Posted by
Orion Petitclerc
- Friday, April 4, 2014
Hello, Fanboys (and Fangirls)! I'm baaaaack! Once again, I bestow upon ye the goo that keeps on giving: symbiotes! (Ew, get your minds out of the gutter!) This time, we shift gears back to pretty much the only symbiote character who has remained constant since his debut. That's right, I'm talking about the scourge of the '90s, the crimson killer, the one and only Cletus Kasady, a.k.a. Carnage. He's back again, and this time Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Helheim, Venom), Salva Espin (Generation Hope, Deadpool), and Veronica Gandini (Fearless Defenders, The Mice Templar) are pitting him against the '90s Marvel Universe's other famous whacko in red, in a match made in Heaven/Hell (you decide which). I'm referring, of course, to the brand spankin' new Deadpool Vs. Carnage 4-issue limited series from Marvel.
An official Deadpool/Carnage face-off has been on every nostalgic geek's wishlist since the '90s, and at long last Marvel has delivered. Expectations were high, as Bunn had big shoes to fill with both Deadpool and Carnage fans after his previous mildly successful work with both characters. He and his partners in crime definitely did not disappoint with the first issue, which—when summarized with only two adjectives—was both frenetic and funny. I'll be reviewing this limited series as a symbiote fan, but I can't deny that Deadpool has grown on me in the past few months.
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| Achievement Unlocked: Looks That Kill |
The first important point to note is that this is Carnage's very first book with a parental advisory warning on the cover, and it's about time! If we were to slap an MPAA rating on Carnage as a character, it would be either R and NC-17, and this book would probably receive the former rating. Historically, any comic that featured Carnage never carried any such parental advisory, even though Carnage has always been depicted as gory, murderous, and outright terrible. With Deadpool Vs. Carnage's parental advisory, however, Bunn and company have a little more leeway to flex their wicked muscles (that's a real thing, y'know) and give Carnage and Deadpool the violence and raunchiness they deserve.
Now, for the actual story. This book picks up right after the events of Superior Carnage Annual, which Bunn also wrote, in which Kasady reunited with his symbiote and escaped from prison. (Check out my reviews of each issue of the Superior Carnage series here.) As is customary for Carnage, he celebrates his freedom with another murder spree somewhere near the Kansas state line. I'm loving how, under recent writers, Carnage is gravitating towards the Central and Southern United States. It seems to me that this complements Kasady's hickish/redneck character.
By chance or Providence, while Deadpool is eating a bowl of cereal in his New York City apartment, he happens upon a news channel covering the aftermath of the Kansas bloodfest. Deadpool (being Deadpool) is more interested in finding a channel featuring Kat Dennings, but the universe eventually pulls him into a quest to track down and stop Carnage in a random and very amusing manner. The two finally meet—or, rather, Carnage meets one of Deadpool's explosive missiles before meeting the Merc with a Mouth himself—and begin their mad dance and cooperative comedy roast, setting the tone for the rest of the series: an entertaining pissing contest to see who's crazier. The book ends with the arrival of the series's first special guest, but without spoiling the surprise for you all, I'll give you one hint as to who it is: it's a fan favorite from Carnage's past.
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| Take note of the word balloon from the new player. |
The art is downright spectacular, and both Espin and Gandini deserve pats on their backs. Having the parental advisory the book has, you'd probably expect this series to have an art style similar to that of artists like Clayton Crain or Gabriele Dell'Otto, the better to depict the gore and grit. Espin's cartoony style, however, compliments Deadpool's loony-ness, and the two artists' combined work gives a friendly technicolor tone to the violence.
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| Cletus on a lazy Sunday. |
Luckily, this doesn't detract from the gravity of the skirmishes; instead, it adds an airiness with the injected humor between both characters, conjuring a sort of disconnection in the reader which, in itself, is delightfully disturbing—imagine yourself sitting, reading, and laughing at the humor of a cartoon about a bloodbath. The book's creative team made monsters of their readers, and I'd expect nothing less from Deadpool Vs. Carnage.
I really have no valid complaints about this first issue about anything other than Kasady's mullet, which is a new haircut for the character. I wasn't a fan of Eddie Brock's mullet back in the '90s, and I'm sure not a fan of Kasady's mullet now. I was really liking the very Southern 'do and sideburns that Kim Jacinto gave him in Superior Carnage Annual, and I wish this new creative team had left that detail alone. Again, I have no valid complaints about this first issue.
