Twilight Zone Take-Over #1 - Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?

"Can't hold somebody on suspicion of being a monster."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #2 - The Howling Man

"What you saw is not a man. It is the Devil himself!"

Twilight Zone Take-Over #3 - A Game of Pool

"A legend doesn't die just because a man does." 

Twilight Zone Take-Over #4 - And When the Sky was Opened

"ED HARRINGTON!"

Twilight Zone Take-Over #5 - The Shelter

"Normal? I don’t know. I don’t know what normal is. I thought I did once. I don’t anymore.”

Twilight Zone Take-Over #6 - A World of His Own

"Well that's just the way it goes."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #7 - Nick of Time

“Don it’s just a napkin holder in a little café in Ridgeview, Ohio.”

Twilight Zone Take-Over #8 - Five Characters in Search of an Exit

“We don’t know where we are. We don’t know who we are. We all just woke up in the darkness one morning.”

Twilight Zone Take-Over #9 - The Silence

"I will bet him $500,000 that he cannot stay silent for one year!"

Twilight Zone Take-Over #10 - Twenty-Two

"Room for one more, honey."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #11 - The Masks

"You know, Wilfred, I think the only book you ever read was a ledger. I think if someone cut you open they would find a cash register." 

Twilight Zone Take-Over #12 - The Monsters are Due on Maple Street

"The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices – to be found only in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill – and suspicion can destroy – and a thoughtless frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all of its own – for the children – and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is – that these things cannot be confined – to the Twilight Zone."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #13 - The Invaders

"This is one of the out-of-the-way places, the unvisited places, bleak, wasted, dying."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #14 - The Arrival

"We always found the causes. I've never been licked on a case yet."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #15 - I Shot an Arrow into the Air

"I shot an arrow into the air, where it landed, I know not where."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #17 - Eye of the Beholder

"It's pretty bad isn't it? Ever since I was a little girl people have turned away when they looked at me."

Twilight Zone Take-Over #18 - It's a Good Life

"And if by some chance you should ever come across him, you had better think good thoughts." 

Twilight Zone Take-Over #20 - Long Distance Call

"My son is gone. He was taken from me by a woman. This is my son now." 

Twilight Zone Take-Over #21 - Mirror Image

"When not in use, turn off the juice!"

Twilight Zone Take-Over #22 - "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"

"It isn't there. It isn't there! Honey, can you please wake up?" 

Twilight Zone Take-Over #23 - "The Midnight Sun"

"The word that Mrs. Bronson is unable to put into the hot, still, sodden air is 'doomed,' because the people you've just seen have been handed a death sentence." 

Blog Update - Fall 2018

A new season comes with a new schedule around here! Click on to see what's coming up for the next few months here at the ol' blog!

Comic Book Reviews - September 26, 2018

End of the month? More like end of my existence as we have NINE comics to check out. From Clark Kent getting personally victimized at work to a team-up between a badass Colonel and a badass barbarian, we've got it all! Including some controversy. OOH CONTROVERSY!

Twilight Zone Take-Over #16 - The Hitch-Hiker

"I believe you're going my way?"

Twilight Zone Take-Over #19 - Time Enough at Last

"There's time enough at last!"

Battle Breakdown - Kiritsugu Emiya vs. Kirei Kotomine (Fate/Zero)

When most people think of major climactic anime fights, it's normally very over-the-top with destructive attacks and big speeches and lots of screaming. While it is often between just two combatants, it's rare that the fight only contains two total hits and no dialogue, and still remain compelling and incredibly interesting. Thankfully, we have one such brawl here today, between two of the most important characters in the Fate series in the first and only fight between Kiritsugu Emiya and Kirei Kotomine in the 2011-2012 anime Fate/Zero.

Comic Book Reviews - September 19, 2018

While the big flag-ship titles for Marvel and DC come out to play, we also get the return of one of this blog's favorite comics of 2018 as well as some of the typical zaniness of Mister Miracle, and a whole lot of the Venom symbiote. It's their time to shine, apparently!

Blue Nexus #92 - Live from Light-Years Away!

Previously in "Blue Nexus": Kyle, Brenda, Sandy, Phoenix, and Leley arrived on the distant Xenomark VI on the hunt for the dangerous organization the Trask, who have placed massive intergalactic bounties on their heads. They arrived at the central city and split up to cover more ground, but after a series of planned bombings, were forced to face the music and begin their plan in earnest: Kyle and Sandy headed off to the main arena to participate in a tournament while Brenda, Phoenix, and Leley continued the search for the Trask, who, it turns out, are the ones running the entire tournament! 

