Posts tagged comics
Highlight On: Strikeforce Morituri
Mar 7th
Ahh, it’s always nice when the community gets involved with the Highlight On/Spotlight features, and I really appreciate FR member GogglesPizanno surprising me with this little number on an obscure Marvel team and comic from the 80s. Although it’s probably one of the shorter highlights on the site, it’s still a good read, so continue on after the jump and get learned! And keep in mind that if you want to contribute a Highlight of your own, just give us a ring!
Highlight On: Psylocke
Feb 18th
Psylocke #1-4
Issue 1 cover - David Finch
Psylocke is a character that has a lot of baggage to her name, and this is before we even get to the stuff that came after Claremont revived her during his latest Uncanny run. She’s had her powers redefined, her original body has had its face burned off and was cremated, and she’s constantly used by Fraction as a walking psychic flashlight. What is it about this character that the current writers (excluding Carey) find so difficult to connect with? I’ve no real idea because her history isn’t playing a big part in any of the X-stories right now, but even though she’s all over the place, she’s usually not doing anything of importance. Enter Chris Yost and his Psylocke mini that he specifically stated would define what Psylocke can currently do with her powers. Did Chris Yost make a hit or another miss in a long line of failures for our purple haired psychic? Check it:
Darkest Reign
Nov 28th
“In Darkest Reign. In undelivered plight. No Marvel idea shall be executed right!” – one of murs47’s braincells
Everyone loves an underdog. So, when I read what Marvel wanted to do post Secret Invasion I was pretty excited about the position it would put our heroes in. A villain becoming the director of the planet’s global security force certainly puts our heroes in a corner. Norman Osborn with absolute power = super-heroes dying, mutants being enslaved, or any other horrific act we can think of, right? No, it doesn’t. It means we’ll be reading about an underachieving psychopath that probably couldn’t put paper in a printer.
So what went wrong? First off, the simple decision of labeling this short era was a mistake. That in itself raises expectations dramatically. But more importantly was that there was no loss of hope for heroes overcoming this “Dark Reign”. Yeah Norman was legally in charge but he lost every single battle in every single title. He, his Thunderbolts, and Dark Avengers pretty much got beat up by Deadpool. Deadpool is in an idiot! How is he manhandling the planet’s best clandestine operation and its most dangerous operatives? How!
Marvel , what you had in your hand was a golden opportunity to put our heroes back to square one and make them the underdogs again. Instead, you failed. Nice job!
*sigh* At least Secret Warriors is awesome.
Wolverine on the brain…?
Nov 4th
Let’s go off the topic of Freedom Force for a little bit and talk about a book I really enjoy: Wolverine: Weapon X by 
Jason Aaron. Every issue of this book, I have found myself enjoying. Sure, it’s a little on the violent side from time to time, but I feel that Aaron is one of the few writers in modern comic history that actually has a good handle on Logan as a character. Not only does he give Logan his obligatory “slash slash slash” fighting scenes, but he injects humor, wisdom, and actual soul into the character. In every book Aaron has written that’s featured Wolverine, I’ve never felt like I’ve been reading the stagnated character that modern writers like to use. You know the version… the character that just has to show up and give gruff, dry sarcasm to everyone. Aaron’s Wolverine seems to have a purpose beyond that, and I enjoy it.
This latest issue, however, is something I didn’t expect to see from anyone in the field at the moment. Wolverine has 
lost his mind… or has he? Trapped in an asylum with several other people that seem to be just as slash-happy as he is, Logan can barely remember anything. What he does remember seem to be things that just couldn’t happen in real life. I mean, who has ever heard of teleporting mutants? No one, right? And yet, this asylum seems to be run by people who could care less about their patients. Could Wolverine have finally met his own twisted version of The Joker? Will someone lose their mind quite literally? Is crossdressing becoming the new IT thing? Find out, dear reader, in Wolverine: Weapon X. Be aware, gang, issue 6 is not your typical Wolverine story. It’s quite a twist, and anyone looking for a good tale with a slight horror tone to it, this is for you.
