now. (more…)

The most complimentary thing I can start my review of  Dark Shadows with, is that the film bares little to no resemblance to those horrible trailers that peg the film as a fish out of water comedy. I can happily report that Dark Shadows is first and foremost a horror film with some comedic, Tim Burton wackiness… that somehow still manages rack up a pretty decent body count.

Dark Shadows focuses on the story of Barnabas Collins, a wealthy playboy whose family owns almost the entire fishing town of Collinsport. After finally finding true love, a spurned servant who just happens to be a powerful witch kills the woman he loves, turns him into a vampire and buries him for 220 years.  He is then accidentally dug up in 1972 and must not only acclimate himself to his new surroundings, but battle the witch who cursed him and his family.

Dark Shadows is typical Burton fare and is one of his better films in recent memory. The film actually started as a passion project for Depp, who purchased the rights to Dark Shadows just so he could eventually play the role of Barnabas, a childhood hero of his.

The source material and Burton’s usual style of directing compliment one another, as the television show was known both for its bizarreness, cheesiness and also its overdone melodrama.

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The methodical development of Marvel’s The Avengers started back in 2008, when thanks to the success of Iron Man, Marvel was able to take out a 7 year, $525 million dollar loan from Merrill Lynch to fund what has come to be known as The Marvel Cinematic Universe. These funds were not simply used for production on the films, but were also used to bring back a much-needed Avenger into the fold, Captain America.

Captain’s film rights were tied up in limbo thanks to a lawsuit against Artisan Entertainment who owned the rights when the studio went under and was taken over by Lionsgate back in 2003.

Almost 4 years have passed and we have seen 4 more films under the new Marvel Studios banner. The films have all maintained a level of quality almost unheard of in franchises and have been both box office and critical success (some better than others, sorry Iron Man 2). So needless to say when all the pieces from Marvel’s master plan finally came together for The Avengers, the film was going to have to be nothing short of amazing.

I can safely say that Marvel’s The Avengers is a very worthy climax of all of that work and will definitely give Nolan’s Dark Knight Rises a run for the money this Summer. I have to admit even I doubted Whedon a little bit on this one. He had to seriously bring it or he would be forever known as the man who ruined The Avengers, and we would probably never see him direct another big budget film in Hollywood ever again.

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The Cabin in the Woods, simply put, is the best horror film to come out of the American studio system in the last 2-3 years. It’s hard to believe the film has been literally just sitting on the shelf for almost that long, waiting for a theatrical release.

Written by Joss Whedon and directed by first timer Drew Goddard, the film was a victim of the MGM bankruptcy back in 2010 and the release was put on indefinite hold until a buyer could be found and a new release date could be scheduled.

Luckily, Lionsgate stepped in and saved the day and the film opens today on the very apt Friday the 13th.

The Cabin in the Woods is the story of five friends who go to (you guessed it) a cabin in the woods for a weekend of partying and debauchery. What they don’t know is things aren’t exactly as they seem and this is made clear even before their RV even leaves for the cabin.

There are a ton of layers to this story and Whedon and Goddard have masterfully given this more than tired sub-genre with its well known tropes the shot in the arm it so desperately deserved.

The film stars a pre-Thor Chris Hemsworth and Whedon Alums Fran Kranz and Amy Acker. The rest of the cast is peppered with lesser knowns and up and comers that we will definitely be seeing and hearing more from after this film hits. In typical Whedon fashion the cast is a perfect mishmash of girl power and character actors, who successfully deliver Whedon’s trademarked pop-culture aware dialog.

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The Indonesian film The Raid: Redemption or The Raid, has been blowing up the festival circuit over the last few months since it was purchased by Sony Pictures Classics, retitled (to give way for a trilogy) and re-scored. The film has been getting the kind of buzz in genre circles not heard since Attack the Block last year, and where Attack the Block was a throwback to 80s sci-fi, The Raid: Redemption might be one of the the greatest action films to hit our screens in a long time.

The film is the story of swat team sent to take back a building from a crime lord who has filled it with criminals, each of whom pays a fee to live there law free. Under suspicious orders the team begins to re-take the building only to have the tables turned when a bounty is offered up by the crime lord for anyone who takes care of this newest “infestation”.