Deconstructing Heroism (ft. Fate/Zero)

One of the most important elements of the Fate franchise are the characters known as Heroic Spirits: entities from the past, present, future, and alternate realities that come together to fight for the mythical, powerful, Holy Grail. Most times the spirits are indeed heroes of old: King Arthur, Lancelot, Odysseus, Robin Hood, but other times, they're not so great. Each hero carries their own set of ideals and in no better way is that put on display than in the 2011-2012 anime Fate/Zero, where the idea of what it means to be a hero in a world that does not allow for heroes was put to the test.

Comic Book Reviews - September 12, 2018

Wiat so there was something else happening this week besides the release of Spider-Man on the PS4? Hadn't noticed. Can the comics match the hype of the game? Can Spider-Man's own comic match his own video game?! Also the Marvel universe gets drastically changed in two different books, but nobody seems to care! Wild.

Shattered Grid - Greatest Power Rangers Story Ever?

Perhaps the most important thing to come out of this year's 25th anniversary celebration of the Power Rangers franchise was the major comic book event "Shattered Grid." It featured a villain exclusive to the comics and brought together every single Ranger team, from Mighty Morphin' to RPM to Ninja Steel to Hyperforce (from the RPG show on Twitch). It covered every facet of the Power Rangers mythos and even bore an influence upon the 25th Anniversary episode of Power Rangers Super Ninja Steel. It's garnered hype from fans young and old and will likely be remembered for a long time to come. But, how does it fare against the other major stories of the franchise?

Comic Book Reviews - September 5, 2018

For the first time in a longtime there's on independent comics to look at this week, so the Big 2 are set to battle it out! Will Avengers top Justice League? And will my randomly reading Batman this week actually sway me to pick it up bi-weekly instead of in trades? No. No it won't. But it's still good, because it's Tom freaking King, what else do you expect?

Blue Nexus #91 - Xenomark VI, Home of the Mega-Burger

Previously in "Blue Nexus": An emissary named Eltar came to invite several members of the Zanderia to a festival occurring on the Kingdom Planet Xenomark VI. After some quick thinking, it was revealed that he came with malicious intent and that he may be the early signs of a massive invasion. To stave off that invasion, Phoenix called together Kyle, Sandy, Brenda, and Leley to head to Xenomark VI and attack the Trask, the organization that's placed a bounty on the heads of all the Zanderia members. After saying some temporary goodbyes, the five shot into space. 

Comic Book Reviews - August 29, 2018

Just because it's a fifth week doesn't mean we have to look over our comics this week! Two big summer events are coming to a close, and there's the most important crossover of the year to talk about! That's why it this came out late, I could barely handle myself with all the hype! And that's the excuse I'm rolling with.

Blue Nexus #90 - Bounty Hunted

Previously in "Blue Nexus": After enjoying some quiet time to himself, Kyle was allowed back into the fold of the galaxy's greatest superhero team, the Zanderia. He met with Brenda and investigated and alien crash site, where he met the being known as Eltar, from the Xenomark system. Eltar extended invitations to Kyle, Brenda, Phoenix, and Lalay to join him at a festival, though they quickly saw through Eltar's ruse and discovered that a massive horde of Demi-War Gods gather on Xenomark VI and will head to Earth to fulfill some sort of bounty placed on the Zanderia. 

Battle Breakdown (Hunter x Hunter): Netero vs. Chimera Ant King

Fight scenes are awesome, and some are just so awesome that they deserve a heavy examination to look at what makes them so truly great. One such fight, the one that'll kick off this new series of mine, comes from the 2011 adaptation, Hunter x Hunter, wherein the Chimera Ant King faces off against the 13th Chairman of the Hunter Association, Isaac Netero. If you've never seen the series or read the manga, please stay away. HEAVY SPOILERS FROM HERE ON OUT!

Comic Book Reviews - August 22, 2018

This week, Marvel takes the stand and has its moment to shine as several of its books dive headfirst into their opening arc's climax, while Superman stands tall and alone in the face of some Daily Planet drama!

Hunter x Hunter - A Spectrum of Villainy

They say that a hero is only as strong as their villain, and in the case of Hunter x Hunter, that may very well be the case. Hunter x Hunter, compared to other anime in its genre, boats an incredible roster of villains, each with their own unique motivations, backstories, and abilities. Each of them has their own unique sphere of influence when it comes to the overall narrative, making them even more intriguing and mysterious as to how they'll come into conflict with Gon, Killua, Leorio, or Kurapika. Today, we'll examine each of Hunter x Hunter's major villains and take a look into the wide spectrum of villainy that the story boasts. SPOILERS (FOR AT LEAST THE ANIME) FROM HERE ON. 

Comic Book Reviews - August 15, 2018

After a hiatus, it's time to return to the world of comics, where flashbacks are abound, villains are reaching the apex of their plans, and multi-colored superheroes get to make big speeches and punch monsters! So, really, I haven't missed anything.

