Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 14) "Meet Captain America"

What's this? July is nearly upon us? Well, looks to me like it's time for some 'MURICA. Also, if you're reading this at a later date, then... 'murica?

ERMAHGURD, CURPN MURICA.

Sketchbook: 3D-Man Redesign

Yeah, I know what you're thinking. "Who's 3D-Man?" Long story short, 1950's. Fighter pilot. Zap. Let's take a look at this guy.

Yeah, that's unmistakably a 3D-Man.

But, yeah, I redesigned him. Why? One simple reason.

Review: Avengers Assemble "The Serpent of Doom"

Don't worry, the promised rant is coming. Don't worry, I'm going to be doing more than just complaining.

Recap: Avengers Assemble "The Serpent of Doom"

Well, time for an Asgard episode. Maybe now we can give Thor some definitely needed character depth? Let's find out.

You know, your brother Baldr has character depth. Why can't you be more like him?

Review: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Inhuman Nature"

Another Recap, another Review. But this time, I think it's time to give A-Bomb an examination. Not medically, no. I mean like the ones I did for Red Hulk and She-Hulk.

Recap: Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. "Inhuman Nature"

As I return to Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. like Sherlock Holmes to a dingy opium den, I must admit that I feel a certain apprehension. On the one hand, the show's mostly been improving, like fine cheese being cultivated from expired milk. On the other hand, the final part of the season before the finale might be a haven for less-than-stellar material, shoved to the end in the hopes that the audience is already hooked like... shoot, I already used my Sherlock/opium reference.

But you know what? I'm going to keep an open mind. I am a frickin' fountain of inner peace. Let's go.

I am Zen as S#!%.

Review: Avengers: EMH "Thor the Mighty"

As I keep reviewing these compilations of Micro-Episodes, I keep finding myself with less and less to say. Mainly because they're all mostly consistent. The good things in one are good in the rest. But I'll still go into specifics, don't you worry. I'm nothing if not thorough.

Recap: Avengers: EMH "Thor the Mighty"

And now we cross the rainbow bridge of Asgard! Where the booming heavens roar! You’ll behold in breathless wonder! The God of Thunder, Mighty Thor!

Try not to behold in breathless wonder for too long, though. Breathing is good.

Sketchbook: OMAC, Kirbyesque

I really do love Jack Kirby's work. Especially some of his weirder, more obscure stuff. Like the One-Man Army Corps, which was originally envisioned as a future Captain America before Kirby went over to DC.

Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 12) "The Isle of Silence"

Loki's turn! But can we trust a story about the God of Lies?

Yes. Yes we can.

Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 11) "My Brother, My Enemy"

The big Thor/Loki fight!

...in retrospect, I should have said Thor vs. Loki. As it is, people are probably finding this post by Google searching for that fanmade poster where Thor holds Loki tenderly in his meaty arms.

Moving on. Hey! Stop typing "Thor Loki embrace poster" in the search bar, I said moving on.

Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 08) "The Siege of Asgard"

For the next Micro-Episode, we cross the rainbow bridge of Asgard! Where the booming heavens roar! You’ll behold in breathless wonder! The God of thunder, Mighty Thor!

Try not to behold in breathless wonder for too long, though. Breathing is good.

Recap: Avengers: EMH (Micro-Episode 05) "Thor the Mighty"

And now it's Thor's turn to get his own set of Micro-Episodes. And he'll be hammering the bad guys until they're pretty thore! ...Get it? That was a pun. Don't judge me; I'm typing this at 1 AM.

Consider yourself lucky. I've found that alcohol makes my puns even worse.

Sketchbook: Space Phantom Redesign

Seriously, though. Space Phantoms. How do you have something as full of potential as shapeshiting phantasms from beyond the stars... and end up with this?

Hello, bug-eyed alien species 2748.

Don't get me wrong, Jack Kirby is a legend. But this design just seems... generic. Heck, even the Avengers Assemble revamp was nothing special. Let's fix that. As per usual, I gave myself some rules.

1. Make purple the main color.
2. Don't just copy the Spooky Space Kook, or the NASAghasts.

Let's see how I did.

Legacy Character Study: The Question

On this day, 365 days ago, I posted my first Character Study on one of my favorite Steve Ditko-created characters, Captain Atom. And my last Character Study was done in 2013, so I think we're due for another, seeing as how Character Studies were the original point of this blog.

Go figure. 

Anyway, to commemorate this occasion, I feel it necessary to examine one of Ditko's other creations. But which one? Which character has had enough impact on both myself as well as other people to warrant such attention?

That is the Question.