What results is a hyper-violent, kung-fu action film that will satisfy anyone looking for an hour and 40 minutes of solid ass-kicking. The film is very similar to a video-game in that the team slowly makes its way through the numbered floors of increasing danger on their way to the top where the big boss and his two loyal bodyguards reside. Somewhere in there of course is more plot there to be had, but honestly, that is not this film’s strongest point.

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A few months ago I reviewed Rachel Rising #1 in the Comic Roundup and went on and on about why I love the work of Terry Moore. To recap, the man is a genius who has created a fully realized world of characters that sometimes feel more genuine that the people I know at my job. Both Strangers in Paradise and Echo were off the charts good and that is all the more impressive when you realize that he self published every page of both series.

Now the first trade paperback collection of Moore’s newest series, Rachel Rising, is out and solidifies the fact that this might just be his best work yet.

Rachel Rising: The Shadow of Death collects the first six issues and introduces us to Rachel, a young woman who has just risen from a shallow grave after being strangled to death. While she tries to figure out what has happened to her, a little girl named Zoe is seeing visions of a strange woman who is compelling her to kill in very grisly ways for reasons we don’t understand.
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This week we look at the prelude to the event that will take over the lives of fanboys everywhere for the rest of the year: Avengers vs. X-Men. I also review the return of Bloodstrike and a new creative team for Superman. Up, up and away!

Avengers vs. X-Men #0
By Brian Michael Bendis, Jason Aaron and Frank Cho

By all indications, Avengers vs. X-Men is going to be HUGE; as in inescapable if you read comic books. But before the main event begins, Marvel gives us this zero issue as a way to bring new readers up to speed on two of the principles of the series; The Scarlet Witch and Hope.

Bendis handles the Scarlet Witch story, which shows her trying to return to her life after the events of The Children’s Crusade. It’s a light, easy read that just gives us enough to understand who she is and what she’s about. Aaron writes the Hope story, which serves the same purpose, but is much more informative. The whole this is beautifully illustrated by Cho, who should draw all comic books starring women.

The main problem is that while Marvel bills Avengers vs. X-Men as “new reader friendly”, it really isn’t. There are pages and pages of back story that someone really needs to read if they want to get as much as possible out of the story. While Avengers vs. X-Men #0 is a nice introduction and a good comic, it does little help a reader understand the situations and conflicts that are on the way. (more…)

There’s no stopping The Hunger Games phenomenon. Just as the trilogy of young adult books wrapped up, a film adaptation was announced and Hollywood is hoping that this new franchise will fill the seats left empty by the loss of Harry Potter and Twilight.

The Hunger Games is the story of a post-apocalyptic future, where for the last 74 years as penance for a rebellion 12 districts are forced to give up both a male and a female child to fight to the death in the Hunger Games. The film focuses on Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) from the poor mining village of District 12, whose younger sister is picked as tribute to fight. Katniss volunteers to take her place in the televised battle to the death where only one can survive to claim the title.

We then follow Katniss on her journey after she volunteers, as she is taken to the rich and decadent Capitol and groomed to appeal to the masses who will be watching, betting and sponsoring the games. While in the city promoting the games, she falls into the requisite love triangle with a fellow tribute right before she is thrown into the Hunger Games to fight for her life.

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This week, the Roundup reads and gives the once over to a trio of new books on the stands. First up for your reading pleasure is the much looked forward to Saga from Image. Next we move over to Saucer Country from Vertigo and we finish things off with DC Comics Legion Lost. Let’s hit it!

Saga #1
By Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples

Of all the titles coming out from Image recently, none have received the hype or positive buzz that Saga has. The return of Vaughan to creator owned comics has been a huge deal and what many feel is just another indicator that Image is the place to publish your work right now. But after all is said and done, is Saga a good comic book? Yes, yes it is.

Saga is the story of new parents Alana and Marko, the Romeo and Juliet of their universe. See, they each served on opposite sides of an intergalactic war that has been going on forever. They fell in love, deserted and now have given birth to a daughter. The problem is that both governments want them dead and there is no safe place left to hide.

What sounds like a simple premise Vaughan somehow makes feel like an epic tale of war and love. And that is the best way to describe this book; epic. Staples artwork adds to the feeling with large panels, attractive character designs and a great sense of storytelling. Throw in an irreverent sense of humor and you have all the makings of an instant hit.