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| BRAWNDO: IT'S INTEEEEEEEENSE! |
Deadpool Vs. Carnage #1 gets 5 stars out of 5 for the writing, and 5 stars out of 5 for the art, rounding the overall rating to a perfect 5 out of 5. I don't recall, but this may be the first individual comic book I've ever given a perfect score to on Fanboys Anonymous. I guess I'm just trying to tell you all to pick this book up. Like, right now.
Which is your favorite of the two madmen in red? Who are some of the guests you're waiting to see pop up in this limited series? If you've read the book already, do you think I gave it a fair rating? SHOUT IT OUT in the comments section below, and follow The Venom Site for all of your symbiote needs! Pretty please?
Posted by
Orion Petitclerc
Hey-o! If you're like me, you're probably excited for the Amazing Spider-Man 2 coming out next month, and not just because it'll have a first look at the Venom symbiote. (I would link you the proof, but Sony took the leak down soon after it was posted.) Also like me, the gamer portion of you guys and gals are also probably looking forward to the follow up of the previous film's tie-in video game.
Before today, Beenox has revealed Electro, Kraven the Hunter, and Wilson Fisk's (a.k.a. the Kingpin) involvement in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game. Now a new trailer has surfaced featuring a few new additions to the villains cast, including Harry Osborn/Green Goblin as he will be featured in the film, film game veteran Black Cat, and…Cletus Kasady?! As Carnage?!
Yep. As the trailer suggests, Venom's psychotic spawn will be making his film game-verse debut with this new installation, although with an obviously altered origin story tied into Oscorp experimentation. Additionally, Beenox has revealed that there will be 15 alternate costumes to collect in the game, each of which features its own unique stats and perks. Some of the costumes announced include Spider-Man Noir, Miles Morales' Ultimate Spider-Man, Superior Spider-Man, the "Ends of the Earth" Spider-Armor, Kaine's Scarlet Spider, Spider-Man 2099, and a few of Spidey's Identity Crisis suits.
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 video game will be available for PC, Wii U, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3, and Playstation 4 on April 29, 2014. Shout out, Fanboys and Fangirls! Will you be picking this game up? Which villains are you looking forward to taking on? Comment below!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, April 3, 2014
Captain America: The Winter Soldier - Directed by Anthony Russo, Joe Russo and Joss Whedon. Written by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, Ed Brubaker. Starring Chris Evans (Steve Rogers), Samuel L. Jackson (Nick Fury), Scarlett Johansson (Natasha Romanoff), Robert Redford (Alexander Pierce), Sebastian Stan (Bucky Barnes), Anthony Mackie (Sam Wilson), Cobie Smulders (Maria Hill), Frank Grillo (Brock Rumlow), Emily VanCamp (Kate / Agent 13), Hayley Atwell (Peggy Carter) and Toby Jones (Dr. Arnim Zola).
Following the events of not only Captain America: The First Avenger, but also the entirety of the Phase One series of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, this film sets the pace for the upcoming Avengers: Age of Ultron in more ways than one. S.H.I.E.L.D. is put under the microscope and in a time where everything is a different shade of gray, it takes a man out of time who bleeds nothing but red, white, and blue to set things straight.
I was personally eagerly anticipating this and expected it to be amazing. Thankfully, it did not disappoint.
It's time for another REVIEWPOINT as we break down the film's hits and misses.
WARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
As always, let's start with the bad news first.
THE MISSES
1. MUSIC
I'm pretty much grasping at straws to find anything to put in the Miss category. The music served its job well, but I can't remember any of it as standing out, so if I need to put anything down, that would be a slight misstep. Then again, I'll be listening to the soundtrack again in the future, and outside of the context of the film, I might have to even remove this Miss down the line.
2. NO CROSSBONES REFERENCE
Unless I didn't see it—and if that's the case, please let me know in the comments below—at no time in the film was Brumlow referred to as Crossbones, nor did he wear his trademark mask. That's a shame, but hey, nothing can be entirely perfect, right?
THE HITS
1. AMPED UP TO THE NEXT LEVEL
Nothing in this film felt as though it was a step back. Even the flashbacks themselves were all about pushing the story forward, rather than trying to relive some former glory. On top of it, everything stepped up. I actually think Captain America: The First Avenger was one of the weakest entries in these connected Marvel films due to a rushed pacing, lack of character development, and so on. This manages to not only accomplish those things that they failed at doing before, but surpass them and have enough of a self-awareness to up the ante and make things more grandiose for the second go-around. Why bring back the old uniform? Not just because the old suit was better than the one in Avengers, but because he didn't have his stealth suit anymore (awesome use of that costume, by the way) and because it served a functioning purpose to influence Bucky's memory banks. Speaking of references...