Green Lantern: The Animated Series Archive

In  Brightest Day, In Blackest Night....

Season 1
Episode 01: "Beware my Power"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 02: "Green Lantern's Light"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 03: "Razer's Edge"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 04: "Into the Abyss"
- Recap
- Review 
Episode 05: "Heir Apparent"
- Recap
- Review 
Episode 06: "Lost Planet"
- Recap
- Review

Review: Green Lantern: TAS "Green Lantern's Light"

You know, I must say. I had memories of this show that... may or may not have been viewed through rose-tinted glasses. Is this show awful? Or just not as good as I remembered? Let's review.

Recap: Green Lantern: TAS "Green Lantern's Light"

Much like Ultimate Spider-Man, it takes two episodes before we arrive at what essentially becomes our status quo, give or take a few details down the line.

Previously, on GL:TAS. 
Green = Good 
Red = Evil 
Space = The final frontier

Hal = Not the brightest bulb

Review: Ultimate Spider-Man "Great Responsibility"

One more chance. I gave this show one more chance. How does the actual status quo of the show stack up? Let's take a look.

First of all, this show clearly only exists to sell toys. Hence the super-web-shooters, the Spider-Cycle, etc. If that's not its main reason to exist, it's certainly up there, because "story quality" is not something on the writers' minds. No, I'm dead serious.

Man of Action (the studio name of the writing duo in charge) have gone on record saying that the show isn't destined for any sort of greatness, because it's just a children's cartoon on a Disney channel.

Tell that to Phineas and Ferb, or Gravity Falls. Just because something's for kids, that doesn't mean you get to stop putting effort into it.

Pretty much sums it up.

Recap: Ultimate Spider-Man "Great Responsibility"

Here I am, recapping the second part of the premiere. Because with "Great Power"... Yeah, you know where that joke's going.

I was obviously going to say "Assemble."

Ultimate Spider-Man Archive

And his Amazing Friends.

From Spectacular Spider-Man to Ultimate Spider-Man, Part 1
From Spectacular Spider-Man to Ultimate Spider-Man, Part 2

Season 1
Episode 01: "Great Power"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 02: "Great Responsibility"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 03: "Doomed"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 04: "Venom"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 05: "Flight of the Iron Spider"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 06: "Why I Hate Gym"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 07: "Exclusive"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 08: "Back in Black"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 09: "Field Trip"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 10: "Freaky"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 11: "Venomous" aka "Venom Attack"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 12: "Me Time"
- Recap
- Review 
Episode 13: "Strange Days" aka "Strange"
- Recap
- Review 
Episode 14: "Awesome"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 15: "For Your Eye Only"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 16: "Beetle Mania"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 17: "Damage" (aka "Out of Damage Control")
- Recap
- Review
Episode 18: "Snow Day"
- Recap
- Review 
Episode 19: "Home Sick Hulk"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 20: "Run Pig Run"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 21: "I Am Spider-Man"
- Recap
- Review 
Episode 22: "The Iron Octopus"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 23: "Not a Toy"
- Recap
- Review 
Episode 24: "Attack of the Beetle"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 25: "Revealed"
- Recap
- Review
Episode 26: "Rise of the Goblin"
- Recap
- Review

Ultimate Spider-Man Editorial: Harry Osborn as Venom

Season 2

Episode 14: "The Incredible Spider-Hulk"
- Recap
- Review

Episode 18: "Guardians of the Galaxy"
- Recap
- Review

Old Warriors, New Warriors, and Web Warriors.

Season 3: Web Warriors

Episode 13: "The Return of the Guardians of the Galaxy"
- Recap
- Review

Episode 21: "Halloween Night at the Museum"
- Recap
- Review 1: Is this a good episode?
- Review 2: Is this a good crossover?
Episode 22: "Nightmare on Christmas"
- Recap
- Review

Review: Green Lantern: TAS "Beware my Power"

Much like with Ultimate Spider-Man, the two-part premiere is written in such a way that I can't really judge the show fairly until we get to what will be the status quo in episode 2, but I can still examine the various aspects of the show so far.

So, yeah, I'ma do that mess now.

Recap: Green Lantern: TAS "Beware my Power"

Ah, Green Lantern: the Animated Series. I've been meaning to recap this show for quite some time now, but things kept getting in the way. Like school, writing other Recaps and Reviews, eating food, et cetera. But I don't have to do several of those things any more. Mainly the school thing.

But before we begin, I think a quick introduction to the Green Lantern mythos is in order for the uninitiated. Now, the Green Lantern mythos is almost as complex as the X-Men mythos (which is really saying something) but not as complex as the Hawkman mythos. Although, chemical engineering is less of a challenge to understand than the Hawkman mythos, but I digress.