Saga is an outstanding read that you shouldn’t trade wait for. Go buy it and experience the awesomeness for yourself. (more…)

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Casa de mi Padre, Will Ferrell’s Spanish language epic, is very much like The FP… in that the film’s entire concept revolves around one joke that you either get or you don’t, and your enjoyment of the film hinges on that. I found this out at a recent screening where in at about the 30-minute mark in the film. When people started to realize the entire film was actually in Spanish, quite a few walked out.

Casa de mi Padre is the story of Armando Alvarez (Ferrell) a simple cattle hand on his father’s ranch who has been belittled his entire life for being stupid, and responsible for his mother’s death. When the ranch falls into financial trouble in comes Armando’s successful younger brother to save the day with his beautiful new fiancé.

We later find out his brother made his money in the drug trade and stole his new would-be bride from a rival drug lord, who has now declared war on Armando’s family. If this plot sounds like a bit like a soap opera its because the film is a play on Spanish soap operas or telenovelas as they are called.

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When it was announced that The Guild’s creator and driving force, Felicia Day, would be writing and starring in a new web series that would tie into the release of Dragon Age II from BioWare, I think all geeks squealed in glee just a little bit. The result is Dragon Age: Redemption, which premiered online in October 2011 and is now on DVD packed with bonus features.

In Dragon Age: Redemption, Day is Tallis, an elf assassin who is tasked by her Qunari masters to find a renegade mage who wants to destroy the world. Along the way we meet other denizens of the world of Dragon Age who, despite their differences, help her find her quarry and try to stop his plan of destruction.

Now don’t worry if that makes no sense to you. Each episode features a quick “Dragon Age for Dummies” intro that makes the series easy to follow even if you have never played either game. But after watching this series, you will definitely want to.

Dragon Age: Redemption is a fun, time-honored fantasy story that any fan of Dragon Age, Dungeons & Dragons or Lord of the Rings will find a lot to like in. Every classic fantasy character is there along with some incredible make-up and special effects. The Qunari in particular look great and any geek with a crush on Felicia Day (and who among us doesn’t?) will love how she looks with elf ears.

But why buy a DVD of a series you can watch online for free? Well, the disc includes over 40 minutes of bonus features which include interviews with Day, audio commentary by the producers and director, trailers, making of features and more.

All in all Dragon Age: Redemption is a great DVD that packs a lot of content. And lucky for you New Video has given us not one, but two copies to give away to a couple of lucky Geekadelphia readers!

Just leave a comment about which fantasy race is your favorite and we’ll pick a random winner at the end of next week. Please make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment and books can only be sent to addresses in the United States and Canada.

When Felicia Day’s The Guild first arrived online in 2007, I don’t think anyone expected it to become the web sensation it did. The story of a group of people who play “The Game”, a MMORPG where they all work together as the Knights of Good and what happens when they actually have to meet in the real world struck a nerve in the geek community. Day just “gets” what it means to be a geek and a gamer and that showed through in the show. Now, season 5 has arrived on DVD and all I can say is “Huzzah!”

In season 5, the Guildies go on a road trip to the MegaGame-O-RamaCon and all hell breaks loose. Codex has to figure out a way to save “The Game”, Vork comes face to face with a boyhood crush, Zaboo becomes the power behind the convention (with the help of a couple Master Chiefs) and we all find out Tink’s real name.

One of the really nice things about The Guild on DVD is that you can marathon all the episodes back to back, so that season 5 feels more like an epic movie when you watch it than a web series. Day somehow can make a geek laugh at him or herself while not making them feel like the butt of a joke. I think its part of what has made her and The Guild so popular.

Add in the plethora of guest star cameos (including Brent Spiner, Nathan Fillion, Erin Gray, Wil Wheaton and more) and you have all the signs of the most ambitious season yet.

Then there are the bonus features, which include interviews, making of features, audio commentary, a blooper reel and more. Even if these weren’t on the disc, I would still buy it, it’s that good, but they make for some nice extras once you finish watching season 5.

The Guild Season 5 may go down as the best season yet. And thanks to New Video, you have the chance to see for yourself. They have given us a copy of The Guild Season 5 on DVD to give away to one lucky Geekadelphia reader!

Just leave a comment about which member of The Guild is your favorite and we’ll pick a random winner at the end of next week. Please make sure to leave an e-mail address with your comment and DVDs can only be sent to addresses in the United States and Canada.