2. CHARACTERS, CAMEOS, AND NO MISSED OPPORTUNITIES
One of my biggest complaints in superhero films is when there are new characters created for the movie, but people from the comics could have filled that spot. This film acts as though it was written by true fans of the comics and throws that nonsense out the window. Any time they had a chance to toss in a reference, they did—but not at the expense of the film itself. There were absolutely no moments in this that felt as though they were there simply for fan service and got in the way.
Introducing Sam Wilson (aka The Falcon) as the new best friend of Steve Rogers is fully justified, considering their relationship in the comics. We needed another person to tag along and who in the climate of this film would be better than Natasha Romanoff, which means not only does the female audience have a legitimate badass representative that they can identify with, but it also ties into their relationship with the Avengers. Numerous mentions of Tony Stark also help this out, but it doesn't stop there with the connections to Iron Man and the surrounding characters from both these movies and from the source material.
You need a corrupt politician? Bring on Senator Stern from Iron Man who we were supposed to hate. If you're looking for a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent that we wouldn't expect to be bad, but they are? Jasper Sitwell can fill that role. Want a Captain America villain to fight him at the beginning of the film? Batroc the Leaper! Sharon Carter would obviously be the person that Captain America is flirting with. Crossbones is the perfect choice for a strike force villain. My God, they even were able to get Dr. Arnim Zola's television head in this movie and make it work!!
3. STEPHEN STRANGE
This deserves its own section, just because of the magnitude of the quick reference. As much as I thought it was cool to see DC Pierson and Danny Pudi have cameos, the fleeting "blink and you miss it" cameo that resonated the most was definitely this shout out to Dr. Strange. With Sitwell mentioning that he was a threat for the future, every fan in the audience knew what was coming in Phase Three.
4. SERIOUS TONE
Too many superhero films think that they need to be pessimistic and—forgive me for continuing the overuse of this phrase—"dark and gritty" in order to not come off cheesy. Worse off, some of them think that this is all silly and they should go campy, which just backfires. This movie keeps a serious and realistic tone without abandoning the fun of the superhero genre.
The Falcon is a pretty ridiculous character in the comics, but they went the perfect route by having him be a soldier with access and training to a form of specialized paratrooper equipment. The comedy was not over the top like in Iron Man 3 or from what we are seeing so far with Guardians of the Galaxy, but rather just there to help ease the tension and keep the thrill ride from being all doom and gloom. Plus, the comedy was more witty and realistic than silly as well.
5. SMART STORYLINE
This could have very easily just been a movie about an assassination attempt on Nick Fury or Captain America fighting a whole bunch of bad guys simply because S.H.I.E.L.D. told him to. Instead, the plot stands on an interesting political question of whether or not you should sacrifice freedom in order for security. Steve Rogers has seen the worst war ever, and even he is able to resist the corruption and fall into the same mentality as the villains. From the very beginning of the movie, a storyline is introduced about not knowing who you can trust, and boy does that thread weave its way through this film in a great way that pays off in the end. Never sacrifice your ideals, no matter what you're facing.
6. FANTASTIC ACTION
Every action sequence in this film was awesome, whether it focused on Captain America himself or revolved around Nick Fury, Black Widow, Maria Hill, etc. Naturally, the highlight in my mind was watching Cap actually kick some serious ass like he should—and that, he did. The opening set piece with the boat was by far the coolest in showing that off and finally letting us see Captain America the way he is in other media. Gun fights, car chases, close-call knife fights, aerial battles, espionage....this movie has it all.
WOULD I RECOMMEND IT?
100%, absolutely, no questions, yes, without a doubt, go watch this movie. This is either on par or better than Iron Man as the best in the franchise and you don't need to be familiar with the Winter Soldier character or storyline to eat it up, either.
If you want to check out some more comic book film Reviewpoint articles: Man of Steel | Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox | The Wolverine | Kick-Ass 2 | Thor: The Dark World | Justice League: War | RoboCop
What were your thoughts on the movie? What should the next Reviewpoint be?
LEAVE US A COMMENT BELOW!
Posted by
Fellonius Munch
In breaking news, Zack Snyder's Batman vs. Superman follow-up to last year's Man of Steel has scooped up not one, not two, but three new actors to join its ensemble!