There are these little blue old guys who have been alive since basically the beginning of time. They're called the Guardians of the Universe, and they're the bosses of the Green Lantern Corps. The Corps members are essentially Space Cops for the universe, and they fly around their assigned space sectors combating evil with their Green Lantern Rings. These rings are powered by willpower and can create weapons, objects, lasers, and more out of green light. A brash test-pilot is the Green Lantern of Earth and the other planets within Sector 2814. Avoid the Ryan Reynolds film.

Well, with that quick primer for the uninitiated, let's begin!

No, seriously, avoid the film. I can't stress that enough.

Review: Ultimate Spider-Man "Great Power"

I gave this episode so many chances. I really did. When I sat down to watch it again for the Recap, I gave it a pass on the jarring cut away jokes, the poor pacing, the infodumps, the whole Mary Jane thing....  But, show, you gotta meet me halfway here! Look, I am not marking down this show because of the cancellation of The Spectacular Spider-Man, because that show was canceled for unrelated legal reasons having to do with Sony. Ultimate Spider-Man doesn't need Sony's help being sub-par.

The things that are wrong with this show aren't so-bad-it's-good, or hilariously awful, or even that mockable. When Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. is terrible, it's something you can mock. This? This is just painful. And yet, this is the first Spidey show since ever to not get prematurely canceled. Go figure.

Recap: Ultimate Spider-Man "Great Power"

Hoo boy. Even before I begin, there's an elephant in the room. Said elephant being this show's immediate predecessor, The Spectacular Spider-Man. Look, we're not here to talk about the legal issues that led them to abandon that particular series. We're here to give this one a chance. Am I going to rip this premiere a new one? Well, that's not my goal, no.

I really do try to give everything a fair chance to impress me. Sometimes I'm quite impressed. Sometimes I'm rather... not. But the most important thing we can do is keep an open mind. Remember, "different" doesn't automatically mean "bad." And trust me, we're going to be getting a lot of "different." But I won't automatically hold that against the show.

So, preconceived notions aside, here's the first part of the Ultimate Spider-Man premiere, "Great Power."

Show, you better earn that adjective.

NewtCave 1-Year Anniversary Week

Like the post-Infinite Crisis DC Universe, it's now One Year Later. (Friday will be the exact date.)

I think it's time to tell the Secret Origin of the NewtCave.

Sketchbook: Bilgesnipe Redesign

I told you I was going to do this.

Because Thor described a Bilgesnipe very specifically.

The gestures add to the description.

 And Avengers Assemble gave us a Final Fantasy monster.

As of this posting, I am at Riovanes Castle. Also, **** Wiegraf.
(The right people will appreciate this.)

Can I do better? I believe I can.

One rule: Have it look like Thor's description. Let's see how I did.

Review: Avengers Assemble "Ghost of a Chance"

Well, like most other episodes of Avengers Assemble, this episode is a compilation of some good ideas, and a lot of bad ones. Let's go over those in turn.

Recap: Avengers Assemble "Ghost of a Chance"

Well, the Avengers have assembled. Let's see if they can stay that way while being invaded by alien ghosts.

Who you gonna call? Someone else.

Review: The Spectacular Spider-Man "Interactions"

I have surprisingly little to say about this episode.

But I will start off by saying that it's a breath of fresh air to be watching a show where events carry over from episode to episode, as opposed to Jeph Loeb mandating an almost complete lack thereof.

Recap: The Spectacular Spider-Man "Interactions"

Well, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 came out recently, so I thought it'd be appropriate to return to The Spectacular Spider-Man. They both have Electro, Gwen Stacy, and adjectives! Let's begin!

Spectacular, Amazing, Superior, Web of, Peter Parker colon, etc.

June 2014 Update Overview

I don't know about you guys, but I had a big weekend. Friday, I watched Disney try to revitalize Sleeping Beauty by way of Wicked, Saturday was D&D night, and Sunday was filled with beating New Super Mario Bros. Wii with my girlfriend.

Still, I had the oddest feeling that I had been forgetting something. Naturally, I checked my To Do List.

Oops.

Sorry 'bout that. Posts will be back on track tomorrow.

Along with that, I should probably inform you all that the 1-Year Anniversary Special is taking quite a bit of time and effort. As such, the week after the Anniversary will be a bit of a cooldown period before we get right back on track with Avengers, and Spider-Man, and Green Lantern, and suchlike.

So, yeah, business as usual from that point on. See you then.