Blue Nexus #89 - Invitations (Or, How Space GPS Works)

Previously in "Blue Nexus": Following the epic battles in the Magus War, where magic made its long-awaited return to Earth and has since sent humanity into a bit of a tizzy over how handle the outburst of magic, Kyle Raiden and his best friends have begun adjusting better to his life as a superhero, despite all the wackiness that's been going on. Kyle's powers with the Nexus have grown, as have some of his ally's abilities: allies like Brenda aka Shindari, who is a mage, and Sandy, aka Violette, another mage and a fledgling one at that. Best of all, Kyle's landed a solid spot on the lacrosse team and finally managed to get a girlfriend, an alien named Ven. Kyle also made a few ventures out into space...ventures that gave him as much notoriety out in the cosmos as on Earth...

In Defense of The Goblet of Fire Movie

After Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban it's widely accepted among Potterheads that the films take a nosedive in terms of book-movie correlation. Massive plot threads are dropped, hundreds of pages worth of material are either condensed, changed or dropped entirely. These are undeniable facts. One of the biggest offenders in this arena is Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which, many would argue, makes the most amount of changes, and this makes it the most inferior film of the franchise based off of its adaptation merit. But looking beyond that, it's quite easy to defend the Goblet of Fire as the franchise's truest translation from novel to film.

Blog Update: Summer 2018

It's that good ol' time of year again: when the Sun is scorching, the beaches are full, and when you really just don't want to get in your car that's been basking in sunlight for the last eight hours. Also all the kids are on break so hey, no school, tons of fun.

But it is not just the schools that are summer break this year, it's also this blog! Much as it does pain me to stop a good train while it's rolling, I also think it'd be insane for me to put out what I normally would over the next two months. I think that by the time we'd need to kick things into high gear again I would be creatively bankrupt and that just sounds terrible.

Comic Book Reviews - June 13, 2018

During an odd in-between of coming down from E3 hype and ramping up for the FIFA World Cup, we have an excellent week of comics that allow villains-turned-heroes(?) to take the spotlight and for FLASH WAR to be just as hype as ever. Also Mister Miracle is back so we can all be happy and confsued together again.

Blue Nexus #88 - The Shore

Previously on: "Blue Nexus": Lacrosse season has begun, off to a fairly decent start for Kyle and Andreus, who have been absolutely prohibited from using magic and keep a close eye on one another. Kyle, though, still suffers from the battle with the interdimensional monster, the Starlan, and cannot access his Nexus abilities. At a party after the game, Ven, Kyle's new alien girl friend, started drinking and Kyle encountered a young member of the villain organization, the Toxics. After a heated discussion, Ven attacked him in a drunken stupor and Kyle, trying to stop her, took a bit of a tumble down a steep cliff, leaving the fate of the party, and Ven, unknown. 

Comic Book Review - June 6, 2018

In a pedestrian week of comics, is it possible that one can rise up as a diamond in the rough? Will it be Green Arrow? Of course it'll be Green Arrow.

Bloodborne (Comic) Review

It's rare to see a video-game adaptation succeed in any medium, particularly in movies. Little faith can ever be placed in something transferring mediums, and it oddly enough seems that one of the more difficult things to translate can be within the realm of visual media. But you'd think that translating a video-game to film could be easier than translating it to comic form, where images aren't moving and the reader has no agency in the story. However, where most "adaptations" succeed is not with directly redoing what the video-game has done, but expanding upon it. Such is the case with Titan Comic's Bloodborne.

Comic Book Reviews - May 30, 2018

As one DC weekly series ends, another begins. And in an extra-large extra week of comics, one can only rely on one thing to pull them through all of the insanity: Gorgeous artwork.

Blue Nexus #87 - A Toxic Relationship

Previously on "Blue Nexus": Kyle helped an alien girl named Ven fight off some rogue government agents bent on capturing her for nefarious reasons. They hit it off fast, forming a good friendship with signs of blossoming into something more. Meanwhile, Kyle and Andreus have been preparing for the upcoming lacrosse season, though their magic-fueled feud has created an ugly stain on their reputation. And Kyle, after the battle with the Starlan, still has a broken, useless Nexus bracelet. 

Dark Souls - The Burden of Legacy

Legacy is a funny thing. Everyone strives to have one. Everyone wants to be remembered, everyone wants to be known as doing something. It's not a bad thing to want, so long as there is something else, something more, that drives you. Maybe you want to be the best racecar driver. If all that's there is the desire to be the best and not prove anything, maybe you're missing something. It's a hollow legacy. Sometimes, these people who have a legacy, who have something they must strive for, are burdened by it. They have to carry a certain weight or prowess about them that; this is seen nowhere better than the 2011 From Software video game, Dark Souls.

Comic Book Reviews - May 23, 2018

This week, as we say goodbye to Tynion's storied run on Detective Comics it's also time to tell Moon Knight to just look at the flowers. Also: FLASH WAR HYPE!