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| "TELL ME WHERE THE CRAYONS ARRRRE!!!" |
When casting rumors were whipping about the Internet last year like a hurricane (Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa, Bryan Cranston, Joaquin Phoenix, Denzel Washington, etc.), nobody knew quite what to expect or believe. It's frustrating being a fan, having to hear a rumor one day only to have it quashed and replaced by another the next. Especially when you're a fan writing the news. So it gives me great pleasure to be able to dish out some casting news that I feel is a lot more reliable.
Fresh off the press, we've learned that Snyder has bagged the pretty young thing Tao Okamoto, aka Mariko from last year's The Wolverine. Yeah, that's one Marvel character in the bag, right?
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| "...did he just jump out with my lemonade?" |
We've also learned that Callan Mulvey has signed up. Mulvey, who will be recognizable to some through his role in 300: Rise of an Empire, also appears in Captain America: The Winter Soldier as Jack Rollins. Oh hey, there's another Marvel character in the bag. That's where the poaching stops, for now at least!
Last but not least is veteran actress Holly Hunter, whom I suspect may end up playing someone else's mum. I may be wrong, but my blasted intuition does like to run wild. At least this lady has some experience as an actual superhero, though. She voiced Elastigirl for The Incredibles. Can I get a LOL? No? That's okay, I suppose.
Fanboys Anonymous does not know yet who these new additions are contracted to play, but these really are some intriguing choices. Tao Okamoto is only known for The Wolverine so far and only has one other television credit under her belt. Callan Mulvey's history is mainly in television and only recently has he been getting bigger parts in film. Is this straight-out poaching a case of Warner Bros and DC playing the familiarity game in competition with their rival? I guess only time will tell.
Sound off, Fanboys! What do you make of Bats vs. Supes' new cast additions? Comments below and thanks for reading.
Posted by
Fellonius Munch
Now that AMC's The Walking Dead has reached the conclusion of its lengthy and dramatic fourth season, I'm guessing that the die-hard zombie fans are going to have to get their fill elsewhere. Many, like myself, are going to revisit the classics, and not just because there's a serious lack of ghoulish new DVD releases to get our teeth into.
Did anybody notice a familiar face in one of the latter episodes of The Walking Dead last month?
Yup, that's none other than Bub from George A. Romero's original zombie trilogy conclusion Day of the Dead. If you don't know that is, ask a bunch of your zombie fan friends to stand around you in a circle and then point at you and laugh.
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| Or maybe we'll just have Bub shoot you himself. |
The Walking Dead's very own zombie effects guru Greg Nicotero recently teased that the show would feature its biggest classic zombie tribute yet, and in episode 15, titled "Us," audiences spotted the unlikely Day of the Dead hero getting up to no good in the train tunnel Glenn and Tara were battling to get through. The first thing I said to myself was, "Wow, Bub, how did you get out of that abandoned missile silo and get all the way across Florida?" Then again, he's had 19 years to figure it out I guess.
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| Maybe then he's been Dancin' in the Dark! |
Nicotero, who got his big break working in special effects with the legendary "Wizard of Gore" Tom Savini on that 1985 cult classic and who also had a feature part as the ill-fated Private Johnson, couldn't get the original actor, Sherman Howard, to play the part, however. The part went to zombie regular James Barker. No bother to Howard, who is a literal rock after bringing Bub to life the first time around.
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| Sherman Howard, who originally played Bub. |
As a huge fan of the original trilogy, I was captivated by Day of the Dead not only because of Savini's advanced zombie effects and gore and its haunting atmosphere, but also because the protagonists' worst enemies are the people they count on the most to survive. Despite Romero having to make the movie on a tiny budget and therefore completely rethink his endgame, and despite the finished product being mauled by both critics and fans over the early years, Day of the Dead is now one of the greatest offerings in zombie movie history. So here's a tribute of my own to Bub and to the daddy of all things zombie related.
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| "Coochie Coo, Ima eat you!" |
Sound off, Fanboys! Who saw Bub, and who do you think they'll tribute next? Comments below and thanks for reading.
Now, for the actual story. This book picks up right after the events of Superior Carnage Annual, which Bunn also wrote, in which Kasady reunited with his symbiote and escaped from prison. (Check out my reviews of each issue of the Superior Carnage series here.) As is customary for Carnage, he celebrates his freedom with another murder spree somewhere near the Kansas state line. I'm loving how, under recent writers, Carnage is gravitating towards the Central and Southern United States. It seems to me that this complements Kasady's hickish/redneck character.