Highlight On: Deadpool
Sep 8th
He’s one of the biggest fans of Deadpool I know, so you’d think when I gave Murs47 a chance to highlight his fave character, he’d have tons to say, right? Obviously you, and I, overestimated him. 
. Anyway, see what Murs47 has to say about some of the recent developments on Deadpool, how he feels about Daniel Way, and the petition to get Ryan Sohmers on the book. Oh, and you can find links to some Deadpool skins and meshes after the tag. Enjoy!
Ultimate Trio: The Script
Jul 27th
Some of you might remember a little mod I made last year that goes by the name of Ultimate Trio. If you don’t know what it is or didn’t get a chance to play, it was a mod that focused on three heroes–Iceman, Human Torch, and Deadpool–lost in the cracks of time thanks to Crisis. Who was behind this little scheme? Well, of course, a little, red-headed mastermind. That’s all I’m going to say about that.
Anyway, I was chatting with one of my FR buds, and he suggested that maybe that mod should be turned into a script. Initially, I thought he was crazy, as I typically would, but over time, the itch got to me and I figured I had better scratch it. This brings us up-to-date. Today, I finished the second draft of the script, and I figured I’d post it here for anyone interested to read or give feedback on it. If you’ve played the mod, still give the script a try. The script diverges wildly from the mod concept… so much that I should probably give it a whole new name. Decisions, decisions.
Cheerio, Captain Britain!
May 19th
Second Printing of Issue 3's cover
If you’ve been keeping up with the comic forums on FR in any degree, then you know I have a bright love for the book known as, Captain Britain and the MI13 (CB&MI13). Unfortunately, the series’ writer has confirmed that the book has been canceled via his blog. I find that to be very unfortunate, but I am pleased that Cornell was allowed to convey the story he wanted to tell. His run on the book is some of the best treatment Capt. Brit and several of his cast mates have gotten in years, and it’s depressing that Marvel would allow such a book to slip from their grasps while keeping something like Wolverine: Origins on the shelves. The series had several things going for it and was launched off a very subpar crossover involving the skrulls. I can honestly say that the skrulls never felt like a threat in ANY main book or even most of the tie-ins, but in CB&MI13, they felt like a legitimate powerhouse that actually had some form of rational and a plan they set into action. The only other book that relayed this feeling to me is Jason Aaron’s Black Panther tie-in.
Smaller update
Mar 13th
Nothing much is going on this week, but you can now grab Syn’s Dr. Strangefate mesh, originally found only in Crisis: DC/Marvel Alliance, and read a highlight post on Aquaman. Fun, right?
Thanks again to Benton for taking on the challenge of defending his favorite character.
Highlight On: Aquaman
Mar 13th
It’s no secret that Aquaman gets it rough from the general populace, so I invited one of his biggest fans to answer a few questions regarding the hero as a viable character. That fan is Benton Grey from Freedom Reborn and maker of the DCUG mod for FFvTTR. If you’re interested in hearing his craziness, click the tag. Just a note, it’s a long read, so have a pillow handy. Oh, and like all “Highlight On…” posts, there are a few links to some Aquaman related goodies.
Highlight On: Sub-Mariner
Mar 9th
Sub-Mariner: The Depths #1-5
Though his name may hold the title, make no mistake, as this is not a Namor led story. It’s about a man, Dr. Randolph Stein, as he joins a crew of “deep sea men” in the search of Atlantis. Not because he has any interest in finding it, but because he specializes in disproving myths and legends such as that of the legendary abominable snowman. In this Marvel Knights title by Peter Milligan of X-force fame and Art by Esad Ribic, whom you might know from Wolverine, Loki, or Silver Surfer fame, we learn that Namor is not the heroic, but arrogant, man we know of from WWII, but is seemingly a horrible underwater myth. He’s a creature of the night that will do anything to protect his underwater kingdom of Atlantis. And so it begins… More >